On Memorial Day Jason and I went to a cook-out at our friends' house. I wasn't prepared for the dessert they had planned. They made "spaghetti ice cream!" No, I don't mean spaghetti flavored ice cream...nasty! (This is not Baskin-Robbins' newest flavor.) They served us ice cream that looked just like spaghetti noodles, topped with marinara sauce, parmesan cheese, and even meatballs on the side. It was wild! I wish all meatballs tasted like chocolate ice cream! …
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Little Cubs Field
Now here's a story that will warm any baseball fan's -- and especially a Cubs fan's -- heart. I got an e-mail the other day from Dennis Garkey, the president of a non-profit group called Build Little Cubs Field. The aim of the group is to build a wiffleball-sized replica of Wrigley Field in Freeport, Illinois. The project, which has been supported by Ron Santo and the Chicago Cubs, will feature brick walls, the famous ivy (some supplied by the Cubs), the basket over the wall, and even a replica scoreboard. It will be used for Little League (7-8 yr old boys and girls), kickball, wiffleball, …
Thumb Wrestling Federation
Check out this original take on Thumb Wrestling, brought to you by Bernie DeKoven and featuring the Thumb Helmet: Self-evidently, one takes a bit of foil, or candy wrapper, and twists it around the top part of the thumb so as to make a helmet similar to the classic Pickelhaube helmet worn by the German infantry in World War One. Notice the extreme spike-height in the illustration on the (right.) This is the kind of Thumb Helmet worn by a high-ranked Thumb Warrior, for, indeed, the higher the spike, the greater the skill required to win. …
Six Years of Childlike Wonder
As Kim mentioned in her latest post, we celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary yesterday. After picking up some delectable morel mushrooms at the Farmer's Market, we had lunch at Ian's Pizza (Mac and Cheese pizza for Kim, Philly Cheesesteak for me.) Then we toured the new Madison Museum of Contemporary Art and the Olbrich Botanical Gardens -- both free! -- and capped off the evening at The Eldorado Grill for dinner and the Hilton's Olive Lounge for some dueling piano action. It was a beautiful day, packed with new adventures and a cornucopia of childlike curiosity. Ever since we spent a …
Foods Collide
Yesterday Jason and I celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary. Man, the way this marriage is flying, we’ll be up to 60 before we know it. Jason had the whole day planned by the time I awoke to breakfast in bed. (He makes the best scrambled eggs!) After enjoying the spring weather as we bummed around Madison’s famous Farmer’s Market, Jason excitedly shared with me one his new discoveries in town, Ian’s Pizza. Talk about childhood! You can read all about Ian’s at Jason’s recent blog post. …
You Want What On Your Pizza?
Today I had lunch with a friend at a remarkably childlike place. It's called Ian's Pizza, and it sells pizza by the slice as well as by the pie. What's remarkable is what's on those slices. You can choose from Mac and Cheese (their most popular), Lasagna, Steak and Fries, Chicken Cordon Bleu, or Guacamole Burrito, to name a few. (I heard they had Chicken Mashed Potato, but I didn't see it on the menu.) Of course, you can also get -- ho-hum -- pepperoni. I felt like I was in the middle of Escape Plan Challenge #15 -- eating something new. If the concoctions above don't seem too appealing to …
Smells Like Childhood Spirit
Kim and I mentioned the new Play-Doh cologne in our last podcast. Hasbro has commissioned Demeter Fragrance Library to create and distribute the scent in honor of Play-Doh's 50th anniversary. I'm not sure how many people would actually buy the stuff, especially at $19 an ounce. In fact, I read on Foxnews.com that they didn't necessarily expect that many people would actually wear it, but rather "take it out of (their) purse or glove compartment now and then and just smell it." Interesting. Why wouldn't I just buy a container of real Play-Doh for a few bucks and stick THAT in my purse or …
Super Mario Remixed
This one's for those of you nostalgic about Nintendo. Santa brought us one for Christmas one year, leaving it in the downstairs oven so that we would be forced to open it last. It was a big surprise. Odeo has featured a Super Mario Brothers Theme Remix that you can download. One of the commenters posted: The more I hear this song (there seems to be a recent trend of people in our generation to revive this) the more I realize that Japanese composer who did this is actually quite a genius. I can't think of any other piece of music that you wouldn't kill yourself after hearing 452,421 times when …
Grown-Up Finger-Painting
Who says finger-painting is only for kids? Not the folks who live in Fort Walton Beach, Florida! The Arts and Design Society is putting on a finger-painting workshop this week. This is a good thing. But the $185 registration fee intrigues me. Oh sure, supplies are included. However, I remember doing a LOT of finger-painting as a lad, and I'm pretty sure it didn't set my teacher back 185 clams. On the other hand, you do get to learn a high-level Impressionist technique (even though it seems to me that pretty much all finger-painting done by kids is Impressionistic.) …
Leader of the Free World
I'm not sure that's a responsibility I'd like to take on. I can't imagine a more stressful job than being President of the United States. Think about it. The decisions you're forced to make have big, life and death consequences. 24-hour news stations and countless radio hosts analyze everything you say and do -- every single day. No matter what party you hail from, or how popular you are, there will always be a big chunk of the population that flat out dislikes you, no matter what. Whether you're Carter or Reagan, Clinton or Bush, it's quite common to have your accomplishments ignored and get …