Pictures of my beef...

So, I am having some of my old co-workers over for dinner tomorrow night. It is a planned testosterone evening of men, booze, and libations. Of course the red wine doesn't quite fit with a manly-man theme... but hey we're all getting a bit older and more refined. Well, maybe not much...

On the menu -

Apps:
Steamed Spiced Shrimp
Capresse Salad (I've got some killer balsamic vinegar and a basil infused EVOO)

Main Course:
Cajun Roast Beef studded with Garlic
Herbed Gravy
Vegetable Casserole w/ Portabello mushrooms and parm
Crunchy roasted Yukon Gold Potatoes



Found a killer deal on an 11lb Top Sirloin Roast but when I got home I found that it needed some additional butchering to bring it into shape and since I'm feeling a bit insomniatic tonight I thought I would share my roast prep with the world.


Here's the initial cut it's got a nice fat cap on top.

However, the underside left a lot to be desired.

















So, after some quick butchering - I removed 1lb of fat, a couple of strip steaks, and a chunky hunk off of the bottom that I will likely use for a stir-fry.



Now it's looking a bit more like a tidy roast.



Time for the seasonings. I peeled and sliced some garlic into 1/4 slivers, made about 20 incisions with a paring knife in the top of the roast and inserted two slivers into each. Finished the seasoning with a rubbing of garlic and herb basting oil (great stuff from Wegmans!) and a generous dusting of my homemade "Coops" blackening seasoning (still thanking Coop of New Orleans for this magic blend).



Since I want to make sure the roast holds its shape and cooks evenly, I trussed the entire thing with some butchers twine.





Now some time to rest in those seasonings overnight and go into the oven for dinner tomorrow!



To be continued... ??

28 Books

Have you read more than 6 of these books?

The BBC believes most people will have read only 6 of the 100 books here. How do your reading habits stack up?

Instructions: Copy this into your NOTES. Look at the list and put an 'X' after those you have read. Tag other book nerds. Tag me as well so i can see your responses! Title your post with the number you've read.

***

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien X
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling X (not all of them)
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee X
6 The Bible X
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell X
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller X
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien X
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulk
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger X (one of my favorites)
19 The Time Traveler’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald X (another of my favorites)
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams X
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck X
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis X
34 Emma - Jane Austen
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis X
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini X
38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne X
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell X
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown X
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood X
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding X (another fav)
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel X
52 Dune - Frank Herbert X (a couple of times)
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley X
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime - Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck X (had a teacher that read this to the class over the course of the year)
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding
69 Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker X
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett X
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses - James Joyce
76 The Inferno – Dante
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80 Possession - AS Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte’s Web - EB White
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle X
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery X
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare X
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl X
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo


***

Only six? Aren't at least six of these required reading in US schools? I wanna know who made the list of books... no Mark Twain or Hemingway? For shame...

100 Truths

Just because I haven't done one of these time wasters in awhile...


001. Real name – James
002. Nickname(s) - Sheamus, Sully, Slick, Big Brother
003. Status – single
004. Zodiac sign – Aries
005. Male or female – Male
006. Religion - none (with Buddhist leanings)
007. Elementary – Stonewall Jackson (yee-haw)
008. Middle School – Luther Jackson
009. High School – Oakton
010. Hair color – light brown with more and more grey at the temples
011. Eye color - hazel
012. Loud or Quiet - mostly loud, my volume dial goes to 11
013. Sweats or Jeans - yes
014. Phone or Camera - there is CAMERA, then camera phone, and a few in between
015. Health freak - not even close
016. Favorite Physical Quality - eyes?
017. Do you have a crush on someone? I haven't "crushed" on anyone in awhile
018. Eat or Drink - yes
019. Piercing – no
020. Tattoo(s) – yes
021. Water or Fire – water
022. Love of your life or 4 Billion Dollars – I could single-mindedly search for the love of my life with 4 billion dollars
023. First fear – closets in the dark
024. First best friend – Tarik, Wayne, Jon (Found a couple of these guys online recently)
025. First award – some soccer or swimming award maybe?
026. First crush – Angel (also my first real kiss)
027. First pet – Tara and Diablo (doberman pinchers)
028. First big vacation – we lived in Greece for a year when I was 3 or 4
029. First big birthday – don't remember - 30th ;)
030. Brothers - only by social adoption
031. Sisters – younger, Heather
033. Favorite Dessert – good Key Lime Pie or German Chocolate Cake
034. Favorite toy in your house – computer
035. Promise Ring or Chastity Ring? uhm, what?
036. Favorite Season – Spring
037. Favorite Flower(s) – Tulips
038. Favorite Spice – Cayenne or Posh
039. Pancakes or Waffles – pancakes
040. Left- or Right-handed - right
041. Ever been kissed - where?
042. How many relationships have you been in - 2 significant
043. Silver or Gold? silver
044. Checkers or Chess? either, but my attention span suffers with chess
045. Desktop or laptop? yes (if you count work I have 2 desktops and 3 laptops, ugh)
046. Ever been out of the country? yes
047. Where? Germany, Greece, Korea, Guam, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Kuwait, Dubai, UAE, Mexico, Spain
048. Big City or Small town? somewhere in between
049. Favorite Food type - lots, especially spicy like Thai and Cajun
050. Favorite Drink – good red wine or fresh lemonade on a really hot day
051. Dogs or Cats – both
052. I'm about to – answer 50 more questions
053. Listening to – my computer hum
054. Plans for today – it's nighttime - read and then sleep
055. Waiting for – Guffman?
056. Your Height - 5ft 10in
057. Contacts or Glasses - yes, but I never wear the contacts because they bother my eyes
058. Want kids? maybe
059. Want to get married? yes
060. Careers in mind – always looking for new opportunities
061. Rain or Snow - neither
062. Gloves or Mittens - depends usually half-finger gloves
063. Favorite Girl's Name – don't have one
064. Favorite Boy's Name – don't have one
065. Believe in Magic? sometimes
066. Soda, Pop, or Coke? soda
067. Brain or Brawn? - me or others? not too big on "brawny" women
068. Prefer Lips or eyes – eyes
069. Great body or great personality? both, but personality goes a lot farther
070. Do you want to be Shorter or taller? taller
071. Do you want to initiate the relationship or him/her? yes
072. Romantic or spontaneous – yes
073. Nice stomach or nice arms – whatever
074. Sensitive or loud – sensitively loud
075. Hook-up or relationship – relationship... but hey, I AM a guy. I'm just sayin'...
076. Should you be friends first or date first? friends.
077. Trouble maker or hesitant – a little bit of both, usually - troublemaker
078. Chivalry or not? Chivalry, "Dieu et les Dames"
079. Favorite Board Game – Cranium and Trivial Pursuit
080. Lost glasses/contacts – too many to count
081. Ran away from home – no, but I got kicked out a few times
082. Held a gun/knife for defense? yes
083. Killed someone? no, wanted too...
084. Heartbroken – yes
085. Been arrested – yes
086. Done anything illegal - yes
087. Cried when someone died – yes
088. Cried by yourself – yes
089. Laughed til you cried? yes
090. Believe in miracles? – yes
091. Believe in love at first sight? no - lust maybe
092. Heaven – no
093. Santa Claus – no
094. Say 'I Love you' on the first date – no, are you kidding??
095. Kiss on the first date – maybe
096. Hold hands on the first date – possibly
097. Is there one person you want to be with right now – good question, living or dead? Oh wait, does that sound gross?
098. Are you seriously happy with where you are in life – yes, for the most part
099. Do you believe in God? higher power, yes

100. Post as "100 truths" and tag 10 people including who tagged you

I've seen 161 out of 251 films

SUPPOSEDLY if you've seen over 85 films, you have no life. Mark the ones you've seen. There are 239 films on this list. Copy this completely random, almost modern list, go to your own account, paste this as a note. Then, put x's next to the films you've seen, add them up, change the header adding your number, and click post at the bottom. Have fun.

(x) Rocky Horror Picture Show
(x) Grease
(x) Pirates of the Caribbean
(x) Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man's Chest
(x) Boondock Saints
(x) Fight Club
() Starsky and Hutch
(x) Neverending Story
(x) Blazing Saddles
(x) Airplane
Total:9

(x) The Princess Bride
() Anchorman
(x) Napoleon Dynamite
(x) Labyrinth
(x) Saw
() Saw II
(x) White Noise
() White Oleander
(x) Anger Management
(x) 50 First Dates
(x) The Princess Diaries
() The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement
Total so far: 15

(x) Scream
() Scream 2
() Scream 3
(x) Scary Movie
(x) Scary Movie 2
() Scary Movie 3
() Scary Movie 4
(x) American Pie
(x) American Pie 2
() American Wedding
() American Pie Band Camp
Total so far: 20

(x) Harry Potter 1
(x) Harry Potter 2
() Harry Potter 3
() Harry Potter 4
(x) Resident Evil 1
(x) Resident Evil 2
(x) The Wedding Singer
() Little Black Book
(x) The Village
() Lilo & Stitch
Total so far: 26

(x) Finding Nemo
(x) Finding Neverland
(x) Signs
(x) The Grinch
(x) Texas Chainsaw Massacre
(x) Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning
() White Chicks
(x) Butterfly Effect
() 13 Going on 30
(x) I, Robot
(x) Robots
Total so far: 35

(x) Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
() Universal Soldier
(x) Lemony Snicket: A Series Of Unfortunate Events
(x) Along Came Polly
(x) Deep Impact
(x) KingPin
(x) Never Been Kissed
() Meet The Parents
(x) Meet the Fockers
() Eight Crazy Nights
() Joe Dirt
(x) KING KONG (the crappy remake with Jeff Bridges only)
Total so far: 43

(x) A Cinderella Story
(x) The Terminal
() The Lizzie McGuire Movie
() Passport to Paris
(x) Dumb & Dumber
() Dumber & Dumberer
(x) Final Destination
() Final Destination 2
() Final Destination 3
(x) Halloween
(x) The Ring
(x) The Ring 2
() Surviving X-MAS
(x) Flubber
Total so far: 51


(x) Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle
(x) Practical Magic
(x) Chicago
() Ghost Ship
() From Hell
(x) Hellboy
(x) Secret Window
(x) I Am Sam
() The Whole Nine Yards
() The Whole Ten Yards
Total so far: 57

(x) The Day After Tomorrow
(x) Child's Play
() Bride of Chucky
(x) Ten Things I Hate About You
() Just Married
(x) Gothika
(x) Nightmare on Elm Street
(x) Sixteen Candles
() Remember the Titans
() Coach Carter
(x) The Grudge
() The Grudge 2
(x) The Mask
() Son Of The Mask
Total so far: 65

(x) Bad Boys
() Bad Boys 2
() Joy Ride
() Lucky Number Slevin
(x) Ocean's Eleven
(x) Ocean's Twelve
(x) Bourne Identity
(x) Bourne Supremecy
() Lone Star
() Bedazzled
(x) Predator I
() Predator II
(x) The Fog (original only)
(x) Ice Age
(x) Ice Age 2: The Meltdown
() Curious George
Total so far: 74

(x) Independence Day
(x) Cujo
(x) A Bronx Tale
() Darkness Falls
(x) Christine
(x) ET
(x) Children of the Corn
() My Bosses Daughter
() Maid in Manhattan
(x) War of the Worlds
(x) Rush Hour
(x) Rush Hour 2
Total so far: 83

() Best Bet
(x) How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
() She's All That
() Calendar Girls
(x) Sideways
(x) Mars Attacks
(x) Event Horizon
(x) Ever After
(x) Wizard of Oz
(x) Forrest Gump
() Big Trouble in Little China
(x) The Terminator
(x) The Terminator 2
(x) The Terminator 3
Total so far: 93

(x) X-Men
(x) X-2
(x) X-3
(x) Spider-Man
(x) Spider-Man 2
() Sky High
(x) Jeepers Creepers
(x) Jeepers Creepers 2
(x) Catch Me If You Can
(x) The Little Mermaid
(x) Freaky Friday
() Reign of Fire
() The Skulls
() Cruel Intentions
() Cruel Intentions 2
() The Hot Chick
(x) Shrek
(x) Shrek 2
()Shrek 3
Total so far: 105

() Swimfan
(x) Miracle on 34th street
(x) Old School
(x) The Notebook
(x) K-Pax
() Krippendorf's Tribe
() A Walk to Remember
() Ice Castles
(x) Boogeyman
(x) The 40-year-old Virgin
Total so far: 111

(x) Lord of the Rings Fellowship of the Ring
(x) Lord of the Rings The Two Towers
(x) Lord of the Rings Return Of the King
(x) Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
(x) Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
(x) Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
(x)Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Total so far: 118

() Baseketball
(x) Hostel
(x) Waiting for Guffman
() House of 1000 Corpses
() Devils Rejects
() Elf
(x) Highlander
() Mothman Prophecies
(x) American History X
() Three
Total so Far: 122

(x) The Jacket
(x) Kung Fu Hustle
(x) Shaolin Soccer
() Night Watch
(x) Monsters Inc.
(x) Titanic
(x) Monty Python and the Holy Grail
(x) Shaun Of the Dead
() Willard
Total so far: 129

() High Tension
() Club Dread
(x) Hulk
(x) Dawn Of the Dead
(x) Hook
(x) Chronicles Of Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe
(x) Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
(x) 28 days later
() Orgazmo
(x) Phantasm
(x) Waterworld
Total so far: 137

(x) Kill Bill vol 1
(x) Kill Bill vol 2
() Mortal Kombat
() Wolf Creek
(x) Kingdom of Heaven
() the Hills Have Eyes
() I Spit on Your Grave aka the Day of the Woman
() The Last House on the Left
(x) Re-Animator
(x) Army of Darkness
Total so far: 142

(x) Star Wars Ep. I The Phantom Menace
(x)Star Wars Ep. II Attack of the Clones
(x) Star Wars Ep. III Revenge of the Sith
(x) Star Wars Ep. IV A New Hope
(x) Star Wars Ep. V The Empire Strikes Back
(x) Star Wars Ep. VI Return of the Jedi
() Ewoks Caravan Of Courage
() Ewoks The Battle For Endor
Total so far: 148

(x) The Matrix
(x) The Matrix Reloaded
(x) The Matrix Revolutions
()Animatrix
(x) Evil Dead
(x) Evil Dead 2
(x) Team America: World Police
(x) Red Dragon
(x) Silence of the Lambs
(x) Hannibal
Total so far: 157

(x) Madagascar
() Madagascar 2: Escape to Africa
(x) Cars
(x) Ratatouille
(x) Wall-E
() Bolt
() Enchanted
() Bridge to Terabithia
() Twilight
() Journey to the Center of the Earth
Total so far: 161

Now Add them up and...

Put "I've seen ... out of 251 films" in the subject line and repost it.

Reveille

This is a link to a Google video titled "REVEILLE". It is truly a wonderful and touching tribute to our Nation's veterans. Though you may not agree with the reason for War you should always respect and honor those that are willing to make the ultimate sacrifice. Abraham Lincoln said, 'Any nation that does not honor its heroes will not long endure.'

This story shall the good man teach his son;
And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remembered-
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition;
And gentlemen in England now-a-bed
Shall think themselves accurs'd they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.
---Shakespeare's HENRY V

It is rather ironic to note that today also would have been my father's 66th birthday. He was shot down in Vietnam in October 1972 and declared Missing In Action (MIA). His remains were returned by the Vietnamese Government in 1985 and he was buried on November 10th, 1985.

Lest we forget.