Count Duckula - Vegetarian Vampire

My girlfriend loves Count Duckula, and who can blame her he is a vegetarian vampire!!  She loves him so much that on one of her blogs she had his picture as her icon.  Well one day she got a nasty post from some guy that claimed that she didn't have the right to use the picture because he didn't give the OK.  What the hell?  Since when do we have to have permission to use pictures that we find on the web for noncommercial and non financial gain?  I don't know if this guy was just a poser and being a big dick but shame on him either way.  If he was being a dick then get a life, if he was the creator then be glad someone loves your character enough to use a picture of it on their website for everyone to see and maybe want to learn more about and maybe just maybe you can make some money off of that.  So this is my homage to Count Duckula!

Serena Williams and the "Tirade of the Century"

So i just want to start off by saying that one of me favorite tennis players of all time is Serena Williams.  One of my other favorite players is John McEnroe.  I think you can see where i am going here...
Serena had a freak out, we all have them, hers was just on an international stage.  She is one of the most controlled and polite tennis players out there (along with her sister Venus) and rarely does she even complain about the calls but that day she did.  She was one of the players against the new challenge system saying that the officials do a damn good job and it isn't needed and she rarely uses it.  I say deal with it people.  Everyone is entitled to a bad day.  One of the first things she did after the match was apologize.  You think John McEnroe ever apologized, hell no he didn't but that was in a different time and maybe some of these rules that affect the players today are in regards to actions of long ago.  Players should be able to voice their opinions and smash their rackets.  Who is it really hurting if they smash their racket on the ground besides them anyway, its not like they are throwing things at people.  If they really wanted to get back at the officials they would just aim a 120 mile serve at their chair and say sorry the wind took it with an evil glint in their eye.  Well maybe that is just my evil mind at work. 
Instead of berating Serena for one of the few times she acted human I think we should congratulate her for all the other times she has seen bad calls not go her way and acted like a lady.  For the times that she has showed class and honor among professional athletes in a time where there is more news about dog fighting, drunk driving, murder, gun possesion, rape, etc... I say good job Serena!  You are a lady, a professional, and an inspiration to women every where.

Laziness vs. Procrastination

I was gonna write this a couple of weeks ago but you know...

UFC 102

So is anyone else as unexcited about this upcoming UFC?  Don't get me wrong I love the UFC and I love to watch the fights and all these fighters are pretty awesome in their own right but come on...  Randy Couture should have stayed retired with the belt and Nogueira should have retired after his loss to Frank Mir.

It is true that Nogueira is 2-1 in his last 3 fights but his last fight against Mir was like putting a punching bag in the octagon for Mir to punish.  His fight against Heath Herring was a lucky win because Herring kept letting him stand up in the first round after being knocked into semi-consciousness.  And what can we really say about the fight against Tim Sylvia, its Tim Sylvia for cripes sake.  I mean sure in the earlier days of his career he was a descent fighter but I don't know what happened to him.  Now he is just lazy, doesn't prepare very well for his fights and he is becoming a big joke in the MMA world.

As for Couture I admit I was apprehensive when he came back to fight Tim Sylvia (Tim was more in his prime then) but as that fight got closer to happening and the interviews I watched with both fighters I knew he was going to pick him apart.  I believe this is when Tim Sylvia started getting lazy.  He underestimated his opponent and that is never a good thing. Couture is also 2-1 in his last three fights but one of those wins includes the title fight against Tim Sylvia.  In Couture's last eight fights he has been TKO'd 2 times and KO'd twice and we all know that is not good for a fighter.

I understand the feeling an athlete gets when they think they have one more in them but you also have to be aware of your limitations and realize when it is time to call it quits.  Nogueira might have a couple more fights in him since he is 13 years younger than Couture but he better look a hell of a lot better than he did against Mir and Couture better look a hell of a lot better than he did against Lesnar.  They are saying whoever wins this fight will probably get the next title shot.  If Lesnar wins his upcoming fight against Shane Carwin he could possibly face Couture again.  I don't know about you but I am sick and tired of the same fighters going against each other over and over again.  Yes it is good to have rivalries but if all they do if fight each other how is that good for the sport.  That is the problem the heavyweight division has gotten itself into.  They do not take into account the lesser known fighters and they just pit the same 3 or 4 fighters against each other and it gets so boring.  I hope Shane Carwin wins the belt, not only because I think Lesnar needs to be taken down a peg but also I think it would be good for the sport to have more than one top Heavyweight in the ranks.

Ok now for the undercard:

Keith Jardine vs. Thiago Silva
Chris Leben Vs. Jake Rosholt
Nate Marquardt Vs. Demian Maia
Brandon Vera Vs. Krzysztof Soszynski

May not be broadcast. Click for details.
Ed Herman Vs. Aaron Simpson
Gabriel Gonzaga Vs. Chris Tuchscherer
Justin McCully Vs. Mike Russow
Tim Hague Vs. Todd Duffee
Nick Catone Vs. Mark Munoz
Marcus Aurelio Vs. Evan Dunham

I have no interest in watching Keith Jardine fight, to be honest he kinda creeps me out.  Brandon Vera vs. Krzysztof Soszynski might be good only if they both punch each other into unconciousness and call it a draw.  I do love me some Crippler and would love to see him get back on the straight and narrow, and I really hope Nate Marquardt kick the living crap out of overrated Demian Maia.  I would rather see some of the fights that probably won't be shown because the main card will probably all go to decision.  Mainly I would like to see them fight because they have the best nicknames I have heard in a while: Tim "The Thrashing Machine" Hague, Chris "The Crowbar" Tuchscherer, and Justin "The Nsane1" McCully.  Yes he actually requested that it be spelled just like that.

Cream of Asparagus Soup

The following recipe is divine, it is so refreshing and bold I almost don't want to share it with anyone.  Oh well its not like its my recipe... btw you will need an immersion blender.

Cream of Asparagus Soup 

(or just Asparagus Soup if you don't want the cream)

** please read the tips section before proceeding with cooking**

1 Tablespoon unsalted butter

4 ounces shallots, peeled and quartered

1-2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed

2 1/2 pounds fresh asparagus, cut into 3/4 inch pieces, tips reserved

6 ounces red potato, peeled, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1/2 cup dry white wine or vermouth

3 cups fat free low-sodium chicken stock

1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 cup heavy cream or half-and-half (optional)

** please read the tips section before proceeding with cooking**

1. Melt butter in a 4-quart saucepan over medium low heat.  

2. Add shallots and crushed garlic and saute over medium low heat for about 5 minutes.  DO NOT BROWN

3. When shallots are soft add asparagus (not the tips) and potato to saucepan and cook for about 6 minutes or until asparagus is bright in color

4. Add wine, raise the heat to bring to a boil

5. Reduce wine until a scant tablespoon remains

6. Add chicken stock, bring to a boil then reduce heat to low

7. Simmer for about 20 minutes until vegetables are soft

               7a. While soup is simmering boil 2 cups water

               7b. Add asparagus tips and cook until just tender and bright green

               7c. Drain and immediately plunge asparagus into an ice bath to stop cooking

               7d. Drain and dry completely

8. Use your immersion blender until ingredients are well combined

9. Add seasoning if needed and cream if using.

10. Serve soup hot garnished with reserved asparagus tips, ENJOY!

**Some tips that I have learned**

1. Use a narrow pan so that the immersion blender can go deeper than in a shallower wider pan

2. Instead of white wine I use white wine and herb broth

3. Taste before you season, it might not need anything at all

4. Use kosher salt instead of regular salt

5. Try using white pepper instead of black

6. I use Italian seasonings instead of just basil

7. Cut everything up prior to starting, it just makes it a little less stressful

This recipe is courtesy of Cuisinart

For those of you that want to know nutritional information:

(these will change depending on your choice of ingredients)

1 cup serving

81 calories (28% from fat)

10g carbs

4g protein

3g fat

1f saturated fat

6mg cholesterol

525mg sodium

36mg calcium

2g fiber

Dinner

Why can't you eat the same protein 2 days in a row, or even three?  It isn't like its the same meal.  Chicken stroganoff is way different than barbecue chicken or fried chicken or chicken stir fry.  Just like hamburgers are different than sloppy joes or roast or stew or steak and gravy.  Hell sometimes you can't even tell the difference between pork and chicken.  I think if you don't want to tell me what you want for dinner you can't complain about what I make.  And for that matter if you complain about dinner then maybe you should make it your damn self.  Oh and btw, next time you complain about me shopping to stock the freezer i am going to punch you in the face because when i run out of something you complain about that too.  Wouldn't you rather have the stuff so you can have different things for every meal?  You didn't complain last night when i wasn't here to cook you dinner and you could just pull something out of the freezer and cook it.  Maybe i am just a little too sensitive.
Oh yeah, one more thing....  IF I COOK THEN I SHOULDN'T HAVE TO DO THE DISHES!!!  Its not like i mind doing them but i like to do them in my own time, usually the next morning.  So if you insist that i do them just let me do them when i want to or you can do them yourself.

Zilch

So I found this new game on my computer called Zilch. It is a dice game closely related to yahtzee but also very different. It goes a little like this:

First Round:
You have six dice and you have to get at least 500 points before you can stop and if you do not get 500 points then you have to stay at zero until you do even though your opponents might be scoring every time. As long as you have a die to put in play you can keep going, but if you get nothing on your next roll then you lose all your points and have to start over on the next roll.

Scoring:

Zilch Scoring
Dice Roll	Score
1	100
5	50
1 1 1	1000
2 2 2	200
3 3 3	300
4 4 4	400
5 5 5	500
6 6 6	600
4 of a kind	2 x 3 of a kind
5 of a kind	4 x 3 of a kind
6 of a kind	8 x 3 of a kind
1 2 3 4 5 6	1500
Any 3 pairs	1000

Next Round (and every other round after you score you initial 500):
You keep rolling your dice and as long as you have something to play you can keep going. Keep in mind that if you roll nothing that you can put on the board it is considered a Zilch and you get nothing. It doesn't matter if you had 2000 points, they are gone forever. If you use all 6 of your dice then you get to roll another 6 but there is always a chance to get zilch even with all 6 dice in play so keep this in mind if you have a lot of points at stake.

End Game:
To end the game someone has to get 10,000 points. It is better to get over 10,000 by as much as you can however as I have been ahead by 5000 points and lost. It is so frustrating but fun at the same time. I have only played this on my computer and that is probably a good thing as my family if very competitive and we would have dice thrown through windows and at the cats and so forth. Probably wouldn't be a pretty picture.

* Rules may vary by version and who plays the game. It is also known as Farkle, Zero, Nil, etc...