Washburn's Top 5 of the Day

PROLOGUE:
Just so you know... I am such a slut for countdowns and rankings. I don't know why, but whenever say VH1 has on one of those stupid countdowns like... "The Top 100 Craziest Moments in Heavy Metal History" or "The 50 Sexiest Bitches of 2006" I just gotta know what is number one... So, with this spirit of countdown intrigue in mind, I decided to start my own random countdowns... Mine are only Top 5, but I hope they will provide you with an insight to my thinking, and also a few chuckles.

Without further delay... The first of Washburn's Top 5 of the Day...

The Top 5 Beers (That I Would Willingly Fork Over My Hard-Earned Cash For) are...
#5 - Pacifico Clara. I love this beer, and not just at the beach. I enjoy a lot of Mexican beers, and while Negro Madello ranks up there, Pacifico is the most enjoyable to me. It isn't too expensive, and it goes down easily. I could drink Pacifico at any time and be satisfied. It's an "everyday, allday" kind of brew.

#4 - Miller High Life. The High Life; AKA, The Champagne of Beers. This one holds a special place in my heart, as it was the very first beer that I LEGALLY drank. I was at this really crappy restaurant in Harrisburg for my birthday, and the beer selection was pretty skimpy, so High Life stood out like a golden God amongst the likes of Bud Light and Coors. Ever since, I have no problems buying a case now and again. Plus, Jen likes it, so it is a beer we can agree upon.

#3 - Rouge Shakespeare Stout. This beer is so awesome. So dark, roasty, and toasty. It is a senses explosion. Lots of flavor. You can't drink it too quickly, nor would you want to. It is to be savored. This is what stout is supposed to be... thick, complex, dark, roasty, and most of all, hearty. Just like the great Bard himself. Here's to you, Bill Shakspeare. But be aware, too much is no good. As Shakespeare said himself, in Macbeth, "It provokes the desire but it take away the performance."

#2 - Newcastle Brown Ale. I raise my cup to thee. I love this beer. A favorite of mine to go along with a glass of cold scotch. A great chaser. Strong flavor, full-bodied, aromatic. It is also one of the longest lasting and most successful breweries in England, making it a staple and a classic.

and last, but not least.... #1 - Guinness. By Far Guinness is the best beer EVER created my man, or God, or Man-God, or anything else. This is the beer, in my opinion, that all others are judged by and should pay homage to. It's place so sacred in my heart, that I intend to make a pilgrimage to St. James Gate, Dublin just to worship and be blissful. It is a shrine of all that is good in beer. I wonder, could I baptize my first born in its goodness???

"I hope that's not on the telly!!!"

Steven Gerrard of Liverpool FC...




ps... Manc. U. sucks!!!!!

Thanks

A big "thank you" to all of you who have been so supportive already of my father and my whole family. It looks like he will have another long go at it... we appreciate all of our friends and family. Thank you.

Valentine's Day 2009

...which actually took place on the day AFTER Valentine's Day, 2009. Which is OK, because, I think Jen and I have rarely been able to actually celebrate V-day on the 14th. Anyway... Jen was gone all day on the 14th with her color guard, so the 15th became our Valentine's Day this year.

It was great! We stayed in, and I cooked dinner. I had gone to Wegman's the day before to get all the necessary ingredients. As some know, I absolutely love to cook. I could definitely see it becoming a serious hobby of mine in the future, once I give up one of my other many hobbies, haha! Anyway, I decided to actually create a menu this time and create a multi-course, restaurant style meal. I planned it out Saturday morning while Jen was at rehearsal, and then went shopping in the afternoon. The menu was thus...

1st Course - Appetizer
Shrimp Trio: Three different shrimp inspired dishes.
a) Standard Shrimp Cocktail w/ fresh lemon slices
b) Teriyaki Stir-Fried Shrimp Skewers
c) Shrimp and Shitaki White Miso w/ seaweed

2nd Course - Main Dish
Crab Stuffed Chicken Breast and Brocolli

3rd Course - Dessert
Fresh Strawberries in Heavy Whipping Cream
(and of course, some Hersehy's Kisses)

All in all, it was a fantastic dinner. I am really happy it turned out the way it did. I am going to be writing down the recipe, as I was pretty much making it up as a I went along... so, if anyone wants it, let me know.

I got Jen some flowers and a gift card to a beauty shop she likes. She got me the new Bird and the Bee CD ("Ray Guns Are Not Just the Future"), which I must say, it really a great album. I had read some reviews of it and it was being given some great critique, and I absolutely loved their first album. I am glad Jen got me the CD, because I was seriously considering buying it off of iTunes that very day. The track called "Witch" seriously sounds like it could be an opening credits song to a James Bond film from the 70's or 80's. I love it. Anyway, great Valentine's Day this year! I'm sad that the weekend has come to an end.

Hit the lights!!!!

So, I arrived at Red Land High School this morning around the same time I always do (6:58am) and proceed to walk towards the door I usually enter at. I pass another entrance on the way to my usual one and another teacher is holding the door open for me, so I enter there. I didn't think much of it, just a nice gesture, but then I notice that the hallways in the school appear to be rather dark. Anyway, I started walking towards the room with the coffee makers in them, hoping to get some coffee... ugh! No coffee. It was then that I finally realized, uh, the power is out. HAHA, I must not have been totally awake yet. I proceeded to the office and they wanted help corralling students into the auditorium. The next thing I know, one of the principals was asking me to pull bathroom duty with a flashlight... basically, since there are no windows in the bathrooms, they were pitch black dark... so, I stood by the boys bathroom on the second floor and held a flashlight for any boy that needed to use it... Today was much more like babysitting rather then teaching... I saw my first class and that was it, only for about 50 minutes and then they were sent home by 10am. Needless to say, right around that time, the power kicked back on, and no us teachers are here for the rest of the day working on curriculum writing and other logistical stuff... ugh... it makes the day go so slow...

Anyway, as soon as I realized the power was out... I don'tknow why, but I kept thinking of the song "Hit the Lights" by Metallica... totally b.a....

A-Rod Comes Clean...sort of...

I just watched the Peter Gammon's interview of Alex Rodriguez. I don't know what to say. I mean, he has admitted to it, but he has left a lot of things unanswered, and he avoided answering anything completely. I don't know, I guess this is a step above what McGwire, Bonds, and Palmeiro have done... but still. I just can't help but feel that he has been totally honest, not 100%.

One thing that really ticks me off... A-Rod said, "I respect the game of baseball." This is total B.S. and I don't even understand how he can say that now. He cheated the game of baseball. You don't cheat what you respect. Whether or not he is telling the truth in saying that he has been clean since 2004 on... I don't know. One thing is for sure, I am willing to bet A-Rod will definitely be clean from here on out. So frustrating...

The Melancholy Ballad of A-Roids

Err... I mean A-Rod.

I can't stand this crap. I don't know what to think.
As much as I don't like A-Rod, I still, for whatever reason, had hope that A-Rod was going to come out clean in the end, whether he breaks all the records or not. He is the enemy, don't get me wrong, I can't stand anyone who plays for the Yankees... but at the same time, I will adamantly and openly admit that he is (well... was) a great, great baseball player. Now, I can't even say that, knowing that he is going to be lumped into that same category of former baseball heroes of mine (Bonds, Clemmens, Canseco, McGwire, et al...)

It was interesting... I was reading the Sunday Patriot News yesterday, and in the sports section they had a list of the top 15 career homerun hitters in MLB. One-third of that list has now been linked to using HGH and/or steroids to help them achieve that elite status. A list, by the way, in which A-Rod is only 11 homers away from passing another Yankees great, Reggie Jackson. Who knows, A-Rod always gets off to a hot start, he probably could pass Reggie by the beggining of May. IT doesn't matter when he passes Reggie now, he will be shamed and booed beyond beleif. Good luck, New York. This is just more fuel for the fire, more reason for the Red Sox to crush the Yankees this year. I hope it happens in glorious fashion. Bring it on, A-Rod, you've lost what little respect we Red Sox fans did have for you.

The top 15 Hitters (* = cheaters)

1	Barry Bonds	762 *
2	Hank Aaron	755
3	Babe Ruth	714
4	Willie Mays	660
5	Ken Griffey, Jr.	611
6	Sammy Sosa	609 *
7	Frank Robinson	586
8	Mark McGwire	583 *
9	Harmon Killebrew	573
10	Rafael Palmeiro	569 *
11	Reggie Jackson	563
12	Alex Rodriguez	553 *
13	Mike Schmidt	548
14	Jim Thome	541
15	Mickey Mantle	536

[CUT!]

Check out this guys mock-SCV audition video for the cymbal line. I was seriously giggling while watching it... HAHAHA.... Great stuff.

If you wanna see more audition videos for other corps from this guy, check out his stuff on YouTube!

Even Trekkies Can Be Ruthless

I'm sorry, but I just had to steal this, courtesy of Bill George, who emailed it to me today. Absolutely ridiculous...

Man Robs Stores with Klingon Sword

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Colorado Springs police are looking for a man who hit two 7-Eleven convenience stores early Wednesday, armed with a Klingon sword.
The first robbery was reported at 1:50 a.m., at 145 N Spruce St. The clerk told police a white man in his 20s, wearing a black jacket, blue jeans and wearing a black mask, entered the store with a weapon the clerk recognized from the Star Trek TV series.
The robber demanded money and left with an undisclosed amount.
A half hour later, police received a call from a 7-Eleven at 2407 N. Union Blvd., where a man matching the previous description entered the store with a similar weapon. He also demanded money from the store clerk. The clerk refused and the robber ran off.
Both clerks described the weapon as a Star Trek Klingon type sword, called a "Batleth."
Neither clerk was injured in the robberies.

Copyright 2009 by TheDenverChannel.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Manny being dumb...

This is from ESPN.com...
"Manny Ramirez has rejected the Los Angeles Dodgers' one-year, $25 million offer."

What the heck!?!? I don't think he is going to get a better offer anywhere else. I think he is trying to get them to push it to at least 2 years, but I don't think that will happen, and if it does, no way are they going to give him $25million for both years, no way... Well, at least, I would be very shocked if they did.

I could use some ZzZzZzZzZzZz......

Jared wants to sleep........