Some things I need today:
Mac Keyboard. My G11 is very nice for gaming, but for working and typing it’s not so pleasant.
iPhone Case. I bought a refurbished 3G (black) for a pittance and need something that will protect the thing but still allow me to carry it in my pocket. I loathe belt clip-ons and cases that turn a svelt, curvy phone into a ruggedized cargo container.
iPhone Apps. I don’t want to waste my 99 cents. What do you people find indespensible?
Briefcase/Laptop Case. My new company is going to issue a nice, new laptop to me. I gotta lug that thing in style, foshizzle.
Pants. The new job doesn’t permit silk Hawaiian shirts and jeans. I don’t like pleats, and I don’t like pants I have to have dry cleaned. My size is typically 32”x32”, nothing fancy, no Big-N-Tall. Am I stuck with Dockers?
Motorcycle. OK, let’s just admit that I’m scared sh!ttless about riding a motorcycle in Orlando. I trust *myself*, just not the 10 million tourists who routinely try to kill me every day. But I’m going to be driving only twenty miles per day round trip to work and I like to dream that I could have a bike.
Wii Game. I bought Virtua Tennis and the advanced controller attachment. It’s fun, but not outstanding. I tried Zelda for Wii and fell asleep. I am not going to buy another game console, but so far all the Wii games look boring and uninteresting.
Pork Chop Recipe. I have four nice porkchops and apples at home. Gimme a good, simple recipe that my six-year old son will like.
Wii games – Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros’ Treasure. Pikmin. de Blob. Just to name a few.
Motorcycle? Yeah, I wouldn’t. I’d love a motorcycle too, but I almost got killed more than a couple of times just riding a bicycle (in my tiny hometown in Australia), because drivers either didn’t see, or didn’t care about me.
Porkchops? I beat mine tender, egg ‘em, breadcrumb ‘em, and fry ‘em with a splash of oil. The kids (but more importantly my wife) love ‘em.
Apple Maccy/i-stuff? Can’t help you there, sorry.
I strongly suggest guitar hero for the wii.
Porkchops – marinate in 1/3 cup of lime juice, a few crushed cloves of garlic and some crushed red pepper if the little one likes a bit of spicy food. Grill. Voila!
Wii Games – Wii Fit is good from what I’ve heard, Guitar Hero/Rock Band are also good.
Briefcase/Laptop Case – Staples/Office Depot usually have some decent ones. I know I got a medium sized one for my Dad for about 20-30$
iPhone Case – Best Buy usually has a plethora of selections.
Mac Keyboard – Something ergonomic? I’m not a Mac user so I don’t know what really needed.
Good Luck with your search!
~Peter
OK, pork chops. I got you.
Brine
2 cups apple cider vinager
1 cup salt
1 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons black peppercorns
1 tablespoon dry mustard
Heat up the viager, place all the dry ingrediants in a plastic contaner, bigger than you think you need. Pour in the vinager. Stir untill disolved, or as close as you can get.
Next add soem ice cubes. Not a ton, but enough to bring the teprature down to luke warm. Add the pork chops in. Make sure the liquid covers the chops. If it seems like there is not enough add cold water or apple juice.
Take some ice cubes and put em in a zip top bag and then drop em on to pof the chops. This is to keep them submerged. Lid up and wait 2 hours. Drain brine and get them chops to the grill!
Grill – HOT. Cook on one side for 3min and then twist. this will create those nice crosshatch grill marks. Then grill anothre 3min. For a total of 6 min each side.
These are great with any sort of rice, I like the broccli au gratin from rice-a-roni but I am simple like that.
Is the keyboard for work? Do you suspect you’ll hate your coworkers? Give them a reason to hate you back: http://pckeyboards.stores.yahoo.net//customizer.html – you can hear it from 3 blocks away. It’s basically an old IBM Model M with 104 keys and USB.
Don’t forget the two best features of the Wii:
GameCube computability, and downloads of old 8- and 16-bit games!
Oh and GuitarHero/Rockband is addictive, just say no
Pork chop recipe – McCormicks makes a great marinade for chops, one of the best I’ve had, the Mesquite flavor is the best! Just marinate for 30-60 mins and grill (ether on the grill or or in a grill pan inside). Good flavor and not spicy, simple to boot!
The marinade is McCormicks Grill Mates, Mesquite flavor. It’s over with the packaged chili and taco and gravy mixes in my grocery store: http://www.mccormick.com/Products/GrillMates/Marinades/Grill-Mates-Mesquite-Marinade.aspx
I heartily suggest WarioWare for the Wii. Fun, multiplayer, and forces you to move all over the place.
Regarding motorcycles: Your fear of tourists may be justified, but remember that the Orlando area, between Biketoberfest and Bike Week, sees a LOT of motorcycles every year, so the folks around here are used to dealing with them. I’d guess it’s pretty safe to ride a bike in these parts.
Finally, something I can pretend I’m proficient in other than WoW.
If you have connected your Wii to WiiConnect24 (and knowing you, you probably have), go buy a Wii Points Card and download either Mario Kart 64 or Star Fox 64. I’d also advertise Zelda 64 (Ocarina of Time or Majora’s Mask, both were good), but seeing as you fell asleep playing Twilight Princess, meh. I find the N64 games better. If you don’t want to go the route of N64, try Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Kid game, I know, but it is load of fun and the campaign mode is not bad.
How can you call yourself an engineer, and be sporting a hip holster for your phone ( and your calculator?), as far as pants go, I love Dockers, the stain defender is awesome, and even the casual khacki is wonderful, seems a good compromise, between price, cleaning, and looking sharp, as for motorcycles, my father enjoys his ninja zx-14, but that one is not good if your goal is not killing yourself, as far as wii games go, mario kart, and super mario galaxy, super smash brothers are all winners if you are looking for something you and your son can both enjoy, Mario party might also be a good choice, but I haven’t played that one personally. as for pork chops, I agree with the poster above, a simple breading and fry in a pan sounds like a solid option, my personal favorite is twice cooked garlic pork stir fry however, boil the pork in salt water for a while, let cool, cut into bite size slices, mix up a sauce and coat the meat, ( I like orance juice, corn starch, and a little tiger sauce) get some veggies, frozen stuff is fine usually,containing something like baby corn, broccoli, carrots, whatever else, get some mushrooms, and peel several cloves of garlic, ( I also like bamboo shoots) stir fry meat, a little at a time till coating cooks( remember, it is already cooked) place in a bowl, stir fry veggies, start with hardest and work your way to softest, this makes sure they dont overcook, ass all the meat, to the veggies in the pan, make a hole in center, pour in sauce, let it get a little hot, then stir together, server over rice….. this is a slightly complicated recipe( and my fathers doing) so I apologize if I missed a step
as a side note, I guess since you no longer work at nasa, it would be hard for you to get me a job there ( Im an aerospace engineering masters student)
I have an Ipod Touch, and I love the case I got by DLO. They sell eco-friendly “leather” cases. Have some nice sturdy belt clips, but at the same time are not rubberized/bulky/ugly. Best Buy carries a bunch of them on their online site, as well as their brick and mortar stores.
Wii games. Rock Band is a blast, especially with the kids. I got Defend your Castle from the wii ware and love it (bought it for my touch too
) Raving Rabbids…any and all of them..are silly stupid fun for kids and adults alike. The Force Unleashed is fun if only because you can buy a light saber to attach to your controller.
Iphone apps, well since I have a touch, I’m a little limited, but I like having Pandora for the music. Twitterfon is a good free Twitter app. Scott Johnson just started a podcast called appslappy that reviews Iphone apps. You might find some useful stuff there.
Re: Pants — the words you need to live and die by are “flat front.” You’ll also like “wrinkle resistant.” Don’t worry; there are many pants that fall between “khaki” and “suit.” You’ll probably have to spend more than 5 minutes shopping though. Tip: Don’t be afraid to look in the “younger” men’s section. Skip the trendy nonsense and find the between “khaki” and “suit” options that are stocked in better supply there. Remember: gray is also a neutral.
The secret to Pork Chops is to brine them.
As for the Wii, Mario Galaxy is good, and the 2p “girlfriend mode” will be good for the kid. I’m also going to plug Six Flags Fun Park, because I worked on it. Grab World of Goo on Wiiware or the PC. There just aren’t a lot of great titles on the Wii, though.
As for an iPhone case so that it stays protected in your pocket – I use the films from BodyGaurdz, it works really well preventing scratches etc.. while my phone’s in my pocket. (http://www.bodyguardz.com/)
Pork chops – all you need is some salt and pepper – perhaps some BBQ sauce if they get too dry.
Punch-out!!! for the wii is pretty much awesome and lasts for a long time.
I have the Griffon wave case for my iPhone and <3 it! It’s a nice, smooth, and hardy plastic — my heart doesn’t stop when I drop my phone. And, since it’s smooth, it slides in and out of my pocket easily. On top of that, it’s literally a snap to assemble.
For apps, I only use a handful. Facebook, Twitter, Pandora, Kindle, Urbanspoon (so fun for deciding where to eat when you don’t want to decide), YPmobile (hooray for easily accessable phone book that you can call from), Flashlight (which is just that), Poppin’ (bubble wrap on my phone), and Lightsaber. Most of these were free or possibly $0.99.
Here’s a pork chop recipe my Mom makes. She usually uses apple pie filling, but you can make it work with fresh apples. It’s really easy and quick to prepare/ Beware, I never measure….
-Cut up the apples into bite-sized chunks. Toss them with enough sugar and cinnamon to coat lightly. Put them aside for a few minutes.
-Make 2 servings of instant type stuffing. Stove Top is yummy.
-Put the apples in the bottom of a square pan. Layer the posrk chops on top. Then top it all with the stuffing. Bake in the oven at 350 for about 30 minutes or until they are done.
You have a young son. No Motorcycle.
Get one and risk death daily once he has grown up and can survive on his own.
For Wii any game that you and your son will enjoy will get boring for you. Boom Blocks is fun, rent it and try it out, but even that will get old.
I think I may need to try Kate’s recipe myself. That looks simple and delicious.
Pants-wise, nothing wrong with Dockers or any other generic khakis (where khaki seems to be more of a style than a color designation anymore), especially if they say ‘wrinkle free’. I don’t iron my husband’s slacks (or much of anything else unless I’m sewing or such) – once they’re done in the dryer, just hang them up and they’re good to go. If you’re on a budget, places like Target usually have a decent selection.
Wii Game, The only game i play on my wii at all these days is House of the Dead Overkill, with the Hand cannon zapper thing. buuut, you might need to hide that one from lil Daniel.
iPhone apps, I couldn’t live without are RssRunner, Twitterfon, and Wikipanion (for those late night, just one more wikipedia article before bed moments) and an app for the camera called Polarize, makes it look like a Polaroid! hey the camera in the iPhone aint up to much, so might as well give it some charm!
You need one of these Motorcycles.
http://www.confederate.com/confederate3/index.php
Because you said you will be riding a Harley and that immediately invokes images of idiots on motorcycles (not saying you are just see too many non-helmeted riders in az on harleys – or with the bare minimum aka brain bucket)…
If you’re riding a motorcycle, please please please ride with the appropriate gear – full helmet, jacket, gloves, boots. I’m sure you want to be around to raise your son and hopefully have full mental workings.
And don’t complain if you think its too hot for all that stuff – I ride in 115 with all that gear on and no humidity to cool me down – the joys of AZ. The mesh jackets out there are pretty good – investigate them to make sure you get one with decent ‘armor’.
I ended up seeing a motorcycle wreck a while back and it wasn’t pretty – what looked like some flashing blowing across the highway a bit ahead of us – turned into a surprise when someone sat up. His passenger wasn’t that lucky – she was out cold for a few minutes and basically got ‘scalped’. It wasn’t pretty when she tried to lift her head up. Major concussion and who knows what else. The guy probably had a minor concussion. They were lucky they fell off before the bike smashed into that concrete barrier which is where it ended up.
Likely, they did this in the spring – high summer they could probably ended up with 2nd degree burns (or worse) from the hotter then hell asphalt.
These two were on a big bike like a honda goldwing – and I remember seeing two starbucks drink cups strewn around with the rest of their belongs – what were they thinking – yes those big bikes are like couches with wheels but geez…
Anyway – you be careful out there and if you haven’t taken a motorcycle class – I high recommend taking one – no matter how long you’ve been riding.
Pants: Khaki slacks from Eddie Bauer. Also some slightly more jeans-style-ish ones from Old Navy (some of which have a really comfortable cut), all pleatless of course.
iPhone case – I just got the Incase rubberized one. Not too big, keeps it from sliding off the table, protects it from bangs and scratches.
iPhone Apps: Many of the best are free! EverNote, Pandora, Facebook, Skype, Kindle Reader, Mint.com, to name a few. Don’t pay unless you have to.
Laptop bag: How funky can you be with this one? Crumpler bags: https://www.crumplerbags.com.
Pants: I’m a big Brooks Brothers customer. Find an outlet near you if you can.
Motorcycle: PLEASE don’t. Just don’t. Twenty miles is plenty of distance for Bad Things to happen, and your son would never, ever forgive you. They don’t call them “donorcycles” in the ER for nothing.
Wii Games: We like LEGO Star Wars and Boom Blox. Rock Band 2 / Guitar Hero are also highly recommended.
Pork Chops: If your son is the audience, I’d bread them and fry them up, and boil the apples into a sauce to go on top.
Chops:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Italian-Breaded-Pork-Chops/Detail.aspx
Sauce:
Easy Applesauce: http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1619,151182-247206,00.html
This sounds so good to me I may try to cook it for my wife and kids this week!
Okay, so the case that lets my daughter throw my phone is the plastic wave case from Griffin, it’s absolutely fabulous. But Tweetie for the IPhone and get to tweeting @temerityjane and I have been talking about you over there… and you didn’t even know it. (Lots of babes on twitter… but specifically-me and temerity… we’re taken but you get the picture.)
The new EASports Active will kick your ass and take some names, so you might want to try that one. But let’s face it… the MMO’s for the Wii are the pits!
iPhone app I can’t live without: Word Wrap It’s good if you need to kill 3 minutes, or 3 hours.
Bike preference: Harley, Baby! Nothin’ like a real hawg! *grin*
Wii Games – Boom Blox – Jenga without setting up the blocks, plus tons of other modes.
iphone apps –
Epicurious – for when you’re standing at the front of the grocer’s looking lost.
Sports Tap – so you can pretend to be doing something work related but checking Scores when at a boring party or social situation.
For Pants – Haggar, I think the “model” is Cool 18. Find an outlet mall nearby, get them for 20 bucks if you catch it right.
Motorcycle – Don’t. Don’t be the guy that makes everyone tiptoe around the freeway as to not upset the delicate two wheeler. 99% percent of drivers are worrying more about you on the motorcycle than you are about yourself. You know that friend that’s no good at basketball and no one says anything when he takes a couple of steps between dribbles, etc? Yeah, those are motorcycle drivers. I just want to slap riders who complain about traffic almost hitting them….traffic almost hits me in my truck too, but I can apply my breaks without having to put all the other traffic in danger of running over my prone body in the middle of the lane. Motorcycles aren’t about trusting the other traffic not to be morons, it’s forcing the other traffic to take care of you…
Yeah, I’ll reiterate a lot in here.
Bike is a problem when you have a major responsibility in your son. Most bikers are safe, but you can not control the people around you. particulary in the morning when everyone is half asleep with the sunrise in their eyes, or in the evening when everyone is rushing home with the sunset in their eyes. I just cringe to think. Heck, it’s not even whether you survived an accident, caring for the kid when he’s with you would be made very difficult even with somethign so simple as a broken arm.
Dockers are fine. Also, Eddie Bauer has a great pant that is stain and wrinkle resistant, nanotech something or other. Wash and hang up easy. ALthough there is no doubt you know how to properly wield an iron, right?Also, banana republic has some decent pants. Old Navy will have some really inexpensive stuff too. Get some cute 20somethign coed to help you identify the right material to serve your needs. Alternatively, check a TJ Maxx or Linens-n-things and just by some cotton twill pants that are inexpensive. Living is a vacation region, there are undoubtedly some outlet stores that might have cheaper mechandise as well.
Linen will be a cooler for you in Fla summers, but it’s a pain to maintain, and not worth the cost.
Andy Ihnatko raves and raves about 5.11 Tactical pants. 511tactical.com has those. Yeah, they’re kind of what police officers and such wear, but man, great pants from everything I hear.
Another option could be the ScottEVest Hidden Cargo Pants. http://www.scottevest.com/v3_store/hidden_cargo_pants.shtml – look just like regular slacks, but 10 different pockets and compartments for various storage. Also awesome. Really, the SEV stuff is generally great.
As for iPhone apps: Things is a great organizer, and if you have Things Mac as well, you can sync up your todo list over wifi. Of course, that’s a $10 iPhone app and a $50 desktop app, but if you really need task management, it does it really well. Otherwise, most of what I do is either Twitter via Twittelator Pro (like $5 but so worth it for how much I can do and how much I use it) or little games. Peggle is on there, which is a great little timesink. Ragdoll Blaster is a fun 99c game. toucharcade.com is a good resource for iPhone gaming info.
Mac keyboard? Can’t help as I still use the one that came with my Intel Mac. I’ve been considering a new one, but, as you say, the gaming ones aren’t good for typing letters or updating blogs.
iPhone? I just drool, but my company pays for my cell phone so I’ll take what they give me.
Briefcase/laptop case? People might snicker, but check your local office supply store. The ones they have there are utilitarian. You might consider the “messenger bag” idea as, depending upon how much you will be bringing home, they are quite expandable and stylish.
Motorcycle in Orlando? I think you’re nuts and I’ve only been there as a tourist. All it takes is some guy driving a mini van with Kansas license plates to be so enamored with the upside down building that you are applesauce. You better get the protective gear and a helmet if you go that route. We all like you as you are.
Pants? Target’s been mentioned and “flat front” and “wrinkle free”. JC Penney has a nice selection in a wide variety of sizes. And their pants are usually on sale. Be sure to hit the sales rack, too. It never hurts to have a pair of dress or suit pants in the closet and, at 75% off, they are a great value.
Wii? Can’t help you there. I don’t own one. I have played one of the Mario games and bowling. Both were fun.
Pork chop recipe? I have a bunch at home which is not where I am at the moment. Lots of good ones here. Now I’m hungry.
Pork chops – let them get to room temp! This is important. Sprinkle them with salt and pepper ON BOTH SIDES. You can add a dusting of onion powder and garlic powder if you wish, but it isn’t necessary.
You can then grill or broil them – 3-5 minutes a side, depending on thickness.
The pork chops are the easy part. Sides are what make the meal…I happening to like to server pork chops with Mac & cheese and an appropriate vegetable – usually corn in my house. You can do apple sauce, but a nice alternative is stewed apples. Core and quarter the apples and set them in about an inch of apple juice or water with 4 tablespoons of sugar. Put that over heat and drop in 1 cinnamon stick, sprinkle some nutmeg and allspice over the top. Cook over medium heat stirring occasionally until the liquid is reduced and syrupy and the apples are reasonably soft. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice create and cinnamon or allspice sprinkled very lightly over the top.
Can’t help with iphone stuff.
For me, pork chops + shake and bake (garlic parmesean) is a winner.
Bike’ll get your boy semi-orphaned.
For just doing work, I use micro$haft’s comfort curve keyboard. It’s cheap, it’s usb, it has all the basic keys ya need. But it’s made for pc/windoze so probably can’t help you. For my gaming, I have an eclipse backlighted keyboard, and a fang gamepad from zboard.
Wii, don’t have one, but enjoyed the heck out of gamecube’s starfox, mario, mario partys, mario baseball, the link edition of soul caliber, and back on the 64, mario, and both zeldas. Just avoid animal crossing… I could feel IQ points draining out my ears while playing it…
OK back to oblivion…
Looks like the chops and wii got covered pretty well.
My fractured pelvis would like to be added on the list of people that think a motorcycle is a teribad idea.
Wii – If you bought a G11 keyboard to game on the computer I’m guessing you’re a bit of a hardcore gamer. A Wii was a mistake as your assessment was right– most are gimmicky and dull. I hear the Mario game was good, the Guitar Hero/Rock Band series, and maybe Mad World if you like senseless violence with tounge-in-cheek humor.
Bike – I’m a Buell fan boy. So if you’re not looking for a starter bike (A Ninja 250 would be good for that) then I highly suggest the Buell X12SCG ( http://www.buell.com/en_us/bikes/street/XB12Scg/ )
Cell Case – I can’t recommend a thing because I like belt clips. I hate fishing the thing out of my pocket or having it scratched up. And I use a Blackberry not and Iphone. (I hate touch-screens, sorry.)
I also can’t help with the food. I go out to eat.
Wii games:
Boom Blox, Mario Galaxy, Punch Out. Maybe Okami? Not sure what you’re really interested in, game-wise. Definitely download the classics!
If your son will be playing with you, I really recommend renting – kids’ tastes change rapidly and anything suitable for him will probably not keep your attention either.
iPhone Apps – Have you heard of Appslappy podcast? Good stuff from the same guy (Scott Johnson) who does the Instance. I recommend TwitterFon (free Twitter app), Flixster (for checking out movies), and AllRecipes (fun way to check out new recipes). There is also a great Dictionary app if you want definitions and stuff, and TWC from The Weather Channel (great weather app). Games I have bought were Peggle and mondo (a solitaire app).
Pants – agree with the flat front pants. STAY AWAY from pleated fronts. They make you look like you’ve put on 10 pounds. As long as the pants are easy to maintain, you should be fine.
Motorcycles – my husband rides one during the warmer months (as we live in Michigan). He’s very careful, and always wears his safety gear (jacket, helmet, shoes). He has even considered getting a motorcycle riding suit to wear over his work clothes (just take it off when you get to work, and no messing the work clothes). I recommend taking a MSF course if you are really interested in riding, and get a motorcycle that you wouldn’t mind getting beaten up a little first (just in case you drop it during your first months of riding).
Good luck!
Re: Laptop cover:
Skinit.com – I did this with my laptop. Its durable, (relatively) cheap, and removable if your new boss doesn’t like it.
The only thing is – I don’t know if they still have The Ramones decal.
But, you might find something you like. Mine was plastered with Spiderman for forever and a day.
Re: Apps for iPhone:
I currently have 2 indispensable ones – Free translator from codesign, and Shazam! Translator is indespensible for those pesky spanish words you can never remember, and Shazam is a must have for any music lover. You can “Tag” any song from the radio, a commercial, the dude’s blaring radio next to you, and send it to their servers. It then comes back with the song’s artist, title, and link to iTunes store.
Only thing I’m gonna comment on is the bike: If you’re worried about it, then don’t.
Most motorists (I use that term -loosely-) are only peripherally aware of things outside their own vehicle, so you need a good measure of confidence in your ability to react quickly and properly, as well as a small helping of insanity for wanting to be out there like that in the first place.
I’ve been riding since before I could legally have a license, and it’s only gotten worse through the years. No matter how safe -you- are, the average driver will always have a sub-average IQ and even worse awareness.
As for what kind of bike, I’m going to highly recommend Honda’s Shadow line, they’re good solid cruisers, and the 750cc engine is enough to bogey when you need to, but it’s not as liable to get away from you when learning. They’ve got both a modern (Shadow Spirit) and a classic (Shadow Aero), and the color and chrome look great on both. I have an Aero in pearl blue/metallic silver with a massive amount of chrome, and it definitely turns heads.
Wii games: guitar hero, mario kart, buy an xbox. super smash bros. brawl, madworld, buy an xbox.
Keyboard: Have it. Love it. Wouldn’t trade it for any other. http://store.apple.com/us/product/MB110LL/A
iPhone Case: My wife has this one on hers and I am jealous of it. http://www.agent18.com/productdetail/iphones/slim-ecoshield-for-iphone/89.aspx
iPhone Apps: Where do I start? Facebook, Byline (if you use Google Reader), Urbanspoon, Twitterrific, WordPress, Lux Touch, Peggle, FlightControl and Zenonia are the ones I can’t get through my day without.
Laptop Case: My preference has always been to get one of these and then throw it in whatever bag I would normal be using. http://www.builtny.com/showPage.php?pageID=1563#
Pants: These are like jeans without being jeans. http://www.langstons.com/levis-cargo-pants.html
Motorcycle: If you are going to get a bike, get a real one. http://www.harley-davidson.com/wcm/Content/Pages/2009_Motorcycles/2009_Motorcycles.jsp?locale=en_US#/model/vrscdx
Wii Game. Guitar Hero Metallica is hands down the best.
Wii Games: 1.)Guitar Hero World Tour is a must have for any family
** 2.)Mario Kart Wii will have you either laughing hysterically and/or fill you with a desire to smash your TV when you come in last place!
3.) Call of Duty 5 (not for the kid of course!): Best shooter ever!!!!!
** 4.) Pirates of the Carribean: At Worlds End — Not a game for people who love a deep story line but if you need a good laugh tell your kid to go play a level and watch him nearly have a seizure from swinging the Wiimote around like a break dancer injected with Mountain Dew!
**Only if you like to watch the ones you love spazzing out!
Pants FTL.
Utilikilt, foshizzle.
Comes in khaki.
http://www.utilikilts.com/index.php?page_id=29
Porkchops:
Coat the chops in dijon mustard. Coat the now mustardy chops in breadcrums and parmasean cheese. Cook them on the stove to crisp up the breadcrumbs, then place under the broiler for about 5 minutes.
Good stuff.
Wii Mario Kart is fun. It’s a little fast-paced for my 4- and 6-year old nephews but they really like to watch it. My brother has a really big TV so we could get all 3 adults on the game racing.
The 6-year old loves to play the Monster Jam monster truck game. It’s a reasonably kid-friendly game that allows him to smash his way through the arena with glee. His dad helps out when he can’t get a level unlocked, he gets frustrated, or when he just wants to watch more mayhem than he can create on his own.
Motorcycle. If you’re a street cruiser kind of guy, the Honda VTX bikes are drop-dead gorgeous, reliable, handle great, and are well-priced. If you ride those awful, ugly crotch rockets, we have nothing more to talk about.
I actively support more people become bkers, it encourages more widespread acceptance and meaks all of us safer. Towards that end, take a class, you won’t regret it.
As for the bike itself, the SV-650 is a great starter bike. Light and nimble, but it’s still got enough power that you won’t outgrow it any time soon. Mine’s treated me well over the years.
Well, I’d like to put in some suggestions for the Wii game and recipe. Try Boom Blox, it’s amazing! Either that or No More Heroes if you’re looking for something a little more than just throwing sheep, but not quite as serious as Zelda. And for the recipe, since you mentioned apples, I’d go with http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Cinnamon-Apple-Pork-Chops. Made these about a month ago and they’re great.
pants –
http://dickies.com/
foshizzle
Rugged as all get out and classy enough to get away with in “Docker” office type places.
Well – I have to admit, I’ve been riding bikes for a long time. I also stopped for nearly 20 years. I have taken it up again. Comments above are often quite right, but essentially it’s you and your abilities. The gist, as you have noted, is the inability of all the other folks to deal correctly with bikes. more bikes increases awareness from the non-bikes, but doesn’t increase safety.
I disagree that people on the freeway need to ‘tiptoe’ around you. People on the freeway need to understand that when a bike drops, it’s in their way, not a 4 wheel out of control. Tailgating a bike is about as stupid as it gets. Period. I’ve travelled cross country on a little 125 dirtbike (yeah texas to florida and back is cross country) as well as racing enduro and off road bikes. I actually prefer the handling of the smaller dirt bikes than the rolling living rooms of the larger bikes. However I have my eye on a new Harley Iron 883. While small, and I’d have to get forward controls on it, it’s just about the mix I like – smaller, all black, and just nice.
Depends on what you want. if all you want is that 20 miles, you really don’t need a bike of any size. If you only want to save gas, a moped actually is better.
As someone else mentioned – go take the safety class, you will learn a HUGE amount, and you don’t need a bike before hand. you will get training, become comfy (more or less) with motorcycles, and get the licensing issue taken care of with motor vehicles. You also get to decide without dropping big bucks on a bike, if you still want to do this or not. I do think that you have a tough choice, if only because of your son.
Accidents happen. sometimes to you, sometimes because of you. I am buddhist and believe in karma. Should I drop my bike again, I may have some external cause that I need to deal with, but my love of riding and my awareness and sense of defensiveness have not diminished. I am all the more careful. I don’t trust any drivers. Period. I have had more close calls back in the ’70s than I have recently. Though I though because of the numbers it would be the opposite. See, there’s a sliding number of folks who just now learned to drive (or came of age, rather) and are out there over extending themselves, mostly due to lack of experience and skills. There is a large middle group of those that are skilled (or at least not new drivers) and that group is growing. however, the third group,. also growing, are the folks coming to the point where they shouldn’t be driving – age, eyesight, loss of reflex. They are all on the road at the same time – and you, by your lonesome, have to pay attention to every one of them. all the time.
of course, that applies to driving vehicles with more wheels, only folks tend to be more lax (cell phones, music, eating, wild gesturing, and so on while driving) about it.
Having the son is about the only thing that would give me pause. That, my friend, you will have to deal with alone. I don’t think you should be frightened off by ‘that’s what we call em in ER’ or myriad other comments – riding a bike is very different. Riding a bike you are much more aware of your surroundings – or you *certainly should* be
My father hated bikes – said, as a navy pilot officer he had to write too many sad letters home. turns out he wrote none, just wanted an excuse. now, HIS father road a 12′ long armored motorcycle in WWI in Europe. He loved em.
matter of taste and skill. if you can never relax and be comfy on a bike, then you shouldn’t ride em. If you fear all the time, you should not ride them. If you are cautious and wary, by all means consider it. big difference is fearing to ride and being aware of your surroundings.
http://thekneeslider.com/archives/2009/01/26/2009-harley-davidson-iron-883/
shibumi