Thursday - Current Events : Everything

Everything. It encompasses everything because it is everything. It's you and I, it's the sky, the ground and everything in between. Everyone has views on it, so do I. Nobody likes to be told what is right, but everyone likes to tell everybody else what is right. Not what they feel is right, but what is right. That's wrong, but that's my opinion. Here are other things that are my opinion.

• Some people believe in a higher power while some people do not. I do not have the right to persecute anybody for any belief system they hold, nor do I reserve the right to share mine with them on the grounds that I want them to open their eyes to my way of life.
• 
  
• Everyone holds a personal belief system that is wholly unique unto them. I do not have the right to persecute them for anything they believe in. You do not have the right to tell me that I am wrong about mine.
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• It is much better to be happy than sad. Some people find joy in things that others do not. As long as nobody else is being put in danger, I do not have the right to judge anyone else for making themselves happy. As long as I am not endangering anybody else, I have the freedom to make my own decisions.
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• As long as no human being is put in danger, it is okay for everyone to be exactly who they are. It is okay for any person to want to change who they are if they are not happy about it. It is okay for any person to remain who they are, even if they are not happy with it.

I can't understand how anybody anywhere could disagree with those points. I'm not trying to preach, I'm the worst person to hold these to as an example. Maybe now that I've gotten them down on "paper", I can begin to work on being a much better person to the people around me. They deserve it.

There's someone in my life that fills me with happiness everyday. I wish I had a way to show it to the entire world. Everyone deserves to feel what I do when I look at my computer wallpaper!

bth

Sunday - Sandbox: Sarah's Notebook Plot

Today, I'm taking the time to write about my girlfriend Sarah, because it's about time. I suppose this isn't going to be just about her in general, but about an idea she and I have come up with that I think is fairly fantastic.

There are a number of activities that we enjoy together, as does any couple. I feel our range of interests is a fairly varied one, but I'm sure there are plenty of people that have us trumped. I'd most certainly have to say, however, that our favorite thing to do together is find and sample Pittsburgh cuisine options that are new to either one or both of us. That being, we're always looking for new places, finding them, getting really excited about them and, almost every time, forgetting about them.

Genii that we are, we've devised a hitherto unknown way to remember things that we might otherwise forget. Folks, we're going to be writing this crap down. After some lengthy email discussion, we decided that a notebook was the best course of action to take. Sarah and her brilliant mind started devising ways to properly organize a book, and we think we're going to go with it as follows: Organize first by type of faire, then alphabetically within the category. There's also going to be a rating system, up to five stars. We'll probably each rate, then combine to get an average rating.

This is why I am fat, but I love it. What better to do than spend an evening on the town with a girl you love, right?

Right.

bth

Saturday - Viewer's Choice: GoodTaste! Pittsburgh Food Expo

For today's viewer's choice blog, the lovely Sarah has asked me to write a bit about the GoodTaste! Food Expo we attended today. Far be it from me to ever critique any event that pretty much offers to shovel food (and drink) down my throat for a small fee, but this ain't gonna be a pretty one.

First and foremost, let's get the small stuff out of the way. I can be kind of fickle, and I'll often have some rather petty complaints about any mass event I'm attending, but this was sort of a bomb from the start. The first wall we ran up against was parking. It wasn't so much that there wasn't enough parking. In fact, quite the opposite. We had our choice of four or five lots to park in. What there wasn't was any sort of helpful sign telling us or anybody else where to go. We had to watch and follow crowds to even figure out what side of the building we were supposed to enter on.

Upon finding the front of the building, we were faced with problem number 2. We, like so many other people attending, had taken the time to purchase tickets online to skip the hassle of waiting in line. No such luck. It actually turned out that there were two separate lines, one to get tickets you had purchased online and another for cash tickets. The largest issue with this was that almost everybody there has purchased them ahead of time, so the line was easily 40-50 people strong, while any straggler who wanted to pay cash could grab a ticket and waltz on in.

Before launching into my biggest tirade, let me just take a second to dump all over the event itself. It was like lining up to take a walking tour of the insides of a living elephant. It was hot, there was no room to turn around or even move forward, there was hardly anything to drink and, while there was definitely an abundance of things to eat, I probably wouldn't recommend sampling much of it in retrospect.

Now, the biggest thing; the cupcake contest. My friend Joanna entered a cupcake contest upwards of a month ago and, out of the many entries in the Pittsburgh area, hers received enough votes to land her in the top five. That meant that today she was given the chance to compete in round two, in which the top 5 bakers got to all Iron Chef all over one anothers asses. I am not sure of the exact restraints of time and contents, but here's what I can tell you: Joanna broke no rules, made the most wonderfully decorated cupcakes imaginable and yet...

It's my understanding that the 5 ladies were told not to have anything outside of the cupcakes themselves pre-made. The lady next to Joanna arrived with pre-made figures. Joanna was told that no one was allowed to lend her aid. The lady next to her had (needed?) help finishing her cake. Joanna was told to make cupcakes that celebrated the holidays. The lady next to Joanna decided to make a cupcake worthy of celebrating the rear end of a pig.

Perhaps to anyone stumbling upon this, it seems a little contrived and biased, but let me assure you, this was the Kerry/Bush election all over again. Had Joanna had the popular vote going for her, she'd have won in a landslide. Let me put it like this... If Joanna had won, people would have walked by saying "Oh! This is the one that won!". Instead, most people ended up walking by the winning entry saying "Oh. This is the one that won?".

Bologna. Rubbish. Bull Honky. Horseshit. Call it what you will. I'm not a culinary expert by any stretch of the imagination, but anyone selling me a belt will tell you that I'm a man who knows him some cake.

Bad form, Pittsburgh.

bth

Tuesday - Music: My Epiphone Goth G-400

For my second entry on my collection of instruments, I'll get the other electric out of the way, as I've been jamming on and recording with it tonight.

The Epiphone Goth G-400. Let me start by defending myself and explaining the Robert Smith-like name. It's called the 'Goth' G-400 because everything is a jet black mostly matte finish. Everything from the pickups to the hardware to the pickguard. Oh right, the neck also has no fret markers to speak of, just this mother of pearl inlay of 'XII' on the (can you guess?) 12th fret. All of this is super dumb.

What isn't dumb is how this baby plays. The pickups it comes stocked with are pretty hot sounding. It's almost like a single coil sound from two humbuckers. The neck on this beast is one of the chunkiest I've ever wrapped my left hand around. Seriously, holding this guitar feels more like holding a baseball bat. It's heavy too, I can't let go of the neck without it taking a dive for the floor, but that's ok. I rarely want to let go of it once I've picked it up.

This neck is so thick that I normally keep the thickest strings I can find on it. I say, if I can keep one guitar tuned to a drop-B for the occasional metal chug-fest, why not right? The main idea you should be taking away from this is that with some of my guitars, I could play you songs until you're blue in the face. With this guitar, I will pummel your face until it's blue anyhow. I'm tired. Goodnight. This was the worst entry ever. You should probably check back once I come back to edit it out of embarrassment.

bth

Thursday - Current Events : I don't know

Thursday... What is it I do these days again? Current events you say? Nothing is going on in the world that is of much interest to me. The Phillies are going to the World Series again, so there's that. I really didn't ever want to resort to bland generic entries, but a foreshadowing of what's to come... Hmm...

PREVIEW PREVIEW PREVIEW!!!!

This FRIDAY FRIDAY FRIDAY!!!, Sarah and I will attending a PARTY for our friend ANTHONY!!!! AT A RESTAURANT!!!

There. Did that excite you enough? Capital letters get you going right? Stay tuned this weekend for a double entry, about both the party and my day spent with the lovely Sarah at the Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium!

bth

Wednesday: Games and Sports - Philly Sports

So chances are, if you're reading this it's because you know me. Personally, man-to-man, cordially, sexually, whatever. If you do, you know what's coming. If not, look out mate...

I live in Pittsburgh, PA, and I love it. In so many ways, it's home. Anything I want to do/eat/see/hear/buy is easily less than twenty minutes from my door, and that's not always drive time either. The thing is... it can't ever be HOME home. I am from the half of this fair state that the sun chooses to shine on first, and boy freaking howdy do I enjoy letting people know that. Like, to the point that people think I'm your typical Eastern PA rude sonofabitch, even though... Anyhow, I have a few ways of pointing this out, but none come up quite as much as my constant undying love for anything Philly sports. Let me try to explain here...

I have no idea what it feels like to be a fan of a team from another city. The logical side of my brain wants me to believe that it's the same everywhere you go. Then, we have the side of my brain that was raised an hour outside of Philadelphia. I can tell you, and I'm right, that it's different from anything I've personally seen. We don't have a team like the Steelers that we don't worry about because there's no question they'll be good. We don't have a Detroit Red Wings that nearly our entire population have seen hoisting a trophy more than once. There are flipsides as well. We don't have an LA Clippers who are so bad that we have given up on them. We don't have a Phoenix Coyotes who are such a bad draw that we might end up losing them altogether. No, until last year, almost exactly, all we had to go on were hopes and somedays.

The thrill of seeing our Fightin' Phils win that World Series last year was so great that the entire city practically shut down. Seriously, for one day, a victory parade brought more people to Philly than the Olympics would. I could never contend that we are better fans or better people or anything like that. It's just that we're stuck in this odd limbo that I'm not sure any other North American pro-sports city knows the likes of. For years, almost every year, our big four teams have been good, even great. They've taken us to the playoffs consistently, and even occasionally to the big game. The '97 Flyers, the '01 Sixers, the '04 Eagles. All huge games, and all huge letdowns.

We're not as rabid or loyal as Pittsburgh. We're not as storied or worthy as Detroit. We're not as numerous as LA or as proud as NY. Hell, we're not even as scrappy as New Jersey. We're just Philly fans, and nothing is ever going to take that out of us.

Tuesday - Music: My Aria-Pro II LP

For my first (belated) post on my instruments, I figured I'd write about my first real guitar. Now please, dear reader, keep in mind that, when I say 'real' guitar, I mean one of a quality that would not embarrass me to be seen playing on stage. And now, presenting....

Yes, there she is, basking in all the glory she gives off. Now most guitar companies, including Aria, put serial numbers on guitars for dating purposes. This particular gem does not have one, which according to Aria's website means that it comes from a period ranging from the late 70's to early 80's. For this reason, I like to pretend that she's a '77, because 1977 was such an awesome year. Think about it. Peter Gabriel I. The Clash's self titled debut. Pink Floyd's Animals. The Sex Pistols entire (and singular) discography. Either way, it's older than I am, and I think that is awesome.

It's a knockoff that I got with birthday and Xmas money when I was...17? I've had trouble with the wiring, several screws have gone missing, the paint is chipping, the pickup holders are cracked and I would not ever trade, sell or give it away. I've played countless guitars on store shelves and friends homes and keep coming back to this old girl. Something about the guitar you learn to play on. It's like getting a car, anytime you step back into your first car it's naught but memories. I've done the vast majority of my recording on this guitar, which might not mean anything to anybody but me, but I doubt much of this does anyway.

If this bored you, there's still 3 guitars, a bass, a keyboard and drums in excess coming your way.

bth

October

Right, October.

I'm coming.

Monday - Top Ten List: Top 10 Video Games of All Time

Today, a pretty simple list. It's the top ten video games that I have ever personally played. Obviously, this is a pretty objective list. I should also point out that it's very one sided. I have, at various points in time, owned every Nintendo console ever made. My PC gaming history is... limited, at best. The only other console I've ever owned is a PS2, so it sort of limits my experince with any Microsoft, Sega, Atari etc., you get the picture. I'd get really in depth with them but I'm worried aboutit becoming a behemoth entry. Also, I feel enough of a dork for simply posting this in the first place. Maybe tomorrow I'll save some face and showcase a guitar or two...

1. Tales of Symphonia - NGC
2. Donkey Kong Country - SNES
3. The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time - N64
4. Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance - NGC
5. Super Mario World - SNES
6. Super Mario 64 - N64
7. Age of Empires 2 - PC
8. Final Fantasy VII - PlayStation
9. Metroid Prime - NGC
10. Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem - NGC

bth

Saturday - Viewer's Choice: Sarah's Indian Dinner

I hope she'll forgive me in advance, but this isn't going to be nearly as in-depth as it deserves to be. The other night, (Monday, I think...?) we invited our friends Laura and Brandon over for a dinner Sarah was making. She had felt a particular craving for Indian food and asked me if there was any dish I preferred. Not ever being one to turn down chicken tikka masala, I named that as the dish of choice. She said it would pair nicely with saag paneer and naan (Indian flatbread), so we set about the Strip District to shop. We then came home, and to work she got.

Seen here, the various ingredients that went into the dish. I can't be sure, but I think it's just canola oil, yoghurt, vinegar, tomato...paste(?), red pepper, garam masala, garlic-ginger paste and some wicked tandoori seasoning we found at Penzey's Spices in the strip. Essentially, these things were combined over some chunked chicken, which was then given over to me to grill. I'd post a picture of it grilling, but I don't want to steal thunder. Once it was all marinated, it looked as such:

At this point, she began making the saag paneer. To the uninformed, saag paneer is simply pureed spinach with some assorted spices and garlic which is mixed with paneer (a very mild Indian cheese). We had one slight mishap in which somebody may have overloaded the food processor with spinach which found its way to the counter in grand fashion, but we overcame and moved onward. The finished product looked a bit like this:

At this point, dinner was pretty much ready to go. This post has already gone past the attention of most blog surfers, so I'm cutting to the chase; dinner was absolutely fantastic. The best part about dating a girl who can cook is trying your hardest to make her happy, as this yields to only more wonderful eats. In closing, a summary in pictures of the finished product and the lovely cook herself.

bth

Tuesday - Music: (What's the Story) Morning Glory?

To those not in the know, I am a huge music geek. I'm that guy you know who can tell who is what band and what they played on each song of any given track. As such, I get the feeling that my music Tuesdays will be my favorite days. I'll take these days to profile not only albums or songs that I love, but also to spotlight my own instrument collection or give you tastes of my own musical output. My thought was, however, that since this is my first post on the subject I'd start by giving a rundown of the first album I ever owned.

No question, I'm a child of the 90's. I'm pretty sure I'm going to be the Dad that is constantly showering his kids with music from halcyon days, having no idea at all as to why they don't appreciate it, but I was not like that at all. In fact, until the age of about 12, the only thing I was ever seen listening to was whatever my Dad played for me. Though I still have a deep appreciation for music made before I was born, I would not be the person I am today had Oasis not been so determined to replace the Aerosmith t-shirts in my wardrobe.

My Dad bought me Morning Glory on a trip to a Coconuts music store, but only after making sure that there would be no foul language to affect me. I swore to him there was not. Logically, in my mind, there was no foul language in Wonderwall, so why should there be any elsewhere? We got into the car and put it in (Yeah, cds in the car in 1995, my Dad is pretty cool.), only to blow my father away with the line '...so wipe the shit from your shoes.' within the first minute of listening. He coyly ignored it, and I, fulfilling any cliched rock and roll youth stereotypes, was drawn in instantly. Because of that cataclysm alone, and even though I've since collected words with much more bite and profanity, it might be the single most vulgar lyric in my collection.

Every song on the record, from front to back, is something that fills me with nostalgia and something I don't have a word for. It's not sadness, but it's not happiness either. It's whatever makes ex-hippie bikers who have a total of $19.67 at a cash register say "Now that was a great year...". To me, it's not so much the sounds of my childhood, but what paved the way to what would make up said sounds. It makes me remember a time when a band could put out a song like 'Champagne Supernova' or 'Don't Look Back in Anger' and have them played on the radio in the middle of the day.

I'm the geek, I told you that. As such, I keep a running list of my top 20 albums of all time. Albums that, when played, are played one song at a time, front to back. Some come and go and many never come close to making the cut while still being fantastic, but this is one that has been in since 1995 and has never left. It might be for more sentiment than anything, but that's not to say it's got any fat to cut. I don't think my old man could have had any idea that we was spending 13 bucks that I would never personally forget. If he reads this, hats off, eh?

bth

Sunday - Sandbox: Cooking with Sarah

Today marks my first sandbox blog, in which I give myself no boundaries. Seeing as I missed my first chance for a viewers choice blog (and marking that I only have one reader so far, my lovely girlfriend, Sarah.), I'm going to combine this by blogging about something she keeps asking me to blog about; her.

More specifically, cooking with her. We have not, as of yet, made cooking a tandem activity. We more or less take turns cooking FOR each other, but there's always input from the other. For example, the other night I made her some stuffed peppers and split the recipe in half, one half made with barbecue sauce for me and the other half with ketchup for her. It came out good and we both loved it. A few nights later she returned the favor by making me a stromboli with customized ingredients. That, too, came out fantastically.

Every now and then we've found ways to collaborate on meals, and that's when it really gets to be cool for me. Not only do we find ways to make dishes work together, but we have a pretty good knack of finishing them at about the same time. The other night I started grilling some fish with butter and cilantro and making some broccoli. Around the halfway point of my cooking, Sarah walked in the door and began to make rice with some cilantro butter she had made. Right as the rice was done, the fish was done. Brilliance!

Maybe there's more I could write on it. There's a lot more I could write on it. I love cooking with her because it's so much more than simply making something to shove down and abate hunger. It's a social experience that gives me something to look forward to, and I certainly do.

If you'll pardon me, we're going grocery shopping so we can cook us some dinner.

Friday - Beer: Sterkens White Ale

For my first Friday beer post, I think it's only right to start with the best beer I've ever personally had. Now, mind you, I am by no means experienced enough to be considered a connoisseur or even a critic. I just know what I like, and I like to convey. Hell, I love to convey. I would also preface by saying that much of my opinion may stem from the fact that I was out to lunch with my Dad at the time for the first time in a good while. That may have affected the memory just a touch too.

We thus come to Sterkens White Ale. This is a Belgian ale, much in the style of a Blue Moon or the equivalent. It's got a great hint of orange peel and a touch of some spice(spices, maybe?) that I can't quite place, but thoroughly enjoy. The finish isn't the best I've had, but it's not so bad as to ruin the experience.

I won't be as pompous as to talk about the essences or the pouring qualities, it's just a great beer. I would go as far as to say that I can't imagine a sandwich that wouldn't pair with this brew, which is probably the reason I found it in a deli in the first place.

Speaking of finding it, one of the only things I really hate about it is how damn hard it is to find. Until around two months ago, the only place I had ever found it was in a German deli in a mall outside of Philadelphia. I had recently been able to find it in a store in Canton, Ohio, but as good as it is, it's not quite worth the drive in either direction. I am often surprised at the number of 'Burgh bars (Sharp Edge anyone?) that don't carry it, but I'm not to the point of giving up yet.

No summary needed, it's just fantastic. If you enjoy lighter beers or fruity beers, you should enjoy it. If you prefer them dark, I'd stay away.

bth

Thursday - Current Events: Pittsburgh G20

I am not the sort to get super political. I feel that you and I both have as much right to believe in anything we like and that, as long as we are not hurting anybody, I/you don't have the right to belittle you/me for feeling that way. That said, I'm also a very opinionated S.O.B., and as such will never back down from voicing my opinions on things political, religious, etc....

This G20 summit in Pittsburgh is nuts. I must admit, I've never really paid much attention to it, short of being aware that it was going on and knowing the general locations it was happening in. I did know, however, that wherever it went throngs of protesters and global media networks were sure to follow. Now it's happening in my own back(front)yard and I'm fairly sure I'd like to kick the person who okayed it square in the face. Not that anyone is reading this but should you stumble upon it and are unaware Pittsburgh PA is a fairly small big city. When you look at it on a map, it's essentially four small cities, connected by a slightly larger central one. The unfortunate part of this is that most of the truly urbanized parts are located within this central area, and, naturally, that is the area they've chosen to set up shop for this summit. What this means is that, for about a week, Pittsburghers are going to be living as if they were being held in very luxurious camps of some kind.

If you want a real treat, you can watch the official PPD video announcement of all of the road closures that the summit is bringing us. Because of the various mountains and rivers in the area, there is only room for one major road that links everything in the city together. It's pretty much impossible to plan any kind of sensible trip in Pittsburgh that does not take you onto this road. As this road will, for all intensive purposes, be shut down for the better part of a week, I'm sure you can imagine the hindrance this puts on the residents of the city. Local businesses have been forced to close for the week for no other reason than they must. Even if they could get to work for the day, they would have almost no clientele. I'm sure this means nothing at all to the businesses like US Steel or PNC, but this is going to devastate smaller places that fill our South Side or Strip District (or USS temps who don't get paid for the week they cannot physically come to work >:-O ).

I suppose I tend to ramble. Nobody is ever going to want to read a blog that contains an essay on this kind of stuff. Perhaps Thursdays will be my least popular day? In closing, I find it very funny that the reason Pittsburgh was chosen as the site for the G20 summit was its impressive ability to bounce back from a dwindling economic situation, and that nobody in any position of authority in the city seems able to see that simply hosting it is going to crush it.

bth

How to proceed...

I'm thinking about how I want to run operations here. Maybe I'll go with a certain theme for whatever day of the week I'm choosing to post on. I could be quasi-clever/quasi-lame and just name them after the letter that that day begins with, a la 'music mondays', but no days of the week would allow me the chance to discuss video games or sports. Perhaps I'll just choose at random and follow my less-than-strict guideliness.

Mondays - Top Ten lists
Tuesdays - Music
Wednesdays - Games and Sports
Thursdays - Current Events
Fridays - Beer
Saturdays - Viewers Choice
Sundays - Sandbox

Naturally, Saturdays would require me a slightly larger fanbase that I currently have. Maybe I'm being too optimistic, but we'll get there. As it's Thursday, I'm obligated to start with current events. I'll get to that in a little bit, I suppose.

Again, Again, Again

I suppose I am writing this to myself, but that's ok. Nobody has ever cared what any blogger anywhere thinks, and why this should be any different matters not. I am mostly doing it to see how this is different than any given bloggery service.

Again, Again, Again. It is poignant to me on three levels of varying depth. First (and most shallow...), it is the title of a song by the Smashing Pumpkins. I get a small kick out of that. Second, this is so far from the first time I've done this sort of thing and, while I hate being cliche unto myself, here I go again. Third, the topics gone on about will most likely be the same topics that I generally bore people to death with everyday, giving them one more opportunity to experience my musings on music, video games, sports and beer. I will tell you right now: anticipate top ten lists.

The most exciting thing about this first blog post is that I found out I can do it from work. This could really lead me places...