Thursday, August 19, 2010
Oklahoma City National Memorial walking tour
Monday, August 2, 2010
You know you are from Ohio If...
2. Your idea of a traffic jam is ten cars waiting to pass a tractor on the highway. (True)
3. "Vacation" means driving through Hocking Hills or going to King's Island. (How About Cedar Point?)
4. You've seen all the biggest bands ten years after they were popular. (Manhattan Transfer is always Popular!)
5. You measure distance in minutes. (Findlay is 20 minutes south of Bowling Green!)
6. Down south to you means Kentucky. (YES)
7. You know several people who have hit a deer. (YES)
8. Your school classes were canceled because of cold. (YES)
9. Your school classes were canceled because of heat. (no...)
10. You've ever had to switch from "heat" to "A/C" in the same day. (YES)
11. You think ethanol makes your truck "run a lot better." (Will it help my Prius?)
12. You know what's knee-high by the Fourth of July. (YES, Corn... what idiot wouldn't know that?)
13. Stores don't have bags; they have sacks. (YES)
14. You see a car running in the parking lot at the store with no one in it no matter what time of the year. (YES)
15. You end your sentences with an unnecessary preposition. Example:"Where's my coat at?" or "If you go to the mall I wanna go with." (YES)
16. All the festivals across the state are named after a fruit, vegetable, or grain. (Does the Cookie festival in McComb count as a vegetable?)
17. You install security lights on your house and garage and leave both unlocked. (YES, my parents)
18. You carry jumper cables in your car. (No)
19. You know what "cow tipping" or "Possum Kicking" is. (YES... don't ask me how how or when because i'm not allowed to say)
20. You only own 3 spices: salt, pepper, and ketchup. (There are other spices???)
21. You design your kid's Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit. (I did this several times as a kid)
22. You think everyone from a bigger city has an accent. (I don't think, I know it)
23. The local paper covers national and international headlines on one page but requires 6 pages for sports. (Findlay Courier anyone?)
24. You think that deer season is a national holiday. (It isn't? It is a valid excuse to miss school!)
25. You know which leaves make good toilet paper. (Maple)
26. You find -20 degrees F "a little chilly". (True)
27. You know all 4 seasons: Almost Winter, Winter, Still Winter, and Construction. (Construction is also known as 'orange barrel season')
28. You know what a real buckeye is, and have a recipe for candy ones. (YES)
29. You can spell words like Cuyahoga and Tuscarawas. (YES)
30. You know that Serpent Mound was not made by snakes. (YES)
31. You don't think of Florida first when someone mentions Miami. (YES)
32. You snicker when someone's from Tiffin, because you think of the State Hospital. (YES)
33. You think Pro football teams are supposed to wear orange! (Dont they all?)
34. You've heard of 3.2% beer. (only from parents stories)
35. Schools close for the state basketball tournament. (YES... sadly)
36. You're proud of your state fair, but would rather go to Cedar Point. (DEFINITELY)
37. You live less than 30 miles from some college or university. (BGSU, University of Findlay, University of Tiffin)
38. You root for a college team though you've never taken a class there. (YES)
39. You actually get these jokes and forward them to all your Ohio friends. (YES)
40. Isn't it sad? You just said "yup" and "uh-huh" to most of these!!! (YUP!)
a few more
41.You've ever seen hail, rain, snow, and sleet all in the same day (YUP!)
42. You have seen the Touchdown Jesus on I-75 (YUP!)
43. You know that Drew Carey is basically our mascot (YUP!)
44.I know I'm from Ohio, because I hate the Steelers, and Art Modell is my worst enemy. (Umm..?)
45.I know that I live in a great state with 3 of the best amusement parks, and they're all owned by the same company. (Only two now... we miss you Geauga Lake!)
46.The phrase "Lake effect" strikes terror in your heart. (YUP!)
47.The phrase Muck Fichigan means anything to you. (YUP!)
48.One of your favorite parts of the holiday season is to eat candy that resembles a poisonous nut. (YUP!)
49.You drive down the interstate and want to hit vehicles with blue license plates. (YUP!) (YUP!) (YUP!)
50.You know why Ohio is so high on the bad drivers list. Hint hint. ^ ( Michigan) (YUP!)
51.You can identify roadkill after a semi truck has run over it. (YUP!)
52.You hate the fact that Ohio is becoming famous because of a stupid Jesus statue down by Cincy. (It burned down by an act of God)
53.You know all the words to Margaritaville and have atttended a Jimmy Buffett concert in Cincy and claim him as a citizen even though Jimmy Buffett has no ties with Ohio what so ever. (Eww... Nope!)
54.You know Carmen Electras' real name is Tara Leigh Patrick. (YUP!)
55.You can name at least 3 famous music groups and at least 5 famous people from Ohio. (YUP!)
56.It's summer, you have an earthquake, a tornado, and snow all in one week. (Mabye)
57.If you have ever celebrated "Sweetest Day." Apparently Ohio is the only state to celebrate it! (Other states don't have sweetest day a.k.a. 'sell off the leftover Valentine's day junk at 40% off day'?)
Monday, July 26, 2010
Epic fireworks display
Earlier this year Dubai celebrated the opening of the Atlantis resort at Palm Jumeriah in typical Dubai fashion, by shattering a few world records. In this case, for the largest fireworks display ever in human history. Over 1 million fireworks were launched in just 8 minutes... ten times the amount used in the entire 3 hour opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics. The display was reportedly visible from space, and based on the video below, I can believe it... Fireworks were launched from the entire 27-mile length of the palm island. The 'grand finale' of this display is beyond words. The finale was reported to be the loudest non-nuclear manmade explosive noise ever... but the crowd seemed to have enjoyed it. Watch and enjoy:
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Abu Dhabi 2030
Watch out Lady Gaga...
Sunday, July 18, 2010
What can you do if you had a couple hundred Dyson Air Multiplier Fans
Arizona Monsoon Season
So it is monsoon season here in the Valley of the Sun... The only real question is when will most of us see our first moonsoon rains of the year? Scottsdale got a brief downpour on thursday but thus far in the season that is all that has happened. The Arizona Republic posted an awesome photo collection of their best monsson photos of the last few years. click HERE to view their photos. You can also click on about.com's article on the Monsoon in Phoenix to learn more about this unique weather phenomenon.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Apples
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Top of the world...
Friday, July 2, 2010
Sun, fun (and heat) for the 4th...
Happy Orange of July (I mean 4th of July...)
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Best show in Arizona!
And a short 9 minutes documentary on how and why Tempe Lake and the surrounding park were created:
And a little bit about the 10th anniversary of the lake:
Saturday, May 15, 2010
My Great Grandmother?
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Fox 10 at Horizon Elementary!
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Chase field
Taking in an Arizona Diamondbacks game at Chase Field is more than just watching a baseball game. The stadium is almost as big an attraction as the on-field product. Built in 1998, Chase Field has been the home for the Diamondbacks since their inception.
Located in the heart of downtown Phoenix, the ballpark is easily accessible by two freeways that connect Phoenix to the surrounding suburbs. Located just a block from US Airways Center where the Phoenix Suns play basketball, Chase Field shares many of the parking structures in the surrounding area.
Besides driving, you can take the new Phoenix light rail train which has a stop directly adjacent to Chase Field to get downtown.
The stadium has been designed to have an old ballpark field with a brick facade and exposed steel. One of the first things you notice is the large retractable roof that opens in just over four minutes. On days when outside temperatures are below 95 degrees they will play with the roof open. During the hot desert summer the roof is closed during the game and the stadium is air conditioned to a comfortable 78 degrees.
With a seating capacity of 49,075 the park looks massive from the inside. The seats have all been angled towards home plate making it quite comfortable to watch a game without having to rotate and sit on the side of your seat to see the game action.
Chase Field has several unique features besides the retractable roof. There are large mosaic panels above the outfield that can be opened to provide more air flow and give the fans a view of downtown Phoenix and the surrounding mountains.
The playing surface is natural grass and the park is relatively symmetrical. Beyond the right field wall in center is a swimming pool that can be rented on a per game basis (for about $6,000 a game!) When Diamondbacks players hit a home run fountains shoot off spraying water into the pool area.
Above center, Chase Field is the home to the largest scoreboard in baseball with a high definition screen measuring 144 feet wide by 55 feet high. During the game the scoreboard shows crowd images and messages that are amazingly clear and life-like. (from stadium journey)
Riding the light rail to Chase Field is the easiest way to get downtown... This is the light rail and Valley Metro transit hub at 19th Avenue and Bethany Home Road by the Christown Spectrum Mall...
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Heavenly Bed (sort of)
A Carefree Drive
Like stealing fire from the gods...
2 ½ cups Bisquick baking mix
¾ cup cold whole milk
4 tablespoons cold butter (1/2 stick)
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
1 heaping cup grated cheddar cheese
And to brush on top:
2 tablespoons butter, melted
¼ teaspoon dried parsley flakes
½ teaspoon garlic powder
pinch salt
Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
2. Combine Bisquick with cold butter in a medium bowl using a pastry cutter or a large fork. You don't want to mix too thoroughly. There should be small chunks of butter in there that are about the size of peas. Add cheddar cheese, milk, and ¼ teaspoon garlic. Mix by hand until combined, but don't over mix. (I had to add an extra 1/4 cup of milk)
3. Drop approximately ¼-cup portions of the dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet using an ice cream scoop.
4. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes or until the tops of the biscuits begin to turn light brown.
5. When you take the biscuits out of the oven, melt 2 tablespoons butter is a small bowl in your microwave. Stir in ½ teaspoon garlic powder and the dried parsley flakes. Use a brush to spread this garlic butter over the tops of all the biscuits. Use up all of the butter. (I just melted more butter and then dipped the biscuits upside down in the bowl then sprinkled parsley on them in the absence of a brush) Makes one dozen biscuits.
ABC News's Good Morning America explains: Order an entrée from America's largest seafood restaurant chain and you get a basket of some of the planet's tastiest garlic cheese biscuits served up on the side. For many years this recipe has been the most-searched-for clone recipe on the Internet, according to Red Lobster. As a result, several versions are floating around, including one that was at one time printed right in the box of a baking mix.
The problem with making biscuits using a baking mix is that if you follow the directions from the box you don't end up with a very fluffy or flakey finished product, since most of the fat in the recipe comes from the shortening that's included in the mix.
On its own, room temperature shortening does a poor job creating the light, airy texture you want from good biscuits, and it contributes little in the way of flavor. So, we'll invite some cold butter along on the trip-with grated cheddar cheese and a little garlic powder. Now you'll be well on your way to delicious Cheddar Bay. Wherever that is.
Recipe courtesy of Todd Wilbur, "Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2," Plume Books.
and the Original Link