Another Test Done

Last night I earned my Brown Sash in Muay Thai. All that is left is a stripe on the brown sash, then another one, then the Black Sash. The end of the sash rankings. That should take me a few more years, which will put me at a total of around six years of practicing Muay Thai two or three times a week to earn it.

Last nights test was similar to the others, with a few little wrinkles.

I am banged up much more than usual this morning from this test. During the part where our instructor asks us to show the techniques we have learned over the past few months, my partner was being unusually aggressive. We all know how to pull kicks and punches and how to fake knees, but he was hitting me pretty hard in all areas. Eventually I got sick of it and asked him why he was so amped up. We were just doing demos and showing techniques, not (supposedly) trying to kill each other. He wasn't responding to my liking so I "accidentally" kneed his kidney once real hard with a barn door and that got the message across I think.

Here is a nice video of a demo of this technique, around 40 seconds.



I think he just got caught up in the moment because he is a good friend of mine and I have known him for a long time.

All of the technique questions and demos went pretty well. The sparring was really jacked up though. Everyone, including myself was running at a very high level during sparring and I am feeling it today. It was as close to an actual fight as I will ever get, unless subsequent tests feature more of the same. It was scary, refreshing and very intense all at the same time. I just wanted to survive, score my points and get out of there.

Well, as always I am glad it is over. As a new feature at the gym, we get to spend the last three months of this year working on basic fundamentals, something I have been looking forward to for a very long time. I think it is a good plan as the holidays always screw up everything at the end of the year, and it is always good to go back to basics.

Sunsets

It is near the end of the summer here in Chicago so I thought I'd put up some reminders of the nice weather we had this year, other than the frequent hurricane-like rains that occurred.

Gunstock III – Fire When Ready

The 3rd annual LITGM Gunstock firearm event was held last Sunday. It keeps getting bigger and better each year and I could have not been more pleased. It was a unique experience being with a league of extraordinary gentlemen for one day.


On Friday my visiting house guest, old friend Chris from Colorado, drove to the farm with me to set up the target boards. A big thanks to Chris for helping me dig those post holes and providing tons of laffs. Chris came the furthest to attend Gunstock with Dan being the second.

My son Andy paid a visit and attended Gunstock III with the intent of shopping around for his personal protection equalizer by sampling the many fine handguns set out on the table Sunday morning. Where else could he do this?

I told Andy he would have the opportunity to hold and fire a wider array of handguns in more sizes and calibers than he will find in any gun store display case. It was all that and more.

Everyone shares. Shoot this, shoot that and have a blast. Name a caliber or a brand and it was probably on one of the tables. Most of the guys bring it all.


Yes, that's really a Toyota Prius on the right. We did not insult the guest, it would have been bad JuJu. Besides, having a hippiemobile added to the Woodstock spoof for me.


We had mechanical clay launchers for scattergun enthusiasts. Some clays actually broke before hitting the ground. The best I saw was Scott hitting nine in a row before missing one, someone correct me if I am wrong.


Andy eyes a moving target.

A special thanks goes out to the bro for grocery shopping and handling the outdoor kitchen duties. Old buddy Doug couldn’t bring the blue ribbon corn. Seems the sweet corn season is over. Damn!

There was plenty else to eat anyway. Grilled Misch Bros. of Calumet City IL fresh Polish sausage, Miesfeld’s grand champion Sheboygan brats and venison backstraps were all available and there were no leftovers. Doug brought the venison backstraps so I had to apologize to him later for bringing the best corn I never tasted. We kid.

Dan arrived early. Carl brought his dad and a friend, John.


Left to right, Carl's dad, Carl and Dan.

Carl’s dad was loaded with energy and had a few good stories to tell. You could easily see he was enjoying a fabulous September day out on the farm getting a delightful snoot full of spent cordite with the rest of us. September seldom disappoints. On thing of note, Dan, Carl, Carl’s dad and John shot continuously. They stopped only to reload or until their arms fell off. Thousands of rounds they shot, I would guess.


One of three tables acting as firearm rest areas.

The total head count was 24 and we were expecting about 16. This event continues to grow each year. There were the usual suspects along with many newcomers.

Two bird hunting buddies each named Scott stopped by, one with his two teenagers. Mark, who was an original over twenty years ago paid a visit as well, it was great to see him again. The bro’s friends Peter, Ed and Ed’s boy hurled some serious lead downrange. Ed’s SKS made anyone without earplugs run and hide. Young Justin brought his girlfriend and her dad who had an HK in .308 that hurt even with earplugs. She handled the big stuff, no problem. Wow. our first female Gunstock participant. The glass ceiling has been broken,

The SWAT team pros showed up again this year, God bless these guys!

A very special thanks goes out to our local law enforcement pros, Tom and Matt. They always bring a few surprises and provide a fine shooting demonstration as well.

Most notable was the grand finale. Officer Matt brought some Tannerite. It is made up of two chemicals and after mixing the two it becomes explosive only after being hit with a high-powered rifle bullet. The stuff is inert when dropped or shot with anything less than a high-powered round and is quite safe to handle. His rifle was the real deal since he is in the professional law enforcement sniper business. Matt’s sniper rifle had the obligatory folding bipod and a huge scope. To make it a one-shot affair he laid on his belly, pulled the trigger and the cannister blew up real good. The canister weighed ¼ lb. and spectators standing about twenty yards away felt the concussion and heat a split second before the blast was heard. That tannerite stuff provided all kinds of splodey goodness.

Tannerite can be purchased at Cabela’s in ¼ to 1lb. containers and is legal to use for the shooting enthusiast who loves seeing stuff blow up (like me). I would not be standing anywhere short of 100 yards when one of those 1 pound monsters go off.

Harold deserves a big thanks for the help he always provides year in and year out. I hope he bags a lot of honkers this year.

Of course, Dan and Carl get huge thanks for inspiring me to resurrect and expand on an old tradition down on the farm.


That's Dan, standing watch.

What was once a few guys tuning up for the hunting season the new Gunstock invitational has become a fine annual firearm enthusiast’s shooting event, something everyone who attends really seems to look forward to. It just keeps getting better and better each year and a gynormous thanks goes out to each and every individual involved. Ain’t that America?

Hope to see you all next year at Gunstock lV, the LITGM annual Celebration of Peace, Love and The Second Amendment®.

Peace, man.
.

Monday Morning Blues

Black Swan

Thom Yorke wrote a song called "Black Swan" that resonated with me in terms of the financial crisis of 2008-2009 (and today) commonly called "The Great Recession". He wrote the song in 2006.

The "Black Swan" was a metaphor used by Taleb in his excellent book "Fooled by Randomness". The point of that book (broadly stated) is that people under estimate randomness and long-tail events; Taleb is an options trader specializing in the valuation of far-out-of-the-money options and whether or not they are fairly priced. The metaphor specifically for the Black Swan is that no one ever anticipated that there was a black swan; all swans were expected to be white and it would be viewed as a very remote or unanticipated event if a "black" swan were to turn up.  When settlers reached Australia, however, they were surprised to find black swans, meaning that they had significantly under-estimated the probability of this event occurring.

While you can't directly tie art to a particular business concept I liked the part of being "ground in the bitumen" and then general feeling of being lost and angst that is summarized as "this is f*cked up, f*cked up".

From the lyrics of the Thom Yorke song...

What will grow crooked, you can't make straight
It's the price that you gotta pay
Do yourself a favour and pack your bags
Buy a ticket and get on the train
Buy a ticket and get on the train

Cause this is f*cked up, f*cked up
Cause this is f*cked up, f*cked up

People get crushed like biscuit crumbs
And lay down in the bitumen
You have tried your best to please everyone
But it just isn't happenin
No, it just isn't happenin

And that is f*cked up, f*cked up
And this is f*cked up, f*cked up
This your blind spot, blind spot
It should be obvious, but it's not.
But it isn't, but it isn't

You cannot kickstart a dead horse
You just crush yourself and walk away
I don't care what the future holds
'Cause I'm right in your arms today
With your fingers you can touch me

I am your black swan, black swan
But I made it to the top, but I made it to the top
And this is f*cked up, f*cked up

You are f*cked up, f*cked up
This is f*cked up, f*cked up

Be your black swan, black swan
I'm for spare parts, broken up

Cross posted at Chicago Boyz

Squeezebox Internet Radio

Squeezebox Internet Radio is a "radio" that plays not only internet radio stations but also any music in your iTunes library on your PC. I bought one of these several months ago for $179 and this is my review of the product.

First of all, conceptually, this is a great idea. Most homes have some sort of wireless network and everyone has a vast body of music that has been put into a digital format, likely through iTunes (the Apple product). There are also an amazing array of internet radio stations out there, including all of the local radio stations with a web presence, to independents that are web-only, to brands such as Yahoo! that have stations that cover virtually every type of format.

While other stations such as Sirius / XM (which I subscribe to) require you to pay monthly for their services, this box doesn't cost anything on a monthly basis. However, while Sirius doesn't have any commercials (at least for the stations I listen to), many of these internet radio stations do have commercials. For instance, I programmed in KROQ, the famous "Alternative" station from Los Angeles, and while that was cool, I was surprised (shouldn't have been, in hindsight) that there were many commercials for Los Angeles events that I couldn't have cared less about. But there are an infinite variety of internet stations out there, and if I had the time to go through them, I'm sure that I could find something without commercials that was an equivalent.

Another odd problem that I have in my condo is that I can't get AM radio, due to interference from being in a high rise. Thus I was very excited to see the AM radio stations on the web that broadcast White Sox games, for instance; but when I tried to listen to the games the stations came in clear as day but they had lousy other programming over the game. Apparently they already sold these rights to someone else and the third party wasn't about to let everyone listen for free over the internet.

The station also plays everything on your PC, assuming that your PC is connected to your home network and it is ON. This is kind of annoying, but it makes sense. You need to install a local squeezebox program, but this isn't too obtrusive.

For a while I was having problems with my squeezebox connecting to my network; it would work and then it would have troubles finding my PC or the internet radio stations. Finally I re-set it to factory settings and since then everything has been OK. It is a bit touchy, relying on wireless and all, but some of this is inevitable with any sort of new device like this.

There is an amazing array of customizations that you can do to your radio; you can load programs and there are add-ons and a vibrant online community. Rather than spend hours tweaking these programs, however, I reset to factory settings and tried to keep it simple in order to minimize connection issues, which helped me a lot.

For a radio, it sounds great. There is decent bass and high range and it is quite loud. It is a lot of fun to play with this internet radio.

All in, it is an interesting device that attempts to take advantage of ubiquitous internet connections and a plethora of internet radio stations, as well as everyone's' online music collections. These sorts of devices are only going to get cheaper. At some point XM / Sirius is going to have to sit up and take notice; if you spend a bit of time you can find what they have with web-only stations for free, but then again some of them have commercials, and based on my limited experience there isn't a lot of sports.

Hope for those trying to make a Difference in a Bureaucracy

My experience in business has been in bureaucracies of various stripes since I left college a couple of decades ago.   If you have ever worked in a bureaucracy, you know how difficult it can be to get something accomplished, especially when everyone else seems to be heads-down and avoiding risk.  In the simplest of terms, to accomplish anything, you need to continuously have cantankerous meetings, to push your agenda, and to take flak from everyone about what might go wrong with your approach.  It seems so much easier just to "go with the flow" and take a low profile, just like everyone else.

On a parallel vein, there are many different ways to approach a career. One way is to bargain furiously for the highest position possible when you enter a job, and then to focus continually on getting promoted and working the organization politically for continued promotion. The individuals who push down this path are often focused upwards on presenting their efforts in the best light and in ensuring that the areas in which they work are the most promising in terms of opportunities for promotion (i.e. highly visible to executives). This can be a very effective strategy.

Another, opposite sort of approach is to work hard and take on some of the most difficult tasks that the organization faces, and try to do your best to make the firm better even if the choices are not politically popular. If you see a project that is in disarray and you step in to try to make it better, that can be a dangerous move politically (because if it fails, it could get pinned on you) but it could be the best move for the company, because it gives a project the chance to right itself. If you see a process that is inefficient but crosses a lot of organizational silos, meaning that it will be difficult to streamline and get everyone on the same page, this is also the type of effort that the heads-down hardworking type will apply themselves to.

In many instances it seems that the hardworking, change-agent type of person is kind of "playing the fool" by working so hard while the career-orientated politically minded person is looking at the overall picture and trying to pick the project that will give him or her the most visibility and opportunities for career gain.

The NY Times has an interview section where they ask relatively open-ended interview questions to high ranking executives. In this instance of "corner office" they met with Lawrence Kellner, the former CEO of Continental Airlines. Without meaning to do so, Mr. Kellner validates that second approach to career management.

Mr. Kellner was asked a question about hiring. From the article:

"I don't believe that any one hour or two hour interview can let me figure out "Yeah, that person is going to be really successful". So step one is: "Have I worked with someone who could fill this job that is really good?" My success rate is dramatically higher going that route.

If not, the second step is to widen the net to people I trust, and look for people they've worked with. Our third net is, we try to find somebody we know and trust who knows the person we're thinking of hiring. The best possible interview is minuscule in value compared to somebody who's got even a couple of months of work experience with somebody.

Often when hiring an executive is trying to fix a problem, usually an intractable one. If you are someone who takes on difficult challenges and tries to do their best for the organization, your real "upside" is that this will be noticed by someone and they will put you up for an opportunity that comes their way. Instead of trying to bargain your way into a position you can let your past efforts speak for you which will make the hiring process immensely easier.

This is the strange thing about working in a bureaucracy; while it seems like everything is arrayed against change, the head people DO notice those few people banging their heads against the wall trying to make things better, and they remember.  Later, when they have their own companies, or different opportunities, the executives may reach out to those that shook up the status quo and bring them along to take on new challenges.

In the simplest terms, when you try to be a change agent, "every day sucks" (this was also a term that applied to friends of mine that used to work for EDS), and it seems like you are losing.  But your hope on the other side is that someone like Mr. Kellner notices you, and someday when he has an opening, he goes for the best and most dynamic employee, and you have an opportunity that the political, do-nothing guy never receives.

Cross posted at Chicago Boyz

Fitness is Contagious

Over the last few years there has been focus on social networks and their links to behavior.  In particular, there is a catch phrase of "your friends make you fat", saying that if you are overweight you are more likely to be social with friends that are overweight, as well.  Here is a link to a typical piece of research in The Guardian titled "Are Your Friends Making you Fat?"

If someone on the Framingham study became clinically obese, their friends were 57% more likely also to become obese. A friend of a friend of that obese person was about 20% more likely to become fat, and this was the case even if the weight of the linking friend remained unaltered.

While I don't necessarily believe that this research is compelling (there is the causality vs. correlation issue to contend with) in my limited experience the other type of behavior does seem to have an impact in my tiny social group - fitness is contagious.

Dan as anyone can see from the blog is frankly a fitness nut.  Not only does he train for martial arts, he also runs and bicycles very competitively for someone of his age.  And all this happened over the last few years.

While Dan is likely in the top 1% of the top 1% of people in his age group in terms of fitness, I probably was near the 50th percentile, and now things are looking up a bit.  A few years ago, I couldn't run, at all.  I hadn't run even 1 mile in 20+ years.  But I did start running a bit, and did a company 5k three years ago.  At the time I was kind of amazed that I completed it while running the whole time, and finished in the top 2/3 of the pack, which I viewed as a bit miraculous.  After the race I remember eating a lot in the tent and drinking beer and generally feeling quite pleased with myself.

The following year when I ran it I wasn't exactly celebrating in the tent; I remember going up to pile food on my plate when I just thought "hey, I run a couple of these a week, no big deal".  Bah, humbug. 

Then later I ran a 10k a year and a half ago with Dan in Madison, and was pretty pleased with myself, having a few beers after the race.  When we finished the 10k in San Francisco this spring (Dan ran a longer race), I didn't even get a beer and we headed back, because I typically now run a 10k or so every week on Saturday or Sunday when I get more time in the gym.

And now I think I may try to go for a 10 mile race next time I go with Dan, which probably would take me a couple of hours (I am not fast).  I would need to try to do that in the gym a couple of times beforehand, which means I have to step it up some more to probably 1 1/2 hours each time now.

To think that a few years ago when we started going to Bears games I could barely get up all the steps to the cheap seats without wheezing... now while I am not remotely close to Dan I probably am in the top 10% of fitness for people at my age group among Bears fans who sit in the non PSL seats.  A low bar?  Yes.  But as long as you  keep moving through the ranks, you can relatively be a star.

The Best Quarterback To Ever Play In Chicago

We have him right now.


There are only a few quarterbacks in the league that can make that throw. Manning, Brees, Cutler and maybe one or two others on a good day.

I have seen nothing but greatness out of Cutler. Sure he threw picks last year, but he was running for his life on a lot of those plays - and on many others receivers either ran the wrong routes or flat out missed a catch.

I am a relatively young pup, but maybe some of the old timers could chime in here - have you ever seen as pure a talent as Cutler play qb in Chicago?

If we give Cutler time, he is a lock for 300 yards a game every time. Lastly, Cutler should thank his lucky stars that stupid Ron Turner is gone and that he is now in the Mike Martz e=mc2 offense.

Making A Bass Out Of Myself

It’s been over a year since my last bass fishing trip. After spending two days on a chain of crystal clear lakes in southeastern Michigan I came home happy. Nothing like a few days on the water to eliminate what little stress I have.


On this trip there were no big fish caught. There wasn't a lot of fish caught. Just spending a few fine days out on the water again seems to have extended my life a few days more. Stayed with the usual suspects in a semi rustic cabin. The weather was perfect. September seldom disappoints. We drank, joked, ate great food and fished. Not necessarily in that order. What’s not to like?

The guys I spent time with with are bass fanatics, Especially Danny. Me? I’ll catch anything that bites and enjoy it just the same. I always keep my expectations in check, that way I am never disappointed. Danny targets bass only but if a big pike hits he’s OK with that. He's the kind of fisherman who will be on the water before sunrise and come back to the cabin only when nature insists. These guys are the type who drool more in a Cabela's store than in front of a butcher shop meat case. I spent one day fishing in Danny's boat and as always I learned something new. This time he showed me weed lines on the lakes I never knew were there before.


Bass fanatics are a serious subset of hell bent fishermen on a mission. Spare time is spent sharpening the hooks, cleaning tackle, changing line. They usually carry at least six rod and reel outfits in the boat. One rod will be for casting spinnerbaits, another for casting plugs and crankbaits and another for pitching jigs and plastic. The other three are duplicate rods and reels but they may have a different color or weight of plastics, spinners and plugs tied on. Whenever the whim hits they will drop one and pick up another not wasting any time to tie on another choice. Time on the water is THAT important to them. I’m a bit more casual about my fishing, appreciating the scenery, enjoying the ride and counting the time left on the water before throwing some fresh caught fish in hot oil and enjoying a fine adult beverage when back on land.

Some years back I was watching one of those cable television fishing shows, the one where that chuckle head hillbilly blond guy with the Captain Kangaroo haircut who cackles at everything he says. During a commercial break one spot advertised a rack for the inside roof of a pickup cap that held up to two dozen rods. The wife looked over at me and asked why anyone would have so many rods. “you only have two hands”, she chuckled. I looked back and asked why a woman needs a hundred pair of shoes. “You only have two feet.” Her response? ‘You got me there’.


Don't get me wrong, I have my share of tackle. I have three loaded tackle boxes. One has six removable covered plastic trays. Trays can be added or removed depending on the type of fish we are after. One small tackle box is specially designed for spinnerbaits only, since laying them out sideways becomes a tangled mess. The other is a perch box. When targeting perch you don’t need much tackle and the small box takes up very little space in the boat. Everything else stays home in the garage. I prefer my boat as uncluttered as possible

Fishing tackle has gotten very expensive. I gathered my collection slowly over the years when the prices were much lower. But that doesn’t stop manufacturers from concocting flashier newer designs made mostly to hook customers. I have looked at and handled reels that cost more than $500 at the local Bass Pro Shop. $500? For that kind of money it better get wireless broadband, a built-in camera and have fast internet and email access.

Oh, you don’t have a wacky worm? You need wacky worms these days, and a football jig and a wigglly piggly, and a sea salt impregnated garlic scented gnarly craw in the speckled pumpkinseed color with chipotle mayonnaise.

I have seen all the fishing gimmicks over the years. Scent was big in the early 80’s. They sold artificial scent solutions that fish could not resist, they claimed. “Simply spray on this crawfish scent on your lure and it drives bass crazy.” What's wrong with putting an actual crawfish on the hook I wondered? I knew guys who wasted money on that silly scent thing. They didn’t catch more fish or anything bigger than I did on the same day on the same water.

The most insipid fishing gimmick in my memory was the Color C Lector, another 80’s fishing fad. It had a gauge with a rainbow of colors and a cable leading to a submersible probe. Simply drop the probe into the water to the depth one whished to fish and the needle would point to the color combination that would hypnotize any fish into biting. Those who bought a Color C Lector fad weren’t done, no. The colors of the C Lector dictated the color of the lure to use. Since the colors of lures already in the tackle box did not match the C Lector colors a fisherman needed to go out and buy all new lures like the one in deep purple and pale lime green and the one in orange and dark green and on and on. Nice trick. Lure manufacturers bought into the Color C Lector franchise and produced the old favorites in these fabulous new fish catching colors. You knew they were official because of the official logo on the box. Pure. Marketing. Genius!

Three to four years later those ‘official’ Color C Lector lures were in the $1 sale bin at most tackle shops. Most anglers thought the idea smelled fishy. I sure did. Today the Color C Lector device and the color matching lures are nowhere to be found.

I could go on and on about the TV infomercials featuring gimmicks like the ‘Banjo Minnow’ and the ‘Flying Jig’, all ‘guaranteed to catch fish’™. There were some sonic lures that emitted sound and other lures with lights in them. The fish didn’t bite them but many anglers did.

Fishermen are bigger suckers than golfers. Well, almost. The day I can fry up some delicious golf balls with a side of fescue salad is the day I sell the boat and consider golfing.

The past few days I caught a few small bass on spinnerbaits that are twenty years old. The Blue Fox brand were always my favorites and today they are nowhere to be found. Why? I could get them at KMart for under $3 back then. Today the spinnerbait selection is very poor with only a few brands are available going for over $6. The Booyah! brand seems to have cornered the spinnerbait market and controlled the prices as well.

Rapala baits have always been reliable. They make crankbaits and have for decades. Most of the models are made of balsa wood and have great finishes with very sharp hooks. Starting at or around over $6. each today, to fill a tackle box with all the options to replace mine would cost hundreds, maybe more than a thousand. The only reason I would need to buy a new Rapala is if one of mine gets snagged on the rocks. I do my best not to lose any.

The one thing to keep in mind when fishing is that weather conditions, seasonal movement, habitat (and believe it or not the lunar cycle) are key to a successful day on the water and even then there are no ‘guarantees’. Knowledge and experience mean so much more than flashy tackle and gimmicks.

Understanding and knowing what makes fish move, why they move and where they move is priceless and the only way to accomplish that is to read a lot, spend a lot of time on the water and fish where the fish are.

Knowing when to use a given lure how to work them properly are key. I am still learning after forty years.

And then there's dumb luck. I can't count how many times a novice on the trip would come back to the cabin with a trophy fish caught on a spot nobody else would consider. Good for them. It warms my soul to see that happen.


One last thing. A proven fish taker on any given day, day in and day out is live bait. And there is nothing, absolutely noting wrong with using live bait to help catch yourself a great meal.

See you on the water.

Monday Morning Blues

Alice In Chains and Journalism

I realize that this title sounds like an odd match for a post but it will make sense by the end of this.

I recently saw the band Alice In Chains at Charter One Pavilion, which is an outdoor music venue where Meigs Field used to be. If you get a chance to see a show there, and the weather is nice, you will have a great view of the Chicago skyline and it is highly recommended. Below is a you tube video from the show, when they were playing "The Rooster", and you can see how good the view is from up in the grandstand seating.



As far as the show goes, Mastodon, a band I like a lot, opened up the show. Their new album "Crack the Skye" was excellent and well reviewed. The lead singer and guitarist, Brent Hinds, is a proud alcoholic, which means that I was astounded when the show started precisely at 7pm. (I was just as surprised when Dave Gahan of Depeche Mode started their Lolla 2009 show on time; I figured that guy traveled around in a coffin.) Mastodon played a good show the general admission standing room only was about 1/2 full and a few people were into it, although the sound kind of sucked. I recommend checking out their songs and videos on you tube if you are interested you can start here. Frankly I don't understand why Mastodon isn't more popular; their songs are like classic 70's metal and their lyrical themes are more interesting than the typical party / girls / devil that is common in the genre.

Then the Deftones came out. I like that Deftones album "White Pony", and I own all of their albums since then (does anyone call them albums anymore?). The crowd was into them a bit more than Mastodon, and a bit bigger. They got a lot of cheering for some of their older stuff. But by the time they neared the end of their set I for one was getting beat down they were very repetitive especially their new stuff.

Finally Alice In Chains came out. The amps on stage were cleared away and they had a first-class setup, although the vocals weren't working for most of "Again". Alice In Chains found a replacement for Layne Staley, their former lead singer, who faded away and died in obscurity in 2002. This is the third time I've seen the new Alice In Chains in Chicago, once at House of Blues, once at the Aragon, and now here.

Their show was great. The first three songs were Them Bones, Dam That River and Rain When I Die and that is a powerful start to any set. The crowd also went nuts for favorites like "Rooster" as well. I highly recommend going to see them if you get a chance, just like the re-united Soundgarden who sounded incredible at Lollapalooza.

This writer also attended the show; I was thankful it wasn't the Dylan-loving Greg Kot, a guy that it is pointless to write about because he is so consistently awful.

When you are reviewing a show, are you a journalist, explaining what happened presumably to people that are interested in that genre, or are you coming as a critic, which basically means that you are just saying your opinion regardless of the crowd or popular sentiment? Part of the reason that music and movie critics / journalists are on the run is that blog sites and social media run by fans are much more into the particular bands than a "generic" critic and less and less people are looking to them for guidance.

Basically the critic slagged on the new Alice In Chains.

Entering the final lap of their comeback outing, Alice In Chains played a competent albeit lackluster 75-minute set that, save for nostalgic flashbacks to the early 90s, gave little reason to care about the quartet's future.

Well in that capacity he is clearly talking as a critic, not a journalist.  As a journalist, he would have to note that the place was full-up by the time Alice In Chains took the stage, and that the crowd was wildly enthusiastic, and people were HAPPY with what they were getting.  As a critic, well, he can say what he wants, but who cares.  The new singer has great range and great stage presence, and frankly doesn't make the band look like a bunch of old guys on a nostalgia tour.  But the writer basically says you can't replace Layne, which is a DUH, the guy is dead, and he doesn't give the new material the credit it deserves - while it isn't as good as their best albums, the new album has a lot of good songs that the crowd liked and weren't viewed as filler, which is more than most of the touring acts from the 90's can claim.

And then here is his comment on Mastodon:

The quartet now just needs to get immobile guitarist Brent Hinds to show some physical expression.

Well, DUH, once again, probably the reason that Hinds isn't moving around too much is that he isn't the most healthy guy in the world.  Alice In Chains had famously well documented problems getting Layne to tour, and he is sitting down looking like the walking dead for their unplugged album.  You can't have it both ways - you can't point to a heroin addict (Staley) as irreplaceable when the guy is so damaged he can't even tour and then dies in his early thirties and then wonder why that same sort of person isn't exactly tearing up the stage for Mastodon.

Muay Thai Update

I made a comment over at James's place and it sort of morphed into this post. I haven't done a post on MT in a long time so this works well for me.

James linked a piece that another blogger did about self defense. It was a series of photos of what to do if assaulted by a ruffian in the street. I liked the photos and text always being a history buff, but certainly could see myself using different techniques to defend myself than the ones pictured. In fact, I mentioned that I might not have any choice at this point. When placed in certain positions, techniques and counters just flow out of my body now. I have been doing Muay Thai for 3.5 years now straight, and when I see certain punches, kicks or other things my body just reflexively reacts.

Add to this the fact that I am in absolutely supreme condition and I pretty much fear no man who is unarmed, besides the lunatics at my gym. Even if a mugger was getting the better of me right out of the gate, my cardio will take over, I will wear him out, and he will pay the price.

I am not bragging or trying to thump my chest, just putting down the way it is. My first and best techniques for self defense are situational awareness and running. Getting the hell out of there. But if backed into a corner, I am pretty confident in my abilities against most unarmed offenders.

I know you don't want to get kicked with this.

Not too many others do, either.

In fact I have noticed that I am hitting the pads so hard now that I have to ease up when paired up with a female partner - I was knocking some of them around pretty good.

I have another test in a few weeks and I am really ready for this one. After that I will be a brown sash. Then all that is left is to be a brown sash level two, brown sash level three, and black sash. That will take about two more years. If I stay on schedule I will more than likely be only the third or fourth black sash at the gym. That will be a proud day, although I have discussed before the insignificance of rank in traditional Muay Thai.

The other day I was thinking of where I will go from there and I am pretty sure that I will be teaching a beginners MT class. I want to share and spread the knowledge of one of the sports that I love. And it is so rewarding to see people get confidence and get in shape most importantly. Not to mention acquiring a decent self defense toolbox.

Hey Babe, Take A Walk On The WIld Side....

Tonight the air temperature is 60 degrees with very low humidity. Just the way I like it. We dodged some rainfall today. Again. It’s a cloudy and windy evening and perfect for some comfort food.

But I want some steak!


Our days are shorter. The windows are open when we sleep. This is by far my favorite time of year.

It’s time to get outdoors again without dripping with sweat. It’s time to enjoy a crisp evening motorcycle ride wearing layers and leather. Maybe a long day trip in the country riding in a clean shiny roadster, the top is down as the first dry fallen leaves blow buy in my wake. Time to go and get some fresh picked apples at a local country orchard. It’s time again to fish for big bass and pike in the shallows.

Best of all, its time to get the guns oiled and ready for another season of chasing birds in the field or sitting in a wet blind calling in those migrating mallards.

It’s time to start filling the freezer with late season caught fish and early season game. This is the best time of year for lovers of the outdoors and conservationists like me.

One thing that happens this time of year is friends with excess game in their freezers tend to empty them out. Friend and neighbor is no different. He bags the legal limit of five deer each year with his crossbow. Last month he brought over a grocery sack loaded with venison cuts of all kinds to help make room in his garage freezer for this year’s upcoming conquest. Since it was all marked and sealed in Food Saver vacuum bags it is as good as the day it was shot, thank you very much.

I have cooked, fried, grilled and braised all cuts of venison and game birds for years. I am often asked by those who are not as blessed, “how do you cook wild game?”

The answer is simple.

Cook wild game as you would cook anything you buy from the grocer. Simply substitute beef or chicken with venison, elk, moose, quail, partridge, pheasant, duck or goose.

Tougher cuts should be stewed or braised (my favorite). Lean and tender cuts such as backstrap, tenderloins or steaks should be grilled just as you would beef. It is most important to remove all fat, silverskin and bone since this is where that ‘gamey’ taste comes from. And don’t forget to rinse off any band saw residue from processed venison, which contains bits-o-bone and marrow.

About marinades.

For grilling, tender venison cuts need nothing but brushing with oil, a dust of garlic granules, salt and pepper in a very hot grill. That is all that’s necessary. If you like additional flavor and seasoning then marinades are fine. I prefer mine all natural so the real flavor comes through.

Wrapping smaller venison cuts in bacon around the edge and secured with toothpicks works well when grilling, it adds some protection from the heat, some fatty moisture, and the charred bacon is damn good. Just lookie over here.

Tonight’s feast (in the photo) is venison backstrap brushed with vegetable oil (it chars faster than olive oil and has little flavor), garlic, salt and pepper. It was seared on the Weber gas grill over very high heat, five minutes on each side with the grill uncovered. It gets wrapped in foil and allowed to sit for at least five minutes.

No potatoes, no corn, no bread, just 100% pure wild game natural protein lusciousness. It’s just what I needed tonight.

The flavor is not beefy. It’s lean. It’s healthy. It’s indescribable. Ted calls wild game the original fast food. I agree.

Who Doesn't Want One Of These?

What if you knew it cost about $80?



H/T to Big Dick.

Monday Morning Blues

I don't know why, but this homemade video cracks me up. And it is almost corn pickin' season...

Bears Flyover 2010

Very cool around 29-30 seconds into it if you have a short attention span; the jets fly directly overhead and straight into the noon-time sun.

The Ultimate Chicago Bear

Tomorrow I have the privelige and honor of attending the 2010 Chicago Bears homo opener thanks to Dan and Carl.

Attending an NFL regular season game always meant so much to me. In modern times it is the only entertainment event that comes closest to barbaric gladiator contests held during the Roman Empire. It is organized mayhem and physical violence. Blood is spilled, bones are broken and injuries may end a career. It is a conquest. It is one army against another. Strategies and tactics. Nothing beats watching it live.

When the Bear season starts it always brings back memories of Butkus.


My first live Bear game was in 1974 at the old Soldier Field, Bears v. Saints. Archie Manning played. The Bears won but I don’t remember the score. Tickets were hard to come by back then and the scalping business was not legit. My tickets came from corporate vendors and salesmen. No way could I afford a season pass and even if I could the waiting list was about ten years.

Prior to that, I watched the games (usually with my dad) on CBS in front of the old Zenith. There was this one Bear player I would glue my eyes to when he was on the field and that was Dick Butkus. I regret not seeing Butkus play in person.

To me, Walter Payton may have been the Greatest Bear but Dick Butkus was the Ultimate Bear of all time. Because of youtube I can watch Dick in action anytime I wish. On the eve of the 2010 Chicago Bears homo opener, here is my Ultimate Bear player of all time.



I love the comment from John Facenda of NFL Films, "He was Moby Dick in a goldfish bowl."

A few years ago I heard Dick being interviewed on a pre game radio show. He was asked his opinion of Brian Urlacker. He liked Brian’s athleticism, quickness and his ability to be where the ball was. His one criticism of Urlacker was that Brian tackles, but he never punishes. In Dick’s world, he not only tackled a player, his intent was to run right through them. Hitting was never enough for Dick, punishment and the residual fear and intimidation he instilled in the opposing offense was. It worked. The only other defensive player who came close to Butkus (my observation) was Jack Lambert. Lawrence Taylor was a great linebacker and because the national sports media has their HQ on the east coast they adore him, often referring to LT as the best of all. I disagree. Singletary was also one of the greats, but he was no Butkus.

When I attended a Chicago art school back in ’72 my best friend was another student who’s father was the head of Wilson Sporting Goods. Because of his connections my friend Lee was a Chicago Bears locker room and sideline assistant, a ball-boy if you will during the 60’s.

Lee was allowed to attend player film sessions when Halas would run the projector and preview the upcoming opponent. During each of the upcoming opponent’s offensive sets from the previous week Lee claimed that Halas would stop the projector immediately before the ball was snapped. Halas would yell out, “Call the play, Buffone!” Buffone would guess. Then he would yell, "Obradovich!" OB would take a guess. Then the old man would yell, "Butkus, call the play!"

More often than not it was Butkus who would predict what play the opposing offense was going to run. Lee claimed that Butkus rarely failed to predict the offensive play. Dick always seemed to know where the ball was going to be.

If you intuitively know your opponent’s next move they are in for a rough day and that is what gave Butkus a huge advantage. The physical punishment that followed came naturally.

During the mid 80’s there was a businessman’s luncheon each Monday in the main ballroom at the Hyatt Hotel on Wacker and Stetson near Michigan. The luncheon featured at least one broadcaster or journalist and three Bear players. I worked in the same complex, it was called Illinois Center back then.

A printing vendor would buy a table or two each seating ten guests and invited me a few times. The one I remember best featured Kevin Butler, Tom Thayer and Butkus the year after SBXX.

After lunch (and a few cocktails) they would show highlights of each player. Then the players one-by-one would speak and take questions. When the program was over we were allowed to go up and get autographs, shake hands, etc. Butkus nearly broke my hand. I was surprised how small he was. On television he appeared to be huge but he was almost my height but a bit wider in the shoulders. I just looked at him and said thanks. He looked at me and said you are welcome. It was a lump-in-throat time for me. That was it.

Since I have been blessed with a very good memory it is obvious that today’s NFL players are bigger, stronger and faster than the men who played in the 60’s. But what today’s players lack is the same drive, intensity and toughness those old boys had.

I say it’s because the coddled nature of today’s players. Smack talk and appearance go farther than performance. If a player is a decent performer, a smack talker and looks the look he’s the one who will get the attention on ESPN like Cinco Groucho or whatever wacky names they come up. Bringing that “street lifestyle” crap on to the field makes me nauseous.

But, whenever I feel like it there’s always youtube where I can go to watch how real men once played the game. Players with names like Dick. And Bubba.



Time to sit back, relax and strap it down. 2010 could be a long and possibly disappointing season for the Chicago Bears.

Tomorrow: Detroit 13 Bears 14.

Around Chicago September 2010

A few random items from around town.  Upper left - they sell cupcakes from a trailer!  Flirty cupcakes sells cupcakes out of a food truck and they were near my work so I walked up and bought a chocolate one, and they gave me a vanilla one for free.  Maybe because it is of rules or regulations or police hassling, but you rarely see these types of vendors in Chicago.  Probably focusing on this instead of our sky-high murder rate.  Upper left right below - they had a strange anti-virus promotion with three trucks with the name of a vendor with a top truck with some sort of a computer that appears to be vomiting.  Nice.    Upper right - that bumper sticker says it all, especially with our economy in the tank.  Right middle - this technically isn't in Chicago, I saw the bicycle push lawn mower in Door county, pretty cool.  Lower Right - a friend of mine saw this nut riding a bike around Chicago with a kid in the front of what looks like a wheel barrel; not a bad idea in a non-congested area, but not a good idea in densely packed Chicago.  Lower left - a good picture of Trump at night, from the East side on a friends' roof.

SCUBA Diving Haigh Quarry -- Caribbean of the Midwest?

The Great Midwest is hardly thought of as a SCUBA diver's Mecca. And yet hundreds of miles from the nearest saltwater and bone-chllingly cooler than the bathwater temps of the tropics, there are still plenty of opportunities for diving here in the hinterlands. And what we lack in colorful wildlife, we more than make up for in challenge and uniqueness.

The Great Lakes contain thousands of shipwrecks dating back hundreds of years perfectly preserved in their cold freshwater graves while sites like the Bonne Terre Mine in Missouri offer year-round diving billed as one of America's top 10 greatest adventures by National Geographic.

So when my buddy Sarge and I had our plans for a recent Lake Michigan wreck dive capsized by gale force winds and the furious pounding of Thor's hammer, we did what any geared-up Chicagoland aquanauts would do and headed away from the storm front down to The Quarry. Haigh Quarry in Kankakee to be exact -- longtime home base for PADI instructors who enjoy the controlled conditions, (relatively) clear water, and various submerged features for the open water training portion of their students' course requirements.

Avoiding the floundering schools of newbie acolytes in the beginner platform area, Sarge and I plotted a course for the deeper side of the site to practice our underwater navigation skills. Nothing hones your compass work like traversing hundreds of yards underwater in 20-foot visibility and the occasional silt-out to make you bulletproof on that next deep water wreck or night dive. Like seasoned pros, we hit a series of submerged artifacts (including an old military Mule truck and a LARC landing craft) with pinpoint accuracy. We then headed for the back wall for the closest thing to a shear ledge experience this side of the Bahamas' Great Wall.

Yes, minus the wide array of polychromatic fish -- dutifully replaced by schools of curious and fearless bluegills. Carribean of the Midwest? Not even close. But a fun way to spend a couple of hours without spending a fortune. And as we like to say, a crappy day underwater is better than a great day at the office.

Bo Still Knows

Enjoy. Bo rarely speaks in public.



A blast from the past.

Monday Afternoon Blues

Forgot the Monday Morning Blues, but hey, it is a holiday after all. This one is worth the wait in my not so humble opinion.

Bears Marketing

Cross posted at Fire Everybody.

Vacations and Number Gut

The Labor Day weekend is upon us and many Americans will be heading off to who knows where to do God knows what. To wit, I heard a strange story on Bloomberg radio on the way in to work this morning.

Typically on their short news segments they give a few headlines, I am guessing culled from various wire services. They said the following:

Americans will take to the roads and skies for the Labor Day holiday in greater numbers than a year ago, thanks to low gas prices and pent-up demand for air travel, experts say.

I took a quick peek at the web and sure enough it was from this story.

As I was sitting in my car I scratched my head and said to myself - does the price of gas really matter to Americans who are deciding whether or not to take an auto vacation?

In my head I did a quick bit of cocktail napkin math and I came to the conclusion that the paragraph above is bunk. But lets give it a try here in pixels.

We do have to make a few assumptions and I like to make it easy. Lets say that your car gets 20mpg. Later in the article it says that the national price of gas per gallon is $2.68. If you travel, say, 500 miles, that is $67 each way for fuel, for a total of $134 (500/20 x 2.68).

The paragraph says that we Americans will be traveling more thanks to low gas prices. What does this mean? That if the price of gas were higher that we would not? Lets say that the price of gas is $4 per gallon. That makes the round trip cost $200 in fuel. Is that the point where people would no longer consider taking the trip? Just how expensive does gas have to be before we all just go to the next door neighbors and have a few beers and a brat?

Of course there are a lot of other variables in play - 500 miles is a pretty good distance, almost worth flying at that point since it would take between 7-8 hours to drive it (without traffic hassles in a big city). If you only took a 200 mile road trip with $2.68 gas that is only $53.60 in fuel. At $4 gas it is $80. These are pretty small sums and I am thinking that Americans would take their lodging and food costs in much higher consideration than the gas bill.

The article also says that gas is actually only .07 more expensive per gallon than last year. That certainly can't be weighing upon anyone's mind when deciding where to go for a vacation.

Being short on money and deciding not to go on a vacation at all makes more sense to me than the statement above in the referenced article that says that Americans are actually taking to the roads in greater numbers thanks to low gas prices. Bad math and faulty assumptions from it start my day off in a bad way.

Cross Posted at Chicago Boyz.

Not My Man Manny

As a lifetime White Sox fan I rarely criticize moves the team makes. Some I agree with, some I don’t. There are times when I know I am right and others where they prove me wrong. Rarely do they piss me off but this latest move turns my stomach.

Excuse my knee-jerk rant.

If there’s one player in pro sports that has caused me to wretch just to look at him it’s Manny Ramierz. And now he’s on the White Sox. WTF?

It has nothing to do with his performance record or his attitude, which is rather tame compared to other ghetto style pro-sports thugs. It’s all about his looks.

He looks dirty, as if he seldom bathes or showers. His helmet is so filthy with a buildup of pine tar residue the team emblem is barely recognizable. His uniform is usually askew with some shirt sticking outside his pants when he steps up to the plate. And that hair looks as if you can smell it ten feet away like that stew-bum taking up resident space at Hubbard and State or sitting on the Dearborn St. bridge. This guy is a slobbish boor.

When he is on injured reserve (which will happen sooner than later) he should be positioned in the concourse in plain clothes shaking a Starbucks cup with a few coins in it. Who would know the difference? It is Chicago after all. Plenty of suckers will drop a dime in to help out this homeless-looking millionaire. He can donate the proceeds to Sox Charities in honor of Alex Nellius and his loving wife, Ursula for all I care.

Some may call it absent-minded or simply quirky for a multi-millionaire athlete to appear in a league game looking like a substance abuser with a prison record, I call it being an asshat and ultimately hold the franchise owner responsible for this ill-advised move. Then again, who paid those millions to Dennis Rodman? When A.J. and Joe Crede failed to trim their hair and it got a bit shaggy Jerry ordered it cut. All Reinsdorf will cut on Manny and future ghetto-thugs who perform is a break and a check for millions.

If I am on the team I want my locker on the opposite end of the room from this odiferous sh!tbag. Then again, maybe Ozzie will use this opportunity to punish starting players for poor performance by moving their locker space next to Manny the Moocher.

Soon we will see how bad Manny’s dandruff is when he finally has to wear a black jersey and provides a visible blizzard at home plate in late September.

Note to Head & Shoulders brand managers and the marketing people at Procter & Gamble: here’s a marketing opportunity for you if ever there was one.

Does anyone in the pro-sports world care about team image and pride anymore? Why do we allow certain players to embarrass the team, it’s players and the fans by looking like a filthy ner' do well schmuck in uniform?

When asked, David Ortiz once said Manny is just being Manny. Translated: Manny is a lazy pr!ck juice user that is a lousy fielder, a slow base runner, not a team player who only cares about the money.

At this point I could care less if Manny helps the Sox make the post season or not. In fact, I hope he consistently chokes with men on base and is out of baseball next year for good.

Sure, I’m still a Sox fan. But why allow this clown an exemption for bad hygiene and appearance? This is yet another example of our ongoing societal decay due to lack of equal rule compliance.

At one time I respected Sox ownership for having standards and class. Now I wonder.

I will still watch and support the team. But for the remainder of this season I will do so while holding my nose.

And it will be necessary.

Here's a good hatchet job on Manny.

More to come.