I'm Back!

I've been away on a golf trip the last few days, hence, no blogs.  I'm back now, and will be blogging again soon, so please stand by.  I will probably be recapping my golf trip in my next blog.

I'll leave you with a joke told to me by my 8 year old:

Question:  Why was the baby ant confused?

Answer:  Because all of his uncles were ants!

Badoom ching!

Is This the End?

It sure feels like the end.  The Emperor of Nihon-Ja really does feel like the end of John Flanagan's great Ranger's Apprentice Series.  This is the 10th book in the series, and it ended in a way that makes me think it's the last novel in the series.  Wikipedia says there will be 12 books, but book 11 is called The Lost Stories, and sounds like it will be a collection of short stories about the characters.  I'm sure that is going to be a fine book, but it's not the same as a full fledged novel.

I really hope there will be 2 more books because I love this series.  Have you ever read a series that just makes you feel good about the world?  For me, this is the Ranger's Apprentice series.  Harry Potter was more epic and Percy Jackson was more action packed, but Ranger's Apprentice has it's own special place in my pantheon of books.  Sure, sometimes it's a bit corny, and other times it's a bit sappy, but I like a little bit of that.  Overall, these books have all been really well written and have a positive message about friendship and doing what's right, often at great personal sacrifice.

In The Emperor of Nihon-Ja we find that Horace has gone missing.  As the reader, we know where he is and what is going on, but his friends don't know anything other than he's in the far away country of Nihon-Ja.  With that knowledge, Will, Halt, Alyss, Evanlyn, Selethan and the crew of a Skandian Wolfship set off to find him.  When the do finally find their friend, they end up smack in the middle of a civil war, and have to help defend the Emperor from those who would usurp his power out of fear over the fact that he wants to change the class system that has dominated Nihon-Ja's past.  Can Will and his friends save the day and all of Nihon-Ja in the process?  Well, you have to read to find out.

Overall, just a great book.  One of my favorites in the series.  With 10 books, it's hard to pick a favorite.  But, with 10 books, you also really know the characters, and I think I've come to care more about them with each successive book.  I look forward to any additional books John Flanagan decides to write in this series.

Match Play Madness!

A few weeks ago, I signed up for the Match Play Tournament at my golf club.  Match Play is one of the craziest forms of golf.  Each hole is essentially worth 1 point.  If one players wins a hole, he is considered 1 UP.  If the opposing player wins the next hole, the match is considered All Square.  The goal is to be at least 1 UP at the end of 18...and yes, you can win in less than 18 holes.

Match Play can be extremely volatile, with wild swings in momentum, as you'll see in a minute.  I haven't played much Match Play in my 25 years of golfing...in fact, it had been 15 years since I've played a match.  So, when I signed up as 1 of the 64 players, I didn't know for sure what to expect.  I was hoping to win a match or 2, but honestly, I had no real expectations.

Yesterday, I played my first round match.  I had to give my opponent 4 shots, meaning he got a stroke on the top 4 handicap holes...if you don't understand that, it's ok.  Basically, we played heads up on 14 holes, and on 4 holes, he got a 1 shot advantage. 

Anyway, to the match.  I wasn't too nervous, but then I gacked the first hole to go 1 DOWN, but managed to win the 2nd hole to get back to all square.  After halving the 3rd hole, my opponent made a ridiculously good birdie at #4, so I'm 1 DOWN again.  We halved 5 and 6, with my opponent pulling off a Seve Ballesteros like par save at #6.  I lost hole 7, then 3-putted 8 and dorked up 9 to end the front 9, 3 DOWN. 

At the turn, I basically gave up.  I decided that there was very little chance I could win, unless I managed to play crazy good and got a little help.  My opponent had a great front 9, beating me straight up, by 1 shot.  So, I went to the #10 tee pretty relaxed (note that my course is a 9 hole course, so #10 is also #1, but we play from farther back the 2nd time around).

The 2nd nine started great for me, with a birdie and the match was back to 2 DOWN.  Hole 11 is a 220 yard par 3, and I striped my tee shot to 8 feet...I missed the birdie putt, but the par got me back to 1 DOWN.  Another par at 12 and now I'm All Square.  On the 13th hole, I hit a great drive and my opponent put his tee shot in the water. After his drop, my opponent hit his 3rd shot to 4 feet for what looked like a par.  I hit my approach to 10 feet and made the birdie putt...all of the sudden I'm 1 UP.  We traded wins at holes 14-16, so we were All Square going to 17.  My opponent struggled with 17 and 18, and I managed 2 pars to win the match 2 UP.  I shot even par over the last 9 holes...which is pretty good for me.  I played crazy good and got a little help.

Overall, we only halved 4 holes the entire match.  Luckily for me, I got some momentum the 2nd 9 and carried it to the win.  Most importantly though, I had a great time.  The gentlemen I played against is a great guy, so it was fun to get to meet him as well.  I don't play real competition very often on the golf course, so this was fun.  I'm really excited for round 2.  I still don't have any expectations, but I am thrilled that I get to play another match.

Now Thatza Pizza!

As I wrote in "The Art of Scrambled Eggs", I have a few cooking mentors.  Last night the friend who taught me the egg whisking vortex method, made pizza for us, and tried to teach me along the way.  Being from the East Coast, this guy is a true pizza snob, and I say that in a good way.  We've had this guy's pizza before, but maybe I wasn't in the right mood, because even though that pizza was good, the pizza last night was possibly the best pizza ever.  I'm not much of a salesman, but I could sell that pizza.  Until last night, I never understood what the big deal was about East Coast Pizza.

Well, here's the big deal, as I can tell.  The crust is thinner and gets a crisp on the bottom, and the sauce is a bit sweeter and just tastes more fresh.  For me though, the crust and the crisp was the key.  We made 2 types of dough for the crust, a warm water dough that was a bit thicker and a cold water dough that was wafer thin.  While the warm water dough was easier for a novice like me to work with, the cold water dough was my favorite.  I pretty much botched my attempt at rolling out the cold water dough, but we salvaged it and it turned into a good pizza anyway. 

A few other tips I picked up:

1 - More basil, less oregano in the sauce.
2 - My pizza oven has never been hot enough...gotta get it over 500 degrees.  We were cooking at 525 last night.
3 - The baking stone has to be in the oven when you start...preferably for 20 minutes, so it is nice and hot.
4 - I need to get a pizza peel.
5 - Toppings don't matter if the sauce and crust is right.
6 - Anchovies are really good, but use the sparingly.

I also learned to toss a pizza last night.  I think I was successful on 5 of 6 attempts.  So, not bad for a beginner.  I'll have to try making pizza at home and see if I can come close to duplicating what I learned last night.  I also have to figure out how to do something really well so I can teach my friend something...maybe I can help him with his golf game.

A Shaqtastic Career

My favorite basketball player, Shaquille O'Neal, announced his retirement yesterday.  After 19 seasons, 4 titles, 15 All-Star Appearances and about 200 different nicknames, "The Diesel" is done.  At 39 years old, his body just can't do it anymore. 

When Shaq broke into the league at 20 years old, I was in my middle school years.  Shaq was this larger than life center who broke backboards, ran the fast break, and did it all with a smile.  He quickly became my favorite player.  In an era when it was Jordan this and Jordan that, I liked what Shaq brought to the game.  He looked like he was having fun!  When he went to the Lakers in 1996, it was a dream come true for me...the Lakers were my favorite team.  These days, I root for players more than teams, but back then, I was a Lakers fan.  Shaq won 3 of his titles with the Lakers, and 3 NBA finals MVP awards.  He would pick up 1 more title with Dwayne Wade (my new favorite player) and the Miami Heat in 2006, but I'll always remember Shaq as a Laker first.

Some of his critics will say that Shaq underachieved, because he was injured a lot, often started the season overweight, and never led the league in rebounding.  Even as a fan, I have to agree with that, but that's Shaq.  Basketball was never the end all be all for Shaq, it was just a means and a forum for what he really wanted to do, which was entertain.  In an era when athletes often wear a scowl and look miserable, it was refreshing to see someone out there who realized he was playing a game for a living.

I'll miss Shaquille O'Neal, but I'm very glad I got to witness his entire career.  In tribute, here are the top 5 Shaq nicknames (most of which he gave himself).

5 - Superman
4 - The Big Shaqtus (when he was traded to Phoenix)
3 - Shaq Fu
2 - The Big Aristotle
1 - The Diesel

Some More Reviews

I've had a few reviews pile up here.  None of these deserve their own post, so I'll roll them all into one.

"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1":  I was actually somewhat let down by the first movie in the Harry Potter finale.  "Deathly Hallows" was my favorite book, and I was excited to hear that they were making 2 movies so as not to leave anything out.  What I hadn't counted on was how the first half of the book is really tough to make into a movie.  It ended up being long periods of boring, followed by a few moments of riveting excitement.  Whereas the book could tell the introspection going on inside the characters heads, the movie failed in that regard.  All the other Harry Potter movies have been 4 or 5 stars, but this one is only a 3 star movie.  I'm sure Part 2 is going to be excellent...and pretty much non-stop action. 

"Castle, Season 3": Sorry about the picture.  Netflix changed how it does TV series...it's highly annoying.  Anyway..."Castle" continues to rival "Psych" for being the best show on TV (that's right Nuke, I just said that).  In season 3, Richard Castle (Nathon Fillian) continues to help NYPD Detective Kate Beckett (Stana Katic) solve some more offbeat murders.  With playful banter, and just the right amount of "serious" episodes, "Castle" kept me interested all season long.  The season finale was one of the better cliff hangers I've ever seen, and I am really looking forward to next season.  Another 5 star season for the "Castle" crew. 

"The Event":  NBC's new show should have been kept to 1 season, and NBC realized that, but the producers and writers did not.  This series, which pits Americans in and out of the government against aliens from an unknown planet had so much potential, and sometimes it lived up to the hype and sometimes it did not.  What we ended up having was a 3 star TV series that would have been 4 stars if the show would have ended, rather than cliff hangered.  NBC has cancelled "The Event", so the producers are looking for someone to pick up the 2nd season.  I expect SyFy or USA or something to pick it up, but in my opinion, it could have just ended.  What's wrong with having a great 1 season run?  Oh well...if there is a season 2, I might tune in to see where things go, but I also may not.

The Real Story of Alyss in Wonderland

So, apparently Lewis Carroll totally botched it.  Luckily, Frank Beddor figured it out and now tells us the real story of Alyss Heart, heir to the Wonderland Throne, who ended up stranded on earth for a few years and told her story to Carroll, who twisted it into a children's story.

In "The Looking Glass Wars" we meet 7 year old Alyss, just before her evil aunt Redd takes control of Wonderland.  The women of the Heart family are gifted with a powerful imagination, so powerful that they are able to imagine objects into being.  As Redd is attacking, the Queen's bodyguard, Hatter Madigan, takes Alyss through the pool of tears to earth.  They become separated and Alyss is eventually adopted by the Liddell family and comes to think of her prior life in Wonderland as nothing more than a dream.  That is, until she reaches 20 and it is learned she is alive on Earth.  Queen Redd promptly sends assassins to kill her niece, but her allies in Wonderland save her, and they hatch a plot to retake Wonderland.

I won't give away much of the follow-on books, "Seeing Redd" and "Arch Enemy" except to say that "Seeing Redd" was the weakest of the 3 books.  Overall, I really enjoyed these books.  I found them to be a fairly light read and books that I could easily put down and come back to later.  This series isn't on the level of "Harry Potter" or "Percy Jackson", but is a good, quick, entertaining read, that you don't have to really focus on to enjoy.

One complaint I do have is that there seemed to be quite a few typos in "Arch Enemy", and I thought the editing in the final book was a little off.  Basically, things resolve themselves too quickly...almost as if they had to hit 370ish pages, so the author and editor made some weird choices to end it on time.  Still though, these books were worth the time I took to read them, and I'll never be able to look at "Alice in Wonderland" the same way again.