2011
- This is a commercial unit and it is built well. I feel comfortable with moving it in and out of storage and not needing to be overly gentle with it. (Note, it is only outside when in use. Otherwise it’s stored inside.)
- The unit is very easy to clean. The cook surface is a flat glass plate that just wipes down. The touch sensitive control surface is easily wiped down as well. When grilling my hands get dirty and this unit gets dirty.
- I wanted a burner I could dial into a temperature, and this one can do that. If simmering a sauce I want to just punch in a temp and not think about it. Easy.
Remodeling — bunch of guys are sliding an I-beam into our basement.
Hunger Games Trilogy
Tammy had read The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins a few months ago and really like it. I had just finished reading my book club pick Never Let Me Go and I had put the Hunger Games trilogy on my Kindle application. While on the bus into work I decided to start The Hunger Games. A couple of weeks later now and I’ve read them all.
I’m a slow reader, typically. Every once in a while a book will catch me and I can’t put it down. Into Thin Air was like that, as was The Omnivore’s Dillema. I read the entire Dune series in a few weeks one summer as well. The Hunger Games was like that. The first book introduces you to this less than ideal vision of the future. The story arc is easy but very fun and enjoyable. Recommended reading, particularly for a summer vacation.
My only critique of the book is the ending of the last one. I was left wanting more, something more interesting to happen. It wasn’t that it was bad, I just wanted more story.
The King's Speech
We finally got around to watching The Kings Speech last night. Very good movie and incredible acting. Worthy of the awards.
The Wikipedia page for the movie is a good read too.
Spring 2011 Cyclones
Team photo of the Spring 2011 Cyclones after the last game today. They played a great spring season and will be back strong in Fall.
Remodel Update Week 1
The first week of the project really just focused on getting things ready for real work. The deck was tore apart so that the new mudroom foundation could be put in. The first part of the work on the support structure of the house started. We are removing a central support post in the basement to open the space up for the family room.
Tammy got two tickets to the Twins for her birthday from my Mom, with babysitting included.
Mazie with her Spring 2011 Soccer trophy.
First Twins game for me of the 2011 season and first game for Tammy since Target Field opened. Beautiful day for a game!
Memorial Day Tribute
My friend Dennys Bisogno is a great photographer and is now doing some video work as well. Here is a video he did for Memorial Day in River Falls, Wisconsin. Touching.
He shot this on his Canon 1D and edited in Final Cut. The clip of the elderly soldier walking down the path at 3:40 is just great.
Mazie's 2nd Soccer Season
Mazie is playing soccer again this year with the Cyclones in the Fuller Soccer Club. The whole team has improved a ton and there is some improvement to ball handling this year. Mazie is having a great time too.
Tyler figured out how to climb into this area of Mazie’s art table. He thought it was a lot of fun, until he couldn’t figure out how to get out.
Remodel Project Starts
This week we started the remodeling project on our house. I plan on taking photos of the process. It’s a decent sized project. We are lowering the floor in the basement, putting in two egress windows, installing a new furnace and air conditioning unit and adding a mud room to the back of the house. It’ll be just a little under four months. They start demolishing the floor in the basement this week.
Here is what it looks like now.
Hot Dashboards
It was really hot today. It seems that the thing to do today was to take a picture of your car dashboard to prove it! This is what I saw on Facebook just now.
It was really hot.
Congrats to Jim on First Marathon!
This weekend my friend Jim ran the Minneapolis Marathon. This was his first one and he looked great, even at the end!
Our remodel meant that a pretty sizable Azalea bush in our yard had to go. My Mom couldn’t stand to see it get discarded so she came over in 100 °F heat and we dug it up to go live at her house. She’s a true tree hugger!
Outdoor Burner
Here is a scenario. You are doing a brisket on your Big Green Egg. It’s a weekend, and the meat will be smoking on the grill pretty much all day (and possibly all night). You aren’t going to serve just any barbecue sauce with it, you make your own. This requires you to simmer the sauce for hours. The longer the better. The brisket, and you, are outside having a nice day probably with a good beer. Where is your sauce? Inside on the stove? Total buzzkill. This is where you need an outdoor burner.
When I got my Double Big Green Egg table I knew I wanted to do a full meal outside, from prep all the way to eating. While I love my grills, there are some things that you need a burner for. Last year I picked up one of these Max Burton Pro Chef 1800 units from Kitchen Window and it’s worked out great.
Why get this unit?
I’ve been really happy with it for everything from cooking pancakes for a brunch on the grill to simmering sauces or boiling some water for carrots. The only job I found it challenged by was boiling a huge kettle of water to cook corn in. It just didn’t have enough power to deal with 3 gallons of water. But really, the corn should be grilled anyway.
Inside Job
I finally got a chance to watch Inside Job tonight. Wow. Very good documentary on the financial collapse. For those that have read a bit about the issue the recap of CDO’s and Swaps will be redundant, but it’s not much. The skewering of the ratings agencies and the economic profession is pointed.
Wonder if Eddie Vedder’s next album will be “Recorder Songs”. Maybe “Kazoo Songs” instead.
My daughter is alternating between an absolute angel and a demon with sharpened horns and fangs. Trick is figuring out which, when.