Monday, March 28, 2011

Monday March 28th/schedule




I am working today 3/28 and will happily take your calls until 4pm

Feel free to call or text and give me about 5 minutes to get back to you. Remember that I can pick you up at the airport if you call when you touch down.

Thank you for thinking about me!! -dan

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Chinese food in Portland!

You can't sneeze in Portland without contaminating someones Thai food. But what about Chinese?

The news is stuffed like a tight wonton in regard to chinese politics and business affairs. The U.S. owes China over a trillion dollars. We've outsourced 90% of our production to their cheap and loose manufacturing practices, evoking horrible images of children (and adults) working 12 hour days with bloody nubs, forced to sleep in the factory in which they work, and the only respite is to jump to their death.

Now national unemployment is over 9% ...duh.

But that is neither here nor there when it comes to Chinese food in Portland. First of all it's hard to find a Chinese restaurant that isn't either a hole on the wall grease pit or a cookie cutter, overpriced, mediocre chain. Picture that thick gloppy sauce on everything and it'll make sense why we've all migrated to Thai food.

The other day Jax and I used a Groupon to Dragonwell.



The best Chinese food I've had in years. On top of absolutely excellent food, the atmosphere, service, and overall presentation was perfect. We are excited to return soon and enjoy Chinese food in Portland for the second time ever!

Thanks, Dragonwell

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Methheads escape Coastal

...or otherwise titled Even My Days Off Can Be Exciting...

I don't sit behind the wheel of a Radio Cab everyday. A recent Saturday was one of those days I spend with my family and friends. Rocco called and wanted to know if Jax and I would join him to go on an errand. The stop was Coastal Farm and Ranch. A farm and cowboy store that felt a lot further from Portland than Gresham. Apparently, this is where you get your saddles and giant belt buckles, your shit kickers, rhinestone laden t-shirts, cyclone fencing, and feed (oh yeah, and guns, gun safes, and ammo). Did you know that John Deer has a line of baby clothing?

Rocco wanted a pair of Georgia boots. I tried on some Mucks while Jax asked about the cost of wood pellets when suddenly there was a commotion.

We were on our way out the front door when a girl ran past us setting off the theft alarm. She was immediately chased by a sprinting female employee yelling into a headset that "she was heading west!!" Employees began racing out of the building at top speed bowling down customers in their breathless pursuit. I half expected to see a motorboat driven by 007 crash through the glass store front.

The first female employee was on the heels of the woman who allegedly (I mean definitely) stole from the Farm & Ranch. I couldn't see anything in her hands; what had she taken? Where was it? How much? We had no clue, and somehow the girl thief bolted into a enormous old RV and the door slammed in the girl employee's face. Foiled!

The door was locked and the worker pounded on it with livid intent. Now all the young cowboys who worked selling cyclone fencing and wood pellets surrounded the RV, they pounded on the driver's side window and yelled at the top of their lungs for them to get out of the vehicle. It was a moment so laden with testosterone that I was sure it was going to be effective, but don't underestimate the power of crystal combined with the urgent need to get the hell out of Dodge.

I could see a young man sitting behind the wheel of the RV and the (did I actually call her a lady?) bitch meth-head thief was leaning over the man screaming at him to drive. It was like a silent adventure film because we couldn't hear her, but it was as clear as if there were subtitles.

Bare with me here because it really gets exciting in the next moment.

A pick-up truck backed out of the parking space in front of the RV. It looked bright, shiny and new, and had custom everything. The man driving it was a customer turned wannabe hero as he was sitting tall helping the situation by blocking the path of freedom for two young crazed criminals with god knows what in their motorhome. Was it a meth lab? A mobile storage unit for stolen goods? Had they kidnapped their own kids from their foster home? Whatever it was, it was big and crazy enough for what happened next.

We were all a-gawk as the RV began driving directly toward the cowboys standing in front of the vehicle making them dive out of the way, and then headed straight for the pickup truck. I'm pretty sure that the crazed chick standing behind the dude in the driver's seat was actually doing the driving. How this was happening I don't know, but the impact of that huge old motorhome plowing into the fancy Toyota pickup was extremely jarring. A high pitched whine split the air as one god awful screech tore the front end of the Tacoma completely off while simultaneously moving it out of its path.

The motorhome had to back up to fit through the hole it had created, and that is when I realized I should have been getting all of this on video. WTF!! Am I retarded? I'd clearly missed the best of the action, but I picked up my jaw from the pavement while digging my iPhone from my pocket. An app never loaded so slowly. Then once the camera opened, I had to toggle it to video, and it was taking way too long! Then I was standing in front of the RV, camera shooting into the face of the driver; it felt awesome and it only occurred to me later that I could have been shot if they wanted to shoot me.

The RV started driving briskly (I mean for this old RV) out of the parking lot and there was nothing anybody could do about it. This whole drama unfolded in just moments but the excitement and adrenaline lasted most of the day. I still don't know if they caught the crazed meth heads that day but they'd have to be pretty slow to not find a 60' motorhome chugging down the road in Gresham. Although we heard no sirens and passed a police car a block away quietly sitting in the left turn lane.



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Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Pee Wee's out of Purgatory





Great news friends! It seems they've let Pee Wee Herman out of purgatory for (getting caught) masturbating at an adult movie house.

Isn't that what xxx movies are for?

Here's the article and what you can Look forward to:-/

NEW YORK, Dec. 21, 2010 – Three decades after his first HBO special, Paul Reubens will return to the network in an exclusive presentation of his current hit Broadway show, it was announced today by Nancy Geller, senior vice president, HBO Original Programming. Debuting in 2011, the HBO presentation THE PEE-WEE HERMAN SHOW ON BROADWAY will shoot at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre New York this January, immediately following the conclusion of its exclusive Broadway engagement, running through Jan. 2.

“Before his hit series and movies, HBO introduced Paul Reubens’ Pee-wee Herman to a national audience in the ‘Young Comedians’ series, followed by the groundbreaking 1981 special,” noted Geller. “It’s thrilling to have Paul back on the network, and it will be a blast to return to Pee-wee’s Playhouse.”

Opening to critical acclaim at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre on Nov. 11, 2010, “The Pee-wee Herman Show” is 90 minutes of subversive humor and childlike wonder based on both Reubens’ original stage show, “The Pee-wee Herman Show,” and the Emmy®-winning Saturday morning TV show, “Pee-wee’s Playhouse,” which became a cultural phenomenon. The New York Times called the new Broadway show “yummier than chocolate,” with New York saying, “Welcome back, Pee-wee! You were sorely missed,” while the New York Post noted, “The audience screams for joy!”

The Broadway production of “The Pee-wee Herman Show” stars (in order of appearance): Paul Reubens as Pee-wee Herman, plus John Moody (Mailman Mike), Drew Powell (Bear), John Paragon (Jambi), Jesse Garcia (Sergio), Phil LaMarr (Cowboy Curtis), Lynne Marie Stewart (Miss Yvonne), Lance Roberts (King of Cartoons) and Josh Meyers (Firefighter). Reubens also brought the Pee-wee character to the big screen in “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure” and “Big Top Pee-wee.”

THE PEE-WEE HERMAN SHOW ON BROADWAY reunites Paul Reubens and Marty Callner, who will direct this new HBO special and directed the 1981 HBO special “The Pee-wee Herman Show.” Callner’s previous HBO credits include comedy specials starring Will Ferrell, Chris Rock, Jerry Seinfeld, George Carlin and Robin Williams.

Credits for the Broadway presentation of “The Pee-wee Herman Show”: production created and conceived by Paul Reubens; written by Paul Reubens and Bill Steinkellner; additional material by John Paragon; music by Jay Cotton; directed by Alex Timbers; based on the original “The Pee-wee Herman Show” by Paul Reubens, Bill Steinkellner, Phil Hartman, John Paragon, Edie McClurg, John Moody, Lynne Marie Stewart, Ivan Flores, Brian Seff, Monica Ganas, Tito Larriva. David Korins’ production design is based on the original “Pee-wee’s Playhouse” production design by Gary Panter. Cristina Waltz’s make-up design is based on the original “Pee-wee’s Playhouse” by Ve Neill and the costume design is by Ann Closs-Farley.

The character of Pee-wee Herman is experiencing a remarkable renaissance, with enormous followings on Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare. Renowned writer-director-producer Judd Apatow recently announced that he and Reubens are developing a new feature film based on the character.

Paul Reubens’ other credits include the TV series “30 Rock,” “Pushing Daisies,” “Reno 911!,” “Everybody Loves Raymond,” “Family Guy” and “Murphy Brown” (which earned him an Emmy® nomination), and the feature films “Mystery Men,” “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “Blow,” “Life During Wartime,” “The Nightmare Before Christmas” and the upcoming “Nailed.”





Monday, December 20, 2010

Patron...is it the Best?


Q: ...and why does it cost so flippin much?






Great question! Especially since there are tequilas better than Patron that cost less.

The short answer regarding an under $40 price range for the standard 750ml bottle is: Cazadores, Pura Sangre, Centinela, Arette, or Corralejo

The word "good" is quite subjective. It's also based on experience with tequila too, as anyone who knows anything about tequila in any real way would not say Cuervo, unless they were referencing their Tradicional or Reserva de la Familia, which are the only 2 Cuervo-labeled tequilas they make that are any good.

Patron too, while good (and a bit out of your price range), is often mentioned because they spend more marketing dollars than any other tequila company, and thus when college kids are ready to move up from Cuervo, they often go to Patron as they see it advertised so much, and their exploration stops there. Make no mistake, Patron isn't bad by any means. But you can get better for less.

To get the correct tequila experience, don't drink anything that doesn't say 100% agave (like junk like regular Cuervo or Sauza). These are cheap poorly made tequilas designed to sell to college kids to get drunk. They are only 51% real tequila, and the rest are fillers like corn syrup and grain alcohol (and thus the hangover the next day is born).

The aging has a lot to do with the taste, and generally the longer it's aged, the more expensive, the darker the color and the smoother the flavor. Beware of some cheap ones, however, like Cuervo Black, which gets it's dark color from carmel coloring (caramelized sugar) rather than true aging.

Blanco (because it's totally clear) - no aging
Reposado - minimally aged at least 2 months, but can be up to 1 year
Anejo - heavily aged, minimally 1 year but less than 3 years.

The really expensive ones can even be aged longer than regular anejos, and these are often referred to as ultra anejos.

Also consider how you're going to drink it:

Slammed shots - go for a blanco. Anything else is a waste of flavor and $$

Sipped shots (how I recommend it) - go for anejo only and savor with no salt and a squeeze of lime. Chilled or on the rocks is good as is straight.

Margarita - anejo is a waste, especially if the place isn't using fresh squeezed lime juice. Go for blanco or reposado.

For a killer margarita, do the following:

1. Add 2 oz of tequila to a cocktail shaker with ice
2. juice 1 lime into the shaker
3. add 1 tablespoon agave nectar (looks like honey, made from the same cactus as tequila). Bar syrup works too if you don't want to buy the agave nectar.
4. add 1/4 cup water

Shake and serve over ice for the best margarita you will ever have.

Now you'll notice I didn't call for Triple Sec, Cointreau or Grand Marnier. That's because:

1. They are French, not Mexican
2. They were first added to tequila by a US bartender in Palm Springs to sweeten the flavor for the wives of the Hollywood elite that hung out there at the time.
3. You pretty much never saw them in use in Mexico until they became popular in the US and tourists began to expect it.
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Source(s): yahoo answers

Tommy's Tequila Master

Answer by whiskeyman510

Sunday, December 19, 2010