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Thoughts on just about everything from rock-n-roll, sports, kids, to geek speak -- by John Bullock About John Subscribe to this blog  |
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February 2004 March 2004 April 2004 May 2004 June 2004 July 2004 August 2004 September 2004 October 2004 November 2004 December 2004 January 2005 February 2005 March 2005 April 2005 May 2005 June 2005 July 2005 August 2005 September 2005 October 2005 November 2005 December 2005 January 2006 February 2006 March 2006 April 2006 May 2006 June 2006 July 2006 August 2006 September 2006 October 2006 November 2006 December 2006 January 2007 February 2007 March 2007 April 2007 May 2007 June 2007 September 2007 November 2007 December 2007 January 2008 February 2008 |
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Monday, July 17, 2006 |
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Puking Lessons | |
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I think that all children should have to go through and pass puking lessons just like many of us had to do when learning to drive. Both of my kids have thrown up over the past couple of weeks and as far as tossing your cookies, the results have been disastrous. About two or three weeks ago my son was not feeling well one Sunday afternoon. We were out at C.B. & Potts for lunch and was complaining about not feeling well. His face looked kind of pale which should have been my first clue that it was coming. After resting a short while, our food finally arrived and he must have set up too quickly. I could definitely tell it was coming because within a minute he was decorating himself and the booth. I tried to rush him to the bathroom but unfortunately he decorated the entire restaurant along the way. By the time we got to the bathroom, I don't think he had anything left in him. This weekend, my daughter had gone to bed but after an hour or so I heard her crying up in her bed. You have to realize with her that she is a major drama queen and cries if the wind blows in the wrong direction. So I didn't really think much about it when I went to check on her. She complained of hurting all over (really helpful eh?), so I got her a cool wash rag and some ice water. After coming back I was rubbing her back a little when she started to spew chunks in her bed. I tried to get her to puke into the rag until we could get her to the bathroom but instead she puked on it, on me, more on the bed. She just sat their crying and instead of moving to go to the bathroom. So, I picked her up and carried her, at an arms length!, to the bathroom where she could finish her business. By this time, Suzanne was awake and while I went in to start cleaning up Lindsay's room, Suzanne was trying to assist Lindsay. For a rookie puker, she had loft goals, trying to projectile puke into the toilet from a standing position. Suzanne tried to get her to bend over so that her head would be over the bowl (not sure there was much success though). So I have a few ideas what should be included in the curriculum including:
p.s. I could tell that my daughter had eggs and black olives after cleaning up all her puke this weekend :P |
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Thursday, July 13, 2006 |
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Turning Water into Wine | |
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I don't know how many of you saw this article about a man who turned a giant red paper clip into a house through a series of trades arranged via the internet. I think even Jesus himself, turning water into wine, would be hard pressed to match this. I guess if you have the right things, you can find somebody who wants it desperately enough that they will give you what you want. Now I just have to figure out what I have laying around the house that I can trade for an all expenses paid vacation to Hawaii. Hmmmm, I think I have an old lava lamp I was saving for this years white elephant gift exchange... | |
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Monday, July 10, 2006 |
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Marta's Blues | |
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Man, with all the rain and a busy schedule I am approaching a week now since I've been on the bike. Today is actually sunny for a change but as a responsible mountain biker I am staying off the trails today to prevent any trail damage. Not to mention that I totally cleaned up my drive train late last week and I don't want to go ruin all my hard work. I pull the chain and chain rings off and cleaned them, took off the rear tire and scrubed down the cassette, and generally wiped the bike clean. I don't know that the bike has been this clean since the day I brought it home! I figured with some of my free time I have out of the saddle that I should write a song about it. Any good blues song that is going to be wildly popular and earn me my riches should talk about drinking, love, and have some sob story (or is that the country music recipe for success?). I've been thinkin' while I'm drinkin' why o' why can't I ride? My bike is growing mold while I'm getting old Is the love affair over? Oh the rain brings us pain Marta is mad I am sad Bring the sun and the fun screamin' down catchin' air With lots of style and a little flair  Marta's Blues
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Sunday, July 09, 2006 |
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Restaraunt Review | |
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I rarely ever post restaurant reviews but I have to make an exception this time around. Let me clarify why I am doing this before I dive into the review. First off, it seems like all the nice places that I really loved to eat are out of business now. Places like Roy's or Papillion are gone and others, like Strings, have gone way down hill. I figured if they had more business, they would still be here. So if I say good things about a restaurant then maybe a few more people will eat there and they will be able to stay in business. The other reason that I don't post any restaurant reviews is that I have two seven year olds. Anyone that has or has had young children will know that you generally don't take children to nicer restaurants. Either the kids are too picky, the restaurants are too expensive, or the kids cannot or will not sit still and behave long enough. I have to admit that for me it is more of the first two and very little of the last. I have one very picky child and and I am generally very stingy so don't take my kinds to fancy places. The last nice restaurant that we went to, Gabriel's, the kids behaved wonderfully and the meal was paid for by our realtor. OK, so we paid our realtor to take us to dinner ;) That is another awesome place but this review is not about them. Also, with picky kids, and typical of the Denver Metro Area, you get stuck at a lot of chains as well. Suzanne had arranged for a baby sitter as we were in desperate need of some adult time without our children. Although it was supposed to be a surprise, our baby sitter accidentally called my cell phone by mistake so I found out ahead of time. We did not have any firm plans, we just wanted some time away and a good meal. Saturday afternoon before going out, we surfed the net in search of somewhere to go eat. We searched and searched but nothing was really standing out. We found a listing in the Italian restaurants section for a place called The Old Stone Church restaurant. It is a small place down in old downtown Castle Rock. Their menu says the building is the original church in Castle Rock but is now in their hands. We had never been there before so we went there hoping it would be a good place. For starters, the building is pretty cool. It really is an old stone church but the interior has been renovated and it is a very appealing and fun place inside. The ambience was pretty quiet but I have to admit it was a very slow night so I don't know it that is the way it is normally. We were promptly seated and our several came over quickly to get our drink order. Their beer selection is slim (yeah, I know who goes out for a nice meal and orders beer) but they offered a wine menu and they have a full bar as well. Although Suzanne and I don't generally order appetizers but we had saved our appetites for the evening so decided to order the crab cakes. These were not your usual crab cakes as they included peppers in them and were served in an anaheim chile sauce so they had a bit of a bite. It was a tough call though as the menu had several appetizers that sounded really good including Deep Fried Lobster Pies, Grilled Brie Cheese, and a Pepperjack Queso Fundido. For dinner, Suzanne ordered the Crispy Roasted Half Duck and I got the Venison Tenderloin. Suzanne's duck came with a raspberry chipotle glaze and was served with a wild mushroom risotto and asparagus. There were at least three entrees on their menu that I really wanted, not to mention one of their specials, but I finally decided to order venison as that I something that I rarely get to have. My venison, perfectly prepared at medium rare, came with a pomegranate black pepper demi glace sauce, sweet potatoes and asparagus. Neither one of us had enough good things to say about our dinner. For dessert, she ordered the chocolate polenta cake, normally served with hand made pistachio ice cream but she substituted chocolate kahlua instead. I had a really tough time deciding on dessert as well. As I was pretty full so I decided to get the raspberry creme brulee. We both loved the desserts as much as the rest of the meal. We both agreed that our least favorite thing (although it was still good!), was the Navajo fry bread they brought out between our appetizer and entree. It came with a very different dipping sauce that I enjoyed. Our server gave us quality service, although did not smother us, and was very helpful and generally pleasant. The other nice thing thing, besides the great food and service, were the prices. For most any up scale restaurant you expect to pay through the nose. I won't say that it was cheap but it was compared to other places with comparable quality food and service. For our appetizer, entrees, desserts, two drinks each, and a tip in excess of 20%, we got our of there dropping an an even bill. Two thumbs up for The Old Stone Church! |
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In the Fridge | |
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I like beer. However, the more that I drink, and the older that I get, I find myself turning into more of a beer snob. I like the mass produced piss water less and less. In college, that is what is cheap so that is what you drink. Now that I have disposable income and don't buy my beer by the gallon, I like to try all sorts of different microbrews. My favorite liquor store is Union Liquors. Their advertising boasts that they have 600 kinds of beer. I don't know that they really do but they do have an excellent beer selection. I found it when I lived in an apartment complex just a couple of blocks away. I don't work too far from it either and I haven't found any liquor stores with a better beer selection. Each time I am there, I try to get at least one new kind of beer to try. I also will get one or two six packs of beers that I know and love. My last trip I bought several different kinds of beer. One of them them is a current favorite, Fire Rock Pale Ale made by the Kona Brewing Company. I originally found this beer on one of my trips to Kona, Hawaii. We had lunch at the brewery and I immediately fell in love with the beer. It wasn't until about a year ago that I was able to find any of their beers on the mainland. If you like bitter and hoppy beers, this is one for you to try. The next beer I got this time around is Bitch Creek ESB. Although Suzanne thinks I bought it to honor her, I actually got it because it is another bitter beer (ESB = Extra Special Bitter). I definitely enjoyed this one and would get it again. It is made by Grand Teton Brewing Co. which is a brewery whose beer I haven't had before. Next up is the Moose Drool Brown Ale made by the Big Sky Brewing Company. This is another brewery that I had not experienced before. This beer is not one of my favorites. I have to admit, most brown ales don't reach and and grab me right away though as I like the the my beers with a little more character. However, if you drink a few of them (doesn't have to be at once), it will grow on you. If you like brown ales, then give this one a shot. The fourth beer in the fridge at the moment is the Sierra Neveda Stout made by the Sierra Neveda Brewing Co. The reason that I bought this beer is that I've had the Sierra Neveda Pale Ale many times and really enjoy it and wanted to try a new stout. I've only had one or two of these so far but I am enjoying them. I like stouts but don't drink as much of them as other types of beer. The fifth and final beer is the Twilight Seasonal Ale by the Deschutes Brewery. I picked this beer for two reasons. The first is that it is made by a brewery that I am not familiar with and the second is that it is a seasonal beer. I have found that some of the most pleasant surprises that I've experienced with microbrews are the seasonal ales. The only draw back is they usually don't stick around so you have to enjoy them while they last. This beer doesn't disappoint. This is a little lighter but still has plenty of character. Cheers! |
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Friday, July 07, 2006 |
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Weekend Plans | |
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I don't really have a whole lot of plans for the weekend but I think that a little rock-n-roll is in order. On my way to work this AM I heard the song My Generation by The Who. It was the version from their Live at Leeds album. This album, as the title implies, is a recording from one of their live performances. If you have ever seen or heard any Who concert, you know this is when they are at their best. This particular version of My Generation is a much longer and even more hard rock than the original studio recording. BTW, I've NEVER heard this version of the song on FM radio. As if this song was not enough to get my blood pumping, they followed it up with Cross Town Traffic by Jimi Hendrix and then Guitar Shop by Jeff Beck. After these three songs, it totally got me in the mood for (more) in-your-face, hard rock that I love so much. Live at Leeds will be a must hear for the weekend, and probably some live Hendrix as well. I'm not very familiar with Jeff Beck but I know he has his share of guitar rock. If anyone knows a good album of his that you would recommend that is totally rocking, post a comment or E-mail me. I already have to go get the new George Thorogood album so it wouldn't be a hassle to pick up another album while I'm there. | |
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