Tuesday Tidbits..

Hello again for Tuesday Tidbits. Before we get to the Tidbits, I have to share that today was a big day. I have been working on a big deal for a potential client for over a year and today was our oral presentation on our proposal. We submitted a proposal and were invited back to present on the proposal. It was a stressful couple of days and a sleepless night, but all things considered, the team did an excellent job presenting to the client today. I ask that you all keep your fingers crossed that this deal will work out. Enough about work, now for the Tuesday Tidbits. A special edition of Tuesday Tidbits in question format.

• Will I win the big deal?
• Why does corporate america suck?
• Why does Jeff get up at 4:30 AM to work at Graybar?
• Why do men have nipples?
• Will Bode Miller go away now?
• Will Barry Bonds retire now?
• Should I sell my house or remodel?
• When will I buy a car?
• Has John Ready cured bird flu yet?
• How the hell did John Ready win the poker tournament at Ben's?
• Why is the market tanking today?
• Should I go to Thailand?
• Where in the world would you go?
• Can you believe that if OSU beats Northwestern and Purdue (two worst Big Ten teams) they will win the regular season Big Ten basketball championship?
• Will Thad Matta stay coach of OSU basketball?
• Are you excited for March Madness?
• Isn't the NCAA basketball tournament the best sporting event?
• Anybody interested in going to Nuevo Laredo for happy hour on Friday?
• Do you miss the winter olympics?
• Isn't Todd a nice guy for bringing me to the Masters?
• Isn't Elliott an idiot for screwing up tickets to the Masters?
• Will G Ryde make it to Atlanta?
• Is anybody else fired up for Jimmy Buffett on June 2nd (FRIDAY NIGHT!!!) in Atlanta?
• Who will try and buy tickets for Jimmy Buffett when they go on sale March 13th?
• Anybody interested in Thrashers vs. Islanders on March 16th?
• Where the hell is Jason Eibner?
• Do you like Tuesday Tidbit in question format?

Fat, Dumb, And Happy... Nuevo Laredo!!!!

The weekend got off to a good early start with lunch at one of my favorite restaurants in Atlanta. Nuevo Laredo Cantina is pure mexican goodness. To start off with, the salsa is absolutely amazing. It is nice and chunky with large amounts of onions, tomatoes, and cilantro with a nice little kick to it. Than to start out with an order of some of the best guacamole dip you can have. Delicioso.

Every single dish on the menu I have had is delicous. From the standard burritos, tacos, and enchilades on to shrimp tacos, lobster tacos, and fish tacos. Today, I ordered one of my favorites. Tacos de Carne Asada with a side of barbacoa sauce. It is my alternative to the fantastic brisket barbacoa or fajitas barbacoa. Simply because they are just too much food. You will never leave this place hungry. The portions are huge. That is if you don't fill up on the chips, salsa and guacamole.

As you can see from the picture, Nuevo Laredo is not pulling people in because of it's posh decor. It is a very modest looking house with all kinds of character and great food and service. And some great margarita's that will pack a nice punch. The place is always packed and standard waiting time for a lunch is 30-45 minutes (unless you know people.) Even Dan Reeves waited patiently while he was coach of the Falcons. The place is always crowded, no matter when you go. It is worth the wait. Hands down the best Mexican food in Atlanta. Only place I have been that is equally as good was in San Diego, Casa De Bandini.

Warning. Please make sure you don't have a packed day after your dining experience there. You will no doubt be extremely full and enter into food coma. But I guarantee you will leave satisfied.

I was duped

I have to admit that I have no understanding of figure skating and will never be suckered into watching it again. After the first night, it seemed like a good set up between Sasha Cohen and Slutskaya for the gold medal. So, I decided that I would tune in last night and watch. Once in four years, what the hell right? I even went so far as not check espn.com all day so I wouldn't know who won. Trust me. Not checking espn.com all day is not easy for me.

And than it happened. Sasha Cohen fell twice during her program. Slutskaya fell once during her program. And an incredibly boring japanese girl won the gold medal. Now here is where I am confused. How does she fall twice yet win the silver medal? OK. I admit. I have no clue how the sport is judged. Nor do I have any desire to find out. I have 4 more years to decide whether I will watch again. But probably won't put much thought to it. So to my point, I was roped in and disappointed. Much like back in the day getting all geared up for the Tyson fight.

Well, on a good front, it is a beautiful Friday in Atlanta and the men's curling team won the bronze medal. A monumental day in US Curling history. Hope everyone has a great weekend.

Olympic Thoughts

Here are just a few Olympic thoughts as I have been tuned in for the last couple of days. First, I never realized ice dancing could be such a dangerous sport. In watching the highlights (or lowlights), I can't believe how many bodies I saw flying to the ice. Including one nasty spill with a woman being dropped after being held over her head. Which brings me to the fact that US won silver. More importantly, espn.com Page 2 ran a story on hottest female athletes. My vote is for Tanith Belbin (first picture), of ice dancing fame, in a close call over Maria Sharapova.

Although I am not a huge fan of figure skating, I have to admit that I watched Sasha Cohen (hopefully jewish) skate last night and it was pretty amazing. She was downright awesome and I hope she can take home the gold. I will watch her skate Thursday night.

Now for the picture. The picture is that of one of the greatest upset in the history of sports and probably the most memorable US olympic moment. The great victory over the Russians and than subsequently a win in the gold medal game. However, this years US hockey team acted more like Bode Miller than the 1980 hockey team. They won only 1 of 5 games before being eliminated today by Finland. They manage only a tie against the hockey superpower of Latvia. Slight sarcasm there. Oh well. There is always our Olympic basketball team. Oh wait. They lose to the likes of Puerto Rico and Argentina. But baseball is our game. Oh no. We didn't even qualify for the 2004 olympics. Put football in the olympics. I am sure we could take gold in that one.

Tuesday Tidbits

I am sorry that the updates have been lacking. I will try and do a better job of regular updates. Here is the weekly edition of Tuesday Tidbits.

• Why do I dislike Bode Miller so much? He is out of shape. Arrogant. Never shuts up. Doesn't put up (no medals.)
• Joey Cheek, Emily Hughes, Ted Ligety, and Shawn White are likeable olympians. And all but Emily Hughes, who hasn't competed, are winners.
• Olympic hockey medal round should be entertaining. But don't get your hopes up for the USA.
• Watching a show on the travel channel about Costa Rica reminded me how awesome that place is.
• The Sky Trek canopy tour in Monteverde, Costa Rica was amazing.
• Low country boil- Easy, Healthy and Delicious.
• When will spring get here? Pitchers and catchers reporting to Spring Training makes you realize it is close.
• Least favorite athlete- Barry Bonds. Let's hope he doesn't break Hank Aaron's record.
• I can't believe John "The Nibbler" Ready won the poker tournament on Friday.
• John Stewart gets funnier every time I see him. He had Katie Couric completely rattled during an interview on The Today Show.
• United Arab Emirates company to manage US ports. Interesting.

Tuesday Tidbits...

Well. Last weeks edition got everyone up in a frenzy with heated dialogue between John, Todd and Debbie in regards to the fact that FEMA is no longer paying for evacuees hotel rooms. It was good debate and no feelings were hurt. Let's see what this week stirs up.

• I just want to feel 100%. Simple goals.
• Happy Valentine's Day to everyone.
• Bode Miller still sucks.
• The winter olympics still don't get me fired up.
• It is great to live in Atlanta (and just hear about 26 inches of snow in NY, not live it.)
• I wish I was in Mobile for the board meeting for my big deal.
• I am into Podcasting. For those of you who like the Onion, they have just added a daily news podcast. Very funny. Today's story "Local man can take buy socks off his To Do list"
• Another interesting podcasts I have founds: Lonely Planet Travelcast- Find your destination. Listen to a podcast.
• HOLY SHIT- A great day on the stock market.
• Happy Birthday Michelle.
• John Stewart reporting on Cheney's misfire was hysterical.
• Hell. John Stewart is just hysterical. And so is Dick Cheney's aim.
• Retail sales surge in the USA. Personal debt also?
• It is sad that Grandma Luge has crashed and won't compete in the Olympics. At 52, she was going to be the oldest competitor ever.
• Dick Cheney didn't even have a license to quail hunt. Not that obeying rules matter to him.
• Anydbody use audible.com? Looks pretty cool.
• Thinking about next travel destination- Argentina, Thailand, Panama, Italy, Germany, etc

SHITTY WEEKEND

In going to Gulfport, I picked up some nasty bug that has had me bed ridden all weekend. So, I had to enjoy this weekend through what everybody else did. Todd was in Berlin and Poland, sounds great. A group went out last night to celebrate Michelle's birthday. Sounds like fun. Although, rumors persist that everybody was doing shots to celebrate her birthday except her. Sounds kind of strange to me. Somebody needed to put their foot down in that situation. You can obviously tell I am bitter.

So while all you out there were doing all kinds of fun stuff, the highlights of my weekend included a trip to get some Wonton soup. Which brings me to the tale of two Wonton soups. On Friday, I asked Elliott to pick me up a quart of Wonton Soup on his way home from the gym. Thank you Elliott for doing so. He picked it up from Chin Chin. One quart of Wonton soup from them had 3 fucking wontons. So, the next day, I went to Great Wall chinese restaurant. The quart of soup from them had 10 wontons. Chin Chin = Cheap Cheap. Today, I called my mom for her recipe for homemade chicken soup, aka Jewish penicilin. Mom set me straight and I made the soup. Delicious and magical. That stuff truly makes you feel better. The nice thing is that it was ready at halftime of the OSU- Illinois basketball game. That combined with OSU kicking Illinois' ass and going to 18-3 and first place in the Big Ten is the highlight of my weekend. Exciting, huh?

After being couped up for the last 3 days, I realize that the winter olympics just doesn't cut the mustard. I can only take so much of them. While it is extremely exciting to see The Flying Tomato (Shawn White) win the gold medal in the halfpipe, I can't take any more of Bode Miller. Funny taht as I type this, my friend Matt IM's me to say "If it wasn't for x games sports, we wouldn't win any medals." You want to see some weird stuff, check out the Bode Miller website from Nike. Join Bode. Enough about this guy. He didn't even win a medal tonight. GO AWAY. The man is dumber than the slopes he skis on. To make matters worse, he let a French guy win the gold medal. Come on. The French suck.

Winter olympics, combined with numerous shows on HGTV, travel shows on PBS, a show on LA County Prisons (the Flu isn't so bad) and travel channel have me completely restless. Not to mention some online euchre playing. Anybody interested? Hopefully, I will be over this soon and be back up to par. It is only a matter of time. I really want to get a good night's sleep tonight. In flipping through the TV, I noticed the Atlanta Hawks are on. That may help. There couldn't possibly be any other reason to actually watch them. Well, I have a big work week coming up with a trip to Mobile planned on Tuesday. We will see how everything turns out.

PS-
Poor Mom has had to shovel her driveway and walkway three times from the 20 plus inches of snow New York got pounded with over the weekend. Nobody can deny her toughness. She went out there and did it herself. Mom kicks ass.

Gulfport, MS

Thursday I flew in to Gulfport, MS for a meeting with a business partner of mine. Actually, my favorite partner, Howard Computer's. You got that right. That is the name of the company. Gulfport still has a very long way to go to recover fully from Hurricane Katrina. The amazing thing is that not only has a lot of it not been rebuilt, but a lot of the destruction hasn't even been cleaned up yet. Upon arrival, the airport is still a mess. The Hertz rental car desk was in a makeshift trailer outside. It is definitely a slow rebuilding process. When arriving at the Hotel in Laurel, MS we checked in and I began to walk to my room. I was touched by a note that was on every room down my hallway. It was from Mrs. Grace and she was thanking everybody in the hotel for being so great to her during this difficult time and was excited to tell everybody that she was moving in to her new home. I am sure that was a great feeling for her.

The next morning, I was awakened by a school bus picking up kids at the hotel. Think about that for a few minutes. We were staying in a Comfort Suites and there were families with children forced to stay there and attempt to make things normal. That was a very humbling thought and makes you realize how fortunate you are for many things.

While there, I have picked up some kind of bug and have been pretty sick upon my return. Trying to get some rest this weekend and hopefully get myself feeling up to par.

Humpday Humor

Sorry for the late post. I was in meetings all day and got home late. Here is a real quick edition of Humpday Humor.

Dip Off Recipes

Cheesy Bean Dip - Jennifer Caran
1 Can of Refried Beans
1 8oz block of cream cheese
6 Scallions
2 cups Shredded Cheese

1. Let cream cheese sit out for about an hour to soften. 2. Blend cream cheese and scallions in food processor and set aside. 3. Spread beans in a 9x13 pan 4. Next, layer with cream cheese & scallion mixture 5. Top with the shredded cheese 6. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes (or until cheese is melted)

Vidalia Onion Cheese Dip - Amanda Sapp
4 cups (1 1/2 large Vidalia onions), coarsely chopped
2 Tablespoons butter
½ cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
½ cup mayonnaise
½ cup (4 ounces) cream cheese
½ cup sour cream
½ teaspoon hot sauce
¾ teaspoon salt
1 garlic clove, minced

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, sauté the onions in butter until translucent and tender, about 12 - 15 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375°.
Place the mayonnaise, cream cheese, sour cream, hot sauce, salt and garlic in a food processor and pulse until smooth.
Add the cooked onions and cheddar cheese, and pulse 3 – 4 times, until combined. Taste for seasonings.
Pour the dip into a 1 ½-quart casserole.
Bake uncovered for 20 – 25 minutes, until golden and bubbly.

Fruit Tray with Fruit Dip Recipe - Nancy Ryoo
2 whole pineapples
2 large clusters green seedless grapes and several clusters Champagne grapes
6 oranges, peeled and sliced into wheels
1 cantaloupe, cut into cubes or balled
1 honeydew melon, cut into cubes or balled
24 long stemmed strawberries
6 to 8 kiwi, peeled and sliced
2 cups blueberries
Red Leaf lettuce, to line silver tray

French Cream
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 lemon, zested and juiced
Pineapple juice

Soften cream cheese and then whip with powdered sugar. Whip cream and sugartogether until it forms soft peaks. Combine beaten cream cheese, whippedcream, lemon juice and zest; continue to beat, adding just enough pineapple juice to achieve desired consistency. Serve with fresh fruit tray or fruitsalad.

Reuben Dip- Jennifer Schwartz

½ c. mayo
½ c. thousand island dressing
16 oz. sauerkraut rinsed & squeezed dry
8 oz. shredded corned beef
16 oz. shredded swiss

Combine mayo & dressing. Spread sauerkraut in a 9 x13 dish. Layer corn beef, swiss and mayo mixture until gone.
Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

Mexican “Corn” Dip- Mom Schwartz
2 cans Mexican corn, drained
2 cups Mayonnaise
2 cups Colby Jack cheese, shredded
1 cup parmesan cheese, grated
¼ cup diced (fresh) jalapeno peppers

Preheat oven to 350. Combine all ingredients and bake in greased 9 x 10 dish for 20 – 30 minutes. Serve with Fritos.

Tuesday Tidbits

Back for another weekly edition of Tuesday's Tidbits:

• I am ready to go Sky Diving when Todd is.
• Officiating in the Super Bowl was highly questionable.
• Not too interested in the winter olympics.
• Multiple days rioting over a Danish cartoon about Mohammed- Absurd.
• Bush's budget creates a $423 billion deficit- Conservative Government? I think not.
• Bush's budget = $20,000 per household in taxes.
• FEMA cuts paying hotel bills to Katrina evacuees today. Probably need that money for Iraq.
• I already miss football.
• Most boring Super Bowl of my lifetime.
• In response to cartoon about Mohammed, Iran launches contest for best holocaust cartoon. Need I say anything?
• Am I the only one who doesn't watch 24?
• "Short History Of Nearly Everything" is a great book. Written in Bryson's witty style, a laymans guide to science.
• Very appropriate Time magazine cover "Is America Flunking Science?" Haven't read the article yet, but we are constantly falling behind in number of graduates in science and engineering.
• Looking forward to Michelle's birthday at Swallow at the Hallow. Live country music should be interesting.
• Finally we get winter weather. Not complaining since we have been extremely fortunate this winter.
• Oysterfest at Steamhouse lounge is coming Feb 18th and Feb 19th. Anybody interested?
• Valentine's Day in Mobile on business by myself. Now that's romantic.
• Last basketball game for me tonight. Not ready for it to end. Very quick season with being gone for the first month.
• Jimmy Buffett better come to Atlanta this year.
• I better win the lottery for Red Sox tickets.
• February is the deadest month of the year for sports.

1st Annual Dip off

Thanks to everyone who came over yesterday for the 1st Annual Dip Off. They also played the Super Bowl...... zzzzzzzzz and some companies spent a ton of money on really uninteresting commercials. But, a good time was had by all yesterday. There were some incredible dips (and one NASTY one.) But, as you can see in the picture, Nick Palermo is arrogantly proclaiming his dip of "Pig Ears with Alpo" as being number 1. Any guess as to what the NASTY dip was? There was also some good comedy in dips as Todd entered "Fun Dip." For those who weren't there, you guessed it. The old fun dip sugar candy with the hard sugar spoons.

The oddsmakers in vegas had this all wrong. The winner was a darkhorse candidate who was coaxed into entering by a late night phone call from Marshall Schwartz. He called his Mom at about 11:30 on Saturday night. Her reply was "Is everything OK?" The answer was "Yes, But can you please make a dip for the dip off?" All of our pallates were the winner. Congrats to the winners, although there were no losers:

Mom Schwartz (1st Place, Best Overall)
Jennifer Caran (2nd Place, Best Overall)- The Original Bean Dip
Amanda Sapp (3rd Place, Best Overall)- Vidalia Onion Dipp

Jennifer Schwartz (1st Place, Most Creative)- Reuben Dip
Todd Grandominico (2nd Place, Most Creative)- Fun Dip
Mary Kaplan (3rd Place Tie, Most Creative)- 7 Layer Dip
Nancy Ryoo (3rd Place Tie, Most Creative)- Fruit Dip

Unofficial Award- Best Dip According to Frank and Beleza (The Dogs)- Nick Palermo

Thanks to all the dip makers, Jeff (Chicken Wings and Tenders), Sam and Kim (Cake), Todd (Meatballs), Michelle (Puppy Chow), John and Jennifer Ready and Mary and Steve Kaplan (For Bringing Cute As Hell Kids.) Shane (Ice), and many others for bringing beer and good times.

Make sure you go to elliottintheatl.blogspot.com today for Game Balls, Quotes of the Weekend, and Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down segment for the weekend. Between Schro and Amanda's engagement party and the Dip Off, I am sure there will be quality material on there today.

Recipes are being compiled from the Dip Off and will be posted on this blog shortly. 

Vegas Odds on The Great Dip Off

As you know, the First Annual Great Dip Off will be taking place on Sunday. Everybody loves a good dip, now comes the day to see who makes the best dip. Also, the Super Bowl will be played. Everybody has had all season to refine their skills for the big day. The picture is of a lobster dip. Any dip with lobster will probably score major bonus points. Based on evite and verbal responses, here are vegas odds on the dip off:

Amanda Sapp- 3-1 Clearly the favorite and has the bravado to boot. Already asking about prizes. Rumors are swirling about her bringing a "White Trash Dip"

Jennifer Schwartz- 5-1 We have seen some good cooking from Jennifer in the past. Could be a strong competitor.

Jennifer (Eddie's Girlfriend)- 7-1 Her chicken dip on the day of the bowl games shows that she can make a strong dip. If her dip entry is better than that one, she will be tough to beat.

Jennifer Ready- 12-1 Her leap into motherhood has helped her refine her culinary skills. Has made an excellent bean dip in the past.

Mary Kaplan- 15-1 Another mother. Has to have good cooking skills to keep her belligerent husband Steve happy.

Field (Karen Denice, Vanessa, Nancy and Kimberly Doan)- 15-1 Complete unknowns.

Michelle Krogmeier- 20-1 Never seen her make a dip. Not sure if she has a good one in the repertoire.

Patricia Palermo- 30-1 Rumors have it that she has been training hard for the event. Based on experience, if Lucci Palermo has helped with her training, could be a threat.

Jennifer Caran- 100,000-1 Need I say more.

Early Birthday Present and Top 10 Hated Athletes

If anybody out there wants to spring for an early birthday present, here is where you can go to buy it. You can get an OSU National Champions ring from ebay. My guess it is probably being sold by the bum Maurice Clarett. How else is the guy going to make a living and pay for his upcoming legal bills. So feel free to go ahead and pick up the ring for me. I would definitely under.

I was also reading something interesting the other day. GQ magazine put out a list of Top 10 most hated athletes. Yes they have great articles in addition to fashion. Some of the names on the list may not surprise you, but certain names will. One that
comes to mind is Phil Mickelson. He comes in at number 8. Phil is treated like the darling of golf. Getting raucous cheers from every gallery. Probably the biggest fan favorite in golf, with the only possible exception being Tiger Woods. Before he won his first major, everybody was pulling for him to get a win. So how is he on the most hated list. Because this list is based on the opinion of players on the tour and reporters who cover the tour. He is hated for being a "fraud", "insincere." One quote states, "Phil Mickelson literally has no friends out there. He annoys everybody." It just goes to show that you don't know much about these athletes other than the public perception. It reminds me of NFL man of the year, Eugene Robinson, getting arrested for soliciting a prostitute the night before the Super Bowl. And this guy was NFL man of the year and married. Here is the list.
10. Lleyton Hewitt (It's tennis, who cares)
9. A.J. Pierzynski
8. Phil Mickelson
7. Bonzi Wells
6. Michael Iaconelli (WHO? Some fisherman, who cares)
5. Kobe Bryant
4. Curt Schilling
3. Kurt Busch
2. Barry Bonds (No Big Surprise)
1. Terrell Owens

Click here for a link to the article.