Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Belly Timber
Well, I'd like to write a brilliant, in depth, descriptive review... but I'm old, tired, and drunk so you get what you get.
I picked Belly Timber because enough people who like to eat in Portland said it was worthwhile and I couldn't insist on Cava yet again. Also, a place with a name that dumb usually either sucks horribly or rules. I'm going to go ahead and say that this was one of the better decisions I've made this week.
I won't go into the entire menu to except to say that the entrees, while not super exciting, were solid and that the drinks and appetizers were inventive and inspired.
I'll go over a few highlights. You may notice a theme. I like bacon.
"Pigstrami" - Thick slices of pork belly (think super thick bacon), 2-3 inches long, cured like pastrami. Absolutely delicious. Funny, both the girls couldn't dig it so maybe it's a guy thing? Whatever, pig fat and pepper = WIN.
Bacon infused bourbon Manhattan. Small drink... for a reason. Good bourbon, infused with bacon, with just enough sweetness. It's a sipper, not something you throw down chasing a good buzz. Tastes like the most awesome breakfast ever. REALLY good when combined with the...
Stumptown coffee custard thing. Imagine a good cappuccino, but replace the coffee with a cold coffee pudding. Take a bite of this, then a sip of the bacon bourbon. Then slip into a blissful coma.
Banana pudding with a stick of candied bacon in it. DUDE CANDIED F*ING BACON!!!!!
Service. I've had world class service, and I've had awful service. Given my scale, they get a solid B+. If you narrow the scale and just compare them to Portland in general, A-. Compare them just to restaurants on Hawthorne? A++. Fairly fast, very friendly, only made one mistake. A little inattentive when compared to the best of the best, but very strong overall.
The entrees again were nothing special, but there was nothing wrong with them. I had the burger. Not as good as Cava's by a long shot. A little dry, and the veggies were sparse and pedestrian... BUT the presentation was brilliant. The fries were served with a bone marrow aioli.... served inside a hollow steak bone! It made a great looking plate.
Anyway, it's good to see something besides a pub on Hawthorne. Prices were fair, food was fun, service was solid. What's not to love?
I will now sit and digest.
Also, Robert and Brandie gave me a bottle of Shinola from Merkin Vineyards because they are awesome.
I picked Belly Timber because enough people who like to eat in Portland said it was worthwhile and I couldn't insist on Cava yet again. Also, a place with a name that dumb usually either sucks horribly or rules. I'm going to go ahead and say that this was one of the better decisions I've made this week.
I won't go into the entire menu to except to say that the entrees, while not super exciting, were solid and that the drinks and appetizers were inventive and inspired.
I'll go over a few highlights. You may notice a theme. I like bacon.
"Pigstrami" - Thick slices of pork belly (think super thick bacon), 2-3 inches long, cured like pastrami. Absolutely delicious. Funny, both the girls couldn't dig it so maybe it's a guy thing? Whatever, pig fat and pepper = WIN.
Bacon infused bourbon Manhattan. Small drink... for a reason. Good bourbon, infused with bacon, with just enough sweetness. It's a sipper, not something you throw down chasing a good buzz. Tastes like the most awesome breakfast ever. REALLY good when combined with the...
Stumptown coffee custard thing. Imagine a good cappuccino, but replace the coffee with a cold coffee pudding. Take a bite of this, then a sip of the bacon bourbon. Then slip into a blissful coma.
Banana pudding with a stick of candied bacon in it. DUDE CANDIED F*ING BACON!!!!!
Service. I've had world class service, and I've had awful service. Given my scale, they get a solid B+. If you narrow the scale and just compare them to Portland in general, A-. Compare them just to restaurants on Hawthorne? A++. Fairly fast, very friendly, only made one mistake. A little inattentive when compared to the best of the best, but very strong overall.
The entrees again were nothing special, but there was nothing wrong with them. I had the burger. Not as good as Cava's by a long shot. A little dry, and the veggies were sparse and pedestrian... BUT the presentation was brilliant. The fries were served with a bone marrow aioli.... served inside a hollow steak bone! It made a great looking plate.
Anyway, it's good to see something besides a pub on Hawthorne. Prices were fair, food was fun, service was solid. What's not to love?
I will now sit and digest.
Also, Robert and Brandie gave me a bottle of Shinola from Merkin Vineyards because they are awesome.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
On motorcycling.... again
I had intended to fulfill a promise and start writing an ongoing story about why I love motorcycles so much.... But then I decided to check the news. I read another one of these stories. I decided to post a reply. This is it:
"As an experienced motorcyclist, this kind of story makes me really sad. It happens way too often. It sounds like a another instance of a young man buying a motorcycle he was in no way qualified to operate.
I had just ridden the road he was killed on Friday, on my KLR650. The corners are easy and flat. With proper throttle control, brake discipline, and the knowledge the comes with a few years on a bike, there's nothing challenging there even at 20MPH over the posted speed for any given corner (and that's on a motorcycle not built for high speed cornering). It's a fine, beautiful stretch of road. However, if you put a kid with no experience on a fast sport bike very bad things can happen really fast. Sounds like that's what happened here. It's really, really, sad.
Not that it's the fault of the state or the motorcycle manufacturer, but the fact that kids are able to buy something like the CBR600RR or an R6 (an example, not saying that's what he was riding) as their first bike is inexcusable. As long as these squids can get on these machines with no experience, crashes like this will continue to happen. These are powerful, high-performance bikes. They're a TON of fun, but as fast as they can put a smile on your face they can get you in over your head.
My heart goes out to the families of the rider and the folks who were in the pickup.
If you're a parent or a friend of a young guy looking at a performance bike for their first machine, I cannot urge you strongly enough to force them to start off small. I've ridden for almost 30 years now. I've seen just about everything. I can assure you that the guys who start out on small bikes, and who avail themselves of the knowledge of older riders, live longer."
Seriously, this breaks my fucking heart. Motorcycles are more fun than almost anything I can think of. Fast motorcycles are the most fun of all of them.. BUT YOU HAVE TO LEARN HOW TO RIDE FIRST. If you don't, the odds are very good that you will die. I would like to see some sort of legislation that kept inexperienced riders off high performance bikes. The bikes I mentioned have all the tools necessary to get you into and out of trouble. They are well balanced, possess decent tires and tons of power, have excellent suspension and good (if not great) brakes, and are capable of, in the hands of an experienced rider, carving canyons in a jaw-droppingly awesome way... but if no one taught you how to use them then all you know is how to get into trouble. If that's all you can do, you'll either get lucky (as I will admit I did) or wind up causing heartbreak.
"As an experienced motorcyclist, this kind of story makes me really sad. It happens way too often. It sounds like a another instance of a young man buying a motorcycle he was in no way qualified to operate.
I had just ridden the road he was killed on Friday, on my KLR650. The corners are easy and flat. With proper throttle control, brake discipline, and the knowledge the comes with a few years on a bike, there's nothing challenging there even at 20MPH over the posted speed for any given corner (and that's on a motorcycle not built for high speed cornering). It's a fine, beautiful stretch of road. However, if you put a kid with no experience on a fast sport bike very bad things can happen really fast. Sounds like that's what happened here. It's really, really, sad.
Not that it's the fault of the state or the motorcycle manufacturer, but the fact that kids are able to buy something like the CBR600RR or an R6 (an example, not saying that's what he was riding) as their first bike is inexcusable. As long as these squids can get on these machines with no experience, crashes like this will continue to happen. These are powerful, high-performance bikes. They're a TON of fun, but as fast as they can put a smile on your face they can get you in over your head.
My heart goes out to the families of the rider and the folks who were in the pickup.
If you're a parent or a friend of a young guy looking at a performance bike for their first machine, I cannot urge you strongly enough to force them to start off small. I've ridden for almost 30 years now. I've seen just about everything. I can assure you that the guys who start out on small bikes, and who avail themselves of the knowledge of older riders, live longer."
Seriously, this breaks my fucking heart. Motorcycles are more fun than almost anything I can think of. Fast motorcycles are the most fun of all of them.. BUT YOU HAVE TO LEARN HOW TO RIDE FIRST. If you don't, the odds are very good that you will die. I would like to see some sort of legislation that kept inexperienced riders off high performance bikes. The bikes I mentioned have all the tools necessary to get you into and out of trouble. They are well balanced, possess decent tires and tons of power, have excellent suspension and good (if not great) brakes, and are capable of, in the hands of an experienced rider, carving canyons in a jaw-droppingly awesome way... but if no one taught you how to use them then all you know is how to get into trouble. If that's all you can do, you'll either get lucky (as I will admit I did) or wind up causing heartbreak.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
And then there was one....
Well, I always hate to say goodbye to a good friend, but I'm down to one KLR. See ya on the road, pal.
Tuesday, October 07, 2008
The amazing shrinking John.... The finale?
My original weight goal when I started this whole stupid "Operation Skinny John" thing was 220. I never really expected to hit it, but I figured if you aim high and miss, you'll still be somewhere near the target. But what happens when you succeed where you expected to fail?
In the beginning, back when I was pushing 250, I told myself that when I hit 220 I would reward myself with KFC. If you don't know my history with fried chicken, let me just say it's not pretty. I have been known to eat myself sick on fried chicken, go to bed, and then get up at 3 in the morning because I knew there were a couple legs left in the fridge. It's bad. Seriously, I can eat 2 complete fried chickens in an evening, no problem. Give me a long night, and I might go three or four. I've never really had any addiction problems, but fried chicken has always been the chink in my armor. I can resist donuts easy. Cake, pie, etc? No problem (though I do love me some pie). I generally don't care for sweet stuff, so sugar is not a problem. I actually enjoy a spartan diet. It makes me feel tough. But damn, I get one whiff of fried chicken and I am an deep trouble fast.
Later in the "Operation Skinny John" project, I revised the goal. I told myself that at 225 I could have fried chicken. I did this because I am weak, and because I thought it would help motivate me. It did help. It drove me, it kept me focused, but... Then it happened... I hit 225. I knew I was off the hook for fried chicken, but it felt like a hollow victory. I'd won by redefining the terms of victory. That's not winning. It's bullshit. I couldn't bring myself to claim a prize I didn't really earn, so I never cashed that check.
Tonight, I was feeling fat. I'd sat at home working and playing motorcycle mechanic all day. I missed the first of my daily doubles (if you don't know what that is, ask anyone who played high school football). I got everything done and went to the gym. I did my cardio, and then did the reduced weight workout I'm doing now due to an injury. I still felt thick, but I weighed myself anyway.
220.3
That counts in my book. With things the way they are, I'd been feeling too much stress and not enough pleasure. I cashed the check. I'm now assured that I'll be able to use fried chicken responsibly (these type of things are never as good as you build them up to be), but DAMN was it good.
Anyway, Shannon has said I'm not allowed to drop below 215, so after this it will be a slow process of swapping about 10-20 pounds of fat for 10-20 pounds of muscle. That takes time, and I have a plan, but I think the days of dramatic results are over. Man, it was a fun ride and I sent it off properly.
Oh and lest anyone think I forgot about the whole raw food thing, the rest of my diet today consisted of oats, a boiled egg, carrot sticks, and cashews.
P.S. Red wine goes with chicken.... OR ANY OTHER GOD DAMN THING I WANT IT TO!!!!!
In the beginning, back when I was pushing 250, I told myself that when I hit 220 I would reward myself with KFC. If you don't know my history with fried chicken, let me just say it's not pretty. I have been known to eat myself sick on fried chicken, go to bed, and then get up at 3 in the morning because I knew there were a couple legs left in the fridge. It's bad. Seriously, I can eat 2 complete fried chickens in an evening, no problem. Give me a long night, and I might go three or four. I've never really had any addiction problems, but fried chicken has always been the chink in my armor. I can resist donuts easy. Cake, pie, etc? No problem (though I do love me some pie). I generally don't care for sweet stuff, so sugar is not a problem. I actually enjoy a spartan diet. It makes me feel tough. But damn, I get one whiff of fried chicken and I am an deep trouble fast.
Later in the "Operation Skinny John" project, I revised the goal. I told myself that at 225 I could have fried chicken. I did this because I am weak, and because I thought it would help motivate me. It did help. It drove me, it kept me focused, but... Then it happened... I hit 225. I knew I was off the hook for fried chicken, but it felt like a hollow victory. I'd won by redefining the terms of victory. That's not winning. It's bullshit. I couldn't bring myself to claim a prize I didn't really earn, so I never cashed that check.
Tonight, I was feeling fat. I'd sat at home working and playing motorcycle mechanic all day. I missed the first of my daily doubles (if you don't know what that is, ask anyone who played high school football). I got everything done and went to the gym. I did my cardio, and then did the reduced weight workout I'm doing now due to an injury. I still felt thick, but I weighed myself anyway.
220.3
That counts in my book. With things the way they are, I'd been feeling too much stress and not enough pleasure. I cashed the check. I'm now assured that I'll be able to use fried chicken responsibly (these type of things are never as good as you build them up to be), but DAMN was it good.
Anyway, Shannon has said I'm not allowed to drop below 215, so after this it will be a slow process of swapping about 10-20 pounds of fat for 10-20 pounds of muscle. That takes time, and I have a plan, but I think the days of dramatic results are over. Man, it was a fun ride and I sent it off properly.
Oh and lest anyone think I forgot about the whole raw food thing, the rest of my diet today consisted of oats, a boiled egg, carrot sticks, and cashews.
P.S. Red wine goes with chicken.... OR ANY OTHER GOD DAMN THING I WANT IT TO!!!!!
Monday, October 06, 2008
Good times tomorrow!!!!
Sunday, October 05, 2008
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Google like it's 2001
Wow... Here's a flashback. I found a page I made back then... and an error in it.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Sunday, September 28, 2008
I'm not one for celebrity gossip
But DAMN Heather Locklear took one of the best celeb mugshots I've ever seen. All messed up and she STILL looks 10 years younger than she is. Well played sister!
Friday, September 26, 2008
Raw Foodism
Anyone else spend any time thinking about this? Normally, I'm the first guy in line to make fun of anything remotely new-agey, hippy, whatever... But this kind of makes sense to me.
The main benefits of cooking food, as I understand it, are to render possibly unsafe food safer and to make tough foods easier to digest, thus giving you more bang for your buck. That's awesome.... If you're living in a time and place where getting every last bit of calorie content out of every last bit of food you eat is vital. If you lose a few vitamins, so be it.
Well, we live in a time where the safe food is pretty easy to get in quantity (for some of us) and where we actually have to think about not eating too much (say what you want retro-grouches but that's a pretty awesome problem to have). Doesn't it make sense to maybe give up the extra stuff needed for growth you get when you cook food for the extra over all health benefits you get when you don't? At least some of the time? I'm not going to give up cooked grains or cooked meat (or raw meat) ever, but I think working towards a goal of having at least half of the food I eat on any given day be raw, or at least not processed, can't possibly be a bad thing.
The main benefits of cooking food, as I understand it, are to render possibly unsafe food safer and to make tough foods easier to digest, thus giving you more bang for your buck. That's awesome.... If you're living in a time and place where getting every last bit of calorie content out of every last bit of food you eat is vital. If you lose a few vitamins, so be it.
Well, we live in a time where the safe food is pretty easy to get in quantity (for some of us) and where we actually have to think about not eating too much (say what you want retro-grouches but that's a pretty awesome problem to have). Doesn't it make sense to maybe give up the extra stuff needed for growth you get when you cook food for the extra over all health benefits you get when you don't? At least some of the time? I'm not going to give up cooked grains or cooked meat (or raw meat) ever, but I think working towards a goal of having at least half of the food I eat on any given day be raw, or at least not processed, can't possibly be a bad thing.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
I was wondering how long this would take...
The economy continues to melt down, we're teetering on the edge of a new cold war, energy prices are through the roof with a very cold winter being forecast and what do we hear from the white house?
C'mon, like you didn't know.
Never forget.
C'mon, like you didn't know.
Never forget.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
From the "How to do it right" department
I just found this blog entry. I still feel the same way. I won the game.
Why I love the interwebs
1) Because it's a series of tubes
2) Tonight's conversation (while watching The Prophecy II):
Shannon: That's Jennifer Beal!
John: (Thinking of whoever that chick in dirty dancing was) Shannon, you known dick about movies. That's not Jennifer Beal. Bow before the sophisticated movie knowledge of John.
Shannon: Look it up.
John: DO YOU DOUBT THE JOHN!!!!???!!! OK. I WILL!!
Moments later...
John: fuck.
Shannon: Yeah dude, you're buying breakfast.
2) Tonight's conversation (while watching The Prophecy II):
Shannon: That's Jennifer Beal!
John: (Thinking of whoever that chick in dirty dancing was) Shannon, you known dick about movies. That's not Jennifer Beal. Bow before the sophisticated movie knowledge of John.
Shannon: Look it up.
John: DO YOU DOUBT THE JOHN!!!!???!!! OK. I WILL!!
Moments later...
John: fuck.
Shannon: Yeah dude, you're buying breakfast.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Need some storage?
Like 2 gigs? Free? SUPER easy to use? Mac, Linux, Windows?
Get yourself some dropbox. I use it. I love it. It makes me happy.
Get yourself some dropbox. I use it. I love it. It makes me happy.
Good idea of the day.
While I'd LOVE to see this, I'd be happy with enforcement of existing leash laws... rather than rewarding violators by reducing the amount of park area available to people who don't enjoy being molested by off leash dogs by granting it to dog owners who don't use it anyway and continue to act is if the laws don't exist. Subsidizing crime? BRILLIANT!!!
A bridge to the 19th century
You know what I hate about America (well, one thing)? That living in the day and age we do, half of us think that putting people who either don't use computers or think that unencrypted public mail services are fine for state business in charge is a GREAT idea because they love Jesus.
I cannot say this enough times.... We should gas the Midwest, get rid of everything there, and turn it over to giant robot farming machines to make us fuel and tasty snacks.
Oh, in case your wondering what kind of stuff winds up in the inbox of someone who claims to know the will of God, here.
I cannot say this enough times.... We should gas the Midwest, get rid of everything there, and turn it over to giant robot farming machines to make us fuel and tasty snacks.
Oh, in case your wondering what kind of stuff winds up in the inbox of someone who claims to know the will of God, here.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Random observation about candy
I just ate a cherry cordial. I was reading the little tag on it that said "cherry cordial" when it occurred to me that while the candy did have a cherry taste to it, it was not cordial. This candy was not particularly friendly. Sure, it wasn't rude or mean... but it didn't give me a heart felt "Hey John, how are you?", or a smile, or a pat on the back... nothing. Actually, I got the distinct impression that this candy really didn't care about me at all. It's not that I blame the candy for it's ambivalence. Quite the contrary, I think ambivalence is the best I could hope for from something I'm going to eat. I'm lucky I didn't get a "cherry malevolent"... But then why call it a "cordial"? Why not a "cherry ambivalent", or as the kids would say a "cherry meh"?
Stupid inaccurate candy names. Now that I think of it, this problem is HUGE! If you open a Three Musketeers, I'll bet there aren't three chocolate covered little french sword guys in there. Mars? Sure, nuts and sweet goodness, but no extraterrestrial ANYTHING. Jolly Ranchers are neither ranchers nor particularly jolly. WTF?!
Stupid inaccurate candy names. Now that I think of it, this problem is HUGE! If you open a Three Musketeers, I'll bet there aren't three chocolate covered little french sword guys in there. Mars? Sure, nuts and sweet goodness, but no extraterrestrial ANYTHING. Jolly Ranchers are neither ranchers nor particularly jolly. WTF?!
Read this... FOR SCIENCE!!! (A poll)
First, let me state for the record that I love showers. Well maybe not showers so much as the way you feel when you get out of the shower and you're all clean. You really can't get that without taking a shower, so I take a lot of showers. Today, as I was taking shower number two, I started thinking. "John, I wonder... how many showers do other people take in a day? Are you obsessive when it comes to showers? Does it matter?". So in the interest of satisfying my curiosity, and to add to my growing body of evidence that girls are stinky and have cooties, do me a favor. Leave a comment (either with your name or anonymously if you're ashamed of being filthy) with how many times a day you shower.
I will start.
During the week, I usually take 3 showers a day. Because I value cleanliness.
I will start.
During the week, I usually take 3 showers a day. Because I value cleanliness.
Monday, September 15, 2008
LHC Webcam
For those of you who are interested in this cool piece of science, here's a webcam from the LHC
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