Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Beer!

One of the many things great about Wisconsin is the vast number of breweries and beers that this fine state produces. I'm a person that prefers to drink local if possible, even if it means buying a case of Old Milwaukee diesel for the weekend. I could easily run down a list of my top five favorite Wisconsin beers, without even really having to think about it. You know what? I'm going to do that right now. So in no particular order, here's my list.
Photo courtesy of WXOW.com

1. Pearl Street Brewery El Hefe
2. New Glarus Spotted Cow
3. Horny Goat Brewery Horny Blonde
4. Central Waters Honey Blonde
5. Great Dane Crop Circle Wheat

As you can tell, I'm a much bigger fan of lagers and lighter beers than a dark porter or stout. That's one of the reasons I am stoked to try the new Rubber Mills Pils that Pearl Street Brewery is rolling out. PSB, like so many other local breweries, know what they're doing when it comes to beer.

Monday, July 23, 2012

FOOTBALL!

With the Brewers out of contention for all intents and purposes, it's time to turn attention to football. Tomorrow is the annual Shareholder's meeting at Lambeau Field, a meeting I am allowed to attend, but unfortunately will not be able to. It is nice to know that my "investment" in the Packers allows me to   do something like that, and I fully intend to take advantage of that in upcoming years.
Thursday marks the start of training camp, which is crazy to think is happening already but the regular season opener against the San Francisco 49ers is just 47 days away. That's basically a month and a half. Get ready.

Friday, July 20, 2012

Spoiler-free Dark Knight Rises thoughts

I went and saw The Dark Knight Rises at midnight. The movie let out at 3:05, and I was at work by 5:30. Do the math. But, it was 100% totally worth it. The movie is fantastic. Here are a few of my thoughts on the flick, with no spoilers. I promise.

1) Anne Hathaway can rock a leather Catwoman suit. Not that that's surprising.

2) Tom Hardy is jacked, and plays Bane different than any villain I've ever seen in a movie. When he talks in the movie, pay attention. It's not the easiest to hear, but it's important to the plotline.

3) Christopher Nolan is a genius. Unlike some directors, it's not all about explosions and special effects. Each scene is planned out brilliantly.

4) Michael Caine, Gary Oldman and Morgan Freeman are the best. Absolute class.

5) Joseph-Gordon Leavitt is going to be a star.

6) I'd stack this Batman trilogy against any trilogy in cinematic history. Godfather, Jurassic Park, Back to the Future, Spiderman, all six Rocky movies, Terminator, and all the other ones I can't think of. It's far and away my favorite.

7) See the first two movies before seeing Dark Knight Rises. It helps understand who Batman is, and adds to the story line of a number of other characters as well.

8) I wonder how this plot line would have differed had Heath Ledger not died.

9) I want a Batmobile.

10) Did I mention Anne Hathaway is kind of attractive?

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Fair or foul?

Saw this on reddit, and I feel compelled to share. Is this ok to do? If you're just saying "Free Beer" you're not lying.

"My bar is one of the busiest in town, and we are well known throughout our area. And the owners want to make as much money as they can during our Wednesday night special ($3 pitchers and Free Hot Wings). So around midnight or sometimes even earlier they have me switch over the kegs from BudLight and CoorsLight to Keystone Light. Since it is a lot cheaper for a keg of Keystone than it is the other two. I can understand from a business standpoint the reasoning for doing this, maximize profits yotta yotta yotta. But when I was first hired and told to do this I just felt very shady and thought that we were ripping people off. Even though we do this, no one has EVER noticed (I guess not enough beer connoisseurs where I'm working at). Everyone is too busy being drunk and having a good time, yes we give the people a very good environment to get hammered in and pick up chicks, but that doesn't mean we should be selling them alcohol other than what they think they are purchasing."

Pole-dancing prostitutes?

I'm a big fan of twitter, mainly because I love the variety of different feeds I follow that present a plethora of different information in front of me in a constantly updating stream. Most of it is pertaining to news and sports, but from time to time, I uncover a gem like this one.
Steve Allen / Getty Images
 RT @TIME How pole-dancing prostitutes are destroying Auckland street signs http://ti.me/Mwwqyv (via @TIMENewsFeed)

Pole-dancing prostitutes? Well of course I'll click! And from a reputable source like TIME magazine, I know it's not porn or something risque. 

According to the report, on any given night in New Zealand, there will be "20-30 prostitutes" lining the streets, basically causing mayhem. And as a way to stand out, some of these prosties have taken to pole dancing on the public street signs. Well, considering your average Yield sign isn't made to support a pole dancer (believe me, I know), the poles are being bent and damaged. The best line from the whole story is this quote right here: "Some of the prostitutes are big, strong people"

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

There are some iconic roles in movies and television that you can't imagine anyone else playing. Like can you really see anyone but Bruce Willis playing John McClane in Die Hard? Harrison Ford is basically perfect as Han Solo, as well as Indiana Jones (except in that fourth movie, that one sucked).

One of the best TV shows out there right now, whether you are watching it or not, is Breaking Bad. Bryan Cranston is remarkable as a chemistry teacher-turned-drug dealer, so good that he has three Emmys on his fireplace proving that fact. The fifth season premiere Sunday night was the most-watched episode of the series, drawing in 3.5 million viewers, a very impressive number for a cable channel like AMC.

The success that Cranston is having with the series make it surprising that he was not the first choice to play Walter White. Heck, he wasn't even the second choice. According to this report from the MSN, Cranston was the third choice...behind Matthew Broderick and John Cusack. Could you imagine Ferris Bueller or the guy from Say Anything really portraying the character that Walter White has become, instead of Cranston? Me neither.

Friday, July 13, 2012

C'mon Taco Bell.

I went to UW-L. The oasis that is Taco Bell is located conveniently between campus and downtown. Location, location, location. That place is always busy, and rightfully so. Not only is the food delicious (at the right time of the night), it's good for you (that's a bold face lie).

T-Bell has had some phenomenal innovations over the year. Nacho cheese chalupa, cinnamon twists, beefy 5-layer burrito, and the almighty Cheesy Gordita Crunch. For the most part, the good folks at your local neighborhood Taco Bell know what they're doing. They put a taco inside a Doritos chip, for heaven's sake. They deserve a Nobel prize.

That being said, there's a certain level of expectation when you walk in the door at Taco Bell. There's the avoidance of eye contact with anyone inside, as you simply walk up to the register, place your order, then wait patiently with your Baja Blast for your food to arrive.

You're not expecting the food to be good. The first bite will be the best thing you ever eat, and you'll be full halfway through your first burrito. Spoiler alert: you ordered four of those things, and you're going to devour each and every morsel. You're going to hate your life and feel terrible afterwards, but that's part of the experience.

So here's my question. Why ruin a good thing? Cantina Bowl? Surriously? No. If I'm going to Taco Bell, I'm resigned to my fate. I want different concoctions of terrible meat and liquid cheese packed into a tortilla, and then either grilled, steamed, deep-fried, sauteed, or cooked by sharks with laser beams attacked to their foreheads. It's what you want when you go to T-Bell. Not the illusion of something healthy.


Cantina Bowl? Leave that to the professionals. Taco Bell, you know what you're good at. Stick to your guns. And listen to one of the smartest men in the universe, Karl Welzein, who goes by the handle @DadBoner on twitter. So you know he knows his stuff.


Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Dream Team vs. 2012 Olympic Team



One of the questions that's been debating in the sports universe recently is who would win a game between the 1992 Dream Team and this year's Olympic squad. My initial reaction is to side with the 2012 rendition of the team, based on just the advancements that have allowed these people to become freaks of nature athletically. But in basketball, that doesn't necessarily translate into wins. Let me break down the starting 5 of each team to show why the 1992 Dream Team would win.
Point Guard: Magic Johnson vs. Chris Paul
Johnson was not only an extremely deft passer and ball handler, he was also 6-foot-9 and was a mismatch for anyone in the post. Paul might have an edge with outside shooting, but Magic's dominance in other areas give the edge to the '92 squad.

Shooting Guard: Michael Jordan vs. Kobe Bryant
Perhaps the two most competitive players in the history of the world, this would be a dream match-up. There's a lot of MJ in Kobe's game, especially as he's gotten older, but the 1992 version is a better player than a 35-year old Kobe.

Small Forward: Larry Bird vs. LeBron James
While Bird is one of my favorite players of all time, LeBron gets the edge here. Bird was slowing down in 1992, and LeBron is simply too fast, too strong and too good. Advantage, 2012.

Power Forward: Karl Malone vs. Kevin Durant
Both are prolific scorers, but in quite different manners. Malone is a beast in the post, while Durant uses his length to shoot over anyone. Tough call here, but I think I go with Durant, who is at the top of his game.

Center: Patrick Ewing vs. Tyson Chandler
Ewing has the definite offensive advantage, and defensively I call it a wash. Ewing and Malone combine to have a much more imposing front line than the 2012 squad, giving the advantage to the Dream Team here.

What the argument comes down to is that the Dream Team is a little bigger in the post, and they have Michael Jordan, which helps.

Monday, July 9, 2012

Home Run Derby

The home run derby is quite possibly one of the most overblown events in the sports calendar. It has so much potential, but there are things about it that I hate that make it much worse than it could be. For starters, hearing Chris Berman blabber about every homer is just atrociously unbearable. Second, injuries and the potential of the derby completely ruining players' swings is not great for the competition. There should also be a couple of mashers who should absolutely be in the derby every single year. Even though Adam Dunn is not an All-Star, I would definitely pay to watch him in the derby. Same goes for David Ortiz, Russell Branyan, Josh Hamiliton and some other players who were simply built to hit homers. Jose Bautista and Prince Fielder are very deserving of being there as well. Carlos Beltran and Mark Trumbo? Maybe not. And Andrew McCutchen and Matt Kemp are both extremely good baseball players, but maybe not the best HR derby participants. I'll probably watch with passing interest, but I think the event is extremely overrated.

Friday, July 6, 2012

Deodorizing fart pads?


Deodorizer pads sold by Colonial Medical (© Flat-D via Colonial Medical, http://aka.ms/fartpads)This is possibly the greatest or  most awkward invention in the history of mankind. For those that dealt it, now no one will have to...smelt it. It looks like the charcoal filter on my deep fryer, and I'm supposed to affix that to my butt cheeks? I suppose that makes sense. But here's the question. Do you want people to know you're wearing one? What if you get caught in a compromising position with your pants down and that thing is just chilling there on your underbritches? How good is the adhesive? Wouldn't want that thing sliding down your leg. So many questions.