Thursday, October 29, 2009
H2 Bus Coming to Cleveland
These are the type of articles I like to read. I like them more because it is close to home and it is relevant to the industry I'm in. Electrolosis is very ineffecient, but I can handle the inefficiency when renewable power is used. Way to go Cleveland. We might not be able to win a championship, but we can certainly spearhead making Hydrogen.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
5th Anniversary
Carrie and I will be married for 5 years this Oct 16th. This past April 15th we closed on our house 5 years ago. These two milestones gave me reason to reflect over these 5 and a half years on what we've done. Every now and again I get a little miffed that I'm not further ahead in life. These are usually the times that I just need to sit back and remember the things that have been done and accomplished in our lives.
These are not in any particular order.
1. I quit a job, went back to school, got an Associates Degree, and got an amazing job. (I guess that would be 4 things)
2. When we got married, we owed roughly $23k in debt ($20k in auto loans and $3K in credit card debt) This has been paid off. Now onto Malone's $30K.
3. Completely gutted a kitchen, rebuilt it, and paid cash.
4. Elizabeth Catherine was born March 30, 2009
5. Successfully traveled to Charleston, SC twice, Bryson City, NC, Outerbanks, NC, Hilton Head, SC, Cape Neddick, ME twice, Lake Murray, SC and if you count our Honeymoon- Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.
6. Repainted every room in the house; some of them twice.
7. Put up crown molding in all but one room.
8. Installed blueberry, raspberry, blackberry, cherry, and apple trees on my small city lot.
9. Learned how to vegetable garden. Carrie and I both feel that this past summer was our most successful yet.
10. Rebuilt the front porch.
Intentions for the future look something like this:
1. Pay off all debt
2. Own and maintain an orchard and vinyard.
3. Own a second home on or near the beach in Charleston, SC.
4. Sail the East Coast down to the Caribbean.
I better get going.
These are not in any particular order.
1. I quit a job, went back to school, got an Associates Degree, and got an amazing job. (I guess that would be 4 things)
2. When we got married, we owed roughly $23k in debt ($20k in auto loans and $3K in credit card debt) This has been paid off. Now onto Malone's $30K.
3. Completely gutted a kitchen, rebuilt it, and paid cash.
4. Elizabeth Catherine was born March 30, 2009
5. Successfully traveled to Charleston, SC twice, Bryson City, NC, Outerbanks, NC, Hilton Head, SC, Cape Neddick, ME twice, Lake Murray, SC and if you count our Honeymoon- Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.
6. Repainted every room in the house; some of them twice.
7. Put up crown molding in all but one room.
8. Installed blueberry, raspberry, blackberry, cherry, and apple trees on my small city lot.
9. Learned how to vegetable garden. Carrie and I both feel that this past summer was our most successful yet.
10. Rebuilt the front porch.
Intentions for the future look something like this:
1. Pay off all debt
2. Own and maintain an orchard and vinyard.
3. Own a second home on or near the beach in Charleston, SC.
4. Sail the East Coast down to the Caribbean.
I better get going.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Knight in Shining Armor Part 2
If you remember, my first post ever was about chivalry and the first Transformers. I thought that since I just saw Transformers 2 over the weekend that I would comment. I saw it on IMAX and it was pretty incredible. It was my first IMAX experience. Even though we were pretty far back in the theater, I could have moved 15 rows back to really take in all of the detail with the HD. It is worth paying more money. I agree with the critics average of a C+ for a rating. It was your classic sequal. Michael Bay made this one a little bigger with more transformers and more explosions. It was what I expected out of him and I came away satisfied. The CG was pretty amazing. It was just a touch better than the first movie. I give it a C+ mainly because the script was a little blah, the acting was a little blah, and the plot was a little blah, but the action more than made up for these poor aspects of the movie. Shia continues to do a good job in any role he gets placed in especially for being a younger actor. Megan Fox is pretty much eye candy. She may want to stop before she gets ahead of herself. The comic relief was funny but a bit annoying at times. The rating commission may also want to reconsider the PG-13 rating. This movie certainly pushed the line to an R rating with some of the sexual references and profanity. Let's just say I was a little annoyed with the parent that brought their 8 year old to the show. All in all Transformers 2 was a great summer blockbuster.
Here is my list of summer movies thus far in order that I like best:
1. Star Trek
2. Transformers 2
3. Wolverine Origins
4. The Hangover
5. Angels and Demons
6. Fast & Furious (not sure why I put myself through this one)
I have yet to see Terminator Salvation but am a little concerned over the reviews.
I'm excited to see the following:
1. Public Enemies
2. GI Joe
3. Sherlock Holmes (comes out in December)
4. Harry Potter.
I will probably see the following:
1. Hurt Locker
2. District 9
3. Inglourious Basterds (not a huge fan of Tarantino though)
Call me an action movie nut...
Here is my list of summer movies thus far in order that I like best:
1. Star Trek
2. Transformers 2
3. Wolverine Origins
4. The Hangover
5. Angels and Demons
6. Fast & Furious (not sure why I put myself through this one)
I have yet to see Terminator Salvation but am a little concerned over the reviews.
I'm excited to see the following:
1. Public Enemies
2. GI Joe
3. Sherlock Holmes (comes out in December)
4. Harry Potter.
I will probably see the following:
1. Hurt Locker
2. District 9
3. Inglourious Basterds (not a huge fan of Tarantino though)
Call me an action movie nut...
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Dan Gilbert: Clean House
Based on the Cavs season, I had high hopes for the post season. Yet here we are.
When the Cavs acquired LeBron 6 years ago, I said he needs another star player to help him win a championship. More importantly, I said he needs a big man underneath. I like Z, I liked Gooden, but never so much that I thought they would win it all. When Mo Williams began the season, I thought he would help and he did. LeBron's frustration shown through in games 5 and 6 against the Magic. It seemed like he did his best to show the front office that he needs help. In game 5, it looked like he let his teammates keep them in the game, until he took over in the 4 quarter. In game 6 he did the same thing, yet his teammates didn't show up. Their inconsistancy hopefully showed Danny Ferry that LeBron cannot do it all.
Now for Mike Brown: Get over yourself. Your an NBA coach and you can't make adjustments to defend the 3. You have a previous defensive player of the year in Ben Wallace, but didn't utilize him until games 5 and 6 when it was too late. In the game 4 over-time when Howard had 5 fouls, why, oh why, was LeBron not driving to the hole everytime to get him fouled out? Also, the game is long, so make every foul on Howard count. The weak fouls when he was going to the hole are not going to wear him down. I guess this is why Anderson Varejao needs to get into the weight room and gain 40 pounds.
Its frustrating to watch when you can sit and see the mistakes being made. But kudos to the Magic who hit every freakin' 3 every freakin' time.
When the Cavs acquired LeBron 6 years ago, I said he needs another star player to help him win a championship. More importantly, I said he needs a big man underneath. I like Z, I liked Gooden, but never so much that I thought they would win it all. When Mo Williams began the season, I thought he would help and he did. LeBron's frustration shown through in games 5 and 6 against the Magic. It seemed like he did his best to show the front office that he needs help. In game 5, it looked like he let his teammates keep them in the game, until he took over in the 4 quarter. In game 6 he did the same thing, yet his teammates didn't show up. Their inconsistancy hopefully showed Danny Ferry that LeBron cannot do it all.
Now for Mike Brown: Get over yourself. Your an NBA coach and you can't make adjustments to defend the 3. You have a previous defensive player of the year in Ben Wallace, but didn't utilize him until games 5 and 6 when it was too late. In the game 4 over-time when Howard had 5 fouls, why, oh why, was LeBron not driving to the hole everytime to get him fouled out? Also, the game is long, so make every foul on Howard count. The weak fouls when he was going to the hole are not going to wear him down. I guess this is why Anderson Varejao needs to get into the weight room and gain 40 pounds.
Its frustrating to watch when you can sit and see the mistakes being made. But kudos to the Magic who hit every freakin' 3 every freakin' time.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Soil
So I'm in the yard yesterday doing some spring cleaning. I dug up a spot out back by the compost bin to plant my garlic. Normally this goes in during the fall, but I got a little preoccupied remodeling the kitchen. Anywhoo, I dug up a few garlic shoots that were actually growing in my garden and put them with the seeds that I planted by the compost pile. Thus far in my gardening career, I take the compost that decomposed over the summer and put it in the garden in the fall so that I have room for the leaves. As I was digging out the garlic, I had to dig through some of the compost. I realized why so much is written about compost. It is really an amazing additive to your soil. I have grown lettuce in compost, I started my seeds this winter in compost, and when I go to plant something new, I am sure to mix in some compost. The plants thrive, and really is a great system. So compost!
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Gorgeous
A man that has yet to have a child just can't understand what's its like to be a dad. Elizabeth was born almost 3 weeks ago and I just can't get over how I feel. When my brother told be that it was the most amazing thing ever, I tried to equate that to hitting a walk off home run in the playoffs or accelerating around a corner with the windows down, knowing you are in control of the machine with a shot of adrenaline to boot. But, Wow. God really shows you a glimpse of what he did to make the world we live in.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
'09 Auto Show
My father-in-law and I went to the Cleveland Auto Show last night. These will probably be the cars I will buy in 5 or ten years. I'm just not a huge fan of buying new and losing all that value as soon as you drive off the lot.
My thoughts are that Honda makes the best, most functional cars on the market. The Honda Civic was the only car in its class where I felt confortable sitting in the back seat. Why have a passenger car that passengers or carseats can't fit into? The new 2009 Pilot is money. It also has the most space for a 3rd row SUV. Granted the gas milage still sucks, but the milage on all SUV's suck, literally and figuratively.
Of the Big Three, I thought Ford had the most stylish and decently priced cars. The new fusion looked good and I was impressed with the new styling of the 2010 Taurus. It honestly looks like it can compete with the Audi A8 or BMW 700 class. No joke - it looked sharp. The new 2010 F150 Raptor looked great too. It looks like something you could go bajaing in.
When I walked through GM & Chrysler, it just seemed blah. The sedan selections seemed cheap and overpriced. They are still trying to sell trucks and SUV's at ridiculous prices. Why would I pay more for an American Truck or SUV, when I can get a foreign one cheaper that would last longer? This again needs fixed for the American consumer to gain confidence back in buying American autos.
GM is coming out with the new Camero and Chrysler has the Challenger. These are big muscle cars that resemble the '70s. I understand the idea that they are marketing to the Baby Boomers, but these cars are impractical to the everyday buyer and will not drive revenues. However, they both look sharp and there is a good chance that I would get pulled over driving both.
Lastly, talking about impraticallity, the Nissan GRT blew my doors off. This car is bad ass. It reminded me of the old Toyota Supra's, but certainly has made some advancemnts in mechanics. It has a duel clutch so that you can more quickly get through the gears allowing you to go from 0-60 in 3.3 seconds. Ridiculous I know, but it would be a lot of fun.
My thoughts are that Honda makes the best, most functional cars on the market. The Honda Civic was the only car in its class where I felt confortable sitting in the back seat. Why have a passenger car that passengers or carseats can't fit into? The new 2009 Pilot is money. It also has the most space for a 3rd row SUV. Granted the gas milage still sucks, but the milage on all SUV's suck, literally and figuratively.
Of the Big Three, I thought Ford had the most stylish and decently priced cars. The new fusion looked good and I was impressed with the new styling of the 2010 Taurus. It honestly looks like it can compete with the Audi A8 or BMW 700 class. No joke - it looked sharp. The new 2010 F150 Raptor looked great too. It looks like something you could go bajaing in.
When I walked through GM & Chrysler, it just seemed blah. The sedan selections seemed cheap and overpriced. They are still trying to sell trucks and SUV's at ridiculous prices. Why would I pay more for an American Truck or SUV, when I can get a foreign one cheaper that would last longer? This again needs fixed for the American consumer to gain confidence back in buying American autos.
GM is coming out with the new Camero and Chrysler has the Challenger. These are big muscle cars that resemble the '70s. I understand the idea that they are marketing to the Baby Boomers, but these cars are impractical to the everyday buyer and will not drive revenues. However, they both look sharp and there is a good chance that I would get pulled over driving both.
Lastly, talking about impraticallity, the Nissan GRT blew my doors off. This car is bad ass. It reminded me of the old Toyota Supra's, but certainly has made some advancemnts in mechanics. It has a duel clutch so that you can more quickly get through the gears allowing you to go from 0-60 in 3.3 seconds. Ridiculous I know, but it would be a lot of fun.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Salmon Patties
On occasion I prepare something in the kitchen that is worth writing down. So I thought I'd share this one with the rest of you.
These salmon patties are some of the best patties of any patties, including full fat burgers, that I have made. Here's the dish:
Take 6oz of fresh salmon filet and cook it in a tad of oil. Then break it apart as it is cooking into small flakes. Once it is almost cooked through, set it aside to cool a bit.
Then take the following and mix it in a bowl:
2 eggs (beaten)
2 tablespoons minced onion
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 fresh ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon dry ginger (if I had fresh I would have used 1/2 teaspoon)
1/4 garlic powder (if I would have taken the time this would have been 1 clove of fresh - minced)
2 tablespoons feta
2 tablespoons mayo (skip the lowfat - seriously)
Once this is mixed add your cooked salmon and mix
Then take about 1/2 to 1 cup of plain bread crumbs and mix it in. Mix these in a little at a time until the mixture starts to get more dense and less sticky.
Heat about 4 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a skillet. Form patties and place them in the hot oil. Make sure the the edges get brown and crispy before flipping them. The browned edges add to the happiness. Set them on a paper towel. I ate mine on a bun with some eggplant and red pepper spread from Trader Joe's, but these are certainly amazing by themselves. You should be able to make about 4 decent sized patties.
The Food Network ain't got nothing!
Happy eating.
These salmon patties are some of the best patties of any patties, including full fat burgers, that I have made. Here's the dish:
Take 6oz of fresh salmon filet and cook it in a tad of oil. Then break it apart as it is cooking into small flakes. Once it is almost cooked through, set it aside to cool a bit.
Then take the following and mix it in a bowl:
2 eggs (beaten)
2 tablespoons minced onion
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 fresh ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon dry ginger (if I had fresh I would have used 1/2 teaspoon)
1/4 garlic powder (if I would have taken the time this would have been 1 clove of fresh - minced)
2 tablespoons feta
2 tablespoons mayo (skip the lowfat - seriously)
Once this is mixed add your cooked salmon and mix
Then take about 1/2 to 1 cup of plain bread crumbs and mix it in. Mix these in a little at a time until the mixture starts to get more dense and less sticky.
Heat about 4 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a skillet. Form patties and place them in the hot oil. Make sure the the edges get brown and crispy before flipping them. The browned edges add to the happiness. Set them on a paper towel. I ate mine on a bun with some eggplant and red pepper spread from Trader Joe's, but these are certainly amazing by themselves. You should be able to make about 4 decent sized patties.
The Food Network ain't got nothing!
Happy eating.
Friday, February 13, 2009
P90X - End of Week 6 (Day 42)
My buddy purchased P90x this past summer and I asked him if I could join him in the workouts starting the new year. We were both determined to get disciplined and lose that extra 20lbs we've been carrying around.
We've been diligent at getting after it and have been "bringing it" every day for the past 42 days. I feel great. I've lost about 5 pounds, but have probably added the same or more in muscle mass. I can feel the difference in how my clothes fit.
During the first few weeks I could feel all of my "old" sports injuries coming back. - sprained left foot, right rotator cuff issues, hip displacement, sore knees. I'm happy to say that all of these injuries feel stronger and better. My knees are sore pretty much every day, but they feel like they are healing themselves. It's almost like rehab. Plus I was so out of shape, no wonder everything hurt.
I like this workout because you feel the burn in every exercise and routine. This is a workout program not to take lightly, but I think that is what has kept me motivated. Its like 90 days of two-a-days (pre-season football camp)
Lots of folks ask on different message boards about what happens after the 90 days are over. People think that your workouts end and you go back to the same old slouch you were before you started the program. I am excited for post-P90x. P90x is a catalyst for other types of exersise that I want to do. I have never ran in a 5k, which I plan on doing the day after P90x is over. I also want to ride my bike to work more often. Its 6 miles one way with lots of hills. I want to shed 10 minutes off my ride time (it currently takes me 25-30 minutes one way.) Lastly and most importantly, I want to be able to have the stamina get after raising Carrie and I's first baby.
If you are thinking about taking the P90x challenge - do it. It will save your life.
We've been diligent at getting after it and have been "bringing it" every day for the past 42 days. I feel great. I've lost about 5 pounds, but have probably added the same or more in muscle mass. I can feel the difference in how my clothes fit.
During the first few weeks I could feel all of my "old" sports injuries coming back. - sprained left foot, right rotator cuff issues, hip displacement, sore knees. I'm happy to say that all of these injuries feel stronger and better. My knees are sore pretty much every day, but they feel like they are healing themselves. It's almost like rehab. Plus I was so out of shape, no wonder everything hurt.
I like this workout because you feel the burn in every exercise and routine. This is a workout program not to take lightly, but I think that is what has kept me motivated. Its like 90 days of two-a-days (pre-season football camp)
Lots of folks ask on different message boards about what happens after the 90 days are over. People think that your workouts end and you go back to the same old slouch you were before you started the program. I am excited for post-P90x. P90x is a catalyst for other types of exersise that I want to do. I have never ran in a 5k, which I plan on doing the day after P90x is over. I also want to ride my bike to work more often. Its 6 miles one way with lots of hills. I want to shed 10 minutes off my ride time (it currently takes me 25-30 minutes one way.) Lastly and most importantly, I want to be able to have the stamina get after raising Carrie and I's first baby.
If you are thinking about taking the P90x challenge - do it. It will save your life.
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