Fubar's Debut!

So, last night at the Purple Otter, Fubar bartended. Yes, he went from the consumer to the pourer. A bunch of us showed up, bellied up to the bar, and barked orders at Fubar. It was fun!

I have to say he did a great job considering it was his first day ever as a bartender.

I have a feeling there will be many nights this summer spent at the purple otter...let the summer begin!

BWM M5

Michelle is itching to buy a BMW. She always jokes about buying one. I am not so keen on the idea. I think that is why she asked to borrow her uncle's M5. This car has 500 horsepower. Most cars if i am not mistaken have around 200. We had it the whole memorial day weekend and it was a blast to drive. Just the sound alone when you start it is awesome. Not to mention, at 90 mph, it feels like you are going 30. Needless to say, we had a blast with it and I think she is slowly turning on the idea of getting a new car.

The worst part is when I gave it back to her uncle he asked if I found the sport button...that gives you an extra 80 horsepower. Ummm, no I missed that...

Indiana Jones 19 Years Later

So, it is not very often that my brother and I agree on... well anything. But when it comes to this movie, he took the words out of my mouth.

It has been 19 years since the last Indiana Jones movie. 19 years....At this point Harrison Ford is now collecting social security. I digress. What annoyed me the most is that they waited 19 years for this script. How many scripts did they pass on? Really? The mystic item that Dr. Jones looks for in every movie has always been a religious artifact and pretty interesting. This movie is about ALIENS??? WHAT???? 19 years for a movie on ALIENS!

I agree with my brother that anyone with an IQ over 50 can figure out the connection of Shia's character to Dr. Jones. Overall, it was still an Indiana Jones movie with the action scenes and normal plot line. If you like the Indiana Jones movies, then I recommend seeing it in the theather. Just do not get your hopes up!

Hump Day Top 5

Happy Wednesday to everyone! It came so fast this week! I love that!

Well, I have been itching to do this top 5 for a while. It is something near and dear to me. This will be my favorite top 5 fast food resturants. They have to be chains (so no TBH, no ma and pa place, national chains only...). Also, to make this more difficult...pizza places are included (little ceasar, pizza hut, etc).

Here are my top 5.

1. White Castle - Yes, the jalapeno slyder is my favorite, sack of rings, slyders by the 100...what is not to love. If I have my choice, they are at the top!
2. Chick-fil-a - This place is mainly in the south and I never went to one before dating Michelle. This place is awesome. Waffle fries are great. The chicken sandwhices are fairly healthy. Just a fun place.
3. In and out burger - Mainly in the West, all of their food is fresh, nothing is frozen. Fries are made on a daily basis and burgers are put together there and it shows. I also love that half of hte menu is not there...you just have to know.
4. Pizza hut - I need a pizza place on there and this one is my favorite. I love the crust that has cheese in the middle of it.
5. Taco bell - Those mexican pizzas are amazing. A few tacos, grilled stuffed burrito, crunch wrap supreme...i am getting hungry.

So, this is crazy but Arby's, McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's...all off the list. I love them too but top 5 they are not.

If it wasn't for this darn diet, I would visit one of them for lunch!

Memorial Day Weekend

I am sure my wife is going to have some great pictures and a much better description of the weekend so I will keep my highlights in bullet form.

Friday
- A co-worked from Boston was staying with us that night. We played a bunch of nintendo Wii in the afternoon and saw Indiana Jones that night (more on that later).

Saturday
- Michelle ran the Soldier Field 10 miler. She did awesome! Bryan and I tailgated the run by drinking mimosas. It was awesome. We even walked right into soldier field with our drinks in hand. Also, they were serving beer and food in the stadium...great run to watch.
- Phelan's cottage in Michigan is always fun. Too bad Michelle slipped on some stairs and SEVERLY sprained her ankle. No good!
- Golf was fun. i did so much better on the front nine than the back....argh!

Sunday
-Big E's wedding was great. It was my first outdoor wedding. The place was beautiful. I can see why they chose it. The place was on McDonald University campus.
-At 11:45 pm, two McDonald employees walked into the reception with giant trays of cheeseburgers. GREATEST IDEA EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I had three...
- Michelle was a trooper sticking through it all despite her ankle.
Monday
- Spent most of the day on the couch watching TV and relaxing. Great day to do that. It was also good for Michelle to get much needed rest and ice for the damn ankle.

Also, a special shout out goes to UT for letting us borrow the BMW M5 for the weekend. More on that later as well.

It always helps to know people!

So, in Nashville, on the 17th tee, I hit my driver but when I hit it, a weird sound happened and the ball did not go as far as it should have. I told myself I would worry about it later. I did not even look at the driver. On the 18th tee, I used a different driver just to try something different. Well, I left for California the next morning and Michelle's parents took my clubs. Michelle's dad called a few days later and said that I had cracked the head of the driver. Sure enough, there was a giant crack in the head of the driver. After talking to a couple golf experts, they basically said this should never happen.

I just got the driver last August for my birthday. It was bought through my cousin who works in the golf industry. On saturday, I returned it to him. He said he would talk to someone and maybe get it replaced. I told him if it was going to cost a lot, do not worry about it. Well, yesterday, yes, 5 days after I gave him the club, there was a new one at my house. Brand new! No cost! That is service!

So Jon - thank you! I owe you one!

Moral of the story - It is always good to be connected.

Hump Day Top 5!

Yes, it is already Wednesday. Yes, it is time for the weekly top 5 list. I have to give credit where credit is due. Big Z gave me this idea yesterday and it spurred conversation yesterday at work and at McGee's last night (10 cent wing night). Today's list is top 5 WORST movie sequels. One caveat, it must be the 2nd movie (Rocky V does not count). Also, be sure to take the difference in movies. What I mean is if the first one was not very good did you really expect the 2nd one to be?

Here is my list.

1. Caddyshack 2 - The first one is an all-time great movie. This one...should have never been made. I have a feeling this movie will be near the top of everyone's list.
2. Blues brothers 2000 - Really? Making a sequel for a movie decades later is a good idea??? The original is a classic, a masterpiece. This one is complete garbage.
3. Teen Wolf 2 - Jason Bateman...Michael J Fox you are not. That is all I can really say.
4. Major League II - Again, the first movie is so good and this one is huge drop off of the original.
5. Weekend at Bernie's 2 - He is dies in the first movie but I am supposed to believe his body is not decaying or smelling for the 2nd one. Really???

There are a few that did not make my list because I never saw them like The Sting 2, Staying Alive, Dumb and Dumberer and Slap Shot 2.

A special shout out goes to Die Hard II. After having this conversation last night, when people got home, this movie was on HBO and I know of at least two people that watched it because we were talking about sequels. Nice timing!

Happy birthday Jeremy!

Today Jeremy turns 5. I had the pleasure of hanging with him this weekend at the movies and at his baseball game and at BW3! Fun times!





Happy birthday Jeremy!

Some random thoughts

The weekend was very fun. Hanging with the nephews was great and watching the little league games is always fun. Who doesn't love the concessions stands? So cheap!

Lets clear something up. My flight out to Pittsburgh I sat in the middle seat in between two guys...not good. Coming home, I did upgrade to first class HOWEVER there was a problem. My flight home was delayed. The plane that was supposed to take us home never came. Instead, a smaller plane picked us up and had no first class. So now I got no first class and ended up sitting next to a very overweight guy that expected to be in first class. It was not good. I do like Pittsburgh though. My day started at 4:25 am and ended at 10:15 pm. Not my favorite monday ever.

Anyway, I want to thank everyone for responding to the top 5s. It was fun to read all the different answers from people. Tomorrow is the beginning of my weekly top 5 column.

Just a few more days until a long weekend...i can not wait!

Top 5 Final Day!!!

Well, happy Friday to all! I have enjoyed doing this top 5 but five days in a row is just crazy! It may be a staple in my blog though...hump day top 5. So, we are on the last day and I need an idea...any idea. We are opposite day! I am doing a least favorite list. With the weekend here, I figured I would give you some ideas of what to drink this weekend...

My top 5 worst shots I have ever done!

1. Malort - A Chicago liquer. Funk and Barry may disagree but the aftertaste on this shot is the worst ever! It does not go away. Only chasing it with a mouth full of mustard will kill the flavor.
2. Three wise men - Jose, Jim and Jack all in one shot...not a very good idea.
3. Wild Turkey 101 - Not that normal wild turkey needed any help with bad taste but you are going to add more alcohol to it...yikes.
4. Bacardi 151 - Way too powerful for me and who shoots normal rum? No one. 151...stay away!
5. Any shot of cheap gin - Who shoots gin? Anyone? No way. There is a reason.

Prarie fire is a shot many think is awful. I have not done it so I have no idea where it would fall on my list. All five of those shots I have done before. It is hard to forget when you doany of those.

Have a great weekend.

Top 5 round 4

Well, I will be honest. I am running out of ideas so I will take a different approach today. Top 5 cities I would live in. You had to have visited the city before. Well, you know what. Forget that rule. The city you live in now can not be on the list (Chicago would be #1 on my list). Also, we are keeping this in the US. So here goes...

1. Nashville, TN - Fun city, not too big, two univeristies surround it, southern hospitality is alive, country music capital. It is easy to say that if I did not live in Chicago my next choice is Nashville.
2. Denver, CO - A little far from my family and friends but I love this town. It helps I am a huge Bronco fan. Very active city. Go to the mountains any time I want. Very clean city. Love it.
3. Milwaukee, WI - I have said this for years but Wisconsinites are my type of people. They love brats, beer and chese. This city is just beautiful and only a hop skip and a jump away from Chicago.
4. San Diego, CA - You get the beauty of LA but no where near the traffic. I also enjoy being in the Pacific time zone. Late games are done early out there. Very laid back town. I am pretty sure I would take up surfing if I lived there. Great weather! Very far from family and friends though.
5. Charlotte, NC - Southern hospitality. This town is not too small. It has all the major sporting teams. Things move a little slower there. Good weather all year around.

I left off a few places. I am pretty sure that somewhere in TX would be #6 like Austin or Dallas. Somewhere in Florida would be right after that like Orlando or Tampa.

Lets be honest. If the job was right and my wife was okay with it, I would move anywhere.

Cheers and have a good Thursday!

Hump Day Top 5!!!

Another day, another dollar or should I say another top 5! Sticking to the 80s (since almost every sitcom I had was big in the 80s), I am going to list my favorite top 5 POP 80s songs. I am saying pop songs to throwing out rap (Run DMC) and heavy metal (Metallica). Keeping those in there would be too much. So, here goes...

1. Thriller - King of pop in the 80s. Great video. Great song. Who doesn't own this album
2. Like a Prayer - Queen of pop in the 80s. She had many great songs and this one is at the top. This song barely made the 80s.
3. The heart of rock and roll - Huey Lewis and the News. Really, I just needed any song from Sports. This album is amazing.
4. Take me home tonight - Eddie Money. Somewhere Neyer is approving of this.
5. Money for Nothing - Dire Straits. I have always loved this song. They did not make many more hits than this. I want my MTV from 1987 when they actually showed music videos back!

I left off some big 80s artists like Mellencamp, Robert Palmer, Men at Work, the Police, Phil Collins.

This is my team...

NOTE: POP music is a specific genre. No AC/DC, Def Leppard, Van Halen, Poison, Metallica, etc. Again, this would make the list way to difficult to limit to top 5.

Happy birthday Jackson!

I can not believe it was 8 years ago! Oh my goodness! It was a saturday. I was at sitting around at YFAK's house on Kate street with Bryan and Karen. We were waiting for the phone call. As soon as we found out, Bryan and I went outside and did a shotgun...good times!

Anyway...Happy birthday jackson!





On a sidenote, he was born 5/13/00. Well, my grandfather on my dad's side was also born 5/13/00...1900 that is.

Top 5 Round 2

Happy Tuesday to all and on to the next topic. I want top 5 sitcomsof all time. Your favorite sitcoms ever. Remember that not all TV shows are sitcoms...Age has to be the biggest factor in this. Here goes my list.

1. Seinfeld - It's the greatest show of all time. It holds up well with time. There is no question.
2. Simpsons - Family Guy may be funnier these days but the Simpsons were the pioneers.
3. Cheers - where everybody knows your name.
4. The Cosby Show - Who doesn't love the Huxtable family?
5. Family Ties - Alex P Keaton was a hero of mine. How can you go wrong with a show that was Ronald Regan's favorite?

Yes, I am missing classics like I love Lucy, Taxi and Brady Bunch but this is my list. Yes, all my shows are after I was born.

Also, if you say Simpson is not a sitcom, move everyone up and put in the Honeymooners.

There are many out there now that have potential to take some of these over. The Office, 30 Rock, How I met your mother, Everybody hates chris...just to name a few.

Well, that is my list.

Top 5

Well, this week, I am doing a top 5 theme in my blog. Today's discussion is top 5 athletes you would want to have a drink with. They have to be living and do not have to be an active athlete.

Here is my five.

1. John Elway
2. Larry Bird
3. John McEnroe
4. Charles Barkley
5. Mike Ditka

This was hard for a few reasons. Some of these guys could have huge egos. Bird is perfect in that regard. Also, some of them are probably not very fun. Would anyone say Doug Christie? No. Anyway, that is my list.

If you read this and have a top 5 of your own, please leave a comment to the blog.

Friday night

Well, Friday night was super fun! Everything worked out for me. Ploth and Stacia met me for Iron Man at 7 pm at Webster.

So, new bedroom furniture was being delivered between 3 and 7. I was nervous that they were going to ruin my idea of seeing two movies. Well, I should have known that everything was coming up ME on friday. They showed up at 6 with the furniture. it looks awesome. Michelle did a great job finding it. As soon as they were done putting it together, I left. I got to the theater at 6:45 and downstairs there are handing out free tickets. They tell you that you can watch as many movies as you want. Well, we pre-ordered Iron Man tickets but I got one for my 2nd movie! Sweet! I do not have to break the law! Well, Iron Man rocked and soon as it was over, I jumped out, got in line, got my next ticket and got a hot dog and diet pepsi and walked in to Forget Sara Marshall right before previews started. It was good movie. Iron Man was better. Anyway, everything worked out timing wise and both movies were good.

Dear Bowling Ball,

We had some good times and some bad times. It seemed that there were more downs than ups. You were there for me for the championship but never on a consistent basis. It is time that we part ways....so....

HOLD YOUR BREATH! I HOPE YOU CAN SWIM!! YOU SOB!!!

Enjoy the Chicago River...

Friday at the movies!

Well, Michelle is heading down to Florida for the weekend. She leaves today and I am taking the opportunity to hit the movie theater up to see a couple movies that I want to see.

On the list tonight is Iron Man and Forget Sarah Marshall. Both movies have gotten good reveiws from critics and my friends who have seen these movies. I am SUPER excited for these movies. I may even try the buy one ticket and see two movies trick. Yeah, that is right! It costs like $12 to see a movie...I think that should be the cost of just getting into the theater...stay as long as you want. That is a lot of dough!

On a sidenote, I watched There will be blood a couple days ago. I honestly did not like it. I LOVED No country for old men. I thought that was amazing but There will be blood was boring, painful at times, too slow. It was okay but up for movie of the year???really?? I can see the lead actor up for best actor. He did a great job in the role. Anyway, that is my two cents. I am not trying to step on Ahow's toes...

My Weight

So, on the side I was monitoring my weight to keep me motivated to eat right. Well, it has been a month and I have not updated it. There is a good explanation for this. Our scale has been missing! Our cleaning lady came in the middle of April and we have not been able to find it since.

Well, we finally got to the bottom of the issue. She threw it out. It was leaning next to the garbage can in the spare bathroom so she thought it was garbage. Oops!

So, I have no idea what I weight! Well, before rushing out to get a new scale, Nintendo Wii is coming out with Wii Fit at the end of this month. With Fit comes a board that also acts as a scale. SWEET! So my goal is to buy that as soon it comes out (i know...never going to happen).

For now, I am taking my weight down.

As Queen says...

We are the champions, my friends! I can easily say that was the most exciting/intense bowling I have done in Chicago. It took FOUR games to do it but we did it! Let me explain.

I was more nervous and tight last night than I ever was for the Open. Silly, I know but it is what it is. The first game I just bowled bad. I was nervous. I was not following through. My spare ball was missing by about a board everywhere. Not good. We end up losing the first game by 15 pins and I bowled 25 under my average. Yikes.

Sidenote: Half way through the first game, I start drinking. It helped me relax. Also, Funk walked in during the 3rd frame of game one. Talking to him helps as well.

The 2nd game I bowl closer to average. I was still about 10 pins off. Well, that game came down to the anchors. We had an 8 pin advantage going into the anchors. At this point there is about 20 people around watching the game. The opposing team anchor throws two strikes and then an 8...how did he not knock nine or more down??? I have no idea. Our anchor throws a strike and then his second ball is beautiful but leaves the 8 pin. He picks it up for TIE!!!!!! A TIE!!!

Now, begins the dicussion. If we win series do we win OR does a team have to win two games??? Well, we bowl really well the 3rd game. We have a 1150 (230 per person). I bowl a 191. The jack and diets are flowing now. At this point, both Michelle and Funk are there. Michelle showed up early part of the 3rd game. The other team rolls a 1080. Well, we won series.

Out comes the USBC rule book out of everyone's back pockets. I mean don't you carry it there? I never leave home without it. haha. So, rule 401(a)17 states that the maximum compensation under a defined benefit plan...never mind...bad joke. The rule states that series does not matter. You must win two games.

Well, at this point it is 10:30 and a night owl league is starting at 11 so we have to move 10 lanes down. I have a new respect for the pros. The 3rd game was 1150-1080. This game was 990 to 940. We were allowed no warmups on these lanes. I started off awful. I opened the first four frames but most people started bad. I regrouped and put 100 pins on the next six frames. We pulled away in the end.

So, after the dust settled, we found out that the losing team did get money. They got $400. So, I just did all that for $20??? Well, I can say I am champion of one of the oldest leagues in Chicago.

I want to thank both Funk and Michelle for showing up. I appreciated the distraction.

I am happy to close this chapter of bowling. I had a rough year but a successful team year and that is all that matters!

Yo Mallory!

So, I was watching Desperate Housewives with my wife (make fun of me later) when I was taken back by one of the actresses. I was not taken back in a good way. Basically, Justine Bateman is on the show for a a few episodes and it did not take me long to figure out who she was and my goodness, time has not been nice to her. She has not aged well. Or maybe they made her look worse because she plays a drug dealer on the show. I am having trouble finding a picture to do justice of what I saw on Sunday.

Here she is in her prime on Family Ties.

Here she is today...she looked worse on the show...maybe HD is not a good thing for most people

$500 or bust!

So, my Tuesday night bowling team won first place for the 2nd half of the season! YESSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!! They needed three points the last game and they lost the first two games. Luckily, the won the last game and series to win by one point. Wow!

Well, tonight we get paid out AND we bowl for an extra $500 bonus. We bowl against the first place team from the 1st half of the season. I originally thought that if we lost we got some money for tonight but no. It is $500 to the winner or $100 per person.

I am excited for bowling to be over. This year has really dragged out (partially because both Christmas and New years were on a Tuesday). Also, with the money I have already won we are buying a TV for the bedroom, sending Jackson to LU basketball camp (YESSSSSSSSS!!!!) and then with what is left I will probably take my wife on a date (maybe...haha).

Chris Paul and NBA predictions

Wow. Just wow. Even I underestimated Paul and I love the way he plays. He absolutely detroyed the Mavs. The mopped the floor with them! Now, they play the Spurs and in the first game he controlled the game. He is playing quite well. I love Tim Duncan and I love Paul. This is going to be a very fun series to watch.

2nd Round predictions

Spurs over Hornets - 4-3
Lakers over Utah - 4-1
Celtics over Cavs - 4-2
Pistons over Magic - 4-3

I'm back!

So, last week I felt so OUT OF TOUCH! Here is what happened.

I checked into my hotel on Monday in California. The hotel has free wireless. I ahve stayed there before and knew this. I open my computer and the wireless is not turning on. It is not working. It is broken. Well, no big deal (or so I think). I have an ethernet cable. I can just plug into the wall.

Well, the room did not have a plug in. So, I went down to the lobby and asked them if there was ANYWHERE I could plug in. They said no.

So, everyday back at the hotel, I could not get online. I felt so lost! Needless to say, there is a lot of blogs I need to catch up on and there are a lot of entries I need to do!