Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Macy's (former Marshall Fields) in Loop
A great building if you get a chance to visit and loop up through the atrium at the detail.
Gruby Wtorek
It was the Monday before Ash Wednesday in 1973 and I was working in the studio of a small ad agency. This was my first career job.
Maryann, the executive secretary walked in. She stopped by the art table of Bobby, a veteran production artist. “Bobby, are you all excited about poonchkey (spelled paczki) day?” she asked. Bobby looked up, smiled and said he couldn’t wait. Both of them were of Polish ancestry, Maryann being a first cousin of the famous Coach K from Duke.
I jumped in and asked what a poonchkey was. She looked at me and said, ”what kind of a Polack are you anyway if you never heard of a poonchkey?” They both laughed. She explained that a poonchkey was a very special Polish pastry served up on the day before lent.
My expectations were exceedingly high the next morning with youthful, bright-eyed anticipation of some pastry delight never before known to me. Both of them brought in large white pastry boxes with enough to serve the entire office of about thirty employees. Bobby opened one box, grabbed a poonchkey, bit into it, showed me the remaining pastry and said, “that, kid, is the world’s best poonchkey. Well I’ll be, I said back, it looks like a jellyroll.
Looking at me as if I were the dumbest Polack in Chicago Maryann assured me that these were very special, handing me a poonchkey filled with apple. Biting in I was not impressed. My assumption was correct. It was just a jellyroll but the filling was better than most. Not wanting to disrespect their generosity I pretended to find them very special, special enough for me to eat two of them.
Growing up in a Polish family with a strong second and first generation ethnic background I knew we had some traditions that seemed odd to others. But we had a lot of fun in our family enclave. The food they made I still crave to this day such as authentic Polish sausage and pierogis. But for the life of me I do not recall ever being treated to a poonchkey. My family lived in a Polish section of Hammond IN while Bobby and Maryann grew up in the northwest Chicago Polish enclave. The two were quite different worlds as I would learn years later. Chicago has more Poles living there than any other city but Warsaw. Hammond? Not so much.
Poonchkeys are now found all over Northwest Indiana on Fat Tuesday, even out here in the more rural redneck areas where we live. This morning I saw some at the local grocery and bought two. Not being much of a pastry fan maybe they deserved another chance at redemption.
As suspected, it’s still just another jellyroll. The same way Crispy Creams are just another glazed donut to me.
After escaping Illinois 20 years ago to the free world of Indiana I learned of another Polish tradition that was foreign to me. One that is not known even to the Poles I worked with in Chicago at that time.
My westbound commuter train began in South Bend IN with Randolph St. in Chicago being the end of the line. Unlike the commuter train I rode in Illinois where nobody talked much and people kept to themselves this one was a bit livelier. It didn’t take long for me to make friends with a group of commuters who took the same train in and out daily. These were the party people and they were of all ages, sexes and races.
One day a lovely and friendly lady named Kathy asked me to join them. I did. Commuters getting on from Michigan City all the way to Chicago’s Hegewisch neighborhood on the far south side all were friends and they took to me rather quickly, both men and women. We would dominate the seats that faced each other across both isles. We joked and talked politics, work and just about anything that came up. On the commute home we all brought cocktails or beer and munchies on board for the ride home. On birthdays we would hang around the city together after work and have cocktails and dinner. It was a real tight group that I love to this day. I miss each one of them very much.
One day a feisty, younger, tall and rather attractive woman of Polish decent named Jill suggested we all go to Michigan City to celebrate Dingus Day. I asked what Dingus Day was and she looked at me in shock and said, “What kind of a Polack are you anyway that you don’t know what Dingus Day is?”
She explained that Dingus Day is the Monday after Easter and is a big Polish party of sorts. Seems Dingus Days is a real big Polish event in Michigan City and South Bend, which both still have large Polish enclaves. Who knew? Not me.
On Dingus Day in those places the bars serve Polish food of all sorts and live Polka bands entertain. Think of it as a pub crawl with cheap ethnic food. Think of it as a Polish St.Paddy’s Day without the cheap green tinted beer.
Well, nobody seemed too excited to attend the Michigan City Dingus Day festivities since it was a long haul at a late hour. To this day I never experienced the real Dingus.
What kind of a Polack am I anyway?
Maryann, the executive secretary walked in. She stopped by the art table of Bobby, a veteran production artist. “Bobby, are you all excited about poonchkey (spelled paczki) day?” she asked. Bobby looked up, smiled and said he couldn’t wait. Both of them were of Polish ancestry, Maryann being a first cousin of the famous Coach K from Duke.
I jumped in and asked what a poonchkey was. She looked at me and said, ”what kind of a Polack are you anyway if you never heard of a poonchkey?” They both laughed. She explained that a poonchkey was a very special Polish pastry served up on the day before lent.
My expectations were exceedingly high the next morning with youthful, bright-eyed anticipation of some pastry delight never before known to me. Both of them brought in large white pastry boxes with enough to serve the entire office of about thirty employees. Bobby opened one box, grabbed a poonchkey, bit into it, showed me the remaining pastry and said, “that, kid, is the world’s best poonchkey. Well I’ll be, I said back, it looks like a jellyroll.
Looking at me as if I were the dumbest Polack in Chicago Maryann assured me that these were very special, handing me a poonchkey filled with apple. Biting in I was not impressed. My assumption was correct. It was just a jellyroll but the filling was better than most. Not wanting to disrespect their generosity I pretended to find them very special, special enough for me to eat two of them.
Growing up in a Polish family with a strong second and first generation ethnic background I knew we had some traditions that seemed odd to others. But we had a lot of fun in our family enclave. The food they made I still crave to this day such as authentic Polish sausage and pierogis. But for the life of me I do not recall ever being treated to a poonchkey. My family lived in a Polish section of Hammond IN while Bobby and Maryann grew up in the northwest Chicago Polish enclave. The two were quite different worlds as I would learn years later. Chicago has more Poles living there than any other city but Warsaw. Hammond? Not so much.
Poonchkeys are now found all over Northwest Indiana on Fat Tuesday, even out here in the more rural redneck areas where we live. This morning I saw some at the local grocery and bought two. Not being much of a pastry fan maybe they deserved another chance at redemption.
As suspected, it’s still just another jellyroll. The same way Crispy Creams are just another glazed donut to me.
After escaping Illinois 20 years ago to the free world of Indiana I learned of another Polish tradition that was foreign to me. One that is not known even to the Poles I worked with in Chicago at that time.
My westbound commuter train began in South Bend IN with Randolph St. in Chicago being the end of the line. Unlike the commuter train I rode in Illinois where nobody talked much and people kept to themselves this one was a bit livelier. It didn’t take long for me to make friends with a group of commuters who took the same train in and out daily. These were the party people and they were of all ages, sexes and races.
One day a lovely and friendly lady named Kathy asked me to join them. I did. Commuters getting on from Michigan City all the way to Chicago’s Hegewisch neighborhood on the far south side all were friends and they took to me rather quickly, both men and women. We would dominate the seats that faced each other across both isles. We joked and talked politics, work and just about anything that came up. On the commute home we all brought cocktails or beer and munchies on board for the ride home. On birthdays we would hang around the city together after work and have cocktails and dinner. It was a real tight group that I love to this day. I miss each one of them very much.
One day a feisty, younger, tall and rather attractive woman of Polish decent named Jill suggested we all go to Michigan City to celebrate Dingus Day. I asked what Dingus Day was and she looked at me in shock and said, “What kind of a Polack are you anyway that you don’t know what Dingus Day is?”
She explained that Dingus Day is the Monday after Easter and is a big Polish party of sorts. Seems Dingus Days is a real big Polish event in Michigan City and South Bend, which both still have large Polish enclaves. Who knew? Not me.
On Dingus Day in those places the bars serve Polish food of all sorts and live Polka bands entertain. Think of it as a pub crawl with cheap ethnic food. Think of it as a Polish St.Paddy’s Day without the cheap green tinted beer.
Well, nobody seemed too excited to attend the Michigan City Dingus Day festivities since it was a long haul at a late hour. To this day I never experienced the real Dingus.
What kind of a Polack am I anyway?
Monday, February 20, 2012
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Saturday Night Sixties
It’s Saturday night. Time to relax. Again. Let’s set the wayback machine for the 60’s, my favorite decade.
Pour yourself a big, stiff cocktail. Put a thick wax platter on the turntable of the hi-fi and gently drop that needle.
Pour yourself a big, stiff cocktail. Put a thick wax platter on the turntable of the hi-fi and gently drop that needle.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
The Intelligence of the Crow
A while back I read a book called "Ravens In Winter" and found the lives of crows and ravens to be very interesting. The book describes how they communicate food sources to one another through some type of unknown mechanism and their general high intelligence level.
When I was in Norway I came across a Carrion Crow (or at least I think it is; I looked it up on wikipedia) that found a clam-shell container that usually contains take out food. The crow obviously knew that it was correlated with food and poked it with its beak and shook it about deliberately before throwing it to the ground in disgust. I took a video and uploaded it and you can see it in HD here which I find very humorous.
Before 9/11 I traveled to Tasmania and had an encounter with what I believe was a Forest Raven, although once again I am not an ornithologist. The bird was AMAZINGLY persistent - when our car pulled up to a clearing it jumped on the side mirror (the window was open) and looked me right in the face (with big yellow eyes) and started cawing for food. I rolled up the window and it sat right on the hood of the car staring at me through the dashboard. I have never seen an (ostensibly wild) bird so unafraid of humans.
Cross posted at Chicago Boyz
When I was in Norway I came across a Carrion Crow (or at least I think it is; I looked it up on wikipedia) that found a clam-shell container that usually contains take out food. The crow obviously knew that it was correlated with food and poked it with its beak and shook it about deliberately before throwing it to the ground in disgust. I took a video and uploaded it and you can see it in HD here which I find very humorous.
Before 9/11 I traveled to Tasmania and had an encounter with what I believe was a Forest Raven, although once again I am not an ornithologist. The bird was AMAZINGLY persistent - when our car pulled up to a clearing it jumped on the side mirror (the window was open) and looked me right in the face (with big yellow eyes) and started cawing for food. I rolled up the window and it sat right on the hood of the car staring at me through the dashboard. I have never seen an (ostensibly wild) bird so unafraid of humans.
Cross posted at Chicago Boyz
Chicago Leads the Nation in Corruption
I tell you I had to pick myself up off the floor when I read this bit of news . Not.Federal prosecutors secured a total of 1,531 public corruption convictions in the Northern District of Illinois since 1976, said Dick Simpson, head of the university’s political science department.I never really came from a background where hush money or protection had to be paid. I wonder if you still have to pay people to "protect" your business "in case something happens" in Chicago.
Meanwhile, Illinois logged 1,828 public corruption convictions, the third most of any state, according to the report. Only California and New York had more.
But those states are much larger than Illinois. On a per-person basis, only the District of Columbia and Louisiana had more convictions than Illinois, according to the report.
Four governors, two congressmen, a state treasurer, an attorney general, 11 state legislators, numerous judges and dozens of aldermen have been convicted since the 1970s, according to the report, dubbed Chicago and Illinois, Leading the Pack in Corruption.
“For a long time — going back at least to the Al Capone era — Chicago and Illinois have been known for high levels of public corruption, Simpson said. “But now we have the statistics that confirm their dishonorable and notorious reputations. . . . . The two worst crime zones in Illinois are the Governor’s Mansion in Springfield and the City Council Chambers in Chicago.”
“Chicago is the most corrupt city in the country, and Illinois is probably the third-most corrupt state in the nation," Simpson said at a City Hall news conference.
If so, it is a disgrace. The corruption is a disgrace anyways. I wonder when (if) the people of the State of Illinois and the City of Chicago will ever get sick of it.
Cross posted at ChicagoBoyz.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Oh My Akin’ Wallet
I hate February. Just hate it. Can’t buy a break this month.
February 10 - Her Birthday
February 14 - Valentines Day
February 28 - Our Wedding Anniversary
Why me God, why me?
February 10 - Her Birthday
February 14 - Valentines Day
February 28 - Our Wedding Anniversary
Why me God, why me?
The Living Dead and Rockers Who Survived
Recently I had tickets to see three see rock stars who have survived a lot longer than might have been expected given their lifestyles.
Mike Ness is the lead singer, songwriter and a guitarist for Social Distortion. Social Distortion has been around for a long time in multiple incarnations with Mike Ness. See this "list of Social Distortion Band Members" from wikipedia for the rotating cast, with Mr. Ness the one constant since the debut album in 1983 (almost 30 years ago!). I was pumped up to see the band and really liked a Direct TV Guitar Center sessions show they played (in HD) from which I took the photo below. Unfortunately they canceled in Reno (one expects the worst, an OD, although I have no information whatsoever except that it was canceled "due to illness") so I won't get a chance to see them unless they hit Chicago.
Two more guys who have no business being alive are Dave Mustaine of Megadeth and the famous Lemmy of Motorhead. They played together in a show I saw recently, both defiant in their own way. Lemmy, who has 35 (!) years as a rock star under his belt, has a lot of illnesses now including diabetes (I saw a documentary on him by Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters) and yet is touring as hard as ever. Their most famous album features "the Ace of Spades" of which I have a little bit recorded below. It certainly isn't HD quality but perhaps this is appropriate for a Motorhead concert which is more to be experienced than savored because the mix was like mud and it was more of a piledriver experience.
Finally there is Dave Mustaine. I recently bought a book called "the Hundred Greatest Metal Guitarists" which ranked Dave Mustaine #1 (which is probably more of a lifetime survival award, because the guitarist he has with him today, Chris Broderick, sounded way better at least for this show). Here is an interview with Mustaine about this ranking:
Mike Ness is the lead singer, songwriter and a guitarist for Social Distortion. Social Distortion has been around for a long time in multiple incarnations with Mike Ness. See this "list of Social Distortion Band Members" from wikipedia for the rotating cast, with Mr. Ness the one constant since the debut album in 1983 (almost 30 years ago!). I was pumped up to see the band and really liked a Direct TV Guitar Center sessions show they played (in HD) from which I took the photo below. Unfortunately they canceled in Reno (one expects the worst, an OD, although I have no information whatsoever except that it was canceled "due to illness") so I won't get a chance to see them unless they hit Chicago.
Two more guys who have no business being alive are Dave Mustaine of Megadeth and the famous Lemmy of Motorhead. They played together in a show I saw recently, both defiant in their own way. Lemmy, who has 35 (!) years as a rock star under his belt, has a lot of illnesses now including diabetes (I saw a documentary on him by Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters) and yet is touring as hard as ever. Their most famous album features "the Ace of Spades" of which I have a little bit recorded below. It certainly isn't HD quality but perhaps this is appropriate for a Motorhead concert which is more to be experienced than savored because the mix was like mud and it was more of a piledriver experience.
Finally there is Dave Mustaine. I recently bought a book called "the Hundred Greatest Metal Guitarists" which ranked Dave Mustaine #1 (which is probably more of a lifetime survival award, because the guitarist he has with him today, Chris Broderick, sounded way better at least for this show). Here is an interview with Mustaine about this ranking:
Then I got to No. 2 and it was John Petrucci [of Dream Theater] and I froze. I was No. 1. What made it better still is that the guy wrote: "This isn't about Dave as a person because he's been a cock" — [interjects with a bray of laughter] — "These four pages are about his guitar playing, which is the best. There are people who are better at one thing that Mustaine does, and others that are better than another, but no-one who's as good at everything." All I thought was… I win!While we are hopeful Ness is done battling his demons and Lemmy is committed to not changing a thing and going down exactly the same way he came in, Mustaine seems to have totally dropped alcohol and changed his life and even lightened up a bit. This says a lot for a guy who was kicked out of Metallica for being a bad drunk back in the days when all they did was party. One thing all three of these rockers (Ness, Lemmy & Mustaine) have in common is an amazingly long list of various band members. Thanks to wikipedia for adding the band member timeline to keep it all straight. Due to Mustaine's "lightening up" (he found religion) he now tours with some more youth-friendly and female-friendly fans - check out this "A Tout Le Monde" with the singer from Lacuna Coil (we missed them because they must have come onstage within a few minutes of the doors opening - the new Mustaine must drive a well-oiled ship because I've never heard of that).
Monday, February 13, 2012
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Our Short Attention Span Future
One time I was stuck in a hotel room somewhere and an old rerun of "Welcome Back Kotter" came on. For some reason I stuck with the channel for a few minutes and was struck by something.
At one point the main character starts a monologue. They apparently had only one camera and he seemed to speak into it forever, without interruption. While it seemed like minutes, it probably was maybe 20 seconds or so.
This is how our brains were wired growing up. We watched TV shows (which supposedly rotted our brains, too, or so we were told) but they were in molasses and had few or no cuts compared to seemingly anything on TV today.
This video by a new singer out of England (I am not going to mention her name but it is easy to figure out - we don't want the traffic) is designed for kids and younger people with the attention span of a gnat. The video is under 4 minutes long and it easily has 200 or so cuts... I lost track trying to count them. It is simply astonishing how much they pack into there. I think the longest pause is essentially an ad for a brand of watch (product placement) at the 2:32 mark - maybe a couple of seconds.
This is the future of attracting attention and it will certainly be a short-attention span future.
I am a bit ashamed to admit it but I find this song a bit catchy and certainly her looks did not hurt her choice of career.
Cross posted at Chicago Boyz
At one point the main character starts a monologue. They apparently had only one camera and he seemed to speak into it forever, without interruption. While it seemed like minutes, it probably was maybe 20 seconds or so.
This is how our brains were wired growing up. We watched TV shows (which supposedly rotted our brains, too, or so we were told) but they were in molasses and had few or no cuts compared to seemingly anything on TV today.
This video by a new singer out of England (I am not going to mention her name but it is easy to figure out - we don't want the traffic) is designed for kids and younger people with the attention span of a gnat. The video is under 4 minutes long and it easily has 200 or so cuts... I lost track trying to count them. It is simply astonishing how much they pack into there. I think the longest pause is essentially an ad for a brand of watch (product placement) at the 2:32 mark - maybe a couple of seconds.
This is the future of attracting attention and it will certainly be a short-attention span future.
I am a bit ashamed to admit it but I find this song a bit catchy and certainly her looks did not hurt her choice of career.
Cross posted at Chicago Boyz
(Bad) Craps Tactics
Dan and I recently took a trip to Reno. One of the reasons we chose Reno over Vegas for Super Bowl weekend is the fact that you can find craps tables with a $5 minimum easily while in Las Vegas I don't know for certain but I'd expect that during Super Bowl weekend a $25 minimum bet would be typical (or higher).
Craps is one of the few games in which, if you play it right, you can just about run even odds against the house. And you can do this EASILY (i.e. with little thought) - those that compare this vs. blackjack (21) which also can be played relatively closely to even odds in some circumstances - have to realize that if you are basically standing and sentient you can do this with craps, but if you try this while not paying attention at a blackjack table it will likely backfire.
So how do you play this even odds way? Pretty simple. 1) play the pass line 2) put down maximum "odds" behind the pass line. Thus at a $5 table in Reno you put $5 on the pass line, and then your maximum odds were 5-1 on a 6/8, 4-1 on a 5/9, and 3-1 on a 4/10. Tables differ and some places odds are higher or lower (I've even seen "unlimited" odds or limited to the table maximum, which probably would be $1000 at a single bet, but I've never seen anyone put down $5 on the pass line and put odds like that). Thus you'd put down $5 at the pass line and between $15-$25 for maximum odds to execute this strategy. Alternatively, you could just put $5 on the pass line and $10 "odds" on every roll - that works too (since the odds are "even" regardless). You can throw down $100 at the table and play for potentially a very long time using this strategy. If it goes against you put down another $100 and most of the time you'll get it back. At a $25 table (above), you'd probably want to put down $500 to run the same strategy, and be prepared to throw down another $500 right away if luck ran against you. This isn't as much fun - you need to "think" harder and it is stressful.
And then they give you free drinks. You need to tip your waitress (I guess theoretically there could be a "waiter" but I've never seen anything but female waitresses at the tables, anywhere, ever) a buck or two per drink but that's still a good deal. And they come around A LOT. Why? Well if you don't bet in the manner I listed out above (with a couple alternatives), instantly you start being a big moneymaker for the table.
We saw a LOT of bad betting strategies on the Reno craps tables. Since we were there a long time (hours) a lot of people joined up, busted out, and left.
The absolute worst was someone who walked up and wanted to put money on "black or red". The craps dealers told them to go to the nearby roulette wheel.
Many people set up "on the numbers" on the come out role. This meant they just "bought" the 4-10 across the board; if those numbers came up (before a 7 craps) they made money, and then it was wiped out when craps was rolled. While these aren't TERRIBLE odds, they certainly aren't near 50/50 net. Many times when this strategy WAS paying off, you'd hear "press it" which means doubling down on an existing bet instead of picking up the chips (and holding the winnings). This often meant that the 7-craps roll was devastating for their longer term strategy because they didn't pick up the winnings that would have funded their next round of betting.
We couldn't figure out what some people were trying to accomplish at all. One guy threw down $1000 plus and bought chips and just had them in front of him in no order, with hundreds, twenty-fives, fives and ones all mixed up. This is not a good sign. He was kind of betting the pass line, then he'd buy some numbers, and then he'd start betting on the "hard ways". These bets are just sliding down the abyss of being more and more friendly to the house and away from 50/50 drinking for free nirvana Dan and I were seeking. Then, towards the end, he put maybe $200 on the pass line and 4x odds ($800) on a "5". In this case, if the "5" won, he'd make $200 on the pass line and at 3/2 odds (since that is the inverse of the chance of rolling a 5 before a 7) he'd make $1200 on the pass line for a total of $1400 (plus he'd get back the $1000 he wagered so he'd have $2400 overall). The "5" wasn't rolled, a "7" was, so he lost his $1000 which represented pretty much everything he had, and he walked away from the table. Dan and I were shaking our heads at just throwing away $1000 - while that was his first sensible bet of the day (near 50/50) you don't just show up and put all your money on one roll; that isn't much fun and most times it will end in tears or at least bad vibes. He busted out and walked away and while he was putting on a brave face it had to hurt a bit.
At least that guy clearly knew HOW to play craps; for that one roll he was doing it sensibly; many other people just seemed to do things that made no sense. A younger guy in a t shirt showed up with winnings from somewhere else and just made inexplicable "buy" bets and lost it all right away; a girl was putting money on field bets but she didn't pick up so it kept doubling. All these people were just walking up to the table and throwing their money away - it was crazy.
Another sign of "soon to lose" behavior was holding chips in your hand and not putting them on the rail - this usually meant either random actions I can't even put together in a coherent (if ill-advised) thread or just playing until they were out of money, another table favorite. Those that bet consistently tended to be neat and tidy - the very few.
In a way it makes sense; if everyone played the pass line with odds they'd shut down the craps table because it wouldn't make enough for the casino to justify it being staffed and for the risks they take when the luck goes against the house. But fortunately for them there is an unlimited amount of bad-odds craps tactics for players to take and the money just gets sucked up into the craps table like a giant vacuum.
Craps is one of the few games in which, if you play it right, you can just about run even odds against the house. And you can do this EASILY (i.e. with little thought) - those that compare this vs. blackjack (21) which also can be played relatively closely to even odds in some circumstances - have to realize that if you are basically standing and sentient you can do this with craps, but if you try this while not paying attention at a blackjack table it will likely backfire.
So how do you play this even odds way? Pretty simple. 1) play the pass line 2) put down maximum "odds" behind the pass line. Thus at a $5 table in Reno you put $5 on the pass line, and then your maximum odds were 5-1 on a 6/8, 4-1 on a 5/9, and 3-1 on a 4/10. Tables differ and some places odds are higher or lower (I've even seen "unlimited" odds or limited to the table maximum, which probably would be $1000 at a single bet, but I've never seen anyone put down $5 on the pass line and put odds like that). Thus you'd put down $5 at the pass line and between $15-$25 for maximum odds to execute this strategy. Alternatively, you could just put $5 on the pass line and $10 "odds" on every roll - that works too (since the odds are "even" regardless). You can throw down $100 at the table and play for potentially a very long time using this strategy. If it goes against you put down another $100 and most of the time you'll get it back. At a $25 table (above), you'd probably want to put down $500 to run the same strategy, and be prepared to throw down another $500 right away if luck ran against you. This isn't as much fun - you need to "think" harder and it is stressful.
And then they give you free drinks. You need to tip your waitress (I guess theoretically there could be a "waiter" but I've never seen anything but female waitresses at the tables, anywhere, ever) a buck or two per drink but that's still a good deal. And they come around A LOT. Why? Well if you don't bet in the manner I listed out above (with a couple alternatives), instantly you start being a big moneymaker for the table.
We saw a LOT of bad betting strategies on the Reno craps tables. Since we were there a long time (hours) a lot of people joined up, busted out, and left.
The absolute worst was someone who walked up and wanted to put money on "black or red". The craps dealers told them to go to the nearby roulette wheel.
Many people set up "on the numbers" on the come out role. This meant they just "bought" the 4-10 across the board; if those numbers came up (before a 7 craps) they made money, and then it was wiped out when craps was rolled. While these aren't TERRIBLE odds, they certainly aren't near 50/50 net. Many times when this strategy WAS paying off, you'd hear "press it" which means doubling down on an existing bet instead of picking up the chips (and holding the winnings). This often meant that the 7-craps roll was devastating for their longer term strategy because they didn't pick up the winnings that would have funded their next round of betting.
We couldn't figure out what some people were trying to accomplish at all. One guy threw down $1000 plus and bought chips and just had them in front of him in no order, with hundreds, twenty-fives, fives and ones all mixed up. This is not a good sign. He was kind of betting the pass line, then he'd buy some numbers, and then he'd start betting on the "hard ways". These bets are just sliding down the abyss of being more and more friendly to the house and away from 50/50 drinking for free nirvana Dan and I were seeking. Then, towards the end, he put maybe $200 on the pass line and 4x odds ($800) on a "5". In this case, if the "5" won, he'd make $200 on the pass line and at 3/2 odds (since that is the inverse of the chance of rolling a 5 before a 7) he'd make $1200 on the pass line for a total of $1400 (plus he'd get back the $1000 he wagered so he'd have $2400 overall). The "5" wasn't rolled, a "7" was, so he lost his $1000 which represented pretty much everything he had, and he walked away from the table. Dan and I were shaking our heads at just throwing away $1000 - while that was his first sensible bet of the day (near 50/50) you don't just show up and put all your money on one roll; that isn't much fun and most times it will end in tears or at least bad vibes. He busted out and walked away and while he was putting on a brave face it had to hurt a bit.
At least that guy clearly knew HOW to play craps; for that one roll he was doing it sensibly; many other people just seemed to do things that made no sense. A younger guy in a t shirt showed up with winnings from somewhere else and just made inexplicable "buy" bets and lost it all right away; a girl was putting money on field bets but she didn't pick up so it kept doubling. All these people were just walking up to the table and throwing their money away - it was crazy.
Another sign of "soon to lose" behavior was holding chips in your hand and not putting them on the rail - this usually meant either random actions I can't even put together in a coherent (if ill-advised) thread or just playing until they were out of money, another table favorite. Those that bet consistently tended to be neat and tidy - the very few.
In a way it makes sense; if everyone played the pass line with odds they'd shut down the craps table because it wouldn't make enough for the casino to justify it being staffed and for the risks they take when the luck goes against the house. But fortunately for them there is an unlimited amount of bad-odds craps tactics for players to take and the money just gets sucked up into the craps table like a giant vacuum.
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Saturday Night Sixties
It’s Saturday night. Time to relax. Let’s set the wayback machine for the 60’s, my favorite decade.
Pour yourself a big, stiff cocktail. Put a thick wax platter on the turntable of the hi-fi and gently drop that needle.
After all has been said and done my favorite Beatles are, in order: George John Ringo Paul
Pour yourself a big, stiff cocktail. Put a thick wax platter on the turntable of the hi-fi and gently drop that needle.
After all has been said and done my favorite Beatles are, in order: George John Ringo Paul
Go Chicago Bulls
In contrast to the listless, indifferent leadership that Lovie provides the Bears, the Chicago Bulls are led by Tom Thibodeau, a focused and driven coach who had proven success as a defensive wizard with the Celtics and came to Chicago for the first time in a head coach role.
The Bulls focus on defense, a complete rarity in the NBA (except for the later rounds in the playoffs). By focusing on defense, the Bulls demand unselfish and focused players rather than offensive showboats that focus on statistics. Of all the leagues where "fantasy" players are in an alternate universe from what makes up a great team, the NBA has to rank high up there. Defensive statistics (especially team defense) are usually under-rated and yet a strong team defense makes the Bulls a solid contender, and one without the usual preening a**holes that wreck much of modern sports.
Recently the Bulls have been demolishing their opposition, especially the weaker teams, which is what a strong team that wants to contend for the championship is SUPPOSED to do. Dan and I were in Vegas and one day I put a few dollars on the Bulls when they were on the road with a small favorable line but then even I balked at putting up money when the line was 9 1/2 their next game. Nine and half points is a lot in the NBA, especially during "garbage time", since most teams don't play defense consistently or much at all especially when they are spotted a big lead.
But instead the Bulls are putting on a defensive clinic, never even giving up when their starters are off the floor and their 2nd team comes in. When the Bulls second team of Gibson, Korver, Asik, Watson, and Brewer (assuming Hamilton isn't hurt) play together, they often BUILD on the lead with strong defense and aren't just a random group of castoffs like a typical NBA "6th man" and below type bench.
The Bulls recently beat the snot out of the Charlotte Bobcats, Michael Jordan's team. The Bulls led by almost 15 at the end of the first quarter and continued outscoring the Bobcats EVERY quarter, which once again is unheard of in the NBA, where lackadaisical stretches of team defense are so common that you EXPECT a team to randomly come back from even a 15 point deficit with ease. This win was even more impressive given that Rose was out of the game and the guy that might be their 2nd best scorer (Hamilton) was also out and Deng is basically playing with one hand.
I am depressed when I contrast the focused style of Thibodeau with Lovie's crap style; Thibodeau's defensive focus means that the team only gets players that want to live that sort of NBA lifestyle, which as I said above excludes show boaters and the lazy. Also interesting was to see that Tyrus Thomas is now playing for Charlotte; I remember watching a Bulls game a few years back when Tyrus showed up to play (which was rare) and he showed amazing athletic prowess and focus; but nowadays he is another guy just putting in some minutes to no effect. Obviously Jordan's skills as a player (with his own maniacal focus on dedication and defense, and instilling this in his teammates) doesn't translate well to the owners box.
The Bulls focus on defense, a complete rarity in the NBA (except for the later rounds in the playoffs). By focusing on defense, the Bulls demand unselfish and focused players rather than offensive showboats that focus on statistics. Of all the leagues where "fantasy" players are in an alternate universe from what makes up a great team, the NBA has to rank high up there. Defensive statistics (especially team defense) are usually under-rated and yet a strong team defense makes the Bulls a solid contender, and one without the usual preening a**holes that wreck much of modern sports.
Recently the Bulls have been demolishing their opposition, especially the weaker teams, which is what a strong team that wants to contend for the championship is SUPPOSED to do. Dan and I were in Vegas and one day I put a few dollars on the Bulls when they were on the road with a small favorable line but then even I balked at putting up money when the line was 9 1/2 their next game. Nine and half points is a lot in the NBA, especially during "garbage time", since most teams don't play defense consistently or much at all especially when they are spotted a big lead.
But instead the Bulls are putting on a defensive clinic, never even giving up when their starters are off the floor and their 2nd team comes in. When the Bulls second team of Gibson, Korver, Asik, Watson, and Brewer (assuming Hamilton isn't hurt) play together, they often BUILD on the lead with strong defense and aren't just a random group of castoffs like a typical NBA "6th man" and below type bench.
The Bulls recently beat the snot out of the Charlotte Bobcats, Michael Jordan's team. The Bulls led by almost 15 at the end of the first quarter and continued outscoring the Bobcats EVERY quarter, which once again is unheard of in the NBA, where lackadaisical stretches of team defense are so common that you EXPECT a team to randomly come back from even a 15 point deficit with ease. This win was even more impressive given that Rose was out of the game and the guy that might be their 2nd best scorer (Hamilton) was also out and Deng is basically playing with one hand.
I am depressed when I contrast the focused style of Thibodeau with Lovie's crap style; Thibodeau's defensive focus means that the team only gets players that want to live that sort of NBA lifestyle, which as I said above excludes show boaters and the lazy. Also interesting was to see that Tyrus Thomas is now playing for Charlotte; I remember watching a Bulls game a few years back when Tyrus showed up to play (which was rare) and he showed amazing athletic prowess and focus; but nowadays he is another guy just putting in some minutes to no effect. Obviously Jordan's skills as a player (with his own maniacal focus on dedication and defense, and instilling this in his teammates) doesn't translate well to the owners box.
Thursday, February 09, 2012
Linkage
We get paid an enormous salary for blogging here at LITGM, and to further improve our haul, I encourage you to check out the new and improved blogroll. There is a lot of good stuff there. Most of it is, well, eclectic, to satisfy my tastes.
If you have recommendations for the blogroll, let me know. I use this site as my home base and always love new and interesting reading.
Don't forget, most importantly, if you like photography to check out Jonathan's photo blog. I just hope his servers can handle the traffic from here.
If you have recommendations for the blogroll, let me know. I use this site as my home base and always love new and interesting reading.
Don't forget, most importantly, if you like photography to check out Jonathan's photo blog. I just hope his servers can handle the traffic from here.
Saturday, February 04, 2012
Saturday Night Sixties
It’s Saturday night. Time to relax. Let’s set the wayback machine for the 60’s, my favorite decade.
Pour yourself a big, stiff cocktail. Put a thick wax platter on the turntable of the hi-fi and gently drop that needle.
Pour yourself a big, stiff cocktail. Put a thick wax platter on the turntable of the hi-fi and gently drop that needle.
Thursday, February 02, 2012
Indiana RTW Law Passes
Both houses of the Indiana state legislature passed the Right To Work bill and the governor signed it into law yesterday. To me this was a very courageous act. Standing up to intimidation from union enforcers isn’t an easy thing to do for anyone.
Simply put, the law states that an employer is no longer bound to make an employee pay union dues as a requirement for employment.
Odd, none of the major media outlets both traditional and online made mention of it.
The local paper reported it this morning and the comment section is an interesting read. But why isn’t a large setback for big labor such as this generating major news? Could it be seen as an admission of weakness for the current national party in power? Especially since Indiana is a major Midwest manufacturing state? Soon, other states will use the Indiana example and join in to give their citizens a right to work.
Unions get little sympathy from me.
As a high school junior I worked at a local grocery store. Burger’s Supermarkets had three locations in northwest Indiana. My job was to bag customer groceries and place them on a large stand up wheel cart. Then I would travel with the customer to their vehicle and place the bags in the trunk or back seat.
Because membership in the Retail Clerk's Union was required to be an employee at Burger’s we made a few cents more than those working in a non-union store. We were not permitted to accept tips from customers due to the union/store agreement. Taking a tip was grounds for termination with zero union support. We made $1.70 per hour as part-time baggers in 1970. But it never stopped me from taking tips that would be anywhere from 25¢ to $1. On my best day I made about $5 in tips.
One assistant manager named Danny would go up on the roof usually on Saturdays equipped with binoculars. His mission was to catch the greedy baggers so he could fire them in order to set an example for the rest of us. In my two years at Burger’s he caught and fired three baggers.
No way would I turn down a tip since my future was not in the grocery business. If I got fired it would never appear on my resume anyway so good luck, Danny. Catch me if you can. He never did.
Considering there were large signs at the exit of the store telling customers that it was a Burger’s service policy to bag and deliver groceries so there was no need to tip, many older ladies ignored the signs. Danny told us there were secret shoppers that would tempt us with a tip, and if we took the tip the shopper would report our name. Guess I never carried groceries for his wife.
Union dues were taken out of our checks. I don’t recall how much but it was considerable for a kid making $1.70 per hour and I was not alone. We all thought we were being ripped off. That was my last job ever belonging to a union. I found a better job pumping gas and adding quarts of oil to cars for $2.25 and didn't need to be a union member.
In my hometown there were many union workers with families, I was friends with guys who had union dads. They worked at the Standard Oil refinery, Inland Steel, US Steel and their vendor support companies.
It was easy to know if a family was union. Their garages were loaded with tools stolen from the mills. One friend told me his dad said it was part of his pay, since the cash they paid to him was so low. It was taken for granted. But it was still breaking the law. Nobody cared since they all did it.
After graduation many of my friends got union mill jobs because of their dads. After a few years I heard every trick they used to get out of doing an honest day’s work. Where they could hide, how they got others to punch their time clock, the best way to steal tools were all revealed over a few beers. They were genuinely proud of their lack of accomplishment while still getting paid handsomely. They boasted in order to make us non-union folks and students seeking a higher education feel jealous.
This was all I needed to know to formulate my opinion of unions at an early age. Since then, whenever I read about how unions operate and cooperate with corrupt politicians and organized crime it only reinforced what I already knew.
What I do know is unions were once a necessary organization that protected workers. That was a long time ago. Since then they have become a political cash laundering machine and a ruthless enforcement tool. Brainwashed workers support unions without question. Considering that unions have driven a lot of manufacturing jobs out of the country, that is a puzzling thought. Workers are now owned by the unions and have little to say so they just go along to get along.
Since we have OSHA, the EPA and the NLRB why is there a need for unions? The same politicians that seem to have benefited most from unions have inadvertently replaced their usefulness.
A friend of a friend recently was hired by one of the steel mills. After not seeing his friend for a few weeks he asked how his job was going. The reply was, ”I haven’t started work, I’ve been going through union orientation.” When asked what he learned in orientation the guy replied, “how to grieve.”
Not to say that there are no hard working union workers, there are. But just as many are lazy, thieving and grieving cretins who cannot be terminated because of their union membership.
I have a few steelworker union friends that hunt with me. Good guys, hard workers. When I asked about the RTW law they shrugged it off. Even if it passes all the guys will still pay their dues along with any new hires, they agreed. Paying dues, one told me, is much cheaper than replacing busted windshields, sliced pickup truck tires or trips to the emergency room and intensive care.
RTW will not bust unions. What it threatens is the union’s ability to grow. It is intended to attract new manufacturers to set up plants in Indiana. A lot of Illinois businesses are expected to relocate as well as ones from far away.
There were heated RTW arguments locally. The anti-RTW protests in Indianapolis were conducted mostly by union workers, not a bunch of college slackers and bussed in paid protesters like in Madison Wisconsin last year. It got little play in the Chicago and national media. Last summer some politicians (D) fled for Illinois to stall the legislation for that year’s session. But it was inevitable RTW would pass.
Less than 10% of workers in Indiana are employed by union shops so RTW did not generate much resistance from honest citizens in the state. Believe me, if there was a large amount of resistance it would not have passed. Most Hosiers know what the union shakedown is all about.
Time will tell if the RTW law will bring in new business or not, if it will bust unions or not. I think it’s worth the effort to find out.
Those who will be hurt most are the ultimate beneficiaries of union support. It will be organized crime and corrupt liberal politicians who count on that cash cow to deliver.
Simply put, the law states that an employer is no longer bound to make an employee pay union dues as a requirement for employment.
Odd, none of the major media outlets both traditional and online made mention of it.
The local paper reported it this morning and the comment section is an interesting read. But why isn’t a large setback for big labor such as this generating major news? Could it be seen as an admission of weakness for the current national party in power? Especially since Indiana is a major Midwest manufacturing state? Soon, other states will use the Indiana example and join in to give their citizens a right to work.
Unions get little sympathy from me.
As a high school junior I worked at a local grocery store. Burger’s Supermarkets had three locations in northwest Indiana. My job was to bag customer groceries and place them on a large stand up wheel cart. Then I would travel with the customer to their vehicle and place the bags in the trunk or back seat.
Because membership in the Retail Clerk's Union was required to be an employee at Burger’s we made a few cents more than those working in a non-union store. We were not permitted to accept tips from customers due to the union/store agreement. Taking a tip was grounds for termination with zero union support. We made $1.70 per hour as part-time baggers in 1970. But it never stopped me from taking tips that would be anywhere from 25¢ to $1. On my best day I made about $5 in tips.
One assistant manager named Danny would go up on the roof usually on Saturdays equipped with binoculars. His mission was to catch the greedy baggers so he could fire them in order to set an example for the rest of us. In my two years at Burger’s he caught and fired three baggers.
No way would I turn down a tip since my future was not in the grocery business. If I got fired it would never appear on my resume anyway so good luck, Danny. Catch me if you can. He never did.
Considering there were large signs at the exit of the store telling customers that it was a Burger’s service policy to bag and deliver groceries so there was no need to tip, many older ladies ignored the signs. Danny told us there were secret shoppers that would tempt us with a tip, and if we took the tip the shopper would report our name. Guess I never carried groceries for his wife.
Union dues were taken out of our checks. I don’t recall how much but it was considerable for a kid making $1.70 per hour and I was not alone. We all thought we were being ripped off. That was my last job ever belonging to a union. I found a better job pumping gas and adding quarts of oil to cars for $2.25 and didn't need to be a union member.
In my hometown there were many union workers with families, I was friends with guys who had union dads. They worked at the Standard Oil refinery, Inland Steel, US Steel and their vendor support companies.
It was easy to know if a family was union. Their garages were loaded with tools stolen from the mills. One friend told me his dad said it was part of his pay, since the cash they paid to him was so low. It was taken for granted. But it was still breaking the law. Nobody cared since they all did it.
After graduation many of my friends got union mill jobs because of their dads. After a few years I heard every trick they used to get out of doing an honest day’s work. Where they could hide, how they got others to punch their time clock, the best way to steal tools were all revealed over a few beers. They were genuinely proud of their lack of accomplishment while still getting paid handsomely. They boasted in order to make us non-union folks and students seeking a higher education feel jealous.
This was all I needed to know to formulate my opinion of unions at an early age. Since then, whenever I read about how unions operate and cooperate with corrupt politicians and organized crime it only reinforced what I already knew.
What I do know is unions were once a necessary organization that protected workers. That was a long time ago. Since then they have become a political cash laundering machine and a ruthless enforcement tool. Brainwashed workers support unions without question. Considering that unions have driven a lot of manufacturing jobs out of the country, that is a puzzling thought. Workers are now owned by the unions and have little to say so they just go along to get along.
Since we have OSHA, the EPA and the NLRB why is there a need for unions? The same politicians that seem to have benefited most from unions have inadvertently replaced their usefulness.
A friend of a friend recently was hired by one of the steel mills. After not seeing his friend for a few weeks he asked how his job was going. The reply was, ”I haven’t started work, I’ve been going through union orientation.” When asked what he learned in orientation the guy replied, “how to grieve.”
Not to say that there are no hard working union workers, there are. But just as many are lazy, thieving and grieving cretins who cannot be terminated because of their union membership.
I have a few steelworker union friends that hunt with me. Good guys, hard workers. When I asked about the RTW law they shrugged it off. Even if it passes all the guys will still pay their dues along with any new hires, they agreed. Paying dues, one told me, is much cheaper than replacing busted windshields, sliced pickup truck tires or trips to the emergency room and intensive care.
RTW will not bust unions. What it threatens is the union’s ability to grow. It is intended to attract new manufacturers to set up plants in Indiana. A lot of Illinois businesses are expected to relocate as well as ones from far away.
There were heated RTW arguments locally. The anti-RTW protests in Indianapolis were conducted mostly by union workers, not a bunch of college slackers and bussed in paid protesters like in Madison Wisconsin last year. It got little play in the Chicago and national media. Last summer some politicians (D) fled for Illinois to stall the legislation for that year’s session. But it was inevitable RTW would pass.
Less than 10% of workers in Indiana are employed by union shops so RTW did not generate much resistance from honest citizens in the state. Believe me, if there was a large amount of resistance it would not have passed. Most Hosiers know what the union shakedown is all about.
Time will tell if the RTW law will bring in new business or not, if it will bust unions or not. I think it’s worth the effort to find out.
Those who will be hurt most are the ultimate beneficiaries of union support. It will be organized crime and corrupt liberal politicians who count on that cash cow to deliver.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
78 rpm records
I was over at a friend's house recently when we discussed 78 rpm records. He had some recordings that his grandmother had once owned of various Italian operas.
Growing up I obviously had a lot of experience with 33 rpm records and also had a few 45 singles, although they were mostly going by the wayside by the time I started collecting music. I had no experience at all with 78 rpm records.
These 78 rpm records were in mono. I didn't realize how short the records were - less than 3 minutes per side. This probably is obvious to an engineer (78 rpm spins faster than 33 rpm) but less so to an accountant.
The records were made of shellac and apparently they broke very easily. Now the records are in good hands so that isn't as much of a worry. You can see the ubiquitous "discwasher" record cleaner (for dust) alongside the record player; I remember diligently cleaning my albums each time on the turntable.
Wikipedia had a good history of 78 rpm records here (in their general record section). The records lost popularity in the US in the 1950's and became basically extinct in by 1960. It is interesting to me that a modern record player still has a 78 rpm setting given that this format essentially died out 60 years ago.
Another friend said that he remembered children's' albums being in 78 rpm format but that was before my time. Someday maybe someone will pull out an old cassette player and put in my cassettes (mix tapes) for ancient nostalgia's take, too.
Growing up I obviously had a lot of experience with 33 rpm records and also had a few 45 singles, although they were mostly going by the wayside by the time I started collecting music. I had no experience at all with 78 rpm records.
These 78 rpm records were in mono. I didn't realize how short the records were - less than 3 minutes per side. This probably is obvious to an engineer (78 rpm spins faster than 33 rpm) but less so to an accountant.
The records were made of shellac and apparently they broke very easily. Now the records are in good hands so that isn't as much of a worry. You can see the ubiquitous "discwasher" record cleaner (for dust) alongside the record player; I remember diligently cleaning my albums each time on the turntable.
Wikipedia had a good history of 78 rpm records here (in their general record section). The records lost popularity in the US in the 1950's and became basically extinct in by 1960. It is interesting to me that a modern record player still has a 78 rpm setting given that this format essentially died out 60 years ago.
Another friend said that he remembered children's' albums being in 78 rpm format but that was before my time. Someday maybe someone will pull out an old cassette player and put in my cassettes (mix tapes) for ancient nostalgia's take, too.
Braising Back Ribs
I don’t often cook back ribs...but when I do…I prefer to braise them.
Stay hungry my friends.
Perusing the meat section at the local grocery last week looking for inspiration I spotted the largest slabs of back ribs known to man. Saturday was cold so my interest was not in grilling or BBQ. The word baby had nothing to do with these back ribs. They weren’t cheap but they were huge with a disproportionate meat to bone ratio. It is unusual for me to see this in a back rib.
Then I recalled an oven braised back rib recipe we are both quite fond of.
Since back ribs have minimal fat content low and slow BBQ isn’t one of my options for them. They dry out too quick leaving little juicy meat for my taste. But in the middle of winter they make a fine Oriental style bone.
The trick to the best back ribs (to me) is braising them in an oven. A fine rub and a good braising liquid seal the deal. These taste more like the ribs served in Chinese restaurants than anything coming off the Weber.
It helps to keep a well-stocked herb and spice cabinet. When buying on impulse I am confident there is no need to concern myself with buying some herbs and spices we may not have in stock. We buy most of our favorites in bulk at GFS. I can’t knock Penzy’s brand or other specialty retailers who stock the freshest herbs and spices. In my experience I have found that some herbs such as bay leaves are items where you can really tell the difference when purchased at a specialty retailer.
We grow our own herbs in the summer and dry them for winter use such as basil, oregano, thyme and rosemary. You can’t beat fresh herbs. But I usually gag at the price of out-of-season fresh herbs at the grocery.
Spice comes from seeds and herbs come from leaves. Some spices I buy whole then roast and/or grind them myself.
This rub is similar to most with a slight twist and lots of brown sugar. Since we are now officially empty nesters we cook one slab, the following proportions are for two slabs:
8 T brown sugar
1 T Kosher salt (use less if the slab is cryo-packed)
1 T chilipowder
½ t ground black pepper
½ t cayenne
½ jalapeno seasoning (we use chipotle powder)
½ t Old Bay seasoning
½ t thyme
½ t onion powder
Before rubbing the ribs with the spice mixture I create a special foil pouch from heavy-duty aluminum foil. The idea is to create a tube of foil that the slab sits within. The ribs get rubbed with the dry ingredients and sit in the pouch for at least one hour in the refrigerator. The foil should he at least four inches from the ends of the slabs. The foil is brought over the top lengthwise and pinched. The short ends should be rolled up.
After a few hours in the refrigerator the foil rib packet is should be allowed to sit at room temp for at least half an hour. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.
The braising liquid.
1c white wine
2T white wine vinegar
1T worcestershire
1T honey
2 cloves garlic chopped (we use up to five cloves since there is never enough garlic)
Microwave all liquids in a safe container on high for one minute.
Place the foil pouch in a rimmed baking sheet. Unroll the foil ends to create a “snorkel” in which to pour in the liquid, then pinch the ends in an upward position so the liquid stays in the foil pouch. Divide the liquid in half, one for each pouch/slab if you are making two.
Braise for 2 ½ hours at 250 degrees.
Carefully remove the pouch from the oven and transfer the braising liquid to a pan. Simmer and stir until the sauce reduces by a half, creating a glaze. The process is complete when you are able to drag a spatula through the liquid leaving a clear trail behind.
Place the slab(s) onto a grate situated in the baking sheet and brush with the reduced sauce/glaze.
Broil until the sauce caramelizes, about five minutes should do but watch carefully so not to burn. Cut into two rib portions and toss in a bowl with the remaining sauce/glaze. Serve.
I prefer a chewy spare rib that needs to be gnawed off the bone if BBQ’ing. With these braised back ribs the bone separates easily, it is an entirely different experience. These literally fall apart.
There is no swiney flavor or par-boiled taste. There is an intoxicating Oriental flavor similar to five-spice.
I cannot think of a better way to enjoy back ribs.
Stay hungry my friends.
Perusing the meat section at the local grocery last week looking for inspiration I spotted the largest slabs of back ribs known to man. Saturday was cold so my interest was not in grilling or BBQ. The word baby had nothing to do with these back ribs. They weren’t cheap but they were huge with a disproportionate meat to bone ratio. It is unusual for me to see this in a back rib.
Then I recalled an oven braised back rib recipe we are both quite fond of.
Since back ribs have minimal fat content low and slow BBQ isn’t one of my options for them. They dry out too quick leaving little juicy meat for my taste. But in the middle of winter they make a fine Oriental style bone.
The trick to the best back ribs (to me) is braising them in an oven. A fine rub and a good braising liquid seal the deal. These taste more like the ribs served in Chinese restaurants than anything coming off the Weber.
It helps to keep a well-stocked herb and spice cabinet. When buying on impulse I am confident there is no need to concern myself with buying some herbs and spices we may not have in stock. We buy most of our favorites in bulk at GFS. I can’t knock Penzy’s brand or other specialty retailers who stock the freshest herbs and spices. In my experience I have found that some herbs such as bay leaves are items where you can really tell the difference when purchased at a specialty retailer.
We grow our own herbs in the summer and dry them for winter use such as basil, oregano, thyme and rosemary. You can’t beat fresh herbs. But I usually gag at the price of out-of-season fresh herbs at the grocery.
Spice comes from seeds and herbs come from leaves. Some spices I buy whole then roast and/or grind them myself.
This rub is similar to most with a slight twist and lots of brown sugar. Since we are now officially empty nesters we cook one slab, the following proportions are for two slabs:
8 T brown sugar
1 T Kosher salt (use less if the slab is cryo-packed)
1 T chilipowder
½ t ground black pepper
½ t cayenne
½ jalapeno seasoning (we use chipotle powder)
½ t Old Bay seasoning
½ t thyme
½ t onion powder
Before rubbing the ribs with the spice mixture I create a special foil pouch from heavy-duty aluminum foil. The idea is to create a tube of foil that the slab sits within. The ribs get rubbed with the dry ingredients and sit in the pouch for at least one hour in the refrigerator. The foil should he at least four inches from the ends of the slabs. The foil is brought over the top lengthwise and pinched. The short ends should be rolled up.
After a few hours in the refrigerator the foil rib packet is should be allowed to sit at room temp for at least half an hour. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.
The braising liquid.
1c white wine
2T white wine vinegar
1T worcestershire
1T honey
2 cloves garlic chopped (we use up to five cloves since there is never enough garlic)
Microwave all liquids in a safe container on high for one minute.
Place the foil pouch in a rimmed baking sheet. Unroll the foil ends to create a “snorkel” in which to pour in the liquid, then pinch the ends in an upward position so the liquid stays in the foil pouch. Divide the liquid in half, one for each pouch/slab if you are making two.
Braise for 2 ½ hours at 250 degrees.
Carefully remove the pouch from the oven and transfer the braising liquid to a pan. Simmer and stir until the sauce reduces by a half, creating a glaze. The process is complete when you are able to drag a spatula through the liquid leaving a clear trail behind.
Place the slab(s) onto a grate situated in the baking sheet and brush with the reduced sauce/glaze.
Broil until the sauce caramelizes, about five minutes should do but watch carefully so not to burn. Cut into two rib portions and toss in a bowl with the remaining sauce/glaze. Serve.
I prefer a chewy spare rib that needs to be gnawed off the bone if BBQ’ing. With these braised back ribs the bone separates easily, it is an entirely different experience. These literally fall apart.
There is no swiney flavor or par-boiled taste. There is an intoxicating Oriental flavor similar to five-spice.
I cannot think of a better way to enjoy back ribs.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Saturday Night Sixties
It’s Saturday night. Time to relax. Let’s set the wayback machine for the 60’s, my favorite decade.
Pour yourself a big, stiff cocktail. Put a thick wax platter on the turntable of the hi-fi and gently drop that needle.
Pour yourself a big, stiff cocktail. Put a thick wax platter on the turntable of the hi-fi and gently drop that needle.
The Art Of Hipgnosis
I was having a drink one night reading an article about someone's "favorite things" and they mentioned an out-of-print book from the 70's about the firm Hipgnosis that designed iconic album covers. Literally 5 or so clicks later I ordered it from my iPhone through Amazon and it recently arrived (amazing what the internet can do).
Hipgnosis was the name of the now-defunct firm that produced all the record covers that you have in your collection from the era when a record cover was a work of art, something to look at for hours on end while the music played over your stereo (or headphones). Wikipedia has a good summary of the firm here and also the main designer (Storm Thogerson) here who even today still creates great CD Covers (it doesn't sound the same, I admit) for bands like Muse. Here is a great site (non official) of Hipgnosis material, as well.
I was very impressed with these record covers growing up. At that time the internet didn't exist so unless you went to a show and saw the band "in the flesh" or read a music magazine (which I never paid for) at a magazine stand you didn't know much about the band "behind the music" so these iconic images helped you to imagine what the band stood for. Plus Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd and similar artists never really toured the states when I was at an age to afford to attend shows so their "message" came through on album covers, posters, and sleeves.
Some of the album art that Hipgnosis made from the 70's era is from great bands and albums like "The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway", the Pink Floyd classics, and the Led Zeppelin era, as well as the Peter Gabriel unnamed solo albums. These bands seemed to stand well with the images.
I am a huge Michael Schenker / UFO fan and loved their covers, too, except I didn't really understand them (especially "Force It" with the gleaming bathroom appliances). Obsession with the "ball bearing" images didn't make the book but it also was iconic.
Then you get the more obscure bands like Montrose (Sammy Hagar's band before he went solo) with their "arty" covers. Some of the band covers are hilarious when juxtaposition-ed against the fact that much of the underlying music was awful. Obviously these images were damn racy in the day; when I bought the book there were photocopies from a xerox machine inside the book of some of the racier album covers involving human body parts. These photocopies were likely 15 years old (nowadays way racier stuff is everywhere in the internet).
I also like the logos (in the collage) and the inside sleeve from "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway". Hipgnosis really did outstanding work and I highly recommend the book if you can find it. The book is organized in a somewhat "cheeky" fashion (they are British, after all) with the famous "Flying Pig" over the power station for "Animals" filed under the category "Fiascos".
Cross posted at Chicago Boyz
Hipgnosis was the name of the now-defunct firm that produced all the record covers that you have in your collection from the era when a record cover was a work of art, something to look at for hours on end while the music played over your stereo (or headphones). Wikipedia has a good summary of the firm here and also the main designer (Storm Thogerson) here who even today still creates great CD Covers (it doesn't sound the same, I admit) for bands like Muse. Here is a great site (non official) of Hipgnosis material, as well.
I was very impressed with these record covers growing up. At that time the internet didn't exist so unless you went to a show and saw the band "in the flesh" or read a music magazine (which I never paid for) at a magazine stand you didn't know much about the band "behind the music" so these iconic images helped you to imagine what the band stood for. Plus Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd and similar artists never really toured the states when I was at an age to afford to attend shows so their "message" came through on album covers, posters, and sleeves.
Some of the album art that Hipgnosis made from the 70's era is from great bands and albums like "The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway", the Pink Floyd classics, and the Led Zeppelin era, as well as the Peter Gabriel unnamed solo albums. These bands seemed to stand well with the images.
I am a huge Michael Schenker / UFO fan and loved their covers, too, except I didn't really understand them (especially "Force It" with the gleaming bathroom appliances). Obsession with the "ball bearing" images didn't make the book but it also was iconic.
Then you get the more obscure bands like Montrose (Sammy Hagar's band before he went solo) with their "arty" covers. Some of the band covers are hilarious when juxtaposition-ed against the fact that much of the underlying music was awful. Obviously these images were damn racy in the day; when I bought the book there were photocopies from a xerox machine inside the book of some of the racier album covers involving human body parts. These photocopies were likely 15 years old (nowadays way racier stuff is everywhere in the internet).
I also like the logos (in the collage) and the inside sleeve from "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway". Hipgnosis really did outstanding work and I highly recommend the book if you can find it. The book is organized in a somewhat "cheeky" fashion (they are British, after all) with the famous "Flying Pig" over the power station for "Animals" filed under the category "Fiascos".
Cross posted at Chicago Boyz
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
My Man Mitch
Never felt so good to be a Hoosier. Twenty years ago we made the smart choice in leaving Illinois to move back to the free world of Indiana, where the U.S. Constitution still means something.
A photo I took of Mitch as he waved to me at the Indy500 parade three years ago.
For the first time in the last three years I am proud of my country because it feels like common sense is finally making a comeback.”
In case you missed the Mitch response last night here are my favorite quotes.
“The President did not cause the economic and fiscal crises that continue in America tonight. But he was elected on a promise to fix them, and he cannot claim that the last three years have made things anything but worse: the percentage of Americans with a job is at the lowest in decades.”
“He seems to sincerely believe we can build a middle class out of government jobs paid for with borrowed dollars. In fact, it works the other way: a government as big and bossy as this one is maintained on the backs of the middle class, and those who hope to join it.”
“As Republicans our first concern is for those waiting tonight to begin or resume the climb up life’s ladder. We do not accept that ours will ever be a nation of haves and have not’s; we must always be a nation of haves and soon to haves.”
“Contrary to the President's constant disparagement of people in business, it's one of the noblest of human pursuits. The late Steve Jobs - what a fitting name he had - created more of them than all those stimulus dollars the President borrowed and blew.”
Out here in Indiana, when a businessperson asks me what he can do for our state, I say ‘First, make money. Be successful. If you make a profit, you'll have something left to hire someone else, and some to donate to the good causes we love.”
“The extremism that stifles the development of homegrown energy, or cancels a perfectly safe pipeline that would employ tens of thousands, or jacks up consumer utility bills for no improvement in either human health or world temperature, is a pro-poverty policy. It must be replaced by a passionate pro-growth approach that breaks all ties and calls all close ones in favor of private sector jobs that restore opportunity for all and generate the public revenues to pay our bills.”
“It's not fair and it's not true for the President to attack Republicans in Congress as obstacles on these questions. They and they alone have passed bills to reduce borrowing, reform entitlements, and encourage new job creation, only to be shot down time and time again by the President and his Democratic Senate allies.”
“No feature of the Obama Presidency has been sadder than its constant efforts to divide us, to curry favor with some Americans by castigating others. As in previous moments of national danger, we Americans are all in the same boat.”
We will fall for the con job that says we can just plow ahead and someone else will pick up the tab. We will allow ourselves to be pitted one against the other, blaming our neighbor for troubles worldwide trends or our own government has caused.”
And here’s my favorite:
“In word and deed, the President and his allies tell us that we just cannot handle ourselves in this complex, perilous world without their benevolent protection. Left to ourselves, we might pick the wrong health insurance, the wrong mortgage, the wrong school for our kids; why, unless they stop us, we might pick the wrong light bulb!”
The entire content is here.
Mitch is about to win one last battle in my state. the Indiana Right To Work law. It will be the last courageous act of a conservative governor restricted to a limit of two terms.
While Mitch will be moving back to the private sector next January we should be in good shape for another eight years. This guy will win easily.
A photo I took of Mitch as he waved to me at the Indy500 parade three years ago.
For the first time in the last three years I am proud of my country because it feels like common sense is finally making a comeback.”
In case you missed the Mitch response last night here are my favorite quotes.
“The President did not cause the economic and fiscal crises that continue in America tonight. But he was elected on a promise to fix them, and he cannot claim that the last three years have made things anything but worse: the percentage of Americans with a job is at the lowest in decades.”
“He seems to sincerely believe we can build a middle class out of government jobs paid for with borrowed dollars. In fact, it works the other way: a government as big and bossy as this one is maintained on the backs of the middle class, and those who hope to join it.”
“As Republicans our first concern is for those waiting tonight to begin or resume the climb up life’s ladder. We do not accept that ours will ever be a nation of haves and have not’s; we must always be a nation of haves and soon to haves.”
“Contrary to the President's constant disparagement of people in business, it's one of the noblest of human pursuits. The late Steve Jobs - what a fitting name he had - created more of them than all those stimulus dollars the President borrowed and blew.”
Out here in Indiana, when a businessperson asks me what he can do for our state, I say ‘First, make money. Be successful. If you make a profit, you'll have something left to hire someone else, and some to donate to the good causes we love.”
“The extremism that stifles the development of homegrown energy, or cancels a perfectly safe pipeline that would employ tens of thousands, or jacks up consumer utility bills for no improvement in either human health or world temperature, is a pro-poverty policy. It must be replaced by a passionate pro-growth approach that breaks all ties and calls all close ones in favor of private sector jobs that restore opportunity for all and generate the public revenues to pay our bills.”
“It's not fair and it's not true for the President to attack Republicans in Congress as obstacles on these questions. They and they alone have passed bills to reduce borrowing, reform entitlements, and encourage new job creation, only to be shot down time and time again by the President and his Democratic Senate allies.”
“No feature of the Obama Presidency has been sadder than its constant efforts to divide us, to curry favor with some Americans by castigating others. As in previous moments of national danger, we Americans are all in the same boat.”
We will fall for the con job that says we can just plow ahead and someone else will pick up the tab. We will allow ourselves to be pitted one against the other, blaming our neighbor for troubles worldwide trends or our own government has caused.”
And here’s my favorite:
“In word and deed, the President and his allies tell us that we just cannot handle ourselves in this complex, perilous world without their benevolent protection. Left to ourselves, we might pick the wrong health insurance, the wrong mortgage, the wrong school for our kids; why, unless they stop us, we might pick the wrong light bulb!”
The entire content is here.
Mitch is about to win one last battle in my state. the Indiana Right To Work law. It will be the last courageous act of a conservative governor restricted to a limit of two terms.
While Mitch will be moving back to the private sector next January we should be in good shape for another eight years. This guy will win easily.
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