Peak City Grill - again

I hit the Peak City Grill again tonight for a quick dinner. This time I was looking forward to watching the football game so I just got a burger and a couple beers. The burger, no kidding, was the best burger I've had in a long, long time. WOW.

As for the football, unfortunately both the teams I was rooting for tonight lost - the Redskins lost AND Virginia Tech lost. Ugh. Maybe the Panthers will have better luck tomorrow.

Now I'm sitting here watching Giada De Laurentiis on the Food network. Good grief that is one hot woman. :D

Women...

Speaking in general, of course...

can't drive.
drive too fast.
do their makeup while they drive.
can't control their emotions.
can't say what they want.
if they do, by some miracle, manage to say what they want - they don't mean it.
hold grudges.
take too long getting ready.
are always late.

UPDATE: Except Marian. :)

But I do think they're smarter than men. Plus they're hot.

Is your refridgerator running?

Mine's not. When I got home Sunday afternoon everything in my freezer was room temperature. Woohoo! The bright side is that my fridge/freezer are both quite clean now. Maybe I'll lose a few pounds, too.

I get more excited about food than anybody I know, so I will have to get that thing back up and running soon or jack will be a dull boy.

I just went to Harris Teeter to pick up a quick lunch. I went to the bakery and grabbed a loaf of fresh bread and also got some chicken salad. I'm telling you right now, this La Brea Bakery bread that Harris Teeter carries is awesome. This is the second time I've had it - once I got the organic whole wheat, this time I got rosemary olive oil. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. I could just eat the bread by itself (ok, actually I did eat several slices just plain).

OMG this is the funniest thing ever: telemarker prank

http://howtoprankatelemarketer.ytmnd.com/

We get high in back seats of cars...

Recently several of my favorite things have come together...

"A Night at the Roxbury" was briefly talked about on the supersized episode of "The Office". I love that show, and I love that movie (Will Ferrell and Chris Kattan crack me up)!

I was also recently watching cars, and was surprised to hear Tom and Ray Magliozzi as the voices of the Rust-eze brothers. Tom and Ray are the guys from the radio show "Car Talk", which you can hear on NPR. I know what you might be thinking: "Car talk? Are you kidding me?" But seriously - even if you don't know anything about cars, don't want to know anything about cars, and even if you don't DRIVE a car - Tom and Ray are HILARIOUS. If you're ever listening to the radio on a Sat or Sunday afternoon tune in to their show on NPR and you will not regret it.

This past week's episode of CSI NY featured music by Damien Rice.

The movie "Stranger Than Fiction", starring Will Ferrell, opened with an instrumental of the song "The Way We Get By" (the first line of the song is "we get high in back seats of cars"), by Spoon. Good movie too, by the way. :)



And no, I dont watch much tv or movies. :P

Who dunnit? Who is the office Diet Coke bandit?

In my office there is a Diet Coke bandit. A mischievous scoundrel who will drink the last Diet Coke in the fridge without putting another 6 or 12 cans in to cool.

I'm obviously not the bandit. G, O and Er are not the bandit because they were out of town at the time of several incidents. J is not the bandit, because I happen to know that he drinks Diet Pepsi almost exclusively, plus he is helping me with this investigation. H always drinks some freaky flavored or mineral waters. S is ruled out because I see everything he drinks.

That leaves just 7 suspects: An, Am, T, M, Chr, Cha, and E.

An is always considerate.
T, M, and E, I have no clue.
Am and Chr are quiet and sneaky, like ninjas, these are two of the prime suspects.
Cha is always forgetful, and is one of the prime suspects.

More clues to follow, or submit your own. :)

5k's

Sept 9, Run for Life in Raleigh - 28:21
(btw - I'm pro-choice, I didn't realize what this race was for when I signed up)

Oct 1, Second Empire Classic 5k in Raleigh - 28:07

Nov 18, Apex Turkey Trot - 27:51

Dec 9, Reindeer Romp in Charlotte - 46:01.
(Yes, you read that right. I tied with my soon to be 9 year old niece!)

If I worked at McDonalds...

There's a guy I work with that talks to me like I'm the biggest moron he's ever met. Sadly, I happen to think he's a few cards short of a full deck himself. If we worked at McDonalds, here's how a conversation between the two of us might go:

Me: Guy, a customer is complaining that there were no pickles on his Big Mac.

Guy: No pickles? You sure?

Me: Well, let me see...

[I pick up a freshly made Big Mac...]

Me: Yup, no pickles on this one either.

Guy: You sure?

Me: Yes, look...see for yourself.

Guy: Well, let me explain. Are you familiar with ... have you ever had a Big Mac?

Me: ... Yes, I've had a Big Mac. And I'm also aware of the fact that it consists of two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun.

Guy: Uh huh...Well, why don't you just leave this to the big boys, ok? I'll take a look at it and get back to you later.

[3 hours later]

Guy: Hey...you know what the problem with that Big Mac was?

Me: Uh, yeah...there were no pickles!

Guy: Well, not exactly. See what it really is - is brined cucumber.

Grilled Cheese has no personality

Plain old grilled Cheese has no personality. It needs something extra to give it a kick in the pants to make it worthy of being eaten. Some horseradish cheddar does the trick for me. But if you really want to bring your grilled cheese sandwich to life, throw a layer of jalepenos and ground black pepper in the middle of the cheese. Mmmmmmmmmm.

Running in November

Wow, what weather. I don't know if more perfect weather exists than what we had today. Today in the 75+ degree temp I went for a run. I set a new personal distance record of 6 (slow) miles, and it felt great!

My goal was 4 miles. At 3.5 I decided to make it 5. At 4 I decided to go for 6! When I hit 5 miles, which I've only done a few times before, I wasn't sure if I could make it another mile, but I was determined.

Now I just have to be able to run 4 times as far as I did today and I'll be blogging about my first marathon!

Funeral

I dig this song by Susan Greenbaum, called Funeral.

I walk in executive footwear
my suits range from navy to gray
I'm king of the long cold hard stare
and I never mean a word I say

I dine with my digital pager
and I sleep with my cellular phone
everyone I work with is willin to wager
I'm gonna die at my desk alone

No one will go to my funeral
no one will care when I die
no one will go to my funeral
and no one will even cry

I hate when the sky turns sunny
I wont waste my time being kind
I don't do charity honey
but I'll gladly give you a piece of my mind

you'll do, what I tell you to do
you'll jump when I tell you how high
I'll spit you out after I chew
I'm not sharin my piece of the pie

office in the corner
not a single mourner
something something baskets [I can't figure out this line]
solid cherry casket
status: no apologies
60 second eulogy
titled on a business card
buried in a lumber yard

I'll mess with the beat of your heart
and I'll make you much more than afraid
I'll smile on the die that you start
then I'll make you so sorry you stayed

I live for the power and money
and I eat other people for lunch
I don't find anything funny
now I'm startin to have a hunch that

No one will go to my funeral
no one will care when I die
no one will go to my funeral
no one will even cry

I know I take more than I'm given
I know more than I'm gonna tell
I know that its good to be driven
I'm gonna drive myself straight to hell

dearly beloved, we are gathered here to remember this fine fine person
dearly beloved, we are gathered here to remember this ridiculous piece of drek

Voting

There are lots of things about politics that just plain piss me off. Maybe the biggest issues for me are the lack of term limits in certain offices and campaign finance corruption.

Lately I was thinking about this past vote, and I had a thought (which remains undeveloped, as most of my thoughts do :P).

When we go to the polls, we all (usually) stand in line waiting to get in. Once we're in, I'm afraid that lots of people vote for everything they can vote for, even if they are not familiar with the issues surrounding each particular race. This annoys me. What annoys me even more are the people who just blindly vote a particular party.

So here's my idea:

Even though it would take longer to vote, and would perhaps lower the number of people who do actually vote in some races, I think there should be a different line for all the different sections of the ballot. Presidential and US congressional races in one line, state house and senate races in another line, judicial races in another line, local bonds in another, and so on.

Lots of people go to the polls to vote only for the president, but end up casting votes for other offices that they have no interest in or information about. Its an ignorant vote that can only hurt. If you have such an interest in a particular race that you're willing to stand in line for it, its more likely that you will make a more informed vote.

NY Times says Iraq WAS making a nuke

NYTimes: "Among the dozens of documents in English were Iraqi reports written in the 1990s and in 2002 ... Experts say that at the time, Mr. Hussein’s scientists were on the verge of building an atom bomb, as little as a year away."

But I thought the NYTimes told us that Bush lied to us about all this?

The National Review has a quote that made me laugh: "In other news, it's good to see that the New York Times is firmly against publicizing sensitive and classified information. Unless, of course, they're the ones doing it."

Beck - "Clap Hands" performance on the most recent episode of SNL

Beck - "Clap Hands" performance on the most recent episode of SNL. Simply an amazing performance, maybe the most enjoyable performance I've ever seen on Saturday Night Live (except maybe the one where Ashley Simpson got busted lip synching which was just hilarious).

In this show, the band is playing a set dinner table instead of their regular instruments.

Technorati : beck, clap hands, snl

Boy Scout Cookies

This may sound stupid...but why in the world do the Boy Scouts sell such crappy stuff for fund raising?

The Girl Scouts have it made in the shade with their cookies. When you see the girls camped out in front of the grocery stores with boxes of cookies there are always lots of people standing around buying them. When you see the boys camped out in front of the grocery stores with giant canisters of popcorn they have to practically beg everyone walking past to take pity on their measly little fund raising efforts and buy something.

It makes me feel bad to say "no thanks", I don't want any of your crappy stale popcorn. But then I remember that I'm not to blame - its the fault of the adult organizers who decided that gourmet popcorn canisters were the way to go. Poor kids.

Driveway Spam

A good many months ago, out-of-the-blue, a Cary newspaper showed up in my yard. I thought, "hmm...the delivery guy must have gotten the wrong house, because I never asked for any Cary newspaper."

The next week, not-so-out-of-the-blue, a Cary newspaper showed up in my yard. I thought, "hmm...what in the world? Ah well", and tossed it in the recycle bin.

Again the following week, annoyingly, a Cary newspaper showed up in my yard. I thought, "hmm...this is starting to get on my nerves now."

Not to be overly repetitive, but yet again, the following week, a Cary newspaper showed up in my yard. Argh!

At this point, I am wondering why this newspaper keeps littering in my yard. Can I fine them $200 for littering? Will the State of NC fine them for littering? If so, can I have them fined for every single infraction? :) Do I have to put a "No Littering" sign up in my yard? Can I perform a citizens arrest of the distribution manager of the Cary newspaper? Can I litter in the Cary newspaper's lawn?

I think that's what I'd really like to do. I'd like to save up all these wasteful papers that they throw in my yard in their little plastic bags. After a while when I have a big gigantic pile of them, I'd like to drive over to the offices of the Cary News and throw them all over their property. In their driveway, in their lawn, and in their bushes. Then I'd like to see them say one freaking word about it. Ugh.

I know, I know - "just call them and tell them to cancel delivery, dummy!" Of course I will, but I should'nt *have* to.

Wake Co. School Bond

The new Wake County school bond is very controversial right now. It would raise property taxes in order to build new schools. As an example of the increase, property taxes for a $200,000 home will be $94 more per year.

Are you telling me that people aren't willing to pay $94 a year to help educate the kids of wake county? Seriously? Good grief.

Of course, taxpayers should be pissed off, don't get me wrong. The real problem is that the state of North Carolina isn't giving Wake County what it needs. Mecklenburg County (Charlotte) is getting much more from the NC Education lottery than Wake County is, even though Wake county has more students. Wonder how that happened?

Here are the numbers:

Estimated proceeds: $1.2 billion a year, $425 million for Education.
Meck. Co. will receive an estimated $18 million/year, for 127,000 students.
Wake Co. will receive an estimated $9 million/year, for 127,767 students.

Apparently those folks against the bond are doing so for one of two reasons: #1, they just don't want to pay more in taxes; #2, they want to make a statement against the school board. For those who fall in category two, IMO you are justifiably pissed off at the school board for lots of reasons like forced busing, forced year-round, .etc. And how else are you to change anything? Damned if I know.

Did anyone see the 20/20 episode about the state of public education in the United States compared to education systems in other countries? John Stossel's famous "Stupid in America". Absolutely pitiful. Its good to know that some people are doing something about it. Unfortunately it seems like most people are afraid too do anything about it. But...why be afraid? It would be pretty hard to do worse.

Cinelli's in Apex

Got a pizza to go tonight at Cinelli's Restaurante in Apex. I predict that this place closes its doors pretty quickly unless they turn things around. I noticed in the forums at apexnc.com that it got a couple negative reviews, and I wasn't too impressed myself. The pizza was good, but that's where the compliments end. I don't plan to go back.

• Pizza was way overpriced. I paid $26 for a large pizza with 3 toppings and 2 domestic beers while I waited.
• The spiciest topping they had was cherry peppers, which were not spicy at all.
• As usual, I sat at the bar. Unfortunately I couldn't have been more uncomfortable since the barstools didn't fit the bar.
• Recessed lighting must have had high wattage spotlights, and I felt like I was on stage at the Ryman.

If my house were a high-rise condo in downtown...

If my house were a high-rise condo in downtown Raleigh, it would cost around $480,000.
If my house were a high-rise condo in Manhattan, it would cost more than $1,600,000.

...Its a good thing I live "in the sticks", as they say.

Reindeer Romp 5k in Charlotte

This Dec 9th I'll be running in the Reindeer Romp 5k in downtown Charlotte. This is the same day as the The Thunder Road Marathon, but I haven't quite made it up to the 26 mile level yet, although that is my long term goal. The Reindeer Romp benefits the American Lung Association, and I'll be running it with my 9 year old neice (her first race)! Her mom doesn't think she can run the whole 5k without some walk-time, so I might not be setting any PRs but it will be fun!

If you want to run but you don't want to travel to Charlotte, here are some upcoming local races, including one in Apex:

November 5 (Sunday) Raleigh
1st Annual George Williams Nike 5K - 2:00 p.m. - 5,000m

November 12 (Sunday) Raleigh
Old Reliable Run - 10,000 meters, 5,000 meters

November 18 (Saturday) Apex
Turkey Trot 5K – 5,000 Meters – 10:00 a.m.

Vermiform Appendix

This weekend my mom had severe pains in her abdomen, went to the emergency room and told them that she had appendicitis. They checked her out and her self-diagnosis was correct. They scheduled her for surgery immediately, and after it was out the doctor said that it was extremely close to perforating, and there was a lot to clean up. This led to a slightly longer recovery time than most laparascopic appendectomy patients, but she is ok and back home.

Here's an interesting little tidbit about the appendix from Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vermiform_appendix):

"The appendix is thought to have descended from an organ in our distant herbivorous ancestors called the cecum (or caecum). The cecum is maintained in modern herbivores, where it houses the bacteria that digest cellulose, a chemically tough carbohydrate that these animals could not otherwise utilize. The human appendix contains no significant number of these bacteria, and cellulose is indigestible to us. It seems likely that the appedix lost this function before our ancestors became recognizably human."

Peak City Grill

After the tourney today I was exhausted and starving. I decided to reward myself with a nice dinner since all I'd had to eat that day was beef jerky and Nutri-grain bars! :P

I went to Peak City Grill in downtown Apex, NC on Salem Street. I'd been there a few times before but only for drinks and bar food. This time I ordered an actual dinner, and I chose the risotto with mussels, shrimp, scallops, and tomato. FAB U LOUS. It was a nice generous portion and the taste was phenomenal. Next time I go back there I'll be tempted to get the same thing just because I know it is so goooooooood.

Update: I went there again last night (the 19th) and got the fish and chips (at the bar). I'd had it before two other times, but unfortunately it looks like they have changed the dish. The breading was different (lighter but less tasty) and the serving size a little smaller. Still good though, but I preferred what I had the last two times better. Next time I probably won't go for the fish and chips.

King/Queen Volleyball

Today I played in a K/Q volleyball tournament, where each guy plays a game of doubles with each girl/against every other guy. This was the third one I played in this summer. They are a lot of fun, and today I had my best finish so far.

I finished first (by one point) in my pool, and was ranked first (by percentage of points per game) going into the playoffs. The first match of the playoffs I got a bye - which was already the farthest I'd ever made it. The first game of the playoff was against a lefty, which was the first of the day and took a little time to adjust to - but...I got that win by a couple points.

The next match was a tie, and we had to go to a little 11 point playoff to see who would go to the final game. My temper got the best of me, when I argued (loudly) against a bad call made by the ref. Before that I was already pissed at my competition because he'd questioned one of my hits. I think he did it on purpose, just to mess with my head. Anyway - I lost the playoff and that knocked me out. ALMOST made it to the finals! :P

Watching Sports in Apex

Apex really lacks a good place to watch a game outside of the home. I know of one decent place in Apex to watch a game, and thats Spark's on 55 at Olive Chapel. The biggest problem with Spark's is that their food pretty much sucks (but the service isnt' bad and they do have some pretty cute girls working there).

The next closest place I know of that is good for watching a game is the MacGregor Drafthouse in Cary. Of course there are plenty of other places with tv's - but Spark's and the Drafthouse have large widescreen HDTVs.

Peak City Grill on Salem Street in downtown Apex has decent tv's, but they are a little small. Not bad for watching a game, though.

I noticed that the New Red Robin in Beaver Creek Crossings has all CRT style regular tv's. Thats shocking, that a new bar/restaurant opens and they don't have new HDTVs in there. Wow. Pitiful.

The new Longhorn Steakhouse in Apex, NC

Tonight I made it out to the new Longhorn Streakhouse restaurant at Beaver Creek Commons in Apex, NC. There was a decent crowd, the place had a nice atmosphere, the bar was nice and had a couple of mid-size HDTVs. The Carolina Hurricanes game was on so I sat at the bar.

The only had 4 or 5 beers on tap and they were a bit boring: bud, bud light, miller light, blue moon, and sam adams.

I ordered the T-bone and a Caesar salad. I got the SMALL T-bone but it was no slouch in size. The salad was great, and the steak would have been great if it hadn't been seriously OVER seasoned. I enjoy a little bit of seasoning but I still like to taste the flavor of the beef itself (which is why I always go with a medium rare - red in the middle - temperature). Unfortunately that beef flavor was lost in too many spices.