biodork

Beat me to it, lol.

This from the guy who would have been thrilled if Shane Doan had signed that four year, $30 million contract with the Sabres?

I agree to an extent, but the quote from Miller (and other articles I've seen) say that a large part of the reason the players aren't caving to the owners' demands now is they want to find a way that is economically viable so we won't go through this again 6 years down the road when the next CBA expires. This constant lockout BS is getting old, and why they're even negotiating for such short terms is something of a mystery to me. The owners share a lot of the blame for salaries spiraling out of control with the idiotic contracts they hand out, so who's to blame the players for signing them?

My boyfriend is finally back tomorrow night from his weeklong camping trip, and if the weather holds we're going to Hershey Park on Sunday with my friend and her boyfriend. :thumbsup: Sadly was on a time schedule and hanging with the fam, who are not much for beer (or drinking in general). I'd like to get back there with my boyfriend since he's never been, and we'll definitely look for it!

I feel the same way you do, K-9. (I'm actually still registered Republican.) And wow, amazing how these reps not only not condemn but instead enthusiastically agree with Mitt's comments. I mean, I expected that many of them feel that way, but to endorse those statements in public knowing how unpopular they are is the crazy part. And why are all the most outspoken idiot Repubs in my state, dammit? They're making us look bad, lol.

lol that's the one. Is there a Center for Excessive Stinking? :ph34r:

lol I was trying to remember the name of the place in those commercials but kept thinking Veins Veins Veins (isn't it the same doctor in both?).

My co-worker's BO is enough to make me want to throw up every time I get within 5 feet of him. Jesus, dude, take an extra shower at lunch, get some stronger deodorant, see a doctor SOMETHING... it's so awful! :sick:

Good memory: http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/202158-overview#a0101 And now I see why I'd never heard of it... the estimated incidence is only 5 in 100,000 for children and 2 in 100,000 for adults! Glad he's fully recovered. Back on topic... is it just me, or does it seem like FOREVER until they finally get around to the debates? Maybe it's the hockey lockout, too, but jeez, why do they wait so long after the conventions to do them?

Clearly, I underestimated how much you love this forum (or maybe just this thread in particular). Carry on...

That's a crazy disease... sounds like your brother was lucky! And now you get to tell him he owes you for closing his hand in the door, too. ;)

Funny; I would have pegged you for a two finger hunt-and-peck style typist. I guess if you counted thumbs for the spacebar you end up with four, but picturing someone attempting to simultaneously close the car door on both index fingers and thumbs is rather amusing.

I wish... I talked to the landlady afterwards (I felt a little bad since I'd never met her before) and she apologized for not telling them to move and promised she would make sure people knew in the future that they can't park there. I've had the same problem with the existing tenants for years now (pulling into my driveway, parking in front of my driveway, cigarette butts in my driveway and yard, etc), so at least they're moving, but it doesn't sound like the new people are much better. At least their kids seemed nice and were apologetic for the parents... the kids there now are bratty teenagers who don't respect anyone or anything. Can't stand people like that.

Boy, you guys are slipping... already 11:15am and I'm the first one in here? Sounded like Taro had some material from the politics thread (sorry to hear man, hope today is looking up for you). For me: either Monday or Tuesday night I come home to find a large SUV parked directly in front of my driveway and two unfamiliar kids playing in the street. After managing to angle way around to get in and park, and asked the kids if they knew whose vehicle it was. They said it was their parents there to look at the house next door. I asked them to tell them not to park there because it's very rude to block someone's driveway and go inside. After stepping out front to get my mail, I see the couple being shown the house and asked if they're the ones parked in front of my driveway. They said yes, and I forget my exact phrasing but I said something to the effect that it was rude and asked them next time to park in one of the many other places on the street. The landlady said, "thanks, I probably just lost a tenant" and the couple had the nerve to get snippy with me, with the guy insisting "I'm not a child, you don't have to talk to me like that." My response was, "Why do I even have to tell you? It's obvious." For real, people? I hope they were pissed off and decide they don't want the place. I'm constantly amazed that people need to be told that it's not right to block someone else's private driveway, as if it's some sort of weird new rule I made up. Wtf?

I respect FLD for being able to argue their position, but you (and everyone else) are probably right that their whiskey will improve once they've been around long enough to age longer and in larger barrels. Their vodka and fruit liquors are quite good, so it seems they use quality ingredients and techniques and just need more time to perfect their whiskeys. Funny you mentioned the Julep... I never had gotten around to trying one, but now that my mint plant is done for the season I was thinking Manhattan and picked up sweet vermouth and bitters on the way home. Looks like I can put the bitters to use in an Old Fashioned, too. Good idea!

Thanks for the blog link. Your memory is correct on the pricing, too ($45 for 750 ml)... I debated since I liked but didn't love it, but I figured it'd something I can't get around here and I can work with it at home. Probably better for mixing than sipping, but that's fine, too. I'm actually happier with the Eagle Rare, which was surprisingly inexpensive (I think it was $23 on sale, but maybe normally only $27 or so?). The Finger Lakes Distilling email newsletter recently had a bit on the small vs. large barrel debate... I tried to find a link for the newsletter but only located older ones, so apologies for the long copy and paste:

*raises hand as someone with a master's who will never see $70K (and would be thrilled to hit $55K) and won't get a pension* And totally agreed on your beef with state employees (though not necessarily teachers) and their relative overcompension compared to similar positions in the private sector. A computer programmer shouldn't be earning a fat pension on my dime just because he took a cushy job with the state rather than a private firm. On an unrelated note, some pretty cool apps out there for fact-checking, poll tracking, and finding out who's footing the bill for campaign ads: http://www.purewow.com/ecs/3861.htm?sid=554834

While in the Watkins Glen area last week I also had a chance to get back to Finger Lakes Distilling. My mom and I did a tasting, and I decided to give the whiskeys a try: Glen Thunder McKenzie Pure Pot Still Whiskey McKenzie Bourbon Whiskey The first two were pretty smooth, but not terribly complicated. Another taster compared the Pot Still to Tullamore Dew, which I haven't yet tried. The Bourbon was a little hotter, but I liked the flavor better so I took a bottle home. Also picked up a bottle of Eagle Rare 10 year old at the store last night and tried that tonight. With just a few drops of water, this was very enjoyable to sip. I thought the name sounded familiar, and after looking online I had forgotten it's bottled by the Buffalo Trace Distillery. Good stuff.

Made it to Watkins Glen for the first time in over 20 years on a gorgeous, sunny day. Definitely F'N Fantastic.

lol I can't take all the credit for the recipe -- it's a variation on this: http://chocolatecove...breakfast-bake/ And I was a freshman in college 14 years ago. ;) :(

Been using my kitchen a lot more as of late with my mom in town for a vist: Yesterday: shredded beef sandwiches and lemon bars Today: peach cobbler (breakfast), mustard chicken, and toasted marshmallow ice cream with homemade graham crackers Tomorrow: Thai grilled beef salad with lime, and mango frozen yogurt Sure beats cereal and spaghetti (my usual lazy weeknight foods).

:( Sorry, shrader. My Uncle has it, too (early stage so far, but still not good).

lol I don't know... I interpreted it as him thinking I was too small to handle the saxophone (maybe too heavy?), but I was never totally sure. I didn't want to switch anyhow, so it worked out, I suppose.

I miss it, too. I actually inherited my mom's wooden clarinet (she used to be really good in high school), and even though all the pads had to be replaced at some point and some of the keys stuck, it was still much preferable to the plastic ones everyone else was using. And good on you for sticking with it... we had one guy who played clarinet in middle school, and he was shamed into the tuba by high school. ;) Another funny story: apparently it's relatively easy to switch between clarinet and saxophone since the keys are laid out in a similar fashion. My first day of high school band, the instructor said he was going to ask me if I'd wanted to switch since they had so many clarinets already, but changed his mind because "he thought I was bigger". :huh:

Haha -- well, to be fair, they look pretty similar at a glance. Clarinets are a little bit bigger, and the mouthpiece is different (still reed, but reed against plastic vs. the thin standalone reed on the oboe). Incidentally, I played clarinet all through school and still have it collecting dust somewhere.