PassTheAmmunition

Metaldad,

 

Man, I was really sorry to read this. I dont get on TRF much and this is the first post I saw. God bless her, and you and your family. She did well, youre a great guy.

 

PTA

QUOTE (Natch @ Mar 16 2012, 01:10 PM)

Hey folks, I haven't been around here much lately. Just wanted to stop by and say hello. I thought I'd resurrect this thread since I am really grateful it's Friday!

QUOTE (Lost In Xanadu @ Sep 29 2011, 03:48 PM)

QUOTE (PassTheAmmunition @ Sep 29 2011, 03:37 PM) Ahh why did i read this thread?  I was doing fine, my stomach wasnt complaining nor did I feel hungry.  But now?  Damn you Lost In Xanadu. I havent bbq'd in a few weeks, I've been slacking off.  But I'm gearing up for a bbq/football weekend Oct 9th and I fully intend to make some 3-2-1 apple/cherrywood smoked ribs with a dry rub and finished with a mop of a vinegar-based sweet sauce.  Fall is the best time to smoke, IMO.  Followed immedately by every other time of year, of course 3-2-1... what do you mean there?     I like using apple and hickory for BBQ. Pretty much only use cherry for fish or chicken.   I usually rub the meat and refrigerate overnight. I have a water smoker and with BBQ I like putting water, apple juice and cider vinegar in there. With fish I use anything from white wine to just water and lemon.   My standard mop is apple cider, cider vinegar and canola oil. Lost in Xanadu -   3-2-1 is just a basic bbq / smoking method that Ive found works really well for ribs. Its basically just 3 hours of smoke (200 degrees even) and then 2 hours in foil and then 1 hour uncovered for mopping / sauce. The variations on what you do in terms of rub/no rub, apple juice or vinegar spray, etc are all optional. The 3 hours is a good rule for smoking though and the foiling really keeps the moisture/flavor from the smoking in and makes it pull from the bones easily, the last stage is whateverr you like to do with sauce or mops.

Ahh why did i read this thread? I was doing fine, my stomach wasnt complaining nor did I feel hungry. But now? Damn you Lost In Xanadu.

 

I havent bbq'd in a few weeks, I've been slacking off. But I'm gearing up for a bbq/football weekend Oct 9th and I fully intend to make some 3-2-1 apple/cherrywood smoked ribs with a dry rub and finished with a mop of a vinegar-based sweet sauce. Fall is the best time to smoke, IMO. Followed immedately by every other time of year, of course

Pags, I broke down and bought an iPad2 after an exhaustive two month deliberation on whether or not to buy a 'cheap' laptop or Netbook type device for the kitchen, or for casual use. A big thing for me are recipes and "on the fly" types of browsing and Ive come to realize that I really don't need a full blown $2000 laptop to do work of this nature. Totally frustrated by trying to do said work on either my Blackberry or my wife's iPhone, I started to look at tablets.

 

Luckily for me, one of my friends is a maniac when it comes to doing his homework before a big purchase (plasma, gaming system, computers, etc) and he had just bought a tablet after narrowing down the competition for several weeks. He went out and bought a Samsung Tab 10.1 and at the time he bought it, Verizon was little help in getting him details on 4G capabilities so he opted for Wi-Fi with the hotspot tether (Fivespot) and he didnt like it very much. After 2 weeks, the 4G model of the Tab 10.1 came out and he returned it and he likes it a lot - but, like with all wireless devices, your experience depends on your carrier.

 

For me, the decision to go iPad was based largely on two factors: I had recently bought a new iMac 27" and spent days importing my music into iTunes and getting my library to stream throughout my house via my Playstation3. The iMac is also my primary work machine. Obviously, the iPad2 integrates seamlessly with the iMac, iTunes and all things Apple.

 

The other reason was that my place of work has recently done extensive work porting their systems, apps and remote access over to iPads - they have some slick interface now for me to actually use Citrix receiver (free app) to connect to work and use the iPad for roaming anywhere I want between buildings, sites and even when I work from home, which is often now.

 

I personally didn't need 3/4G connectivity, wifi-only was fine for me. The device is going to be with me either at work or at home, both of which are covered with wifi options. Plus, for me, I want prepared to spend more money on a monthly data plan for a device that 9 times out of 10 could use free wifi.

 

If Flash is a major need / concern, you may want to choose something other than the iPad, because Flash isnt supported. Though, in a matter of 3 days Ive installed several apps that workaround the flash issue (and now I can enter my fantasy football lineup on my iPad :-) I know, real business use. :-)

 

The Samsung Tab is nice, and I think your music library is native mp3 (Zune, right?) as opposed to iTunes, so maybe you'd feel more comfortable with an Android-based device than Apple's iOS. But I will say this :

 

The iPad2 is amazing. I'm so impressed with the integration, and the ease of use and although its a cliche' "theres an app for that". Its true. Just last night, I configured my iPad to control my iMac's iTunes library with Apple Remote, effectively streaming my library through my home theater system through my iPad as if it were a large incredible remote. I tune my TVs and DVRs with my iPad and record programs on the fly. I use it as a remote to change channels as well as to watch live tv on the iPad when I'm on my home network. I use it to connect to my computer at home via remote desktop. I just started using Google Cloud Print and can now print to my home printer from anywhere in the world from my iPad, now thats pretty slick. Recipes? Sure thing - click print, and go. It really is awesome and I dig the way everything hangs together. I got a nice stand for it so it can sit on the countertop, and a binder that I can use to take it to work. I love how it pulls all of my purchases from iTunes and synchs them; books, movies, songs, etc. I can sit on the train and read Neil Peart's "Far and Away" (was doing that on the commute home tonight) via iBooks, part of the iOS. Cant say enough good things about it. The down side? I'm using my new iMac less :-( But seriously, unless i Need to input data into a document or a spreadsheet, I can do it all on the iPad.

 

Price-wise, you're going to spend about the same for comparable features. You will spend on average, $150 more for the convenience of 3G/4G over wifi-only. On top of that, you will have to buy a data plan if you go for 3G/4G.

 

Now this is all coming from a guy that 5 years ago, cursed Apple under his breath at every opportunity. I had been unlucky enough to buy a second generation iPod that had a crap design and a crap battery, and after a 2 year long class action lawsuit, I didnt even get a new device, i got my old ipod opened and the battery replaced with the same crap one it had. Then they'd ding you for every peripheral, cable etc. You cant use a firewire connector from THAT generation iPod on THIS model, sir! But look, every company is doing the exact same thing. Apple's products have won me over with their design and integration.

 

Dragon's Naturally Speaking is one of the best voice translation platforms available. Ive done consulting work with medical industry and the software is extremely flexible and amazingly robust. Have you tried looking for setup help in the voicerecognition forums? Try voicerecognition.com's site. If not, Nuance should have plenty of help on their website as well. I wouldnt give up on Dragon, Ive seen what it can do

Thanks everyone for the moral support! Last night was back-to-school night and I had a chance to meet with his teacher after the general presentation when we broke into classroom visits.

 

She pulled me aside and told me that had I never told her that my son was formerly in such a small class and that we had transitional worries, she would have NEVER KNOWN. She said he is completely well-adapted, outgoing and friendly and (she said this with all sincerity) an amazing reader. She said that of the 22 students she tested for GRL exam, he is one of the strongest. She said that whatever school he was at previously, really instilled some great reading skills (credit to him for the interest) and that the only thing she said that she has to do with him is find a way to suppress his urge to write everything in cursive (they arent really getting to cursive until later) but that he really is doing excellent.

 

I left beaming, of course. :-)

Ok - so here's the update:

 

Today was my son's first day of second grade at the public school. He rocked it. Like out of the park rocked it. Today was an emotional and great day for us.

 

Rewinding a bit...as summer drew to a close and Sept neared, my wife and I started discussing the impending transition to this school. As his routine broke with the cooler weather and it was time to clothes shop (and school supply shop) we started talking it up a bit. In the last week of August, the new school held a "scavenger hunt" inviting all the new students to come to the school for a few hours in the afternoon to hunt for hidden treasures around the school and in so doing, make new friends, what a fantastic idea.

 

We had heard from our neighbors that the principal, a man new to the position in the past 3 years, was a real genuine and unique person. He had an affinity for personalized attention, and he made a real impression on our neighbors when he came from another school.

 

On scavenger hunt day, we brought our son to the school and he was very very excited. Within 2 minutes he met two kids that were also in his class and were new to town and lived only a few blocks from us. Together, they roamed the halls looking for clues and stickers to fill a treasure map and in so doing, learned the layout of the school floors, classrooms, gym, cafeteria, etc. What an ingenious idea.

 

I had never met the principal before, nor had my wife. He called our home a few nights before the scavenger hunt to introduce himself, which was very unexpected. Due to work meetings on the day of the scavenger hunt, my wife and I had to take seperate cars to the school and I arrived a bit later. The school was mobbed with parents and kids and teachers. As I walked through the front door, a man standing there asked if he could help direct me to where it was I was going. I told him I was looking for my wife and son and he immediately said that I must be Aidan's father and that he was on the second floor meeting his new teacher, and he walked me up and we chatted. He introduced himself as the new principal. I was very surprised at this man's personal effort. I was not expecting that. On the walk up he asked me a few things about my son - was there anything I wanted him to know, things that concerned me, etc. Just really made me feel like we made the right choice.

 

So the kids had the time of his life and stayed about an hour after the scavenger hunt just playing with the new kids in the playground.

 

Fast forward to this morning and my son literally jumped out of bed and shouted "Its second grade time!" and was dressed faster than Ive ever seen him dressed and ready to go. We walked with him to school and on the way, ran into our neighbors and their kids and the 7 of us walked the few blocks together. We watched him go in and he never looked back, backpack slung over his shoulder. Like I said, he rocked it. Came home talking a mile a minute about his day, so excited.

 

This is going to be good for him, I feel it. I really feel that his world is opening up.

 

Thanks everyone

 

PTA

 

Hall & Adam Oates

Adam Grateful Deadmarsh

 

QUOTE (laughedatbytime @ Jul 26 2011, 10:37 PM)

I have two experiences that you may find helpful. I was (and still am) painfully shy. I went to a smaller pariochial school K-8. It was outstanding academically and I enjoyed going there. BUT, it did not prepare me for the outside world well at all. Our high school was not at all strong academically, so fortunately I didn't have to struggle with academics at the high school level (though I was woefully unprepared for college). However, dealing with rampant drug use, out of control classrooms, and cliquish (sp?) classmates made every day pretty much a terrifying experience. Meanwhile, I sent my son to a somewhat larger pariochial school for pre K, kindergarten and 1st grade. Things were made more problematic by the fact that he has mild Asperger's. When my job moved prior to his second grade year, we moved to Minnesota and put him in public school. It was a slow transition, and there were some rough times his first few years, exacerbated by his Asperger's as well as the fact that his mom and I are divorced so there were frequent trips back to the area he was born. However, he is now flourishing academically in his new school environment, and holding his own socially--he seems to have fully adapted to his new surroundings, and was even sad to see middle school end. I took from these experiences that the earlier the transition takes place the better, because if you start out in a smaller circle, eventually, whether that is later in school or when you begin your career, you will almost certainly end up in larger groups, and adapting is easier the earlier it occurs. In any case, good luck with your decision as it unfolds...looks like you're on the right track...I think it's the right one...and best of luck to your little guy!!!

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4066/4638790826_8a7af53c45.jpg

The way things are cycling so fast with technology and electronic devices, making the choice to get a 3D television (for me, and IMO) is not wise at the moment.

 

Don't get me wrong, I love big beefy screens, 1080P, plasma thin profile, etc you name it. I love looking at them and oogling them and oohing and aahing over the latest and greatest models. And I know my 65" HDTV will one day give up the ghost and become a 325-lb paperweight and then I will be forced to decide between Sony, Samsung, Sharp, Vizio, Panasonic, etc and LCD, LED, Plasma and DLP. But not unlike the exact same argument I just had with my friend over Samsung tablet vs iPad 2....things are moving so fast that you are assuredly buying something that will be superceded within a matter of 2 months.

 

On the flip side, I was at my friend's place the other night checking out his 67" Sony Plasma 3D television. We threw in a few games on his PS3 which support 3D, threw on the obligatory chunky Sony 3D glasses and I have to say - Its pretty damn impressive. But after a few hours it is also pretty damn annoying to have these huge glasses on which are pressing into your ears and nose, having to keep "turning them back on" by toggling a button when switching between 3D and non-3D inputs, and in general, feeling significant eye strain.

 

The experience is significantly less impressive when using the TV's 2D-to-3D conversion to change normal HD broadcasts into 3D HD broadcasts. We watched an American Lemans race on ESPN2 that felt at best, 2.5D, lol.

 

As I left his place and got into my car to drive home, I actually felt a little bit ill, lol.

Carbon Monoxide: It just works.

Pags I will hook you up. Its a piece of cake for about $80

Beer Meatballs

 

Meatballs

~2 lb ground beef1.5 lb bulk Italian sausage

1/2 cup bread crumbs

1/2 ketchup

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup finely diced onion

2 beaten eggs

salt

pepper

oregano

parmesan (all to taste)

 

roll into small meatballs - small as or smaller than ping pong balls. think hors'deuvre size with toothpick.

 

Beer Sauce

 

2 12oz bottles of your favorite golden beer (lager/pilsner) - I recommend a decent german beer like Beck's

2 12oz bottles Heinz Chili Sauce

 

Thats right, thats the sauce. 2 bottles of beer and 2 bottles of chili sauce. Some people add grape jelly to make them a little sweeter. I say nay nay on the jelly. But to each their own...

 

 

Honestly these never fail to get compliments. And its MEAT and BEER. Come on people it doesnt get any easier or better

I keep it simple and everyone who's had them agrees that they rock.

 

Fresh wing sections (separated)

Light coating of seasoned flour

1 stick salted butter

1 Bottle Frank's Lousiana

Dash vinegar (yes, more vinegar)

Oil (Veg or Peanut)

1 Cuisinart Deep Fryer Machine

 

The wings go into the flour and out. They get dusted not caked. The result is less of a coating and more of a crispy 'snap' when fried. helps the sauce stick too. Into vegetable or peanut oil for 9 minutes at 375. Then out and into the pot of sauce/butter/vinegar for a tumble and serve.

 

When i get a wild hair up my *ss I toss in some Double Burn or Endorphin Rush for additional heat. But lets face it, sometimes u just want regular hot wings without the Morning After side effects.

DO take time to read the label on the prep kit (you'll have plenty of time to do this as you sit in the bathroom just looking for things to read after youve read the shampoo labels, toothpaste labels, and air deodorizer can for the six hundredth time)

 

"May cause loose stool"

 

LOL. Seriously, it said that on the RapidPrep kit I was given. Really? Drinking 48 ounces of salt water and comet cleanser MAY cause a loose stool?? Whodathunkit

A friend of mine is Brazilian and passed along a wonderfully simple way to serve a sirloin, flank or skirt steak on a bbq grill. Simply cube or cut the meat so it can be threaded onto metal skewers. Marinate the meat in a cup of white vinegar for 30 minutes. Remove from vinegar and sprinkle with kosher salt. Sear on high grill on all sides until desired doneness.

 

Sounds perhaps uninspired, but have to say I tried this with a Tri-Tip cut I found at a local butcher and it was simply unbelievable.

Both skirt and flank can be cooked without a grill, but both have a very high fat content (especially skirt) and therefore make for a somewhat challenging broil and/or sear indoors via traditional methods. If you don't elevate the meat off the tray (if you broil) the meat will sit in the rendered fat and won't be very appetizing. Thats why I feel that grilling is really the only way to go with both of these cuts (moreso with skirt, as flank can be broiled quite adequately) - but nothing beats the flavor of the slight char they get when grilled due to the fat content they both have.

 

At the same time, both cuts are extremely absorbant because they are fiberous and for that reason simply MUST be marinated. They literally soak up flavor within a mere hour in a marinade. They soak up oil too; so be careful how much oil you add to your marinades as you could quite literally set your dinner ablaze quite easily on a grill.

 

I prefer to use skirt steaks for fajitas over flank steaks. The narrowness of the cut makes it a perfect fit for thinly slicing and rolling inside a flour tortilla. The below recipe is one I have modified over the years to the point where I don't think that I can make it any better - but perhaps some of you will have ideas of your own for it:

 

Skirt Steak Fajitas

Ingredients

1.5-2 lbs skirt steak

2 whole limes

1 bunch fresh cilantro

2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 cup white vinegar

2 tbsp kosher salt

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

dash ground cayenne pepper

Directions

 

In a large mixing bowl combine the juice of 2 limes, along with the zest of one lime. Add about a cup of finely chopped fresh cilantro, minus the stems. Add the cumin, vinegar, kosher salt, olive oil and cayenne and mix well. Use a large freezer/Ziploc bag and marinate skirt steak for 3-4 hours. I dont recommend marinating overnight as the lime juice and vinegar will tend to "cook" the steak permaturely. Grill steak over medium/high heat a few minutes each side - being extremely careful when flipping as it will flare up considerably. Should be grilled to a dark char on the outside and medium/pink inside. The meat will coninue to cook when removed so plan accordingly. Let meat rest for 5 minutes before slicing. Slice across the grain (narrow width) and on a slight bias. Serve with peppers/onions/shredded cheeses/sour cream/guacamole/hot sauce etc etc on flour tortillas.

 

The below recipe is my favorite flank steak recipe (for the grill)

 

Flank Steak Haddad

 

Ingredients

2 lb flank steak

1/2 cup soy sauce

2 tbsp fresh garlic, minced or crushed

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 sherry wine vinegar

1 tbsp sesame oil

2 tbsp fresh ginger, minced

1 tsp red pepper flakes

 

Directions

Prepare marinade using all listed ingredients in a large mixing bowl. You can substitute rice vinegar if you cannot find sherry, or, you can add sherry as well. The ginger and sesame oil are the keys to this marinade. Use a hand blender to blend marinade so it does not seperate. marinate in large bowl or ZipLoc freezer bag 6-8 hours or overnight. Grill over medium high heat 4-5 minutes per side for medium doneness. Serve sliced thinly against grain (narrow width) over grilled garlic bread.

 

 

 

Lyndsey -

 

Hopefully the link below will help you. As many may already know (but perhaps most do not) is that the iTunes installer itself is a beast - often cited by naysayers as "bloatware" because of all the additional cr*p that Apple includes within the traditional iTunes "setup" package.

 

The fact is, some of these items work much better on an Apple OS than they do on Windows. In fact, the Windows versions of past iTunes 'bundles' have caused many people to have issues installing the program in general due to a lot of the dependency apps that it lays down first.

 

Historically I have always had issues with iTunes on Windows (XP, Vista & 7) with some of the services and helper apps that come bundled in the 5-6 seperate .exe or .msi files that run when you install iTunes.

 

In addition to disabling Antivirus, many people have had to resort to "stripping down" the itunes install to a bare minimum. Your mileage may vary, and I cant guess if this will work for you, but sometimes a minimalist approach with installation helps.

 

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/bott/the-unoffic...-bloatware/2390

 

 

QUOTE (Pags @ Jul 29 2011, 02:32 PM)

Killer weekend. I want to do it all again!

bumping this thread just for its epicness. no other reason.

 

really! (really)

 

really!

Yep. Its annoying. Still not fixed

 

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/265750...tart=0&tstart=0

 

 

Its been about 3 days now since i upgraded my imac to the latest OS X and I can honestly say that the entire experience of upgrading was pretty amazing in that it was completely seamless.

 

I'm a dyed-in-the-wool PC guy, and computers (specifically wintel-based) are my daily life for the past dozen or so years. But the imac was a complete self-indulgent purchase, mainly for what it gives me for creative pursuits, multimedia and family fun. Plus, it was like going back home in a sense as my very first job in my first days out of college was working with Macintoshes.

 

This was however my first ever online/download/OS upgrade I have ever done. It took all of about 12 minutes to download (3.8GB) and about 30 minutes to install, reboot and I have to admit I was a bit surprised at how well it all went.

 

Apple has obviously delivered the first phase of their intent to unify the Mac OS with the iOS from their iphone/ipad lines and I have to say, it meshes very well with my iPad2, and has a very cohesive feel. Launchpad (an application launcher dashboard that mimics the iphone/ipad interface for apps) doesnt completely thrill me, but thats mainly because I have gotten so used to launching things with Spotlight or the Dock.

 

The machine screams. A few glitches, but I expect it from a new OS and its nothing I cant work around. I am loving the new 'gesture'-based integration with trackpad (up is down and down is up, lol) as if you were 'flicking' your screen of an iOS device to navigate. A lot of really cool intuitive things that can be disabled if it feels too far from "home" of Snow Leopard.

 

Anyone else take the plunge yet?

I have been blessed to have met some really great people. Just real kind, down to earth people. Had such a great time discussing music, laughing, having some drinks and talking about our mutual passion.....

 

 

Oh yeah, none of those people were from TRF.