Paraphrasing (read: blatantly stealing) from a chapter in Keith Olbermann and Dan Patrick's book The Big Show with this title. Read it (the book, I mean, not the title since you probably already read that) if you get the chance.
A few weeks ago a crew from the NHL came through at Panini showing how cards are made.
Guess who ended up as the photo editing representative at about the 3:20 mark?
Check it out here!
I was hoping to embed the video but I'm not having much luck with it. Oh well. Click the link and check it out!
Blog is on indefinite hiatus as of November 2020.
Showing posts with label ACH Thursday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ACH Thursday. Show all posts
Thursday, November 14, 2013
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Anything Can Happen Thursday, Vol. 2
This time I remembered! Granted, only 20 minutes before I should be heading for bed but whatever. I'm writing, at least.
I was hoping I'd be on my way to having a new guitar to talk about, but alas, I was outbid on this one last night. It's the exact style I want in the exact color I want at an affordable price. Alas, not quite affordable enough as I only have about $230 in the guitar fund right now. But at least I know it exists.
I currently have four guitars-- a 2003 Fender Splatter Stratocaster (AKA the Splattercaster), a 2002 Austin acoustic, a Bently acoustic that actually belongs to my in-laws but I borrowed before I got the Austin down here, and a Samick Greg Bennett Avion AV3 (basically a Les Paul copy). My amp is sitting in Ohio right now, but I hope to get it down here the next time I go up there. It's a simple Fender Princeton 65.
I was hoping to add a Thinline Telecaster to the mix because I love the sound it gets. It would add a different sound to what I have and is pretty versatile. If you haven't heard it, here's guitar guru Greg Koch showing it off.
I'm not half or even a quarter as good as Greg Koch, so don't expect me to pick it up and play like that. I love the sound from the bridge pickup (just after the 1:20 mark). I'm not big on country music for the most part, but the sound of it from that pickup is awesome.
This is one guitar I'm going to get pretty picky on if I can. It has to be in the 1969 style over the 1972-- '69 had the typical Telecaster single-coil pickups, while the '72 has humbuckers. I'd prefer it be a Fender-- not a Squier or some off brand, but I could settle for a Squier or a really good sounding cheapie. It has to be a Thinline (semi-hollowbody for those wondering). And I want it in a two or three tone sunburst. Bonus if it has a Bigsby-style tremolo on it. If not, I might add one on later. I could guarantee I get all of that if I felt like plunking down $1000. But I'd prefer it not get to that. Hence why I was so hopeful for this eBay axe. Oh well-- at least I know it's out there at a damn good price. If I found it once, I can find it a second time.
For a while I thought about selling the Strat to help pay for it, but now there's no way I'll do that. I've been playing it more lately and I do like the sound it gets.
Next stop: a new amp. I'll probably just hit up Guitar Center for a used one. Besides the one in Ohio, all I have is my Danelectro Honeytone 1-watt practice amp. Got a wah pedal back in Wichita Falls, and a Digitech RP50 in Ohio that may or may not work. Either way, I want to get some better effects after I get the Thinline and an amp. Then I might get around to putting that killswitch I want to install on the LP copy. We'll see.
I'm also considering going out and busking after Rangers games. A few times I've seen a sax player on a corner playing for change. I might find a different corner with the acoustic and go wild. We'll see what happens. That's the great part about having a guitar with a backpack style gig bag and the bike (finally!): maybe I can make a couple quick trips to make a few bucks on the side when I'm not hounding the tunnel postgame, and get some exercise all in one fell swoop.
I was hoping I'd be on my way to having a new guitar to talk about, but alas, I was outbid on this one last night. It's the exact style I want in the exact color I want at an affordable price. Alas, not quite affordable enough as I only have about $230 in the guitar fund right now. But at least I know it exists.
I currently have four guitars-- a 2003 Fender Splatter Stratocaster (AKA the Splattercaster), a 2002 Austin acoustic, a Bently acoustic that actually belongs to my in-laws but I borrowed before I got the Austin down here, and a Samick Greg Bennett Avion AV3 (basically a Les Paul copy). My amp is sitting in Ohio right now, but I hope to get it down here the next time I go up there. It's a simple Fender Princeton 65.
I was hoping to add a Thinline Telecaster to the mix because I love the sound it gets. It would add a different sound to what I have and is pretty versatile. If you haven't heard it, here's guitar guru Greg Koch showing it off.
I'm not half or even a quarter as good as Greg Koch, so don't expect me to pick it up and play like that. I love the sound from the bridge pickup (just after the 1:20 mark). I'm not big on country music for the most part, but the sound of it from that pickup is awesome.
This is one guitar I'm going to get pretty picky on if I can. It has to be in the 1969 style over the 1972-- '69 had the typical Telecaster single-coil pickups, while the '72 has humbuckers. I'd prefer it be a Fender-- not a Squier or some off brand, but I could settle for a Squier or a really good sounding cheapie. It has to be a Thinline (semi-hollowbody for those wondering). And I want it in a two or three tone sunburst. Bonus if it has a Bigsby-style tremolo on it. If not, I might add one on later. I could guarantee I get all of that if I felt like plunking down $1000. But I'd prefer it not get to that. Hence why I was so hopeful for this eBay axe. Oh well-- at least I know it's out there at a damn good price. If I found it once, I can find it a second time.
For a while I thought about selling the Strat to help pay for it, but now there's no way I'll do that. I've been playing it more lately and I do like the sound it gets.
Next stop: a new amp. I'll probably just hit up Guitar Center for a used one. Besides the one in Ohio, all I have is my Danelectro Honeytone 1-watt practice amp. Got a wah pedal back in Wichita Falls, and a Digitech RP50 in Ohio that may or may not work. Either way, I want to get some better effects after I get the Thinline and an amp. Then I might get around to putting that killswitch I want to install on the LP copy. We'll see.
I'm also considering going out and busking after Rangers games. A few times I've seen a sax player on a corner playing for change. I might find a different corner with the acoustic and go wild. We'll see what happens. That's the great part about having a guitar with a backpack style gig bag and the bike (finally!): maybe I can make a couple quick trips to make a few bucks on the side when I'm not hounding the tunnel postgame, and get some exercise all in one fell swoop.
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Anything Can Happen Thursday, Vol. I
Okay, so when Sheldon, Leonard, Raj, and Wolowitz did it, it was the third Thursday, not the second.
Too bad. I'm changing it for this blog. On the second Thursday of the month, I'm going to go completely off-road with whatever I feel like talking about. I like keeping things fresh and different. And changing it all up one day a month does that.
The biggest thing I missed when I moved from Boston to Wichita Falls wasn't just the lack of autograph hounding opportunities, but also the severe lack of good Asian food in the area. Texoma isn't exactly known for being really cosmopolitan. If you try to get Vietnamese food, they're apt to label you a communist and run you out of town with pitchforks and lanterns and make comments about how people like you made us lose the war.
Okay, maybe I'm being a little over the top (just a little?). After all, there are a couple good Chinese buffets, an excellent (if not slightly trendy) sushi bar, a hibachi place, and a great Thai restaurant all in Wichita Falls. There's even a great little Indian restaurant tucked in a strip mall downtown. But yet, that aforementioned Vietnamese food is nowhere to be found.
Upon finding out I was moving to Arlington, one of the first things I did was look up Vietnamese restaurants. Apparently the area along Arkansas Lane and Pioneer Parkway is almost like Little Saigon: Yelp lists seven Vietnamese restaurants along it between Matlock Road and TX-360. I decided to hit one up tonight and am amazingly glad I did.
Pho Palace is a pretty standard name for a Vietnamese restaurant. And honestly, you'll eat like a king there. I walked in and was directed to the counter for my order to go. I was pretty hungry so everything looked good. Eventually, I settled on the Gỏi Cuốn (shrimp spring rolls), Phở Tái Gầu (eye of round and fatty brisket noodle soup), and Bánh Mì Bì (pork rind and veggie sandwich). The order taker looked at me quizzically on the latter item, but I was sure I wanted to try it. It was cheap and sounded good. If it wasn't I'm sure I'd have plenty of food to fall back on.
And I was right on both accounts. There's enough pho here for two large mugs or small bowls. I have the second one staying warm in the oven right now. It took maybe ten minutes tops to get my food, pay, and be on my way home. Maybe it's just been a long time since I've had it, but this pho may be the best I've ever had. Flavorful broth, plenty of condiments on the side, lots of noodles, and they didn't skimp on the meat either. My mugs were nearly overflowing.
The sandwich was excellent. I don't like fish sauce, so I dipped it in the hoisin they gave me for the pho. The only thing that would have been better was sriracha-- and even that I'm not sure could have improved it.
The spring rolls-- and this I'm 100% positive on-- were the best I've ever had. Noodles, shrimp, pork, mint, carrot, bean sprouts, lettuce, all rolled up in the standard rice wrap.
Best of all, it was all under $15. I will be going back there again for sure. For any DFW area folks who want to give them a try, they're at 2126 South Collins in a small strip mall. The strip mall is kind of ghetto looking, but don't let it scare you off. This place feels out of place there-- in a good way, of course.
Too bad. I'm changing it for this blog. On the second Thursday of the month, I'm going to go completely off-road with whatever I feel like talking about. I like keeping things fresh and different. And changing it all up one day a month does that.
The biggest thing I missed when I moved from Boston to Wichita Falls wasn't just the lack of autograph hounding opportunities, but also the severe lack of good Asian food in the area. Texoma isn't exactly known for being really cosmopolitan. If you try to get Vietnamese food, they're apt to label you a communist and run you out of town with pitchforks and lanterns and make comments about how people like you made us lose the war.
Okay, maybe I'm being a little over the top (just a little?). After all, there are a couple good Chinese buffets, an excellent (if not slightly trendy) sushi bar, a hibachi place, and a great Thai restaurant all in Wichita Falls. There's even a great little Indian restaurant tucked in a strip mall downtown. But yet, that aforementioned Vietnamese food is nowhere to be found.
Upon finding out I was moving to Arlington, one of the first things I did was look up Vietnamese restaurants. Apparently the area along Arkansas Lane and Pioneer Parkway is almost like Little Saigon: Yelp lists seven Vietnamese restaurants along it between Matlock Road and TX-360. I decided to hit one up tonight and am amazingly glad I did.
Pho Palace is a pretty standard name for a Vietnamese restaurant. And honestly, you'll eat like a king there. I walked in and was directed to the counter for my order to go. I was pretty hungry so everything looked good. Eventually, I settled on the Gỏi Cuốn (shrimp spring rolls), Phở Tái Gầu (eye of round and fatty brisket noodle soup), and Bánh Mì Bì (pork rind and veggie sandwich). The order taker looked at me quizzically on the latter item, but I was sure I wanted to try it. It was cheap and sounded good. If it wasn't I'm sure I'd have plenty of food to fall back on.
And I was right on both accounts. There's enough pho here for two large mugs or small bowls. I have the second one staying warm in the oven right now. It took maybe ten minutes tops to get my food, pay, and be on my way home. Maybe it's just been a long time since I've had it, but this pho may be the best I've ever had. Flavorful broth, plenty of condiments on the side, lots of noodles, and they didn't skimp on the meat either. My mugs were nearly overflowing.
The sandwich was excellent. I don't like fish sauce, so I dipped it in the hoisin they gave me for the pho. The only thing that would have been better was sriracha-- and even that I'm not sure could have improved it.
The spring rolls-- and this I'm 100% positive on-- were the best I've ever had. Noodles, shrimp, pork, mint, carrot, bean sprouts, lettuce, all rolled up in the standard rice wrap.
Best of all, it was all under $15. I will be going back there again for sure. For any DFW area folks who want to give them a try, they're at 2126 South Collins in a small strip mall. The strip mall is kind of ghetto looking, but don't let it scare you off. This place feels out of place there-- in a good way, of course.
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