Valentine's Day Dinner

Yesterday was Valentine's Day. Instead of fighting the crowds and making reservations weeks in advance, Kate and I decided to stay at home and make a nice dinner ouselves.  We've been getting more adventerous in the kitchen anyway, so we thought this would be a fun and romantic way to spend the night.

The photo above does a nice job of portraying how good of a job Kate did at creating the "ambiance" as she put it.  Candles and music in the dining room (she downloaded a bunch of new tunes, it was really nice). The entree was fresh caught salmon with a wine/shallot/butter reduction, asparagus and roasted red potatoes.

Kate was very ambitious with dessert and made a lava chocolate cake.  I wasn't too happy because it used semi-sweet chocolate instead of milk chocolate - but I was wrong.  It was amazing!  Kate really did a great job and cranked it out in 30 minutes!

Kate had ice cream with hers, but I wanted fresh whipped cream with mine as the receipe called for.  So i whipped it up from scratch with the blender.  But, just as i was finishing up, the wisk attachment for the hand blender snapped off and got whipped cream EVERYWHERE (notice the collateral damage on the microwave) and cut my finger in the process.  But the whipped cream was delicious and all is well that ends well.  It was a romantic Valentine's Day and our last time celebrating it as single people, crazy!

Blackhawks Season Ticket Holder Road Watch Party

Thanks to Heidi's dad, we were able to go to the Blackhawks Season Ticket Holder Road Watch party.  This was back on January 16th, 2010; I just got around to downloading the pictures to my computer, hence this blog is a little delayed.  If you remember back to my inaugural post, I intended FFF to be my attempt at photojournalism, this post will be the first time I'm following through on that promise.

Above, you can see (from left to right) me, Kate, Heidi and Jon on the ice at the United Center.  Every time the four of us take a picture together I realize how tall I really am - or maybe how short they are, either way.  As a perk for season ticket holders (us vicariously through Heidi's dad), the Blackhawks welcomed us to the Madhouse on Madison to watch the game on the jumbo-tron as the Hawks took on the Blue Jackets in Columbus.  In addition to watching the game, we were offered $1 snacks from the concessions bar, a 30 minute open skate on the ice, and tours of the locker room and press box.  The game was a lot of fun; the Hawks ended up winning 6-5 after blowing a 3-0 lead in the first period.

While on the ice, Jon and I were fortunate enough to meet the Blackhawks Ice Girl.  They were really nice, and not so bright, but that's to be expected.

 

We took the obligatory holding hands picture, then Heidi and Jon did too.

 

 Before we skated, we decided to take the zamboni for a spin...not really, but we took a cool picture on it.  Kate rode shotgun, don't miss her, you can only see her head!

 

 Heidi and Jon got a picture too, Heidi wanted to drive, but someone must have told them about her because they wouldn't let her.

 We checked out the locker room which is pretty plush.  It was kind of a disappointment because we couldn't go into each locker like last time we visited.  That didn't dampen Kate and Jon's spirits!

 

Heidi and I got jealous, so we went up to the press box and took a picture.  What a great view!

I had to snap a picture of the Bulls dynasty championship banners from the press box.  Double 3-peats, won't ever get old.

 

Before we left the press box we stopped by and met the organist.  He might have the best job ever.  Heidi asked him how he makes the effects during hockey fights - he showed us a small box just to his right (by the small 6 on his arm) which was not as impressive as we had hoped.

 

Lastly, Jon wanted to remind everyone that he hates Impact - Thumbs down Impact!

 

Man's Last Stand! BEER, SPORTS, WOMEN, CARS! GRUNT!!!

 This post is a bit late, I started it on Monday, Super Monday if you will, but didn't get a chance to finish it until today.  By now everyone in America must know that the underdog New Orleans Saints beat the heavily favored Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLIV this past Sunday.  It is also safe to say that the entire country, minus Indiana, is happy to see the Saints win for their city who so desperately needed a reason to cheer.  The effects of Hurricane Katrina are still felt by many despite the lack of headlines and national attention.  With that in mind, I'm very glad the great fans of New Orleans have the chance to welcome the Vince Lombardi Trophy to their home.

Now, on to more important matters... the Super Bowl Commercials.  I won't run through the entire gamut of commercials from Sunday's game, for that you can navigate to Time Magazine's Website where you can play all 68 commercials. Instead, I will focus on my favorite commercial from the most watched TV program of the year: Dodge's Man's Last Stand. 

Many critics of this spot call it sexist and narrow minded (including the columnist from Time Magazine in the link above.  You'll see he gave the commercial a D-).  And to them I respond - you're overly PC and in fact you are the narrow minded ones.  This advertisment appeals to your senses and your emotions, its real.  This country is an Anglo-Christian society based on the practice of monogomous marriage between men and women (this is not a pro or anti gay statement, its just a fact).  Going along with that, there are simple facts that come with being married: walking the dog, listening to your spouses opinoins of your friends, putting the seat down, in-laws, etc.  These, along with the littany of tasks in the commercial, are facts of life that men (and women!) have to deal with on a daily basis.  If women or femminists don't like it, they don't have to watch.  And honestly, I don't think you'll find too many femminists in the market for the 425 Horsepower 2010 Dodge Charger SRT-8.

This muscle car is made for men and it should be marketed to men. Sergio Marchionne & his Fiat team have done an excellent job revamping Chrysler Group's marketing to reinvigorate its customer base.  I love this commercial and I have the feeling most other car enthusiasts do too.  The unique perspective of the men's blank stares while the narrator lists the daily tasks that their lives consist of is nothing if not attention grabbing - it makes you wonder, what is this commercial for.  Then as the camera zooms in on the man's eyes, the shot cuts to the roaring engine of the V-8 HEMI tearing down the street - "...I do this so I can drive the car I want."  Brilliant.  The first time I saw the commercial the roaring of engine put chills down my spine.  Car buying is an emotional experience, especially for a car like the Dodge Charge SRT-8.  Bravo to the marketeers who created this commercial for appealing to your emotions. A+

This is one time where television really fails to capture the true excitement of a large squirrel predicting the weather

This is one time where television really fails to capture the true excitement of a large squirrel predicting the weather - Phil Connors (Groundhog Day)

I should be busy working on my application for grad school or working out preparing for the upcoming triathlon season, or even working on things for my upcoming nuptials in October; but alas, it is Groundhog Day and I would be remiss if I didn't take a few moments to share my thoughts with everyone on my favorite non-holiday holiday: Groundhog Day.

First of all, bravo to Danny Rubin and Harold Ramis for writing the 1993 screenplay.  The premise of the movie is quite simple - a miserable man is forced to live the same terrible day over and over again.  The success of the movie does not rely on the premise alone.  Groundhog Day was the perfect subject.  A formerly nondescript holiday which typically resulted in a blurb on the morning news, if that.  Groundhog Day was a joke.  The movie based on the tribulations of Phil Connors (Bill Murray) took that joke and actually made it funny.

I could continue and go on a long blithering analysis of the movie and hypothesize about the messages the movie is conveying.  But, I would rather list out some of my favorite quotes:

• This is one time where television really fails to capture the true excitement of a large squirrel predicting the weather.
• (Waiter drops tray of plates) Gus: Yeah, just put that anywhere pal!
• Phil takes sip of drink then says to waiter: can i have another one of these, with some booze in it?
• Ned: Hey, what are you doing for dinner? Phil: ...something else.
• Rita: are you drunk? Phil: No, drunk's more fun.
• I'll give you a prediction about the weather...Its gonna be cold, its gonna be gray, and its gonna last you for the rest of your life.
• That's not bad for a quadruped. You gotta check your mirrors...Side of your eyes, side of your eyes...Don't drive angry!
• Do you want to throw up here, or in the car - I think... both.
• Doctor: You know what I think you need Phil: a biopsy? Doctor: no, a psychiatrist. 
• I'm A god, not THE God.

Timeless quotes, a timeless film.  Thank you Mr. Rubin and Mr. Ramis for filling my February 2nd with purpose.  Without Groundhog Day, February 2nd would be cold, gray, and last me the rest of my life.