Weekend Update That Rolled into Monday...I Mean Wednesday

• So, what's this "wildcat" offense, and why's it so popular in the NFL all of a sudden? An interesting take from Freakonomics and Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh Steelers head coach. It;s also a pretty decent explanation of something that sports writers make sound like particle physics.
• It isn't over 'til it's over. That said, it's probably not a good idea when the, "GOP forms circular firing squad."
• Finally, redefining the term "check" in regards to ice hockey:

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

The World Has Been Oddly Boring Lately

The title of this post pretty much says it all. It's not that I have an almost month-old baby or that this is the busiest time of the year in wine sales (my profession), but rather that I haven't stumbled on all that much interesting in the last week. Such is the Internet some days; a cruel mistress.

• Anyway...so, Bourdain tried something new this past Monday, and it sucked. Two things, though, that stand him apart from almost everyone else: 1) he accepted the failure, and 2) he was willing to try something new in the first place. So...keep it up, Bourdain, and I'll keep watching.

• Over at the WSJ, Eric Felton recounts Dale DeGroff's efforts in Making a Bad Cocktail Better, or how to improve the Long Island Iced Tea. As soon as I pick up some Coca-Cola, I'm so trying this one.

• Oh, look, those spankin' new passports the US thinks are so great...might not be quite as secure as they should be. Maybe I just won't go anywhere anymore.

• I bought a bottle of single-malt Scotch over a year ago, as I felt like I was derelict in not having one on my bar, despite not really having much of a fondness for the stuff. A year later, it's still unopened. Anyway, so now the esteemed David Wondrich offers a great solution: rinse with it.
  

• Finally, a new food site: Table Matters. Seems pretty good so far; only time will tell.

• P.S. Do you like the bullets?

Hey, I'm on a Roll

So, yet another article--this one pretty in-depth--on just how bad the TSA sucks and how much of a charade airport security is: The Things He Carried. (original link via Boing Boing) It's not that airport security sucks that bothers me so much; there are a million opportunities and points of entry in every airport. It's that the TSA maintains this great charade that they're actually doing something, actually making a difference.

Now, see, if this wasn't on the Onion, I would believe it 100%. I still kinda do.



Okay, that's enough for a Sunday.

Look What I Found

For the cocktail lovers among us: Mr. DeGroff has a new book on the way!



11 days and counting...

Food & Football

First up, Gourmet Magazine offers up their list of the top lobster rolls in Boston (or thereabouts). I'm not in complete agreement with them on the list: Neptune's is just too much of a "good thing," with the brioche and the butter and the fries, etc., etc., and I haven't had a few of them, like Great Bay's or LTK's. On the other hand, Alive and Kicking Lobsters just moved onto my "must visit" list, especially since it's walking distance and well, it's a sandwich.

In other news, the nicest guy in football says that the game, "just loses so much of its essence when it becomes a pansy game." I couldn't agree more.

And Bourdain's got a special on the Travel Channel this Monday at 10PM, "At the Table With Anthony Bourdain." Check out his blog for more info.

That's all I got.

The Muppets, and Other Internet Gems

Via the Secret Dead blog comes news of a Muppets noir movie...not for children. That seems to delightfully odd that I'll definitely see it. Apparently, it'll be a mix of puppets and humans, with the story centering around a private detective investigating murders linked to a children's show.

I hate Madonna. Guy Ritchie makes funny British crime capers. They're getting divorced, mostly 'cause Madonna likes to bang ARod, another person I hate. Thus, the fact that it's probably going to cost Madonna somewhere in the neighborhood of $300,000,000 makes me smile...

And over at The Rap Sheet, my favorite author, Ken Bruen, recounts an encounter with a fan, distraught over one of his character's drunkenness:

During a panel discussion on drinking and detectives, Ken Bruen said that he had once been confronted by a reader who, displeased with the persistent drunkenness of Bruen’s fictional P.I., Jack Taylor, informed him that Taylor had “ruined drinking for him.” Bruen said that ever since, he’s worried that someone will write on his tombstone, He ruined drinking. “And that’s about the worst thing an Irishman could see on his tombstone.”

Let's call it a day on that note...

Super Brief Mid-Week Update

I'm sorry, but this looks really freakin' good to me...

Apparently the "Great Schlep" isn't just funny; it's a real freakin' "schlep."

Weekend Update

Okay, so maybe for a while I'll go for quality rather than quantity when it comes to blog entries. A few things that have caught my eye recently:

First off, something I'm still exploring, The Daily Beast. This NYTimes article explains it more thoroughly, but in a nutshell Tina Brown, former Vanity Fair and The New Yorker, got herself a website, and it's got a little bit of everything...politics, pop culture, Bill Clinton, things her famous friends like...


Shifting gears radically, Scalped is a graphic novel, written by Jason Aaron, with art by R. M Guera. It's very much its own thing, but broadly speaking, it's The Shield, on an Indian reservation, with a couple twists thrown in.

A stunning read, worthy of your attention. And don't despair; you can almost definitely find it at Borders, thus avoiding the need to go to the weird comic book store...but if you do, go on Wednesdays; that's when the new stuff comes out.

Next up, Paul Clarke--my absolute favorite cocktail writer--recaps the resurgence of tiki, with a recipe for the Queen's Park Swizzle thrown in for good measure. Remember folks, in addition to being mighty tasty, rum is always a great bargain as spirits go, perfect when the market is in the tank.

For my friend Felisha, via the Freakonomics Blog, a free LoJack for laptops. Seriously, if you own a laptop, check this amazing program out!

And finally, via Boing Boing, punks need socks. Please help them. Charity can begin at home, and in this case, in the sock drawer.

Getting My Feet Back Under Me

So, 13 days in, and I think I've got my feet under me on this whole new baby thing. It's certainly not easier, and I'm certainly not getting much more sleep, but I'm a little more okay with it.

And now, a few fun things from the Internet:

If you have a Gmail account, and you drink, you might consider Mail Goggles. For the record, you can find it under Settings, and Labs in your Gmail account.

Selling imported wine, the Euro becomes an object of concern on a daily basis. This is a really interesting look on just how difficult it will be to bail the Euro out.

Poor Hugh Hefner...

Why is it when the world is in turmoil, the Internet becomes boring all of a sudden?

P.S. Forgot to mention this bunch of dames...they have a blog...they call themselves, "Ladies United for the Preservation of Endangered Cocktails." Needless to say, their blog, it's about cocktails...they're cool. Check'em out!

The Great Schlep

The Great Schlep from The Great Schlep on Vimeo.

(link via Boing Boing)

I wonder if I can get my parents to watch this...I mean, they're Irish and from Pittsburgh, but whatever works.