The Good, The Bad, and The Mookie

Top V Albums of 2010

2010-12-09T05:54:00.000-08:00

And here are my favorite albums of 2010.

1. Black Keys - Brothers

2. The Hold Steady - Heaven is Whenever

3. Mumford & Sons - Sigh No More

4. The Gaslight Anthem - American Slang

5. Arcade Fire - The Suburbs

Also loved:

Girl Talk - All Day

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - Mojo

Help Mookie Find a New Home

2009-04-23T17:39:00.001-07:00

As you may have heard, we recently had to surrender our beloved Mookie up for adoption.

Mookie came into our lives when she was eight weeks old, and it is only because we loved her so dearly that we were willing to admit that it was time to find her a better home. Ever since Milo arrived, it was a struggle to get Mookie acclimated to the new family dynamic. We tried very hard to give her everything she needed, but after 15 months without improvement, we could no longer cross our fingers and hope for the best. We decided we couldn't be selfish anymore and keep her around for our own amusement when she wasn't getting what she needed.

At five years old this month, Mookie is still a high energy puppy who needs lots and lots of attention and exercise. Recently donned "the wrecking ball who impacted everyone she met," she is extremely loving towards adults even though she's no fan of animals or people her own size.

Although it broke our hearts to give her up, we know that giving her up was the right thing to do for for her, and for Milo.

Fortunately, there is an organization called the French Bulldog Rescue Network who made our decision A LOT easier. This wonderful group gladly came to our rescue and placed Mookie in a foster home while they work to find her a new "forever home" where she can be the center of somebody's universe again. We know the right home will love her to pieces.

Please take a moment to visit Mookie's page on the FBRN website, spread the word around, and if you can spare a couple bucks to sponsor her, it would go to a truly worthy cause.

http://www.frenchbulldogrescue.org/htdocs/foster/mookie.html

Also, as a tribute, here's a link to some of Mookie's "greatest hits"
http://picasaweb.google.com/Verceman/MookieSGreatestHits?feat=directlink#slideshow

Godspeed, Mookie!

Mike and Michelle

Pie Eating Area

2009-01-13T05:27:00.001-08:00

Top V Movies of 2008

2008-12-21T10:46:00.001-08:00

Unless I am forgetting some, I only saw five movies this year, which has to be the fewest since I was three years old! Anyway, for posterity's sake, here they are, in order:

Dark Knight
Burn After Reading
Cloverfield
Tropic Thunder
Four Christmases

Dark Knight I grade an A; Burn After Reading a B+; Cloverfield a C+; Tropic Thunder a C, and Four Christmases a big fat F.

Top V Albums of 2008

2008-12-14T18:55:00.000-08:00

1. Raconteurs - Consolers Of The Lonely
2. My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges
3. Girl Talk - Feed The Animals
4. REM - Accelerate
5. Beck - Modern Guilt

V Honorable Mentions: Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago; The Hold Steady - Stay Positive; Jenny Lewis - Acid Tongue; Ray LaMontagne - Gossip In The Grain; Black Crowes - Warpaint

Others I Enjoyed This Year: Eric Hutchinson - Sounds Like This; , Islands - Arm's Way; Plants and Animals - Parc Avenue; The Gaslight Anthem - The '59 Sound; Jackie Greene - Giving Up The Ghost;

Still being evaluated: Kings Of Leon - Only By The Night; Guns N Roses - Chinese Democracy; Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson - Eponymous

Personal Letdowns of the Year: Mudcrutch, Counting Crows, Jakob Dylan, Jason Mraz

Mookie Of The Month December 2008

2008-12-11T05:31:00.001-08:00

The End of Journalism

2008-09-20T11:21:00.001-07:00

END DIVISIVE POLITICS!!

2008-09-08T17:56:00.001-07:00

The End Of The Turkey O'Toole? Recipe!

2008-07-29T17:32:00.001-07:00

I am a huge sandwich fan (I contend it is the Fourth Greatest Invention Of All Time).

So I was very saddened to read that one of my all-time favorite sandwiches, the Turkey O'Toole, is on its way towards extinction. Bennigan's, creator of said sandwich, closed 160 stores nationwide yesterday, reducing the availability of the Turkey O'Toole by 50%.

What makes the Turkey O'Toole special (otherwise an ordinary hot turkey & swiss with honey mustard) is the Pretzel Roll.

For years on Long Island my friends and I used to go to Bennigan's every Thursday night for dinner. We chose Bennigan's mostly because they tolerated our nonsense, but also partially because they were one of the few restaurants that served Dr. Pepper. Otherwise, their food was rather lousy and the place kind of dingy. Over the years the restaurants have gotten even worse. They didn't have any Bennigan's nearby for the three years my wife and I lived in Greensboro, so any time we took a road trip a pitstop at Bennigan's for a Turkey O'Toole was a necessity. Every trip it seemed like the retstaurants had gone more and more downhill. Seemed like it had been ages since the carpet had been replaced (or even cleaned), and it was just... depressing. I guess with the Irish theme they had trouble competing with the trendy T.G.I.Fridays or the "healthy" fare at Applebees.

So I guess I saw this day coming. The day Bennigan's shut their corporate-owned stores, leaving open only the franchisees. I'm sure it's only a matter of time before they go by teh wayside as well. So, if you have a Bennigan's nearby that's still open, hurry up now and get yourself a Turkey O'Toole while you still can.

After that, you'll have to make your own. Luckily, my wife recently figured out how to make a pretzel roll. Here's the recipe:

Ingredients for Pretzel Roll:

* 1 1/3 cups warm water
* 2 tablespoons warm milk
* 2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
* 1/3 cup light brown sugar
* 2 tablespoons butter, melted
* 4 cups all-purpose flour
* kosher salt or pretzel salt
* 2 quarts cold water
* 1/2 cup baking soda

Directions
1. In a KitchenAid mixer fitted with a dough hook, mix a 1/3 cup of the warm
water with the yeast and let stand until foamy.
2. Add the remaining cup of warm water along with milk, sugar & melted
butter and swirl to dissolve the sugar. Add flour and mix at med-low speed. Remove dough from mixer once it forms a nice a firm, pliable dough ball. Add more flour if necessary.
3. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured table and knead for 2 minutes. Roll into a 2 foot long log and cut into 12 even pieces. Cover dough with plastic and a damp cloth and let sit for 10 minutes.
4. Form dough into knots/rolls and arrange on a lightly floured surface about an inch apart and cover with lightly oiled plastic wrap. Let the pretzels rest for an additional 30 minutes.
5. Preheat the oven to 425°. Lightly oil 2 baking sheets.
6. In a large stockpot, bring the cold water to a rolling boil and add baking soda. *THIS IS KEY!*
7. Drop two rolls into the boiling water and boil for no more then 30 seconds, turning once. Carefully remove with tongs or slotted spoon and hold above pot and let drain. Sprinkle lightly with salt. Repeat with the remaining rolls.
8. Arrange rolls on the oiled baking sheets and bake on the upper and middle racks of the oven
for about 8-10 minutes, or until browned all over.
9. Let rolls cool on the baking sheets for about 5 minutes, then transfer them to a rack.

10.Assemble Turkey O'Toole:

Hot Turkey slices
1 slice swiss cheese
1 tbsp Dijon honey mustard

11. Serve warm with French fries!

Billy Joel is a Jerk (Part II)

2008-07-26T11:27:00.000-07:00

I got a couple angry comments to my recent post, "Billy Joel is a Jerk." Yeah, I admit, I have a love/hate relationship with the guy. I love him because I grew up with his music, and as a Long Islander he's practically a local hero. On the other hand I hate him because he's eschewed pop music (for dubious reasons) and he's become a greedy bastard who milks his fans for every penny.

He gave me more ammo recently when it was announced that he'd be performing the last concert ever at Shea Stadium. Tickets went on sale, and sold out in like an hour or something. So what did they do? Added a second show, of course! Meaning, those 50,000 people who bought tickets to what they thought was the Last Concert Ever At Shea Stadium suddenly found themselves with tickets to... The Second-To-Last Concert Ever at Shea Stadium. Nice.

"Forgiveable," people said to me. It's nothing to get worked up about. I just have a bias against the guy and will look for any reason to dis him, they said. OK. It's going to be the same concert anyway, right? Yeah, except until the concerts actually happened.

The Wednesday night show, according to a friend of mine who was there, featured an overweight, out-of-breath, "pumpkin-headed" Joel who was barely able to hit the notes. But the stage looked cool. And there were special guests! A group of A-minus list pop stars like John Mellencamp, the overrated John Mayer, and Don Henley. OK, not bad.

Until Friday night rolls around. Same pumpkin-head, same stage... But the special guests? A little different. How about Roger Daltrey, Garth Brooks, Steven Tyler, and... Paul F*ckin McCartney. Are you kidding me? Are you KIDDING Me. Everyone knows The Beatles performance at Shea Stadium (the first concert ever at Shea) in 1965 is one of the most famous concerts of all time, and who better to put a lid on the whole thing than Sir Paul himself. (Yes, McCartney was in a band before Wings) Holy moly. So, you still don't think the Wednesday-nighters got ripped off?

Coldplay Breaking News

2008-07-08T07:04:00.001-07:00

Coldplay's new album, Viva La Vida or Death And All His Friends, is at No. 1 again on the Billboard 200 this week.

Coldplay are set to become the first act to spend five consecutive weeks at number one on the UK artists albums chart

'Viva La Vida' sold another 20,000 units in Australia this week, about five times more than the number two album by Rihanna.

And they are still overrated.

Not To Worry Ed McMahon...

2008-06-12T10:25:00.000-07:00

Not to worry, Ed McMahon... you may already be a winner in the Publishers Clearinghouse Sweepstakes.

Link: Ed McMahon: It's The Economy

What I Learned Today: There are two kinds of ear wax

2008-03-28T18:19:00.000-07:00

They say you learn something every day. This is what I learned on Friday March 28th:

So apparently there are two kinds of earwax, and genetics defines which one you have: flaky, or gooey.

Since you asked, my earwax is flaky.

Oh, that's not what you asked? How did I learn that? I learned it on a game show called Cash Cab, that's how.

Michelle's ear wax is gooey, or so she tells me. Wonder what our kid's earwax will be?

http://kidshealth.org/kid/talk/yucky/earwax.html

http://www.flickr.com/photos/chioubaccalovin/22407277/

Rolling Stone endorses Obama

2008-03-11T17:59:00.000-07:00

I just got my copy of the latest Rolling Stone in the mail. For some reason, subscribers get their issue about a week after it hits newsstands. What's that about? Anyway, it seems Rolling Stone has endorsed Barack Obama for President, the first time the magazine has endorsed a candidate. Meh. Unless Sports Illustrated starts making endorsements, I don't think any of the candidates should be too worried about magazine approvals.

Mookie Of The Month - September 2007

2007-09-29T18:14:00.000-07:00

New Job

2007-08-26T11:39:00.001-07:00

So I quit my job last month to start a brewery.

My buddy Dustin and I decided that the best place for the brewery would be somewhere between Savannah, GA and England and we named our beer Otter Head. We were set to kick off our new venture at the Rock 92 Brewfest in Greensboro, but the distributor only sent us two cases of beer bottles, containing less than half an ounce of beer each!

Luckily our customers at the Brewfest weren't too upset with our lack of spring water fresh brew, and we had many people happily line up for a tiny sip of Otter Piss, I mean, Head.

Anyway, obviously the brewery thing didn't work out so now I have to move to New Jersey to sell toothbrushes. Thanks a lot, England!

Here are some pics from the beerfest, our first and last day as brewers!

Jose Reyes Chant in Greensboro

2007-08-25T19:36:00.001-07:00

I have just three days left in North Carolina, and a few of us went to the Rock 92 BrewFest to have a good time during our last weekend in Greensboro. It was a four hour, all you can drink affair, and about three hours into it people were getting a bit drunk. Spontaneously, an Ole! Ole Ole Ole! soccer chant breaks out from these three or four college kids. I chime in, but of course sing it it with "JOSE" instead of "Ole." I did it really loud too, because otherwise you'd never even notice it, right? My buddy Dustin joined me in my Jose chant, while the other frat boys continued with the oles, probably unaware that I was pirating their fun.

I spotted a dude across the room in a Mets cap, eyeing me, wondering if I was a Mets fan, or if I was just some drunk named Jose who was imparting his own name into the song. Suddenly another guy comes running over and starts singing along with the Jose chant. At this point it was pretty even between the guys singing Ole and the ones singing JOSE. I think even one of the guys who had started the Ole chant had changed to Jose, just for the heck of it. Finally after a while we stopped and I asked the guy who had come over if he was a Mets fan. He said no, he's a Nationals fan. "Expos Suck!," I screamed. He said "No, I'm an ASTROS fan." I said, so what's with the Jose chanting then? He gave Jose a Reyes some kind of weird backhanded compliment and then called him an illegal immigrant or something. All righty then. So then I saw the guy with the Mets cap walking by, the one who was confusedly watching us sing. "PAUL LO-DU-CA!," I yelled. His face brightened and he gave me a knowing point.

That's the great thing about Mets fans. You spot a Mets cap in a foreign place and you can bet he's a real Mets fan. You see a dude in a Yankees cap in Greensboro, and odds are he's just a frat boy.

JOSE! JOSE JOSE JOSE! JO-SE! JO-SE.

Paranormal Event or Hoax?

2007-08-24T03:23:00.001-07:00

You be the judge....

http://view.break.com/312640 - Watch more free videos

Mookie Of The Month August 2007

2007-08-23T19:32:00.000-07:00

Idiot vs. Idiot in Atlanta

2007-08-23T10:19:00.001-07:00

Atlanta city councilman C.T. Martin has proposed an amendment to Atlanta's indecency laws that would make baggy pants that show boxer shorts or thongs, illegal. The amendment states that sagging pants are an "epidemic" that is becoming a "major concern" around the country.

A major concern of mine is why a city councilman thinks a dress code is a good idea. Do I think that people are dressing badly? Yes. But the phrase "fashion police" is supposed to be a joke. I don't think even the obnoxious hosts "What Not To Wear" would agree that people should be fined based on bad attire. Or maybe they would. Maybe they're behind this.

Anyway, instead of just letting this thing get dismissed by the courts, leave it up to the ACLU to completely overreact.

"This is a racial profiling bill that promotes and establishes a framework for an additional type of racial profiling," said Debbie Seagraves, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia.

Thank you Debbie, for your brilliant comment that stirs up racial tensions instead of allowing the inherent non-racism related idiocy of the amendment to stand on its own. I'm sure the ACLU really appreciates you clouding the issue. Next time we get a statement from the ACLU I'm sure we'll be listening really closely.

By the way, Paris Hilton is launching a new clothing line. Since she doesn't wear underwear, she doesn't have to worry about breaking this potential law which would outlaw exposed thongs!

Mike V on Michael Vick

2007-08-22T15:46:00.001-07:00

It's been a few weeks now since the initial story broke about Michael Vick alleged involvement in running a dogfighting operation. When the allegations first surfaced, Vick denied any involvement and said that he didn't know what was going on at the home but barely visited. He said he was innocent and looked forward to clearing his name in a court of law! Harrumph. I was disgusted by the stories of cruel executions of weak performing dogs and the like, but I was also a little offended about the incessant media coverage. This was everywhere for weeks! You're not going to find a much bigger doglover than me, but I thought it was a little ridiculous how much attention was being focused on this compared to the war in Afghanistan, our Attorney General looking like an ass in front of Congress, or even the players in professional sports who had been accused of beating their wives!

Still, I thought it was a heinous crime and agreed with the NFL's decision to keep Vick out of camp until the facts came out. Well, so much for Vick being exonerated. Vick is set to plead guilty to the crimes he's accused of. Vick will serve his time and the NFL will have to decide what to do when he's released.

What's appaling me now are the people who are rushing to Vick's defense. R.L. White, president of the Atlanta chapter of the NAACP said that Vick shouldn't be banned from the NFL. "In some instances, I believe Michael Vick has received more negative press than if he would've killed a human being," White said. "The way he is being persecuted, he wouldn't have been persecuted that much had he killed somebody." You know, I have to agree with White there. I just wonder why he's so worried about this multi-millionaire's career options when so many other African Americans are struggling to put food on their table? But White's next comment was worse. According to the article, White also said he didn't understand the uproar over dogfighting, when hunting deer and other animals is perfectly acceptable. Does this guy really not see the difference between hunting deer with a rifle and "starving pit bulls forced to tear one another apart for hours, and animals beaten to death, shot, hanged and electrocuted when they did not perform well."??? Seems Stephon Marbury doesn't see the difference either. Marbury, who has also taken heat for donating sneakers to boys teams but not girls, said "You know, from what I hear, dogfighting is a sport. It's just behind closed doors." I'm sure Knicks fans aren't surprised Marbury would miss the point, but seriously, has our society degenerated that far that we can no longer draw distinctions between levels of cruelty? I mean, I'm no fan of hunting, but even PETA would agree that Vick's crimes are worse than a deer hunters'. Right?

Of course this story wouldn't be complete without a dose of irony. The 53 pit bulls seized from Vick's house are on a deadline. If no one steps forward to claim the dogs by this weekend, they will likely be euthanized.

V Music: Spoon

2007-08-17T09:44:00.000-07:00

I stumbled across Spoon recently. I love these guys! The lead singer sounds like he's British, though he's actually from Texas, which not coincidentally is where the band formed. I'll do my best to describe their music - it's fun rock, marked by interesting and catchy rhythms and great lyrics. All Music's Mike DaRonco says that "Their hybrid of indie and punk resulted in a number of Sonic Youth and Pixies comparisons," they are "musically adventurous," marked by "mixed unusual instrumentation and nods to Motown and soul," Good enough a description as any, I guess! I highly recommend you visit their myspace page to sample the music. Then, go to itunes and download some tracks or an album (or two). I've got "Don't Make Me A Target," "The Underdog," "Black Like Me," "Sister Jack," and "The Way We Get By" on my iPod rotation.
Link: Spoon on myspace
Link Official Spoon website

Cool Video of the Week

2007-08-17T09:43:00.004-07:00

Have you seen the video on youtube of the bison who save their calf from the lions? Even though it was shot by an amateur on a safari, the scene plays out like a perfectly scripted vignette. Scene opens on lions. Bison enter stage left. Chase ensues. Tragedy! Sudden unexpected turn for the worse! I won't give away the dramatic climax, but even the way the "actors" exit "the stage" is oh so Hollwood! You have to watch this 8-minute video.

Idiotic Lawsuit of the week

2007-08-17T09:43:00.003-07:00

So now one of the Rutgers basketball players is suing Don Imus and CBS for defamation of character. I am not going to mention the name of the basketball player, but her opportunistic lawyer said. "She would do anything to return to her life as a student and respected basketball player -- a more simple life before Imus opened his mouth." If she wanted to remain anonymous, why did she go on Oprah to talk about it? Why bring up a lawsuit, all these months later which puts her name in all the papers? Give me a break! No one knows the names of those players! All they know is Imus's quote about the women's Rutgers team. She should sue herself! Imus was wrong for making his comments, and he should have been disciplined, but this lawsuit is beyond ridiculous.

V Politics: Kucinich '08

2007-08-17T09:43:00.001-07:00

If you haven't jumped on the Dennis Kucinich bandwagon yet, now is the time. He's the only candidate in the race who gives straight answers to questions, and he's the only one with the nerve to take a bold stance on civil liberties. He has an actual plan for America, and Iraq, and most importantly delivering health care and education to all Americans. He also refuses to take a dime from corporations or lobbyists, so if you like what he stands for, he needs your support. The media is only paying attention to Clinton, Obama, and Edwards on the Left, and Romney and Giuliani on the Right. Why, 14 months before the election, why have the media centered in on these five candidates? Show your support for Kucinich (or even Ron Paul, Chris Dodd or Mike Huckabee) and let the media know that the candidate's stances on issues and policy should be the story, not which candidates are raising the most money, or even who is stacking up in meaningless polls.
Link: Reuters: Democrat Kucinich: long shot who keeps on running