Blogger's Block - Part 2

I have blogger's block again.  I can't seem to think of anything to write, more than a few sentences, which I put on Facebook.  Last time I had blogger's block, I wrote about it and a few days later I was able to get rolling again.  I'm not sure if it's going to work this time.  I may be all out of blogging ideas, and that would make me sad.

This started right after we moved to our new house.  We've been so busy that I haven't had time to pay attention to much of anything going on in the world and thus, no blog topics have popped into my head.  That, and we've been working so hard between having 2 houses that I'm just worn out all the time. 

Plus, I'm not watching as many movies (ok, none really), and I'm not reading enough.  Hence, no blogs. Please stay tuned, hopefully ideas will spring forth again soon.

It's All Been Worth It

In the 2003-2004 school year, South Dakota State University began the transition from NCAA Division II to NCAA Division I.  As my Alma mater, I was interested, though saddened because as a Division II school, we were always competitive in the 2 sports that mattered most...basketball and football.  But, being a big D1 school did bring some perks, like more national exposure and the possibility to be in the NCAA tournament.

My favorite sport when I was a student at SDSU was basketball.  I loved going to both the Men's and Women's games and both teams were always competitive.  When the transition to Division I happened, the school went into it's 5 year transition period, which meant no post season play for 5 years.  For the first several years, the Men's Basketball team was terrible, while the Women's team was good right away. 

During their first year of eligibility for the NCAA Tournament, the women's team went 32-3, made the tournament and won a game in the tournament before losing to the #5 team in the country.  The success of the women's team continued, and this season, they won the Summit League title and made it to their 4th consecutive NCAA Tournament.

While the women's team has had tremendous success, the men's team has struggled.  A few years back, they went 6-24...it was brutal!  But, 2 years ago, things started to turn around.  The players started getting better and the record started getting better.  Last season, the Jackrabbits men's team had their first winning season at the D1 level.  This season, the Jacks came into the conference tournament as the #2 seed in the conference with a 24-7 record and they have one of the best point guards in the country in Nate Wolters.

The Jackrabbits easily won their first game of the Summit League tournament, and won the 2nd game with a big second half.  With the upset of the #1 team, Oral Roberts, SDSU was the favorite in last night's Summit League title game.  But, with this team, nothing is ever easy.  They played a very good Western Illinois team, and were down 12 points at one time.  But they rallied back to force overtime, and then won the game by 2 points in Overtime. 

I was so hyped up after the game last night that I really struggled to fall asleep, but I finally did.  Today, several people at work congratulated me on the victories (like I had anything to do with it!).  This win makes the move to D1 and all the heartache that went with it worth it.  We are now a competitive Division I program, and while taking any self worth out of this is stupid, it is fun to be watching and reading about good basketball again.

This is Absurd

I am not going to defend what Rush Limbaugh said earlier this week.  I think the personal attacks he made on Sandra Fluke are ridiculous and a big part of the reason why I quit listening to Rush over a year ago.  I spent all my time listening to him either angry or getting angry at the other side, and it just wasn't worth my time, nor was it helping me to be the person I should be.

However, I am going to point out that what Sandra Fluke is going after is ridiculous!  First the background on what got Rush into so much trouble.  This is from Reuters: 

"Fluke had appeared at a Democratic event on Capitol Hill at which she advocated for religion-affiliated institutions to cover contraception in health care plans. She said female students at Georgetown must pay for contraception out of pocket because the school won't cover it."

Oh my gosh!!!  The have to pay for their own contraception?   Out of Pocket?!!!  No, that's so unfair (he says with tongue firmly in cheek). 

In my opinion, this further illustrates the decline of our society.  When did we get to the point that we felt we were entitled to contraception?!!!  When did it become ok to be irresponsible and expect one's employer, educational institution or government to pick up the tab?  That's what Rush should have said...essentially Ms. Fluke is advocating a world in which anyone can be irresponsible in their "relations" and not have to face any consequences! 

Tell me, where does the Constitution say that the Federal Government has the right to force employers to pay for health insurance that covers contraception?  Where does it say that the Federal Government has the right to force employers to pay for health insurance at all?  Let me give you a little hint...it doesn't say that...anywhere.  Remember, the Constitution is a document of positive rights...if it doesn't say it, technically the Federal Government can't do it.  The Constitution was once a great document.  Too bad we're not using it anymore!

So no, I'm not defending Rush Limbaugh.  What he said was reprehensible, and I'm not going to shed a tear over the sponsors he loses because of this.  But, I'm also not going to defend Sandra Fluke.  What she said and believes is patently absurd.  Sadly, I think she reflects the majority in what is increasingly becoming an absurd country. 

Sometimes, bribery works!

With our move 3 weeks ago and trying to get our old house on the market, we've been working really hard lately.  We've all been sick over the past week or so, and my wife and I have been absolutely exhausted.  So, earlier this week, I picked up 2 bags of Donettes at HyVee, just for today.  Last night, I told the kids there would be Donettes out in the morning, they could get their own milk, and most importantly, they had to be quiet and let my wife and I sleep in. 

Well, the donut bribery worked!  I got to sleep until 8:15 am, and my wife even later.  I feel better today than I have for the past 3 weeks.  I'm still tired, but it's been a really good day of rest and cooking.  I made a new lasagna recipe for supper, and it was really good.  We have Mass at 9 am tomorrow, but I'm hoping to sleep in until 7:15 or so tomorrow morning and go back to work refreshed on Monday.

Championship Chili!

Today at work, we had a Chili Cook-off.  I decided to bring a Buffalo Chicken Chili for 2 reasons:

1 - It was different, so I was hoping it would stand out.
2 - We had a Daytona 500 party yesterday and it was requested that I make a spicy chili.

Well, I won the Chili Cook-off!  My first food victory!!!  More importantly though, my 11 year old said it was the best chili ever!

I pretty much followed the recipe that I found on Allrecipes, but I did make a few modifications and I scaled the recipe up to ensure I had enough chili to handle both the Daytona 500 and the Cook-off.  As it turns out, I had just enough.  The modifications that I made were to get the chili thicker which I loved, but it also resulted in it getting really dried out at the very end of the day, but it still tasted really, really good.

Here's how I made this Buffalo Chicken Chili:

Ingredients:
1.5 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons butter
2.5 pounds Chicken Breast
1 cup diced carrots
1.5 onions, diced
4 celery stalks, finely diced
7 garlic cloves, minced
7 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons paprika
1 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 cup Frank's Red Hot Sauce
1 - 28 oz. can Crushed Tomatoes
2 - 15 oz. cans tomato sauce
1 - 8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 - 15 oz. can red kidney beans
1 - 15 oz. can white kidney beans
1 - 15 oz. can black beans

Directions:
1.  Season chicken breast with salt, pepper and southwest seasoning.  Bake at 375 for 50 minutes, then dice/shred.
2.  Heat olive oil and butter in a skillet.  Add onions, carrots, celery and garlic to melted butter/oil and cook for 3-4 minutes until vegetables are tender.
3.  Add vegetables, chicken, tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes, beans, hot sauce and spices to a crockpot.  Cook on low for 8-10 hours, stirring occasionally.  If you need to cook it faster, run the crockpot on high for 1-2 hours.

This will make a really good chili with just the right amount of heat.  The chicken creates a unique flavor and texture.  It's not like eating a bowl of buffalo wings, but there is enough tang from the Frank's Red Hot that it does capture the flavor of buffalo wings.  This recipe will make a lot, so scale it down if you aren't cooking for a party and a chili cook-off. 

Latest Movie Reviews

Now that our move is nearly complete, I can get caught up on all the movies I've been watching. 

Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium:  This was one we watched as a family in our old house.  I had no desire to see this movie, but my wife and kids wanted to see it.  As it turned out, I liked it, as did my kids, but my wife thought it was sad.  I thought it was a 3-3.5 star movie.

Natalie Portman stars as Mahoney, the manager at Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium, a toy store.  Her boss, Mr. Magorium, is played by Dustin Hoffman.  Mahoney is disappointed with her lot in life, and her situation doesn't improve when the 243 year old Mr. Magorium tells Mahoney that he is about to die and he leaves the store to her.  Can Mahoney discover her inner magic in time to save the Wonder Emporium?  Well, I know because I've seen the movie, but if you want to find out you'll have to watch Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium.

Bulletproof Monk:  I saw the start of this movie on TV a few months back and it looked like a cool Kung Fu action flick, so I added Bulletproof Monk to my queue without really checking on the premise of the movie.  As it turns out, the opening 15 minutes are the best 15 minutes of the movie.  I lost interest quickly, and while I did finish it, I also found the need to multi-task to stay awake.  This is 2 stars, at best.

The problem is Seann William Scott shows up, and I just can't take him serious as an actor.  Just skip this one.

Another Trip, More Books to Review

So, earlier this month, I was forced by my job to go to Florida.  I know...leaving Iowa in the middle of winter to go to Florida...it was tough, but somebody had to do it.  And you know what, I was forced to eat BBQ and Seafood when I was there.  It's a tough life!

While on this trip, I read 2 new books.  The first was recommended by my friend Joe and the other was recommended by my loving wife.

The Endurance:  Shackleton's Legendary Antarctic Expedition:  This is the book recommended, and loaned to me, by my friend Joe.  Author Caroline Alexander chronicles the near 27 month expedition of British Explorer Ernest Shackleton.  For those unfamiliar with Shackleton's story, he led a team of explorers to Antarctica, hoping to be the first man to cross the continent on foot.  However, due to heavy ice flows in 1914, Shackleton's ship, "'Endurance" was locked in the ice.  Shackleton and his men lived for many months in the ship, then on the ice.  As time wore on, Shackleton and his men made 2 daring boat trips to safety.  During the entire ordeal, Shackleton never lost a man, and despite the failure of his original quest, Shackleton is remembered as one of the great leaders due to getting himself and all his men through this.

I really enjoyed this book, and I learned a lot about leadership.  A lot of what is written is taken from diaries of the men on the trip.  Additionally, there are many photos taken by the ship's photographer included in the book.  The pictures were probably my favorite part.  While they paint a stark picture, they also show men, who despite their circumstances seemed somewhat content.  This is due, in no small part, to Shackleton's leadership.  He paired the men off by groups that would work well together for sleeping and living arrangements.  He always kept the most difficult men with him.  Most importantly, he was always optimistic and he was willing to adapt his plans to fit the situation.  A good read for any aspiring leader.

The Maze Runner:  Alright, now for a fun book.  The Maze Runner, by James Dashner, can best be described as The Hunger Games meet Ender's  Game (before Ender's Game got weird).  I'm not ruling out that The Maze Runner will get weird in future books, but so far, it's a solid read packed with lots of actions and good characters.

The main character is Thomas, who emerges from "the box" to find himself surrounded by 50 or so boys between the ages of 12 and 17.  Thomas doesn't remember anything about who he is, other than his name.  He learns from the other boys that he is in the Glade.  The Glade is surrounded by a maze that changes every day.  The walls into the maze close every night to keep out the bad things that lurk in the maze.  None of the other boys know how they got to the Glade or why they are there, but they believe they need to escape.  Every day, Maze Runners go out into the maze to try to find the way out.  Thomas doesn't know why, but he has a strong belief that he should be a Maze Runner.  The next day, life in the Glade changes forever when a girl (the first one) shows up in "the box" with word that she will be the last person sent into the Glade.

A very exciting book.  Anybody who has read The Hunger Games or Ender's Game will hopefully see the same parallels I did.  This book kept me reading from takeoff in Orlando to landing back home.  I'm so glad my wife recommended it to me, and I can't wait to read the other 2 books in the trilogy.