Pursuit of Happiness

Moving Day

2010-08-04T19:35:00.000-07:00

So, I'm looking to move The Pursuit. New location:

pursuer444.wordpress.com

All this, just to be able to post pics from my Iphone.

Just?

A Big Day!

2010-08-04T05:05:00.001-07:00

It hasbeen almost two years since our town's little, independent grocer went out of business. At the time, his demise was a shocking event for those of us who visited regularly, because he was always busy, had good stuff (gawd, the lamb was the best!), and he would do little things like keep an account and send you a bill at the end of the month. I'm told this started because in some homes the staff did the shopping, and could just put everything on account and didn't have to carry cash. I wouldn't know about such things.

Anyway, our little grocer decided to expand, took on enormous debt and promptly failed. His store, which was in the middle of town, stood empty, like an open wound for the past two years.

That is until today! Today, a new era dawns as Fresh Market is opening in the old guy's place. Now I don't know much about FM, but it has to be better than what we've been limited two during the last 24
months! So, my car is positined at the station, and when I get off the train tonight at 7:16, I will be off on yet another culinary adventure. Wish me luck my little gastronauts!

81-year-old sweethearts reunite after 62 years

2010-08-03T17:48:00.000-07:00

I don't know about anyone else, and I'm sure this is a sign that I have serious "issues", but I just found this creepy. Am I nuts?

Yoga X

2010-08-03T17:26:00.000-07:00

Just finished another session of Yoga X. Wow! The whole routine is 90 minutes, which is really hard to fit in once a week - yes, I know that sounds crazy - but man, when I do I just can't feel better. Off now for a little dinner.

O'Bama Dreams

2010-08-03T03:48:00.000-07:00

So, O'Bama is now appearing iny dreams! How's this?

I have this dream that O'bama has started a jobs program for inner city yoot. His idea is that they should work as garbage collectors in the suburbs. For some reason, I have to go see how this program is going, so I leave my house and head down to the corner o our street. Sure enough, there is a big ole garbage truck and as I approach, our pres hops out of the cab, dressed in suit, tie, overcoat and scarf. There are a couple black inner city kids on the back and he instructs them top hop off the tuck and go get the garbage. As I approach, he enthusiastically waves and say's hi, while I turn to my companion and say, "I don't know. Is this really the image he wants to craft?"

Sunday Night Dinner

2010-08-02T18:36:00.000-07:00

So, Sunday dinner this week was something a little light. I've been wanting to do a little gazpacho and grilled fish, and I thought, "why not tonight?" And so it was. Still working the photography thing with my new camera, but these turned out rather well. I also did one of the gazpacho ingredients, but it seems to have dropped off. I'll see if I can add it later.

As for the fish, I did it real simple like. Started with some lovely looking swordfish, used ample salt and pepper (one of the secrets of great grilling) and did for five minutes over a medium hot fire. Usually, I'll add a little alder wood with fish, but for Sunday I kept it real simple. When the fish was done, I gave it a light brush of olive oil, oregano, parsley, lemon and garlic and served. Just perfect.

Update: Gazpacho ingredients added. Man, that was a fine soup!

P90x

2010-07-31T06:02:00.000-07:00

Starting off another round today. Day One: Chest and Back is in the books. Now off to Miss Jenny with Mrs. P for some Pilates

WTF

2010-07-30T16:12:00.001-07:00

Gawd, I couldn't be more bored with politics right now. O'Bama has proven to be the second coming of Jimmah, somebody in the Repubs, bizarrely, seems to think Sarah Palin is capable of more than reciting tonight's specials at the Olive Garden, and news of both is delivered like the halftime show of a Albanian soccer game where the producer just realized he didn't have budget to copy the stupid fox nfl gameday robot thing.

Is there any hope?

The End Game?

2009-05-19T18:40:00.000-07:00

Clearly, I haven't been to most prolific of bloggers in the past year or so. This is particularly distressing since there is so much for us to discuss! I mean, really how often does one get to blog an ongoing economic crisis, a new president, the ridiculous torture controversy (raised by a few limp wristed blokes who don't know what it takes to win against an enemy that targets civilians as their core strategy. Just sayin'..) and my ongoing fabulous culinary excursions.

So kind of a drag really.

Today though I here to do you a favor.

READ THIS

No, seriously go back and click on that link right now. This is important.

We are currently in the midst of an epochal moment and a guy named "Woody" has nailed it.

From his conclusion:

"This essay began with a demonstration of the all-important role of the evolution of a nation's Debt-to-GDP ratio. The direction of this evolution is a good proxy for the future success or failure of the nation. We argued that a one-time shock (like today's US recession) that drives the initial Debt ratio way up does not pose the problem most people assume. Long run recovery is possible, but only if policies are adopted that drive the growth rate of the numerator down, that of the denominator up, and thus that of the ratio down."

Seriously nailed it.

If you're interested in more, here is his site.

Smothered, Covered, Chunked and........Shot?

2009-05-13T19:51:00.000-07:00

Holy Crap!

As everyone knows, I happen to be the world's foremost fan of the beloved Waffle House. Where I once cringed at the prospect of venturing south of the Mason - Dixon line, I now embrace the prospect. And it's all because of my discovery of Waffle House. It's genius is the pure simplicity; waffles, hash browns and a few other assorted things that you really don't need. Drive up, belly up to the bar and in less than 10 minutes you're digging into a breakfast that is the stuff of American dreams.

But this story.....well this story is a bit disturbing. Shot by a waitress at Waffle House? Who could imagine such a thing? Sure we all heard about the Kid Rock fight at Waffle House last year, but candidly who hasn't wanted the beat the tar outta that dude?

Well, hopefully this is a "one off" sorta thing, cuz I don't want to think I'll need to be packing on my next foray to Waffle House, which for the record, will be in exactly 15 days.

I'm Back!

2009-05-09T10:14:00.000-07:00

Having successfully evaded the authorities (once again!). I'm back. Stay tuned.

Lying Low

2009-02-28T12:51:00.000-08:00

On the run from the authorities.

Will Return Soon

Enoteca Turi

2009-02-06T13:05:00.000-08:00

I awoke Thursday morning to another day of snow and work ahead of me. I turned on the TV and waited for a knock on the door announcing the arrival of my morning coffee. As the BBC flashed on, I found myself face to face with the grim visage of Gordon Brown, who for some reason decided to announce that we are on the precipice of a global depression. This, after announcing late last year the it was He who saved the global economy with his plan to recapitalize banks.

So what's up with that Gordy?

I must confess that I find these feckless pronouncements from our leaders to be most distressing. What happened to the stiff British upper lip, or the American can do spirit? Why, with an admittedly severe global downturn, have our leaders taken up the cause of cheerleading the economy into oblivion?

And most importantly, what is this loathsome display going to do to our dining establishments?

Well, I may not be able to save the economy, and I certainly can't give everyone a job, but as I sat there watching the vile Head of England pronounce the end of civilization as we know it I vowed that I would do my small part to put the economy on more sound footing. I would dine at Enoteca Turi that very night!

So after a day in the office, I ventured back to my hotel, dropped my bag and instructed the taxi driver to take me to 28 High Putney Street on the double. I arrived at the restaurant at 730pm on the dot and requested a table for one. Disturbingly, I noted that only three other tables were occupied, and I silently cursed PM Brown's name. Already the knuckle dragging mouth breather was having an impact!

Enoteca advertises itself as a family run restaurant and this certainly seemed to be the case. I was escorted to my table by a matronly sort, and on my way I noted that there were only 4 other wait staff in a place with approximately 30 tables. The menu was limited, but sufficiently varied and I placed my order; Artichoke Cardoons, Spinach and Rosemary Risotto with Chicken Livers, and Milk roasted Pork Shoulder. I also requested a bottle of sparkling water and a bottle of the house primitivo to wash everything down.

The cardoons arrived promptly and looked delicious. I will say that the artichokes themselves, as they had been at Zaferrano earlier in the week, were a bit light on flavor. Perhaps it was the season. Having said that, the dish was quite lovely. The cardoons were stuffed with a light goat cheese and fried perfectly. They were presented in a sort of potato puree with dabs of olive oil and a small mound of crispy leaks was nestled in the center of the plate. As with all of the food here, this dish was not terribly sophisticated, but none-the-less, expertly prepared and quite good.

Next up, the risotto came to my table on a subtle waft of rosemary. This dish is built around the time honored concept of strong herbs and organ meat, as had been my sage and beef kidney at Zafferano. If I were to quibble I would say I enjoy my risotto a tad more toothsome, but otherwise the spinach, rosemary and kidneys were quite lovely.

The final dish, milk roasted pork shoulder was the one I was really anticipating. Milk roasted? Certainly a new concept to me! The shoulder was presented with cabbage and a puree of celeriac and apple with a paper thin slice of dried apple in each mound of puree. Completely delicious! Most interestingly, from the first bite this dish reminded me of thanksgiving, only with a nice hunk of pork instead of turkey. I definitely will try to replicate this at home!

To round out the meal I settled on a polenta cake with blood oranges and mascarpone cream. The perfect finish to a delightful meal.

And so my little contribution to the British dining scene ended with me as a satisfied customer, and Enoteca Turi on the "Must Get Back There" list. Oh, and the sparsely populated tables at the start of dinner that I wrote off to old Gordon's foul influence? Almost completely full by 830pm.

Harry Truman, a leader who knew a thing or two about leading a country through challenges once said that its a recession when your neighbor loses his job, but a depression when you lose your job. Perhaps I read old Gordy wrong. Is there a vote coming up soon by any chance?!

2009-02-03T07:21:00.000-08:00

Quick update from London. Despite the "historic" snowfall (6 inches; the Brits are wussies!) I did manage to get out and around the crippled city. After a morning and early afternoon of meetings I hopped in a cab and told the driver to head to 19 Theobald's street. As we approached our destination the driver began looking for the number at which point I told him, "I'm going to The Fryers Delight, for a little lunch". "Ah, the Fryer's Delight! Why didn't you say so that's where all the cabbies go" was his response.

At this very moment, I knew I had made an excellent choice.

I paid the driver and headed in to the clean, but decidedly spartan place. The waitress was quick, and I ordered a plate of cod and chips. A little heat would have been nice, but I suppose London isn't prepared for the type of weather that us Chicagoans take for granted.

My food arrived unbelievably fast, and it was excellent. The Cod, a big ole piece of fish was darn near cooked perfect and certainly the best fried fish I've had. The batter was nicely flavored, and provided the cod with a crispy, flavorful coating that was not the slightest bit greasy. Good temperature discipline on the fry vat was clearly a core competency! The best thing about the place is that they fry in, as they refer to it, "beef drippings" which as I understand it is the traditional Engtlish way. Even more impressive when one considers that the joint's proprietors are a couple of Italian brothers.

Bottom line: Highly recommended.

For Dinner I popped over to Zafferano, a Michelin two star that happens to be next door to my hotel. I didn't have reservations, but I was counting on the "historic snow" to keep business down a bit, and my strategy paid off with a table in the bar. I momentarily wondered what happened to the traditional British stiff upper lip, but then figured I shouldn't question my good fortune and took my seat.

The amuse bouche was a traditional onion tart. Very well done, nice pastry.

I then started my first course with a warm roasted artichoke salad with veal shins. Delightful! Although, to be honest, it would have been just as good without the artichokes as they really had very little flavor.

Course number two was papardelle in a saffron scented sauce with pig cheeks. This dish was profound. The hint of saffron was perfect and the bits of onion among the shredded meat really made this an outstanding course.

Course three was veal kidney with warm lentils. When the dish arrived at my table, I must say I immediately became concerned; the scent of sage was quite strong and I was afraid the chef might have had a bit of a heavy hand. This only turned out to be partially true and the lentils, kidney and sage mostly worked together in the dish.

Wine was by the glass, as I didn't want to order a full bottle, and wasn't terribly enamored with the half bottle selections. I enjoyed a Sangiovese with the first two courses and had a very good Montepulciano with the Kidney.

Desert was a chocolate fondant, better known to us as a molten chocolate cake with a scoop of espresso flavored ice milk.

Zafferano was good and at 80 pounds for the above, a good deal considering the two stars

Great Moments in Photo Journalism

2008-12-10T19:20:00.000-08:00

Get the Pulitzer folks on the blower! Best picture of the year.

Rats, indeed.

Do You Inhale?

2008-10-08T18:01:00.000-07:00

Is it me or do they seem to be asking an entirely different question here? I'll bet he's hoping her oral fixation doesn't end with a desire for a scratchy throat and hoarse cough!

In any case, I seem to have stumbled on a small little treasure. The link will pop you over to the Stanford School of Medicine's online gallery of cigarette ads through the ages. Interesting to see how an industry, quite knowingly it seems, worked to addict a generation to its killer product. Hoarse cough? Scratchy throat? Poor wind? Why these in one way or another are all turned upside down to actually sell the product that we all know caused them! Brilliant, in an evil sort of way.

I think the Lucky Strikes are my faves. The overt use of women as sex objects is something that wouldn't pass muster these days. But then what am I saying? None of these adds would pass muster! A baby promoting Marlboros? Santa having a relaxing smoke? Its a crazy mixed up world where evil has triumphed and our culture's most benign, indeed pure, icons are used to promote the killer weed.

Just one thing I don't get. What's the deal with the bride packing a carton of Chesterfields?

A Prediction

2008-10-07T17:54:00.001-07:00

If John McCain is the definitive winner in tonight's debate, markets will have a substantial rally tomorrow. If Obama is the winner, or if there is a draw, markets will fall.

How Do I Get Tickets To This!

2008-07-30T17:27:00.000-07:00

Well, this should prove most interesting. It seems that Prince Charles has "accidently" booked Ms. von Teese to perform at Harrys birthday.

What a guy!

Besides finding the said Ms. von Teese quite alluring, I'd love to see how the royals react to her act. Anyone know how I get invited?

Your Daily Zen

2008-07-20T17:01:00.000-07:00

I wanted to direct my other reader to my buddy Eva's latest post. She is doing a month of gratitude, and today is garden day.

Total zen.

I dig this especially because it (with apologies to Eva for soiling her post with politics) speaks the truth to Algore's lie. I'm sure most will believe I'm putting too much into a simple post about gardening, but in my view, the world is a system which we are but a mere part. It seems to me that the thought that we, as simple humans, can throw this system out of balance is the height of hubris and end of the world fear mongering. A simple garden is God's evidence that this thing is so much bigger than us.

Individually, or collectively.

I Answer The Question: "Who Is Robert Parker"

2008-07-10T20:02:00.000-07:00

Chicago Foodies, a blog by some folks who seem nice enough asked the question, "Who is Robert Parker.

I couldn't help myself.

About O'Bama's Euro Fixation

2008-07-10T19:46:00.000-07:00

I always enjoy the moment when Americans leave the U.S. for the first time and head to Europe. They love the outdoor cafes, the trams, and they feel a little self conscious about the language thing. It never fails; they always come back with this dewy eyed "Europe is just the best!" sort of attitude.

Of course the spell wears off after a couple of trips when they realize that European society isn't quite as great as initial experiences led them to believe. Class mobility is extremely limited, governmental intrusions into every day life are much greater, and all those multi-lingual Europeans? Well, to a large degree it is the educated class only. If daddy was a security guard, or if you didn't do so well on those boards when you were 12, there is a good chance you didn't get the education that others received.

To me, O'Bama reveals an innocence and lack of cultural sophistication that is frankly, surprising given his supposed international background. So while I can agree that it would be nice for American kids to learn a second language, and indeed both my children are, it is hardly necessary. I've traveled the world on business my entire career. Negotiated deals, had people on multiple continents report to me while I was working for a European bank. Don't speak nuttin' but good ole American.

Presidential timber? The kid just doesn't have it. Perhaps McCain could make him Secretary of Education.

"Load Up On Guns"

2008-06-26T18:38:00.000-07:00

In celebration of today's Heller decision.

Oh, and the great seal lasted one day. When are you people going to wake up to this guy? See post below.

Aren't We Rushing Things?

2008-06-21T07:11:00.000-07:00

Perhaps the single trait I find most disturbing about our friend Mr. Obama is his arrogance. I'm aware that all politicians have an over inflated sense of self importance, but Barak's preening is just a bit much for my tastes. Others, with less exposure to my state's junior senator haven't perhaps experienced the full metal Barak yet.

This picture, I think, is just a glimpse of things to come. What's the over/under on how long until the new seal is retired?

Pursuit's 18 Hours of Smoke

2008-05-17T20:26:00.000-07:00

Ok, slightly less than 18 hours, but the meat was talkin' to me and, as everyone knows, you got to listen to the meat brother.

Brisket 14 hours, shoulder 16. Pics above. I'm havin' some more wine and crashing.

Life is good baby!

Pursuit's 18 Hours of Smoke: 6:30pm Update

2008-05-17T16:57:00.000-07:00

'nuff said

Pursuit's 18 Hours of Smoke: 4:27pm

2008-05-17T14:26:00.000-07:00

Reporting back with the all is well update. Smoking has now been underway for 11 hours and the meat has taken on a delicious black coat that undoubtedly will yield to an impressive smoke ring once the meat is shredded. As far as I can tell, juicy goodness has been maintained.

Interesting encounter with my neighbor this morning at 6a.m. I saw him come out of his garage, and went over to say hello. He asked me if I was "bar be queing" and I informed him that yes, he would be the beneficiary of 18 hours of wonder. To be candid, he looked at me like I was nuts. I attributed this to some sort of personality defect - his not mine - and as a result, felt no ill will toward him.

I truly am a man of the people.

That's all for now. Got to mop the meat, and then go out and get some things for dinner. I think I may take the brisket off at 8pm and serve that tonight. We'll do the pork later in the week.

Pursuit's 18 Hours of Smoke: 9am

2008-05-17T07:10:00.000-07:00

Well, things have settled down here at Casa de Pursuit. No more rogue fires, the house is not aflame, and I personally smell like a delicious combination of Cherry and Hickory.

The meat? Take a look for yourself! Them beauties are smoking away! They've been on since 530, but I really didn't get good heat until around 630 due to the aforementioned fiasco. So, I'd say we're at the 2.5 - 3.0 hour mark. They've had two mops and are smoking away at between 190 and 225. Low and slow.

More later

Pursuit's 18 Hours of Smoke - 6:52a.m.

2008-05-17T04:50:00.000-07:00

Well, we're up and smoking but it was not without a little mishap....I damn near burned our garden down!

Note to self: When you start a fire at 5a.m., make sure you have coffee first.

Anyway, I won't get into details by I have included a nice little photo of the early morning fire damage.

And those other two pics are the glorious cuts of meat that went in the smoker at 530 this morning. Had a little trouble getting the fire going, the wood was a bit damp, but all seems well now.

We're smokin! More later.

Pursuit's 18 Hours of Smoke

2008-05-16T18:17:00.000-07:00

Two pork shoulders, one beef brisket. Tomorrow at 5:30am the fun begins.

The Pursuit One Second Thought - Edition 5: The Mrs. P Moment of Inspiration at the Bat Mitzvah

2008-05-04T06:50:00.000-07:00

"It's like a wedding! Only you get to do it before everyone is dead."

Cool ITunes Thing

2008-05-02T16:19:00.000-07:00

Words Defy Me

2008-04-27T06:21:00.000-07:00

Check out this car. Be sure to watch it to the point where his face actually begins to melt.

The Pursuit One Second Thought - 4th Edition, Special Earth Day Inspiration

2008-04-25T16:14:00.000-07:00

"Oh crap! This meeting is with the green tech investment guys and I've just printed 10 sets of full color slides! Better go back and print black and white outline format - 6 slides per page. Good thing we have a recycling program!"

A Dream or A Nightmare?

2008-04-24T17:39:00.000-07:00

I was looking for someplace to go for lunch. It was a nice day, like any other day really, but I had some time on my hands and I thought I'd do something more enjoyable than the normal sandwich at my desk.

"It's days like this that you want a little adventure, find some place new that you haven't been before" I thought. So I walked up Clark street and passed a couple interesting places, but one kind of stood out in my mind. So, I retraced my steps and found it.

It was kind of a seedy place, full of boisterous people and quite crowded. The interesting thing is that as you passed the place on the sidewalk, I seem to remember a guy there who was kind of on the street, trying to bring people into the place. The same sort of guy that you'd see at a carnival trying to get you to play one of their rigged games. The bar itself had a name, I can't remember exactly what it was, but something like Tom's or Bob's - a very common sort of name.

As you entered the door, you turned left and had to ascend a flight of stairs to get into the joint. Loud voices cascaded down the stairway, and it was apparent the people were having a good, if slightly drunken, time.

As I got to the top of the stairs, I saw that the place was basically a bar. A bit smokey perhaps, but not oppressively so.

"How many?" a guy, I assume Tom or Bob or whatever his name was, yelled out to me

"What?" I asked

"It's Taco Thursday......how many you want?" The guy said

It was then that I noticed he was standing behind a table that was in the middle of the room. Pans with those little flame in a can things were there, and they held the best looking fixin's for chicken tacos that I had seen in a while. I looked up at Tom/Bob's face and he was beaming like he could read my mind. I could tell that he knew I thought those tacos looked awesome.

"Weird", I thought, "A Tom/Bob dude with the best tacos in town"

I told Tom/Bob I'd have three. Three chicken tacos.

"And get yerself a beer to with them" he said. Man, this guy was running the place like it was a midday party. I had the sense that maybe I bit more off than I could chew, but what the hell, I was there, the tacos looked excellent, and I had wanted a bit of an adventure.

Tom/Bob gave me my plate, I found a beer in my hand, and worked my way across the room, to an adjoining room where there were some extra seats. As I entered, I noticed this room was much different. There were only a couple other people in there, and they were just quietly eating their tacos. A couple of them stared at me as I walked in. I figured I should just eat my lunch and then get back to the office. I didn't like the vibe of this new room at all.

I don't recall eating the tacos, and as for the beer, I have no memory of drinking it. But there in front of me was an empty plate and glass.

I felt a little woozy.

"Oh, oh, this doesn't seem right" I thought.

As I got up to leave and re-entered Tom/Bob's room. People were looking at me a little weird. I think some may have been laughing at me. I couldn't really tell for sure, and to be honest, I didn't really care. I just wanted to leave.

I found my way to the stairs, and with heavy steps I trudged down to the main entrance and pushed the door open to Clark street.

It was dark outside.

And Clark street was nowhere to be found.

As I left the building I came out into a very run-down industrial sort of area. There were warehouses, some parked cars and a few people milling about, but not much else. "Holy shit, where am I?" I thought.

I started walking. I figured I'd better move like I knew where I was and like I had a purpose before someone figured out I was in trouble. They'd sense my weakness and I'd be finished!

I walked a block, maybe two. None of the streets were familiar. No Monroe, Madison, Washington, or anything that I was expecting. I did see an entrance ramp for something called the Boreman Parkway, but I had no idea what that was, and it certainly wasn't in downtown Chicago.

"Pursuit" I heard a voice behind me, but kept walking

"Pursuit" It was there again, and I turned around. It couldn't really get a whole lot worse at this point.

There behind me was a beautiful black woman. I remember thinking that her skin was perfect, almost radiant. She wore a simple, perfectly white dress.

"You're lost, aren't you" she said

I could hardly speak. Yes, I was lost. I was dizzy, disoriented, and to be honest not just a little bit frightened.

"Turnaround Pursuit. You need to get back to the city. Just look for the tall shining buildings" she said as she pointed skyward. I could see them off in the distance. How had I gotten so far?

"Here, come with me, I help you get started" She was so nice, so comforting I felt I could trust her. So I began walking with her and I started to feel better. Maybe things would be OK!

As we walked back towards the building that I had come out of I noticed that she had something in her hands. It was a card, or a sign - like those that limo drivers are holding at the airport when they are there to pick up their riders.

Something was written on her card, and although she was being casual about it, I could also tell that she was trying to prevent me from being able to read the sign. In a moment I caught only a glimpse, but it was enough.

"Pursuit - Ohare" was what it said.

At that moment, I woke up to an overwhelming sense of dread

That Thing You Do!

2008-04-20T10:19:00.000-07:00

I've always been a sucker for a tightly crafted, well written pop song. There were several that I thought about posting today since its 60 degrees and sunny outside, but the one that I just can't get enough of is the title track from one of my all-time favorite movies, "That Thing You Do!"

This tune has it all, in just under three and a half minutes: Terrific lyrics about love, a catchy riff that never seems to tire, great harmonies, and of course, a beat you can dance to. The movie itself evokes the magic of a time when just the right song could change the world and propel the band's members to a destiny they didn't know awaited them. It didn't hurt that Tom Hank's omnipresent management was there to provide a guiding hand either. Enjoy

Limp D*cks

2008-04-14T18:36:00.000-07:00

I think the pharmaceutical industry is out to get me. In fact, I'm pretty sure of it.

When prescription drug advertising first started showing up on TV, I was all for it. Of course there were your typical objections from scolds who try to control everything. They'd say that the drug companies were spending to much money on advertising, and inflating the cost of the drugs, or that patients were pressuring their doctors to give them prescriptions for drugs that they really didn't need. My view was that this was an excellent way to get information to folks that needed, and if doctors didn't have enough back bone to say no to patients wrongly influenced by a TV ad, then they ought to turn in their license and become chiropractors.

Now, I'm not so sure. I can't say when it happened, but one night a chilling thought came into my mind: What if the drug companies were inserting subliminal mind control messages into the ads? You know, where liquor companies used to supposedly place images of nekked women in ice cubes to convince you to buy their hootch, what if the druggies were somehow doing the same with their products?

"I don't know exactly how they'd do it, but I'm sure it could be done", I thought.

And really, it be simple. In the high blood pressure ad, maybe a silent to the conscious ear sound of the heart beating faster and faster. Or in the sleep aid add, a quiet suggestion that you can't seem to stop thinking long enough to fall asleep. Really, it'd be diabolical. In the frequent urination add they'd have quick micro flashes of a crashing surf. In the ED ad, a flash of a nekked Rosanne Barr.

The more I saw these adds, the more I couldn't get it out of my mind. I became paranoid, convinced that the pharmas were out to get me. "I wonder if they have a drug for that", I caught myself thinking!

I began to watch these adds more closely, I just new I could find the message if I was vigilant.

But then something happened. Specifically, the Cialis people.

Have you ever seen these adds? For the most part they're 50ish sort of couples, who are generally fit, reasonably attractive and hungry to do the horizontal mambo. Only problem is that the big can't can't rise to the occasion.

Fair enough I thought, this happens to folks, and it's good they've got something to help them. Although, I did wonder about the black man whose faucet erupts during some smooching - was his problem different?

Anyway, as I watched these ads, I realised something about these Cialis couples and while I'm no doctor, I really think I can help them. So listen up folks.

If you want to have sex, you need to be in the same bathtub!

Have you seen these folks? It's no wonder they can't ever get 'er done! They're so busy dragging heavy, cast iron, claw foot bathtubs all over God's green earth, there ain't no way Daddy's gonna be able to get a hard on!

And that my friends is what I think the basic problem is with these folks. They're so busy over thinking the process, that after all the prep is done for their elaborate scenes, all they can really do is soak their tired muscles in the tub, watch the sunset and think about what might have been.

So my advice to the Cialis folks is pretty simple. Put the ED drugs away, and take some hints from the kids in the Abercrombe ads.

The Pursuit One Second Thought: Editon 3

2008-04-13T16:05:00.000-07:00

Does he mean small town folk cling to guns and religion in the same way some senators cling to black liberation theology?

Saturday Night Wine Blogging

2008-04-12T16:54:00.000-07:00

Well good evening and welcome back to one of the more popular, yet long absent feature of The Pursuit of Happiness: wine blogging, in this case Saturday night wine blogging.

Allow me to set the scene for you. It is 645p.m. Saturday night. In my kitchen are 8 13 year old girls, here to celebrate PD2's 13th birthday - which was actually 2 months ago. That is another story. At any rate, I just left them with pre-maid pizza crusts, the fixin's for pizza and two hot ovens. Worried? Me? Not a chance. And the screaming that I'm hearing sounds, for the most part, like happy kind of screaming.

We'll see on that.

Any way, I am opening a very special bottle tonight. It seems that fellow commenter over at the Functional Ambivalent, Wally, is a major wine guy. Recently, he revealed a particular wine that has been fascinating him, and well, one thing led to another and Wally and I met on the streets of Chicago this past week to exchange two wine bottles. The wine of choice:

2004Three Rings Barossa Valley Shiraz Reserve. Wally tells me that the highly over rated Robert Parker has rated this baby a 96, which probably means it is a full bodied, blow the back of your head off sort of new world wine. And let me be clear, while I favor old world wines by a long stretch, I can appreciate Parker blow the back of your head off wine too. So we'll see if my expectation is correct, if Wally's recommendation is good, and if Parker still has any taste buds left!

First, the opening. This recently has become more of a disappoint for me. The 3 Rings, as with many other wines, has gone to a screw top. Let me be clear, while this is no indication of the quality of the wine, it is an abomination none-the-less. The opening of the wine, which used to require special tools, and bit of performance and style, and ultimately a satisfying pop, added to the overall experience. Unscrewing a bottle, just ain't the same my friends. Still, I persevere.

The wine has been in my "cellar" for the past three days. So it is at cellar temperature now. I plan to open it, give a sense of the wine right out of the bottle, and then also see how it pairs with dinner tonight. Since this is a shiraz, I've decided to go with a simple steak, hash browns and roasted vegetable medley pairing.

So lets see how this baby tastes.

Out of the bottle this is a strong wine. I haven't tasted it yet, but the nose is quite nice. Fruit forward, with some chocolate and mineral back tones. Mrs. P, who I should say has a minor cold is with me. "Ooh", is her comment as she takes a sniff. A little pepper on it, and earthy are her comments. I have to say, it has been in the glass for a few minutes now and it has a wonderful nose. Strong, but structured.

First taste: Not a lot of fruit. This is more old world in structure, but new world in strength. We both agree, perhaps some cherry, but more on the end. Wow! This is a challenging wine. There is a little pepper, and perhaps some tobacco, but nothing really predominates. An excellent structure. If I were to critique the wine, I'd say dial back on the power and let me appreciate the complexity a bit. Still, wow.

Ok, going to cook dinner. More later.

Well, I'm back. Lets take a taste prior to eating. The wine has been open for 70 minutes.

It is definitely deeper, and little more rich. It has taken on a bit of a silky sort of feel, the taste while not structured per se, is quite strong.

Dinner is finished now, and we're watching Clint in The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. This wine is definitely the good. I would say though, that from a personal taste point of view, it is too strong. There are wonderful flavors here, but I would prefer to have to search for them a little bit. They should dance in my mouth, instead of fight for dominance! So it is hard for me to distinguish the flavors. The fruit has moved forward a bit- a kind of blueberry sort of taste, but I would still say that this wine is all about the earth. This is the characteristic of all of my favorite wines. When you drink a wine, you should be transported, and feel the land from which it came. This wine does that. It is a new world bang with an old world personality. Well done!

Lets look at what others say. Seems these folks tend to have the same sense, although, while I understand what the guy said about tannins, they really aren't predominant here in the traditional sense. Clearly the tannins are providing a backbone, but the camphor comment was more accurate in my view since this is how they seem to express themselves. I think there is some temptation to suggest that this wine will mellow over the years, and this might be true, but in all candor, I'm not sure. This is a big mutha of a wine, and it is never going to play second fiddle to anything.

So, in summary, an excellent wine. Thank you to Wally for suggesting it. I'd pair this wine with big bold foods such as the grilled steak we had tonight. I'm not sure it would work with spicy foods, since the two would end up competing with each other, to the overall demise of the meal.

Dancing Barefoot

2008-04-12T11:42:00.000-07:00

I've always had a thing for tough chick rockers. Obviously, my Sass Jordan post last weekend was a result of this, and my life long infatuation with Chrissie Hynde is another fine example. But in the beginning there was Patti Smith. More than any other, I've always found Patti mesmerizing. Try watching this video without getting completely consumed. I also totally dig the dude playing guitar. Is he jamming his brains out or what?!

A great artist, and a great song.

Piece of Cake!

2008-04-10T17:48:00.000-07:00

33 I thought of using one as a weapon against the others before they asked about it on the test. Oh yes, I'm fierce baby.

The Pursuit One Second Thought - Edition 2

2008-04-08T16:45:00.000-07:00

"Vodka, the liquor for those not man enough to drink gin."

Things I Learned While Looking Up Other Things

2008-04-08T16:04:00.000-07:00

Back when I was a kid, my dad used to bring home the Sun-Times at night after reading it on the train. He liked the Sun-Times, he claimed, because it was a tabloid and easier to handle on the crowded train car. I've always suspected though, that the real reason was that the Sun-Times was Chicago's blue collar paper, and my dad was more comfortable reading the every man's rag. He usually read the Wall Street Journal in the morning, so the whole tabloid vs. broadsheet bit was a tad suspect.

One of my dad's, and later on my, favorite columnists was Sidney Harris. Mr. Harris was an interesting sort since he was kind of an intellectual and had a habit of writing about a broad range of topics. A notable accomplishment for a writer in a tabloid.

Over time I became familiar with Mr. Harris' work, and he had one feature that I always found fascinating: Things I learned while looking up other things. It was great! In one column title he let you know that in a short time you were going to be treated to certain odd facts and tid bits that would intrigue, inform, and on the whole, entertain. Simultaneously, Mr. Harris was also revealing not only the fact that we are always learning, but that the learning process itself is one of life's great adventures.

I have no illusions, that this new feature in my blog will be as revealing or as regular as Mr. Harris', but I do hope you find the following of interest:

1. Since the first Thanksgiving, cooks with varying degrees of success have been stuffing turkey cavities with all sorts of items in an effort to impart more flavor to the turkey. The best way to ensure that you're successful in this venture is to first stick with aromatic vegetables, and the most importantly, steep them in a cup of water in the micro-wave before draining them and putting them into the turkey

2. Penultimate: Means the NEXT to last. For some reason I thought it meant the last

3. Division 1 schools can only give 9.9 scholarships for each female soccer team per year. Division III schools are barred from giving athlete's sports scholarships

4. Note to Hillary and Obama: The vast majority of lost jobs in Ohio went to states with lower taxes and right to work laws, not foreign countries. For example, GM is right now building a new plant for hybrids in Texas, not Ohio or Michigan

5. And speaking of manufacturing, per the St. Louis Fed we now manufacture more goods (even adjusting for inflation) than we ever have! We're just doing it with less people per unit produced.

6. Following on this productivity theme, in 1900 it took 40% of the population to feed the country while today it takes only 2.5%

The Pursuit One Second Thought - Edition 1

2008-04-07T18:12:00.000-07:00

"It seems to me that the Sully who Sully thinks he is would be embarrassed by the Sully that Sully really is."

Absolut - Dopes

2008-04-07T18:04:00.000-07:00

I see that Absolut has apologized for its recent Mexican ad depicting an enormous chunk of the United States as being part of Mexico. Apparently, there is some nostalgia in Mexico for some long past “good old days” when the western U.S. was part of our neighbor to the south, and Absolut was playing to this nostalgia by hoisting the above map up on billboards across the country.

As could be expected by everybody, save for the uniquely clueless execs at Absolut, a great cry of protest was heard from those who saw the ad as an insult to the U.S. Of course, they’re correct, if perhaps a bit overly vociferous in their outrage. And what does this say about Mexico? Whatever latent fantasy exists there for a return to the above drawn borders, the fact is that the land is U.S. territory and by virtually any measure we’ve done far more with it than anything our neighbors might have contemplated. As someone put it, the only real difference would be they'd be trying to sneak into Oklahoma.

What I love about this controversy though, is how even in the supposed triumph of this ad, Mexico still loses and seems to not have even noticed! Because, while the map represents their view of a better world, the message itself is written in English.

A Confession

2008-04-06T15:36:00.000-07:00

Well, after my swearing off the Cubs post from a few years ago, and my little "Welcome to the season schmucks" post earlier last week, I believe it is necessary to 'fess up.

Yesterday, I took PD1 out driving. She is 16 in a couple days, and we haven't come close to doing enough driving to qualify her for her license. So I thought it would be good to go out for a couple hours on Saturday and just drive all over the place. As it turned out, Saturday was a beautiful day, with plenty of sun and a 63 degree breeze.

Naturally, I thought of grilling out for dinner, and suggested to PD1 that we drive into the city to Paulina Market (The Mecca of Meat) and buy a selection of fresh sausages for the grill. As we were driving in, traffic was a bit heavy and I realized that it was probably Cubs traffic; Paulina is very close to Wrigley Field.

As I mentioned this, PD1 suggested that it would be a most excellent adventure to see if we could scrounge up some tickets and take in the game. Who could argue with such logic?!

So we found some guys parking cars on their empty lot, and as we pulled in PD1 asked one of them if he knew where we could get some tickets. Immediately, the guy was on the phone and told us he could get us two club box seats in the 6th row, behind third base.

Whoa.

Well, we haggled a bit over the price, I went to the ATM and a moment later some dude pulled up on a bike with our tickets. What a fantastic time we had. I had a beer, PD1 a pretzel, the game was exciting and most amazing of all - the Cubs won.

A spectacular afternoon for us and proof that the best times are those that you don't plan. They just are meant to be.

Face Melting Rock and Roll

2008-04-06T14:41:00.000-07:00

I was working out today, and this tune came up on my Ipod. Man, Sass Jordan just rocks, or at least she used to, I have no idea if she still does. At any rate enjoy this, and while you're at it, contemplate this musical question.

If Sass Jordan and Chris Robinson had a rock and roll baby, would it not be the most soulfullest, rockinest child ever?

Cannibalism?

2008-04-02T18:53:00.000-07:00

Whew boy, now I know why Al Gore has lost so much weight! Click here my friends.

A Gusher!

2008-04-01T17:40:00.000-07:00

I found this article in a link off of Instapundit last week, and Scott referenced it in a comment he made over at Tom's today. Originally I thought about posting it, but for one thing it was Friday night and a manhattan (2 cherries) was issuing its seductive call, and for another I figured this news would be all over the place.

After all, one of the main problems this country has when it comes to energy independence is that we put so much exploration off limits. There is ANWAR, the coast of Florida and California, just to name a few. When one considers the enormous find off of Brazil late last year and other recent, although admittedly lesser, discoveries the concept of "peak oil" becomes just a bit creaky. This is particularly so with the price of oil at such high levels, which has the benefit of making costly extraction technologies more economic.

Which brings us to today's link. Apparently Montana could be sitting on a literal ocean of oil. We'll know more when the U.S. Geological Survey is released, but if this is true this find would dwarf virtually all other known reserves in the world. Add in the oil sands of Canada, and suddenly we see that North America could be viewed as oil rich.

I won't argue the politics of any of this. All I want to know is why isn't anyone talking about it?

Goin' For The Hundy!

2008-03-31T18:27:00.000-07:00

Spring has sprung here in Chicago,and hope once again is born on the north side as the nation's most hapless collection of professional mopes strides to the plate in another misguided attempt to wipe out 100 years of misery. Will 2008 be any different than the previous 99?

Nope.

I say this with no glee in my heart. Truly, it pains me to see the sorry spectacle begin again for the 47th straight year of my life. Already the legions of sorry fans, who expect nothing more from their baseball dollar than a crumbling field with ivy covered walls and an unbroken, unparalleled record of failure, have purchased 2.8 million tickets to watch a team that is congenitally programed for failure. Nothing will change, because nothing ever changes at Wrigley.

The Cubs are where careers go to die, famously disastrous trades are made, and billy goat curses stand in as stooges for the greatest string of incompetent management to ever occupy the offices of any business, any where at any time. Just in my lifetime the '69 Cubs collapsed in spectacular failure (see the above black cat "cursing" the Cubs as it strolls by Ron Santo), Leon Durham's Gatorade sodden glove missed a simple grounder in the '84 unraveling against the Padres, and of course, the awful Bartman incident of '03.

Cubs fans though accept this fate. Hell, they flippin' embrace it and it's damned embarrassing. Somehow, the legions of deluded fools have convinced themselves that this spectacular record of failure is not an indictment of a knowledge-less fan base that refuses to hold an incompetent front office accountable for misdeeds that border on the felonious. Oh no, in the bizarro world of Cubs fans, spectacular incompetence equals lovability!

Don't you just feel it? Instead of Take Me Out To The Ballgame perhaps Cubs fans would be better off singing the refrain of the great Offspring song, Self Esteem, "The more you suffer, the more it shows you really care. Right? Yah!"

I never thought about it, but perhaps they were Cubs fans too.

Ah, I admit it, I too used to belong to this sorry group, but '04 was the final straw for me. After the Bartman collapse literally took the life out of the team - it was just one bad play for heaven's sake - I saw that it would never be. Not then. Not now. Not ever. I swore off the Cubs for good back then and related my defection in this post (can't find it, move on), and there is no turning back.

So, against all hope I wish the Cubs my best, which, against their historic ability to snatch failure from, well mediocrity, gives them absolutely no hope. But hey, the ivy will grow, Ronny Woo Woo will, um, "woo woo", crusty old grannies who have been sitting in the bleachers since "nineteen forty and two" will continue to molder in the sun, and the beer will flow. And most importantly a fresh crop of new Cubs fans will born and cursed by their insane parentage with a love for all things "Cubbie". One or two will even be named Wrigley and be forced to bear witness to their parent's psychosis throughout their entire life. Yup, things will be just as they always have been.

See the circus comes to town every year because as P.T. Barnum said, "A sucker is born every minute".

When Worlds Collide

2008-03-30T12:08:00.000-07:00

Wow, this can only be described as the two worlds of alternative rock and bosanova linking up to produce one unholy offspring that may ultimately destroy the world.

Then again, its kinda catchy don't you think?

***UPDATE***: This, is just short of tremendous. I think we've learned today that a great song just cannot be denied.

Every Rose Has Its Thorns?

2008-03-29T11:32:00.000-07:00

I'm not quite sure what to say about this, but I knew I had to blog it. Which, as you can imagine, is a bit of a challenge.

You see, every week I get an email from the Musicbox Theatre that lists their films and show times for the upcoming week. I use the term "films" as opposed to "movies" not because I'm trying to impress you with my superior culture, but simply because the Musicbox is an art film house, and this is their favored terminology.

The truth is I've never been to the joint, although I do have great intentions to actually make it there some day. I love movies, and most of the ones I truly enjoy are the more obscure things like this one or say, this one, and I have great intentions of buying this one. So, you know, one of these days I'll be a patron (see, I can totally work the lingo!) of this fine establishment. Until then, I might just rent Slapshot and Fast Times at Ridgemont High tonight in sort of a double feature of my misspent youth. Mrs. P has never seen either of these fine movies and I really should expose her to the pure genius that they represent.

Anyhow, back to the topic at hand: The Vagina Dentata Myth. Oh, didn't I mention that? Yup it turns out that there is a whole myth out there that I've never heard of and somebody has made a film of it - the sick bastard. Lets let the movie's website explain the plot:

"High school student Dawn works hard at suppressing her budding sexuality by being the local chastity group's most active participant. Her task is made even more difficult by her bad boy stepbrother Brad's increasingly provocative behavior at home. A stranger to her own body, innocent Dawn discovers she has a toothed vagina when she becomes the object of violence. As she struggles to comprehend her anatomical uniqueness, Dawn experiences both the pitfalls and the power of being a living example of the vagina dentata myth".

Yikes!

As I said, I don't quite know what to say about this. For one thing, it sounds like a blow job gone horribly wrong, which I suppose can be a real fear (note to the director - thanks for that pal!). On the other hand, this seems to be something far more sinister; a kind of beast lurking within if you will.

Given, that I've never heard of this myth and haven't really had this sort of fear, I can't say that a movie....er...fim, I mean, with this topic ever occurred to me. This may be because I'm a well adjusted human being, or perhaps explain way I'm a business man instead of a bereted, gaulois smoking, provocateur.

Or both.

Yet, I find myself oddly attracted to this film. It definitely will appeal to my taste in horror films, and there really hasn't been many good ones since Hollywood's fascination with gore took over. It is clearly an original take on an old genre. so maybe, just maybe, we'll take a trip to the Musicbox in the near future. If so, I'll report back.

UPDATE: As I was moving through the On Demand movie listing last night I noticed that Slapshot was showing. What are the odds that a 31 year old movie would show up on pay per view the very day that I blog it? Kismet I tell ya, so we ordered and watched it with PD2 - which might have been a bit of a mistake, given the general level of cursing and nudity prevalent in the movie. At any rate, it was as good, or better than I remember. A terrific comedy and social commentary on violence in America. Highly recommended.

On This Day In History....Paper Dresses?

2008-03-18T19:03:00.000-07:00

I don't know where I got my odd fascination with women's fashion, but it probably harkens back to all the fashion shows that my mother dragged me to when I was a kid in the '60's. I don't remember these events at all, but she claims we went so I kind of have to take her word for it.

So with that bit of background, I give you today's post. The Scott Paper Dress.

Yup, exactly 42 years ago today Scott Paper launched a program to sell dresses like the one pictured here. All the lady of the house had to do was send in $1 ($6.51 in 2007 dollars according to the inflation calculator) and Scott would send back a dress and 52 cents worth of coupons for other Scott products. Incredibly, the company sold 500,000 of these babies!

Now my first thought was with all the smoking that went on in the '60's it is a minor miracle that afternoon bridge parties at the club didn't end up in tragic conflagrations ("Oh the humanity")! Of course I should know better than to doubt good ole American enginuity; The things were made with fire resistant paper, natch.

In fact it was a "flexible, triple ply paper reinforced with rayon scrim" that could be worn for up to 5 wearings (enough for a season dontcha think?) depending on the "clemency of the weather, and the intensity of the wearer's frug" according to this piece in Time.

Frug? Don't ask.

So it is with great pleasure and not a little melancoly that I salute a wonderful advancement in disposable wear from a time gone by. Sure it was goofy and impractical, but don't you just wish a little bit for a time when we can afford to let loose a like this? It's the little things, hula hoops, big gas guzzling cars with enormous fins on the trunk, beehive hair do's and three martini lunches, that make me wonder sometimes if our parents didn't have the right idea.

What? You were expecting an Obama post?

We Don't Need No Stinkin' Rate Cuts...

2008-03-17T18:44:00.000-07:00

...What we need is some capital in the financial system to support the massive de-leveraging that is under way. As the Journal points out in this excellent piece from this morning, rate cuts are leading to declining dollar value, which is leading to less confidence from investors to inject capital into the U.S. which is making the economy less stable:

"The problem is that dollar weakness is making both of these problems worse. The flight from the dollar has made U.S.-based investments less attractive, at a time when the U.S. financial system urgently needs to raise capital. And the commodity boom is translating into higher food and energy prices that are robbing American consumers of discretionary income. In the name of avoiding a recession, reckless monetary policy has made one more likely."

Yikes!

Since we know monetary policy is like sex - exhillarating when you first do it, but it takes 9 months to see the full results - and since the Fed first started lowering the discount rate in the fall, perhaps enough is enough. Afterall, much of this problem started with Uncle Alan's Liquidity Party back at the turn of the century, and it is unclear to me that we need a repeat of that fiasco.

So far the broader economy seems to be holding its own without completely tanking and we have both fiscal and monetary stimulus underway so this might be a decent moment to take a breath and say "Steady as she goes".

Come for the economics, stay for the sex jokes and rockin' tunes!

Cunning II

2008-03-16T08:58:00.000-07:00

In the post below, I revealed what has now become obvious. Hillary's attack, utilizing Geraldine Ferraro, was a planned hit that went better than anyone could ever have imagined. Incredibly, it turned out to be the campaign equivalent of softening up the defenses with an air assault prior to the ground invasion.

To be clear, it was no mistake that the Rev. Wright video, which has been in the public domain since the start of the campaign, received broad public exposure this week. Once the Ferraro remarks drew Obama into playing the race card as described below, Hillary's friends in the mainstream media started running stories on Wright as a means of saying, "Oh yeah pal? Who did you say is running around with racists?" This certainly explains why Ferraro agreed to run point on this attack since it was all but certain that once the public was exposed to Wright's noxious racial theories, Ms. Ferraro's comments would drift out of the public consciousness.

Incredibly, Obama continued to fumble this story going into this weekend. First, the Wright attack was brilliantly timed so that it would receive Thursday and Friday news cycle airing, while any Obama denial would land in the Friday night/Saturday morning graveyard of public attention. Further, instead of remaining consistent with his theme of new politics and change we can believe in, Obama seems to have resorted to unbelievable, Clintonesque denials:

"...The statements that Rev. Wright made that are the cause of this controversy were not statements I personally heard him preach while I sat in the pews of Trinity or heard him utter in private conversation. When these statements first came to my attention, it was at the beginning of my presidential campaign. I made it clear at the time that I strongly condemned his comments.
...Michelle and I look forward to continuing a relationship with a church that has done so much good."

Who does this guy think we are? Whether or not Obama actually sat in the pew during one of this loathsome man's tirades is hardly the point. It simply defies credulity that the good Senator, who titled his book Audacity of Hope after Wright's sermon Audacity to Hope, was blissfully unaware of this Wright's views. Furthermore, if he somehow was unaware of these views, what does this say about his judgement?

Unfortunately for the Senator, there are folks out there on the other side of the political divide looking at the evidence. Check out this post from Rich Lowery over at the corner which seems to indict the truthfulness of Obama's denial of knowledge. Key quote:

"And so it went, a meditation on a fallen world. While the boys next to me doodled on their church bulletin, Reverend Wright spoke of Sharpsville and Hiroshima, the callousness of policy makers in the White House and in the State House. As the sermon unfolded, though, the stories of strife became more prosaic, the pain more immediate. The reverend spoke of the hardship that the congregation would face tomorrow, the pain of those far from the mountaintop, worrying about paying the light bill…"

So Obama is a liar or at the very least, a typical politician looking to cast himself in the light most favorable to his target audience. This second alternative really seems to be the case. In the early part of his career, he apparently adapted his views to those of his predominantly black constituency, nodding in apparent agreement with the Reverend Wright during one of his explosive sermons. Now, the Senator is repackaging his image into a post racial appeal that necessarily requires him to turn his back on some of the more questionable associations that helped fuel the early stages of his career.

As a result, we see today that the good Senator has been caught between his old life, and the sanctimonious image he has crafted for himself in this new stage of his career. These two points are irreconcilable, yet instead of coming clean for the electorate and admitting that he may have made some mistakes in the past, he is choosing to follow the Clintonesque path and lie in order to have it both ways.

The problem is, we already have a Clinton in this race and she, at the very least, is clear about who she is and what she will do to get elected.

Cunning

2008-03-12T18:03:00.000-07:00

Once again I find myself surprised that I am the only person, perhaps in the entire world, to see through the cunning campaign trickery in the Democratic party. When I last exposed a dastardly ploy, it was the Obama campaign planting the photo of him in traditional garb, and blaming it on Clinton operatives.

Today we have a trick by a real Clinton operative; and it's a good one. Ms. Geraldine Ferraro, last seen in 1984, has turned up as an honorary finance member of the Clinton campaign saying some controversial things in a newspaper interview. By now, everyone is familiar with what she said - essentially that Obama has been successful in the campaign because he is black.

I won't argue the merits or racial aspects of what she said, that is for other, far simpler minds to dwell on since it is essentially a side show. The real meat of the matter is what is going here? Was it a ploy, a slip of the tongue, or something else all together? In my view, this was a planned move by the Clinton campaign from the start. Here is why.

Essentially the Clinton's have realized that Obama has out maneuvered them and gained the high ground in this campaign. The game has almost run out and they need to accomplish one of two goals very soon:

Either bring Obama down to earth pronto and demonstrate that he is unelectable in a manner sufficient to convince enough super delegates to vote for Hill or,

Damage him enough so that he cannot win in November against McCain and preserve Hillary's chances to run again in four years

With these two goals in mind, the Clintons needed an expendable minority to go after Obama and execute their diabolical plan. In this role, Ferraro has been perfect.

The plan, works on 4 levels:

On the first level Ferraro is effective in questioning Obama's readiness for office. A previously unknown candidate with a thin resume and vague promises of change is uniquely vulnerable to this assault. No matter how this turns out, this issue is raised and will not go away.

The second level is to play to the white blue collar workers in the Democratic party and the black voters who still harbor doubts that a black man is electable in this country. In both cases it plays to the voter's fear that Obama is a gamble, and in the white blue collar voter's mind a potential beneficiary of some sort of electorate granted affirmative action vote, which the white voter believes is unfair and is unwilling to go along with. By themselves these are powerful motivators to swing voters to Hillary and try to save the nomination for her. But there is much more to her plan.

This next, third level is particularly crafty, and I must say Obama so far has played right into Hillary's hand. You see, up until now much of Obama's appeal to the white wine and intellectual crowd has been, in their mind, that he has been above racial politics. Indeed his message of "change" stands as much for a change in the way that black candidates run their campaigns as it does for anything else. He is running as an American, offering himself for service in a time of need. Powerful stuff. Hillary realizes that to win, she absolutely must pull Obama down and once again make him the aggrieved black candidate and thus distasteful to the white winers. Sadly, Obama has taken the bait, and spent the past two days talking about race in place of the qualities that made him such a successful candidate. All it cost Hillary was an honorary member of her finance committee as Ferraro was booted earlier today.

Of course, at this late date, all this conniving may still not be enough to secure the nomination which is where Hillary's awful plan rises to it's most diabolical level. You see, Hillary, by making Obama crawl down in the mud with her, is trying to install a fatal flaw in the Democrat's most likely nominee. If she can't win now, it is imperative in her view that Obama be stopped in November. If McCain wins, she will have a shot at a 75 year old guy, who already is looking pretty frail, in four years. If Obama wins, he will either cruise to re-election in four years, or lose to a Republican. In either case Hillary is out of the running for 8 years if Obama is elected to the presidency, after which, his vice president will be the most likely successor. Scorched earth politics are all that can save her now.

The bottom line is that the Clintons have never been about the Democratic party, or America, or anything else that the rest of us hold dear. They are all about the Clintons, and one wonders why it has taken the Democrats so long to figure this out.

Sweet Relief

2008-03-04T17:18:00.000-08:00

Well, thank Goodness that 17 year nightmare is over.

Super Tuesday Part Deaux Prediction

2008-03-03T16:07:00.000-08:00

Ok, I'll go out on a limb.

Tomorrow is a big deal in the Demo race and the funeral dirges for our gal Hill have already begun to softly play in the distance. Convential Wisdom says they'll be in full parade tomorrow night and the "Hillary!" campaign is toast by Saturday.

Hold on just one moment, cuz I ain't sure that is what is happening.

Counterintuitively, I believe the results will show a small trend back to Hillary. She will do better than expected taking Ohio in greater numbers than polling indicated, and deliver a virtual tie-to-ever-so-slight victory in Texas. This will completely screw up the Democratic delegate calculus causing Wolf Blitzer spin into into a masturbatory frenzy the likes of which have been unseen since Limbaugh first witnessed the Dukakis tank video.

O'Bama forces will attribute the results to Republican meddling - the forces of the politics of cynicism donchaknow - but those of us in the know will realize that it is the initial stages of buyers remorse setting in on the Obama campaign.

Place your bets here.

The Pope of Hope or Common Liar?

2008-02-28T17:22:00.000-08:00

Well interesting development on the campaign trail today. It seems our buddy Mr. O'Bama may have been caught in quite the lie. You know who I'm talking about, the Pope of Hope, the man who is going to change politics as we know it?

See, as the story goes, and it remains to be seen if it is true:

" a member of Mr. O'Bama's staff telephoned Michael Wilson, Canada's ambassador to the United States, and warned him that Obama would speak out against NAFTA, according to Canadian sources.The staff member reassured Wilson that the criticisms would only be campaign rhetoric, and should not be taken at face value."

Well this is interesting as far as it goes, and of course all politicians shade the truth from time to time, but it seems to me that there is a little more here. It is one thing to say, "I'll reduce your taxes" and never mean it, and quite another to call a foreign minister and say, "I'm going to lie to the American people and it involves my country's relationship with yours, but don't worry because I don't mean a bit of it".

If true, this belies both an inherent dishonesty, which is natural for an Illinois politician, and a complete misunderstanding to the importance of candor and truth in dealing when it comes to permanent treaties with your allies and neighbors.

By the way, as a side note, I happen to know Micheal Wilson quite well. In a previous life he and I were on opposite sides of a business transaction and I found him to be a charming, honest and very engaging man. Quite famous in his country as well which became apparent the night of our closing dinner. I was host and arrived at the restaurant a bit early to make sure everything was just so, and noticed that a lot of the restaurant's staff were milling around - far more than we needed to handle the 15 or so people in our room. Finally I asked a waitress what the deal was, and she said in her McKensie Brothers accent, "Oh, Michael Wilson is in your room tonight, we all would like to see him".

Can you imagine a restaurant staff in America standing around to see Henry Paulson? Me either.

H/T Frankarino

Traditional Garb

2008-02-25T17:16:00.000-08:00

In what can only be described as a descent into the "politics of personal destruction" the opposing democratic candidates released photos today of their opponent in the traditional garb of his/her respective culture.

I don't know about you, but I find that first outfit, far more horrifying!

n.b. Post slightly edited to "horrifying" from "terrifying" once I was fully able to process just how offensive the outfit was to the standards of modern fashion and stylish women everywhere.

One Question

2008-02-25T15:47:00.000-08:00

While these $3,600 shoes are the best indication yet that we will not enter into a recession, I do have one question for Antonio Berardi: What happens when you're walking into a strong wind?

The entrepreneur in me sees a strong aftermarket for $800 click on heels.

Cora's Coffee Shop - California Dreamin'

2008-02-23T10:18:00.000-08:00

I'm a bit tardy in posting about my trip to L.A. in part because I forgot the link from my camera to my computer, so I figured I'd wait until I could post pics and text. Then, after arriving home last Monday, I was over taken by events here and well, now I'm beginning to catch up.

One of the reasons I've always loved L.A. (yes, I really do love it), is because it is a wonderful food town. Another reason is because of the outdoor lifestyle that can be found there.

I've had so many great times in L.A. that combine these two aspects of life - many of which were actually in winter. Drinks of the rooftop of a building that we just finished developing, a multi-bottle wine fest on a crisp February night overlooking Huntington Beach and on this trip, cocktails on the Getty's patio overlooking downtown L.A. on a clear night.

So, upon reflection I guess I should also add drinking, to outdoor lifestyle and food!

Well, last Friday I had another one of these L.A. moments. After two successful days of business in town, I found myself with a free morning before my afternoon flight to Phoenix. The weather was perfect; Sunny, a slight breeze off the Pacific, and only a faint chill remaining in the air, I walked out of hotel on the ocean and headed to Cora's.

I had been walking past Cora's for the previous two days and from the moment I saw this place I was intrigued. The food savant in me recognized immediately that this smallish joint with only a couple seats inside and an ivy enclosed patio would be the perfect spot for a nice leisurely breakfast. Unsurprisingly, I was not wrong and Cora's offered a brief respite from the constant L.A. vibe.

I chose a small table on the patio, natch, and began to review the menu:

Orange Pancakes and Blueberries

Huevos Rancheros

Caprese Omelet

Smoke Salmon & Eggs Panini

"Oh boy!" I thought, "What in the world am I going to do!"

After some deliberation, I chose a prosciutto omelet with cheddar cheese, and opened my Journal to catch up on the day's news. As other orders passed my table I noticed something kind of cool about Cora's food. It was kind of an obsessive/compulsive's dream! Pancakes were fluffy and perfectly formed. Omelette's were shaped like little cylinders with nary a spec of egg out of place. "Weird", I thought since the rest of setting was so casual and relaxing. Still it was oddly nice, kind of a yin and yang sort of thing.

I couldn't wait to get my food.

My breakfast arrived in short order and I was not let down. The same perfectly formed that I had seen pass my table was there in front of me accompanied by a perfectly square piece of thick brioche toast and a roasted 1/3 wedge of potato. My waiter cracked some fresh pepper over my food, and I was ready to eat.

The omelet was very nice. Not fluffy and dry like so many places, it was almost perfectly cooked. Just the right amount of mildly sharp cheddar and chopped prosciutto were tucked neatly (of course!) inside. I can't be sure, but I'd swear that it was cooked in olive oil instead of butter, which was a nice touch. The potato was roasted so that it was crispy on the outside, yet full of moist potatoey goodness on the inside. Cora's kept me in a never-ending cup of Illy coffee to complete a lovely breakfast experience.

So, to sum up, go to Cora's. It's on the Ocean, just north of Vincente on the west side of the street. Tell them Mr. Monk sent you. I'm sure he's a big fan.

Update: Wow. Looks like I need to change the date on my camera!

Brilliance!

2008-02-23T09:54:00.000-08:00

This is an absolutely brilliant approach to managing the spice drawer mess. I found the link over at Chicago Foodies, and while I have a pretty good spice drawer situation currently, we are in the process of building a small cottage up north, and this approach will work perfectly. Interestingly, the designer used canisters that he purchased at The Container Store. I'll have to go and see if I can pick some up.

Gosh, if I just knew somebody who, oh I don't know maybe worked there, then maybe I could get a bulk deal for about 50 or so........

To My Daughter

2008-02-08T18:41:00.000-08:00

PD2,

I can’t believe it! Today is your 13th birthday! I know you’ve heard Mom and I say it before, but time certainly has gone by fast.

It seems like only yesterday when Mom told me that I was going to become a father again. At the time we didn’t know if you were going to be a boy or a girl, and we made sure the doctors never told us – we wanted it to be surprise.

Maybe it was because of the anticipation, but those 9 months took forever to pass, and the final days before you were born seemed to be the longest. Mom went to the hospital a few days early to make sure everything went well, and your sister and I stayed home and kept up our daily routine of school and work.

Finally, on Tuesday morning, the doctor said it was time.

The day you were born, PD1 went to stay with Grandma and Far Far, and I went to the hospital to be with you and Mom. After a long day, you finally joined us sometime around 7p.m. and I became “Dad” to my second daughter. I’d never been so happy in my life!

The next morning PD1 came to meet you for the first time – it was a moment that I will never forget. As she came into the room, you were quiet and very aware looking at all of us and probably trying to figure out what was going on. PD1, who brought you a small stuffed animal - your first present - wasn’t quite sure of who this new girl was. She looked at you a little suspiciously and we had to convince her that it was ok to hold you! We all thought both of you were very cute together.

We’ve often talked about those early months with you PD2 and sometimes I’ve felt a little bad about how we’ve teased you about being so colicky. Yes, at times the crying was difficult, but what has gotten lost in this story is how close we became to you during those times. You see, Mom and I had to work out a schedule to take care of you since we both were working, and you didn’t sleep very much before waking up. This arrangement resulted in one of my most treasured memories as a father.

Every night, Mom would go to bed early and I would stay up to give you your last feeding. It was during these times PD2, that I had the most wonderful moments with you. The family room, quiet except for the sounds of a “Rockford Files” rerun on TV, was where you and I would sit in the Lay Z Boy chair and rock quietly while I gave you a bottle before bed time. It was a simple thing, and I know it doesn’t sound like much now, but the magic of those quiet moments with my new-born daughter was incredibly special.

This experience taught me something about life that I hope you will learn as you grow and mature. In life, the big events that you expect to form the base of most of your memories often turn out to fall a bit short of your expectations, while the quiet moments that you share with your loved ones sneak up and remain imprinted on your memory forever. This is what happened to me, and I’m grateful that I have this memory of time with you.

So, today my youngest daughter turns 13. This is an important moment in your life PD2, because it is more than the simple passing of another year. Today, you officially begin to leave your childhood behind and start on the road to becoming a young woman. To be sure, it is an exciting moment, but it is also one that we need to stop and recognize for all its importance. In the book of your life, you are about to begin a new chapter and what you write in these ensuing pages is entirely up to you.

So I wanted to mark this moment for you with my thoughts, and hopefully some pearls of wisdom that you can consider. You see, as a teenager, you need to start thinking about your life, about what type of woman you will become, and what mark you want to leave on this world. You are an extraordinarily lucky young lady. God has given you life and blessed you with free will. He has seen to it that you have all the advantages one could pray for in this world. These circumstances are a blessing, but they also are a challenge. To those in whom much is given, much is also expected, and you have been given so much.

Your intelligence is unequaled. I know there are people in this world that may have a higher IQ, but your intelligence is special. You are a quick learner and your wit brings with it the ability to leave people laughing at a moment’s notice. This gift is special, because it presents you with a unique challenge. You can choose to use your intelligence to help you do the minimum work required to meet expectations, or you can use it to explore your world, and help you make connections that others never even have the opportunity to see. My dream for you is to find the joy in hard work and deep introspection, to recognize that there is so much to see and learn, and for you to revel in the discoveries that you will undoubtedly make.

Your personality is infectious and you make friends easily. PD2, I’ve always been amazed at how quickly you can integrate into a group and make friends with virtually anyone. Perhaps this is partly because as the second child you’ve always had to try a little harder to keep up in our competitive family. Whatever the reason, it is a talent that few people share, and as you build your confidence and leadership skills I know that you will find ways of using this talent to help others see not only your wonderful personality, but also the insights and knowledge that you have gained in this world with your intelligence.

You are sensitive. Mom says that you are, like her, an empath, and this is undoubtedly true. Time and time again we’ve seen you demonstrate an uncommon sensitivity to the emotions and feelings of others. This is one of the things that make you most special.

The next few years, PD2, will be very important in your life. You will experience moments of great challenge, the disappointment of failure and the thrill of great success. This is the natural course of life. Your job is to take these challenges on, and no matter what the outcome, make sure that you always learn from each experience and that you never give up. Perseverance, PD2, is the key to success in this world.

More than most young ladies, I believe that you are well equipped to handle the challenges of being a teenager. You already have built a solid sense of who you are, what you believe in, and you have developed a moral sensibility that will help guide you to making good decisions. For this reason, I want to challenge you to follow your heart! So many teens are led astray because they want to fit in and be popular. Sadly, in doing so they miss a key point of life; our differences are what make the world such a wonderful place! Standing out as an individual and contributing those talents and thoughts that make us special is not always easy, but it is always rewarding.

As a teenager it is important that you begin to find your way in life and as you do, that you hone your talents and build your confidence so that as an adult you can master anything that life will throw at you. Above all remember to thank God for your blessings and help those who are less fortunate. Doing so takes a strong sense of purpose, courage and confidence. I know that you will find joy in your growing freedom, purpose in your growing responsibility, and that you will learn that you have the strength to live your life with dignity and grace.

Of course, you are not alone on this adventure PD2, and you never will be. Always remember that Mom, PD1 and I love you, and that we will always be there to share in your life and support you. Let us help you and guide you. We may not always be right, but we will always be honest and loving.

There is another thing I need to tell you, and this is exactly what I told your sister when she became a teenager three years ago. The years ahead, indeed the rest of your life, will be filled with temptation. You are lucky to live in a world where God has given you free will. You will decide what you want to be, who you want to marry, where you want to live. You will also be faced with real choices between good and bad, and it will be important to choose wisely. Your life or lives of others may even depend on it.

To help you I can provide some advice. I have found in my life that those who make bad choices failed to distinguish between pleasure and happiness. Understanding the difference can help serve as a guide in life. Pleasure is something that provides a physical sensation; a glass of wine, buying a new car, taking a drug. Happiness is a much deeper feeling. It cannot be achieved by these things, but rather only by doing what truly touches your inner soul.

Pleasure will always seek you, either through advertising, a friend, or even someone who doesn’t wish you well. Happiness requires you to find it. Pleasure is cheap, you experience it, and it goes away. Happiness is work, you pursue it, achieve it and it remains.

I don’t mean to suggest that pleasure is bad, because at the right time, in the right place, in the right amount, it surely will add to your life. It should not, however, become the goal of your existence. Too many people fail to recognize this and end up in an endless search for fulfillment because they never chose to accept the challenge of first finding their own inner voice.

In the coming years as life’s temptations come to you, remember this distinction and choose wisely.

So welcome to the teenage world PD2! Mom and I look at you with such pride knowing that you have already accomplished so much in life, and at seeing what a wonderful young lady you are becoming. It is with great love that I wish you “Happy Birthday” today, and it is with great excitement that I look forward to watching you become a young woman over the next few years.

Love,

Dad

When a Sullivanist Calls

2008-01-24T10:03:00.000-08:00

Just another Ron Paul supporter, who claims to know what true conservativism is. Don't think he'll be writing a book though.

Poseur Alert

2008-01-21T16:42:00.000-08:00

Really, you couldn't write this stuff. The Ron Paul enthusiast does it all by himself.

Madam Chairwoman Speaks, You Listen Comrade

2008-01-21T16:16:00.000-08:00

Well we have an early entry for harrowing read of the month: Our glorious Madame Chairwoman (in waiting) deigned to give the state news outlet an interview covering all things economic, including her plans for restoring "balance" between the central planners in the government and the (dark) "market forces". Madame Chairwoman says:

“If you go back and look at our history, we were most successful when we had that balance between an effective, vigorous government and a dynamic, appropriately regulated market,” Mrs. Clinton said. “And we have systematically diminished the role and the responsibility of our government, and we have watched our market become imbalanced.”

She added: “I want to get back to the appropriate balance of power between government and the market.”

Understanding that Dear Madame's thoughts are much too complicated for a simple member of the rabble class to understand and I hesitate to question her all too obvious wisdom. Yet I wonder, when was the glorious time that she references when we were able to achieve this wondrous "balance"? And how will we measure our "balance" as we approach the optimal state? Will our collective vibrations come into tune, or will we need boot of government to heel the non-conformists? Oh, I do hope Madame Chairwoman shares with us her vision of "balance" and what it will look like for all our comrades!

Naysayers, I know, will point out that this didn't work out so well for other states. Weaklings! They didn't try hard enough! If we must work harder we will! If we must sacrifice to support Dear Madame's vision of "balance" our sweat will water the fertile soils of our motherland until a glorious bounty of "balance" springs forth from this nation like a perfectly formed baby child from mother's ample yet undoubtedly supple loins!

I quake with anticipation. Deliver us now Madame Chairwoman! I beseech thee!

Breaking Business News

2008-01-21T07:34:00.000-08:00

In an ongoing effort to cut costs, Quiznos announced the first hiring of a Zombie spokesperson today.

"We're quite pleased with the prospects of the campaign, as the walking dead are willing to work for pennies on the dollar while our competitor is contractually obligated to fork over gazillions to that ex-fatty Jared" said a Quiznos spokesman. "It is a well established fact that the rotting bodies of the undead, while clad in Brooks Brothers business casual attire, can be perfectly presentable while requiring only a fraction of the sustenance that the bodies of living, breathing spokesmen spokesmen require. We expect to be well rewarded by investors who recognize our sharp focus on expenses and our robust bottom line"

Informed that the Zombie diet is primarily the brains of living humans and NOT toasty deli sandwiches, the Quiznos spokesman responded, "We'd prefer it if folks would focus on our new healthy menu selections. Obviously, we'll adjust our approach as we get more feedback from consumers"

In other news, those two other guys in the picture were found dead in their hotel rooms shortly after the announcement. Quiznos, had no comment.

UPDATE: Perfect candidate for new Zombie spokesperson found! No word on Alice's availability yet. Developing....

Cool

2008-01-16T18:15:00.000-08:00

I might be the last guy to have seen this, but if not I'd suggest you click on the link. If you like beer, Rube Goldberg and third worlders with nothing better to do...

Nightmare Alley

2008-01-15T17:46:00.000-08:00

We made a fantastic discovery this weekend and I thought I'd pass it along to my reader. As I was channel surfing on Saturday night looking for something watchable, I discovered that I have access to a channel called "Retroplex". Apparently these guys show older films - '80's and prior - and the one for that night caught my eye.

Nightmare Alley.

I happen to be a sucker for noirish movies, and this was that kind of film. Typically this categorization calls up images of gun molls, Bogey, Peter Loire and others, but the description for Nightmare seemed a bit different. First, it was about carney's, as in carnival workers who performed on the midway.

Now I'm not typically one to watch a film about carneys, but this had Tyrone Powers in it and the summary described Nightmare as "gritty".

Total understatement.

Nightmare turned out to be a raw, sordid look at what happens to a man and his woman when he is destined for ruin. One of the film's first lines is "how does a man sink so low", and it is also one of its last. Because of this, the ultimate story arc is not hard to figure out, which really doesn't matter since Nightmare is gut wrenching in the way that the character's slide to their obvious oblivion is presented. As far as I know, the raw degradation of the Power's character is unparalleled in any other movie of the period. Don't get me wrong, this is a psychological presentation, not a visual one. As with all good movies of the time, the director manages to show so much, while exhibiting very little.

I watched Nightmare with both Mrs. P and PD1 (PD2 was out at a dance), and occasionally I would look over to see if they were into it as much as I was. Their silence should have told me all I needed to know, but their rapt stares were confirmation that I was not alone. PD1 had to miss the last 20 minutes of the film, and the next morning her first words were, "what happened in the end". Anytime a 15 year old has this reaction to a black and white film from the '40's you know it is good.

I don't know if Blockbuster or Netflix has this one, but if they do get it and you too will be haunted by the words, "how does a man sink so low".

Blood Sport

2008-01-14T17:14:00.000-08:00

I've been hunting now for several years. It was something that I took up as an adult, since I never really had a chance as a kid.

Growing up in the suburbs of Chicago, I was a member of the Boy Scouts and this experience was a defining period in my life. I learned to set goals and accomplish them, I was taught how to camp, how to limit my impact on the environment, and I developed an appreciation for the great outdoors.

As an adult, it is hard to find time to get back outside. Work, kid's activities and other distractions of our all too busy life provide plenty of excuses for putting off time to get back to the great outdoors. So when the opportunity to go hunting came up several years ago, I thought maybe this would be a way of getting back to one of the things I used to love. Well, it sure was, but at the time I had no idea how complex an experience this would be.

Hunting, in many ways, can be pretty boring. Goose hunting, for example, requires us to get out early in the morning, set up the decoys, get in the pit and then wait. Sometimes the birds show up, and many times they don't. While I can assure you that I have plenty else to do besides sitting in a hole in the ground on a 23 degree morning in January, there is great knowledge to be learned through this experience regardless of whether I get a shot off or not.

Sitting, there with my companions, scanning the skies for birds and mostly remaining fairly quiet, I've learned quite a bit about this world we live in. Although somewhat color blind, I've seen the many phases of a winter sun rise. Its not at all like a warm weather sun rise as the first eery glow, followed by a spectrum colors that looks more cold than warm begins to take over the sky.

I've learned the birds wake up in a certain order; the ducks are the early risers it turns out. Often arriving over the blind before the sun is even up. The smaller song birds appear next and then, finally, the geese. those lazy bastards, are the last to arrive. Sometimes a full hour later than the other birds.

To successully hunt, it is important to understand how the birds behave. I'd say "how they think" but I'm not sure there is a whole lot of thinking going on there. At any rate, by this time in the season, the geese generally are pretty cautious - a side effect of being shot at for the preceding two months. They'll show up in the sky, see the decoys in the field and perhaps fly by. One guy will do the calling, and I'll man the flag to create the impression of motion on the field, and if we're lucky the flock might turn and come in for a second look.

By this time, I'll put the flag away, but the caller will continue to work the sound. If all looks cool to the geese, they'll line up into the wind and begin a slow, gliding decent into the field. One of the first things that you learn as a hunter, is how limited a shotgun's range really is, and no matter how often I've been out in the field, it always seems like an eternity until the geese get close enough for us to open fire.

Critical to this timing is knowing when the geese start to "cup". This is one of the most beautiful sights in all of goose hunting. As you can see in the picture above, right before the point of no return the geese begin to cup their wings to reduce their speed and lose their remaining altitude. It is at this moment, that we open fire.

This, for me, is the great oxymoronic aspect of hunting. On one hand we must become a full participant in the natural world that has otherwise been removed from our daily lives. We have to understand it, appreciate it and most importantly use it to our benefit. It is impossible to achieve this state with out being deeply aware of its great beauty. On the other hand, we're there to blow a part of it into oblivion.

I tell you all this, because I had an experience this weekend, that illustrates exactly what I am talking about. During a lull in our hunting, a pair of geese found their way over our field. I waived the flag, my buddy hit the caller and before long the two geese were cupping twenty feet away from us. We slid open the top of the blind, and opened fire. Unfortunately, we only hit one of the geese and its companion got away from us.

But then something weird happened. As the hit goose was in its death throws on the ground, the other goose returned to the field, honking crazily. It stayed just out of range, but it circled around, before it flew off to the west. In the pit, we looked at each other and decided that they must have been companions. Kind of a drag.

Then the weird thing happened.

The bird came back. We were preoccupied with some flocks we had spotted on the horizon so we really weren't paying attention until suddenly it just flew in and landed among the decoys. I remarked that we were lucky it wasn't armed because it clearly got the jump on us!

The whole thing was kind of pathetic. The surviving partner just walked among our decoys honking like it was trying to get a response. We did everything to try to get it to fly away. We yelled, tossed a couple stray corn cobs in its direction. It simply would not leave.

Well, it obviously wasn't going to stay in that cold field forever, and the longer it stayed, the more certain I became of my role in nature. Finally, I guess he decided to move on.

As he took off and began to gain flight, I shot him dead.

I Screwed Up!

2008-01-13T12:37:00.000-08:00

Ok, my apologies, apparently Gemma Arterton, the lovely lass in a post below is not the new Bond girl. Happily Gemma does does appear in the movie but apparently it is in a less significant part.

This, my friends, is the lovely Olga Kurylenko, who is the new bond girl.

And again, I'm seechless.

Thanks to this dude for clearing everything up!

Denial Is Not A Vision, Hope Is Not A Plan

2008-01-12T14:10:00.000-08:00

The Pursuit has been pretty quiet this year on the pro football front. Last year I posted my picks, had lovely pics of beautiful cheerleading gals, and celebrated the Bear's unlikely romp through the NFC all the way to the Superbowl.

This year was quite different. Following last year's debacle in Miami against a real championship team, the Indianapolis Colts, the Bears somehow allowed an embarrasing loss to an obviously superior team to fill the entire Chicago organization with an epocal level of hubris. Solid players were traded, successful assistant coaches fired and the team's unwarranted confidence in a talented, yet fatally stupid, quaterback was reinforced.

Unsurprisingly, the 2007 season started with a loss and finished in disaster. I won't dwell on the facts here, but I did think that looking at the post season interview with the Bear's feckless GM, Jerry Angelo would be informative. I've linked to the article above, and as one read's Angelo's words it becomes painfully clear that not much is going to change. The article is filled with sentences that begin with fragments like "we still believe", and "we hope".

Well Jer, I gotta tell ya, after reading this latest excercise in wishful thinking I have only one thing to say to you sir:

Denial is not a vision, and hope is not a plan.

Get to work pal, or you will continue to make this post seem precient.

Them's Swirly Clothes Boy!

2008-01-12T12:12:00.000-08:00

Click the link. Protein Wisdom refers to these as Hitler Youth clothing. Me, I think they're clothes guaranteed to get you a swirly.

What is Brooks thinking?

The Political Compass

2008-01-11T16:23:00.000-08:00

Ok, just a quick post today and before I get into it, I'd just like to recognize that I'm 5 for 5 this week. Fantastic! It has been fun, and although my quality is not back in form yet, I'm really hoping that I can keep this up. I still don't know how much political stuff I want to do, so we'll just have to figure the balance as we go along.

Anyway, today's post is regarding one of those political quiz jobbies - This one is the political compass. Answer some questions and it tells you where you are. For me, the compass says that I'm socially conservative, although certainly not Huckabean, and economically conservative.

Big whoop huh?

I mean we kind of new that. The thing is it also puts you on the map according to where you are vis a vis the candidates. I liked this because I must admit I am having a heck of a time figuring out who I vote for.

For example, if I had to pull the lever today, I think I'd go for McCain even though I disagree with him on a lot of specific opinions. The thing is, he is the candidate that up to now has resonated with me the most. He is good on the WOT, he over plays but does have a sense for the importance of straight talk, and I like his views on spending.

And yet, I'm still not totally there with him. Interestingly, I am not one of these "I have to choose the least worst candidate" sort of guys. As I look at the Republican field, I do see a group of pretty good men - the comical Ron Paul excepted. And for any lost liberals that have wondered here, I simply can't support Clinton of Edwards, and I know too much about O'bama (the Irish guy) to take him seriously. I did look at Richardson, but truthfully while the man's resume is good, the fact is that he is that he is just not presidential timber.

Anyway, as we entered the electoral season, I found myself naturally drawn to Romney. The problem is that like Richardson, there is just something about him that doesn't say "President" to me. I have no idea what that is, but the interesting thing is that when I look at my compass results, I pretty much hit the Romster on the head!

Interestingly, the other guy I'm kind of attracted to in these debates is Guilianni, and the compass makes him my next closest choice. The problem there is the guy's creepy personal life! I mean even if I could ignore the three divorces, the whole estranged from his kids thing is deeply troubling. I'm not saying just yet that I won't vote for him, but right now it seems pretty unlikely.

So, thats my take on the where I'm leaning so far. Give the compass a spin, and see where you come out.

A Proud Father Weeps

2008-01-10T17:05:00.000-08:00

Well, it is a banner day here at the Pursuit household! PD1, who has always been a fairly responsible kid who was prone to the temptations of People Maganzine, In-Style and the sort, has in the past 24 hours made a couple interesting statements. Last night, while driving back from soccer - a 90 minute ordeal that I should write about some time - PD1 mentioned to her mother that she is "kind of getting into these primaries".

Tonight, as I was sorting through the mail, I was treated to another of these statements.

"Dad"

"Yes?"

"Are you going to watch Celebrity Apprentice tonight?"

"Not sure - I hadn't really thought about it"

"Isn't there a debate tonight?"

"Yes, 90 minutes I think"

"Well, I'd like to see that if you don't mind"

Don't mind?! Man she must be kidding! See I'm still feeling guilty about Saturday night's four hour debate marathon (O'Bama lost btw), so there was no-way I was going to inflict another of these tortureous (apols to Sully) on the family. But here she is literally asking to watch it! Republicans too!

Oh, I hold no fantasies here. For example, I am well aware (although she doesn't realize that I know) that she has a small infatuation with O'Bama. Who cares! She is young, foolish and must suffer the ills of some bad decisions before the true light of truth will shine on her and inform her life. I'm just happy that this will occur on my watch, so I can help her through the inevitable let down of the man from Illinois.

The good news is that her principles, the things that will ultimately drive her life, are fundamentally conservative. This grounding will serve her well when, in the next election she will be fully conversant in the views of the WSJ, National Review, Foreign Affairs and Reason.

I love it when a plan comes together.

Maybe He Can Say Stephen Glass Wrote It

2008-01-09T18:55:00.000-08:00

Sully's Brain:

"Yah, that's the ticket. I'll say something like I was out shopping, buying beagle treats don'tchaknow, and Glass strikes again! Yup, I could possibly have been wrong. No way! Cuz if I couldn't even get a presidential endorsement right, how in the world could I ever criticize anyone else?"

Still looking for the day he wrote off Paul's anti-gay remarks to a generational thing.

Obama-Rama

2008-01-08T16:12:00.000-08:00

I saw an interesting focus group on FOX last night. A group of Dems watched the Hill crying bit and were very sympathetic. That is until she hinted, ever so slightly, that Obama wasn't ready to be pres. Nothing nasty or untoward, just what you'd expect of somebody running for pres.

Man, it was like she shot Bambi or something. The approval graphs plunged and people became visibly upset. This, I think, says something about the orgy of Obama-Ramaing that is currently underway. Democratic voters, drunken with the idea that they've found their savior, have uncritically bought the full Obama package. At this point in their euphoria they don't want anything like the facts to come in and ruin what is currently a delightful honeymoon. It is kinda like Dad asking his daughter on the morning of her wedding if she really wants to marry the smooth talking two-timer. She know's he's right, but this only makes her more angry and comitted.

As with all fantasies, Democrats will wake up soon to a very sorry reality. They've comitted their future to a Chicago Democrat who - quite eloquently - has promised that he is an agent of change.

A Chicago Democrat.

Tony Rezko's pal.

Saul Alinsky's follower.

Like our bride in the example above, the Democrats only hope is that when this inevitable awakening happens, it isn't too late to change course. Because if the Clinton's can't help them see Obama for what he is, a good politician with limited experience, uncomfortable aliances, and an unelectably liberal philosophy, you can bet the Republicans will.

Don't say you weren't warned.

And Now For Something Really Important

2008-01-07T18:18:00.000-08:00

I really have nothing more to add.

Thank you.

That's Good Eatin'!

2007-11-14T18:53:00.000-08:00

So my buddy, Eva, went on this crazed food binge this weekend which looked fantastic. Nice spots, great pics - the good life as they say.

But things here in Pursitland, well they ain't so bad either friends. Of course, we're not out and around dining with our sophisticated friends, but we do manage pretty well. Pretty, pretty well. Sunday was no exception. For whatever reason I was feeling inspired, and Mrs. P's declaration that "I feel like some fish" was all it took to put the culinary gears in motion!

Off to the store I went in search of something to cook. Upon arrival at the fish counter I saw my initial plans were out the window. I had been thinking we'd go with some Halibut, but at 20 smakeroos a pound for a decidedly gray pasty slab of flesh, I new adjustment was in order. That was when I spotted the striped bass. Oh, it looked wonderful. Fresh, gleaming and at only 11.95 (American) a pound I was sold. I also picked up some potatoes, Brussels sprouts, Nueske bacon and assorted other items.

Upon arrival at home, the Bears game was in progress so I sat down to watch the hapless dolts and used the first quarter to core the sprouts. Towards the end of the first half I peeled the potatoes, pre-heated the oven and set a pot to boil.

Half-time was a flurry of activity! I par boiled the sprouts, started the potatoes on the stove and then tossed them in the oven to roast. With my initial work done I mixed a martini, set out some shrimp cocktail and enjoyed the second half.

Timing is critical in these things and as with most things, luck plays an important role as well. The taters were finished towards the middle of the fourth quarter, so I removed them from the oven and put them in the warmer. Martini number two was then served.

Miraculously, the once and future world champions found a way to win the game, but there was no time to savour sweet victory; dinner was calling my name. Off to the kitchen, I diced and sauted the Nueske's, separated the individual leaves of the sprouts and added them to the saute once the bacon was nearly done. 3 minutes and the sprouts were removed to the warmer. The fish was easy, a quick sear in the pan 4 minutes in the oven and then, you guessed it, a quick stay in the warmer while I made the sage cream sauce in the roasting pan.

Within 45 minutes from the completion of the game dinner was plated and served with a delightful French Chablis. My goodness, it was a fantastic meal! Pictures are above, and frankly they don't do the meal justice, but in the interest of full discloser I posted them anyway.

I think the moral of the story is that cooking on two martinis = good food. Picture taking is an entirely different story!

Wow! That Global Warmin is Really Bad!

2007-11-11T08:20:00.000-08:00

Click for a complete list of all the bad stuff caused by global warming.

Personally, I'm buying sunblock futures like Algore buys chalupas.

The Truth About Intergalactic Warming

2007-11-06T19:23:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it is happening so fast, but it is and dammit I'm worried. Intergalactic warming is on the march, and people, not even Algore is hectoring us yet!

It's true. Comet 17P/Holmes, discovered in 1892, forgotten and then rediscovered in the 1960's is breaking up before our very eyes. Not alarming you say? Ha! This is yet another sign that our galaxy is warming to unprecedented levels. Oh, sure read the article and you'll find a scientific community in denial. They claim to not understand why the comet, WHICH IS MADE OF ICE, is breaking up. The speculate that it is spinning too fast or some such nonsense, but it seems clear to me that more is at work here.

The darn thing is obviously melting!

I mean really, combine this information with the hysterical reports of global warming. Then add in the findings of Martian warming, Pluto warming and Uranus warming and it isn't long before you begin to discern a trend!

The solution is obvious. Aliens need to stop driving SUVs right away!

Sidney Lumet Daughter Watch

2007-11-05T18:55:00.000-08:00

We've raised the Lumet daughter watch to Defcon III with the debut of the esteemed Mr. Lumet's latest movie, "Before the Devil Knows Your Dead". Critics say it's quite good and may even have Oscar potential!

Oscar fans, and readers of my friend Eva's old blog will remember the young (that being a relative term) Ms. Lumet's buoyant celebration of her father's honorary Oscar a few years ago.

Will history repeat?

Disney Stars Gone Bad

2007-11-05T18:46:00.000-08:00

I can see it now. Agent calls rising young star, says "kid things are going well". "You did the Transformers, Holes, got the Daytime Emmy and now you've been selected to be Indiana Jones' kid. Fantastic!"

"But here's the deal. You're too clean cut!" You want to get some action roles, work into more heavy drama, realize your Oscar potential".

"Never gonna happen unless you rough up that image a bit kid". "Go out have some drinks, start a fight, pay some local heavy a couple bucks to make it look like you rolled him."

So what does the kid do? Gets kicked out of a local drug store for being drunk.

The police said he was real polite. Some kids never learn!

C&K, Not My Kind of Thing

2007-11-02T20:29:00.000-07:00

Well we arrived in St. Louis tonight around 8pm. I dropped PD1 at the Adam's Mark so that she could link up with her team, and I went off in search of que.

My sojourn tonight took me to a seedier side of St. Louis. Not a bad area, I think, but definitely and underdeveloped neighborhood. I found C&K exactly where google maps said it was, parked the car and went inside.

C&K is a hole in wall, carry-out only operation. When you enter the place two thoughts strike you immediately; "Gosh the place ain't real clean", and "where the hell is the window to order". Neither of these things really stops you - I mean what good bbq place is clean? - but it is momentarily disorienting if for no other reason than there are cars in the lot, but nobody in the store. Casting these unimportant thoughts aside, I found the window and placed my order for a pork steak and some middle cut country ribs.

While I waited for my order I looked around the joint. 6 signs requesting that customers have their money ready when ordering, one sign informing us that our order will not be taken while we're on our phones, and most incongruously, a framed copy of the "St. Louis best article proclaiming C&K one of St. Louis' best. As I waited (what was the dude doing back there?) several people came in, ordered and then went out to their cars to wait. Mystery solved!

After about 10 minutes, my order came and I loaded it into the car and drove back to the Hotel. Sadly, the food wasn't really worth the trek. Oh, it was good, but to be honest, my ribs are better, and most of the ribs that we had on our tour this summer were far better. C&K serves country ribs, which are fine, but they had virtually no smoke flavor and were covered in a fairly pedestrian sauce. I understand that C&K sells sauce locally but I really wonder why. It's ok, but the locally produced Maull's is better.

Oh, the pork steak? Not bad actually. I think it is basically a grilled slice of pork shoulder with sauce on it. If you've ever had a grilled pork chop, you pretty much get this. Except a grilled pork chop, properly cooked is better.

So, I wasn't impressed. Perhaps Texas spoiled me. Maybe I'm just not a St. Louis kind of guy. Who knows? What I do know is that I'm quite happy I had the presence of mind to pack a 2001 les Caves de la Columbe Chateanueuf Du Pape. I found this in a close out bin last week, and it is pretty good. So all is not lost. Tomorrow we'll seek salvation for the St. Louis rep at Phils. I think I'll go for lunch, and then perhaps talk some of the parents into a Ruth's Chris for dinner. I hope they have one here. Mmmmmm, martinis and beef.

St. Louis BBQ

2007-11-02T09:53:00.000-07:00

Next stop on the Pursuit national BBQ tour: St. Louis - The city that built a monument honoring those with the gumption to leave!

This weekend, PD1 will be competing in the Metro Fall Classic Soccer Tourney, and I will use it as an excuse to sample another of our country's fine regional ques. Tonight, sometime around 10p.m. I expect to pull into C&K BBQ and pick up some ribs and a pork steak. Tomorrow I'm driving over to Phil's.

Unfortunately, I gave the camera to Mrs. P who is vacationing in Door County with PD2 and Dr. Codopolis this weekend, so no pics. But I will report back on the smoky goodness.

What does it say.....

2007-11-02T09:49:00.000-07:00

...when your wife is missing (your third wife was found a few years earlier drowned in the bathtub) and you choose to appear before the media in an American flag scarf and the iconic NYPD hat?

Just wondering

Eeeeeew! Men!

2007-11-02T09:34:00.000-07:00

Note to Hillary:

I have to admit I was pretty amazed in 2000 when you pulled off the whole predatory man charge on poor Rick Lazio. I mean, he was only trying to get you to sign an agreement to not take soft money donations, which you know, should have been something that was easy to do. But this is why I don't run for office.

You actually calculated that your friends in the media would help promote the charge that he was "ominously invading your personal space" while simultaneously ignoring that you'd been married to the country's most famous victimizer for over two decades! Brilliant really....especially so since poor Lazio was a pretty boy who couldn't hurt a flea. The kid was out of his league and he found out that night. Nobody's seen him since.

So, you're up to it again, but this time on a bigger stage. Got to tell ya Hill, I'm not sure it's gonna work this time. First of all, you're running for president, not the Senatorial representative of the hand wringer club. So, if elected, you're going to have to deal with and win against a whole bunch of icky boys. See, they run most of the world's countries and all of the world's leading terrorist outfits and a lot of them mean us harm.

Secondly, and it's nothing personal dear - just a fact, people simply don't like you. Really. You're an unattractive, loathsome scold who's only chance to win is founded in your opposition's near historic level of incompetency. I know, it hurts, so just don't think about it. You've been able to ignore so much, this is just one more thing you know. But you do have to deal with it because folks are pretty much looking for you to give them a reason to take a leap of faith on the other guys. This could be just that moment.

So I'd tread carefully here. Just my advice.

Kindly Mr. Buffet's Wild Tale

2007-10-30T18:12:00.000-07:00

It's happened again, this time with the "Oracle of Omaha". What is "it"? Why we're talking old guys who get rich, and then upon developing a Messiah Complex, deem it appropriate to tell the rest of us what is good for us.

To Warren, as with all these other self important boobs I say, stop. Please.

Warren's version of this all too common phenomena apparently has to do with our tax system in the United States. According to the Oracle, it simply isn't a fair system. How has he come to this great decision? Why he has determined that he isn't paying enough in taxes, or more specifically, that he isn't paying as high a percentage as his staff.

Admittedly, on first blush this sounds unfair. The Oracle is paid around $7.5 million in federal taxes on his $43 million in income, but this only represented 17.5% whereas his secretary ponied up a cool 30% of his/her $60,000 income. Can this be correct?

Well, yes I suppose (we'll get to that secretary's dubious 30% figure in a moment) but we really need to look behind the numbers to understand what is going on here. Mr. Buffet, the kindly investor from Omaha, who just happened to amass a $50B fortune without ever hurting a flea, pays a lower tax rate for a reason. You see his income, because he is an investor, is primarily made up of dividends and long-term capital gains. Because taxes are a significant inefficiency in the capital markets our tax policy is designed to limit their impact on individual's buy/sell decisions, so that market activity more closely relates to the underlying economics thereby pricing securities based on their financial fundamentals. In other words taxing capital market activity at lower rates is generally regarded as sound economic policy

Of course this policy when discussed in regard to billionaire financiers sounds a bit unfair, but if we're to look at individuals and the tax rate's broad impact we need to expand our view a bit further down the food chain. For every billionaire that kindly Mr. Buffet can point to, I can identify 1,000 or more retirees who live off of the income from their investment portfolios. I'm not going to claim these folks are poor, but their portfolios represent a lifetime of prudent financial management and provide a means of living for them that keeps their financial security separate from governmental support. Tax these folks more and they'll have less to pay for health care and day to day living expenses. Without this self funded safety net, many more will become reliant on the creaking finances of Medicare, Medicaid, and the Social Security System.

Still, I suppose Mr. Buffet's conscience must be assuaged.

And this is where I get a little hacked off. First, Mr. Buffet is comparing his investment driven income with his secretary's (nice anachronistic title there Mr. Buffet!) wage driven income. Why? Because, quite obviously, Mr. Buffet has not seen to providing this person with a similarly lucrative investment portfolio that would earn money and be taxed at the lower rates! Why he can't peel off one billion of his fifty two billion dollars in assets and spread it around the office is beyond me. Heck, I bet these folks would agree to work for the investment income they'd earn and give up their wages if it would encourage Mr. Buffet to share a bit!

Of course it's possible that Mr. Buffet has done this in the form of tax deferred 401k's and just neglected to mention this fact. If this is the case then these folks won't have to pay any tax on their investment earnings for as long as they don't liquidate the funds. Wouldn't a fair analysis of applicable tax rates include this tax deferred income in their effective tax rate? Of course it would.

And what of that 30% tax on $60k. To be candid, I'm a bit dubious. I looked up the federal tax schedules for 2006 and found the following:

Schedule X — Single

If taxable income is over--	But not over--	The tax is:
$0	$7,550	10% of the amount over $0
$7,550	$30,650	$755 plus 15% of the amount over 7,550
$30,650	$74,200	$4,220.00 plus 25% of the amount over 30,650
$74,200	$154,800	$15,107.50 plus 28% of the amount over 74,200
$154,800	$336,550	$37,675.50 plus 33% of the amount over 154,800
$336,550	no limit	$97,653.00 plus 35% of the amount over 336,550

Now, if I follow these instructions (like kindly Mr. Buffet I'm not using an accountant here) I get a tax on $60k of income of $11,557.5 which represents an effective tax rate of 19%, not the 30% claimed by Mr. Buffet. Remember too, that the $60,000 in income did not get netted by any deductions for home mortgages, real estate tax or even the standard deductions. Had we considered these items, that secretary might have had a lower rate than her billionaire boss.

So Mr. Buffet has a problem, and I don't just mean with the facts. The problem is that he thinks he ought to be paying more tax. One question Mr. Buffet: If you really mean it, why not write the check?

Swiss Pics

2007-10-29T18:53:00.000-07:00

Well, I promised to post a few pics of my 2 day jaunt to Zurich, but when I tried to upload at the hotel, I realized I left the connecto thingy back home. So here we are two weeks later, ok, three, and I've got 'em ready.

The first photo? Some dude fishing. The second, a nice little lake scene, and the last was my hotel, the Storchen. Enjoy.

The Mofo's Photos

2007-10-26T18:27:00.000-07:00

Am I wrong, or is this man not a great American? Note, the link is NOT safe for work, because you work for a bunch of unevolved prudes.

All Hail Your New God

2007-10-13T06:54:00.000-07:00

Hey, if you want to voluntarily follow this goof ball's prescriptions for a better life I'm totally cool with it. But I gotta tell ya, I'm beginning to feel like the last sane man in America.

Do you think the Goreacle will even notice that his award was not for science? Interesting, no?

Greetings From Switzerland!

2007-10-09T13:55:00.000-07:00

The Pursuit week of travel continues with a stop today and tomorrow in lovely Zurich Switzerland. Man, I love this city. During a spot in the 90's I worked for one of the local financial institutions and found myself traveling to Zurich (and later, Basel) fairly frequently. The truth is that I was here so much that I actually wound up in the background of the "Welcome to Zurich" video that American used to show prior to landing. Might still be there, I don't know.

Anyway, I sort of fell in love with this place. It's not very cosmopolitan, but this to me was its allure. Zurich is just a terrifically civilized, extremely livable place. People who live here can commute to work, in under 30 minutes, get to the slopes in 40 minutes, and enjoy a real outdoor lifestyle.

Times are changing a bit though. When I first started coming to Zurich in '92 every Thursday was known as "late shopping night"; literally the night that shops stayed open so that folks could pick things up after work. When I mentioned this to my hosts tonight, they all laughed and talked about how shops now stayed open later every night. "We just had a vote to allow shops to open on Sunday and voted it down though", they told me. It’s not very anti-regulation of me, but I hope this continues. It’s nice to come to a country where every day isn’t a 24 hour binge of consumption and people understand that quality of life is more important than quantity. As other countries have learned, once the magic is lost, it is gone forever.

Today was a great day. The weather - sunny 60 degrees - was perfect. I went for a run along the Limat and down the Bahnhoff Strasse (were I was rocking to Guerrilla Radio, followed by Rasta Holliday) and then had a lunch of veal bratwurst and pommes frittes in Schnitzel Park. After some quick study this afternoon, I met our hosts for dinner and will spend the day with them tomorrow. I brought my camera, so if I get out early I'll try to post some pics.

Gruetsi Mittenand!

I Savant

2007-10-05T14:53:00.000-07:00

I'm like a savant I tell ya. My uncanny ability to literally stumble on wonderfully unexpected food moments is almost a little bit scary. Today was no exception.

Allow me to back up a bit. I'm in Washington DC with PD1 this weekend as she and her soccer team will be competing in the WAGS tournament. There are some pretty high powered teams out here, so I have no idea how they will do, but none-the-less, it promises to be an exciting weekend of soccer for us.

Earlier today, I ventured out to find some last minute items; sunblock, black electrical tape (to hold up socks and shin guards), water and a few other items. I was on my way back to the hotel when I momentarily glanced to my left and saw a sign that read, "Red Hot & Blue Express". Well, given that it was both 11:45 in the morning and my blueberry muffin breakfast was a bit insufficient on the sustanence side following my Olympian like performance on the elyptical, one thought ran through my malnourished brain.

"Lunch!"

Clearly, this was too good to be true; a real honest to goodness BBQ joint in Falls Church Virginia. But my stomach was empty and my hopes were high so I strode through the front doors of the place ready for whatever the fates had in store. As I approached the counter a nice young man came over and asked if I would like to order. I glanced at his name tag.

"Ahmed"

Not a good sign, no sireee. Of course I personally have nothing against our fine fellow citizens of middle eastern descent, it's just that you don't see a lot of guys manning the BBQ pit who don't have names like Smitty, or Hoyt, or Bubba. Not that Ahmed couldn't be a great pit man, I'm just sayin' its unlikely.

None-the less, I perserveered. I ordered a pulled pork sandwich, some fries and a coke to go. I thought about eating in, but my rental has Sirrus radio and I had been listening to the blues channel when I pulled up to the joint. They were midway through a three set comparison of Muddy Waters', Jeff Beck/Rod Stewart's and Led Zeppelin's versions of "You Shook Me" and I wanted to get back and hear the rest. For the record, I liked Zep's version best, which surprised me a bit.

Anyway, back in the car I dug into my lunch. The pork was served between two halves of a bun, which I discarded. "Not bad" I thought as I began eating the meat without any of the sauce. It was very tender, moist and mildly smoky. In short, Ahmed was putting out some decent stuff - take that all you profilers!

After I finished the meat I tried the fries. Not so good here. Do you remember those ads in the back of magazines when we were kids? You know, the ones next to the "X-Ray Specs" ads for "Tricky Joke Buzzers". The basic premise was that you'd offer to shake your friend's hand after secretly putting the buzzer in your palm, and when the foolish dupe would take you up on your offer of friedship ZAPPPP - he'd bet buzzed! Good yuks for you, pain for him! Apparently somebody thought this was the basis for a lasting friendship.

I bring this up because there are those, and my dear friend Ahmed appears to be one of them, who do the same thing with french fries. Not content to leave well enough alone, they sprinkle some reddish powder over them in a doomed quest to "make them better than before". Of course, any decent American realizes that fries need only salt and katsup, and eating the doctored version of fries is like getting zapped with the buzzer in comparison. All the anticipation of fresh cut potatoes, cooked in oil and lightly salted comes crashing down in a painful rejection of this most American of foods.

Still, the pork was good.

So, undeterred by the marring of the fries I re-entered the restaurant.

"Is something wrong" Amed said, clearly thinking I was on to him about the tricky joke fries.

"Yes, there is. It seems I didn't order any brisket and that was a mistake" I said.

"You want the combo meal again?", a greatly relieved Ahmed said.

"Not a fan of those fries Ahmed, just give me the sandwich. Oh, and hold the bun" I said

"No bun?"

"No, no bun"?

"You just want meat?"

"Brisket, to be specific"

Well Ahmed hustled in back and brought me a to go plate. As I started the car again, Albert Collins - "The Iceman" was playing, "I Ain't Drunk, I'm Just Drinkin'" on the radio. Listening, I began to eat the brisket. This too was good - an unexpected pleasure in the middle of Virginia. Now, don't get me wrong, it was nowhere near the quality of some of the stuff I had in Texas, but it was quite good. There was a curious aspect to the beef that I did find a bit off putting though. It seems that after they slice it, they lightly dust it with some sort of orangey powder and crumbled bay leaves. I'm not saying this tasted bad, - it didn't - but it did detract from the pure smoky goodness of the meat. A minor quibble.

All in all, my new buddy Ahmed is doing ok with the que. I plan to return for the ribs tomorrow.

Great Moments In Urban Commuting

2007-08-01T16:27:00.000-07:00

I take the train to Chicago just about every day to get to work. Typically I wouldn't mention this rather mundane slice of life, except that I do encounter a few characters along the way. There's "Clouseau", a man who is a wicked weed fiend and who happens to look quite a bit like the famous Peter Sellers role, when he was in a bad disguise. Every morning he is there sucking on a cig until the very last moment, dark moustache, beady eyes and a ridiculous hat that is a cross between a fedora, and Elaine's legendary "Urban Sombrero". I know, sounds a bit confusing, but believe me, if you saw him you'd agree.

There is also this one guy who is always late. Another odd dresser, he typically wears suit pants, a white shirt, cheap wire rim glasses, rumpled trench coat and a seemingly endless series of baseball hats. Every day the guy barrels into the lot at the last minute and sometimes has to kind of run to get to the train. I always think, "I wonder if he ever considered leaving the house two minutes earlier? Life would be so much easier." This is the man I want to tell you about today.

Today, this man, this short, nerdy overweight man man delivered a very impressive performance. This guy who is always, and I mean always, late. This guy left me speechless.

As the train was coming to a stop today, my fellow commuter, who is even later than he normally is suddenly roars off the road, and cuts a tire screeching hard right into the parking lot. I was walking up to the train door and just shook my head thinking, "well, the dude's just pushed the needle too far this time".

As I looked back towards the lot from the vestibule of the train, I saw a streak of white and kacki between the evergreens. Had this been Wisconsin, I would have just assumed it was yet another deer sighting. He moved with such speed! Such grace!

Well, at this point I had to see how our impromptu little morning drama would play out. "Come on dude, come on!" I rooted for the guy as he raced towards the door. I'm telling you this guy was on fire! If ever there is a lawyer Olympics my money is on "Short, Baseball Hat Nerdy Man From Nearby Town". But did he have enough time!?

Closer, closer with every step you could see it in his eyes; "I just might make it"! And he did! With the great leap of a man who might have once run hurdles - he didn't even break stride - our friend, and my new personal hero, launched his middle-aged body, a briefcase, and a shopping bag full of newspapers, into the train. Amazing!

As he climbed the two steps up into the vestibule he looked up at me. I was standing there, staring at him with a look of slack-jawed amazement.

"Well done." I said

"Thanks", he huffed

And with that, we started our day.

What A Ride!

2007-07-11T14:49:00.000-07:00

Well, it's all over except for the FC Dallas soccer game tonight. This has been an extraordinary trip in so many ways. 8 days, 6 states, over 2,300 miles in the car, 7 hotels, and 11 BBQ joints later I think I can say that for both of us this has been an experience that we will never forget.

PD1 and I have always had a pretty good relationship, but all bets are off, I think, when you put a dad and teenage daughter in the car and hotels for an extended time. Despite the potential for disaster, we managed to have a terrific time, and learn a little bit more about each other. There is so much going through her head right now, so many things that she'll have to deal with over the next few years, that I am grateful for having this time together.

No matter what we did on this trip, it was a partnership. I got to watch "What Not To Wear" and she witnessed the subtle genius that is "Best in Show". She had to listen in on my conference calls with work, and I got to hear her gab about her friend's most recent encounter with some boy. We learned about ex-presidents, saw the OK City bombing memorial, visited 3 college campuses (remind me to blog about that sometime), played name that tune with our IPod, and watched (I listened) 3 "Monk" episodes over and over as we drove ("Bleach! The White God! Dias Blanco!)

And we ate some great BBQ.

Today, on the last stop of our journey we dined at Baker's Ribs in Dallas. Scott recommended this joint in the comments, and again he steered us right. Baker's has about four locations in Dallas, so I was a bit skeptical going in. A chain, I thought would not deliver. Wrong.

Baker's is a bit different than the other places we went to in that they use hickory logs to smoke their meat, while most of the other Texas joints we went to use oak or mesquite. While I thing that no other smoke does pork as well as hickory smoke, Baker's use of hickory on beef is a violation of my cardinal rule that these two simply do not go together. In my experience, something happens that causes the beef to pick up a slightly acrid taste when hickory is used and again today I found this to be the case.

Baker's brisket as a result was good, but not as good as other Texas stops along the way. Besides the acrid undertone, the meat was also a bit dry and just didn't work for me. The pork however, was quite a different story. Unbelievably moist, full of flavor, and perfectly smoked Baker's pork ribs were the best of the trip and some of the best ribs I have ever had.

One interesting aspect of Baker's ribs was the tenderness of the meat. While so many places mistakenly go for the "fall off the bone" quality of tender and end up producing mushy que, Baker's achieved almost the perfect texture. As you bite into a Baker rib, there is at first a small explosion of juice into your mouth that releases a meaty smokiness onto your tongue. As you pull the bone away from your mouth, there is a slight tug, and then the bone gives up its bounty, cleanly and without a huge piece of meat completely falling off the bone creating a slopping mess. As you chew, a distinct taste of salt, pepper, smoke and meat floods your mouth and leaves you looking for more in your next bite. I'm getting hungry just thinking about those delicious ribs.

Complimenting a Baker's meal are the hot links and potato salad. We thought the hot links were good, but Leo's in Oklahoma were far better in terms of both texture and taste. Baker's potato salad was excellent. The potatoes were chopped very fine and enveloped in a creamy dressing that tasted of dill and other spices. The peach cobbler that finished the meal was ok, but probably not worthy of the extra calories.

So our trip is nearly over and now I think we can extend the following Pursuit BBQ World Tour Awards of Excellence:

Best Brisket: Smitty's
Best Pork Ribs: Baker's
Best Pulled Pork: Leatha's
Best Hot Links: Leo's
Best Potato Salad: Bakers
Best Baked Beans: Leo's
Best Dessert: Leo's
Best Hospitality: Leatha's

And finally, the best state BBQ overall:

Texas

A final thought. Despite the awards above, I would recommend any of the places that we went except for Corky's in Memphis. It is hard to list the best because each had its on special appeal. Perhaps the place that deserves the most mention that did not "win" an award is Green Mesquite in Austin. The taste of that BBQ is like a recurring dream in mind, I can taste that meal as I sit here just as well as I did in our booth on the first night. Actually, I'm reminded of one more award that Green Mesquite can win: Best Sauce. We didn't really use much sauce on this trip, preferring to focus on the efforts of the pit men, but when we did, Green Mesquite's stood out.

One final thing that I learned on this trip: I'm a darn good smoker! Admittedly I am biased, but when I due my shoulder, although my meat is not quite as tender as some of the pulled pork on this trip, I think that the texture is better, and I know I'm getting better flavor due to my rub and copious use of hickory and cherry. My ribs are very similar to Baker's in that I get good bone release, without having the entire rib of meat fall off the minute I take a bite. So, I guess I better get smoking when I get home! Gotta work on my brisket, which is decidedly sub par.

That is all for now. Thanks to Scott for his recommendations on Texas joints and to my loyal three readers for their comments. I hope to return to blogging on a more regular basis, as this trip has taught me that I due miss it.

Back In Texas

2007-07-10T19:47:00.000-07:00

Whew, it has been a busy couple of days! Today we passed the 2,000 mile mark and returned to Texas where our journey began. Instead of Austin though, we are in Dallas tonight. To celebrate the end our our journey we had...

Sushi! Nice change of pace, huh? I'm a little worried that our bodies may go into shock so stand ready to alert the authorities if you don't here from us! Our dinner tonight was at Oishii a little place around the Highland Park area on Wycliff blvd. PD1 ordered a Spider roll and a Volcano roll, and I had sushi which PD1 shared a couple pieces of . All was quite good. The spider roll came with eel sauce, which I generally consider a foul substance, but was forced to admit that this version was lite and tasty. The volcano roll was a concoction of scallops, some sauce, rice and roe. The sauce was spicy and the scallops fresh. Quite tasty. The sushi itself was very good; Sweet shrimp, salmon, sea bass, tuna, flounder and yellow tail.

So what have we been up to the past 48 hours? Well on Monday we bid a happy fair well to Memphis, a tiding they are in desperate need of, and headed for Little Rock and the Clinton Library. I was quite surprised by Little Rock; a great, busy and (note to Memphis) reasonably clean town. The Clinton library, unlike the LBJ library, was an exercise in self written hagiography. No talk of impeachment, Monica, White Water, the convictions of friends and advisers or of the other negatives we remember of the Clinton years. LBJ by contrast was a much more balanced presentation of the administration where there was at least passing mention of the LBJ failures. The end result, I think, was that the LBJ library seemed like a more authentic experience, with a greater sense of historical heft. Clinton's effort just seemed to try a little hard. I mean really, did we need to spend several minutes of a 16 minute film showing various leaders of foreign countries talking about how much they respected Bill?

After Little Rock we drove to Tulsa and dined at Oklahoma Style Bar Be Que. Wonderful place, situated in a dilapidated strip mall on the outskirts of Tulsa. The smell of smoke pervaded the smallish restaurant, and the people seemed very happy to have us drop in. We dined on brisket and smoked bologna, a Oklahoma specialty, and found both to be good. The brisket, was to a bit dry, but still had a nice smoked flavor. No rub seemed to be used which was fine with us. The smoked bologna was a fun treat, and quite tasty, but when you're after fine BBQ, it seems like a bit of a distraction.

Next we drove to Oklahoma City and had our second dinner at Leo's BBQ. This is a great place. At Leo's we enjoyed Pork Ribs (country ribs), chopped brisket, hot links, and of course, smoked bologna. Again the brisket was a bit dry. As I enjoyed Leo's brisket, I found myself wondering if they use a slightly different cut in Oklahoma than in Texas since even the grain of the meat seemed a bit different. The pork ribs at Leo's were excellent. Unlike our Memphis experience, Leo's ribs maintained a certain toothsomeness that provided a superior taste, texture and overall experience than ribs that "fall off the bone". I also found Leo's hot links to be the best sausage of the trip, with great meat flavor, and a little spice to remind you that you're alive and well! Finally, Leo's meal came with a complimentary slice of strawberry cake. Wow! Light, sweet and oh so tasty it was the perfect finish to our meal.

I also would like to add a word about hospitality. Leo's, Leathas, and Oklahoma Style BBQ, establishments all run by black families were, by far, the friendliest places we went to. At Leatha's, Bonnie took great care of PD1 when she entered the restaurant by herself. At Oklahoma Style, we spent our time eating BBQ and watching "Who Wants To Be a Millionaire" with another customer. At Leo's our waiter and I had a wonderful time discussing our deep admiration for the art of the Reverend Al Green ("It's a gift from God I tell you"). Hands down it was this hospitality that made leaving each place a little bittersweet. We will return if we every get back to their respective cities.

Also a word about Oklahoma City. Very Impressive. I have never seen a cleaner, more scenic little downtown than I did here. After our dinner at Leo's we went over to the Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial at the site of the former Murra building. A beautiful, understated place that captures the dignity of those lost lives. To this day, people that visit leave little mementos outside the park to commemorate their visit. I think this is a tribute to the power the memorial has on visitors. Outside there is a sign expressing hope that people will understand the devastation of violence and find ways to live in peace. I guess I failed that test, because I just felt happy that McVeigh is dead.

Tomorrow, we will visit SMU and go to the FC Dallas soccer game. More later!

A Dirty Little Town

2007-07-08T19:11:00.000-07:00

I've decided to be nice.

Not out of any sense of decorum, and certainly not because Memphis deserves it, but simply because I don't have the energy to waste on this squalid little town.

Oh, I had the post in my head as I drove through the desolate streets of downtown Memphis. I was going to write about garbage thay rolls through the streets like tumble weeds. Then maybe I'd go into the deer in headlights look of young professionals who have invested in downtown condos - certainly a pathetic attempt to capture the authentic urban chic experience they might have achieved in all the other cities that they really wanted to live in. Instead they wander alone, in a semi-lucid state wondering what in God's name went wrong.

Well, if I had the energy, I'd tell them. What went wrong is that their city is broken. Areas populated by the city's poor, black population appear to lack even basic services. Of course I did see a billboard warning that those convicted of felonies do the full time. Nice, that.

Then there is the downtown. Looks like it could be a decent place except the whole place is shut down on Sunday afternoon! My goodness, when else are people expected to visit if not on one of their two days off! Even the folks who run Memphis' one tourist attraction, Graceland understand that folks might want to stop by and visit on a Sunday.

Then, of course, there is Graceland. The bloom, she is off the rose folks.

I really didn't know what to expect at Graceland. Not being an Elvis fan, I was basically in it for the laughs, and surely there were many to be had. Elvis' fan's as usual are overly sincere in their love for this man, and Graceland, in its role as Elvis' legacy, is a temple of mid '70's bad decorating kitsch; mirrors and carpet on the ceilings, badly carved furniture in the jungle room, and a torn pool table are just a few of the things that might evoke a snicker in us sophisticates.

But here's the thing. The folks at Graceland have - unwittingly, to be sure - built a museum of all that went wrong in Elvis' life. The man at the end was trapped by the myth, and this is at the core of the Graceland experience, which makes for a very sad day. We see the mansion that the star built. We see the room that the boy gave his parents as the fulfillment of his promise to "give them a better life". We see the three TV's that the man watched because he heard LBJ did the same thing. And we see the high living that the victim fell prey to when all that he had was not enough to satisfy the soul.

And when I left, I just didn't want to know anymore, because you see, there is one redeeming part of the Graceland tour. It is the "Trophy Room". This is the room where we see the gold records, the charity work, the military years, the romance and marriage. It is the room where we see the TV appearance where Ed Sullivan eased the Elvis the Pelvis controversy when he told America that here was a "good and decent young man". The trophy room is the one place where Elvis the man is exhibited with his extraordinary talent. He was free when he created his music, and nowhere else is the beauty and the tragedy of Elvis more apparent.

After Graceland we needed fortification. Once again Memphis let us down.

Bozos? Closed
Leonard's? Closed
BBQ Shop? Closed

So we ended up at Corky's. Not a very impressive place. Oh the ribs are good I suppose. Unlike Texas, the rub and the sauce are much more in play here, and Corky's ribs come with a nice rub. The thing is, there is an undertone of burned flavor that is off putting as you bite into the ribs. I don't know, but my guess is that Cork's is running the ribs over an open flame at some point charring the outside of the ribs, instead of building up a nice black crust over time in the smoker. Of course I could be wrong about that, but either way it did detract from the flavor. As for the pulled pork, we were under whelmed. No burn't bits and frankly a very bland flavor that got lost in the sandwich. As most know the big deal in Memphis is to serve the sandwich with slaw piled on top of the pork. This, I think, is a capital idea as long as you have tasty pork. Sadly, Corky's doesn't.

Tomorrow it's the Bill Clinton Library, Tulsa and Oklahoma City! Promise springs eternal!

600 Miles to Heaven

2007-07-07T19:16:00.000-07:00

Let's see it's Saturday so that means that it is Hattiesburg Mississippi tonight. Last night we ended up watching "What Not To Wear" until midnight. You know this show, cute girl and tall slightly effeminate man help misguided girl friends from across the U.S. find their true fashion self. I don't know why but I'm strangely attracted to this show. Maybe it's the transformation angle; last night's theme was helping a woman lose her "skankyness" and find her true beautiful self. Or maybe, God forbid, I actually am interested. Whatever the case I learned several things last night:

Skankyness is a real term
"Boobs" are referred to as "Girlfriends" in sophisticated company
Slightly Effeminate Man is 6'4' according to PD1..
....and he just loves to break up suits! Yay!

Anyway, all this is to say that we were up until midnight and then rose at 5:30 to begin our 600 mile sojourn to the Mecca of Mississippi BBQ (blasphemous, I know). Amazingly, we made the trip in just about 9 hours which included a stop at our new, favorite breakfast place; "Waffle House".

Not "The Waffle House" or "House of Waffles" or "Bob's Waffle House", just plain old Waffle House spelled out in yellow block letters. Amazing places, these Waffle Houses. Each one has a MacDonald's like consistency to them right down to the glass windows with the curiously steamed windows in them. I say curiously, but I probably should say invitingly steamed windows because, and I know this is bizarre, but those windows speak to me. True fact, they're saying "come in , yes come in, our waffles are so moist and wonderful that our window just done steamed up".

And so we did, just outside of Lake Charles Louisiana. Oh boy these babies were good. Great buttermilk flavor; PD1's were augmented by the choice requisite for all 15 year olds, chocolate chips. Another critic might say they were too heavy and cakey, an that critic might be right, but sitting there in that wonderful little shop, with the steamed windows and the pony tailed manager with the gauged ears, they were as good as any in America my friends. And did I mention the hash browns? Fried to perfection, they were with cheese (American of course) onions and ham mixed in. After we finished, we sent our waitress off for another order.

Our destination, Hattiesburg, appeared in the distance around 3:30 this afternoon. We exited, stopped for a Starbucks and then checked into our hotel, the local Holiday Inn. A quick half hour in the gym, and we were ready for some que. Tonight we set our sites on two of Hattiesburg's finest, Leatha's and Strick's.

Leatha's was our first stop, and to be honest the only one we should have made tonight. Initially we had a little trouble finding it. You see, we could see the Leatha's sign, but all that we could see was new RV's! "Maybe it's out of business" PD1 suggested. I gave her a stern look and muttered, "enough with the negative waves, man" and we pressed on. You see, behind those RV's is a ramshackle sort of building, and yes, the scent of smoke. Whatever that primitive sense is that BBQ touches in man, lit up like flare on the fourth of July I tell you, Leatha's appeared to be everything we hoped for.

As we entered, I realized I had forgotten may camera and told PD1 to wait inside while I returned to the car. "What should I do?" she asked. "Just stand there, I'll be right back" I said. When I returned PD1 had a big smile on her face and led me to our table. It turns out, Bonnie, one of the family had come right over welcomed her to Leathas and made her feel right at home.

This was to be the subtext for our entire stay. You see, Leathas is run by a family and each and everyone of them works to make sure you're having an enjoyable stay. During our dinner, we must have been approached by no less than 6 of the family and either welcomed our asked if we were enjoying ourselves.

And enjoy ourselves we did. Was it the best BBQ I've ever had? No. The ribs were too tender for my taste, and I prefer a heavier smoke on my meat. But don't get me wrong folks, this is some mighty fine stuff. PD1 was in heaven over the pulled pork, and I really thought that Leathas has a way with beef ribs; tender meat, smokey crust and a latent texture that pleases the mouth in a way that few meats ever do. One note for Leatha: Make some real Baked beans, we were certain that what we got was Bush's from a can. None-the-less, we left Leathas content, happy and committed to returning again someday. Our friend Syd, is lucky to be so close to this wonderful, welcoming place.

As for Stricks (I'm always tempted to call it Snickett's; a sign?), not much to report except that if Leatha's is closed you might want to think about other cousines. 8pm on Saturday night and the place was empty, our pulled pork was over cooked (and here's a trick - oddly fuzzy!) and the fried okra both over cooked and tasteless.

So that's all from Mississippi. Hard to believe our sojourn is nearing the halfway point already. Tomorrow it's Memphis, Elvis, Bozo's, Corky's and Leonards.

Of Smoked Meat, Dead Presidents and Famous Gangsters

2007-07-06T20:02:00.000-07:00

What a day! Last night we crashed watching American Chopper. Lots of yelling, cool bikes, but ultimately not enough to keep us awake to see the new bikes they were building.

We woke this morning, and I wisely headed down to the gym and spent some quality time with the Stairmaster. A couple cups of coffee later our metabolisms were in high rev and it was off to Jim Bob's for breakfast tacos. What to say about Jim Bobs, hmm.......

Well, first the tacos were pretty good. The place, nothing more than a hole in the wall is a little hard to spot from the road due to construction, but once in we were ready to go. Interesting fact about this tour so far; everywhere we go, we're charged by the amount of stuff we get. For example all the que places charge by weight, number of meats number of sides, etc. and Jim Bob's was no different. You want a taco with one filling you pay X. Two fillings is X + Y and so on.

I went with Chorizo, Brisket Cheese and Onions. PD1 went with Eggs, Cheese, Ham and Peppers. A few moments later are tacos were ready. This is when we encountered the "sighers". As we moved over to the benches there was a couple behind who were quite...well lets just say they were rustics. Most folks in place were enjoying breakfast on their own, but not the rustics. Oh no. These two were quite the active eaters!

"Chomp, slurp sigh."

"Ugh God"

"Chomp. slurp sigh"

"Ugh God"

Needless to say, this was kind of distracting not to mention completely unappetising.

"Ugh God"

And it wasn't even like an ugh god that one might utter during pleasurable activities. Nope, more like "Ugh God, I'm in pain"!

I tell you, it took all I had not to turn around and and yell, "PUT DOWN THE TACO AND JUST WALK AWAY"! Eventually, the rustics finished their workout, and left and we were able to enjoy the remainder of our breakfast while watching Fox broadcast a low speed car chase from California.

America!

Anyway lets get to the que. Today we began with lunch in Taylor TX. As you drive into Taylor, you get the impression that this town has seen better days. It's a little tired, there are a lot of empty store fronts, and its not much of an exaggeration to say that Taylor has three operating businesses; a grain supply company and two que joints.

We ate at both!

The first was at Rudy Mikeskas. As you walk in to Rudy's the first thing that hits you is the 14 deer heads that are mounted on the walls around the room. The second is the smell of smoke, and the third is Rudy, a big man, in at the start of the cafeteria line in the back of the restaurant. We ordered brisket and sausage and sat down to enjoy them with two Dr. Peppers. Rudy's brisket is good stuff. The guys at Smoque in Chicago recommended the joint and they didn't steer us wrong. Lightly smoked, and accompanied by a little sauce ("Just a taste" Rudy said) the brisket was tender and tasty. Rudy didn't ask us if we wanted fat or lean, we just got the fat side, and that was fine with me.

As we were exiting Rudy's we saw the other joint, Louie Millers. I looked at PD1 and we silently agreed that this was our next stop. Louie's que is totally different. The smell of smoke hits you long before you enter the restaurant, and the interior is dark and smokey. Like Rudy's you order at the back of the restaurant and then carry your stuff to the table. Louie's brisket is black as night on the outside and strongly smoked. The interior of the brisket is tender and juicy and has a nice meaty flavor. I preferred Louies over Mikeskas.

After we left Taylor we took a brief respite at the LBJ museum and then took a tour of the University of Texas. Great places, both.

We finished our Austin stop in Lockhart TX at Smitty's. Folks this is the best place we were at. When you enter the building you walk right into the smoking room. It's hotter than hell in there, and since the oak fire is burning out in the open, it is also very smoky. Smitty may have some long term black lung issues with employees!

We ordered brisket and sausage. Our meat was served on red butcher paper with two knives. Notice anything missing there? Correct! No forks! You eat the cue with your hands at Smittys. Another difference was that there was no sauce. Just you, your fingers and the best darn smoked meat in Texas. Oh the meat, what a treat this was! Very smoky and extremely tender, Smitty asks whether you want it wet (fat side) or dry (lean side). We ordered wet and got to work. The sausage received a split vote from us. Too weird was PD1's opinion, but I liked the difference that a clearly homemade sausage made and thought this was our best sausage of the stay.

We wanted to hit Kruetz tonight as well but something else cam up; Bonnie & Clyde. The Paramount Theatre in downtown Austin (which by the way is an absolute treasure) was showing the 1967 classic starring Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway and I absolutely wanted the chance to see it on the big screen. What an experience! Anyone who has seen this movie remembers two things. The first is the way the movie mixes extreme violence (for the time) with comedic relief. The other is the superbly edited final scene where the doomed couple meet their end. Seeing it bigger than life was an extraordinary treat.

Thats all for now. We're driving 600 miles to Hattiesburg Mississippi tomorrow where we'll enjoy dinner at Leatha's BBQ.

More later.

We're Smokin!!!!!!!

2007-07-05T19:57:00.000-07:00

Pursuit BBQ World Tour Day One Report

Folks we hit the ground running today, and what a way to go. I began the day with a conference call at 730am, with compadres in London and Hong Kong; I remain amazed at how small our world has become. "I have a hard stop at 8:30 folks" I announced when we kicked off. What I didn't mention was that the reason for my hard stop was that I was hopping on my Harley with a pal and riding to Kenosha for breakfast at Franks Diner! Great biscuts and gravey.

Then it was off to O'hare and a 1:55 flight to Austin. Landing on time at 415, PD1 and I picked up our car and drove to the hotel. "Oh you're here for bbq?" our checkin' guy said. "Well, I send everybody to County Line"

"Dad, lets go there" a surprisingly suggestible PD1 said.

I, of course, had other plans. Unfortunately they were a bit stalled since Smitty's was closed. So we changed course and headed to Green Mesquite BBQ suggested by Scott.

Whoa.

This place is awfully good. PD1 and I each ordered a two meat combo; she had the sausage and pulled pork, I had the brisket and pork ribs. The ribs were fine, but nothing to write home about. But the brisket was something else. Lightly smoked, tender as all get out I splashed on a dab of the house sauce (vinegar and molasses as far as I could tell) and was in heaven.

"Dad, you've got to try the sausage". She was right, a light smoke, with that typical mesquite sweetness, we rated it the second best of the night. As for the pulled pork, it came in three, as it had a nice combo of meat and charred bits adding flavor. All in all we gave the Green Mesquite a 7 out of ten, subject to revision as our experience grows.

Next we went over to County Line. Nice place for a graduation party, retirement or for lunch with the gang from the office, but it has no place on the world tour. When you walk in you don't smell smoke, you don't smell meat. Nope, what assaults your olfactory senses is the smell of a liberally applied tomatoey sauce that accompanies all plates put in front of diners.

When we left Green Mesquite we could smell our the smoke on our shirts.

Still can.

'Nouff said.

Over and out until tomorrow.