2009, the Drinks in review.
My top 5 favorite drink related items of the past year. Enjoy!
1. Rum! Rum! A bottle of Rum!
I can't start this list without mentioning my newest and current favorite drink of choice "Sailor Jerry" 92proof rum. I fiiinnnnngggg love this stuff. Even though my work has sold this for over a year now, it wasn't until late august when I sampled a few sips of this flavourful and quite refreshing rum that my obsession started to take hold. However, before I delve any further, I must mention that up until this past year when I thought of rum all that came to mind was shitty white Bacardi crap, usually served with a splash of coca cola. Yuk! But as I've tried to expand my alcoholic repertoire I've discovered that white Bacardi is not all that rum entails. As an alcohol hailing generally from the central Caribbean/Jamaican area, good dark or amber rums generally taste sweet and strong, often with a slight caramel/molasses flavour. They tend to hit your palate hard at first but will linger nicely once swallowed. As with Sailor Jerry rum (named after the famous tattoo artist of the 60's) what I love most is it's versatility. It can be drunk as a great shot, as a splendid cocktail (try adding lemonade/lime juice, ginger beer and sugar) or even neat on its own. Sailor Jerry is my new bar drink of choice, which means no more shitty red wine and if you know me in any way, if you can get me off the vino, you've got something great in your hands.
Your home, your home, a pirates life for me! Rum! Rum! A bottle of Rum!
2. Rutherford Hill Merlot
For starters, I'd like to steal a line from our favorite "Sideways" wine connoisseur Myles, who appropriately coined the phrase "I hate Merlot". Well I'm paraphrasing a little, there were some expletives in there, but well hey you get the point. So there you have it, "I hate Merlot", well at least I thought I did. This mark of hatred resounded deeply within me for quite some time until a few months ago, that is until I'd tried the aformentioned Merlot above. You see, Merlot for me had always been the wine that couldn't stand for something, it was neither light like a Pinot Noir. It lacked the fullness of a Cab Sav, the spiciness of a Syrah and even the tannic qualities of a Malbec. Merlot for me was a flounderer, a varietal stuck in no man's land. Then one day, I come to work and BAM!, I'm hit with a thunderous bolt of flavour, structure, velvetyness and body all wrapped into one. This Rutherford Merlot which hails from the warm climate of the Napa Valley in California basically blew me away. For the longest time I'd been searching for a wine that would be able to do such a thing while never finding one. The aroma itself still evokes blissful thoughts to this day (wow Jamie, this about wine right?), the deep black cherry and plum scents pull your senses deep within, and that's not even the best part. The finish was what got me, it lingered and lingered and lingered. The balance was amazingly smooth and rich, what I find to be the best in wine. If you ever get a chance to taste this wine (I had the 2002 year) do so, it will be well worth it.
3. Vintage Port
I've already touched on Port with an earlier article, so I wont delve much further, but I would like to add that if you can get your hands on any vintage port, do it. In my older article I went on and on about Warre's Otima Non Vintage Port, but when I look back the Otima is nowhere near as good as a great vintage port. Vintage being a port with an actual year designation on it. Lately I've been drinking Taylor Fladgate Vintage 2003, absolutely splendid :) Again, if you haven't checked out the Port, do so, you wont regret it.
4. Van Gogh Espresso Vodka
Firstly, I hate espresso. Not sure why, might be to bitter for my palate or it just might be that I love hot chocolate that much more, who knows. But when it comes to Van Gogh Espresso Vodka, I loves me my espresso. This flavoured vodka is amazing, especially as a chilled shot. It has the kahlua style flavours of espresso combined with the strong cool flavours of vodka. Not much else to say on this, go check it out if you're looking for something great to drink or shoot, especially if your sick of jagermeister.
Cocktail: 1 1/2 ounces of Van gogh
1/2 kahlua
splash of water
served in a rocks glass
5. Steigl Beer
Rarely do I drink or talk much of beer, I'm a wino, but as I've recently transitioned to bartender at my work, I've found that when it comes to beer, you have to know your stuff. This invariably has led me to tasting and drinking more and more beer of late and the one that's stood out the most for me is Steigl's Austrian Lager Beer. This beer is amazing, it's crisp, clean, free of preservatives, while having a slight fruity taste. It's my new MGD. Add to that, it comes in one wicked style tall boy can.
Well there you have it, my top 5 beverage hits of 2009.
later.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Monday, December 7, 2009
Wine 101
Wine 101
Okay kiddies I’m going to try my best to give you the lowdown on all there is to know about the great fermented grape. So sit back, relax and let your inner wino shine through.
What is Wine? - Put very simply, wine is a drink made from the fermented juice of freshly-picked grapes. As such it is often described as one of the most natural of all alcoholic drinks.
So then…
How is Wine made? – It all starts with a process called fermentation. Once grapes are picked, they are crushed and put into large open vats where tiny microscopic organisms begin to feed on the sugars found in the grapes juices, thusly converting those sugars into alcohol and carbon dioxide.
Once this phase is done the grapes are pressed of their juices and filtered whereupon the wine maker can decide to make one of 3 types of wine styles.
Which are:
Light Wines – The majority of wines fall into this category being what we typically term red and white wines. They are still, that is not sparkling, or fizzy and are between 8-15% alcohol, with the majority containing 11.5-14% alcohol.
Sparkling Wines - These are wines where bubbles of carbon dioxide gas have been trapped in the wine. These wines are typically French Champagne, Spanish Cava, Italian Asti as well as New World Sparkling Wine.
Fortified Wines – These are also known as “liqueur” wines, which mean that the wines have had extra alcohol added to them and therefore have higher alcohol levels of 15-22%. Most examples of these are Sherry from Spain and Port from Portugal.
Styles of Wine
Each of the three types of wine can be made in a variety of styles according to color and taste.
Red
- Must be made from Black grapes such as (Cab Sav, Merlot, Pinot Noir)
- Red wines color comes from its skins during fermentation.
- The skins also contain other substances such as tannin.
- Tannin is that substance in tea that makes your mouth feel dry and pucker.
White
White
- Is usually made from the juice of white grapes, but because all the color in black grapes is in the skin, it is possible to make white wine from black grapes if you remove the skins before fermentation.
Rose – These wines are made from black grapes where the wine has had less contact with the skins.
Sugar Content
Sweetness comes from the juice of the grapes as they contain a large amount of sugars. As those naturally occurring yeast start to eat those sugars the wine becomes invariably less sweet and drier. Therefore a sweet wine contains more residual sugars thus making it low in alcohol. With dry wine they have less residual sugars making them higher in alcohol. A point to remember, all yeast die off once the alcohol levels in wine reach 15%.
Varietals
Now the fun stuff…
With all wines there are tones of different grape varietals to choose from. To start there are 6 main “Noble” Grapes that you should know.
For Whites: Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay
For Reds: Merlot, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon
What it means to be noble is that these are the primary grapes of the world used only for making wines. They have also been around the longest.
When it comes to knowing your wine varietals it’s best to start with learning your French Regions of old world wines. France has the distinction of producing pretty much all of the world’s major grapes.
The 6 major regions are (there’s a few more but not worth learning now):
Bordeaux – cab sav, Merlot, Semillon and Sauv blanc
Burgundy – Pinot noir, Chardonnay
Alcase – Riesling, Gewürztraminer
The Rhone – Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre
Loire – Cab franc, Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay
Champagne – Chardonnay, Pinot noir, Pinot meunier
Now I hardly expect you to understand or let alone remember all of these, but at least I would say try to for when it comes to selling wine oftentimes people will quote one of these regions, where they will undoubtedly expect you to know and understand them. For example when someone asks for a red burgundy, they will naturally mean a Pinot Noir.
As for the varietals themselves well here’s a quick rundown of some of the more popular wines and their characteristics:
Chardonnay:
- Most well known grape in the world
-Predominantly produces dry wines from light and apple fresh in cool climates to rich and full-bodied buttery richness in hotter climates
Riesling:
- Produces wines that range from bone dry through to lusciously sweet, but above all, it will be aromatic and have good levels of acidity.
-Generally minerally, peachy or petrolly in aroma with flavors of fresh green apple and apricot.
-Sweet when from Germany
-Dry when from Alsace
Sauvignon Blanc:
- Described as having a fresh green fruit aroma and flavor, it produces full on fruity light to medium bodied wines with refreshingly zesty acidity.
-New Zealand makes the best in the world
Pinot Gris/Grigio:
- Light fresh white with a lush and flavorful honeyed flavor, with a slight minerally finish.
-Can be light, medium and full bodied depending on where it’s made
-Meant to be drunk young
Cabernet Sauvignon:
- Planted just about everywhere, Cab Sav produces wines with a blackcurrant aroma and flavor, often backed up with firm tannins.
- Ranges in style from medium to full bodied
- Due to it forceful presence, often blended with merlot and other grapes to soften it up a bit. When blended this way it is also known as “Claret”.
- Tend to need maturing before they can be drunk.
- Generally aged in oak casks
Merlot:
- Popular, softer, fruity alternative to Cab Sav. Merlot has a rich plum and berry fruit flavor with refreshing acidity and soft to medium tannins.
- Gains richness from aging and oak maturing.
Pinot Noir:
- This wine can have the taste of summer fruits like raspberries and cherries when young, but as it matures it will take on vegetal aromas.
- Lighter in color and body than Cab Sav, but can age well.
Syrah/Shiraz:
- This grape variety produces rich, powerful and peppery wines, the wines are deeply colored and have the ability to age.
- Shiraz: made in the New World Style, usually dark, berry fruit flavored and oaked. Generally grown in warmer climates like Australia
- Syrah: made in the old World Style, usually earthy, spicy, lighter and oaked. Most commonly found in the Rhone region in France.
Malbec: A rich dark purple wine full of color and tannins with a splendid violet aroma. Its flavors generally are of raisins and tobacco.
- Most commonly found in Argentina
Tempranillo:
- Full bodied wine with spicy and oaks flavors.
- Found in Rioja in Spain
Sangiovese:
- Medium bodied Italian varietal with a fruity and high acidity flavor. It is the wine of the Chianti region.
Wine Pairings
The main rule to think of when pairing wine with food is to try to match the weight of the food with the weight of the wine. Other considerations are:
1. Think of how the food was prepared. Poached fish will taste differently than pan seared or raw, thus your wine pairing should change as well.
2. Seasoning of the dish is also key to how you pair your wine. A full red will accentuate spicy dishes, something you do not want, where as a crisp Riesling will compliment spicy food.
3. Strength of flavor, is the dish delicate or strong?
4. Here’s some tips:
-Sweet = sweet wine or sweeter (eg. Dessert and dessert wine)
-Salt = high acid wines and or sweetness (eg. Salty nuts and Riesling)
-Sour = high acid wines are needed, avoid tannins
-Spicy = match spicyness
-Smoky = oaky wines pair best
Okay kiddies I’m going to try my best to give you the lowdown on all there is to know about the great fermented grape. So sit back, relax and let your inner wino shine through.
What is Wine? - Put very simply, wine is a drink made from the fermented juice of freshly-picked grapes. As such it is often described as one of the most natural of all alcoholic drinks.
So then…
How is Wine made? – It all starts with a process called fermentation. Once grapes are picked, they are crushed and put into large open vats where tiny microscopic organisms begin to feed on the sugars found in the grapes juices, thusly converting those sugars into alcohol and carbon dioxide.
Once this phase is done the grapes are pressed of their juices and filtered whereupon the wine maker can decide to make one of 3 types of wine styles.
Which are:
Light Wines – The majority of wines fall into this category being what we typically term red and white wines. They are still, that is not sparkling, or fizzy and are between 8-15% alcohol, with the majority containing 11.5-14% alcohol.
Sparkling Wines - These are wines where bubbles of carbon dioxide gas have been trapped in the wine. These wines are typically French Champagne, Spanish Cava, Italian Asti as well as New World Sparkling Wine.
Fortified Wines – These are also known as “liqueur” wines, which mean that the wines have had extra alcohol added to them and therefore have higher alcohol levels of 15-22%. Most examples of these are Sherry from Spain and Port from Portugal.
Styles of Wine
Each of the three types of wine can be made in a variety of styles according to color and taste.
Red
- Must be made from Black grapes such as (Cab Sav, Merlot, Pinot Noir)
- Red wines color comes from its skins during fermentation.
- The skins also contain other substances such as tannin.
- Tannin is that substance in tea that makes your mouth feel dry and pucker.
White
White
- Is usually made from the juice of white grapes, but because all the color in black grapes is in the skin, it is possible to make white wine from black grapes if you remove the skins before fermentation.
Rose – These wines are made from black grapes where the wine has had less contact with the skins.
Sugar Content
Sweetness comes from the juice of the grapes as they contain a large amount of sugars. As those naturally occurring yeast start to eat those sugars the wine becomes invariably less sweet and drier. Therefore a sweet wine contains more residual sugars thus making it low in alcohol. With dry wine they have less residual sugars making them higher in alcohol. A point to remember, all yeast die off once the alcohol levels in wine reach 15%.
Varietals
Now the fun stuff…
With all wines there are tones of different grape varietals to choose from. To start there are 6 main “Noble” Grapes that you should know.
For Whites: Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay
For Reds: Merlot, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon
What it means to be noble is that these are the primary grapes of the world used only for making wines. They have also been around the longest.
When it comes to knowing your wine varietals it’s best to start with learning your French Regions of old world wines. France has the distinction of producing pretty much all of the world’s major grapes.
The 6 major regions are (there’s a few more but not worth learning now):
Bordeaux – cab sav, Merlot, Semillon and Sauv blanc
Burgundy – Pinot noir, Chardonnay
Alcase – Riesling, Gewürztraminer
The Rhone – Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre
Loire – Cab franc, Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay
Champagne – Chardonnay, Pinot noir, Pinot meunier
Now I hardly expect you to understand or let alone remember all of these, but at least I would say try to for when it comes to selling wine oftentimes people will quote one of these regions, where they will undoubtedly expect you to know and understand them. For example when someone asks for a red burgundy, they will naturally mean a Pinot Noir.
As for the varietals themselves well here’s a quick rundown of some of the more popular wines and their characteristics:
Chardonnay:
- Most well known grape in the world
-Predominantly produces dry wines from light and apple fresh in cool climates to rich and full-bodied buttery richness in hotter climates
Riesling:
- Produces wines that range from bone dry through to lusciously sweet, but above all, it will be aromatic and have good levels of acidity.
-Generally minerally, peachy or petrolly in aroma with flavors of fresh green apple and apricot.
-Sweet when from Germany
-Dry when from Alsace
Sauvignon Blanc:
- Described as having a fresh green fruit aroma and flavor, it produces full on fruity light to medium bodied wines with refreshingly zesty acidity.
-New Zealand makes the best in the world
Pinot Gris/Grigio:
- Light fresh white with a lush and flavorful honeyed flavor, with a slight minerally finish.
-Can be light, medium and full bodied depending on where it’s made
-Meant to be drunk young
Cabernet Sauvignon:
- Planted just about everywhere, Cab Sav produces wines with a blackcurrant aroma and flavor, often backed up with firm tannins.
- Ranges in style from medium to full bodied
- Due to it forceful presence, often blended with merlot and other grapes to soften it up a bit. When blended this way it is also known as “Claret”.
- Tend to need maturing before they can be drunk.
- Generally aged in oak casks
Merlot:
- Popular, softer, fruity alternative to Cab Sav. Merlot has a rich plum and berry fruit flavor with refreshing acidity and soft to medium tannins.
- Gains richness from aging and oak maturing.
Pinot Noir:
- This wine can have the taste of summer fruits like raspberries and cherries when young, but as it matures it will take on vegetal aromas.
- Lighter in color and body than Cab Sav, but can age well.
Syrah/Shiraz:
- This grape variety produces rich, powerful and peppery wines, the wines are deeply colored and have the ability to age.
- Shiraz: made in the New World Style, usually dark, berry fruit flavored and oaked. Generally grown in warmer climates like Australia
- Syrah: made in the old World Style, usually earthy, spicy, lighter and oaked. Most commonly found in the Rhone region in France.
Malbec: A rich dark purple wine full of color and tannins with a splendid violet aroma. Its flavors generally are of raisins and tobacco.
- Most commonly found in Argentina
Tempranillo:
- Full bodied wine with spicy and oaks flavors.
- Found in Rioja in Spain
Sangiovese:
- Medium bodied Italian varietal with a fruity and high acidity flavor. It is the wine of the Chianti region.
Wine Pairings
The main rule to think of when pairing wine with food is to try to match the weight of the food with the weight of the wine. Other considerations are:
1. Think of how the food was prepared. Poached fish will taste differently than pan seared or raw, thus your wine pairing should change as well.
2. Seasoning of the dish is also key to how you pair your wine. A full red will accentuate spicy dishes, something you do not want, where as a crisp Riesling will compliment spicy food.
3. Strength of flavor, is the dish delicate or strong?
4. Here’s some tips:
-Sweet = sweet wine or sweeter (eg. Dessert and dessert wine)
-Salt = high acid wines and or sweetness (eg. Salty nuts and Riesling)
-Sour = high acid wines are needed, avoid tannins
-Spicy = match spicyness
-Smoky = oaky wines pair best
Thursday, December 3, 2009
I really did!
How you been son?
Just low.
Look I'm sorry about your girlfriend...?
...Elinor.
You really loved her didn't you?
Yeah mom, I did. I really did.
Just low.
Look I'm sorry about your girlfriend...?
...Elinor.
You really loved her didn't you?
Yeah mom, I did. I really did.
Lack of Posting :(
Sorry for the lack of posting lately, I've been without a computer for a month now. Saving up for a new one however.
In the meantime I've been reading a tonne lately, just finished a few books that I would love to recommend for you all.
Firstly my boy Bill Simmons recently released his 2nd novel "The Book of Basketball, the world according to the sports guy" and fuck me is it awesome. It's 700 pages of straight hoops goodness, right down to beginnings of the league to the present. He delves into the great Celtic mystique of the 60's, a who's who amongst the best ever and much much more. I urge any great ball fan to check this book out.
Secondly I just finished a compelling courtroom drama book by Jonathan Harr titled "A Civil Action". The book is based on the true story of a bunch of families in Woborn, Massachusetts who'd been poisoned by the town's well water from two large corporate companies. The story follows the life of an uber confident slickster lawyer named Jan Schlicktman. As Schlicktman and his fellow legal team try to wage war against two large polluting corporations we are brought into the other side of the law, the stressful and extremely expensive journey of proving guilt. I must admit this was one of the most enjoyable and page turning reads I've ever had the pleasure of enjoying. If you're like me and you love drama, high stakes and compelling egos then this book is sure to please you. Highly recommended.
And thirdly I read one of Michael Chabon's finest, "The Yiddish Policemen's Union". Having thouroughly enjoyed Chabons book to movie "Wonder Boys" I was urged by a friend of mine to check out the Yids as they are often termed in this book. The Yids Union is a fictional take on Jewish settlers in Alaska trying to find their way home to Israel. After a quickly thought of suicide by one of the head rabbi's "prodigal" son, lead Detective Landsman heads the case to understand why a young man of such hope and intelligence would fall prey to drugs and suicide. As he delves deeper into his research Landsman quickly realizes that his efforts and revelations of the truth have consequences. This novel by Chabon was a thrilling ride, fun, compelling and very entertaining. I look forward to reading more of his work and I urge you to do the same.
That is all for now, I'll do my best to read more and to pass along some other great reads. My newest "The Given Day" by Denis Lehan of Mystic River fame looks to be promising.
later...
j
In the meantime I've been reading a tonne lately, just finished a few books that I would love to recommend for you all.
Firstly my boy Bill Simmons recently released his 2nd novel "The Book of Basketball, the world according to the sports guy" and fuck me is it awesome. It's 700 pages of straight hoops goodness, right down to beginnings of the league to the present. He delves into the great Celtic mystique of the 60's, a who's who amongst the best ever and much much more. I urge any great ball fan to check this book out.
Secondly I just finished a compelling courtroom drama book by Jonathan Harr titled "A Civil Action". The book is based on the true story of a bunch of families in Woborn, Massachusetts who'd been poisoned by the town's well water from two large corporate companies. The story follows the life of an uber confident slickster lawyer named Jan Schlicktman. As Schlicktman and his fellow legal team try to wage war against two large polluting corporations we are brought into the other side of the law, the stressful and extremely expensive journey of proving guilt. I must admit this was one of the most enjoyable and page turning reads I've ever had the pleasure of enjoying. If you're like me and you love drama, high stakes and compelling egos then this book is sure to please you. Highly recommended.
And thirdly I read one of Michael Chabon's finest, "The Yiddish Policemen's Union". Having thouroughly enjoyed Chabons book to movie "Wonder Boys" I was urged by a friend of mine to check out the Yids as they are often termed in this book. The Yids Union is a fictional take on Jewish settlers in Alaska trying to find their way home to Israel. After a quickly thought of suicide by one of the head rabbi's "prodigal" son, lead Detective Landsman heads the case to understand why a young man of such hope and intelligence would fall prey to drugs and suicide. As he delves deeper into his research Landsman quickly realizes that his efforts and revelations of the truth have consequences. This novel by Chabon was a thrilling ride, fun, compelling and very entertaining. I look forward to reading more of his work and I urge you to do the same.
That is all for now, I'll do my best to read more and to pass along some other great reads. My newest "The Given Day" by Denis Lehan of Mystic River fame looks to be promising.
later...
j
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
A personal application to become a writer
Hello there,
Before I begin I will admit I do not enjoy writing bio's, I find them a bit narcissistic and quite boring, oftentimes redundant and with no focus. But since this part of the application process is required for my acceptance, I will comply. I'll try my best to make this as interesting as possible.
Firstly, my name is Jamie Mah. I'm a young vibrant male from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. I'm 29 years old and currently living in downtown Vancouver. At present, I work in the hospitality world as a Supervisor for a casual restaurant called Chill Winston.
My history begins with the fact that up until the age of 18 I thought primarily of 3 things, food, track and field and girls and not much else. After high school, I immediately went on to study at the University of Saskatchewan in the college of Kinesiology. Having grown up around the track team my whole life I felt compelled to go and help my local university squad win more national championships, which we did for 6 years straight. Was this the ideal reason to attend university? Probably not, but I didn't care, I loved being on the team. However, after 3 years of track team fulfillment I decided that I wanted more. This didn't mean that my love for track had diminished, it just showed that I was at a place in my life where I needed to try something new. Therefore, for the next few years I wound up spending my time working at various jobs in the service industry. This was mostly because it was a great outlet for me to grow outwardly but also a chance to meet and make new friends. In a way I guess I just wanted to be young and free.
But with most things in life, one has to grow out of playtime and I certainly was no different. After some time spent travelling around Europe, I had another urge to experiment and try a new path. This time my decision eventually led me to moving to the big city of Toronto. With about a year simply adjusting to the city and finding my footing, I quickly branched out into various artistic areas. Thusly at one point I found myself modeling for a top Canadian agency and doing Toronto Fashion week, while also taking acting classes and being repped by a prominent acting agency. To top it off, on the side I was trying my hand at drawing, painting and as you can see here, writing. I had to get my hands into all there was, I wanted to see and experience everything under the sun. However, very quickly I realized that with writing I'd finally found a purpose, for once I actually cared. You see oftentimes I notice people lack the drive and passion in life to fully realize what it is they love; and if there is one thing I can take away from my 20's, a decade of much learning and growth with as many ups and downs as one can have is that I learnt how much I love to write. I may not be the best at it (yet), but it doesn't matter, all that matters is that it makes me happy.
Now I have yet to decide if I want to take things further with formal writing education (ie. Journalism school) since I feel it might dampen and constrict my creative juices, but hey you never know. However, I do know that right now I'm looking to grow and expand my writing resume. I want to be challenged and I want to learn, to grow, to fail and to experience all that there is to get from a writing profession. Now I'm not sure if this is what you were looking for in terms of a bio but if you do accept my application I can certainly tell you that I love to write, it's as simple as that. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Jamie Mah
Before I begin I will admit I do not enjoy writing bio's, I find them a bit narcissistic and quite boring, oftentimes redundant and with no focus. But since this part of the application process is required for my acceptance, I will comply. I'll try my best to make this as interesting as possible.
Firstly, my name is Jamie Mah. I'm a young vibrant male from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. I'm 29 years old and currently living in downtown Vancouver. At present, I work in the hospitality world as a Supervisor for a casual restaurant called Chill Winston.
My history begins with the fact that up until the age of 18 I thought primarily of 3 things, food, track and field and girls and not much else. After high school, I immediately went on to study at the University of Saskatchewan in the college of Kinesiology. Having grown up around the track team my whole life I felt compelled to go and help my local university squad win more national championships, which we did for 6 years straight. Was this the ideal reason to attend university? Probably not, but I didn't care, I loved being on the team. However, after 3 years of track team fulfillment I decided that I wanted more. This didn't mean that my love for track had diminished, it just showed that I was at a place in my life where I needed to try something new. Therefore, for the next few years I wound up spending my time working at various jobs in the service industry. This was mostly because it was a great outlet for me to grow outwardly but also a chance to meet and make new friends. In a way I guess I just wanted to be young and free.
But with most things in life, one has to grow out of playtime and I certainly was no different. After some time spent travelling around Europe, I had another urge to experiment and try a new path. This time my decision eventually led me to moving to the big city of Toronto. With about a year simply adjusting to the city and finding my footing, I quickly branched out into various artistic areas. Thusly at one point I found myself modeling for a top Canadian agency and doing Toronto Fashion week, while also taking acting classes and being repped by a prominent acting agency. To top it off, on the side I was trying my hand at drawing, painting and as you can see here, writing. I had to get my hands into all there was, I wanted to see and experience everything under the sun. However, very quickly I realized that with writing I'd finally found a purpose, for once I actually cared. You see oftentimes I notice people lack the drive and passion in life to fully realize what it is they love; and if there is one thing I can take away from my 20's, a decade of much learning and growth with as many ups and downs as one can have is that I learnt how much I love to write. I may not be the best at it (yet), but it doesn't matter, all that matters is that it makes me happy.
Now I have yet to decide if I want to take things further with formal writing education (ie. Journalism school) since I feel it might dampen and constrict my creative juices, but hey you never know. However, I do know that right now I'm looking to grow and expand my writing resume. I want to be challenged and I want to learn, to grow, to fail and to experience all that there is to get from a writing profession. Now I'm not sure if this is what you were looking for in terms of a bio but if you do accept my application I can certainly tell you that I love to write, it's as simple as that. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Jamie Mah
Saturday, October 24, 2009
A few intriguing storylines for the 2009/10 NBA Season
With the final pre-season games being played last night and the season opener looming close with Tuesday nights triple header, I felt compelled to divulge some intriguing story lines I foresee for this upcoming season.
1. Who can stay healthy among the elite 5?
The elite five being the Lakers, Celtics, Magic, Spurs and Cavs. No disrespect to the remaining 24 teams, but come on this is a 5 way race and we all know it. Can Manu and Duncan remain healthy for the full 82? Will Garnett's knee help or hinder his explosiveness? Can Kobe and Gasol continue their undaunted reign as ironmen? Will Shaq fall flat up in the cold snowy land of Cleveland? Can Vince and Nelson both stay healthy enough for Howard to exploit their dribble drives? For me whoever stays the healthiest has by far the best chance at going to the finals. This question is somewhat of a no brainer, but I find it even more fun to think of due to the fact that all 5 have major question marks going into the season. In a way it's any body's game.
2. The Ascension of Durant as a bona fide stud?
If it were the 07' draft today, do we still think that Portland would be flip flopping on who to choose, Durant or Oden? I don't think so, Oden will become a poor man's Ben Wallace while KD might lead the league in scoring this year. One team picked first, the other second but oh boy did they receive completely different players. I've already decided Durant's going to be my second fave player after the Kobester, the boy can ball, but who knew he could shoot like Nash. I'm excited to see him develop and eat some sandwiches.
3. The state of D. Wade's anger towards management for throwing this season?
If you were Wade, a top 3 talent coming off your best season with only one year left on your contract, you would think management would do whatever they could to show you love while they try to convince you that staying in Miami is in yours and their best interests? You would think? I mean GM Danny Ferry has gone all out to appease LBJ, why no love for Wade? Pat Riley you certainly have some explaining to do, because from what I see, Wade has ample reason to bolt come next summer to his hometown of Chicago. With a starting lineup of the player formerly known as Jermaine O'Neal, Booze boy Beasley, Q dough boy Richardson and Chris Quinn Wade has a tonne of dead weight to carry. If I were Riley I'd be sweating bullets until next summers free agency period.
4. Can the Lakers win 70?
Okay so I might be only one thinking this but come on it has to be somewhat of a possibility with this group. They won 65 games last season BEFORE they won the title. Now they're the champs which can only add confidence and swagger. Add to that but they also brought in Ron Ron to help bolster their toughness. The question really shouldn't be can they win 70?, but why won't they? With this years Lakers I see them having a great opportunity to win big baring any major injuries. They have size, athleticism, versatility, excellent coaching, a clutch superstar and now a swagger. To be amongst the best ever you need a swagger, a top dog mentality. I see nothing but great things ahead for them.
5. Can Carmelo take the next step?
Somewhat of an over looked story was how Carmelo Anthony stepped up his play when it mattered. Yeah he was out played by a seasoned and better Kobe Bryant, but up until the Conference Finals, Melo' was awesome. His game offensively is unbelievable as it always has been, but his defense improved some as well as his maturity. Gone are the kiddie cornrows and the childish game to match. Carmelo has grown as a player. Chalk much of it to the landing of Chauncey as you will, regardless of where his new found head came from, I like it. The kid has the gifts, can he realize them is up to him. Will he join Kobe, LBJ and Wade as the the studs of the league? Probably not, but he could surprise me, he certainly has the talent to be with them. In a way I see a lot of Barkely in Carmelo's game, a top talent with incredible abilities who may make the leap once as Barkely did in 93', but can he do it consistently is up to him. Only time will tell I guess.
6. Houston will be better than expected
Adelman is a wicked coach who always seems to thrive under pressure. This team is cohesive and strong willed, they wont back down for second. And judging from their 7 game series with LA, they certainly have the heart to compete with the best. Aaron Brooks is their engine, with Battier, Ariza, and Scola helping hold down the fort. The constant battling of injuries between their studs, Yao and McGrady has helped this unit come together. They may miss the playoffs, but I see them competing hard and possibly scaring some teams. An 8th seed doesn't seem unthinkable, but possibly a reality.
7. Post Season signings
Money was spent, dinners were had, smiles were presented and boy oh boy were folks happy back in July. The stud free agents got paid, some stayed, some left. Now the question is, who's going to perform? Here's how I see it going down.
Turkoglu = bust. I see him being injured for a good part of the season. When he does play he'll be average at best. He may have signed for 5, but he retired when Orlando dealt for Carter. He came for the money and nothing else.
Jefferson = He'll be good, but not the savior the spurs need to help lift them past the Lakers. He's not tough enough for Pop and he'll wilt under the pressure of playing for Duncan.
Villanueva/Gordon = BUSTSSSSSSSS!!!!! 93 million for role players!!!!!
Ariza = Bust*. There's a reason LA undercut him, they wanted Artest. Ariza's good, a great complimentary player on a great team, but he's no savior and the money he got was not worthy of his value. However, he's young enough to warrant the risk, he gets an asterisk due to his potential.
Iverson = He'll have a good season, but not great. His team will suck and it wont matter, just like he doesn't anymore. Sad as it is but it's all his fault. He came into the league one way and he'll leave it the same, there was no growth and that's where he failed.
Shaq = He's still got some game, but can he help when it matters? His ego is what caused him to leaving LA, Miami and Phoenix on bad terms, can he coexist as a true "2nd" banana to LBJ? I doubt it.
Wallace = If he stays healthy then I foresee him as being the second best pickup next to Artest. He's big, long and battle tested. A great compliment to Garnett.
Artest = The best pickup by far. The perfect compliment to Kobe, similar to Jordan and Pippen. Artest brings toughness and a defensive mindset to a stellar crew. His competitiveness will mesh well with Kobe. Baring any injuries, I see him fitting in very well.
more later...
1. Who can stay healthy among the elite 5?
The elite five being the Lakers, Celtics, Magic, Spurs and Cavs. No disrespect to the remaining 24 teams, but come on this is a 5 way race and we all know it. Can Manu and Duncan remain healthy for the full 82? Will Garnett's knee help or hinder his explosiveness? Can Kobe and Gasol continue their undaunted reign as ironmen? Will Shaq fall flat up in the cold snowy land of Cleveland? Can Vince and Nelson both stay healthy enough for Howard to exploit their dribble drives? For me whoever stays the healthiest has by far the best chance at going to the finals. This question is somewhat of a no brainer, but I find it even more fun to think of due to the fact that all 5 have major question marks going into the season. In a way it's any body's game.
2. The Ascension of Durant as a bona fide stud?
If it were the 07' draft today, do we still think that Portland would be flip flopping on who to choose, Durant or Oden? I don't think so, Oden will become a poor man's Ben Wallace while KD might lead the league in scoring this year. One team picked first, the other second but oh boy did they receive completely different players. I've already decided Durant's going to be my second fave player after the Kobester, the boy can ball, but who knew he could shoot like Nash. I'm excited to see him develop and eat some sandwiches.
3. The state of D. Wade's anger towards management for throwing this season?
If you were Wade, a top 3 talent coming off your best season with only one year left on your contract, you would think management would do whatever they could to show you love while they try to convince you that staying in Miami is in yours and their best interests? You would think? I mean GM Danny Ferry has gone all out to appease LBJ, why no love for Wade? Pat Riley you certainly have some explaining to do, because from what I see, Wade has ample reason to bolt come next summer to his hometown of Chicago. With a starting lineup of the player formerly known as Jermaine O'Neal, Booze boy Beasley, Q dough boy Richardson and Chris Quinn Wade has a tonne of dead weight to carry. If I were Riley I'd be sweating bullets until next summers free agency period.
4. Can the Lakers win 70?
Okay so I might be only one thinking this but come on it has to be somewhat of a possibility with this group. They won 65 games last season BEFORE they won the title. Now they're the champs which can only add confidence and swagger. Add to that but they also brought in Ron Ron to help bolster their toughness. The question really shouldn't be can they win 70?, but why won't they? With this years Lakers I see them having a great opportunity to win big baring any major injuries. They have size, athleticism, versatility, excellent coaching, a clutch superstar and now a swagger. To be amongst the best ever you need a swagger, a top dog mentality. I see nothing but great things ahead for them.
5. Can Carmelo take the next step?
Somewhat of an over looked story was how Carmelo Anthony stepped up his play when it mattered. Yeah he was out played by a seasoned and better Kobe Bryant, but up until the Conference Finals, Melo' was awesome. His game offensively is unbelievable as it always has been, but his defense improved some as well as his maturity. Gone are the kiddie cornrows and the childish game to match. Carmelo has grown as a player. Chalk much of it to the landing of Chauncey as you will, regardless of where his new found head came from, I like it. The kid has the gifts, can he realize them is up to him. Will he join Kobe, LBJ and Wade as the the studs of the league? Probably not, but he could surprise me, he certainly has the talent to be with them. In a way I see a lot of Barkely in Carmelo's game, a top talent with incredible abilities who may make the leap once as Barkely did in 93', but can he do it consistently is up to him. Only time will tell I guess.
6. Houston will be better than expected
Adelman is a wicked coach who always seems to thrive under pressure. This team is cohesive and strong willed, they wont back down for second. And judging from their 7 game series with LA, they certainly have the heart to compete with the best. Aaron Brooks is their engine, with Battier, Ariza, and Scola helping hold down the fort. The constant battling of injuries between their studs, Yao and McGrady has helped this unit come together. They may miss the playoffs, but I see them competing hard and possibly scaring some teams. An 8th seed doesn't seem unthinkable, but possibly a reality.
7. Post Season signings
Money was spent, dinners were had, smiles were presented and boy oh boy were folks happy back in July. The stud free agents got paid, some stayed, some left. Now the question is, who's going to perform? Here's how I see it going down.
Turkoglu = bust. I see him being injured for a good part of the season. When he does play he'll be average at best. He may have signed for 5, but he retired when Orlando dealt for Carter. He came for the money and nothing else.
Jefferson = He'll be good, but not the savior the spurs need to help lift them past the Lakers. He's not tough enough for Pop and he'll wilt under the pressure of playing for Duncan.
Villanueva/Gordon = BUSTSSSSSSSS!!!!! 93 million for role players!!!!!
Ariza = Bust*. There's a reason LA undercut him, they wanted Artest. Ariza's good, a great complimentary player on a great team, but he's no savior and the money he got was not worthy of his value. However, he's young enough to warrant the risk, he gets an asterisk due to his potential.
Iverson = He'll have a good season, but not great. His team will suck and it wont matter, just like he doesn't anymore. Sad as it is but it's all his fault. He came into the league one way and he'll leave it the same, there was no growth and that's where he failed.
Shaq = He's still got some game, but can he help when it matters? His ego is what caused him to leaving LA, Miami and Phoenix on bad terms, can he coexist as a true "2nd" banana to LBJ? I doubt it.
Wallace = If he stays healthy then I foresee him as being the second best pickup next to Artest. He's big, long and battle tested. A great compliment to Garnett.
Artest = The best pickup by far. The perfect compliment to Kobe, similar to Jordan and Pippen. Artest brings toughness and a defensive mindset to a stellar crew. His competitiveness will mesh well with Kobe. Baring any injuries, I see him fitting in very well.
more later...
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
One man's dream finally realized
Madiba's dream to end apartheid in his native land of South Africa finally comes to fruition with the 95' Rugby World Cup. This clip is quite moving and a joy to watch.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Thursday, September 3, 2009
The Amazing Adventures of Gussie and Pebbles
"Pa!" "Pa!, Wake up!"
"What is it Pebbie?"
"Did you feel that? I think I felt the ground move"
"What?, no the ground did not move my dear child, you must have been dreaming it, now go back to sleep"
"But Pa!, what if it did move?"
"It didn't move my dear, I would have felt it"
"But you were asleep"
"Yes, but I would have felt the ground move, now you sleep"
"Are you sure Pa"
"Yes, yes my dear child, come close to me if you like, we'll sleep together"
"Okay, I just fel...(the ground shaking), Pa!!!! Did you feel that?"
"Yes, my child, now stay here, and be still, I will go check it out"
"But Pa, I want to come, I'm scared"
"No my child you stay here, I will go look out and see what's happening"
"But Pa we can't leave, we're caged in"
"I know, I'm just going to look about some, be still (ground shaking)
"Pa don't leave me, I'm scared, please can I come".
As Pa sets out to see what all is up, baby Pebbles stands about with her long legs and neck hoping to see over the trees that make up her bed. Her eyes show her a crowd of workers trying desperately to keep all the other animals in check and calm as once again the ground begins to stir. Fearful of her fathers safety she sets loose to help him feeling that it was her fault that he'd left. As she begins to call for him, she's quickly brought down by a thunderous roar of the ground below her. She is quickly hit by an array of branches and leaves from all the trees around her as all the earth begins to move and sway. Still calling for her beloved Pa, Pebbles tries desperately to break free from things but realizes that her efforts go nowhere once she notices that she has been caught by a fallen tree on her left leg. The earthquake which is now beginning to grow stronger, has taken to shaking all that were once tied down in the mighty zoo. As Pebbles continues to scream in terror for her father to return she is struck by a large rock a top her head, a blow that immediately puts her out.
Hours later, Pebbles awakens to find her surroundings totally destroyed, trees have been toppled, all the cages torn down and with most of the animals either dead or long gone. Still trapped by the rock on her left foot, Pebbles tries once again to release herself from her captor only to tire from the strain it puts on her. Having a monster size goose egg of a bump on her head Pebbles realizes that her chances of moving lie soley on the help of another. Crying desperately for her Pa, Pebbles begins to sadden and cry. As her tears fall from her long lashes she once again falls asleep.
Two days later.
"Hey there are you still alive?"
"Wha?"
"Are you okay?, you're the only one I can smell that seems to be alive"
"I think so"
"Well that's good, I was beginning to feel quite lonely"
"How long have you been like this?"
"I don't know, when was the earthquake?"
"Two days ago, I've been sniffing my way through all the debris and such, nothing was saved, I was lucky to have been so small that I was able to hide under a rock pile. My family is gone, I'm all alone, that is until I found you lying here. Were you alone too?"
"Yes, well no, my Pa was with me when the earthquake first began, but he left to check things out, I haven't seen him since. I need to get up and look for him"
"Can you move your leg?"
"No, no ouch! It's stuck"
"Hey I might be able to get under it and move it off you, let me see"
"Hey what is your name?"
"Gus, but my friends call me Gussie, you can call me whichever"
"Are you sure you can get under"
"I'm a basset hound, we're built to get under things, now stay still"
"Okay, just be careful"
"Ahh okay, now on the count of 3 I'm going to push, when I do you move your foot out as quick as you can okay"
"Okay"
"Okay, 1, 2, 3...(Gussie pushes up with her front legs and holds the rock just above Pebbles leg, just releasing her)...you out?"
"Yup"
"Good" (Gussie drops the rock down slowly and then gets out)
"Thank you Gussie, ohh but does it ache"
"Let me see it, maybe I can do something"
(Gussie proceeds to take a look at her leg, as she begins to sniff and get closer she realizes that Pebbles leg is cut but not broken.)
"Well how does it look, it sure feels bad"
"From what I can see, your leg was cut pretty badly but I don't think its broken, does this hurt?" (Gussie pushes her front paw on Pebbles leg)
"Ouch, yes a little. But I think you are right, I can feel and move it"
"We should cover it with something, stay here a minute while I try to find something to wrap it with"
"Okay but don't go too far"
"I wont"
As Gussie heads to find something to wrap Pebbles leg with, Pebbles tries her best to sit up without moving her leg. Her long 9 foot body can be burdensome at times. As she does this she begins to look out beyond. In doing so, she starts to see all the damage that had been caused by the earthquake, how the cages have either been torn apart or been totally sunken in. There's so much damage and so many bodies. As all this sinks in, Pebbles begins to cry for she can see her fathers body lying lifeless a top of two trees, his eyes still open. Immediately torn about by this sight, Pebbles jumps up on all four of her feet as she flees frantically towards her Pa. She feels no pain in her leg in doing so.
"Pa! Pa! Pa! Oh Pa! (standing above him), Pa!, Pa please wake up, please wake up (she tries to nudge him awake) Pa!!!!!"
to be continued...
"What is it Pebbie?"
"Did you feel that? I think I felt the ground move"
"What?, no the ground did not move my dear child, you must have been dreaming it, now go back to sleep"
"But Pa!, what if it did move?"
"It didn't move my dear, I would have felt it"
"But you were asleep"
"Yes, but I would have felt the ground move, now you sleep"
"Are you sure Pa"
"Yes, yes my dear child, come close to me if you like, we'll sleep together"
"Okay, I just fel...(the ground shaking), Pa!!!! Did you feel that?"
"Yes, my child, now stay here, and be still, I will go check it out"
"But Pa, I want to come, I'm scared"
"No my child you stay here, I will go look out and see what's happening"
"But Pa we can't leave, we're caged in"
"I know, I'm just going to look about some, be still (ground shaking)
"Pa don't leave me, I'm scared, please can I come".
As Pa sets out to see what all is up, baby Pebbles stands about with her long legs and neck hoping to see over the trees that make up her bed. Her eyes show her a crowd of workers trying desperately to keep all the other animals in check and calm as once again the ground begins to stir. Fearful of her fathers safety she sets loose to help him feeling that it was her fault that he'd left. As she begins to call for him, she's quickly brought down by a thunderous roar of the ground below her. She is quickly hit by an array of branches and leaves from all the trees around her as all the earth begins to move and sway. Still calling for her beloved Pa, Pebbles tries desperately to break free from things but realizes that her efforts go nowhere once she notices that she has been caught by a fallen tree on her left leg. The earthquake which is now beginning to grow stronger, has taken to shaking all that were once tied down in the mighty zoo. As Pebbles continues to scream in terror for her father to return she is struck by a large rock a top her head, a blow that immediately puts her out.
Hours later, Pebbles awakens to find her surroundings totally destroyed, trees have been toppled, all the cages torn down and with most of the animals either dead or long gone. Still trapped by the rock on her left foot, Pebbles tries once again to release herself from her captor only to tire from the strain it puts on her. Having a monster size goose egg of a bump on her head Pebbles realizes that her chances of moving lie soley on the help of another. Crying desperately for her Pa, Pebbles begins to sadden and cry. As her tears fall from her long lashes she once again falls asleep.
Two days later.
"Hey there are you still alive?"
"Wha?"
"Are you okay?, you're the only one I can smell that seems to be alive"
"I think so"
"Well that's good, I was beginning to feel quite lonely"
"How long have you been like this?"
"I don't know, when was the earthquake?"
"Two days ago, I've been sniffing my way through all the debris and such, nothing was saved, I was lucky to have been so small that I was able to hide under a rock pile. My family is gone, I'm all alone, that is until I found you lying here. Were you alone too?"
"Yes, well no, my Pa was with me when the earthquake first began, but he left to check things out, I haven't seen him since. I need to get up and look for him"
"Can you move your leg?"
"No, no ouch! It's stuck"
"Hey I might be able to get under it and move it off you, let me see"
"Hey what is your name?"
"Gus, but my friends call me Gussie, you can call me whichever"
"Are you sure you can get under"
"I'm a basset hound, we're built to get under things, now stay still"
"Okay, just be careful"
"Ahh okay, now on the count of 3 I'm going to push, when I do you move your foot out as quick as you can okay"
"Okay"
"Okay, 1, 2, 3...(Gussie pushes up with her front legs and holds the rock just above Pebbles leg, just releasing her)...you out?"
"Yup"
"Good" (Gussie drops the rock down slowly and then gets out)
"Thank you Gussie, ohh but does it ache"
"Let me see it, maybe I can do something"
(Gussie proceeds to take a look at her leg, as she begins to sniff and get closer she realizes that Pebbles leg is cut but not broken.)
"Well how does it look, it sure feels bad"
"From what I can see, your leg was cut pretty badly but I don't think its broken, does this hurt?" (Gussie pushes her front paw on Pebbles leg)
"Ouch, yes a little. But I think you are right, I can feel and move it"
"We should cover it with something, stay here a minute while I try to find something to wrap it with"
"Okay but don't go too far"
"I wont"
As Gussie heads to find something to wrap Pebbles leg with, Pebbles tries her best to sit up without moving her leg. Her long 9 foot body can be burdensome at times. As she does this she begins to look out beyond. In doing so, she starts to see all the damage that had been caused by the earthquake, how the cages have either been torn apart or been totally sunken in. There's so much damage and so many bodies. As all this sinks in, Pebbles begins to cry for she can see her fathers body lying lifeless a top of two trees, his eyes still open. Immediately torn about by this sight, Pebbles jumps up on all four of her feet as she flees frantically towards her Pa. She feels no pain in her leg in doing so.
"Pa! Pa! Pa! Oh Pa! (standing above him), Pa!, Pa please wake up, please wake up (she tries to nudge him awake) Pa!!!!!"
to be continued...
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
...?
How unspecial I am and how I'm okay with it. I awake each day knowing full well that it could be my last. I am just one soul lost amongst many on this grand planet trying my best to survive. The rigours of our society have caused me to develop a greater appreciation for the little moments and journeys each day brings rather than trying to become something I am not. I am not special and I will never try to be. I am just me and I love who I am. As my twenties have passed by I've developed a wonderful undertanding of what true happiness is...
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
The State of the NBA and much more...
So it's off season time, the players and their families are soaking up much needed r&r and well people like myself are here late one night writing mindless dribble about how much we love/hate things about the league and its players. Here's a few thoughts brewing in my mind currently.
1. I'm excited at what next season will bring for Kobe and LeBron. Who's team will dominate the most? Which will suffer that one key injury first? Who will be MVP?
2. I'm going out on a limb and predicting the following:
MVP = Wade - just because the voters will believe it's his turn to win the damn thing. I hate this award. Kobe will never win one again, even though he should have 4 by now.
The Lakers win 68 games.
The Cavs win 63
The Spurs win 62
The Celtics win 60
Kevin Durant will go nuts. He will be 2nd in scoring behind Wade, and become a bona fide stud.
Portland will take a step backward, slightly.
Dallas will surprise more people than was to be expected.
Greg Oden will still suck.
Allen Iverson will have a great year and be a good boy.
and Kobe will average 28ppg, 5, 5, 1.5, 85%, 46% and play all 82.
The Lakers win the ship over Cleveland in 6.
3. While the owners and players union discuss a new collective bargaining agreement, here are a few items I would change in the process.
a. Raise the age minimum to 20. I know most disagree with me on this one and in a way they do have some great examples of players who have made the leap at 18 (ie. Kobe and LeBron), but my point is this, most players at that age are yes physically capable of playing in the big time, but most lack the requisite intelligence to grasp the competitive NBA game. There's a reason why veteran teams win in the NBA and why young ones don't, it all comes down to games smarts. Also I hate seeing so many teams pay these young players exorbitant amounts of money based on potential. It ruins the league and destroys teams for years if said player doesn't amount to the money they're being paid.
b. Guaranteed contracts should be lowered to 5 years. And all players in their first 5 seasons in the league should have team options only per season. This would help eliminate all the crap young players in the league as well as shorten the length of any horrible contract. The fact that Gilbert Arenas received over 100 mil for 6 years on a bum knee is beyond me. Or how Rashard Lewis makes more than Dwight is another.
that's enough for now. more later.
1. I'm excited at what next season will bring for Kobe and LeBron. Who's team will dominate the most? Which will suffer that one key injury first? Who will be MVP?
2. I'm going out on a limb and predicting the following:
MVP = Wade - just because the voters will believe it's his turn to win the damn thing. I hate this award. Kobe will never win one again, even though he should have 4 by now.
The Lakers win 68 games.
The Cavs win 63
The Spurs win 62
The Celtics win 60
Kevin Durant will go nuts. He will be 2nd in scoring behind Wade, and become a bona fide stud.
Portland will take a step backward, slightly.
Dallas will surprise more people than was to be expected.
Greg Oden will still suck.
Allen Iverson will have a great year and be a good boy.
and Kobe will average 28ppg, 5, 5, 1.5, 85%, 46% and play all 82.
The Lakers win the ship over Cleveland in 6.
3. While the owners and players union discuss a new collective bargaining agreement, here are a few items I would change in the process.
a. Raise the age minimum to 20. I know most disagree with me on this one and in a way they do have some great examples of players who have made the leap at 18 (ie. Kobe and LeBron), but my point is this, most players at that age are yes physically capable of playing in the big time, but most lack the requisite intelligence to grasp the competitive NBA game. There's a reason why veteran teams win in the NBA and why young ones don't, it all comes down to games smarts. Also I hate seeing so many teams pay these young players exorbitant amounts of money based on potential. It ruins the league and destroys teams for years if said player doesn't amount to the money they're being paid.
b. Guaranteed contracts should be lowered to 5 years. And all players in their first 5 seasons in the league should have team options only per season. This would help eliminate all the crap young players in the league as well as shorten the length of any horrible contract. The fact that Gilbert Arenas received over 100 mil for 6 years on a bum knee is beyond me. Or how Rashard Lewis makes more than Dwight is another.
that's enough for now. more later.
Monday, August 10, 2009
My Journey: 16 and oh so young.
For the past year or so I've been writing on this here website about all my love, hate and everything in between for the restaurant bus. It goes without saying that my using the words ."love and hate" very much aptly apply, for there is much love and hate flowing within me as my 13th year in the bus. quickly approaches. But today is not going to be one of those days where I rant or rave on about this and that. Today I want to recount for you (and myself) the lasting moments, memories that have shaped my restaurant journey, a journey full of...well you'll see.
Part 1. McDonald's
It all started back in September 1996, I was a young, very naive kid of just 16 years, who was about to start his first real job (well I was a paper boy two years prior but who's counting that...I'm not) as an employee of McDonald's. I was starting grade eleven at the time, a grade and age I wasn't too fond of, so insecure, shy and all that jazz. Any who, my mom called me by her side one day and said "son, you need to go and get yourself a job, I can't afford to pay for everything you need these days. Plus it will be good for you, you'll meet some new people, make some friends and learn a little discipline" Well okay so she didn't quite put it that eloquently, to be honest I remember it being more "Hey get off you ass and go get a job, NOW!!!" but I believe my version sounds a lot better so I'm sticking with that one. So then there I was, a young kid with no real skills now forced to fend for himself in the real world as a (gulp!) adult. Let's just say I wasn't too thrilled about this. Being a kid is fun and easy, you wake up, go to school, do whatever you want, the rents pay everything, life is perfect. However, after much thought and deliberation between my best mate Harry, we both decided that working would be good for us, we'd finally have some money and well we'd finally have some money. We decided that working in a restaurant would be our best bet to landing jobs quickly and easily. Also being the dedicated athletes that we were (him tennis, me track and field) we ate a tonne, so we were hoping that a restaurant job might help us kill two birds with one stone, that being our money woes and our appetites. It's funny how the mind of a 16 year old works, thinking back on it, I thought primarily of 3 things, food, girls and track...no really! that was about it. So there you have it ladies, written proof that us men are really as simple minded as you make us out to being. You can have your moment just this once. Got it? Good. I want that moment back in 3 minutes you hear. 3 minutes!!
Before I headed out I realized very quickly that I had no idea as to where I should apply. Turning to the source of my current dilemma, my mom (there she is again) suggested I try McDonald's since she'd heard they have great training programs and they hire young workers. Not having any reason to argue with her on this one I went on over and applied. With that I must profess my hate towards this humiliating process, the dreaded "Resume Drop Off". This to me is the most awful experience ever. Think about it, when you apply for a job you're usually broke, completely nervous and totally unsure of yourself. So what does our society make us do? Beg for our next job. Yeah that's right, we BEG, dropping off resumes is like begging. In simplified terms when you hand in that resume you're basically saying "Please give me a job, please! I'm broke and if I don't get a job soon my girl is going to dump my sorry ass to the curb pronto" and the worst part about all this is, they (being job owners/managers) KNOW IT AND LOVE IT. Fuckers! The whole process is awful, right from the creation of the "I'm full of shit and this is all lies"resume to the dreaded meet and greet with said low level employee who a. could care less that you're here wasting their time and b. is totally sizing you up with the look, you know the one, the "yeah right dude there's no fucking way you're working here" up and down stare as if you'd just pissed your pants and he was so grossed out that listening to anything you said was beyond reality. What also makes this process awful is the manager whom you should be meeting is usually and often in the back pretending to be busy because he or she is so sick and tired of talking to beggars that having said low level employee around has not only become their go between but also their buffer. We all hate beggars almost as much as we hate begging. This is also why I truly believe that most people who get their jobs now days through friends and referrals do so not because of the connections but because the sheer humiliation of the "Resume Drop Off" has scared them into doing whatever is needed to avoiding going down that road. And man have I had some awful experiences doing the "Drop off". I remember once going into this restaurant in Toronto and having the manager say to me "Is this how you dress in real life?" as he was taking my resume, seriously not a word of a lie, the guy had yet to say his name to me, let alone let me introduce myself to him. I was so shocked by the comment I was speechless. He took my resume and did one glance and said "sorry but no thanks". I walked out of there depressed and yearning to punch something. And that wasn't even that bad, I've heard countless other stories far worse and humiliating. There has to be a better way to do this. I have yet to figure one out, but trust me I'll find it, this must change. Okay so that's enough, on with the story. As luck would have it, I would land the McDonald's job on my first try. I wouldn't become jaded for another 5 years, but more on that later.
A little side note***
Why do people dread the interview process?
For me I find it quite liberating. To have this person of power sit there before you, who for a brief moment is willing to listen to whatever you might say is something I truly enjoy. I love the challenge of it, that for a few minutes this is your time to shine. Because if you really think about it an interview is just you talking to someone else about all that's great about you. How hard is that? I for one think I'm pretty great (no laughing) so in a sense I find interviewing quite easy with little to no stress. I guess that's why I find it weird when I hear someone bomb an interview, I mean how can you suck at selling you? Shouldn't that be your best asset? Hmm I might be wrong, nerves and too much coffee might play into this, but hey that's just my take.
Once I started, I found the job rather easy. Okay it's McDonald's so how hard can it be. My first day they put me out front on a station called "Window" which is really the front counter where every newbie starts. Working in a fast food restaurant is quite interesting though, everything is so organized, accounted for, prepped, labelled, etc... so if you're not the neat and tidy type it can take some getting used to. The work was whatever, busy (you'd be amazed at how fat some people are, and I mean fat. Canadian folk loves them their McDonald's) but more importantly it was the people I worked with that made my shifts. McDonald's was cool because most of the people you worked with were your age, in high school like you, all doing pretty much the same thing. It was like school after school only you're getting paid to be there. The money was well awful, but it did feed Harry and I, so that was good. Thinking back on it, it clearly shows you how dumb we were in thinking that eating fast food burgers and fries would help us in sports. Anything to fill a stomach I guess.
The managers were cool, typically not much older than we were, so getting along with them was great. I once had this older manager Reginald who was probably in his early 30's then tell me that the floor I was mopping was almost as wet as his first girlfriend. Ick!!! This should tell you the environment of things that transpire behind that drive thru window the next time you make a visit. Caution: Buyer Beware The place was a big, very busy hangout. I ended up working there almost 4 years, right up until the beginning of 3rd year university. Near the end I was so comfortable with things I'd generally show up looking to a. annoy my manager that night by either turning off the big M before we close or by sabotaging an order by either adding too much of one product like say a mound of onions to an extra onion burger or by deep frying the bun on a few cheeseburgers. I was a brat and I loved every second of it. Or b. I'd flirt with the girls. Something most horny young teenagers would do. I left the job on a great note as employee of the month. I learnt a lot, grew a bit and developed some good friendships. McDonald's was great for what it was and I wouldn't change it for a second. It was the perfect entry level job for a meat head like me. And as the saying goes I was young, dumb and full of...
Next up: Earls: the place where everybody knows your name.
Part 1. McDonald's
It all started back in September 1996, I was a young, very naive kid of just 16 years, who was about to start his first real job (well I was a paper boy two years prior but who's counting that...I'm not) as an employee of McDonald's. I was starting grade eleven at the time, a grade and age I wasn't too fond of, so insecure, shy and all that jazz. Any who, my mom called me by her side one day and said "son, you need to go and get yourself a job, I can't afford to pay for everything you need these days. Plus it will be good for you, you'll meet some new people, make some friends and learn a little discipline" Well okay so she didn't quite put it that eloquently, to be honest I remember it being more "Hey get off you ass and go get a job, NOW!!!" but I believe my version sounds a lot better so I'm sticking with that one. So then there I was, a young kid with no real skills now forced to fend for himself in the real world as a (gulp!) adult. Let's just say I wasn't too thrilled about this. Being a kid is fun and easy, you wake up, go to school, do whatever you want, the rents pay everything, life is perfect. However, after much thought and deliberation between my best mate Harry, we both decided that working would be good for us, we'd finally have some money and well we'd finally have some money. We decided that working in a restaurant would be our best bet to landing jobs quickly and easily. Also being the dedicated athletes that we were (him tennis, me track and field) we ate a tonne, so we were hoping that a restaurant job might help us kill two birds with one stone, that being our money woes and our appetites. It's funny how the mind of a 16 year old works, thinking back on it, I thought primarily of 3 things, food, girls and track...no really! that was about it. So there you have it ladies, written proof that us men are really as simple minded as you make us out to being. You can have your moment just this once. Got it? Good. I want that moment back in 3 minutes you hear. 3 minutes!!
Before I headed out I realized very quickly that I had no idea as to where I should apply. Turning to the source of my current dilemma, my mom (there she is again) suggested I try McDonald's since she'd heard they have great training programs and they hire young workers. Not having any reason to argue with her on this one I went on over and applied. With that I must profess my hate towards this humiliating process, the dreaded "Resume Drop Off". This to me is the most awful experience ever. Think about it, when you apply for a job you're usually broke, completely nervous and totally unsure of yourself. So what does our society make us do? Beg for our next job. Yeah that's right, we BEG, dropping off resumes is like begging. In simplified terms when you hand in that resume you're basically saying "Please give me a job, please! I'm broke and if I don't get a job soon my girl is going to dump my sorry ass to the curb pronto" and the worst part about all this is, they (being job owners/managers) KNOW IT AND LOVE IT. Fuckers! The whole process is awful, right from the creation of the "I'm full of shit and this is all lies"resume to the dreaded meet and greet with said low level employee who a. could care less that you're here wasting their time and b. is totally sizing you up with the look, you know the one, the "yeah right dude there's no fucking way you're working here" up and down stare as if you'd just pissed your pants and he was so grossed out that listening to anything you said was beyond reality. What also makes this process awful is the manager whom you should be meeting is usually and often in the back pretending to be busy because he or she is so sick and tired of talking to beggars that having said low level employee around has not only become their go between but also their buffer. We all hate beggars almost as much as we hate begging. This is also why I truly believe that most people who get their jobs now days through friends and referrals do so not because of the connections but because the sheer humiliation of the "Resume Drop Off" has scared them into doing whatever is needed to avoiding going down that road. And man have I had some awful experiences doing the "Drop off". I remember once going into this restaurant in Toronto and having the manager say to me "Is this how you dress in real life?" as he was taking my resume, seriously not a word of a lie, the guy had yet to say his name to me, let alone let me introduce myself to him. I was so shocked by the comment I was speechless. He took my resume and did one glance and said "sorry but no thanks". I walked out of there depressed and yearning to punch something. And that wasn't even that bad, I've heard countless other stories far worse and humiliating. There has to be a better way to do this. I have yet to figure one out, but trust me I'll find it, this must change. Okay so that's enough, on with the story. As luck would have it, I would land the McDonald's job on my first try. I wouldn't become jaded for another 5 years, but more on that later.
A little side note***
Why do people dread the interview process?
For me I find it quite liberating. To have this person of power sit there before you, who for a brief moment is willing to listen to whatever you might say is something I truly enjoy. I love the challenge of it, that for a few minutes this is your time to shine. Because if you really think about it an interview is just you talking to someone else about all that's great about you. How hard is that? I for one think I'm pretty great (no laughing) so in a sense I find interviewing quite easy with little to no stress. I guess that's why I find it weird when I hear someone bomb an interview, I mean how can you suck at selling you? Shouldn't that be your best asset? Hmm I might be wrong, nerves and too much coffee might play into this, but hey that's just my take.
Once I started, I found the job rather easy. Okay it's McDonald's so how hard can it be. My first day they put me out front on a station called "Window" which is really the front counter where every newbie starts. Working in a fast food restaurant is quite interesting though, everything is so organized, accounted for, prepped, labelled, etc... so if you're not the neat and tidy type it can take some getting used to. The work was whatever, busy (you'd be amazed at how fat some people are, and I mean fat. Canadian folk loves them their McDonald's) but more importantly it was the people I worked with that made my shifts. McDonald's was cool because most of the people you worked with were your age, in high school like you, all doing pretty much the same thing. It was like school after school only you're getting paid to be there. The money was well awful, but it did feed Harry and I, so that was good. Thinking back on it, it clearly shows you how dumb we were in thinking that eating fast food burgers and fries would help us in sports. Anything to fill a stomach I guess.
The managers were cool, typically not much older than we were, so getting along with them was great. I once had this older manager Reginald who was probably in his early 30's then tell me that the floor I was mopping was almost as wet as his first girlfriend. Ick!!! This should tell you the environment of things that transpire behind that drive thru window the next time you make a visit. Caution: Buyer Beware The place was a big, very busy hangout. I ended up working there almost 4 years, right up until the beginning of 3rd year university. Near the end I was so comfortable with things I'd generally show up looking to a. annoy my manager that night by either turning off the big M before we close or by sabotaging an order by either adding too much of one product like say a mound of onions to an extra onion burger or by deep frying the bun on a few cheeseburgers. I was a brat and I loved every second of it. Or b. I'd flirt with the girls. Something most horny young teenagers would do. I left the job on a great note as employee of the month. I learnt a lot, grew a bit and developed some good friendships. McDonald's was great for what it was and I wouldn't change it for a second. It was the perfect entry level job for a meat head like me. And as the saying goes I was young, dumb and full of...
Next up: Earls: the place where everybody knows your name.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Sunday, July 12, 2009
To dine or not to dine?
I've posed this question aloud to myself so many times lately that it has got me thinking about its context. What does it mean to dine? And how does this differ from you and I? I like to think of myself as some what of an inquisitive type, y'know someone who's always curious and ignited by what drives people to do what they do. I find it fascinating watching other people eat, whether it be by the way they hold their knife and fork, to how they hold their wine glass, if they chew with their mouths open or closed, to how they sit, etc... I'm confident that I'm not alone in this, we all watch and copy one another, it's what makes us human. So with that, I've become transfixed lately as to what others consider dining. Confused? Let me explain. You see I grew up in what I term the "TV family setting", we ate just in front of the TV. We were not your traditional lets all get together, sit as a family, talk, grow and celebrate type. Okay celebrate might be a little to emphatic but you get the idea. My point here isn't so much as what type of setting we convened together in, but mostly that we never dined as a family. We were that family who loved one another but never showed it, and if we did it would be in passing or on holidays. Don't get me wrong I love my family, but the question I have is did we as a society lose sight of the dining experience?
Maybe I've been watching too many old Full House reruns or something, but I find it fascinating watching and listening to people talk about how they dine or for that matter how they eat. Not saying that one is better than the other, I just feel in some way that my family missed out on something; we never came together. For example, my little sis and her husband came to visit me this past week. We went out a few times for dinner and it fascinated me to no end at how seemingly uncomfortable they felt while being in this environment. Not that they never went out to eat, but how the setting, the whole process took them some getting used to. The last night in particular was by far the most revealing, as I decided to throw them for a loop and take them to Trattoria by Italian Kitchen in Kitsilano. Trattoria is no fine dining by any stretch but its up there, good quality food and service in a very busy atmosphere. When we arrived, the place was nuts, we ended up waiting in the lounge for 30 minutes, something I quite enjoy. Maybe I'm different or getting old or something but I thought, hey this will be fun, sit back grab a drink, chat and wait to get a table. My sis and her husband, bless them both jumped in, reluctantly some but they did so nonetheless. As we discussed our drink selections, I got the sense that the two of them felt out of place and uncomfortable as to our current situation. To which got me thinking as to why? We're just 3 kids out for some good time, a bite and a little convo, why feel bad for that? But I could tell they did, they had trouble understanding the menu, what to order and how to act, which I found to be wrong and sad. I love them both dearly and I wanted them to be themselves and to have fun, I just wanted to show them something different. We could have gone to Denny's, Vera Burger, Earls, you name it but I wanted them to see something they normally would never see or do. Isn't that the whole point of life? To grow and learn. Any who, enough preachy, we ended up doing quite well, they had a great meal and I had a good time, perfect!
But afterwords this event got me thinking, when did the great dine die off? It's easy to go out and order, wolf down your food and leave and say you went out for dinner. Hell we do it all the time, but how often do we actually sit back, chew our food, pause, listen, talk and celebrate each other together. In a sense this is one reason why I got sick of going to clubs with my buddies, we'd go sit in this loud ass room, while never talking due to the noise, thus never really enjoying one anothers company. It's why to this day I always prefer to sit in a lounge, have a glass of vino and a good crew to sit back and chat with. For me there's nothing better. Yes this may not be dining but it's a way of interacting, something we all crave as human beings, those bonds. I've worked in the service world for sometime now and well I'd say I've become somewhat of an expert on human interaction and I find it amazing at how many people go out for diner and never really dine. At the sushi bar this used to drive me nuts, people would come in and order 10 rolls, mow them down and then book it. Why? Are we just starving animals incapable of dining anymore? Have we moved so far into the capitalist movement that our time has now become such a priority that enjoying one anothers company has now become just a holiday affair?
This whole idea brings me back to a clip from the film "The Bridges over Madison County". In one scene Meryl Streep's character calls her family in for dinner. They all arrive and just dig in, never speaking just eating, they finish and then leave, with her sitting there totally unsatisfied and in a way feeling used. I found this scene to be so sad, it reminded me of what my family used to be like and how so many others are. With regards to my sis and her hubby in a way I felt that our dining was so new to her and him that it was the dining to which made them feel uncomfortable not the setting and what not. But as we left I could sense they had really enjoyed it, we'd made a connection, something I feel we all needed.
With that I'm left to think am I alone in feeling this way or has the term dining just taken on a new meaning, now left to the odd moment or event. Are we now a species incapable of interaction? Who knows, but I sure hope I don't end up like that old couple who never utters one word to each other as they eat out. That's the most depressing thing ever and I've seen it countless times over.
This post isn't to point fingers or to make me look smarter than my sis or anyone else, I've just been racked lately with the idea of how we all dine. Think about it.
later.
Maybe I've been watching too many old Full House reruns or something, but I find it fascinating watching and listening to people talk about how they dine or for that matter how they eat. Not saying that one is better than the other, I just feel in some way that my family missed out on something; we never came together. For example, my little sis and her husband came to visit me this past week. We went out a few times for dinner and it fascinated me to no end at how seemingly uncomfortable they felt while being in this environment. Not that they never went out to eat, but how the setting, the whole process took them some getting used to. The last night in particular was by far the most revealing, as I decided to throw them for a loop and take them to Trattoria by Italian Kitchen in Kitsilano. Trattoria is no fine dining by any stretch but its up there, good quality food and service in a very busy atmosphere. When we arrived, the place was nuts, we ended up waiting in the lounge for 30 minutes, something I quite enjoy. Maybe I'm different or getting old or something but I thought, hey this will be fun, sit back grab a drink, chat and wait to get a table. My sis and her husband, bless them both jumped in, reluctantly some but they did so nonetheless. As we discussed our drink selections, I got the sense that the two of them felt out of place and uncomfortable as to our current situation. To which got me thinking as to why? We're just 3 kids out for some good time, a bite and a little convo, why feel bad for that? But I could tell they did, they had trouble understanding the menu, what to order and how to act, which I found to be wrong and sad. I love them both dearly and I wanted them to be themselves and to have fun, I just wanted to show them something different. We could have gone to Denny's, Vera Burger, Earls, you name it but I wanted them to see something they normally would never see or do. Isn't that the whole point of life? To grow and learn. Any who, enough preachy, we ended up doing quite well, they had a great meal and I had a good time, perfect!
But afterwords this event got me thinking, when did the great dine die off? It's easy to go out and order, wolf down your food and leave and say you went out for dinner. Hell we do it all the time, but how often do we actually sit back, chew our food, pause, listen, talk and celebrate each other together. In a sense this is one reason why I got sick of going to clubs with my buddies, we'd go sit in this loud ass room, while never talking due to the noise, thus never really enjoying one anothers company. It's why to this day I always prefer to sit in a lounge, have a glass of vino and a good crew to sit back and chat with. For me there's nothing better. Yes this may not be dining but it's a way of interacting, something we all crave as human beings, those bonds. I've worked in the service world for sometime now and well I'd say I've become somewhat of an expert on human interaction and I find it amazing at how many people go out for diner and never really dine. At the sushi bar this used to drive me nuts, people would come in and order 10 rolls, mow them down and then book it. Why? Are we just starving animals incapable of dining anymore? Have we moved so far into the capitalist movement that our time has now become such a priority that enjoying one anothers company has now become just a holiday affair?
This whole idea brings me back to a clip from the film "The Bridges over Madison County". In one scene Meryl Streep's character calls her family in for dinner. They all arrive and just dig in, never speaking just eating, they finish and then leave, with her sitting there totally unsatisfied and in a way feeling used. I found this scene to be so sad, it reminded me of what my family used to be like and how so many others are. With regards to my sis and her hubby in a way I felt that our dining was so new to her and him that it was the dining to which made them feel uncomfortable not the setting and what not. But as we left I could sense they had really enjoyed it, we'd made a connection, something I feel we all needed.
With that I'm left to think am I alone in feeling this way or has the term dining just taken on a new meaning, now left to the odd moment or event. Are we now a species incapable of interaction? Who knows, but I sure hope I don't end up like that old couple who never utters one word to each other as they eat out. That's the most depressing thing ever and I've seen it countless times over.
This post isn't to point fingers or to make me look smarter than my sis or anyone else, I've just been racked lately with the idea of how we all dine. Think about it.
later.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Free Agent Signings: the good the bad and the ugly
It's that time of year again, the playoffs are now a distant memory, the Lakers are now the kings, the draft has been done and now it's the time when all teams clamour to grab that top prize free agent. July 1st has come and gone and by now we have a clear sense of who's gone where and who's still up for grabs.
Ben Gordon - Detroit: They replace a 33 year old undersized shoot first 2 for a 26 year old version. Not sure what Detroit was thinking on this one, at least AI can distribute the ball, Ben can do one thing, he can get you 20ppg and that is about it. Is he worth 55 mil? No way, but hey if Joe D. wants to have him then so be it. Chicago is way better off without him. Don't get me wrong Ben is a great player, a great 6th man that is.
Charlie Villanueva - Detroit: Role player being paid starters minutes. He's a decent scorer, but he's way too soft to be paid this much. His size should help in Detroit, especially now that Sheed's gone. If he can develop any sense of strength or rebounding ability he'd be a great starter. He kinda reminds me of Bargnani up in Toronto, will give you 15ppg, 5-6 boards, 2 dimes, decent shooting and that's about it. At least Detroit didn't give him a 50 mil extension. Ouch!!! Toronto.
Rasheed Wallace - Boston: Perfect fit for him at a perfect price. He's getting up there in age, but he can still contribute at a high level. Pairing him with KG should help maintain his focus and stability. Also playing for those rabid bean town fans should move him into some better play. Having him down in the post should help Boston's low post scoring tremendously. Great pick up.
Ron Artest - LA Lakers: I love this addition. Ron Ron can play and his tremendous competitive edge should complement nicely with Kobe's. I've said for years now that this team has needed some edge, something Ron should add quite easily. Think Dennis Rodman's energy and toughness with Scottie's defensive chops. If LA can re-sign LO than this team should be poised for a great run at repeating.
Trevor Ariza - Houston: Oh how you've fallen Trevor. You were insulted that LA low balled you? Do you really believe all that hype? Because if you do then shame on you, there is now way you'll be the same player in Houston. Say thank you to Phil and Kobe for that contract, and yes I know you earned some of this, but it ain't gonna be the same in Houston. It was all about the respect eh? Well you got your ring, now you'll get your losses. Enjoy the ride, you're gonna regret it.
Grant Hill - Phoenix: Why did he re-sign? Why oh why? Grant you've been in the league a long time, your time is almost up, why re-sign with a team that has no plans and no future for quite the same money you could have received in Boston plus a chance at a ring? I understand loyalty to a point, but when a team can trade you with the snap of a finger than I say all bets are off. Loyalty comes in the form of the Kobe's, LeBron's and Duncan's of the league, they get loyalty and they should return it, but when it comes to a 36 year old small forward with injury history, then I say go where you can win and enjoy it for all it is worth. You won at Duke, you were one of the best in the late 90's, you were injured in your prime, I say fuck it and go for the green and win. I understand your loyalty I just would not have done it.
Jason Kidd - Dallas: The same goes for Kidd as with Hill, why re-sign? At least Dallas is a somewhat formidable team with an owner who's dying to win, all great ingredients for success. Would I have left? Maybe, but in his case this is probably the best situation.
Allen Iverson - Memphis?: Oh how this star has fallen and oh how he deserves it. This is the best offer and only offer he's going to get and he better make the best of it. It's just unfortunate that a player of his talent has to fall this far in the twilight of such a great career. But in all reality, Iverson in my opinion has been over valued his whole career. A great scorer no doubt, but a franchise player, no way. He's too small, too selfish and too one dimensional. Here's my advice to Iverson, go to Memphis, play your ass off, make those kids better, give that team some sort of hope and then when your contract is up, STAY and retire there. Do your best to make this team grow, if you win and make the playoffs then you've done it, you've shown you can make others better, something your legacy still needs. If you lose then you can safe face and say you tried. Going to Europe doesn't help your legacy. Playing one year in Memphis doesn't help your legacy, you need stability. I say go and be a good boy.
Hedo Turkoglu - Toronto: Great pickup at a fair price. He helps solve their go to scorer needs, he's a big 3 who can play some 4. He's seasoned and he should help grow Bosh's game. Not much else to say here, I love this addition, Toronto is moving the right direction.
Shawn Marion - Dallas: Good pickup for a lost soul. Marion needs a team atmosphere to survive, he's a great 3rd or 4th option on a decent team. Playing with Kidd, Nowitzki and Howard should help ease his stress and burden of performing as a main guy, something he clearly floundered in both Miami and Toronto. I don't like the contract size but hey it's Mark Cuban so it doesn't shock me.
Shaquille O'Neal - Cleveland: Worth a shot no? The big mouth is going to help stabilize an underwhelming and quite putrid big man lineup. With Illgauskas aging faster than MJ's corpse (RIP Michael, you were great) and Varejao being over paid and asked to do more than he's capable of, Shaq should provide some much needed scoring help, leadership and an overall strong presence in the Cavs locker room. Good pickup.
more later.
Ben Gordon - Detroit: They replace a 33 year old undersized shoot first 2 for a 26 year old version. Not sure what Detroit was thinking on this one, at least AI can distribute the ball, Ben can do one thing, he can get you 20ppg and that is about it. Is he worth 55 mil? No way, but hey if Joe D. wants to have him then so be it. Chicago is way better off without him. Don't get me wrong Ben is a great player, a great 6th man that is.
Charlie Villanueva - Detroit: Role player being paid starters minutes. He's a decent scorer, but he's way too soft to be paid this much. His size should help in Detroit, especially now that Sheed's gone. If he can develop any sense of strength or rebounding ability he'd be a great starter. He kinda reminds me of Bargnani up in Toronto, will give you 15ppg, 5-6 boards, 2 dimes, decent shooting and that's about it. At least Detroit didn't give him a 50 mil extension. Ouch!!! Toronto.
Rasheed Wallace - Boston: Perfect fit for him at a perfect price. He's getting up there in age, but he can still contribute at a high level. Pairing him with KG should help maintain his focus and stability. Also playing for those rabid bean town fans should move him into some better play. Having him down in the post should help Boston's low post scoring tremendously. Great pick up.
Ron Artest - LA Lakers: I love this addition. Ron Ron can play and his tremendous competitive edge should complement nicely with Kobe's. I've said for years now that this team has needed some edge, something Ron should add quite easily. Think Dennis Rodman's energy and toughness with Scottie's defensive chops. If LA can re-sign LO than this team should be poised for a great run at repeating.
Trevor Ariza - Houston: Oh how you've fallen Trevor. You were insulted that LA low balled you? Do you really believe all that hype? Because if you do then shame on you, there is now way you'll be the same player in Houston. Say thank you to Phil and Kobe for that contract, and yes I know you earned some of this, but it ain't gonna be the same in Houston. It was all about the respect eh? Well you got your ring, now you'll get your losses. Enjoy the ride, you're gonna regret it.
Grant Hill - Phoenix: Why did he re-sign? Why oh why? Grant you've been in the league a long time, your time is almost up, why re-sign with a team that has no plans and no future for quite the same money you could have received in Boston plus a chance at a ring? I understand loyalty to a point, but when a team can trade you with the snap of a finger than I say all bets are off. Loyalty comes in the form of the Kobe's, LeBron's and Duncan's of the league, they get loyalty and they should return it, but when it comes to a 36 year old small forward with injury history, then I say go where you can win and enjoy it for all it is worth. You won at Duke, you were one of the best in the late 90's, you were injured in your prime, I say fuck it and go for the green and win. I understand your loyalty I just would not have done it.
Jason Kidd - Dallas: The same goes for Kidd as with Hill, why re-sign? At least Dallas is a somewhat formidable team with an owner who's dying to win, all great ingredients for success. Would I have left? Maybe, but in his case this is probably the best situation.
Allen Iverson - Memphis?: Oh how this star has fallen and oh how he deserves it. This is the best offer and only offer he's going to get and he better make the best of it. It's just unfortunate that a player of his talent has to fall this far in the twilight of such a great career. But in all reality, Iverson in my opinion has been over valued his whole career. A great scorer no doubt, but a franchise player, no way. He's too small, too selfish and too one dimensional. Here's my advice to Iverson, go to Memphis, play your ass off, make those kids better, give that team some sort of hope and then when your contract is up, STAY and retire there. Do your best to make this team grow, if you win and make the playoffs then you've done it, you've shown you can make others better, something your legacy still needs. If you lose then you can safe face and say you tried. Going to Europe doesn't help your legacy. Playing one year in Memphis doesn't help your legacy, you need stability. I say go and be a good boy.
Hedo Turkoglu - Toronto: Great pickup at a fair price. He helps solve their go to scorer needs, he's a big 3 who can play some 4. He's seasoned and he should help grow Bosh's game. Not much else to say here, I love this addition, Toronto is moving the right direction.
Shawn Marion - Dallas: Good pickup for a lost soul. Marion needs a team atmosphere to survive, he's a great 3rd or 4th option on a decent team. Playing with Kidd, Nowitzki and Howard should help ease his stress and burden of performing as a main guy, something he clearly floundered in both Miami and Toronto. I don't like the contract size but hey it's Mark Cuban so it doesn't shock me.
Shaquille O'Neal - Cleveland: Worth a shot no? The big mouth is going to help stabilize an underwhelming and quite putrid big man lineup. With Illgauskas aging faster than MJ's corpse (RIP Michael, you were great) and Varejao being over paid and asked to do more than he's capable of, Shaq should provide some much needed scoring help, leadership and an overall strong presence in the Cavs locker room. Good pickup.
more later.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Top 50 and much more...
Firstly...
The finals are over, my boy Kobe is the man, sitting high with his new status as NBA Champion. Ring no. 4 couldn't have been sweeter, I loved every minute of it. The past seven years have been hard for him but oh how this must feel sweet. What a player, what a season. Congrats Lakers.
Secondly...
Just bought the new Slam Mag, in it they have released their new NBA top 50 of all time, a rankings that I love but loathe to a certain degree. I love them because as a basketball fan part of the fun is comparing players, who's better?, who's MVP? etc...it's great to see what others think and it's great conversation talk. But for some reason I hate these lists, my problem with them is that I have a hard time seeing a Bill Russell of the 60's being a better player than a LeBron or Kobe of today. Am I wrong in thinking this? I mean the game evolves everyday, players get better and better and I feel to some degree that we do a huge diservice to the games current crop of players in ranking their values due to the "we don't want to disrespect the games past greats" pedigree. I mean take tennis for instance, most have no problem saying that Roger Federer is by far the greatest tennis player ever, even though Pete Sampras technically has better numbers than the great Federer. What I mean by this is that most agree that today's players learn from the past and grow to become better, it's just evolution. When you hear talk of Jordan saying that he learnt his game from Elgin and Dr. J we immediately agree that Jordan took parts of their games to make his better, thus making him better. So then why is it so hard to understand that Kobe and LeBron technically should be pretty damn high on our lists of the greatest ever. How is a player like Russell higher than Shaq?, a player we all know would destroy all competition if he had played 30 years ago. Anywho, here's my list.
1. Jordan - He's the best for now, his numbers and titles speak for themselves.
2. Kobe - The games best now and a Jordan clone.
3. Shaq - The most dominant force ever in the NBA. Could've been no.1 if he'd had more desire.
4. Magic - I still think he'd have been just as dominant now as he was 20 years ago
5. Duncan - Pure dominance, pure fundamentals and the greatest defensive big man ever.
6. Bird - Revolutionary shooter and competitor, could do it all
7. Kareem - Mr. Sky Hook and Mr. Longevity could do it all.
8. Russell - He may have won big, but there were only 9 teams in the league at the time, this spot looks appropriate to me.
9. Wilt - The Big Dipper could do it all, his records prove it.
10. West - I'm picking West over Hakeem because Jerry went to way more finals.
My rankings as you can see are dominated by two things. 1. Players who won. 2. Players that led their teams to titles. If you look back at all the major championships/dynasties in league history, this top 10 has a hand in 47 of them. They were the cornerstones to their teams championships. They're remembered for winning and nothing else. The other 40 are irrelevant, this top 10 are the only ones worth writing about.
later.
The finals are over, my boy Kobe is the man, sitting high with his new status as NBA Champion. Ring no. 4 couldn't have been sweeter, I loved every minute of it. The past seven years have been hard for him but oh how this must feel sweet. What a player, what a season. Congrats Lakers.
Secondly...
Just bought the new Slam Mag, in it they have released their new NBA top 50 of all time, a rankings that I love but loathe to a certain degree. I love them because as a basketball fan part of the fun is comparing players, who's better?, who's MVP? etc...it's great to see what others think and it's great conversation talk. But for some reason I hate these lists, my problem with them is that I have a hard time seeing a Bill Russell of the 60's being a better player than a LeBron or Kobe of today. Am I wrong in thinking this? I mean the game evolves everyday, players get better and better and I feel to some degree that we do a huge diservice to the games current crop of players in ranking their values due to the "we don't want to disrespect the games past greats" pedigree. I mean take tennis for instance, most have no problem saying that Roger Federer is by far the greatest tennis player ever, even though Pete Sampras technically has better numbers than the great Federer. What I mean by this is that most agree that today's players learn from the past and grow to become better, it's just evolution. When you hear talk of Jordan saying that he learnt his game from Elgin and Dr. J we immediately agree that Jordan took parts of their games to make his better, thus making him better. So then why is it so hard to understand that Kobe and LeBron technically should be pretty damn high on our lists of the greatest ever. How is a player like Russell higher than Shaq?, a player we all know would destroy all competition if he had played 30 years ago. Anywho, here's my list.
1. Jordan - He's the best for now, his numbers and titles speak for themselves.
2. Kobe - The games best now and a Jordan clone.
3. Shaq - The most dominant force ever in the NBA. Could've been no.1 if he'd had more desire.
4. Magic - I still think he'd have been just as dominant now as he was 20 years ago
5. Duncan - Pure dominance, pure fundamentals and the greatest defensive big man ever.
6. Bird - Revolutionary shooter and competitor, could do it all
7. Kareem - Mr. Sky Hook and Mr. Longevity could do it all.
8. Russell - He may have won big, but there were only 9 teams in the league at the time, this spot looks appropriate to me.
9. Wilt - The Big Dipper could do it all, his records prove it.
10. West - I'm picking West over Hakeem because Jerry went to way more finals.
My rankings as you can see are dominated by two things. 1. Players who won. 2. Players that led their teams to titles. If you look back at all the major championships/dynasties in league history, this top 10 has a hand in 47 of them. They were the cornerstones to their teams championships. They're remembered for winning and nothing else. The other 40 are irrelevant, this top 10 are the only ones worth writing about.
later.
The little things that she said
Sitting there, dreaming of yesterday, tomorrow and what may become of your life, one can only wonder upon the highs and lows that come and go. Music pumps it way into your psyche, the phrase "the little things that she said" pounding away over and over again as you stare blankly forward trying not to understand but hoping you will, that one day you might come to realize that what she said might not be what you wanted her to say. She came by and repeated them often, you tried to listen, you tried your best to learn and grow but you always gave in to temptation, you were weak and she knew your weakness could be coddled. Her love for you came from a place you knew and understood but never wanted. You blamed her for your mistakes, she was your conscience and you hated her for it. This was never how it was supposed to be, you made your bed, she should be happy now. But as it stood that was not it, she wanted more from you, she wanted you to grow up, to become a man, to be better and not settle for what she once did. However, her mistakes would end up becoming your downfall, her love gave you strength, a strength you would never use. You would end up killing her to death with your selfishness, you blame yourself for this tragedy, hers is now yours. When you die will you understand? Will you care? Will you awaken to life and realize that what you did will never be forgotten?, that one day this will all be written down, one day you will be made to pay for your transgressions. One day you will die and she will be there.
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Wine: What you may not know.
Being the obsessive wine enthusiast that I am, I thought I would share for you all some info I've picked up recently from my first ever wine course. Currently I'm taking my Level 1 of the WSET or Wine Spirit Education Trust here in Vancouver. With the WSET being the most respected course in the world, I've tried my best to sit back and learn from the best.
Here are some interesting points that I've picked up so far.
- So some of you might already have known this so don't laugh at me just yet, but when making Champagne Wine in Champagne France, did you know that they turn the bottles everyday by HAND while the bottle is fermenting so as to help the yeast make its way down the bottle. This method is termed "method champenoise" a method so old in its ways that only a man can turn the bottle, yes only a man! The method itself calls for flat or regular wine to be made, generally from either pinot noir and/or chardonnay grapes. Then this wine is bottled. Yeast and sugar are then added. The bottle is then closed and put on a 45 degree angle. The bottle sits in this position until the yeast has eaten all the sugars while making its way down the bottle. As the yeast eat the sugars, the end result is CO2. This CO2 is what gives the wine its bubbles, thus making it champagne. Cool huh! As you read this you may be going, okay so what? But think about it, all bottles of champagne in the entire world are turned by hand, EACH AND EVERY ONE. That's what a couple million a year. Now that's nuts. Leave it to the french to stick with tradition.
- Wine will never have an alcohol level higher than 15%. Never. As yeast eat sugars found in grape juice during fermentation, the alcohol levels rise thus making the grape juice less sweet. However, yeast cannot live once the alcohol levels reach a certain point, they die off, therefore terminating fermentation. Now if you're ever looking to buy a dry wine, look for a high alcohol content, this generally will provide you with a wine low in sugars.
- The term "Noble grape" in reference to wine is used only for grapes that are grown from the highest quality. These grapes or vines tend to have been around for a long time, usually in France. There are only 6 types of noble grapes, 3 red and 3 white. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Pinot Noir for the reds, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling for the whites.
- Syrah and Shiraz are made from the same grape but are two totally different styles of wine. Syrah wines are made in the old world style, they generally have a more earthy flavor, with higher amounts of oak being present. Shiraz wines tend to be more fruit flavored, with a strong berry "jammy" taste. They also tend to have a good oakyness to them as well. If you enjoy a good Aussie Shiraz and think a Syrah will be the same, you might be shocked at how different they can be.
- This one's for Gronz. Chardonnays most classic food pairing is Oysters. Go bye a good bottle of French Chablis, bring a little hot sauce and enjoy.
- When describing wines to a friend or customer, I find most people use the terms, full bodied, sweet, oaky, tannic, etc... But what I've learnt is that acidity is the one term that best describes a wines style and it's a term that I find is rarely used. Acidity is very important to wine, it's what gives it its refreshing quality. When your mouth waters, that's acidity. Too much acidity and you can have a wine that's too tart and too little and wine will fall flat and flabby.
- The four main components of wine are Acid, Tannin, Body and Sweetness.
- Tannins come only from the skins of grapes. A white wine cannot be tannic since the skins have no contact with the juice. Tannins are what give red wine its puckery taste.
- The optimal storage temperature of wines is 11 degrees Celsius.
- This was one I was surprised to learn, but as white wines age they darken in colour whereas with red wines they lighten in colour. I would have never thought that to be the case.
Okay so that's all I want to share today. I'll give you some more soon.
Here are some interesting points that I've picked up so far.
- So some of you might already have known this so don't laugh at me just yet, but when making Champagne Wine in Champagne France, did you know that they turn the bottles everyday by HAND while the bottle is fermenting so as to help the yeast make its way down the bottle. This method is termed "method champenoise" a method so old in its ways that only a man can turn the bottle, yes only a man! The method itself calls for flat or regular wine to be made, generally from either pinot noir and/or chardonnay grapes. Then this wine is bottled. Yeast and sugar are then added. The bottle is then closed and put on a 45 degree angle. The bottle sits in this position until the yeast has eaten all the sugars while making its way down the bottle. As the yeast eat the sugars, the end result is CO2. This CO2 is what gives the wine its bubbles, thus making it champagne. Cool huh! As you read this you may be going, okay so what? But think about it, all bottles of champagne in the entire world are turned by hand, EACH AND EVERY ONE. That's what a couple million a year. Now that's nuts. Leave it to the french to stick with tradition.
- Wine will never have an alcohol level higher than 15%. Never. As yeast eat sugars found in grape juice during fermentation, the alcohol levels rise thus making the grape juice less sweet. However, yeast cannot live once the alcohol levels reach a certain point, they die off, therefore terminating fermentation. Now if you're ever looking to buy a dry wine, look for a high alcohol content, this generally will provide you with a wine low in sugars.
- The term "Noble grape" in reference to wine is used only for grapes that are grown from the highest quality. These grapes or vines tend to have been around for a long time, usually in France. There are only 6 types of noble grapes, 3 red and 3 white. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Pinot Noir for the reds, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling for the whites.
- Syrah and Shiraz are made from the same grape but are two totally different styles of wine. Syrah wines are made in the old world style, they generally have a more earthy flavor, with higher amounts of oak being present. Shiraz wines tend to be more fruit flavored, with a strong berry "jammy" taste. They also tend to have a good oakyness to them as well. If you enjoy a good Aussie Shiraz and think a Syrah will be the same, you might be shocked at how different they can be.
- This one's for Gronz. Chardonnays most classic food pairing is Oysters. Go bye a good bottle of French Chablis, bring a little hot sauce and enjoy.
- When describing wines to a friend or customer, I find most people use the terms, full bodied, sweet, oaky, tannic, etc... But what I've learnt is that acidity is the one term that best describes a wines style and it's a term that I find is rarely used. Acidity is very important to wine, it's what gives it its refreshing quality. When your mouth waters, that's acidity. Too much acidity and you can have a wine that's too tart and too little and wine will fall flat and flabby.
- The four main components of wine are Acid, Tannin, Body and Sweetness.
- Tannins come only from the skins of grapes. A white wine cannot be tannic since the skins have no contact with the juice. Tannins are what give red wine its puckery taste.
- The optimal storage temperature of wines is 11 degrees Celsius.
- This was one I was surprised to learn, but as white wines age they darken in colour whereas with red wines they lighten in colour. I would have never thought that to be the case.
Okay so that's all I want to share today. I'll give you some more soon.
Friday, May 29, 2009
A Few thoughts...
Okay so I might have been wrong with my last post a bit, or at least a little pre-mature in dismissing my Lakers. Now I'm not saying that this crop of knuckleheads will win the Championship, but they at least look poised to fight. Last nights game was great, it was awesome to see the TEAM show up for a change. I felt with Kobe having to carry the burden game in and game out was seriously a dangerous tactic going deeper and deeper into the playoffs. For a change, having Gasol and Odom doing damage down low kept the defense of the Nuggets honest. I still believe this series is going to go 7, I doubt the desperate Lakers will show up tomorrow, so with this tactic, a 7th game seems most likely inevitable. Does this fair well now?, Yes. But come the finals, a match up with Cleveland wont be so favorable, not having home court advantage could prove dreadful against the LeBron juggernauts. So like most Lakers fans, I will be watching game 6 between Cleveland and Orlando very closely. A win for Orlando and LA gets home court in the finals and a very solid chance at the title. A Cleveland win almost certainly gives a LeBron vs Kobe finals, a match up I desire to see, but also fear. Cleveland will NOT lose a game 7 vs Orlando and a home court advantage against LA puts them in quite the driver seat.
Go Orlando Go!!!!
Oh and another point, I caught the last quarter of today's game and saw what has to be the worst offence ever. How predictable is Cleveland's offensive scheme? Really? Give the ball to Bron and watch him massage it at the top of the 3 point line as he either barrels his way to hoop for a foul or dishes it to one of his teammates as the opposing team tries to collapse on his drive attempt. Really? This makes him the most amazing player in the world? His game is so pedestrian and boring and predictable. I tend to view his game as a big bully beating up the other guys. I mean yes the guy has freaking talent and yes he is amazing, he can do almost anything, but come on what a boring team to watch. If I was one of his teammates I'd be bored and mad playing with him. There's a reason why he receives so many assists, the guy dominates the ball like a guard. Fuck if Kobe did that he'd average 9 assists just like LeBron. LeBron's very similar to Iverson in his play, it's either his way or no way, the man has been doing this same offensive scheme forever, since his high school days. It works no doubt, but it ain't fun to watch. Mo Williams may play the point, but he isn't their point guard, LeBron is. He dominates everything, as he should.
I guess my point here is, why does he never receive flak for doing it? Why does Kobe get chewed up for taking 28 shots to help his team win, while LeBron does the exact same, more to some extent and not receive any criticism. I don't get it!!!
LeBron better than Kobe? Fuck that shit.
Go Orlando Go!!!!
Oh and another point, I caught the last quarter of today's game and saw what has to be the worst offence ever. How predictable is Cleveland's offensive scheme? Really? Give the ball to Bron and watch him massage it at the top of the 3 point line as he either barrels his way to hoop for a foul or dishes it to one of his teammates as the opposing team tries to collapse on his drive attempt. Really? This makes him the most amazing player in the world? His game is so pedestrian and boring and predictable. I tend to view his game as a big bully beating up the other guys. I mean yes the guy has freaking talent and yes he is amazing, he can do almost anything, but come on what a boring team to watch. If I was one of his teammates I'd be bored and mad playing with him. There's a reason why he receives so many assists, the guy dominates the ball like a guard. Fuck if Kobe did that he'd average 9 assists just like LeBron. LeBron's very similar to Iverson in his play, it's either his way or no way, the man has been doing this same offensive scheme forever, since his high school days. It works no doubt, but it ain't fun to watch. Mo Williams may play the point, but he isn't their point guard, LeBron is. He dominates everything, as he should.
I guess my point here is, why does he never receive flak for doing it? Why does Kobe get chewed up for taking 28 shots to help his team win, while LeBron does the exact same, more to some extent and not receive any criticism. I don't get it!!!
LeBron better than Kobe? Fuck that shit.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
I just don't see it ever happening...
I've seen hundreds, even thousands of NBA games over the years. I can spot a good player, great team, chemistry to even the subtleties of a players attitude a mile away. Yes in a way I'd say I'm an expert NBA observer. And if you've ever read this blog or even spent anytime with me you'd know that most of those have been Laker games. With all this wealth of knowledge having been absorbed in my head, I have found a quite puzzling and rather sad fact concerning my current Lakers squad. I hate saying this but I am going to write that I would put an 80% chance that this current Lakers squad will not and never win an NBA Championship.
For years I've defended Kobe and his team, watched them grow and suffer from a downright awful bunch way back in 05, to a respectable team that almost knocked off the surging Suns in 06' to last years almost Cinderella affair to this seasons juggernaut dominator. However, through all of this I've noticed one glaring weakness with this squad that I'd hoped had been rectified after last seasons drumming at the hands of Celtics and that is their toughness. Kobe has mentioned it many times before saying that "We need to be tougher to win" but even with his repeated statements I've had trouble buying this seasons chase for a title. As it stands this moment, this Lakers squad is down 1-0 to a surging and vastly confident Houston Rockets team. Last nights game added to my long growing fear that LA is just not tough enough and mentally strong enough to win a championship. As I watch LeBron and his Cavaliers destroy all teams in their way I'm beginning to believe that this Lakers team is in no way strong enough to cope with a team with a will, hunger and home court advantage that Cleveland possesses.
Do I believe in Kobe? For sure, the man is the best and can win games single handedly. But when it comes to titles well he needs help, tough help and well I just don't see it coming from his current sidekicks. While Kobe was doing his best to keep LA in the game last night, I witnessed Pau Gasol sink under the toughness of Yao, Carl Landry and Luis Scola. I saw Sasha, Derek and Trevor all miss easy (make able) open 3's at home. I witnessed how young and inexperienced Andrew Bynum truly is. I witnessed how unreliable Lamar Odom for the millionth time is ( 1 for 6 from the line, oh how I envision him bricking a freebie when the game is on the line this series). I witnessed how shitty and small the bench really is when you have guys like Josh Powell and Shannon Brown playing crunch time minutes. I realized that yes this team is talented and can win most games but when the going gets tough, they lack the true killer defensive instincts that championship winning teams posses.
Does Kobe have that killer in him? Yes, yes and yes. He's fucking ruthless, but what about everyone else? Just as how I felt last seasons crop of Gasol, Radmanovic, Walton and Odom screamed doom for the Lakers I find myself feeling the same way with this years crop. Yes they are older and more experienced but in the end an apple is an apple and an orange is an orange. Kobe's and apple, a full blooded killer who rises to the occasion when the stakes get high, he's a franchise superstar, a game changer. But who else possesses some of these qualities on this current Lakers squad? Who's their banger? Who's their experienced vet off the bench? Who's their clutch wide open shooter? Who's their X factor? They have their killer but they need more, he can't do it alone.
Am I throwing in the towel? No, not in the slightest, but like many Laker fans I measure this team by championships, not just winning Rounds 1, 2 or even 3. Beating Houston isn't going to satisfy me or them. I said it after last seasons loss that LA needed 2 things, a rebounder/banger in the Paul Millsap/Anderson Varejao vein who can energize and bang with any player. Dennis Rodman mastered this role in Chicago. And the other being a savvy vet who can come in off the bench and make his mark felt in 15 minutes or less. A player who can lead a team when Kobe is on the pine, a player like Ron Harper or like last seasons PJ Brown. LA may be good, talented and at times supremely dominant, but like most who've seen them play this post season they look far from championship caliber. I may be jumping the gun on this one and they may rebound nicely from last nights loss and regain that swagger they've demonstrated all season long. But do they have it in them to beating Cleveland?, whom I predict will win this years title (OOh that hurts). I just see it, I hate to say it, especially since winning the title will only strengthen most critics biases of LeBron being better than Kobe, but Cleveland looks just too good. They play as a team, they have fun and they play defense. They're the only team who can answer all the questions I posed above.
But what troubles me the most is if the Lakers do make it out of the West, I see them not having home court versus Cleveland really hurting them, just as bad as it did last season versus Boston.
These are just my thoughts...I just hope I'm wrong.
I doubt it.
For years I've defended Kobe and his team, watched them grow and suffer from a downright awful bunch way back in 05, to a respectable team that almost knocked off the surging Suns in 06' to last years almost Cinderella affair to this seasons juggernaut dominator. However, through all of this I've noticed one glaring weakness with this squad that I'd hoped had been rectified after last seasons drumming at the hands of Celtics and that is their toughness. Kobe has mentioned it many times before saying that "We need to be tougher to win" but even with his repeated statements I've had trouble buying this seasons chase for a title. As it stands this moment, this Lakers squad is down 1-0 to a surging and vastly confident Houston Rockets team. Last nights game added to my long growing fear that LA is just not tough enough and mentally strong enough to win a championship. As I watch LeBron and his Cavaliers destroy all teams in their way I'm beginning to believe that this Lakers team is in no way strong enough to cope with a team with a will, hunger and home court advantage that Cleveland possesses.
Do I believe in Kobe? For sure, the man is the best and can win games single handedly. But when it comes to titles well he needs help, tough help and well I just don't see it coming from his current sidekicks. While Kobe was doing his best to keep LA in the game last night, I witnessed Pau Gasol sink under the toughness of Yao, Carl Landry and Luis Scola. I saw Sasha, Derek and Trevor all miss easy (make able) open 3's at home. I witnessed how young and inexperienced Andrew Bynum truly is. I witnessed how unreliable Lamar Odom for the millionth time is ( 1 for 6 from the line, oh how I envision him bricking a freebie when the game is on the line this series). I witnessed how shitty and small the bench really is when you have guys like Josh Powell and Shannon Brown playing crunch time minutes. I realized that yes this team is talented and can win most games but when the going gets tough, they lack the true killer defensive instincts that championship winning teams posses.
Does Kobe have that killer in him? Yes, yes and yes. He's fucking ruthless, but what about everyone else? Just as how I felt last seasons crop of Gasol, Radmanovic, Walton and Odom screamed doom for the Lakers I find myself feeling the same way with this years crop. Yes they are older and more experienced but in the end an apple is an apple and an orange is an orange. Kobe's and apple, a full blooded killer who rises to the occasion when the stakes get high, he's a franchise superstar, a game changer. But who else possesses some of these qualities on this current Lakers squad? Who's their banger? Who's their experienced vet off the bench? Who's their clutch wide open shooter? Who's their X factor? They have their killer but they need more, he can't do it alone.
Am I throwing in the towel? No, not in the slightest, but like many Laker fans I measure this team by championships, not just winning Rounds 1, 2 or even 3. Beating Houston isn't going to satisfy me or them. I said it after last seasons loss that LA needed 2 things, a rebounder/banger in the Paul Millsap/Anderson Varejao vein who can energize and bang with any player. Dennis Rodman mastered this role in Chicago. And the other being a savvy vet who can come in off the bench and make his mark felt in 15 minutes or less. A player who can lead a team when Kobe is on the pine, a player like Ron Harper or like last seasons PJ Brown. LA may be good, talented and at times supremely dominant, but like most who've seen them play this post season they look far from championship caliber. I may be jumping the gun on this one and they may rebound nicely from last nights loss and regain that swagger they've demonstrated all season long. But do they have it in them to beating Cleveland?, whom I predict will win this years title (OOh that hurts). I just see it, I hate to say it, especially since winning the title will only strengthen most critics biases of LeBron being better than Kobe, but Cleveland looks just too good. They play as a team, they have fun and they play defense. They're the only team who can answer all the questions I posed above.
But what troubles me the most is if the Lakers do make it out of the West, I see them not having home court versus Cleveland really hurting them, just as bad as it did last season versus Boston.
These are just my thoughts...I just hope I'm wrong.
I doubt it.
Monday, April 27, 2009
The greatness of Port
I've decided to go against the status quo today, I realize that this here blog centres predominantly on food, but I feel as an avid wine drinker that it is my duty to put forth my feelings and thoughts on the great fermented grape. Anyone who knows me should know that I've had pretty much all there is to drink when it comes to wine; from red, to white, to sparkling, to ice, to sherry and my new current obsession port. Having a fondness for sweeter style wines, I've always come to love port and its rich velvety texture, but like most I never came to exploring it much further than the odd glass here and there. However, as of late I've come to or should I say I've become quite addicted to it. The reason for this came about a month or so ago when I began my new job here in Vancouver. Having been hired as an assistant supervisor, I've come to explore my new surroundings and the various different alcohols available to me that I'd yet to try with a little more purpose . With this freedom, I've found port to being the most noticeably received. From classic Taylor Fladgate, to Grant Burge to my new favorite Warres Otima Port 10 year vintage, I've come to quite love this often overlooked fermented gem. Warres actually if my memory serves me correctly might go down as one of the most tasty drinks I've ever had. The texture and sweet flavour are so smooth and full that each sip just makes me feel happy, very happy indeed. I realize that reference might sound rather corny but in all truth that is exactly how I feel. I've had numerous dreams lately sitting someplace on a hot day after I've spent my time doing whatever it is I do drinking a nice glass of port. The subtle blackberry and raspberry flavours I pick up with each sip convey to me so much goodness and quality that I find myself almost becoming addicted to it. If you've never tasted this Warres Otima Port I strongly urge you to the next time you get a chance, whether it be with dessert or just as you sit down with your buddies, to me there is no wrong place to have a glass of Portugal's sweet wine treasure.
Port just in case you don't know is made in the Douro Valley in Northern Portugal as a fortified wine. Fortified being that it has been fermented with the addition of brandy to stop fermentation so as to retain residual sugars. This fortification enables the wine to having a sweeter velvety structure and a higher alcohol content. Once fortified port can be aged in bottle or in oak barrels for several years before its sale. There are various styles of port out there but the general notion is there's vintage port which is port of the highest quality from a specific year that is aged shortly in oak barrels then in its bottle for many years and wood ports which are aged for several years and are generally ready for sale once they hit the market. The otima port that I mentioned above is Warres attempt to cater to a younger and less educated wine drinker with a newer and more sophisticated bottling style and flavour. This style of tawny (port that is aged in wood that takes on a light brown colour) is either of a 10 year or 20 year vintage.
Now I'm not going to bore you any further with a teaching lesson on all the finer points of port wine, you have google for that. But what I do want is for you to consider port a new addition to your drinking selections. When I drink port I also find myself thinking of Jack Nicholson in "The Shining" as he's losing his mind while talking to the serosisly looking bartender Lloyd. The way Jack swivels his glass and downs each sip of bourbon totally captures for me the essence of how I feel when I down a mouthful of Warres Otima. I mean we've all been there, had those days when you just needed that drink and found yourself turning to the old stand bye only to feel disappointed once you've tasted what you've tasted a million times before. Take it from me I've been there and it sucks. So whether you're with me or not, I just wanted to post to you all the joy I've discovered in port recently and how its varied splendor has brought new life to my drinking pleasures. I say if you're looking for something new to try why not give it a whirl, you never know you might just like it. Anywho that's all I'm prepared to say about that.
later.
Port just in case you don't know is made in the Douro Valley in Northern Portugal as a fortified wine. Fortified being that it has been fermented with the addition of brandy to stop fermentation so as to retain residual sugars. This fortification enables the wine to having a sweeter velvety structure and a higher alcohol content. Once fortified port can be aged in bottle or in oak barrels for several years before its sale. There are various styles of port out there but the general notion is there's vintage port which is port of the highest quality from a specific year that is aged shortly in oak barrels then in its bottle for many years and wood ports which are aged for several years and are generally ready for sale once they hit the market. The otima port that I mentioned above is Warres attempt to cater to a younger and less educated wine drinker with a newer and more sophisticated bottling style and flavour. This style of tawny (port that is aged in wood that takes on a light brown colour) is either of a 10 year or 20 year vintage.
Now I'm not going to bore you any further with a teaching lesson on all the finer points of port wine, you have google for that. But what I do want is for you to consider port a new addition to your drinking selections. When I drink port I also find myself thinking of Jack Nicholson in "The Shining" as he's losing his mind while talking to the serosisly looking bartender Lloyd. The way Jack swivels his glass and downs each sip of bourbon totally captures for me the essence of how I feel when I down a mouthful of Warres Otima. I mean we've all been there, had those days when you just needed that drink and found yourself turning to the old stand bye only to feel disappointed once you've tasted what you've tasted a million times before. Take it from me I've been there and it sucks. So whether you're with me or not, I just wanted to post to you all the joy I've discovered in port recently and how its varied splendor has brought new life to my drinking pleasures. I say if you're looking for something new to try why not give it a whirl, you never know you might just like it. Anywho that's all I'm prepared to say about that.
later.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Black Mamba in full form tonight and much much more...
Up 3 -1 now in their series with the Utah Jazz, the Los Angeles Lakers have now put themselves comfortably in the driver seat as they look to close out this series on Monday night in LA. Kobe dominated like no other tonight. Sitting here in my living room watching his brilliance as he overcame his lackluster performance from game 3 truly showed me why he's been so dominant for so long. His killer instinct and ability to focus in on the game is second to none that I can see, from his demeanor during shoot around, to the the player introductions you could sense his mindset totally and completely honed in on tonight's game. As an athlete myself I truly respect that most about him, his game and its artistry are amazing altogether, but for me its his mental approach and killer instinct that shows me why he's the best. Having watched close to all of his games for the past 10 seasons, I've come to know his game well. I've witnessed it's growth and maturity and how he's truly mastered the mental aspect of the game. This to me is where he ranks with Michael the most. Kobe now being 30 reminds me so much of Jordan in his last few years with Chicago to the point that its spooky. His reluctance to give an inch, his stare downs, to his walk all scream confidence, something that I must admit I've struggled mightily with over the years. As the game goes on you can feel his presence ever more as he wills his team to victory. From game winning shots, to plays of the extraordinary I find myself watching brilliance and true mastery. LeBron no doubt is amazing in his own right, but Kobe has this fluidity to his game that screams beauty, even to the point that it looks so easy to him.
All I can say tonight, is you can love or hate the man, but the game is beautiful, simple and true and something I'll never tire of watching.
later.
All I can say tonight, is you can love or hate the man, but the game is beautiful, simple and true and something I'll never tire of watching.
later.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
A few thoughts on my mind today...
Was at blockbuster last night with my girl about to rent a flick when "Gonzo, the Life and Times of Hunter S. Thompson" caught my eye as we entered. I was immediately pulled towards the documentary as its protagonist has had an impact of sorts in my life (obviously indirectly). Interestingly more so is how as I'm currently watching said DVD I've found myself quickly brought to thinking of how fucked up and amazing a time the 1960's were. Lately I've become transfixed upon the the Kennedy's of John and Bobby, their lives and how they affected the world and our culture. As well, I've been reading into the life of Aristotle Onassis the greek billionaire shipping mogul who would go on to marry Jackie soon after Bobby's death. The era, the impressions, the people and the chaos of that time has somehow gotten to me lately. As I read more and learn more of what truly came about then I've come to believe that the 1960's have to be considered the best and most influential decade of the 20th century by far. I'll have more on this later, I've got some reading to do.
***
Oh how the kings can fall. Today we learned that Kevin Garnett's status was far more bleak than had been previously reported. His not playing in the playoffs changes the landscape far more than most can believe. Boston will compete and do well without him, but beating Cleveland is something far more difficult with him versus without him. Pencil in Lakers vs Cavs now, because with Beantown down a leg, there just is no one team who can dethrone these two juggernauts from their innevitable collision course of epic proportions.
more later
***
Oh how the kings can fall. Today we learned that Kevin Garnett's status was far more bleak than had been previously reported. His not playing in the playoffs changes the landscape far more than most can believe. Boston will compete and do well without him, but beating Cleveland is something far more difficult with him versus without him. Pencil in Lakers vs Cavs now, because with Beantown down a leg, there just is no one team who can dethrone these two juggernauts from their innevitable collision course of epic proportions.
more later
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
A great reason to remember...
A long time ago I was a young lad with wild dreams of becoming the next great Carl Lewis. I believed then and for a long time that I was destined to be the fastest person in the world and one day the Olympic Gold Champion. Yes, all that at the tender age of 6. In every aspect of my life I tried to live and be that dream, whether it be a run down to the local 7/11 or to school, as a runner I had to do it full tilt, always 100%. As the years passed and my dreams grew, I decided one day to join a running club. My first practise was on a sunny Tuesday afternoon around 4:30. My friend Chad and I were to meet up with the distance running group on the meewasin river. Arriving early, he and I sat on the grass and did whatever stretching we knew. Being the same age and good friends I knew then that Chad had only joined to support me, he loved running but not in the same way I did, I would die for it, I wanted to do it all the time. As time passed, we eventually saw out of the corner of the train bridge a group of runners coming our way, led by a tall older fellow with salt and pepper hair. When they arrived our way he motioned to us to join in, (we'd made a mistake and waited at the wrong bridge) and there we have it. Just like that Chad and I stood up and jumped in full bore with the group, no warm up or nothing, just a good old fashioned run. Exhilaration much!!! Fuck me what a ride I was on, I still remember the high I felt then, just being apart of something, even as menial as that. Later on we would stop and get a chance to meet some of the other runners and the old fellow whose name was Tony East, the head distance coach. From that first encounter I remember Tony being extremely witty and full of joie de vie. He and I clicked immediately as we sensed a similar bond for running. His smile and very charismatic way about him always made me feel good. Coming to practice and cracking jokes with him was by far my all time fav, and boy did he have some good ones up his sleeve. Even as my interests changed towards more sprinting versus distance running, Tony and I remained close for a few years. What I'm reminded most of him is his voice yelling at me during track meets in the field house, that deep voice of his still rings clearly in my head to this day. Thinking back on that time in my life, those early years, I'm clearly reminded of how he touched me with his warmth and open heart.
Even though you may be gone and we may have lost touch these past years, may you rest in peace Tony, you made a mark in my life, one that I will never forget.
Even though you may be gone and we may have lost touch these past years, may you rest in peace Tony, you made a mark in my life, one that I will never forget.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
What's the deal with Breakfast?
Over and over again I've racked my head around this simple question. The word itself has quite the simple meaning "to break the fast" usually from a nights sleep. Yet as easy an explanation that is, I still find myself vexed at why everyone I know loves it, especially when dining out for brunch. Constantly I find myself running into people who can't stop raving at "how that brunch was today" or "I wish there was someplace serving breakfast at 6pm". Seriously what's with eating eggs, bacon and toast that has people jumping out of bed. Am I missing something or am I just the only one who thinks eating breakfast and going for brunch, dim sum or whatever else is totally overrated? Having worked in various styles of restaurants over the years, I've come to witness people abounding with joy at the greasy slop of food before them as they guzzle down cup after cup of coffee, which to me I find disgusting, 6 cups of coffee buddy, really you need that much?. Ah I feel my inner Jerry Seinfeld coming out at this very moment. My list of questions is as follows.
Why are breakfast joints commonly associated with greasy spoon diners with cheap, oftentimes awful food?
Why do we accept such a low class of food for breakfast yet rarely associate or look for this style of food for dinner?
Not that breakfast food is bad, I'm not saying that, but where did this joy for brunch with family and the kids come from?
I'll continue on...
Walk anywhere at 12pm on a Sunday morning and you'll see flocks of people hoarding themselves in for brunch, driving servers mad with ridiculous requests. "Um excuse me can I have the Eggs Benny soft poached, repeat very soft poached eggs, hollandaise on the side, with lightly buttered toast, and can I get one piece of bacon and one sausage link, oh and can you dump this coffee? I like it nice and hot" Like fuck me!!! You demanding assholes. And kids, fucking kids, why are you allowed out ever!!!! The next time I have to walk by your little brat as he torments neighbouring tables, yelling at the top of his lungs like this is his playground I'm going to freak out. Freak out!!! Babysit your child Mom and Dad, this is not my job. Ohh I got angry there.
Seriously my opinion on this matter might seem hypocritical seeing as I've dined for brunch many a time, but man oh man do I feel all icky inside when I sit amongst all these people. I feel as if I've been transported to another world when I step in a greasy diner. Take for instance Park Cafe on 20th Street. Up until a few months ago I'd never heard so much about the place, yet recently all I hear is "it makes the best brunch, you gotta go". With quotes like these flowing in front of my girl and I, I knew it would only be a matter of time before she decided to drag me out with some of her friends for a group brunch date.
Vomit.
So there we are, all 4 of us camped out in this dreadfully decored little dump in the worst part of the city. Seriously guys, great choice for a restaurant, don't forget to tip the hookers when you take out the trash. Honestly, there wasn't any other spot available in town except this one? Were you out late one night at the old Barry hotel having a few too many, when it dawned on you that all this street needed was a Breakfast diner. Did you foresee in front of your eyes the dream scenario of liquor store, pawn shop, bum, pawn shop,bum and Breakfast diner. Was it yes, yes we'll take it when the landlord said "$50.00 bucks and its yours, oh and the rats only come out at night" Did you go, yeah we found a winner!!!! Oh I trust the food coming out of this place, oh yeah! *Warning: Sarcasm exclaimer.
I don't get it, people flock to this place and many others, oftentimes with very much the same enthusiasm as a 9th grader would when he's about to see his first boobie (my new favorite word by the way). Now I'm not saying I hate breakfast food, which I don't, I love my eggs and french toast as much as the next guy, for me this deals more with the hysteria surrounding the breakfast dining out. Seriously have you ever been to a Chinese Dim Sum restaurant on a Sunday morning? Fuck me what a mad house, my grandfather (who happened to be Chinese) would drag me and my family out for Dim Sum quite often and wow did I never get it. Sitting there with all this extremely greasy food and tripe (if you've never had it, don't, it's awful. It looks similar to thin pasta, but it ain't, I believe it's either cows or pigs stomach. I could be wrong. Who cares...ick!) as large groups of people would devour every last morsel. To be honest I went with some co-workers a few months ago and I believe that my feelings towards Dim Sum food must have dampened the spirits of everyone that morning, as we began to eat, I believe they all could notice that I found this food awful to which I feel they in turn began to realize that it was awful. It's as if people are in some sort of trance when they wake up, they're so hungry that eating anything will satisfy them, regardless if it's good or not. I believe I have it right on this one, why else would anyone pay $3.50 for breakfast and say it was the best meal they'd ever eaten, yet a few hours later buy a pasta special at Chianti's for $8.50 and complain that it was cheap garbage. Do we really need our coffee that much? Are we that asleep, or am I the only one missing the boat on this one. And yes I don't drink coffee if you wanted to know. Call me Milla Jovovich in Resident Evil, I'm the one trying to kill all you zombie breakfast nuts. Wake up!!!
In the end, it really doesn't matter what I write or say, people are still going to go ape shit over eggs, bacon and toast, all 12 of them, cramped together on a group date, Sunday morning, with their glasses on, strong vodka breath, while they all debate who was the drunkest last night, just as Tyler next to them keeps screaming for Daddy as Mom decides that he doesn't exist since this is her time with Aunt Judy. Oh and that water refill you asked for 15 minutes ago, it ain't coming anytime soon. Since your waiter Jimmy is in the back puking, since he and Larry the cook are still drunk from doing shots of Wild Turkey at Bill's bachelor party last night. Larry has yet to wash his hands.
Yes, oh yes, sunday brunch. Can't wait till next time. Mmm good eats.
later.
ps. I do enjoy toast in the morning, me by myself.
Why are breakfast joints commonly associated with greasy spoon diners with cheap, oftentimes awful food?
Why do we accept such a low class of food for breakfast yet rarely associate or look for this style of food for dinner?
Not that breakfast food is bad, I'm not saying that, but where did this joy for brunch with family and the kids come from?
I'll continue on...
Walk anywhere at 12pm on a Sunday morning and you'll see flocks of people hoarding themselves in for brunch, driving servers mad with ridiculous requests. "Um excuse me can I have the Eggs Benny soft poached, repeat very soft poached eggs, hollandaise on the side, with lightly buttered toast, and can I get one piece of bacon and one sausage link, oh and can you dump this coffee? I like it nice and hot" Like fuck me!!! You demanding assholes. And kids, fucking kids, why are you allowed out ever!!!! The next time I have to walk by your little brat as he torments neighbouring tables, yelling at the top of his lungs like this is his playground I'm going to freak out. Freak out!!! Babysit your child Mom and Dad, this is not my job. Ohh I got angry there.
Seriously my opinion on this matter might seem hypocritical seeing as I've dined for brunch many a time, but man oh man do I feel all icky inside when I sit amongst all these people. I feel as if I've been transported to another world when I step in a greasy diner. Take for instance Park Cafe on 20th Street. Up until a few months ago I'd never heard so much about the place, yet recently all I hear is "it makes the best brunch, you gotta go". With quotes like these flowing in front of my girl and I, I knew it would only be a matter of time before she decided to drag me out with some of her friends for a group brunch date.
Vomit.
So there we are, all 4 of us camped out in this dreadfully decored little dump in the worst part of the city. Seriously guys, great choice for a restaurant, don't forget to tip the hookers when you take out the trash. Honestly, there wasn't any other spot available in town except this one? Were you out late one night at the old Barry hotel having a few too many, when it dawned on you that all this street needed was a Breakfast diner. Did you foresee in front of your eyes the dream scenario of liquor store, pawn shop, bum, pawn shop,bum and Breakfast diner. Was it yes, yes we'll take it when the landlord said "$50.00 bucks and its yours, oh and the rats only come out at night" Did you go, yeah we found a winner!!!! Oh I trust the food coming out of this place, oh yeah! *Warning: Sarcasm exclaimer.
I don't get it, people flock to this place and many others, oftentimes with very much the same enthusiasm as a 9th grader would when he's about to see his first boobie (my new favorite word by the way). Now I'm not saying I hate breakfast food, which I don't, I love my eggs and french toast as much as the next guy, for me this deals more with the hysteria surrounding the breakfast dining out. Seriously have you ever been to a Chinese Dim Sum restaurant on a Sunday morning? Fuck me what a mad house, my grandfather (who happened to be Chinese) would drag me and my family out for Dim Sum quite often and wow did I never get it. Sitting there with all this extremely greasy food and tripe (if you've never had it, don't, it's awful. It looks similar to thin pasta, but it ain't, I believe it's either cows or pigs stomach. I could be wrong. Who cares...ick!) as large groups of people would devour every last morsel. To be honest I went with some co-workers a few months ago and I believe that my feelings towards Dim Sum food must have dampened the spirits of everyone that morning, as we began to eat, I believe they all could notice that I found this food awful to which I feel they in turn began to realize that it was awful. It's as if people are in some sort of trance when they wake up, they're so hungry that eating anything will satisfy them, regardless if it's good or not. I believe I have it right on this one, why else would anyone pay $3.50 for breakfast and say it was the best meal they'd ever eaten, yet a few hours later buy a pasta special at Chianti's for $8.50 and complain that it was cheap garbage. Do we really need our coffee that much? Are we that asleep, or am I the only one missing the boat on this one. And yes I don't drink coffee if you wanted to know. Call me Milla Jovovich in Resident Evil, I'm the one trying to kill all you zombie breakfast nuts. Wake up!!!
In the end, it really doesn't matter what I write or say, people are still going to go ape shit over eggs, bacon and toast, all 12 of them, cramped together on a group date, Sunday morning, with their glasses on, strong vodka breath, while they all debate who was the drunkest last night, just as Tyler next to them keeps screaming for Daddy as Mom decides that he doesn't exist since this is her time with Aunt Judy. Oh and that water refill you asked for 15 minutes ago, it ain't coming anytime soon. Since your waiter Jimmy is in the back puking, since he and Larry the cook are still drunk from doing shots of Wild Turkey at Bill's bachelor party last night. Larry has yet to wash his hands.
Yes, oh yes, sunday brunch. Can't wait till next time. Mmm good eats.
later.
ps. I do enjoy toast in the morning, me by myself.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
A Few Thoughts...
A couple things that have caught my attention lately,
- Why is Shaq so mad lately? Got a chance to see the Suns/Magic game last night and boy did the Diesel seem pissed. For the first few minutes, the jostling between he and Howard was getting so physical that at one point I was expecting a punch or two to be thrown. What gives? Seriously, and I highly doubt Howard would be the one to be throwing his size and mouth around, especially around his idol Shaquille. I do however, have an inkling as to why he's been on a tear of late with his game and his mouth, he's starting to see the end. I believe that after the All Star break, with his not being traded to a contender, Shaq saw his basketball mortality flashed before his eyes, he quickly realized that he's stuck on this crappy Suns team for the rest of this season and most likely next and that his likely chance at reaping a 5th title have quickly vanished. I believe his anger and his sudden resurgences is his way of showing the league (and Howard) that "hey fuck you all for not wanting me and disrespecting me, I'm still the man". Which in a way is true to a point, having Shaq in the playoffs for a contender greatly would increase any teams chances, I mean let's face it the man's a beast and you can't teach size, no matter how old. However, I do believe that the way the economy has changed, teams have become reluctant to take on salaries, especially one as big as the Shaquille's. Also I do believe whole heartedly that he wants to return to the Lakers for one last go with Kobe. I sincerely believe that he wants to amend things with his past as he's quickly realized how immature and greedy he'd become back in 04'. Yes, Kobe wanted to be the man, but in reality Dr. Buss was not interested in paying O'Neal 30 mil per for a player who plays 60 or so games a year, is not in great shape and on the decline. It's rather unfortunate the whole Laker saga, if you quickly think about it, had Shaq taken the salary he receives now (20 mil per) and relinquished the reigns to a growing and vastly improving Bryant, I swear that team could have won so many titles. But alas, that was then and this is now, maybe Shaq's current fate is karma that he's reaped upon himself. Who knows really, only time will tell.
- Is Dwight Howard the most overrated player in the league or what? The kid can play no doubt, but wow is he ever not a leader, all I see with him is David Robinson re-incarnate. Good kid, plays hard, gets his stats but has no killer or leadership instincts. I guarantee that he'll never lead the Magic to a title, Never! Unless he's lucky and receives a Duncanesque player one day, he'll go down as D. Robinson number 2 rather than Superman Jr. Shaq's a killer, Howard is not.
- Marc Cuban's rant last night was AWESOME!!! He finally gets it, his team sucks and should be totally dismantled. Yes TOTALLY. I say let Kidds contract run out, ship out Howard and Terry and whomever and go get a killer to compliment Dirk. Dirk is like Pau, great number 2 but needs a Kobe to win.
- Buyouts should not be allowed after this season. How San Antonio, Cleveland and Boston reap the awards of stupid owners and crummy teams is beyond me and unfair to all other contending teams. I say you signed him to that stupid deal, you live with that deal.
- Whoever's team has the best record at the end of the season should win the MVP, LBJ and Kobe have both been brilliant all season long, with the both of them performing and leading their clubs flawlessly. I would give it to Kobe right now seeing as his team went 12-1 in February sans Bynum.
that's good for now. later.
- Why is Shaq so mad lately? Got a chance to see the Suns/Magic game last night and boy did the Diesel seem pissed. For the first few minutes, the jostling between he and Howard was getting so physical that at one point I was expecting a punch or two to be thrown. What gives? Seriously, and I highly doubt Howard would be the one to be throwing his size and mouth around, especially around his idol Shaquille. I do however, have an inkling as to why he's been on a tear of late with his game and his mouth, he's starting to see the end. I believe that after the All Star break, with his not being traded to a contender, Shaq saw his basketball mortality flashed before his eyes, he quickly realized that he's stuck on this crappy Suns team for the rest of this season and most likely next and that his likely chance at reaping a 5th title have quickly vanished. I believe his anger and his sudden resurgences is his way of showing the league (and Howard) that "hey fuck you all for not wanting me and disrespecting me, I'm still the man". Which in a way is true to a point, having Shaq in the playoffs for a contender greatly would increase any teams chances, I mean let's face it the man's a beast and you can't teach size, no matter how old. However, I do believe that the way the economy has changed, teams have become reluctant to take on salaries, especially one as big as the Shaquille's. Also I do believe whole heartedly that he wants to return to the Lakers for one last go with Kobe. I sincerely believe that he wants to amend things with his past as he's quickly realized how immature and greedy he'd become back in 04'. Yes, Kobe wanted to be the man, but in reality Dr. Buss was not interested in paying O'Neal 30 mil per for a player who plays 60 or so games a year, is not in great shape and on the decline. It's rather unfortunate the whole Laker saga, if you quickly think about it, had Shaq taken the salary he receives now (20 mil per) and relinquished the reigns to a growing and vastly improving Bryant, I swear that team could have won so many titles. But alas, that was then and this is now, maybe Shaq's current fate is karma that he's reaped upon himself. Who knows really, only time will tell.
- Is Dwight Howard the most overrated player in the league or what? The kid can play no doubt, but wow is he ever not a leader, all I see with him is David Robinson re-incarnate. Good kid, plays hard, gets his stats but has no killer or leadership instincts. I guarantee that he'll never lead the Magic to a title, Never! Unless he's lucky and receives a Duncanesque player one day, he'll go down as D. Robinson number 2 rather than Superman Jr. Shaq's a killer, Howard is not.
- Marc Cuban's rant last night was AWESOME!!! He finally gets it, his team sucks and should be totally dismantled. Yes TOTALLY. I say let Kidds contract run out, ship out Howard and Terry and whomever and go get a killer to compliment Dirk. Dirk is like Pau, great number 2 but needs a Kobe to win.
- Buyouts should not be allowed after this season. How San Antonio, Cleveland and Boston reap the awards of stupid owners and crummy teams is beyond me and unfair to all other contending teams. I say you signed him to that stupid deal, you live with that deal.
- Whoever's team has the best record at the end of the season should win the MVP, LBJ and Kobe have both been brilliant all season long, with the both of them performing and leading their clubs flawlessly. I would give it to Kobe right now seeing as his team went 12-1 in February sans Bynum.
that's good for now. later.
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