Rolling Off-Topic Discussion Thread
by WholeCamels on Aug 7, 2010 4:27 PM EDT
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PrintAll your arts, history, science, etc., discussion here.
Pretty much anything non-baseball.
If lots of people Rec this, it'll stay bumped up at the top.
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Beyonce had one of the greatest videos of all-time.
"I remember being three and I wanted to be a baseball player, that's all I ever really wanted to be. That and Spider Man." -Raul Ibanez
by Jose and the Contrarians on Aug 7, 2010 5:50 PM EDT reply actions
The greatest videos of all-time were made when MTV still played videos and Michael Jackson wasn’t a complete nut job
by SportingFanaticism on Aug 7, 2010 7:21 PM EDT up reply actions
Stop Making Sense is a fine concert flick.
why the big suit? why do the musicians come out one at a time?
by Wet Luzinski on Aug 10, 2010 11:03 PM EDT up reply actions
They used to show that at the Theatre of Living Arts (TLA) on South Street. Awesomesauce to be sure.
by Boundforbeach on Aug 11, 2010 10:28 AM EDT up reply actions
You didn’t make the thread!
But good idear phatj. For every comment in this thread hereafter, you shall receive 1% cyber royalties.
Pessimism of the intellect, optimism of the will.
the Department of Internet Money sucks ass!
by Wet Luzinski on Aug 10, 2010 11:08 PM EDT up reply actions
Because she asked Johnny Carson to pet her pussycat
by WanderingMoses on Aug 8, 2010 5:14 PM EDT up reply actions
“Won Ton Ton – the Dog Who Saved Hollywood”
That must be it.
Remember the Phitans
by RememberthePhitans on Aug 11, 2010 6:36 PM EDT up reply actions
I expected way more boobs in the “Holy Diver” video than were there. But rangy rockers w/broadswords also makes some sense.
Dio was never really about the womens. Unless they were evil, then he wrote songs about them. Such as “Lady Evil,” from Black Sabbath’s “Heaven and Hell” album.
http://www.thegoodphight.com
by Wet Luzinski on Aug 8, 2010 11:57 AM EDT up reply actions
I am sometimes surprised and embarrassed by the fact that society allows some people to make a living thusly. For parts of four decades. It’s just horrorshow bad.
Remember the Phitans
by RememberthePhitans on Aug 8, 2010 12:08 PM EDT up reply actions
I saw a sign yesterday afternoon on the Pennsylvania Turnpike for the Renaissance Faire, and my reaction was to step on the gas to get away from it. Boys, the obsession with broadswords only makes the girls who you want to impress laugh harder at you.
by Wet Luzinski on Aug 10, 2010 12:13 AM EDT up reply actions
Apparently, even those in the legal profession are unable to resist the siren call of swords: http://www.counsel-at-law.com/About-the-Law-Firm-in-Harrisburg-Pa.php
Flip down to the second half of the linked page. Who thought that would help get clients? I mean, seriously? I know I associate “good lawyer” with “flying sword logo”.
Remember the Phitans
by RememberthePhitans on Aug 11, 2010 8:21 PM EDT up reply actions
DIO – Gallagher of Metal: All of 5’4 of you, from the curly skullet to the the flared bottoms of your leather jazz slacks and your lace up figure skater blouses. With trusty sword-a matic in hand, rock on you odd litlle duck.
Put into the sponsor lineup with SuperPretzel and Bud Light (and its abominable Bud Light Lime protege), the Phils’ recent deal with Steak-Umm definitely shows the strain of these whale-sized contracts. If they bag Tastykakes for Lil’ Debbies, Imma be worried.
It makes me long for a simpler time.
Skunk murder? Or three party talks?
So I have a bay window overlooking my back yard at ground level. Outside, there is clearance between the bottom of it and the ground. A skunk has dug out a hole to live in there and has taken up residence. It normally does not smell, so long as it is not Skunk Lovin’ Time, and, y’know, live and let live.
Well, the garden is right around the corner from this window and the skunk den. Skunks are largely plant eaters. The little fucker guy has taken to eating my tomatoes just as they are turning from green to the first blush of red. I have enough tomatoes that this is not a major problem of the sort that would leave me tomatoless, but it is a significant irritant to see a perfectly-formed tomato of potential cut down before it fully matures. So it has caused me to consider that most-typical method of dealing with neighbor disputes in my area: murder by firearm.
Tossing my dogs faeces into the hole has not deterred the skunk enough to encourage it to move away from the Quickie Mart that is my garden. As it is under my bay window, I am not about to try putting the faeces in a bag and setting it alight while running away, either. I tried reading Peter Rabbit aloud in my garden, to no avail.
I tried singing, but that just brought the cops as opposed to driving away the skunk. Perhaps I shouldn’t do it at 2:00 while drunk and naked — the neighbors (the human ones) seemed nonplussed, though they swore the next day that they did not call the cops, and I believe them. It must have been the skunk.
All non-violent methods I can think of have failed. At this stage, do I let the skunk live, and simply place less-desirable vegetable material at the skunk’s door to deter the tomato predation, or do I pursue more…aggressive methods?
Killing a skunk with an air rifle would be easy. It toddles around my backyard some evenings just at dusk, and it would be a simple matter to kill it with a pellet. That feels sort of Charles Whitman-ish to me though, plus I fear I might mortally wound it without killing it outright in the yard. It would then run to the den to die, leaving me, as a final insult, with skunk stench and carrion stench in high summer.
Trapping it might be the answer, but it would cost me money, and that is unacceptable. No way am I doing that myself, though.
Dear Abby, what am I to do about this dilemma?
Remember the Phitans
by RememberthePhitans on Aug 8, 2010 10:36 PM EDT reply actions
I have about 40 bonsai which are beloved by the neighborhood squirrels and one by the Beaver that lives under my deck. Spraying everything with a water gun filled with screaming hot sauce worked (and was damned entertaining) for about 2 weeks, then they got used to it. I boobytrapped my trees with pointed wires. nail strips and mouse traps, that kinda works, but they work on everything included non critters, so you may not want to go that route.
Maybe you could rig something to block the hole, then shoot him while he’s out. If the hole is blocked off well you should be in good shape.
I was thinking more along these lines, but it would have to be a neighbor’s dog or something.
by Wet Luzinski on Aug 10, 2010 12:17 AM EDT up reply actions
Make sure it doesn’t have babies before you do anything. The last thing you want to do is get rid of it (violently or nonviolently) and leave behind a group of little stinkers.
A friend of mine had the same problem, only under her shed. I think she bought some “skunk deterrent” at a garden store (I hear this is wild cat pee or wolf…or something similar), but I wonder if anything strong smelling (ammonia?) would work to make it go find somewhere less smelly. The store-bought stuff (on a rag, down the hole) combined with leaving a bright light and talk radio on right outside the den, made the thing take its kids and leave.
Just make it unpleasant for a nocturnal critter to live there.
Hope something works for you…and be careful that your dog doesn’t get skunked…
"Clever girl."
by LeepinLizardz on Aug 11, 2010 7:14 PM EDT up reply actions
television show
best right now?
best all time?
Breaking Bad is great. I have a soft spot for Friday Night Lights, Burn Notice and 30 Rock too.
All time? Arrested Development.
should really be done by decade… but best current show – the whitest kids you know. absolutely hilarious…. best all time? wow…. i consider seinfeld and curb the same, so how about just larry david…?
by PHIGHTINPHILS on Aug 9, 2010 12:26 PM EDT up reply actions
The thingabout ‘best of all time’ is that it some how seems to be limited to ‘color’ tv years, no mention of honeymooers or lucy or dick van dyke – these were all ground breaking seminal type shows of their times.
Additionally, I believe that it should be broken down into network/basic/pay categories since you have a freedom on pay cable (obviously) that allows you to tell stories in a way you just can’t on network. Not to mention that some of those pay shows care more about the awards than the ratings since they get monthly fees and advertising dollar chasing isn’t vital.
by SportingFanaticism on Aug 11, 2010 4:33 PM EDT up reply actions
Oh, this for sure.
Remember the Phitans
by RememberthePhitans on Aug 9, 2010 1:12 PM EDT up reply actions
I don’t know what to do right now with Lost having ended… though Dexter is a truly awesome show (didn’t yet Season 4, though).
As for all time, my two favorites were Lost and Sopranos. The Wire is next on my list, FM.
Sopranos sometimes aggravated me when storylines would go on for a few weeks and then disappear for the rest of the series (the Russians in the Pine barrens, for example) and it’s a shame the actress playing Tony’s Mother died in real life, because that was a good story. I also thought there was more they should have done with Uncle Junior’s storyline. Excellent series finale though.
I’m aggravated by LOST because I feel they lost their way and copped out in the end, I think they had a plan and screwed it up or changed their minds or whatever.
As for Dexter, I can’t get over how they took the books into the wrong direction. I enjoy the show but the books (some of em) are much better.
by SportingFanaticism on Aug 11, 2010 4:34 PM EDT up reply actions
LOST
I am going back and watching some of the old episodes with my wife who came in late (middle of Season 4 right now) and I had forgotten just how awesome it was and where it was going. It’s really sad how Season 6 went. On one hand I like the ending and am okay with it, but there was so much stuff going on earlier and ways they could have gone that it feels like a letdown now.
Best now: Mad Men
Best ever: This is tough but I’ll take a stand… Freaks and Geeks
http://www.thegoodphight.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71RyZuJHpj0
A close second
by SportingFanaticism on Aug 11, 2010 5:01 PM EDT up reply actions
I was thinking Freaks & Geeks should make the list, but maybe the list of greatest shows that didn’t get a chance.
And there is a show that while it lasted one more season than F&G never really got a fair chance and Sports Night is probably one of the top 3 shows of all time to me
by SportingFanaticism on Aug 11, 2010 4:35 PM EDT up reply actions
Freaks and Geeks
It’s funny how several of the shows on here did not run very long: Freaks and Geeks, Arrested Development, etc. If only people could have recongized them while they were on and giving them a few more seasons. Although I think part of being a great show is being succinct.
I hate what the Office has become now. The main writers are gone, they seem to have run out of gags and storylines and it is borderline unwatchable. You cut that at the end of Season 3 and then run an hour long special (much like the British version) and the show is perfect.
Unfortunately, networks won’t do that with cash cows these days.
I actually despise the British Office. I find it too heavy handed and downright cruel. I like the American Office but agree it should probably end.
It’s not funny how most of the best shows did not run very long, it’s sad and a pathetic commentary not only on the evolution of the tv networks but the american tastes.
Today, shows like Seinfeld and Cheers never would run, they’d have been canceled after 6 episodes.
by SportingFanaticism on Aug 12, 2010 10:58 AM EDT up reply actions
Well that is the connontation I meant when I used the word ‘funny’. I also just think the American office should have followed a pattern like the British one. Whether you appreciate the humor or not, it tied the series up nicely. Plus, with the way the series is going now, it just needs to be over. Michael Scott is way too far over the top and none of the storylines are interesting at all.
With Carrell leaving the show this season they have a perfect opportunity to wrap it up, but at the same time, NBC is in the freaking gutter of tv networks now and as long as the ratings are sustained, they are going to run the show, because their development slate sucks.
by SportingFanaticism on Aug 12, 2010 11:12 AM EDT up reply actions
Community did well for NBC and it is enjoyable but the ‘80s movie storyline in 30 minutes’ thing can only last how long?
I expect Outsourced to be terrible and insulting to all sorts of races and cultures, and I hate Parks & REc.
Just saying, 30 minute shows and NBC don’t exactly go together like peas and carrots these days. If The Office maintains good numbers (for NBC) then NBC will keep it on the air.
by SportingFanaticism on Aug 12, 2010 11:23 AM EDT up reply actions
In related office news http://www.aintitcool.com/node/46090
I hated flight of the conchords but the guys hp commercials aren’t half bad
by SportingFanaticism on Aug 12, 2010 11:30 AM EDT up reply actions
I love True Blood and have a feeling that the new HBO show, “Boardwalk Empire,” will be right up my alley.
My favorite all time show is probably “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” but I loved “Freaks and Geeks” as well. Short lived but good.
Lex clavatoris designati rescindenda est.
I am looking forward to Boardwalk Empire as well. It’s got Omar LIttle and Tony Blundetto in it, so it just can’t be bad.
Pessimism of the intellect, optimism of the will.
You just know the vulgarities are going to be off the hook. Also, I have a soft spot for that time period. I can’t wait!
Lex clavatoris designati rescindenda est.
Any show with the balls to make Steve Buscemi the lead has my attention
by SportingFanaticism on Aug 11, 2010 5:03 PM EDT up reply actions
BE also has that kid who looks like Dicaprio but is fatter in the face and has a lot more talent
by SportingFanaticism on Aug 11, 2010 4:35 PM EDT up reply actions
Michael Pitt. He is a good actor. He was great in The Dreamers.
Pessimism of the intellect, optimism of the will.
Can you believe he got his start on “Dawson’s Creek”? Eegads.
Lex clavatoris designati rescindenda est.
I actually knew that, the quarterback who dates the chick who had the jokers kid
I just didn’t want to be the first that mentioned it
by SportingFanaticism on Aug 11, 2010 6:32 PM EDT up reply actions
That’s OK. I like Joshua Jackson so I cop to watching the show.
Lex clavatoris designati rescindenda est.
I watched the show cause I was a big kevin williamson fan – i gve it up after one year
by SportingFanaticism on Aug 11, 2010 6:42 PM EDT up reply actions
I enjoy “True Blood” as well, and was also rather partial to “Deadwood.”
In the science fiction category, “Firefly” may have been the show with the most potential to get prematurely axed (for various and sundry reasons, some blame to Fox, some blame to Whedon).
Honor is no substitute for victory.
Mutant Enemy spin off shows have had a lot of potential that didn’t last
Tim Minear has done a lot of good single season television
Espenson was all over the place but has found a home with Greenberg on Sci-Fi W13
I’m surprised all the geeks here no mention of BSG
by SportingFanaticism on Aug 11, 2010 4:36 PM EDT up reply actions
I liked the early seasons of BSG. The ending…I jus’ don’ get it.
Warehouse 13 has gotten better. The early seasons were very rough, and there wasn’t any chemistry between the cast early on. They’ve vastly improved recently. It’s still a popcorn-and-beer show, with a metric crapton of refrigerator logic, but it’s become an enjoyable program.
Honor is no substitute for victory.
I like most Sci-Fi ‘light hearted’ shows actually (though ‘early season’s of W13, it is only on the second one, but the chemistry is getting better but love seeing saul rubinek get work (did a solid two parter on Stargate SG1 once) and the claudia girl is good)
When I watch the light hearted stuff on sci-fi i just pretend i don’t know anything about science, like watching Dr Who – i mean come on – the season finale with matt smith was brilliant this year in my estimation but the time paradoxes are impossibly all over the place.
I think some of the most enjoyable (didn’t say best) shows on tv right now are on the basic cable networks, sci-fu, usa, tnt and FX (I don’t like the AMC shows, too serious, though i’ll give rubicon a shot) and hell, my boys on tbs is funny even if it’s over.
by SportingFanaticism on Aug 11, 2010 4:48 PM EDT up reply actions
I’ll have to agree with this. Crazy real-life humor that’s just a bit over the edge but not so much so as to be totally unbelievable (in most cases), crosses the line just enough to be edgy (Asian pediatrician backing over the trash cans is a classic), and has a feel good corny ending to every show. Not to mention Sofia Vergara’s outfits, another bonus.
If you have showtime, check out the on demand preview of the big c – FRACKING hysterical – seen it twice already
And the only thing I like about modern family is the suicidal guy from the class
by SportingFanaticism on Aug 11, 2010 4:37 PM EDT up reply actions
Best Right Now: Army Wives
Best of All Time: ER also loved Charmed
I am also currently addicted to Chopped, Top Chef, and Project Runway
ER wasn’t so bad in the beginning, but always felt Chicago Hope was better
by SportingFanaticism on Aug 11, 2010 4:37 PM EDT up reply actions
Too big a question. “Lots of things that are really good” instead:
Rome. South Park. Simpsons. Lost. BSG. English version of Life on Mars. Mad Men. Looney Tunes. Twilight Zone. Smothers Brothers. Cosby Show. MASH. 60 Minutes. The Tudors. Star Trek TOS. The Universe. Ken Burns Civil War. The Prisoner. Ren & Stimpy. Beavis & Butthead. The Real World. Rocky & Bullwinkle. Captain Kangaroo. The Jeffersons. All in the Family. Little House on the Prairie. Carol Burnett. Carson. Conan. SNL. Weeds. The Wire. Gunsmoke. Sesame Street. Dateline. I Love Lucy. Jeopardy. Parenthood1. Big Love.
Never liked the Sopranos or Seinfeld or the X-Files.
Oh, and the guilty pleasures:
The Joy of Painting. Dukes of Hazzard. The old BSG. The Man Show. CHiPS. Square Pegs. Starsky and Hutch. The Rockford Files. The Brady Bunch. The Price is Right.
1 Not objectively, on Parenthood yet, but I really like it.
Remember the Phitans
by RememberthePhitans on Aug 11, 2010 7:03 PM EDT up reply actions
M*A*S*H….my favorite of all time. So much to talk about in it, and so much to bitch about too.
by WanderingMoses on Aug 11, 2010 10:10 PM EDT up reply actions
Saw Inception for the second time last night. I’m an unabashed Chris Nolan fan (The Prestige may be my favorite movie of all-time), so I might be biased, but that movie is worth all the hype it’s gotten.
I liked it, and I thought it lived up to the hype initially, but then people started making comparisons to the Matrix…and I don’t think Inception comes close to operating at the same level of intellectual sophistication as the Matrix.
Pessimism of the intellect, optimism of the will.
by FuquaManuel on Aug 10, 2010 11:16 PM EDT up reply actions
Enjoyed it. Didn’t love it. Don’t know why everyone was suggesting that it was so complex and hard to grasp. I thought it was overhyped.
If I want to see an epic Leo film, I’ll watch The Departed again for the 19th time.
by Boundforbeach on Aug 11, 2010 10:23 AM EDT up reply actions
Wait, What’s Eating Gilbert Grape isn’t Epic?
by SportingFanaticism on Aug 11, 2010 4:38 PM EDT up reply actions
The Prestige pissed me off because I figured out how Bale did his tricks like almost immediately.
by SportingFanaticism on Aug 11, 2010 4:37 PM EDT up reply actions
Guess I’m the slow one then.
Even knowing that in rewatching it, though, I think the movie holds up really well.
I think it’s a good movie, no doubt, but a film that has a ‘twist’ as a huge part of its film when the twist is obvious and telegraphed losing something to me.
It’s like this thing I wrote about the movie undisputed. A fight movie (to me) is about the fight – a bad fight and it’s just a bad movie
by SportingFanaticism on Aug 11, 2010 6:33 PM EDT up reply actions
So we have discussed movies, tv shows, and music...
What (other than this blog) is everyone reading? What is the best thing you have ever read?
The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber by Ernest Hemingway. Or just about anything written by Hunter S. Thompson…
by Boundforbeach on Aug 11, 2010 10:25 AM EDT up reply actions
For current reading, I’ve been reading Shannon Lee and Steve Miller’s Liaden books. They’re on their fifth publisher since the series started (two of the five went out of business), and I had started with their most recent books (Fledgling, Saltation, and Mouse and Dragon), and have been working my way back through their older work.
For non-fiction, I’ve been working on Unit 731, about Japanese biological warfare in World War II, and Project Orion, a book by Freeman Dyson’s son about the nuclear-bomb-powered spaceship that General Atomics was working on.
Honor is no substitute for victory.
The Lonely Polygamist
The new novel by Brady Udall. I’m a little biased because he was my creative writing professor in college, but it’s a fantastic book. He’s a terrific writer.
FWIW, he was writing about “mainstream polygamy” well before Big Love came around.
http://www.thegoodphight.com
by WholeCamels on Aug 11, 2010 11:22 AM EDT up reply actions
Currently reading: What it Means to Be 98% Chimpanzee by Jonathan Marks
Favorite books: Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison (fiction), Class Notes by Adolph Reed (non-fiction).
Pessimism of the intellect, optimism of the will.
by FuquaManuel on Aug 11, 2010 12:51 PM EDT up reply actions
I just finished the passage, which if you like the stand or books of its ilk I highly recommend. Quite good though the ‘metaphysical’ aspects of religion and such underlying it did get a bit much for me. Very good ‘summer’ reading but not exactly light.
I’m also ’reading ’ a book on PHP and MySQL when my cat lets me
A book called infected, silvertongue, and i haven’t read spook country yet.
The best thing I ever read is just difficult because so many – but right now – prayer for owen meany i guess
by SportingFanaticism on Aug 11, 2010 4:39 PM EDT up reply actions
My O’Connell warnings.
Remember the Phitans
by RememberthePhitans on Aug 11, 2010 6:37 PM EDT up reply actions
How about favorite drink? Beer?
This is one of my favorite topics. I like to drink, especially when I watch a sporting event. AAMOF, during the Phillies 2008 run, I dare say I damn near became an alcoholic.
I really like McSorley’s Irish Black Lager or a good, old fashioned black and tan (Guiness, Bass).
Cocktail of choice is a Bloody Mary with extra horseradish. A non-oaked red wine is also acceptable, preferably a Red Zin or Malbec.
Lex clavatoris designati rescindenda est.
You should try Rogue’s Shakespeare Stoudt, if you like Guinness. It’s a tough find and a little pricey, but it’s very smooth, with chocolate overtones and a smokey character.
I’m actually a bit of a teetotaler, but I love a good quality beer and the occasional straight whiskey or bourbon.
agree w/r/t Rogue’s Shakespeare Stoudt. In fact, they tend to do just about everything well. Other Irish stoudts include Murphy’s and Beamish, which I tend to prefer in the odd places where I can find them. There’s a Philadelphia based home brew group which exhibited at the Michael Jackson confab/tribute a few years ago that did an Irish oatmeal stoudt that was just so creamy and wonderful – but of course was a one-time thing. Seems way too many microbrewers try for Russian Imperial stoudt, which is too sharp for my tastes.
by Wet Luzinski on Aug 12, 2010 12:46 AM EDT up reply actions
Weyerbacher’s Blithering Idiot is excellent, but very strong (11% ABV).
On hot summer days, Leinenkugel Summer Shandy is very refreshing.
yes yes, that Shandy is excellent on hot days.
by Wet Luzinski on Aug 12, 2010 12:46 AM EDT up reply actions
Goose, straight.
Favorite beer? Delirium tremens is tasty and 9% abv, so it’ll get you drunk, and fast. But sometimes I’m just in the mood for a Yuengling.
Pessimism of the intellect, optimism of the will.
by FuquaManuel on Aug 11, 2010 2:14 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
For beer, I’m fond of Old Heathen (which I can sometimes get down here) and Raven (which I can’t) for the smaller breweries. I’m extremely glad we have a Yuengling brewery in Tampa. There’s also a good local Orange Blossom Pilsner, though I can’t remember which brewery makes it. I’m intending to go to the Orlando Brewing Company sometime soon for a tour. They’re a local brewery that’s USDA certified as organic, and follows the German Purity Law of 1516 for their operations.
For other drinks, I’m fond of sweet wines, but dislike dry ones. I also like the old standards of a G&T or vodka and tonic every once in a while.
Honor is no substitute for victory.
Lager
I find myself kind of hating Yuengling Lager these days. It’s the beer I “grew up on” (so to speak… ;) ) and I probably had enough bad nights with it that its flavor and aroma now have way too many negative associations for me. I find it very sweet.
I dig on Yuengling Premium, though.
http://www.thegoodphight.com
It’s still good, but I don’t honestly think it tastes the same as it did before it went national. Am I crazy?
Lex clavatoris designati rescindenda est.
Tastykakes aren’t national or i wouldn’t have to order the damn things online
by SportingFanaticism on Aug 11, 2010 4:41 PM EDT up reply actions
Well for a time (a short time) many moons ago – 7+ years I think – a limited supply was available out here, but there are parts of the country that aren’t on the east coast :)
by SportingFanaticism on Aug 11, 2010 4:54 PM EDT up reply actions
I’m not a Philadelphia native, but I’ve never understood why anybody talks about Tastykakes so reverently. They’re crap.
I dunno. I have been eating them since I was old enough to eat solid foods, pretty much.
Pessimism of the intellect, optimism of the will.
by FuquaManuel on Aug 11, 2010 11:24 PM EDT up reply actions
Whereas I am not from Philly, but 2/3 of my family is, I was introduced to them in my youngness and to this day Kandy Kakes are still my absolute favorite sweet snack. I will get them at the Wawa, since it is the only place here that sells them.
by WanderingMoses on Aug 11, 2010 11:42 PM EDT up reply actions
While fresh cakes and cupcakes definitely taste best, the best baked goods if I am going for something packaged are definitely Tastycakes— I adore Peanut Butter Kandy Kakes, Butterscotch Crumpets and the Coconut Mini Cakes. That being said, I have not met a Tasty Cake I do not like… too bad I gave them up when I went back to weight watchers. :(
Berger cookies from Baltimore.
Remember the Phitans
by RememberthePhitans on Aug 12, 2010 7:13 AM EDT up reply actions
You are not crazy, at least not about Yuengling tasting different. It is made in a couple of breweries now, not just in Pottsville.
Also, there is a substantial difference in taste, IMHO, between the bottled and kegged product. The bulk storing/aging of kegging does good things for most beers/ciders/wines, and Yuengling in particular.
Remember the Phitans
by RememberthePhitans on Aug 11, 2010 6:46 PM EDT up reply actions
Is it? I didn’t know that. I live in Pottsville, and Yuengling’s pretty much our only claim to fame. There are a couple breweries outside Pottsville, but they’re within 5 minutes.
That… and we had a football team in 1925 that won something important but had the title stripped because they broke the rules. I don’t know the details about that, but people are STILL pretty steamed about it.
"Clever girl."
by LeepinLizardz on Aug 11, 2010 10:25 PM EDT up reply actions
Oh woops, just read the comment about the Yuengling brewery in Tampa. My bad.
And here I thought Pottsville was special.
"Clever girl."
by LeepinLizardz on Aug 11, 2010 10:31 PM EDT up reply actions
I grew up in Philly (late 50s – early 60s), and remember loving Tastykakes (especially the fruit pies). Having had them recently (they came to eastern MA a few years ago), I found them not so satisfying. I attribute it to my advanced age and expanded palate.
Try Victory Prima Pils, or if you must stay with lager, Stoudt’s golden lager.
by Wet Luzinski on Aug 12, 2010 12:47 AM EDT up reply actions
also the Sly Fox pils, in cans no less, Sly Fox does some excellent stuff.
Less expensive and no less authentic is Philadelphia Brewing Company’s Kenzinger, and if you like wheat beers, the Walt Wit is great; both go extremely nicely with watching the Phillies.
by Wet Luzinski on Aug 12, 2010 12:50 AM EDT up reply actions
also, as I see you’re from thereabouts, Lancaster Brewing Company — worth the sampler.
by Wet Luzinski on Aug 12, 2010 12:51 AM EDT up reply actions
Beer is tough. Seasonal consideration play into consideration, as does how much I’m drinking.
Summer I like Imperial (costa rican beer). Winter Sam Smith’s Oatmeal. If I’m drinking just one— then give me an Old Chub. If drinking all night, I love me some Stella Artois…
by Boundforbeach on Aug 11, 2010 3:12 PM EDT up reply actions
My homemade hard cider, batch 3.
Remember the Phitans
by RememberthePhitans on Aug 11, 2010 6:39 PM EDT up reply actions
I don't know if anyone watches Americas Got Talent
But I occasionally watch if nothing else is on or there’s a particularly interesting act. I watched last night and most of the acts were terrible (including the “comedian”, though I know 90 seconds is not enough time for any stand-up act to be successful), but I’m still blown away that that voice at the end of the show came out of a 10 year old girl.
I tried to watch it once or twice — as you said — when absolutely nothing else was on. But it’s just brutal..
by Boundforbeach on Aug 11, 2010 3:14 PM EDT up reply actions
Favorite Drink – non alcohol category for us folks who don’t drink?
I really like real pure root beer
by SportingFanaticism on Aug 11, 2010 4:40 PM EDT reply actions
That stuff is good, tried the fruint punch one just last week, didn’t like it.
by SportingFanaticism on Aug 11, 2010 4:55 PM EDT up reply actions
I love soda so much that I refuse to keep it in my apartment (because, quite frankly, it’s just not good for you). Root beer and Dr. Pepper are probably my favorites, though I do like birch beer when I can get my hands on it.
It’s not good for you – and diet soda is actually worse for ya than the real sugar.
I must admit that mexi-cokes (that’s what we call em – the cokes with real sugar) appeal to me too much
by SportingFanaticism on Aug 11, 2010 6:34 PM EDT up reply actions
I like a non-alcoholic version of the bloody mary as well; so sad they closed down Bookbinders. They had the best ones in the city.
I like pomegranate juice and sparkling lime water as a refreshing drink.
I used to drink soda like it was going out of style, but once I discovered wine and coffee, I pretty much quit the stuff. Coke is still #1, and no, Pepsi is not OK. If you don’t have Coke, I’ll drink water.
Lex clavatoris designati rescindenda est.
Tap water or diet mt dew.
Remember the Phitans
by RememberthePhitans on Aug 11, 2010 6:43 PM EDT up reply actions
Fresca is underrated.
Remember the Phitans
by RememberthePhitans on Aug 12, 2010 7:21 AM EDT up reply actions
Trader Joe’s stocks these pear and grapefruit sodas and whatnot. I’m not saying they’re my favorites, but for a change of pace, they are nice.
by Wet Luzinski on Aug 12, 2010 12:53 AM EDT up reply actions
Soda: Mountain Dew (but only the modern kind— the original kind that they are now selling as a retro special is one of the most disgusting things I have tasted recently).
Juice: Tomato Juice. Also Big Cranberry Juice by Nantucket Nectars— the best balance of sweet and tart I have ever seen (although ocean spray is a close second).
I’m puzzled by this. Can you no longer get regular Mt. Dew? I don’t drink soda much anymore but good old-fashioned Mt. Dew is my favorite.
There is a retro Mt Dew without HFC (it uses plain old sugar instead). It has culturally stereotyped rural white mountain people on it. Look in your soda section.
No, Virginia, regular mountain dew is not being replaced.
Remember the Phitans
by RememberthePhitans on Aug 13, 2010 6:52 AM EDT up reply actions
I was in my local Shopper’s and they had an entire display of 12 packs of Pepsi, Mt Dew, and Dr. Pepper all made with sugar. But current versions with syrup are in the regular soda aisle.
by WanderingMoses on Aug 13, 2010 6:14 PM EDT up reply actions
No, ocean spray is the best. Don’t even try to argue otherwise. I have never used Nantucket Nectars with my vodka and I never would. You know why? Because who the hell mixes nantucket nectars with vodka? Shit’s unseemly.
Pessimism of the intellect, optimism of the will.
by FuquaManuel on Aug 12, 2010 11:40 PM EDT up reply actions
Anyone here picked up an iPAD yet? I’ve though of some pretty good applications, including sports wise, for them but nothing making it worth the 499 :)
by SportingFanaticism on Aug 11, 2010 4:43 PM EDT reply actions
I have some friends with them. They pretty much agree with my initial impression — they’re really cool, and they’re great for certain things (watching video, for instance), but they’re definitely a luxury item.
when the ipod with video came out they talked about how everyone in a dug out could have video of a pitcher / batter match up – whatever you needed – so i think the ipad is a definite upgrade over the ipod – i also think for the more ‘metric’ minded managers, and ipad with all the relevant data to the game could be a helpf ASSISTANT to that gut of his
by SportingFanaticism on Aug 11, 2010 6:35 PM EDT up reply actions
Pretty sure that kind of thing is against the rules. The only “electronics” allowed in the dugout is the hard-wired bullpen phone.
Christ, can you imagine the level of bitching from the Mets if they saw Cholly in the dugout with an IPad.?
All the more reason to have it…make the iPad in the shape of binoculars.
by WanderingMoses on Aug 11, 2010 10:12 PM EDT up reply actions
As usual, MLB has stupid rules that leave it in the stone age
by SportingFanaticism on Aug 11, 2010 11:47 PM EDT up reply actions
I picked one up…and then threw it at the Apple Fanboi who had it. Reminds me of this (though it is re: iPhone4, not the iPad):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FL7yD-0pqZg
Remember the Phitans
by RememberthePhitans on Aug 11, 2010 6:41 PM EDT up reply actions
Zoowithroy would like to get an iPad and pretend it was an iPhone, so he would look like a midget. That guy is a genius.
"Clever girl."
by LeepinLizardz on Aug 11, 2010 10:29 PM EDT up reply actions
I have (and adore) my iPhone, including an absolute addiction to AtBat, but having looked at the iPad, could not bring myself to spend $499 for one, particularly since I could not see how it would be useful in my regular life without paying to expand my data package to cover it as well- if all I have to access the web is wi-fi, I do not see how it is more useful than the laptop I already have. I also did not quite see how the iPad would fit into my life even with the data package— it seemed big and unwieldy to take with me places, which would have limited its utility— not worth the $500 to me.
I live in a town with one good movie theater
tomorrow it will have the following six films
Cat’s and dogs 2, the expendables, eat pray love, despicable me, inception and salt (or possibly step up 3-d both of which suck)
Which means the only movie i’ve wanted to pay to see all year is relegated to the crappy theaters.
Ugh – small towns sucks (i consider 100K population a small town)
by SportingFanaticism on Aug 12, 2010 2:47 PM EDT reply actions
I know it’s based on a comic book, but the appeal just escapes me.
http://www.thegoodphight.com
by WholeCamels on Aug 13, 2010 11:49 AM EDT up reply actions
There are a lot of solid reviews over at aintitcool that tell a bit more about what the movie is really about than the trailers.
For me, before I even knew what it was about – the appeal was this guy
I usually don’t pay for films in the theater for a variety of reasons (though jewish christmas day tradition), but certain films I want to see on the big screen for any number of reasons, this one because I think Wright is a comedic genius who should get as much support as possible
by SportingFanaticism on Aug 13, 2010 11:57 AM EDT up reply actions
I have never met a Jew who doesn’t go to the movies on Christmas day. That’s funny.
Pessimism of the intellect, optimism of the will.
by FuquaManuel on Aug 13, 2010 12:14 PM EDT up reply actions
MOvies and Chinese.
WTF else is there to do really?
by SportingFanaticism on Aug 13, 2010 12:20 PM EDT up reply actions
Exactly. There’s a certain charm to it too. Makes me feel warm inside. Maybe it’s just the lack of goyim…
Pessimism of the intellect, optimism of the will.
by FuquaManuel on Aug 13, 2010 12:29 PM EDT up reply actions
That’s the kind of stuff that makes me envious. I would love to go to the movies and eat Chinese food on Christmas. Instead, I have to be all close with the family and eat a bunch of stuff that violate every single tenet of Kashrut.
by WanderingMoses on Aug 13, 2010 6:16 PM EDT up reply actions
I’m in this weird family limbo where there are no young children anywhere in the family so there’s no “magic of Christmas” yet everyone still has to get together. And my wife’s family is Jewish, but her mother was born Catholic and hasn’t let go of the Christmasy shit. So I’m stuck 40% celebrating a few holidays and “being with the family” when I’d much rather spend five days in the Virgin Islands or something.
http://www.thegoodphight.com
by WholeCamels on Aug 13, 2010 11:42 PM EDT up reply actions
Orlando, FL
I’m sorry. (Living in Orlando for 25 years, the magic gets a wee bit tarnished)
The Outer Banks (spent about a week at Okracoke, went to Hatteras and Kitty Hawk/Kill Devil Hills)
I’m also an old ship aficionado, so I’ve gone to places like Mobile for the Alabama), Boston for the Constitution), back up to Philly for the Olympia, and Patriot’s Point for Yorktown and Laffey. Most of those trips are right around three days, and most people would probably be interested in the first ship they went to and then not want to do it again, but I enjoy them. I need to go over to Tampa to see the Victory Ship American Victory, and I’d like to get to Chicago to see the U-505, as well as someday making a California run for the Midway (and, to a lesser extent, the Hornet, which is a sister ship to Yorktown).
Honor is no substitute for victory.
Make sure you check before going to visit the Hunley, since the conservation efforts are still ongoing. I believe they allow visitors on the weekends, with the center closed to visitors on weekdays to let the archaeologists work, but I haven’t checked recently. They’re supposed to rotate the sub next year to get it upright (it’s currently in the tank at a 45 degree angle to starboard, the same as it was on the ocean floor), and the salt leaching should be done around 2013, with permanent display in a museum around 2015.
Honor is no substitute for victory.
HMS Victory in Portsmouth is hereby your Holy Grail.
by Wet Luzinski on Aug 16, 2010 7:47 PM EDT up reply actions
There was football involved… made the pilgrimage from Pennsville (50 miles south of Philadelphia to Foxboro by way of New Hampshire). 3 days hanging out with my best friend, going to stitching shops in her native New Hampshire, then driving down to the game (a 3 hour drive turned to six by a combination of road construction and stadium traffic… I will never complain about trying to get to CBP or the Linc again) and seeing Tom Brady return to football (along with a thrilling win over the Bills), was as close to a perfect vacation as I could get without getting to Fenway while I was there (there are places that my best friend will not go, even with me begging… although I am turning her into a Phillies Phan!).
I was just in Pennsville yesterday visiting family. Odd.
by WanderingMoses on Aug 17, 2010 3:17 PM EDT up reply actions
Lenox, Massachusetts (Berkshires in western Mass)
Pessimism of the intellect, optimism of the will.
by FuquaManuel on Aug 16, 2010 12:37 AM EDT up reply actions
Lake Champlain. In fact, next month my wife and I are going to the Basin Harbor Club for the third time since last September (via special offers from travelzoo.com).
Best vacation with the daughters was Santa Fe. Indian Market (held annually in August) is amazing, as are the cliff dwellings and ruins.
I’ve been to the Santa Fe Indian market. It was very cool. I liked NM a lot, but I’m in no real rush to go back.
Pessimism of the intellect, optimism of the will.
by FuquaManuel on Aug 16, 2010 10:52 AM EDT up reply actions
My wife and I love the Denver area (great in the summer for hiking and touristy stuff, great in the winter for Snowboarding and touristy stuff).
I also loved Alaska when we went on a cruise through the inside passage 3 years ago (spent less than a day in each port, but I say screw WL’s “rules” and I’m counting it).
we don’t countenance no renegades on this here blog, son!
by Wet Luzinski on Aug 16, 2010 7:57 PM EDT up reply actions
Maui, or really just about anywhere in Hawaii, ought to be on your bucket list.
Wholly different venue: Cheyenne during Frontier Days, which my wife and I stumbled into a few years back. Now awaiting the kids being just a bit older and taking the special steam train north from Denver for it.
Common to both places: I had a hard time believing I was in the same country.
by Wet Luzinski on Aug 16, 2010 7:56 PM EDT up reply actions
I like cities, I like steam and concrete and things to do at 2 AM. I live in a place that people flock to for the beaches and the mountains and honestly, the thing that bugs me the most about it is the damn tourists
Seriously, tourist season never ends here.
I visited my sister when she was living in NYC once for a week and all I wanted was a damn sandwich, standard deli sandwich, but every freaking place had a line around the block of obvious tourists so I just passed on it.
by SportingFanaticism on Aug 16, 2010 11:28 PM EDT up reply actions
Hawaii is definitely on mine, along with Alaska… actually the travel bucket list is something like this:
- All 50 States
- All 30 MLB Parks (preferably only for Phillies games, although this may be quite difficult and may require modification to hit all of the AL parks)
- All 32 NFL Stadiums (for Patriots or Eagles games)
- Canada (probably as part of the MLB tour)
- Mexico
- Paris
- London
- Rome
- Australia
- China
- Japan
- Singapore
- India
- Israel
- Somewhere in Africa and South America so that I can say that I have vacationed on every continent.
I haven’t been to Captiva, but I’ve gone to Sanibel. It’s a very nice area, and Captiva should be a bit quieter than Sanibel, since the causeway to the mainland is on the opposite side of the islands from Captiva. It’s also a very controlled community – no new buildings (post-1974) are permitted to be more than two stories tall, and the only fast food restaurant in the island chain is a single Dairy Queen that was there before the causeway was built. If you go during summer, it will rain almost daily, but they’re generally brief showers. The village of Captiva has a year-round population of under 400
Honor is no substitute for victory.
Big Island, Hawaii. Just ridiculous. Almost every imaginable climate/“biome” on the planet. In the jungle in the morning, drive an hour or so, and you’re in areas that look exactly like Wyoming.
http://www.thegoodphight.com
by WholeCamels on Aug 17, 2010 11:51 AM EDT up reply actions
Dear Whomever you are
Thank you for putting the ultimate universe and the chronology online (even though some of it conflicts) as I though the payoff at the end wasn’t half bad.
by SportingFanaticism on Aug 16, 2010 11:29 PM EDT reply actions
Are you talking about Marvel? I googled, but admit I’m not very well informed on the comics, but I’m interested because the husband is obsessed with Marvel now and I’m always looking for gift ideas.
Lex clavatoris designati rescindenda est.
Yes Marvel comics ultimate universe which lasted a few years.
by SportingFanaticism on Aug 17, 2010 10:51 AM EDT up reply actions
http://icanhascheezburger.files.wordpress.com/2010/08/55a6e450-317e-441f-a191-f24d193f207c.jpg
Useful Picture For Future Reference (Link in subject)
by SportingFanaticism on Aug 18, 2010 11:48 AM EDT reply actions
Dear Dr Laura
Your idiotic use of an offensive word, in any context, can cost you your job as long as your employer feels like it, please read the first amendment and pay attention to the first couple words of the amendment, and understand the difference between the actual application of the first amendment and you losing your job, which of course will lead to a big paying job on Fox News where other such ‘victims’ like Hannity and Glen Beck end up…
by SportingFanaticism on Aug 20, 2010 1:33 PM EDT reply actions
Agreed, but I’ve found even strict constitutionalists tend to be pretty selective in what should be enforced and what the amendments mean. She did unleash one supremely disconnected from reality rant though.
I haven’t heard the rant, but I tend to think of things like this and the imus thing in this way:
It’s advertiser/pr/ratings related. If what you say costs your parent company these things, which then costs money, they fire you just like when a shows ratings go down. The show might even still be good, but sorry, show is cancelled because it isn’t making money. Dr Laura may have a high opinion of her self (and i’ve met her – god what a twat) – but her ‘job’ is to make money for her employer and if they thought she could continue to make good money without costing them money in other places, they wouldn’t have fired her – and i’m sure she was asked to resign.
Like I said though, I believe she’ll end up on FOX, another bitter whiner about how evil the government is that praised the exact same policies when the guy in the white house was dumber than a monkey
by SportingFanaticism on Aug 20, 2010 1:52 PM EDT up reply actions
in 10 minutes in I can convert two nba rosters from the HTML into CSV for my database :)
by SportingFanaticism on Aug 20, 2010 3:22 PM EDT up reply actions
Not gonna lie, when Wayans and Rock et al., go off on one of their N-laced riffs, I do laugh. And the scene in Pulp Fiction where QT demands the removal of the dead man from his garage is also quite funny. But the rants from Michael Richards and Dr. Laura didn’t have that kind of comedic context around them.
Ultimately, what got me about the latest rant was the closing comment, which was to the effect that you just shouldn’t marry outside your race. The word aside, that last sentiment was the truly racist and offensive part of her diatribe.
There’s always the ’i’m a member making it my own word’ rule that allows guys like the wayans brothers and chris rock to say things others couldn’t same applies to jewish stereotypes and jewish comedians.
by SportingFanaticism on Aug 23, 2010 12:20 PM EDT up reply actions
Desired (realistic) career change goals – go:
I want to get a masters in statistics and use that combined with my love (shut up) of databases to move into sports statistics somehow
by SportingFanaticism on Aug 20, 2010 1:56 PM EDT reply actions
Real Realistic Goal: Parlay my legal knowledge and experience into a full time law job. I would love to not be unemployed every few months for varying amounts of time, to be able to use all of the skills I worked so hard to develop in law school, and to be able to make a difference.
Less Realistic Goal: Find a way to use my sports knowledge to jump into either sports journalism or radio. I have been thinking of writing for a while, but my mom and sister think that i should do radio— particularly color commentary due to my ability to remember sports events without a book in front of me. I would just love to parlay my love of sports into a paying job.
Radio’s tough, and the best way in is unpaid gigs (reading the news on a small station or being a “runner” for a local show or minor league team’s broadcast). Recording a demo reel to try to get work can cost up to 3 grand.
My long term goal, by the way is voice acting (mostly commercials, though with all the game developers down here working on some video games would be nice too (huge money there).
Batting practice
Not that off topic, but it doesn’t fit anywhere else…
A while back I had asked whether there was a way to find out if there would be outdoor batting practice before that day’s game.
Just fyi, it turns out there is a daily recording that has this information, at 267-570-BATS (2287).
Back to Scott Pilgrim
Saw it a few days ago, and it was excellent. I didn’t know what the conceit was going in, except that Scott had to fight evil exes in “a video game way,” whatever that meant. Well, that’s exactly what happens, and the direction (quick cuts, quicker dialogue) worked beautifully.
I’m lukewarm about Micheal Cera, but Kieran Culkin was excellent, and the rest of the cast was spot on (esp. the increasingly adorable Anna Kendrick). I know the film targets a young demographic, but it works for us mid-50s comic book / video game fans also.
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