Junk Food Culture

I was talking with friends about films we remember and why. Some films are shown many times because they are worthy like The Good The Bad and The Ugly or The Searchers. Their are other films that we love to watch and are dreadful and are played over and over again like Dirty Dancing, Kelly's Heroes, Flash Gordon and the Revenge of the Nerds films.

Kelly's Heroes was a film that was chopped to death. Watching it over the years and growing up it takes new shapes as you age. The film would likely be forgotten if it were not for the proto hippie played by Sutherland and the edgy NYC scammer played by Rickles. Telly Savalas plays Sgt. Kojak well and Eastwood is there but almost secondary. As a young child the combat held the attention as we age the comedy and the perplexed reactions to the beatnik are hysterical. The original film had more charachter development and antiwar sentiment and allegedly showed Eastwoods crew getting caught. In the end the actual ending is better because you wonder did they get away. In reallity the answer has to be no except for the Germans who likely had a greater chance to bury the loot and come back.

On certain levels these films are memorable and you want to see them again knowing they aren't high art but they are fun. Maybe the fun factor is why we don't see the Deep or Black Sunday as often. I saw the excellent Harry and Tonto a year or two ago. For whatever reasons the second Planet of the Apes film is never shown. Our own Ducky has a cameo playing a mutant worshiping the atomic bomb. Logans Run is seldom shown but was a good film.

Maybe the trick to fims impact is to have a great star like Wayne or Eastwood and be shown for generations. My daughter hates surf music and quckly knows who John Wayne is. Similarly, I have a fun time watching Zach and Cody or Wizards of Waverly Place with my kid. She doesn't get Fonzie or Alex Keaton or that dad was a cross between the two. It doesn't have to be high art if you watch it with your family.

More Sandwich Chains

I am delving into the sandwich wars of NYC. There are many options but I decided to look at the first entry into the crowded market Blimpies. It was a great concept in the 80's and I can remember sitting with my friends in college and we would scounge some money together and buy two foot long heroes. Blimpie was a great value to the College student. I still prefer it to Subway and on some levels it provides great value for your dollar. Unlike Subway where all you get is bread Blimpie gives you a fair deal. I really don't go there for the food as much as the nostalgia. I miss some of those friends from college and one of them didn't even make 40.

I have been hearing amazing things about a new chain in NYC called Lennys. Pot Belly is more of a Starbucks hip feel with small but decent sandwiches. Lenny's has the essence of NYC it is fast paced like getting jammed into a subway. However, the secret is that the sandwiches are the best of any comercial sandwich chain I have been to. You don't sit about and listen to music,but the food is stellar. Oddly, I order a combination I frequently make at home Turkey and Corned Beef on Rye with Russian Dressing and Coleslaw. At home I add a a few pickled peppers and a slice of NY Deli Pickles. It was almost as good as the ones I make at home. Lenny's is like NY and if you can get past the ordering system that is intially confusing and almost adverserial you have found a gem.

I am going to have to get around to Pret a Manger, Cosi and the very hyped Earl of Sandwich. Sadly the places that need Lennys are the least likely to have one. I probably would have lived in the place if they had one in Burlington. It is like a slice of real NY even with the attitude.

The question of where I rank Lennys vs Potbelly. Lenny's food wins hands down, but if I am unwinding Potbelly is fine. I still have never found a reason to enter a Subway other than convenience or an advertised special.

Yet another fake Indian

After the Ward Churchill scandal, I thought I heard the last story of leftists faking being Indians for jobs in higher ed. Elizabeth Warren is not an Indian and should be facing charges for falsely claiminmg  to be one in order to get a high paying job she did not earn on merrit.

The time has come for a full review of hirring practies in higher education.

More Junk food

I went for round two at Potbelly. I had a sandwich called a "wreck". It was a work of brilliance. Frankly, there is zero reason or rationale to sit in a Subway if a Potbelly is available. At this location Boylan Black Cherry was available. The only thing that was less than perfect was the high end chips that lack a punch. I have no idea who makes Zaps but they are not upto par.

The Sandwich shop is a crowded genre. For a Philly Cheese Steak I still prefer Carl Jr's and every now and then they have an awesome fish sandwich that would be perfect with a better bread. I don't think I have set foot in a Quiznos in two years or more. I may go in and take a look. I will go into a Subway only for a special and not their ordinary fare. I do like Au Bon Pain but Pot Belly is so much better that unless I am by the SI Ferry I will not set foot in one. Many people have tried to get me to try Cosi and I will have to get around to it.

Onto Music. J&R moved the Oldies Music Upstairs. I have been listening to CD's from an outfit called ACE Records. I can honestly say that the Teen Beat 3 was so good that I ran to locate vollume 2 and 4.
One of my CD's went Bad but I got another. A CD with Ride the Wild Surf by Jan and Dean and the hysterical Surfer Joe is worth a play.

I got killed at work. I am still in a holding pattern due to jury duty. I was told to call in and given a message to go to work and call again. I do not know until 5 if I have to report to the court. I got nailed with seven cases and zero prep time. No officer gets more than five but I brought them home with no fanfare. The attorneys were overjoyed with the switch as I was not scheduled to hear cases and work on another team.
Hopefully, I will get nothing tommorow and make room in my office.

Junk Food Review

From time to time I venture into fast food joint and give my thoughts. The sandwich shop is one that I go to frequently. I am largely unhappy with Subway and will go in only if they have something new. The standard menu items are not as good as Au Bon Pain, Quiznos or the newest entry to NYC Potbelly.

You probably get more bang for your dollar at Quiznos. The sandwich at Potbelly was on the small side. However it tastes better than at the other chains. I was disappointed they had only premium root beer as a beverage. Had they offered Boylan Soda this would be the best chain going. The mood and the attmosphere make this a place I intend to visit again.

Back to the Jungle

It looks like I will be making another trip to the jungle. The locals are still talking about my previous trip. How much of it is exageration and just small town boredom is open for discussion. My odd items such as assorted condiments, surf music, strange food items and misadventures are still discussed over a year later.

In Guyana one does not expect to encounter Country Music but the locals are quite fond of it. I was rather surprised at the amount of queries about surf music. I sent a few CDS of it after I departed with friends going in as well as some Odd CD's for the home when I arrive. I expect the relatives to poke around as my items are luxuries. Having all of the Eastwood Spaghetti Westerns, Ben Hur as well as Hannah Montana and Rocky and Bullwinkle for the kids has provided hours of fun.

My food items did not survive the first day. Japanese Cherries, Pumpernickel Bread and canned goods went fast. Most of the locals were curious and had never seen those items

This trip will be into the interior. I do not know if the locals will allow me the time to enjoy this trip. The last time I was pretty much stuck around town except for a day. We had plenty of visitors and I was not allowed the time to adventure into the interior.

I did take a boat to crab Island which was a great mini adventure. I did not see the rare Canjee Pheasant. You frequently smell them long before you see them. My trip was at the wrong time of day for the boat to get into the Canjee Creek. I also enjoy buying fish and shrimp off the dock.

I am not a great guest. However, this time I will be better prepared for the trip. I will send supplies ahead so that I can travel lighter.

Leftist BS about Gays

The left lives in a fantasy world of fear mongering. Elect a Republican and gays get herded into closets and watching Will and Grace is prohibited.

The truth is that there is a severe problem with homophobia in the West Indian community. Contrary to imagined media rationalizations the perpetrators are neither religious nor Conservative. The same people that will end a career over real and frequently imagined racial slights have no problem using homophobic slurs and claim that certain women posses "gaydar".

In media circles the craven Obama move is being potrayed as courage. In fact he was elected by cowardly hiding who he is. At the last hour his position on this issue changes after talking with his family. I want to point out that this series of expedient back flips is exactly why he shouldn't be trusted and can not lead. The anti Obama Mayor Bloomburg stated his convictions when expediency was not in his favor. Bloomberg is a genuine leader  and Obama is a joke on all levels.

The joke is on the American people and was never funny, it is pathetic.

Leftist hysteria

I am amused at the continued hysteria by those on the left about abortion. Sorry, but as much as we loved Reagan he did not overturn or impede abortion availability. On HP some moron whined about Roe being the sum of all rights.

Sorry but the left has been intruding in on my person liberties everywhere except the bedroom

I am stuck with pricey toilets that don't get the job done
Lightbulbs that stink
Energy taxed onto the sofa
Beverage taxed into water
Cigarette taxed from the same crowd pushing legalization of weed
Taxing chips and Junk food

Sorry, but I am tired of these intrusions into my personal liberty by the left. The sum of mosts peoples lives is not defined by the bedroom and folks need to eat, drive and go to the bathroom daily.

Obama the genius

I am flaberghasted how people presume a President who reads whatever inane items are on a teleprompter is a genius. The same people complained about GW Bush being unarticulate. Anyone can read from a teleprompter, even Katie Couric who is from the special ed school of journalism.

Obama is arrogant and undecisive. If he has a child it would look like Trayvon Martin. Is that before or after the faux gold teeth and gangster tatoos. That was a dopey statement from a President who could have urged or dedicated resources to aid the investigation.

When he talks off the cuff as he did to Joe the Plumber you see the arrogance come to the forefront.

Lefties in scare tactic mode as Elmer Fudd

I am borrowing the rhetoric of the far left before elections. They trot out the usual hysterical fear bit like the claims about lynching and the election of Bush. The idea is to scare seniors, gays, Hispanics and Blacks into voting for Obama the savior.

Lefty Fudd: If you ewect a Wepublican its back to the closet for you hooomoosexuals. The sex police are going to invade your bedwooms and burn all your Bette Midler cds. Will and Gwace will be taken off cable and Fox will show Wedneck Eye for the Gay Guy.  The GOP plans to make a weal man card requiring men to was NASCAR and the NFL and ban tofu.

Of course this is utter bs. There are countries that do indeed have sex police, but it is not politically correct to name them.  Of course the left is too busy stoking Jooo hatred or worrying about the 700 Club to get this one right. Most conservatives don't care about who does what in private as long as all parties can consent. The problem starts with the hysterical need to indoctrinate politically correct views about homosexuality in grade school. Problems with low class behavior at Gay parades are frequently mentioned by many gays who are embarrassed by these antics.

Similarly, there are those who portray all opposition to Obama as racist. Actually, the GOP was well on their way to electing Cain before a media campaign side tracked him. Does anyone remember John Edwards or Bill Clinton getting a fraction of the scrutiny of Cain. Nobody accused Cain of rape, and Bill Clinton lied until Blue stained dresses and tapes made this impossible. Are some people bothered by Obama's race? Did many vote for him because he was Black and a symbol?

We live in an era where Hispanics outnumber Blacks. Many of the new Blacks come from Africa and the West Indies and are not the desecndants of slaves or people who labored under Jim Crow. Obamas sole genetic relation to slavery in America was his mothers family owned slaves. We were given a series of guilt trips about slavery. However, why should an immigrant from Mali benefitf from programs designd to right historic wrongs that have little or nthing to do with them. In fact slavery in Africa was ended by those evil colonialists that the left likes to whine about.

Its time we started to laugh at these scare tactics.

We need look no further than Greece to see where the cult of Obama goes.

Great Pot Smoke In

I passed through Union Square Park on my way home. My favorite Pizza place is gone. I had been visiting there for more than 20 years. The place across the street is pretty good. However, one can not get the same feeling from a destination that has been part of your life for so long.

Unfortunately, I was wearing clothing with my employers name on it. As such I was careful not to engage the locals. An communist anti semite from the tiny but stridently antisemitic Pseudostine movement was there. I really need to locate a bunch of Caterpillar hats and Tonka Bulldozers. Now some of you may think that making pancake jokes about Rachel Corrie is cruel. However, signs describing Jewish conspiracies to control the government and calling Jews who support Israel traitors deserves a response. Communists questioning the loyalties of anyone is at best some sort of joke. Julius and Ethel weren't executed for being Jews, think again comrades.

The main event appeared to be a meeting of aging communists with the Bill and Ted crowd of druggies. Lengthy speeches about legalizing drugs were the topic. I could have drawn a larger crowd than that with a free Vanilla Ice concert.

Violating the office and position

I want to point out that the very vocal anti American clowns at OWS who don military and police uniforms at political events are violating US laws. There are numerous laws agaainst this behavior and people like Ray Lewis and Shamar Thomas should be prosecuted.

A mentally deranged Thomas was viewed on tape screaming and foaming at NYPD officers who were remarkably restrained durring his temper tantrums. The media portrayal of the event could not be further from the truth. This was the case of a publicity seeking imbecile abusing his former status as a member of the military to aid and abet Communists and Anarchists seeking to provoke the NYPD and ordinary NYC resdents into violent counter reactions to their provokations.

The script is familiar and really fools nobody who is familiar with the thugs, losers and morons of OWS.  A police officer is provoked by lawless behavior and the cameras film screeching protesters screaming about police brutality. Did you see what happened ten minutes before the film? Do you ever see this or hear about abusive behavior.

Was Shamar viewing actual Police brutality when he made his well rehearsed rant? No. The rant of Shamar was a well rehearsed publicity stunt. The fact that a deranged nut was allowed to abuse NYPD officers in a well rehearsed rant says much about the actual restraint of NYPD.

OWS is not spontaneous nor is it leaderless except in the demented minds of the MSM amen chorus. In fact there were areas of Zuccoti Park that its members tried to illegally close off from the public where the strategy of media manipulation and tactics are discussed. 

Maybe Shamar and Ray Lewis could find some more people in uniforms and sing a few protest songs. There probably are a few actual construction workers and bikers with too much free time. All that is missing is a person dressed up as an Indian and they have mocked the Village People.

The Village People were gainfully employed skilled performers who brought enjoyment to many these words do not describe the mentally unstable Thomas and the attention whore Lewis. Thomas appears to have been in logistics and descriptions of his decorated service are exagerated. He might have done a partol here or there. We thank him for his service and he is free to protest without his uniform and would appreciate if he took his meds and found gainful employment..

Lets try this again

Long term readers know I lived in Vermont for a spell. One of the many quirks that I have is like to stop at Au Bon Pain for a their excellent food. Their newest wrap is called the Vermonter.

Whoever thought this up was obviously not a Vermonter.

Feta Cheese is not a Vermont staple. Plain chicken is also not a Vermont staple. Idiots who have never lived their have Vermont illusions of a pristine place with well manner rednecks driving Subarus and quoting long dead French Philosophers.

A real Vermonter would have a fresh cooked croissant with a freshly shot Canada goose or deer meat tenderized by gas guzzling cars. If locals insist on chicken it should be raised on beer and raised in pens listening to 60's folk music.

Vermont makes some excellent cheddar and a mix of mustard with a splash of maple syrup would be authentic.

Vermont deserves better than this wrap and my satire.

A break in the action

My hours at work are now very taxing. Unfortunately with all the retirements I am getting the nastiest cases and serving as a mentor to junior peers.

My priority with what little free time is my family, including the little dog.

Regular service will resume when I have more energy.

The True Face of the Left

Kieth Olbermann in his pompous and arrogant displays of bufoonery has shown America the true face of the left. Leftists like to talk about working class people but many have zero contact with them other than the cleaning person they regularly exploit and demean. Olbermann's antics of outrage because a limo driver had the nerve to talk to him are familiar behaviors to those who have walked in that world. He complained that another driver smelled and went through multiple companies.

Olbermann could have done himself a favor and driven himself to work. He would have to endure his own ego and would have spared the working class driver abuse. Modern celebrities like J Lo and moron extraordinaire Tom Cruise ban eye contact by the hired help. Barbra Streisand made hotel employees walk backwards in her presence. I contrast this with the love of the fans and working people shown by John Wayne who was modest enough to shake the hand of his waiter on many occaisions.

Olbermann should do a segment on himself as the worst person in America.

RIP Lou Goldstein

Earlier this week a comedic giant of the Catskills Mr. Lou Goldstein passed away. Lou Goldstein was the ultimate master of the comedic form of Simon Sez. His act worked on speed, misdirection and some of the best timing in comedy. His other routine was less well known whose the boss and what room are you the boss in. Goldstein was the entertainment director in Grossingers until it closed in the mid 80's.

Early in my career I had to learn how to interview. I incorporated much of my style from watching my fellow officers adding NLP with a touch of Goldstein's charm. In a tight spot his misdirection and speed have yielded positive responses. Goldsteins brand of ceberal wit and classic timing fit naturally into my own style.

 There is a short snippet of Lou Goldstein doing his act on the Dick Clark show. This is a smidgeon of a brilliant act that was best viewed live and in person. Long before people were doing improv, Goldstein honed his act based upon witty reaction to the people he was working with. The key to Goldstein was he used you as a comedic prop and you loved being a part of the act.

Rest in Peace to a comedic giant who was loved by all who saw him perform.

The Long Journey Home

The voyage home took three months. There were many of us who did not yearn to return to regular jobs. I was the exception spitting vinegar and hostile to the end. Yes I made new friends and my time away proved my critics wrong again. The question of if I could excell at this new task was a foregone conclusion to all those who knew my work.

I returned to my desk on Monday. Some of the lawyers were new, but I prefer familiar foils who know my quirks and mannerisms. Some of the interpreters were new but very good. There are a few who are so used to me that I do not have to even remind them I am changing tone. With the newest interpreters I do a two minute gameplan. My style depends on split second timing and misdirection and Monday I was off. It took two days but I am in top form.

This may sound odd but the other assignment is said to play to my strengths. However, I am happier in my large office with fewer people winning the ballgame rather than placing things back on track.

It is good to be home.

Life is not like TV

There are some who may be surprised that no weapon or motive has been established for the Oakland shooting rampage. As humans we place too much emphasis on motives. Most of us are wronged daily but go about an ordinary lives.

As stated in many other cases let investigators do their jobs.

Office Raided

On my last day of the detail I allowed the older workers to open my file cabinets. I have vintage CDS in the cabinet. When I go my my father to the old car shows I look for vintage cds and retro food. The workers were treated to Peter and Gordon, Paul Revere and the Raiders, Neil Diamond and countless compilations I never bothered to open

A day in town

I want to leave final judgement on the Museum of the American Indian to Native Americans. If you are looking for heavy history you are in the wrong place. The Museum excells at showing the adaptability and artistic brilliance of Native Americans. Rather than be shown as victims we are given a look into the communities today. They do not gloss over poverty either. The star of the Museum is the brilliant use of architecture and landscaping. The grounds are better than any Museum I have visited. The wetlands park is so well crafted that you can see birds clearly that you are apt to see at greater distances.
We saw a red wing Blackbird a mere 4 feet from us.

The museum has the best food I have ever had in a tourist facility. The venison and turkey and deserts were outstanding. Americans really need to spend more time eating this cuisine and it is indeded our loss that it isn't more common.

The next time I visit AOW I need to bring exotic produce. NYC has many unique stores so for this trip I went to the movie memrobilia shop and grabbed a movie still from the movie Harvey and a reproduction of the movie poster, I also purchased two Bernie Schwartz photos and an original photo with Don Rickles and Buddy Hacket.

This time Johny Rockets was good. I would have gone to the cajiun place but the lines were too long.
My next rail trip will likely be Baltimore to the huge aquarium.