Brewmasters

As my love for craft beer strengthens, my longing for more information increases. The premier of the new hit TV show,
Brewmasters comes at the perfect time. Brewmasters is on the Discovery Channel Sundays at 7pm and Thursdays at 5pm. The show is a reality series highlighting the day-to-day operations of Dogfish Head Brewery in Milton, Delaware.

The star of the show is founder of Dogfish Head Brewery, Sam Calagione. Sam started off as home brewer in his apartment in New York City and decided he wanted to start his own brewery. Now Dogfish Head is one of the largest craft brewers in America. Saying ‘large craft brewer’ is kind of like an oxymoron because craft beer only makes up 1% of the beer market in America of which Dogfish Head has to take their small piece of the pie.

Sam and Dogfish Head live by the motto “off-centered ales for off-centered people.” It is this motto that allows them to create fun, interesting, and innovative beers by thinking outside of the bottle. Sam is accompanied by his Bremaster, Floris and Head Brewer, Bryan. Sam uses their brewing expertise to help bring his crazy ideas back down to Earth to see if his ideas are actually possible to brew, whether it be on a small or large-scale.

The season started off with Dogfish Head making a special and limited edition brew for Sony’s re-release of Miles Davis’ classic album “Bitches Brew.” There is the obvious play off words with “brew” so it seemed like a great partnership. Sam and his team used the different traits from the music to craft a beer that mimicked the music. Bitches Brew is a dark beer made with the combination of an imperial stout and honey beer with gesho root. This combination is representative of the yin and yang/dark and light album cover.

The next episode Sam brings back an old idea of brewing Chicha. Chicha is a beer that is made by fermenting chewed up corn that is perfected by the ancient Peruvians. It may seem disgusting but any of the saliva is cooked off when boiled producing a low-alcoholic beer that has floral nodes that bring out the true flavor of the corn. This off-centered ale was so time intensive that he had all of his employees chewing/spitting corn like dip, while they worked just to make a small batch for his local brew pub in Rehoboth, DE.

The most recent episode was too-fold. Half of the episode focused in on a problem they had with one of their most famous and profitable beers, their 120 Minute IPA. Their 120 Minute IPA take three months to brew compared to the average ten days for most ales. With this length of time there is a lot of room for error and there was one. Something went wrong throughout the brewing process causing Sam to have to cancel and dump 20,000 gallons and over $500,000 worth of profits of one batch of their famous IPA.

The second half of the episode brings out Sam’s entrepreneurial side where he was approached by an eco-friendly surfboard company in Maine, called Grain. Grain hand-carves surf boards out of planks of cedar wood. They approached Sam to see if Dogfish Head would be able to use their scrap cedar to brew a beer. The inner stoner in Sam obviously accepted as he brewed his “Grain to Glass” beer for his local brew pub as well.

If you like beer, like to drink, or just appreciate good small business then this show is definitely for you. Sam lives the American dream everyday by doing what he loves by providing quality craft beer for people who appreciate trying something new. This was a shorter blog so as to leave you with a teaser and urge to watch because it really is a good show that is both educational and entertaining.

http://dsc.discovery.com/tv/brew-masters/

Smoking is bad mmkay

Smoking is bad, mmkay. These wise words from South Park’s Mr. Garrison aren’t taken serious enough. We all know smoking is bad yet 20% of Americans still smoke. We all know that nothing good can come from smoking yet over 40 million Americans are still lighting up.

On this Thoughtful Thursday I’ma thinkin’ and I’ma thinkin’ that smoking is really dumb. This summer my Grandma passed away after a battle with lung cancer that eventually spread to her brain. As serious as the disease it still is not enough to deter the most addicted smokers from puffing away from their hospital bed. Sometimes they are so used to smoking that they do it just to do it and don’t realize what they are physically doing to themselves.

This isn’t the 1950′s anymore were it was supposedly cool to smoke because “The Fonz” smoked. I don’t know one person that has ever looked at a smoker and said “Damn, he/she is soo hot. Look, he/she is smoking doesn’t that make you want to just shove your tongue into their tar infested mouth? It is 2010 and smoking makes you look like white trash. And if you’re not white, then you still look like white trash because it would sound racist if I were to say black/Asian/Latino trash.

Through this blog, if I can convince one person to not smoke one cigarette than this was a success because the horrible side effects build up over time and if I can distract that process even a little bit for one person than this was worth it. Smokers are literally killing themselves over an extended period of time. It is like sitting in a bathtub like Frankie “Five Angels” in “The Godfather II” and slicing your wrists with a plastic spoon for years upon years until one day all of the diligent work finally pays off for you in the end.

It really is just an extended version of suicide that lasts over decades. Which in a way is even worse because you are putting yourself through physical pain for a longer period of time than if you were to just jump off a building. It is just plain selfish because you are choosing your prerogative over the feelings of the people who care about you. If smokers are still to ignorant to realize what they are doing to their own health then it is time to whip out the guilt card.

Yes, they are killing themselves physically. Yes, they are limiting the time they can spend with loved ones while they are still here. They are shortening their lifespan in which they can see their friends and families but it is also time they must spend outside or away from everyone so as not to subject anyone to their second-hand smoke, which is a whole other issue in itself.

The idea that one person’s stupid choice can affect innocent bystander in such a negative way is ridiculous to me. 53,800 people a year die from secondhand smoke. So, if you are too selfish to give up committing suicide then think again and stop committing murder. You may think your one cig may not affect someone too much but every other smoker that person has crossed paths with thought the same thing. Thus contributing to a possible death, heart disease, asthma, emphysema, and smelling like shit.

Hopefully, this blog will make you smokers nervous and stress out a little bit just enough so that you step outside for a smoke just to prove that you are not stable enough to give up smoking and need help quitting. So, after you shrink your lungs a little more, think about the excuses you’re going to give the people who want to see you live longer.

“I could quit if I wanted to.” Oh yeah? Then why don’t you? Because you’ve been smoking forever and you don’t want to give up because you don’t think you can. Or “I only do it when I’m having a drink.” Ok, I get the social aspect of doing something. So are you drinking alone or are you taking a step back and blowing the kush in someone’s face as Yung Joc would say. Or my favorite “I know I should quit, I’m trying, I just can’t right now.” How fucking stupid is that?

Pardon my language it is just “mind-bottling” to me that people don’t care enough about themselves or their loved ones to stop doing something that is hindering both of those relationships. You may think you are not and you do care but if you really did you would quit and it is as simple as that.

It is not my intention of offending anyone with this, I just kinda started typing and the frustration just started flowing out. There were a few points where I didn’t even have to look at the keyboard because I was typing so fast. If you are a smoker take five non-smoking minutes and think about what you are doing to yourself and the people around you and if the pros really out-weigh the cons, then keep smoking but I doubt they will.

Finals Procrastination Tips and Material

I don’t really know where I want to go with this blog but being a “Chooseday Tuesday” I figured I would let my mind flow into my index fingers (because I still look at keyboard and type with two fingers) and whatever comes out, well comes out. It is that time of year where college students around the world (on a semester schedule) fill the lounges of Starbucks and invest in 5 Hour Energy Shots.

It wasn’t until my super senior year  of college that I realized what good studying actually was. It involved going to class, paying attention in class, taking decent notes, reviewing them frequently, and going over them again in-depth prior to the final while upon receipt of the study guide. Another good trick is to only study in 45 minute increments because your brain can only focus at full strength for that amount of time.

So, in this educational week it is my fiduciary duty to pass on this knowledge to all students. Study for 45 minutes and then take a 15 minute break. Then repeat. However, I cannot take credit for this wise information and the credit is due to my good friend and world renown studier, Nick Wesling. Now the only remaining question is how will you utilize your 15 minute breaks to maximize the retention of the information applicable to your finals?

That’s where I come in. I have compiled a short play list of non H1N1 viral videos to keep you on your toes and your heart light in what can be a very stressful week. These videos are intended to give you a quick little smile break from studying. However, they do come with a Surgeon General’s warning that they are contagious, so do not watch in excess. Side effects may include: songs stuck in head, random laughter outbursts, and sneezing.

The “Harlem Shake,” the “Stanky Leg,” and the “Douggie” have nothing on this new dance craze. The “Bernie” is the hottest new form of interpretive dance that is sweeping the across the Bible Belt. It is recommended that this dance is done prior to a final to loosen up all of your muscles in preparation for what could be a tense hour or so. The quality is not up to par quite yet but I’m sure it is only a matter of time before Wiz Khalifa and B.o.B. hop in da boof for a remix.

This next video is almost as ridiculous as the “Bernie.” I recently came across three young gentleman from the prestigious University of Oregon, who go by the name of Supwhitchugirl. These three young men make me wish I would have gone to the U of O, met them playing intramural basketball, and thus transformed the trio into a quad because they remind me a lot of myself anf friends. This video has gone viral and become the official “fight video” for the Ducks’ championship run.

This next video is also off from the rap supergroup, Supwitchugirl. Behind the quick lyrics and jerker outfits there is an unheard amount of talent. From the writing of the songs, to the production of the videos, to the search for early 90s Nike windbreakers, these three kids are the reason I want my sons to grow up in the Pacific Northwest, despite never setting foot outside of an airport there.

This other hit from Supwitchugirl brings me right back to my childhood. Well my teenage years, where we would hop the fence of Selma Bartlett Elementary to play basketball on the eight foot hoops. I still believe in  my heart, that when on eight foot hoops, I am the best dunker in the world, pulling creative dunks out of my ass that would have Luke Ridnour and Luke Jackson wishing they showed me around campus on recruiting trips. I also have a special place in my heart for this video because I too still save all of my Champion (brand) NBA jerseys in a kids size 40 from middle school.

This next video comes to you from the best History AP teacher in America, Mr. Jeff Johnson. Mr. Johnson and I hit it off ever since Junior year of high school, when I showed up on the first day of school wearing my Larry Johnson UNLV throwback. From that day forth we had a bond held together by a respect for local basketball excellence. We both held similar positions in UNLV’s student government and he still is UNLV’s #1 fan from the net-cutting days of the early 90s, to the grey days of the Early 2000′s with Mark Dickel, to our current ascending return to greatness.

This last video I will leave you with is something to get you in the holiday mood. It twas the night before Christmas of 2006 and our hearts were open wide and these two comedic and musical geniuses gave us something that was on their mind. They were wise enough to when a gift needs giving and they knew just the one. It’s their dick in a box!

To 13.1 and beyond…

Well, I did it. 3 months of half-assed training, my first half-marathon is finally over. I completed my first halfsy in 2 hours 20 minutes and 11 seconds. My original goal was to complete it without stopping or walking which was a lot easier than I thought. Then as training increased I set the goal of 2:30. I wasn’t playing to win the game like Herm Edwards but if I would have taken my training more seriously I definitely could have improved my time.

This was obviously my first so, I don’t know how many other marathons are but I would find it hard to believe that there are many that are more fun the Rock n’ Roll Las Vegas Marathon. Plus, a lot of the fellow and veteran runners said Las Vegas has the best. There was over 32,000 people running in it, it had a Health and Fitness Expo, there must have been 10 bands along the route, and it was extremely well-organized considering the room for error.

Going into the halfsy, I wanted it to be the stepping stone to the LA Marathon in March. But after having completed the halfsy, I have no motivation to complete a full whatsoever. I don’t if it is because I feel like Forrest Gump as a child with braces on his legs right now but running a full marathon is off of my to-do-list for now. The actual training aspect of it is fun while you are running, but it just is annoying and gets boring when you just have to run for hours at a time. And training for the full would require running for about 5 hours if I do it correctly.

I am not completely ruling it out but it is no longer on the Current Assets side of my ledger. That being said I am not going to give up being active and eat Snickers all day as good as that sounds. For the remaining month of December I want to return to my roots of basketball. Nothing is better than playing on the hallowed ground in December and I would like to extend a formal invitation to all my ballers and shot-callers to join me.

I have devised a tentative schedule for the remainder of the month to meet all demographics of Las Vegas. Here are some of the dates: 12/8, 12/11, 12/13, 12/15 , 12/18, 12/21, 12/23, 12/28, 12/30. I’m down to play in the evenings or on the weekends. At UNLV or outside in Summerlin. At the Multi-Gen or at Sunset. These are tentative dates and if no one wants to play you can find me playing by myself without a ball like Shep from “Above the Rim.”

After the first of the year, I will return to my training for another half-marathon. I really enjoyed this last one and if anyone else would like to join me as I run across the Southwest (of Las Vegas) I’m down to get down. There is the Red Rock Canyon Halfsy on 3/5  and there is the Hoover Dam Halfsy on 3/12 March too. Both are cheap and I heard they’re fun because of the scenery even though they both are pretty hilly, I’m down for either.

http://www.halfmarathons.net/usa_half_marathons_nevada_red_rock_canyon_marathon.html

http://www.halfmarathons.net/usa_half_marathons_nevada_six_tunnels_half_marathon.html

Towards the end of the halfsy, I will begin to hear the faint sound of wedding bells in the distance, which could only mean one thing… P90x time! Starting in the middle of March will give me just enough time to look like Gerard Butler in “300″ for the big day. Pete already bought it, so when I sadly move out after a glorious 5 years, I will be sneaking out his DVD and dumbells in the moving boxes as my parting gift. He won’t know because he doesn’t read this anyway.

God knows that I’ll definitely be putting on some wine weight after the wedding and honeymoon, which may be just the motivation I need to train for the full marathon. Maybe by then I’ll have some newfound motivation to continue on through Las Vegas Blvd for the full 26.2 miles, instead of stopping at Mandalay Bay. And if not whatever I’ll half-ass another half.

If anyone would like to embark on these sporting adventures with me I would be happy to have some teammates. Whether we are working on our pick-n-rolls, running while rapping, or doing the upper body part of P90X, it is always nice to have a buddy to keep you motivated with a good man-smack on the butt. “Is that something you might be interested in”? If so, shoot me a comment, email, Facebook message, text, telegram, homing pigeon, message in a bottle, smoke signal, or just yell from below my patio.

GQ’s Fashion Tips for Dudes

On a recent trip Danielle bought me the 2010 GQ Style Manual for some reading material on the plane. It may have been the best $10.99 she had ever spent on me at an airport besides Combos. It is a head to toe guide on how to be a better dressed dude in both casual, business, and formal settings and I suggest that every guy run to Walgreens and pick one up as this is just a short summary.

When most people think of GQ, they think of fancy and expensive suits that most normal folk would never buy. But the cool thing about the style manual is it gives you the standards upon which you should dress by, whether you’re shopping at Barney’s or dressing for less at Ross. I’ll start off with the quintessential form on men’s wear; the suit.

The 21st century suit is not something that Merril Hodge wears. The suit of the times is a slim fit and form-fitting suit that shows the true shape of the man. It is not big and boxy. It does not have a horse collar built into the neckline. And it certainly doesn’t not come with cane. There are plenty of affordable suits that will allow you to look like how should with-out looking really feminine or Euro either.

How does one wear this suit? Most suits are some sort of polyester blend, so in warmer seasons lean more towards cotton/khaki/seer sucker suits and in the colder seasons bundle up with more wool/tweed/corduroy. Try and steer clear of big pleats in the pants as flat-fronts provide a more slimming and streamline look.

Shirts may be the biggest problem for men of all ages. A shirt may be your correct neck width an arm length but that doesn’t mean it fits you. The shirt doesn’t have to fit like Under Armour but just make sure it flowing over your pants. Another way to make sure it fits is by taking one finger and inserting it in between your neck and shirt so it is not like wearing a turtle neck.

Ties are the best way to dress up or down and outfit and right now dudes are all about the skinny tie which is not always the case. The best way to judge to wearing a tie is to have it match the lapel. Small lapel = slim tie. Thick lapel = standard width tie. That way it doesn’t look goofy making you look like you are wearing a shoelace or a scarf under your collar. Also, guys try to get all fancy with their knots but you can never go wrong with the “four-in-hand.” It’s also the easiest.

The accessories are the fun part. Tie bars make you look like a gangster and a CEO at the same time. Pocket squares give a little zippity-do-dah to what might normally be a plain suit. Cuff links can make you look more important than you really are just make sure they don’t have big jewels on them, so you don’t try to over-compensate like Donald Trump (the same goes for your watch). Man-bags also aren’t too gay if they can be carried in one hand like a briefcase, that doesn’t mean you have to but it is a start.

My favorite part is the shoes. If you think about it, you may have one or two pairs of dress shoes. But they probably are the part where you settled for a little less to save a few bucks. But if you think about it, you wear them more than you would wear an expensive suit, so why not splurge a little and get a solid and comfortable pair of shoes that will last you years rather than a suit you might wear once? You can never go wrong with a pair of round toe lace-ups with.

Something we don’t usually have to worry about in Las Vegas is outerwear. But as we all know right now it is friggin cold. Peacoats are probably more applicable to us than trench coats and slickers in the desert. You can wear a peacoat with jeans and t-shirt or over a blazer if it is really balls cold outside. I also have never really been one for scarves but with recent below 30 temperatures, I’ll acclimate myself to scarves by wearing them to sleep before I wear one out but knowing that Wayne wears one makes me feel a little better. I’m just a little surprised it’s blue…

Top Ten Cereals of All Time!

Who doesn’t love a good ole nostalgic bowl of cereal. It seems as though we lose touch with our old cereal-selfs in college. Maybe it is the lack of funds to buy premium brand breakfast foods, or maybe it is the lack of refrigeration capabilities we have when sleeping on people’s’ couches three times a week. But have no fear this void of cereal in your lives is short-lived in most cases.

Upon my graduation, I have found that acquiring Grade-A cereals is much attainable and accessible. In these few months, I have completely revitalized my love for the cereals that bring back memories from my childhood. So many delicious, sugar-coated forms of cornmeal, wheat, and oats to choose from and so many memories to make. I would like to take this time to highlight the top ten cereals that bring back the most fond memories to my taste buds.

10. Lucky Charms: It was these marshmallow ridden treats that made me the fat kid in grades third-fifth. It was these little guys that gave me the idea that when I buy regular marshmallows; to open the bag immediately upon arrival of home to let them go stale for a good month before eating in mass quantities. Lucky Charms are almost more of a dessert than a breakfast meal, we all loved the different seasonal varieties and got super excited when we got an edition with a new charm.

9. Pops: Gotta have my Pops! I most assimilate my memories of Corn Pops in the smaller individually packed bowls at Safekey. The few times I attended Safekey before school I remember Pops being my go-to cereal. This was back when Clark County School District served “real” food not this healthy, organic, high-fructose corn syrup-less shit.  They tasted kind of like kettle corn to me. They were obviously sweet but had just a hint of savory from the corn flavoring.

8. Kix: I turned Kix into what was a mildly healthy cereal into a obsessively obese meal. Looking back now, I remember pouring tablespoon upon tablespoon of granulated sugar onto my Kix. Most of the sugar would filter and sift its way down to the bottom of the bowl where it sat waiting for me to scrape up with the last few bites of Kix. If I were to do this now I would easily gain 4 lbs. per bowl but thankfully due to my high metabolism at the age of 9, it didn’t.

7. Fruit Loops: Toucan Sam made us feel like we never had to eat breakfast alone. Fruit Loops were not only sweet and delicious but they had the best games on the back of the box to occupy us while we hovered over the bowl slurping our loops. We got excited when the new cartoon commercials came, we asked our parents for them when we went grocery shopping at Lucky’s, and got really excited when we tried to open up the waxy bag inside the box but had to ask for help.

6. Apple Jacks: I remember making the argument that Apple Jacks were healthy because they had real bits of apples in the cereal. This was probably in the same age in which I thought wrestling was real because why would Stone Cold Steve Austin try to lose? Or how could a steel chair be fake? Just listen the sound it makes! Anyways, Apple Jacks were bomb.org and I think they are going to be my next purchase.

5. Honeycombs: Honeycombs epitomized what god texture in cereal was all about. The first bite was good when they were still hard and crunchy. The second or medium rare bite (my favorite) had the perfect balance of a crunch and softness that melted in your molars. And even the last few limp bites that had been completely marinated in milk were good because they left the milky finish on our palettes. A true breakfast experience from start to finish.

4. Frosted Flakes: They’re Grrrrrrr-eat! To me Frosted Flakes seemed like the breakfast food for athletes. Tony the Tiger was always hitting the gym for plyometrics, doing cardio on the track, or doing agility drills on the field. My favorite part of Frosted Flakes is crushing them up and using them as a batter for French toast or making them into Christmas wreaths (similar to Rice Krispy Treats). They were a very versatile cereal that could be utilized for many different forms of breakfast/dessert cuisine.

3. Fruity Pebbles. Probably the most feminine of all the cereals. They were small and innocent, sweet and colorful, and went well with our preceding Flinstone’s vitamins. The short allotted time we had to eat these was nearly euphoric. They shit on Coco Pebbles, Cupcake Pebbles are for well cupcakes, and trumped every other kid of pebble. The best is when you get a huge spoonful and let the pebs completely envelope your whole oral cavity until they evaporated and were ready for the next bite. Not to mention they were the only breakfast food to have their own Nike shoe.

2. Great Value Frosted Shredded Wheat: Shocker! Why Wal-Mart brand over the high-end Frosted Mini-Wheats? Well, The Great Value brand really does give you greater value. The generic brand beats the name brand because they are a more dense product, they have a higher sugar content, and usually have bigger wheats because they weren’t broken up properly. I bought a box this morning to have while tailgating this blog and the best way to eat is in the colder months by putting them in the microwave for a warming and delicious treat.

1. Cap’n Crunch Crunch Berries: Soooooo good! Like stupid good! While writing this I pondered what the actual flavor of the Cap’n Crunch was and just before I was about to “Google it” I stopped myself because I realized I didn’t want to know. They are almost a peanutbuttery, honey, creamy flavor that I don’t want to know because the mystery is half the fun. The Crunch Berries have an amazing texture that is just bursting with flavor. And the combination of the two flavors melting together provides for a true dining experience that is in a league of its own.

Places I want to explore…

Throughout my childhood I had the privilege of traveling across the country with my uncle going to various sporting events. Super Bowls, All-Star Games, etc… I’ve been to pretty much every major city but was not really able to experience all they had to offer. It is hard to really explore when you are on an extended layover or have a set and busy itinerary. So, I have compiled a collection of places I would like to visit and really experience.

Chicago, Illinois: It seemed like a nice city from the huge terminals of O’Hare and is one of those places I feel like I should go. I hate the wind, their teams, and deep dish pizza but I feel like I will have never really lived and can go on with my life hating Chicago teams even more after being there. I gotta go to Wrigley and watch a game from across Sheffield, watch a Knicks vs. Bulls game and take a picture in front of MJ, and eat a Chicago style hot dog.

Nawlins, Lousiana: Obviously during Mardi Gras. Not only is it the biggest party in the world but it is as far away from hurricane season as possible. I wanna rock an LSU Shaq jersey all week to match my purple and gold beads. I want to have full-on conversations with rednecks fresh off the bayou, where I cannot understand a word they’re saying. I want to go to Emeril’s and have crawfish gumbo and help rebuild a house flattened by Katrina. I want to wear my seer sucker suit and light blue gators and to a black gospel church and dance in the aisles. Tell me this video doesn’t give you the chills…

Savannah, Georgia: I love me a good southern drawl. I want to release sea turtle from their eggs into the ocean like Miley Cyrus did in her last movie. I want to go to Paula Deen’s for brunch and eat some deep-fried butter with butter on top. I want to see some Civil War shit. I want to get bitten by a mosquito sippin’ my sweet tea on a front porch rocking chair and then have to sleep with one of those nets around the bed.

Portland, Oregon: For our honeymoon we’re going to do Napa/Sonoma and Pacific Northwest wine country with the second stop being in PDX. I want to start my day off with a maple donut covered in bacon from Voodoo Donuts. Hit up Nike for a new pair of Air Max 95s. Stack some cheddar at the Tilamook Cheese factory because there aren’t many things better than cheese. Well, beer is better than cheese and then drink a pint of Oregasmic Ale from Rogue Brewery.

Seattle, Washington: I want to get a Venti Iced Soy Chai from the original Starbucks. I want to climb the rock wall at the world’s largest REI because that is as outdoorsy as I get. I want to throw and catch a fish from Pike’s Place Market and then have someone turn it into bomb spicy tuna like they did on “The Real World.” I want to get a Shawn Kemp jersey signed by “The Rainman’s” 8 kids and 6 baby’s Mamas. I want to wear a flannel and not shower for the three days I’m there.

Sydney, Australia: I’m not big on leaving the country but I would make an exception for here and one other place. I want to go to an All Blacks match. I want to board the S.S. Steve Irwin and help save a whale. I want to go to the Syndey Opera House that looks like a bunch of clams. I want to eat a Vegemite sandwich with the Aborigines. I want to be weirded out by watching the water flush in the opposite direction. And I want to go for a kangaroo ride if you can even do that.

Rome, Italy: I’m not big on tourist attractions, so I would do the staples like the doing the Leaning Tower of Pisa picture, The Coliseum, and maybe say what’s up to the Pope at The Vatican but when I go on vacation I want to relax. So, when I’m in Italy I want to do nothing but eat thin-crust Parmigiano Reggiano and Prosciutto pizza and have purple gums from drinking so much Pinot Noir. This will be done on a few wine tours and tasting and not much else.

New Las Vegas Stadium

If you haven’t heard, I’m following in Aaron Simms’ footsteps out of Douglas County, who is the youngest person ever to run for county commissioner at 18 years old. I’ve got 5 years on the aspiring politician and 1 speaking point that will set me apart from my fellow candidates. I will successfully bring a professional stadium to the city of Las Vegas!

The pros of bringing a pro stadium to Las Vegas completely outweigh the cons. It would give a little jolt to our economy by creating jobs from design to construction to ushers to front office staff. The more we diversify our economy away from the hospitality industry, the faster our recession will concede and the more stable we will be for the future. Building a stadium isn’t the cure-all but it is a start and we all would love to see it happen.

Mayor Oscar Goodman has been lobbying for a professional team for years and the one thing that always holds us back is our lack of facilities. Cashman Field isn’t exactly in the best neighborhood, confining the 51s fans to people who live in North Las Vegas or people who will drive for dollar beers. The Thomas and Mack is still holding up well. There is a lot of history in the T&M and it would be dumb to wipe away all the tradition and renovations that are in place to improving their facilities. Sam Boyd Stadium is antiquated and far from any central point in Las Vegas and this is actually a live shot from the UNLV football game last night vs. Air Force.

The question now becomes what sport to bring here? Well, we had an audition for the NBA in 2007 but that didn’t exactly go well for the city. Las Vegas has never been so dirty and crime ridden for such a short amount of time and it looks like we better just stick to hosting NBA Summer League and Team USA. The NHL isn’t exactly in an expansion mode right now and the teams in the Southwest don’t do as well financially as the traditional Canadian and East Coast Teams.

We are now left with the NFL and MLB. The NFL would obviously be the most attractive option for Las Vegas but with a melting pot of fans throughout our city it would be hard to attract an NFL team with shifty fan loyalty. Not to mention, the NFL has bigger fish to fry with collective bargaining coming up and the possibility of bringing a team back to Los Angeles way ahead of Las Vegas.

I think the best case scenario for Las Vegas would be to bring a MLB team to the city that never sleeps. The Southwest has been great breeding grounds for baseball with many successful players coming out of Vegas. They also are the league that is most willing to continue with talks as Las Vegas as one of their top cities with Portland, San Antonio, Austin and Mexico City despite the complication we present with gaming.

The next item on the to-do-list becomes where. Where do we build the stadium? I have two potential options with the first being off of Tropicana Ave. and Paradise Rd. A stadium here would be both walking distance from the Strip, McCarran Airport, UNLV, with easy access to the highways just as long as it’s height stays out of fligh patterns. A stadium here would a allow for a minor tourist attraction as long as we don’t count on tourism to be a part of the fan base. It would be a breeding ground for new and young fans within close proximity to the university. And with the I-215 and I-15 both less than a mile away it allows the easy access for locals to go to go to games with ease.

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=east+flamingo+las+vegas&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wl

While, I prefer the Tropicana location there are plenty of viable options throughout the city with the land available for a project of this size. Another potential location would be on Las Vegas Blvd. South just South of Warm Springs Rd. The acreage here is massive, it is near local hot-spots Town Square and the Las Vegas Outlet Center and again both freeways within walking distance.

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=east+flamingo+las+vegas&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wl

The two teams on the chopping block are the Tampa Bay Rays and Oakland A’s (my personal preference). If we get the Oakland A’s we could keep the colors and change the name to the Las Vegas Aces. The name  “Aces” plays both of our gaming roots and baseball specifics with pitching Aces. We could bring on Las Vegan residents Greg Maddux and Pete Rose to run the front office and it would be like we never missed a step.

The next issue becomes financing as always. If an Mark Cuban’s investor group doesn’t pony up some cashola then we have some “majuh majuh” problems. The city isnn’t exactly in a position to make it rain a stadium in the desert and it would not be ideal to make the stadium for MLB and UNLV football. While it would add value to our university, MLB doesn’t like to share facilities especially with a collegiate program. However, if we did draw from the High-Ed budget we could be playing baseball in Las Vegas by April 1, 2014.

Bucket List

As my social security continues to mature and the increasing reality that it may not exist deep into my retirement, I am beginning to soul search for the tasks I want to complete while I still have the time and energy to do so. There are things we all want to do before we die and our thanks go to Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson for bringing this impending “to do list” to fruition for us.

Organizing and prioritizing a bucket list is a good way for people to set goals in life, both serious and fun. It gives people motivation to actually complete the tasks and it gives them something to look forward to as well. Whereas, most people could just go through life and with no goals or motivation to do things they have always wanted and having a potential bucket list provides for the accountability that one might need to see bucket list through.

My bucket list has both line items that are light and heavy, deep and shallow, but nonetheless important in some way. I don’t want to do typical things like skydiving or climbing Mt. Everest. I am scurred of heights and want to stay grounded for the majority of activities. These events are not in any particular order they are just an assemblage of a bunch of shit I want to get done before it is too late. I give you my bucket list.

1. Watch a Civil War Game from Autzen Student Section: I want to wear nothing but highlighter yellow and scream the entire game. I’m going to try my best to go next year but this might be even more worth it as a senior citizen.

2. Buy an at risk teen a car randomly: What a better way than to change a kids life than to buy him/her a car that they would have never been able to afford: I’m not talking Ferrari status but maybe a nice Toyota Corolla.

3. Giants vs. Cowboys NFC Championship game from Jerry Jones’ box: I hate the Cowboys with a passion so it would be ideal for me to be next to Jerry as I go nuts when my Giants beat the boys at home. It obviously won’t be this year with America’s team being worse than Botswana’s team.

4. Invent something that has its own mall kiosk: Not only would it be cool to have a functional invention but I would be creating jobs for legal European immigrants.

5. Beat WNBA All Star, Sue Bird, at one-on-one: I figured we were similar in size and if I could force her to drive instead of shooting 3s, I would have a shot at beating her.

6. Franchise a Las Vegas Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles: No explanation necessary.

7. Judge an NBA Dunk Contest: Not only would I get to sit next to Dr. J, Nique, and Kenny Smith, but I would go crazy after each dunk and then give in-depth analyses to Craig Sager afterward.

8. Portray myself in a Spike Lee Joint: I don’t think I would be a good actor, so myself might be the only character I could pull off.

9. Shoot a hole-in-one on a Par 5: I would need a lot of wind.

10. Have Lil’ Wayne bring me on stage to do all of “A Milli”: I know the words better than Wayne even though he has me with the delivery.

11. Throw out the first pitch of a World Series: I would practice a lot to make sure I paint the corners and I might mix it up a little up and go off-speed with a backdoor curve.

12. Beat Bobby Flay in a BBQ Pulled Pork Taco Throwdown: I have perfected BBQ Chicken Tacos and now am working on perfecting the BBQ Pulled Pork Tacos: Not chopped pork, pulled pork… Big difference.

13: Hit a blindfolded half-time half-court shot: Then give the $1,000,000 from Findlay Toyota to UNLV for a scholarship in my namesake.

14. Co-Host the MTV VMAs: I don’t know who I want to co-host with yet but I think it would be cool anyway. I’ll take suggestions.

15. Develop an indoor, less ghetto, Wet n’ Wild next to Town Square: Genius, I know.

16. Become the Mayor of Las Vegas: An actual aspiration of mine, any and all campaign contributions can be sent to my PayPal account. Inquire within.

17. Run a marathon… Backwards: I’m running the LA Marathon in March. After that I will begin to train for the next 3 years to run the Boston Marathon backwards.

18. Learn to wakeboard: I’m not too big on watersports but I figured it wouldn’t hurt to try. Or maybe it will hurt…

19. Adopt a mixed baby: I need athletes and want my kids to look like Will Smith’s kids.

20. Shoot bazookas with Sarah Palin: She already has an arsenal and I have never been to “The AK.”

21. Win the Caldecott Award for my illustrations in a children’s book: I don’t want to write the story and I can’t draw, so I figured this would be a reason to improve my water colors skills.

22. Shoot an episode of PTI with Tony Kornheiser: It wouldn’t be that great of an episode though because I would be laughing the entire time.

23. Have my own App: I don’t know exactly what it would do yet but it would probably be a combination T-Pain’s auto-tune App, Heytell, and Angry Birds.

24. Be able to sit Indian style (or Native American style) comfortably: I am not flexible at all, maybe I should take up pilates.

25. Have a secret menu Jamba Juice called “The Mackin”: Rainbow sherbert, orange juice, a shot of wheat grass, and protein powder. Nom Nom Nom.

26. Open a day-care: I love kids and Danielle doesn’t want to teach forever so I figured a day-care would occupy her while I golf.

27. Eat one of those 60 oz. steaks on “Man vs. Food”: “Did someone say steak”?

28. Have a baby brown bear, bald eagle, and a salmon live domestically and cohesively: Basically like a more American version of “The Lion King.”

29. Match-make a couple: I want them to meet, fall in love, get married, a have a litter of kids, and name their first-born son (my Godson) Mackin.

30. Have someone famous ask for my autograph: I don’t necessarily want to be famous, I would rather humble a celebrity.

31. Save a stranger’s life: I pulled a kid out of the deep end once and it was a huge adrenaline rush. I don’t know what the situation will be but I pray that I act instinctively.

32. Have a personal masseuse: How nice would it be to get a deep tissue massage to start your day?

33. Give an inspirational keynote: In a big auditorium, wearing a sport coat with leather on the elbows, about 21st Century athletics in 2101.

34. Bring a professional sports team to Las Vegas: We all want one. We just need a decent fan base and an angel investor for a stadium. (Blog to follow on Thursday.)

35. Start a foundation: Definitely for kids, but I need to look more into what the attention-lacking disease will be.

I don’t know why I stopped at #35 but I didn’t want the list to get to boring and depreciate the value and necessity of the list.

Girls! Girls! Girls! The ten I like the most!

I don’t think that if anyone else in the world came up with a list that they would have the same list as me. A million guys could make a million lists and while combinations make it possible, I don’t think the same list would appear twice. But I think that’s what make these top tens interesting. My list will be completely different from yours and I encourage you to list your top tens as well.

I’m not one for porn stars or girls that look like they want to be one. I like the more traditional classy lookin girls that would be cool of you were to bring her home to Mom. That would rule out the Megan Foxes, Pamela Andersons, Kim Kardashians of the world. While I do recognize their looks, the skeezy types are just not my cup of chai tea. I also tried to use pictures and videos that showcased the girls wearing a majority of their clothes, so to really highlight their beauty. So, without further a due here is my top ten girls.

10. Meagan Good: Who? Many of you who are not familiar with urban Nickelodeon shows or rap video girls may not know who Meagan Good is. I first laid eyes on Meagan when she was on “My Cousin Skeeter.” She was in her teens at the time but so was I so it was completely kosher. As we grew up, she blossomed into the beautiful young woman that she is today. I didn’t want to showcase her on “My Cousin Skeeter” now because that would be creepy so instead I picked one of her more racy performances…

9. Rachel McAdams: Rachel McAdams has one of those classic, 1920s look. She was born and raised in Canada giving her the pearly white skin that she is so well-known for. I remember back in Freshman year of college, I made a Facebook group called “Rachel McAdams Makes Pale Hot.” I don’t know why I made this group because I never did anything with it, I guess it was because this was a “pre-status” Facebook era where the same statement could have been made without having to join a group. There also is the rumor that she is well into her 40s and is therefore a cougar. Well, being 32  years old that ruling is negated.

8. Tiffani Thiessen: aka Kelly Kapowski: What adolescent male didn’t rush home from school to watch Kelly on WGN. She has had some pretty decent roles in “The Ladies Man” and a lot of modeling but she will be forever known in our hearts as Kelly Kapowski. Sure she had her flings with Zack Morris, A.C. Slater, and the guy from 90210 but we all had her first. She has matured now and is married with a baby girl at 36 years old but she still has the same look. And her outfit below is actually in line with Mr. Belding’s dress code.

7.  Rihanna: I’m still a little up in the air about Rihanna. Her and I go throw stages that correlate to her look. With updating her look so frequently and so dramatically it has hard for someone to love all of her because she has stretched to both ends of the spectrum throughout her young career. And it may not be so much of her look that I like as it is her personality coupled with her accent. I haven’t completely figured it out yet but what I do know is I like this performance, especially her knee wiggle dance.

6. Jennifer Love Hewitt: What isn’t there to like about J-Love? She is the girl next door. She is probably that girl who was a tomboy who played baseball with all the neighborhood boys who grew up to be a beautiful woman to all the boys’ surprise. She has had a fairly successful acting career in both TV and in big budget movies and a mediocre music career if you remember. Her shape fluctuates with age but she has one of those looks where her face will always look the same no matter what her body looks like. Most people probably assimilate her to the “I Know What You Did Last Summer” series but I liked her in “Sister Act II” as she played the innocent/ditsy character in line with a bunch of hoodlums.

5. Carrie Underwood: What would we have done without “American Idol?” Other than Kelly Clarkson and “superstar” Justin Guarinin, Carrie Underwood was the first pretty American Idol to blow up. When she first auditioned, she had the semi-ghetto and crispy hair which made sense because she actually got kicked out of her sorority in college for being a flousy. But she obviously put the right people around her that have helped mold her into the American Idol she still is today. She’s a millionaire dating millionaires, winning awards left and right, and also handing them out tonight on the CMA’s as a host.

4. Blake Lively: Blake Lively is probably my most recent fling in my life. Danielle forces Pete and I to watch “Gossip Girl” after “Monday Night Football,” but to her dismay a small crush has developed. She isn’t really my type but there is something about her that I like. Maybe it is her soft-spoken and sultry voice or her natural beauty but I don’t argue so much when Danielle asks if she can watch “Gossip Girl” because I enjoy certain aspects of it too now. Even though I don’t understand who Gossip Girl is and why she is always around, shouldn’t she have been caught by now? Whatever…

3. Emmanuelle Chriqui: Ahh Sloane. There isn’t much you have to say about Sloane, just look at her. The only thing you can really is say is that she beautiful. She’s the nice Aunt that everyone in the family loves, she’s the hot babysitter that watched you when you were little, and she was the most popular girl in school that always was nice to the kids that weren’t so popular. Danielle met her at the Scintas show and confirmed all of these stereotypes as well. It definitely adds to her aura knowing that she isn’t some stuck-up sloot who is all caught up in Hollywood and is actually a genuine person.

2. Hayden Panetierre: My girl. Hayden stole my heart in “Remember the Titans” when not only did she know football well but she was feisty too. I never really went for the tomboy look and was more for a “girly girl” guy. So luckily for me, that’s what she is now. Her acting career has blossomed and so has she, now at 21 years of age with plenty of projects under her belt. She can do it all and do it all well. Primetime TV, interviews, the silver screen, cheerleading, defensive coordinator, whatever!

1. Danielle Scinta: Surprise! No, I am not being soft and no this isn’t a cop-out. Danielle really is my ideal girl. When making this list, I was having trouble identifying what “my type” was. There was never really a celebrity that embodied all of the features that I liked but “I was wooking pa nub in all da wong pwaces” as Eddy Murphy would say.  I like short girls, I like brunettes, I like girls with round facial structures, I didn’t know if I was a boob or a butt man so I chose both, and all of the above girls have some of those features but not all of them. But Danielle does and I love her.