Apr 29, 2011

Oh Hell Yeah!

Mags with her "apple pie"

I got a little hillbilly in my genes.  Must have.

Because ever week when I'm watching Justified and Mags brings out her "apple pie"...that's moonshine whiskey distilled with apple and spices served in a big ole' mason jar...I start to salivate.  Man, I want that "apple pie" more than anything.  And drinking booze out of a mason jar?  Like the title of the post says, oh hell yeah!  That's what I'm talkin' 'bout.

Unfortunately, you can't get that 'round here.

Or can you?


That's Midnight Moon "Apple Pie" whiskey right up front.  The other two are strawberry and cherry, but frankly...the thought of those two makes me throw up in my mouth a little bit.  But the "apple pie"...yeah, I want that.  NOW!

I found it at a local liquor store earlier this week and I sat my faux hillbilly ass down last night to watch this week's episode of Justified with it.  Gia was cracking up.  She wouldn't try it, but she said it smelled like alcoholic apple pie.  Which it did.

I can't even begin to tell you how happy I was when Mags brought out the mason jar, and she and Arlo shared a drink of "apple pie" while I joined them from my living room.

It's the little moments in life that bring me some wonderful joy.  This was definitely one of those moments.

And a big "fuck you" if you don't understand that.

Apr 28, 2011

RW's Kitchen: Lamb meatballs with couscous and feta

That's right, RW's kitchen.  Well, I made this in my kitchen, but it's a recipe that he posted on his blog a while back.  Sounded delicious and I tucked it away in the recipe memory banks to make some day.  Yesterday was some day.  Instead of re-posting the recipe here, just click on that link above and you can see the simple genius behind it all over at his joint.

But basically, it was ground lamb meatballs served over couscous with some sliced tomatoes and cucumbers and feta cheese.  It all gets a splash of a homemade dressing made with fresh lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil.  I can't praise this recipe enough.  It was incredibly easy to make and thoroughly delicious.

Here's a (blurry) pic of the final product:


The only thing I added to the recipe is the greek yogurt there on the left that I served with the dish.  And some whole wheat pita bread to shovel it all down.

So thanks, RW,  It was awesome!

Apr 27, 2011

I miss...

...Key West.

I had drinks yesterday evening at a Tiki Bar kinda place on our harbor that I haven't been to in years.  Which is sad, because it's pretty much the only joint in walking distance from our home worth going to.  But there are/were reasons for not going, and we kinda stuck to them.  But I decided to put that all behind and just go.  And it was glorious.  Beautiful 70's weather, a view of the harbor, cold cocktails...it all felt right.

Then there is that new movie coming out with John Krasinski and Kate Hudson.  I forget what it's called, but part of it was filmed in that bar I went to last night.  I saw it on a commercial for the film and they made the joint look like something out of Key West.  Probably why I was open to going back there after several years.

Then there is the 3rd Jack Reacher book from Lee Child that I'm reading right now.  Starts off in Key West in a bar that sounds just like Captain Tony's Saloon before moving on to NYC.  It's all around me, this Key West nostalgia.

I need to go back.

Now.

Apr 26, 2011

The Stand

I re-watched the television mini-series adaptation of Stephen King's The Stand last week, and I was struck by a few things.

1. It looked really cheap, even for television. It was 1994, after all.
2. There was some truly horrendous acting going down.*
3. I still enjoyed the hell out of it.

I know.  Numbers 1 and 2 don't usually add up to number 3 in cases like this, but for me they did.  Maybe it's because The Stand is one of my all-time favorite books.  I said it.  And it's not even my favorite Stephen King book.  What's my Top 5 Stephen King novel list look like?  Glad you asked.

5. Carrie
4. The Dead Zone
3. The Shining
2. The Stand
1. 'Salem's Lot

The more astute Stephen King fan might notice that those were the first 5 novels that he published.  Or, to be more factual, the first 5 novels he published AS Stephen King.  He snuck in Rage and The Long Walk as Richard Bachman in between some of those, but really...those are his first 5.  Not in the order I listed above.  Carrie was first, followed by 'Salem's Lot, The Shining, The Stand and The Dead Zone.

It's not like I haven't liked anything that he published after those first 5.  I have.  It was real close to making the list, and it's probably a dead heat between it (hehe) and Carrie for 5th place.  But I read It after having read Peter Straub's wonderful Floating Dragon, and they seemed a bit too similar to me at the time.  I've re-read it a few times, but it just doesn't do it for me as much as those other 5. 

I don't know why, but I stopped reading Stephen King around the time Dolores Claiborne came out in 1993.  I had read Gerald's Game just before that and I really disliked it.  But that's the way I am with some things in my life.  Just drop it like it's hot.  Done.  I haven't read any of the Dark Tower books, even though they've been recommended to me by dozens of people.  I tried reading the sequel to The Talisman (co-written with Peter Straub), Black House...but it didn't take. I did read Cell a few years back, but it left me longing for more.

It left me longing for The Stand.  I'm gonna have to re-read it again soon.  It's about time.

*The culprits? Corin Nemec, Laura San Giacomo, Molly Ringwald (ugh!), Matt Frewer and Shawnee Smith.  But they were offset by the great acting jobs put in by Gary Sinise, Rob Lowe, Jamey Sheridan, Miguel Ferrer and Ray Walston.  Even the guy who played Larry Underwood was pretty good, even if I've never really seen him in anything else.

Apr 25, 2011

Sleep

Had a weird sleep weekend which I hope doesn't translate into a weird sleep week or something.

Friday night was an absolutely drinktastic new episode of Just Talking to the Cornfield. If you want to hear what The Colonel sounds like drunk off of his ass, then this episode is for you.  I wasn't quite so gone baby gone, but the words "huge Dominican cock" were uttered by me at one point.  Yeah.  So be sure to download the episode on Talkshoe or iTunes.  You will be disappointed.

The cats, one asshole in particular, woke me up early on Saturday after about 4 and 1/2 hours of sleep.  Not my favorite way to begin a Saturday.  Especially when I found it difficult to fall back asleep.  After a little while I stopped trying, but late Saturday afternoon I was able to fit in a decent little nap.  Now the problem?  I wasn't tired at all on Saturday night. 

So I stayed up.

All.  Night.  Long.

I re-watched Gangs of New York (man...Cameron Diaz? WTF?) and I finished a book I had been reading.  And read a bunch of stuff online.  Next thing I knew, it was 7AM on Easter Sunday morning.  Yikes!  That was okay.  We had dinner plans later on in the day, and it was a foggy, crappy morning.  Almost perfect for sleeping, so I gave it a shot and managed to get a decent 5 hours in, waking up at noon.

Which was fine, really.  I hadn't been drinking or carousing on Saturday, so a five-hour recharge is usually perfect for me.  Except that it wasn't and by the time we got home on Sunday, at 7:30PM, I could barely keep my eyes open.  So I didn't and I fell asleep. For a few hours.

Now, it's a little past 11:30PM on Sunday night as I type this and I'm wide awake again.  I somehow managed to get in a little over 8 hours of sleep today, but it was all the wrong hours and I have this sinking dread that I'm going to be up all night again.

So if you see me roaming the blogosphere or Twitter early on Monday AM (after midnight), tell me to get my ass back to bed.  Because I'll pay for it tomorrow if I don't

Apr 22, 2011

Special New Episide tonight at 9PM EST - JTTTC

That's right.  For one week only, we are moving our live broadcast to Friday night at 9PM EST.  Why?  Just because, just for scuzz.  Actually, this Sunday is Easter Sunday and while I don't really practice my faith, I do use it as an excuse to do something fun every once in a while.  Like head out to dinner, which is what we are doing on Sunday.  So we just felt that Friday (yeah...I know, Good Friday) would be a better time for it.

PLUS you get the added bonus of it being a post-happy hour show, so there is gonna be a good chance that both The Colonel and I are gonna be snockered.  He, for one, has all but guaranteed it.  So why don't you join us for the live show in the chat room?  All the used-to-be-cool kids are doing it!

Here's the weekly email from The Colonel with the funky cold details:
_________________________________________________________

Due to the holiday season and the upcoming Easter Sunday festivities, Earl and Colonel will be lifting their glasses Friday night to bring you a confusing and entertaining show:
 
Episode Notes: A very special post-Happy Hour edition of JTTTC. Yeah, we might be a little bit tipsy. And by tipsy, I mean stooopid. Join Earl and The Colonel as we talk about 106mph heaters, fat tubs of goo, the Cornfield All-Stars and the true meanings of Passover and Holy Week. It'll be one for the ages, folks.
 
Also, please take a moment to visit our website and sign up to get on our potentially disturbing mailing list.
 
 
 
Join us Friday night at 9 using the following link:
 
 
Or as usual you can listen to the show on I-Tunes when its posted during the week:
 
 
 
 
Sincerely,
 
Earl and The Colonel
 
 
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Apr 21, 2011

Earl's Kitchen - Chickpea and Artichoke Heart Salad

I honestly have no idea about fat content, calories or whatever else with this recipe.  But it certainly feels healthier than most of the stuff I've been posting on here lately.  And it could be used as either a side dish or an entree salad.  Especially if you add in some grilled chicken or pork souvlaki.  But we decided to go meat-less for our meal last night.  Just the salad, some crackers and some water to (arti-)choke it all down with.  See what I did there?

Now I need some potato chips and beer.

Chickpea and Artichoke Heart Salad
(recipe courtesy of Food.com)

Ingredients
• 1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained (garbanzo beans)
• 1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained
• 1 (7 ounce) jar roasted sweet red peppers, drained and diced
• 1/2 cup pitted kalamata olive
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 3 scallions, finely sliced
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1-2 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
• 2 teaspoons za'atar spice mix (optional)
• 1 teaspoon sugar (or to taste)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

I didn't follow the recipe exactly, but I came close enough. Didn't have any za'atar spice mix or fresh mint, and I used more chickpeas than the recipe called for. Like I said, it was pretty close.  And it was delicious!

- Combine the chickpeas, artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers, feta cheese, kalamata olives and parsley in a large bowl.  Give it a few gentle stirs with a big wooden spoon to introduce each ingredient to one another.

- In a small bowl, mix together the red wine vinegar, salt, sugar, pepper, mint and the za'atar spice mix (if you have it).  I added a bit of lemon pepper spice mix myself because Gia likes.  Then you want to slowly add the olive oil, mixing it in with a whisk so that it incorporates into a dressing.

 - Add the dressing to the salad and mix well.  Cover and refrigerate for a few hours before serving and you are ready to go.

Like I said, add some chicken or pork or whatever if you want.  I think it tasted great as is, but by all means...get your carnivore on.  I made this around lunchtime and threw it in the fridge to blend the flavors until we were ready to eat at dinner time.  Turned out great.  Here's a shot of the final product:


Nom nom nom nom...


Do it to it, people!

Apr 20, 2011

A Man For All Seasons

All the hullabaloo surrounding the Royal Wedding that is going on right now, for some reason made me think of Robert Zimmerman's awesome A Man For All Seasons from 1966 starring Paul Scofield as Sir Thomas More. If you aren't familiar with the film or the story it tells, you can read a little bit about Sir Thomas More here.  Or you can just enjoy the trailer for the film below. 


As much as make fun of myself for the low-grade crap that I'm constantly watching, I do have a secret high-brow side that I rarely let anyone see. With that in mind, I have to say that A Man For All Seasons is probably in my top 5 movies of all-time. There isn't anything about it that I don't love. And historical dramas often bore me to tears. Not this one though. Maybe it's because of the subject matter of this particular film.  King Henry VIII and his mechanisms of pushing England toward Reformation.  It's fascinating stuff, in my opinion.

Speaking of Hank, I think Robert Shaw's depiction of him in this film is the best ever.  Athletic and quick to anger or joy is something that was often written about Henry VIII.  So the traditional depiction of the fat oaf with the greasy turkey leg has always bothered me.  Shaw's Henry was dangerous, smart and larger than life.  And that's how I always pictured the man.

Apr 19, 2011

Random shit

Not actual shit, although I am feeling a certain something coming on.  Now that I think of it.  Nope, just some random thoughts jotted down during the day.  Otherwise known in the business as a "bullet post".  Yeah.
  • I've been listening to a lot of podcasts while I work lately.  And the big ones all seem to have the same kind of advertising.  Fleshlight (a jackoff device), Adam & Eve (an online adult store), Ashley Madison (a social networking site for hookers and guys who want to cheat on their wives).  Stuff like that.  Has anyone else noticed the same thing, or is it more a reflection of the crap I'm subscribing to?  Probably the latter.
  • MLB.TV is my favorite toy.  Last night, my radio show co-host The Colonel shot me a text telling me to check the SF Giants game where Tim Lincecum was pitching a no-hitter.  So I did, and he promptly lost it after a couple of minutes.  Then he texted me to watch the replays on Sportscenter of the Reds game because Aroldis Chapman threw a pitch at 106mph.  But I didn't have to wait.  MLB.TV, which I watch through my Roku box on the television, allows me to jump to a specific inning.  So I did...and it was glorious.  I don't trust the radar gun in Cincy, but damn that kid throws hard.
  • I've been reading some of the Jack Reacher books from Lee Child, and enjoying them...in a brain-dead kinda way.  They aren't high art, I'll tell you that.  But they are entertaining.  In the mold of Clive Cussler writing about Dirk Pitt back in the day.  Every novel has the same basic outline, but that's okay.  Sometimes that's what you need.  Just basic, fun entertainment. 
  • Saw "The Other Guys" and "Due Date" on back-to-back nights last week, and I don't know which one we laughed at more.  I had already seen "The Other Guys", but it had just become available on Netflix Instant and Gia hadn't seen it yet.  I honestly liked it more the second time around.  And "Due Date" was brilliant in a "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" kinda way.  Robert Downey Jr. is some actor.  I highly recommend both if you are in the mood for a laugh.
  • In yesterday's post, I neglected to mention Brian Wilson of the SF Giants.  Which is weird, because he was the inspiration of the post.  He is, after all, The Humungus of the Goofy Wasteland.
  • I really don't know what is going on over on Twitter most every day.  Yesterday, "crusty eye syndrome" was trending.  I don't know what that is, nor do I want to look it up.  Sometimes I feel like the old guy who doesn't get it when I'm on there.  "Get off my lawn!"
  • Speaking of Twitter, Dave2 tweeted (I hate that term) that he had eaten an entire bag of Chili-Cheese Fritos and he was just waiting for the inevitable Chili-Cheese farts.  Or something like that.  I was just pissed that Chili-Cheese Fritos weren't available in my area.  EXCEPT THEY ARE!!!  I just checked online and it looks like 7-11 is now selling them.  #bigfuckingwin
  • Now excuse me while I make a 7-11 run.

Apr 18, 2011

Bringing Goofy Back

Didn't really get a chance to talk about it last night on our radio show (listen here or here, if you want to be one of the cool kids) because it's more of a visual thing, but it seems like certain baseball players are now doing their best to bring goofy back.  Not the Disney character who may or may not be a dog, but just the general goofiness that used to be so prevalent in the game back in the day.

Like Coco Crisp with the Oakland A's.  He let out his braids and went with the giant afro look last week.


Or John Axford, a pitcher for the Milwaukee Brewers.  He decided to go with the Rollie Fingers handlebar mustache look.


Or how about Barry Zito, a pitcher with the SF Giants. He also has an epic mustache, but more on the Magnum PI/70's porn tip.


I don't know if all of this is signaling a more permanent shift in the level of goofy that baseball has going on right now.  But I appreciated the effort from these guys.  After all, it's only a game.

Apr 17, 2011

New Episide tonight at 9PM EST - JTTTC

Once again, I'll just cut and paste the weekly email that The Colonel sends out.  Which is weird, because in it he uses my words from the Talkshoe site describing the episode.  Very, very meta.  Just the way you like it.

_______________________________________________________

Well instead of trying to come up with a creative way to introduce tonights show, I figured I may as well just use Earls 'way'.

 
 
 
Earl and the Colonel will talk about the season-to-date and some of the recent headline stories in MLB. We'll also talk about some career goals for active major leaguers. Can Miggy Cabrera put down the bottle long enough to accumulate 3000 hits? For that matter, can Earl put down the bottle long enough to get through the show? It's gonna be a high-brow kind of scholarly debate that you all crave. Or a lot of dick and fart jokes. Either way, the winner is YOU!
 
 
 
Also, please take a moment to visit our website and sign up to get on our potentially disturbing mailing list.
 
 
 
In the meantime, join us tonight at 9 using the following link:
 
Or as usual you can listen to the show on I-Tunes when its posted during the week:
 
 
 
 
 
Sincerely,
 
Earl and The Colonel
 
 
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Apr 15, 2011

Asshole Cat

A lot of times when folks complain about their kids or just mention a problem that they are having with one of them, I reply with "that's why I have cats."

Well let me tell you about one of my asshole cats.  Avery, or Bootsy Collins as he is referred to in some circles.  You may have heard me talking about him on our radio show (you haven't?  Well, listen in here). Here's the little fucker:

Notice the eye boogies
Bootsy is a bit of a prick. He's a Ragamuffin by breed, and those mother-fuckers are supposed to be social, cuddly and loving.  But the best word to describe Bootsy is "aloof".  Sure, he gets all cute and warm twice a day.  Right before it's time to eat.  The rest of the day?  He doesn't want anything to do with us.  Unless we are using a laser pointer to drive him nuts.  He likes us then.

How is he an asshole?  Let me count the ways:

1. Every morning he wakes us up earlier than we would like to feed him.  How does he do that?  Well, he first jumps up on the bed and tries meowing us to death.  After we ignore that for a while, he decides to start knocking things off the side table.  Gia's glasses? On the floor.  Cellphones?  On the floor.  Full glass of water?  That he tries to aim at one of our heads.  If that doesn't work, then he jumps up on the window sill and messes with the metal blinds, making a racket.  Yeah...he's a piece of work.  His reward for all this is a glorious plate full of delicious tuna or salmon or whatever it is that comes out of the can.  Yeah...we suck.

2. We have about a hundred cat toys strewn throughout our home.  Little fake mice, felt things with bells in them, plastic doo-dads.  Stuff like that.  But none of them are to be found because Bootsy, more so than any of the other cats, likes to knock them underneath the refrigerator or the 1,000 pound dresser or the TV stand.  Wherever it is hardest for us humans to help them retrieve them.  So every night now, after he eats dinner, Bootsy walks around meowing for cat toys.  And then he walks up and bites my feet.  Not hard, just enough to get my attention.  Gia thinks it's hilarious, because he only does it to me.  Seven out of ten times it works too.  Yeah...we suck.

3. Then yesterday he really needed our help.  I saw him come out of the laundry room where we keep the litter boxes.  And he was doing a squiggee kind of walk, so I knew something was up.  Yup...little fucker shit himself all over the place.  I managed to grab him before he turned that squiggee walk into a squiggee shuffle all over the carpet in an attempt to dislodge the, uh, crap.  He was a mess.  So I yelled for Gia and with the help of some paper towels, water and a pair of scissors we were finally able to get him clean.  We both threw up a little in our mouths, but we got the job done.

OK, that last one wasn't really his fault.  But when you add up the rest of his behavior, it just leaves a bad taste in your mouth.  Or odor in your nose. Ugh...that was so friggin' awful.  He's such an asshole.

PS - We really do love our Bootsy.  For now...

Apr 14, 2011

Earl's Kitchen - Country Fried Steak with Gravy

Had me a jones for some Southern cookin' last night, so I decided to give some Country Fried Steak with Black Pepper Gravy a try.  Rounded up the dish with some wasabi mashed potatoes and no greens whatsoever.  Just meat and potatoes, ma'am.  Here's how we do:

Country Fried Steak and Gravy

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds sirloin tip roast (or whatever you like)
salt to taste
1 1/2 cups flour and spices (see below)
1 tbsp cracked black pepper
vegetable oil - for deep frying
2 tbsp flour
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/8 cup soy sauce
juice of two lemons or limes
2 tsp Tabasco sauce

First you want to take your roast (or whatever) and cut it into 1/2 thick slices.  Now pound your meat...with a meat tenderizer.  Bunch of sickos.  The resulting hunk of meat should look a little something like this:

Sooooo meaty!

Now, take all of your tenderized meat fillets and let them marinate in the red wine vinegar, soy sauce, lemon/lime juice and Tabasco sauce in the fridge for about 3 hours.  This is a variant on my own personal marinade that I make all the time.  Traditional recipes call for soaking the meat in cold water, white vinegar and salt.  But fuck that noise.  Mine is better.  The red wine vinegar gives it some tang, the soy sauce gives it the saltiness, the fresh citrus tenderizes the beef nicely and the Tabasco gives it a hint of heat.  I like that. But really, feel free to marinate the beef how you marinate beef.

Take your beef out of the fridge a good half-hour before you intend on cooking it and drain the marinade.  Get your oil going in a deep frying pan over medium heat.  You want the oil at around 350°, if you can.  Pat the meat dry with a paper towel and then dredge in a plastic bag with flour.  Now you can add whatever spices you want to the flower to make the coating taste however you want it to taste.  Salt, pepper, thyme, red pepper flakes, lemon-pepper, whatever.  I decided to give something I saw in the market a try.  Some Southern-flavored flour specifically to use for fried chicken, pork or steak.  This stuff:

I like how it says "Kernel" instead of Colonel

After the beef fillet is thoroughly coated  in your flour mixture, add it in batches to your heated oil.  But don't overcrowd.  Cook them two at a time if you have to.  Fry them up until they are a nice golden light brown.  Maybe a minute or so on each side.  Drain on paper towels when done and set aside on a heated platter covered with aluminum foil to keep them warm.

Now for the gravy, drain all but around 2tbsp of the oil from your skillet keeping all the yummy browned bits that fell off the beef while cooking.  Now add the two tbsps of flour and mix with a wisk or fork over medium heat for about 3 minutes.  Make sure to scrape up all the browned bits from the bottom of the skillet.  Lower the heat and whisk in the milk and chicken broth slowly until the gravy is nice and thick.  Add your cracked black pepper around this time as well.  Adjust your milk to broth ratio however you see fit.  The amounts up top are just a guide.  And I used half and half instead of milk.  Made a very nice gravy.

Wasabi Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients
3 lbs red baby potatoes
2 tsp wasabi powder (or more!)
3 tbsp butter
salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 cup sour cream

Clean and halve your baby potatoes and throw them in a pot.  I keep the skin on and just clean up the rough looking patches.  Fill your pot with cold water about an inch above the level of the top of the potatoes and sprinkle in some salt to taste.  Bring to a boil.  Once it reaches a boil, reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender.  Use a fork and you will be able to tell.  Drain and reserve about 1 cup of the water just in case for later on.

Toss in your butter, and start mashing your taters in the pot off the stove.  I don't use a hand mixer or blender because I like my mashers a little chunky.  Use a few tbsps of the reserved water from the boil and mix in a cup with your wasabi powder until you have a not-too-thick paste.  Add some more water if it is too thick.  Add that to the potatoes along with the sour cream and keep mashing.  Return to the stove and keep mashing/stirring until you get to the consistency you like.  Add some of the reserved water if it looks too dry to you.  Also add some salt and pepper as you see fit.

Once you are all done, your plate should look a little something like this:

Make sure to include the Jim Beam


Enjoy!  I know I did.

Apr 13, 2011

It sickens me

On Opening Day, a SF Giants fan was critically injured after being beaten by a pair of men who waylay-ed him and his two friends in the parking lot of Dodger Stadium after the game.  The fan had to have a piece of his skull removed to relieve pressure on his brain, and he is currently in a medically induced coma.

The reason why he and his friends were attacked?  Because he dared wear a jersey from the Dodgers' sworn enemies...the San Francisco Giants.  There is nothing about that sentence that doesn't sicken me.  Sports rivalries can and should be fun.  They can absolutely add to one's enjoyment of the game.  Sneaking up on a fan of a rival team in the parking lot, attacking him and kicking him repeatedly in the head just because he was wearing a Giants jersey...that's just stupid and horrifying.

I wore a Yankee jersey and cap to a game at Fenway once, and I never really felt uncomfortable.  One guy came up to me and screamed "Yankees suck!" at me, but it was 1998 and the Yankees clearly didn't suck so I just kind of laughed at him.  So did his friends.  Aside from that, everyone was pretty cordial.  Never in a million years would I think that it could cost me my life.

Then there is John Steigerwald of the Observer-Reporter in Pennsylvania.  A journalist, by name if not by actions.  His response is that at a certain point in one's life, wearing the jersey or colors of your favorite team might be the wrong choice.  That you really aren't being "part of the team", as he believes some fans think.  I never thought that way.  I don't think that wearing my Yankee hat to the grocery store or the library or Fenway Park makes me a "part of the team".  It's just my way of showing that I'm proud of the team that I love to follow.  As a fan.  And to blame the actions of a couple of violent thugs on what the victim was wearing...well, that's too sickening a thought to follow to its sad conclusion.

He doesn't come right out and say that the victim "had it coming".  He doesn't need to.  It's right there in his tone.

And it sickens me.

UPDATE: Here's Steigerwald's response and "apology" to the family of the man who was beaten.  Not about the words that he wrote (which he implicitly states that he never meant that the victim "had it coming"), but he apologizes if the nonsense written about the article by nonsensical bloggers ever reaches their ears.  Well, that's mighty white of him.   His argument is that he in no way felt the victim "deserved" what he got, but maybe was an "unwitting contributor".  It doesn't matter how often Steigerwald states now that he never wrote that the victim deserved it or "had it coming".  Like I said earlier, it was clear from the tone of the original article.  Kudos to him for the semi-apology, and for at least semi-acknowledging the mistake.  But he should have manned up and said something like "I can see now how my words could have been read that way, and I apologize."  Instead, he blames hysterical bloggers.  Way to ensure Round 2 of this particular fight, douchebag.  Go get him, Ken Tremendous.

Apr 12, 2011

Out of Pandora's Box

Pandora, as in the internet radio site.  See what I did there?

Guy Davis is the son of acting legends Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee.  He's also an amazing blues musician and banjo (!) player. Check, check, check...check it out.


Leonard Cohen has been a recent favorite of mine. Here's one that was pretty popular in its time, but I heard for the very first time yesterday, and I instantly dug the hell outta it. Go figger!


This next one smacked me right in the face, and immediately had me looking up who Dave Van Ronk was. He was an American folk singer from Brooklyn and a big-time presence in Greenwich Village back in the day. This one is done to the tune of Byker Hill, an English folk song about coal miners. He updated it for the Vietnam War and Patrick Sky originally recorded it. Here is his version. Wow. "...and now I'm a fucking hero."

Apr 11, 2011

That's about right

Alec Baldwin and John Krasinski know the deal.  Of course only Baldwin is on the correct side of the argument.  The rivalry, eh...of course it's a rivalry.  But like Baldwin says, I'm a fan of winning.  Too bad the Sawx took 2 out of 3 over the weekend. 

Let's go Yankees!


________________________________________________________

Huzzahs to Nikco Riesgo and Russ Cohen for joining us on last night's episode of Just Talking to the Cornfield. Good times. You missed it? Thankfully there is iTunes. No you have no excuses.

Apr 10, 2011

New Episide tonight at 9PM EST - JTTTC

Let's hear what The Colonel has to say about it in his weekly email, shall we?
_________________________________________________________
Oh yeah, we're pumped!!  
 
Tomorrow at 9 please join us as Earl and the Colonel welcome Russ Cohen and Nikco Riesgo, co-author of:
 
"Strike Three!” - A Player’s Journey through the Infamous Baseball Strike of 1994
 
 
And lets not forgot Senor Earl's world famous preview
Yes, real-live guests on Just Talking to the Cornfield for the very first time. I'm so happy I could poop! Join us as we chat with Russ Cohen and Nikco Riesgo, the authors of "Strike Three!" - A Player's Journey Through the Infamous Baseball Strike of 1994. It'll be a hoot!

 
 
 
 
http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0557246431/ref=sib_dp_pt#reader-link
 
“Strike Three!” deals with the cancellation of the 1994 World Series and the replacement players who followed. Both of these events were historic and Nikco Riesgo was one of the first players to cross the proverbial picket line and put his career on the line for the good of the game. In his own words, ” This book re-lives my real life experience during the Major League Baseball strike of 1994 and why I decided to play against the enormous pressures of the Major League Players Union - to unify all professional players within one union, from the minor leagues to the majors. Any player who dares to play this “Game” must read this book and share it someday with their grandkids. You will never forget this.”
 
 
 
In the meantime, join us tonight at 9 using the following link:
 
 
 
Or as usual you can listen to the show on I-Tunes when its posted during the week:
 
 
Enjoy the games and we look forward to chatting with you later.
 
 
 
Sincerely,
 
Earl and The Colonel
 
 
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.ncplus.net/~eli/redmeat.gif&imgrefurl=http://www.ncplus.net/~eli/&h=172&w=191&sz=6&tbnid=afKu90Mgwp1HuM:&tbnh=93&tbnw=103&prev=/images?q=bug+eyed+earl&zoom=1&q=bug+eyed+earl&hl=en&usg=__V4YtHjkgTitqABz8nN4tNz_i_sc=&sa=X&ei=r9d8TfTINIzrrAHt16ClAQ&ved=0CBQQ9QEwAQ
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Apr 8, 2011

Yeah, I go there

I know it might be hard to believe from our semi-anonymous relationship here in East Blogistan, but I have some flaws.

Shocking, I know.

Depending on your own point of view, one of my biggest flaws could be that I constantly use the word "retard".  You might do the same and think that it's not that big of a deal.  Or you could be sitting there in your sexy lingerie (that's how I picture you all) absolutely disgusted with me.  Or maybe you just briefly paused while pleasuring yourself to these words to contemplate the issue.  I understand.

And I've done my fair share of making fun of the mentally handicapped, I'm semi-ashamed to say.  I was in a bowling league several years ago (The Dude can roll), and one of the teams had a woman who we found out was mentally challenged.  I say "found out" because we just thought she was really ugly and stupid at first.  Mean, right?  I caught one of my buddies staring at her one night, and I asked him what was up.  He looks at me and says "Do you think that, around 20 years ago, she looked in the mirror and just said 'Fuck it!'?"  I almost spit my beer in his face, I was laughing so hard.  And that was before we found out she was retarded. 

She also wore the same Tweety Bird t-shirt every bowling night.  Hell, she could have worn it every day for all we knew.  And it seems that the silly t-shirt should be a dead giveaway to being retarded.  There's a retarded woman who works at our local supermarket.  Today she was wearing a red Heinz ketchup t-shirt that read: "I like ketchup on my ketchup".  I smiled, and then I couldn't help but saying the phrase over and over in my head the way she would have said it out loud.

You're doing it right now, aren't you?  If you are, then I embrace you as one of ME.  If not, then I'm sorry.

I have flaws.

Apr 7, 2011

Van Lingle Mungo

OK, here is where things get weird.

Now I know you've been either listening in live to Just Talking to the Cornfield or downloading our show from iTunes.  Right?  Well, this past Sunday I mentioned how I was a fan of Clayton Kershaw's Opening Day start for the Dodgers because he struck out 9 batters, tying him for third on the Dodger's all-time Opening Day strikeout list (I know, I know...).

Well, I was a fan because ESPN pointed out that the name of the guy that he tied with his 9 K's was Van Lingle Mungo.  And I love baseball players with odd names.  Van Lingle Mungo was surely one of the oddest I had ever heard.  So I looked up a few things about him.  He was actually a pretty good pitcher for the Dodgers in the 1930's.  He even led the NL in strikeouts in 1936, so the guy could throw.

But I liked him for his name and his reputation as a drinker and hothead.  One time, during a club visit to Cuba, Mungo was caught fooling around with another man's wife.  After punching the husband in the eye, the husband grabbed a big knife or machete and went after Mungo.  The Dodger's pitching coach had to sneak Mungo out of the hotel and onto a seaplane using a laundry cart.  This shit just doesn't happen anymore!  I love it!

Then yesterday, my co-host came through with the holiest of holies.  A song from 1969, written and performed by Dave Frishberg, called...wait for it...VAN LINGLE MUNGO!

It's true!  It's a bit of a novelty song with a bossa nova beat where Frishberg sings the names of various ballplayers from Mungo's era.  But "Van Lingle Mungoooooo" is the obvious refrain in the song.  Absolutely brilliant!  And he even got to perform it life for Van Lingle Mungo himself the year it came out on The Dick Cavett Show.  Twice as brilliant!!!

You see what kind of great stuff you can learn by listening in?


Boys and girls, I believe our little radio show has found its theme song.
_____________________________________________________

Speaking of Just Talking to the Cornfield, we have a pair of actual guests for this upcoming episode on Sunday, April 10th at 9PM EST. Russ Cohen and former major leaguer Rikco Niesgo chat with us about their book "Strike Three!" - A Player's Journey Through the Infamous Baseball Strike of 1994. It's gonna be a hoot!

Apr 6, 2011

Daddy wants...

image courtesy of bourbonblog.com


Devil's Cut from Jim Beam is the first whiskey to use advanced extraction processes to get to the liquid that gets absorbed into the oak cask during the aging process after the barrel is emptied.  Then they blend that with some aged 6-year bourbon for the final product.  The name is a play on the phrase "Angel's Share"*, which is the portion of the barrel of either wine or distilled spirit that evaporates during the aging process.  Perhaps a sip or two for the angel who is watching over the barrel, eh?


Well, the Devil takes his cut too.  And now I want it back!


Check the review by Tom Fischer over at BourbonBlog.com for some of the cool detes.

*Angel's Share also happens to be one of my favorite bars in NYC.

Apr 5, 2011

Home Cooking for the Soul

I love the satisfaction that come from preparing a fresh meal.

I don't know when that became something important in my life.  But fresh ingredients, interesting recipes, eclectic fare...I honestly enjoy making a great meal even more than going out and ordering a great meal.  Maybe because it's something that's come on as a bit of a surprise in my life.  I never wanted to learn how to cook.  I just decided to do it one day.

And it certainly makes me feel better than stopping for some quick fast food or having a pizza delivered.  Not that there isn't a time and a place for those things too.

But a home-cooked meal on a weeknight while I enjoy the Yankee game with my woman? Yeah...I'll take that.

Last night was a tasty Thai beef salad with a delicious brown rice side dish.

For later today, I'm thinking about Chicken Francaise over pasta with a homemade Greek salad.  Or something like that.  Maybe not the healthiest meal in the world, but ya gotta get yer butter on every once in a while.  Right?

Apr 4, 2011

The Very Specific Genius of Jimmy Fallon

I think Jimmy Fallon's late night talk show sucks.

For the most part.  I don't like his monologues, his interview skills or that stupid bit where he writes letters to people.  Ugh...not funny.  And, unfortunately, that's 95% of the show.  It's still better than what Jay and Dave are doing earlier each night, but it's mostly drek.

Except for the bits that he does using guest stars, music and pure awesomeness.  Like when he did Neil Young singing Willow Smith's crappy song with Bruce Springsteen doing an impersonation of, well, a previous incarnation of himself.  Or when he and Justin Timberlake did the history of rap.  Pure awesomeness.

He did it again last week.  This time with Stephen Colbert doing a cover of "Friday" by Rebecca Black with a little help from Taylor Hicks, The Roots, the Knicks City Dancers and Fallon himself.   It's this kind of thing that makes me wish the rest of his show was a fraction as good.  I might even switch over from Craig Ferguson every once in a blue moon if that were true.

Apr 3, 2011

New Episide tonight at 9PM EST - JTTTC

And here's the word on it from the Colonel:
_________________________________________________________

Hey Stalkers (and for those who seemingly don't understand, (Cornfield....Cornstalk...."Stalkers"), tonight at 9 pm Earl and The Colonel will be doing our review of the first weekend of the Major League season, or as it was posed to me..........."Sensational performers and GOATS".    Not sure if that means poor performers or our weekly Goat sighting during the show.
 
And according to Earl:
Episode Notes: The one where we talk about the first four days of the 2011 MLB season. We may or may not do the show wearing pants of any kind. Tune in to find out. And we are going to chat about some odd baseball traditions. Because there are a bunch.
 
So please feel free to have a cocktail, take off your pants, and tune in. 
 
However next week be on your best behavior as on April 10th, Earl and the Colonel welcome Russ Cohen and Nikco Riesgo, co-author of:
 
"Strike Three!” - A Player’s Journey through the Infamous Baseball Strike of 1994
 
http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0557246431/ref=sib_dp_pt#reader-link
 
“Strike Three!” deals with the cancellation of the 1994 World Series and the replacement players who followed. Both of these events were historic and Nikco Riesgo was one of the first players to cross the proverbial picket line and put his career on the line for the good of the game. In his own words, ” This book re-lives my real life experience during the Major League Baseball strike of 1994 and why I decided to play against the enormous pressures of the Major League Players Union - to unify all professional players within one union, from the minor leagues to the majors. Any player who dares to play this “Game” must read this book and share it someday with their grandkids. You will never forget this.”
 
 
 
In the meantime, join us tonight at 9 using the following link:
 
 
 
Or as usual you can listen to the show on I-Tunes when its posted during the week:
 
 
Enjoy the games and we look forward to chatting with you later.
 
 
 
Sincerely,
 
Earl and The Colonel
 
 
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.ncplus.net/~eli/redmeat.gif&imgrefurl=http://www.ncplus.net/~eli/&h=172&w=191&sz=6&tbnid=afKu90Mgwp1HuM:&tbnh=93&tbnw=103&prev=/images?q=bug+eyed+earl&zoom=1&q=bug+eyed+earl&hl=en&usg=__V4YtHjkgTitqABz8nN4tNz_i_sc=&sa=X&ei=r9d8TfTINIzrrAHt16ClAQ&ved=0CBQQ9QEwAQ
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Apr 1, 2011

Intro Music

One of the things we talked about on the radio show (you know about that, right?) a few weeks ago was the lack of intro music on our show, and the fun intro music that ballplayers have when they come to bat each game.  That's gotta be something fun to pick out, right?

Well, check out Curtis Granderson of the NY Yankees and the agonizing effort it takes to pick your own intro music.  Hey, he has Tom Waits, Pete Townshend and the Foo Fighters in his iTunes library. Already cool in my book. Now even cooler for making this video.


So right before his first AB during the Yankees home opener on Thursday afternoon, some enterprising person in the Yankees' organization decided to play "Friday" as his intro music. According the man himself on Twitter, it was a prank someone pulled on him and he is ready for a prank war. AWESOME!!!

One more reason to love the Yankees.  Curtis Granderson.
__________________________________________________________

In related news, here are a few things that were overheard on last night's Very Special Episode of Just Talking to the Cornfield
  • My cat is a serious asshole.
  • My asshole had some serious problems.
  • I used the term "full-blown retard" more than once.
  • We may have offended Cubans and Panamanians.  
  • I'm a little gay for Jim Thome.  Just a little.
You should check it out.  Either on Talkshoe or on iTunes.  If you didn't hate/love us before, you certainly will after listening to this Very Special Episode.

Tune in on Talkshoe this Sunday at 9PM EST to see who else we can offend.  The world is our oyster.  Hehehe.