We had a heck of a busy day at the cafe today. A group of several hundred bikers were on their way through town to a convention. I was on my own and the place was packed. It was really cool to see all those Harley's parked up and down the street. They had all parked diagonally and backed their bikes in a V formation. One of my regulars; Clyde came down the street riding his three wheel bicycle and parked it right beside the Harley's. He's in his 80's. He came in and had a ginger ale. I don't think he noticed anything different...probably just thought things were a little bit more busy than usual. I was a little worried because they were smoking pot in the back, but I wasn't in a position to try and instill some rules. I was glad they were peaceful and didn't fight or steal things. They probably all work at Microsoft or the likes anyway. That happened just not today.
Have you ever seen those signs on the back of RV's that say Good Sam's Club? You'll have to take my word for this but one time there was a convention of Good Sammer's near where I was living in Bozeman. One of the Good Sam's was running his generator late into the night and it was bothering another Good Sam in a neighboring RV. One thing led to another, an argument ensued and the one Good Sam shot the other one. I always wondered if that guy got kicked out of the Good Sam club.
I've had a great weekend. I hope you all have too. I'll leave you with a recipe of sorts. It's a fun thing to make next summer since it can be kind of messy. Jack's Exploding Root Beer
The first time I made root beer was when I was about 12 or 13. The instructions on the root beer flavor bottle said to put the root beer in a glass bottle and seal tightly. I had some gallon jugs from the local root beer stand which I thought would be perfect. I filled them up and left them on the top of the fridge. Sometime later in the middle of the night a large explosion wakened the house. The bottle(s) had exploded. It actually caused enough force to take paint off the refrigerator. The kitchen was covered with sticky root beer. My mom had to take the fridge to a body shop to have it repainted. Don't try to make root beer in gallon jugs. 12 oz beer bottles work just fine. Some may blow up but that's fine as long as they are in a box in a place that it's okay to spill some stuff you okay.
How to make Root Beer
Wait for a nice sunny day when you can work outside
Get some of your own or some neighbor kids to help you
Mix the root beer flavor, sugar, water and yeast according to the directions on the root beer flavor bottle
Siphon the root beer mix into sterilized recappable beer bottles
Cap the bottles
Put them in cardboard boxes in your basement or a cool place for a few weeks and you'll have some good root beer to drink when it's cold and rainy...and you'll know that it has some sun and kids laughter in it.
Savor it baby.
Sunday, November 16, 2003
Wagering
My wagering so far today is making me think I better stay back here behind the counter slinging hash.
I'm 1-6 against the point spread so far this morning in my gambling endeavor. I'm hoping the Seahawks, Vikes and Cowboys can get me back to even money. I took the Cowboys +4.5 over the Pats for 7 units on the late came today.
I'm going to rescind my recommendation that you start wagering. It's not for the feint of heart, or undisciplined or idiotic...which pretty much describes all of us at some time. If you decide to jump in I have a few recommendations.
Never bet more than you can afford to lose and be happy. That's the whole point right? To do things that we find satisfying. It's pretty easy to lose sight of the good part of sports if you get wrapped around the point spread.
Bet about 1% of your bankroll (that's a unit in my world). If you want to make 100 dollar bets you need a 10K bankroll. 10 dollar bets a 1K bankroll, 1 dollar bets a 100 dollar bankroll and 1 cent bets require a dollar bankroll. The bankroll should be money you don't care about ie. not for food, clothes, beer, education or anything else you find important in your life.
Make a lot of bets. That way you don't care if you lose a few. It's also mathmatically sensible if you read into this a bit. Just do it for fun and if you don't like it stop.
There are some definite down sides for people who tend to be obsessive or have a tendency to addictive behaviour. Plus if your bankroll doesn't grow it's a pretty safe bet your butt will from all the sitting around.
One last thing that made sense to me is that you need to have a desire to win. This sounds kind of silly but if you read or listen to a fair number of people they get off on losing....maybe they like blaming others or just have some sort of masochistic streak where they can find a lot of comiserate souls in the gambling community.
I'm sure I'll change my point of view on this as I age. I hope so anyway. If we never change how can we grow?
I'm 1-6 against the point spread so far this morning in my gambling endeavor. I'm hoping the Seahawks, Vikes and Cowboys can get me back to even money. I took the Cowboys +4.5 over the Pats for 7 units on the late came today.
I'm going to rescind my recommendation that you start wagering. It's not for the feint of heart, or undisciplined or idiotic...which pretty much describes all of us at some time. If you decide to jump in I have a few recommendations.
Never bet more than you can afford to lose and be happy. That's the whole point right? To do things that we find satisfying. It's pretty easy to lose sight of the good part of sports if you get wrapped around the point spread.
Bet about 1% of your bankroll (that's a unit in my world). If you want to make 100 dollar bets you need a 10K bankroll. 10 dollar bets a 1K bankroll, 1 dollar bets a 100 dollar bankroll and 1 cent bets require a dollar bankroll. The bankroll should be money you don't care about ie. not for food, clothes, beer, education or anything else you find important in your life.
Make a lot of bets. That way you don't care if you lose a few. It's also mathmatically sensible if you read into this a bit. Just do it for fun and if you don't like it stop.
There are some definite down sides for people who tend to be obsessive or have a tendency to addictive behaviour. Plus if your bankroll doesn't grow it's a pretty safe bet your butt will from all the sitting around.
One last thing that made sense to me is that you need to have a desire to win. This sounds kind of silly but if you read or listen to a fair number of people they get off on losing....maybe they like blaming others or just have some sort of masochistic streak where they can find a lot of comiserate souls in the gambling community.
I'm sure I'll change my point of view on this as I age. I hope so anyway. If we never change how can we grow?
Wagering Is Not Gaming
Good morning and welcome to rambling gamblin Jack's Cafe.
Can I get you a cup of coffee?
I'm going to recommend something degenerate to you today.
No not that you weirdo...I'm going to promote the virtues of wagering. I think Bill Bennett wrote a book about this already but heh there's still room for us little guys.
Wagering is not gaming. What?
Wagering means you have to use some brainpower to have a chance to beat a system that does not have fixed odds. Gaming means you go to a casino and play any game they have and the chances of you winning are fixed...no matter how hard you try or how great a system you have or whatever.
Gaming is fun. Gaming can also be a high tax on stupid people if it's not fun...for example state sponsered lotteries or scratch tickets and casinos. Man I hate to see poor people waste money on those. If you like it and have fun and can afford it...more power to you though. I love to play craps once in awhile or pull a slot machine or play cards.
I'm going to recommend my young and old friends that you enter the world of sports wagering instead of throwing your money away on the lottery. Okay no one too young should be gambling or doing anything other than learning and having fun and doing stuff young people should do. Actually sports wagering would be a perfect activity (if handled properly) for a retired geeky type who like to read, look at numbers, chat...play games.
You can wager on line at sites in England, Australia, the Netherlands and lots of them down in the South America/Bahama area. These are legit companies. Check out USA Today for names.
Anyway I have come to find being a sports fan is fun and putting a little bit of money or whatever you can afford on games makes it more fun for me anyway. It's basically a way to keep track of how well you are predicting the future.
If you want to win or lose real money stick to the stock market.
Today is NFL day my friends. I have a little dough on a lot of games. I can't go to church because of my "flu" hack cough sniffle...
I think I'll put a little on Agassi to win down in Houston for the good old US of A. or maybe just for the good of anyone in the world who is considered on the older side. Wow...33 is old in tennis.
I have the Rockets -2 over the Raptors in the NBA this morning.
I'm going on these picks for today in the NFL...for some reason the big play is New Orleans over Atlanta. I'd tell you how I came up with these but that would spoil your fun. For you novices the minus number means I'm betting on a favorite to win and cover the point spread. So for the first bet if the Saints win by 10 then I win. If they win by 9 I get my money back, and if they win by 8 or less or lose outright I lose my bet.
Atlanta Falcons v New Orleans Saints take the New Orleans Saints -9
Minnesota Vikings v Oakland Raiders take Minnesota Vikings -4.5
San Diego Chargers v Denver Broncos take Denver Broncos -8
Kansas City Chiefs v Cincinnati Bengals take Kansas City Chiefs -6.5
Detroit Lions v Seattle Seahawks take Seattle Seahawks -10
Jacksonville Jaguars v Tennessee Titans take Tennessee Titans -9.5
St Louis Rams v Chicago Bears take St Louis Rams -6
New York Giants v Philadelphia Eagles take Philadelphia Eagles -3.5
Lastly for all my fellow Virgo's out there our horoscope today at www.theonion.com is
Virgo: (Aug. 23—Sept. 22)
If you, like many Virgos, are a gambler, the stars advise you to bet on the army of horned demons and take the points.
Lets do it boys and girls!
Can I get you a cup of coffee?
I'm going to recommend something degenerate to you today.
No not that you weirdo...I'm going to promote the virtues of wagering. I think Bill Bennett wrote a book about this already but heh there's still room for us little guys.
Wagering is not gaming. What?
Wagering means you have to use some brainpower to have a chance to beat a system that does not have fixed odds. Gaming means you go to a casino and play any game they have and the chances of you winning are fixed...no matter how hard you try or how great a system you have or whatever.
Gaming is fun. Gaming can also be a high tax on stupid people if it's not fun...for example state sponsered lotteries or scratch tickets and casinos. Man I hate to see poor people waste money on those. If you like it and have fun and can afford it...more power to you though. I love to play craps once in awhile or pull a slot machine or play cards.
I'm going to recommend my young and old friends that you enter the world of sports wagering instead of throwing your money away on the lottery. Okay no one too young should be gambling or doing anything other than learning and having fun and doing stuff young people should do. Actually sports wagering would be a perfect activity (if handled properly) for a retired geeky type who like to read, look at numbers, chat...play games.
You can wager on line at sites in England, Australia, the Netherlands and lots of them down in the South America/Bahama area. These are legit companies. Check out USA Today for names.
Anyway I have come to find being a sports fan is fun and putting a little bit of money or whatever you can afford on games makes it more fun for me anyway. It's basically a way to keep track of how well you are predicting the future.
If you want to win or lose real money stick to the stock market.
Today is NFL day my friends. I have a little dough on a lot of games. I can't go to church because of my "flu" hack cough sniffle...
I think I'll put a little on Agassi to win down in Houston for the good old US of A. or maybe just for the good of anyone in the world who is considered on the older side. Wow...33 is old in tennis.
I have the Rockets -2 over the Raptors in the NBA this morning.
I'm going on these picks for today in the NFL...for some reason the big play is New Orleans over Atlanta. I'd tell you how I came up with these but that would spoil your fun. For you novices the minus number means I'm betting on a favorite to win and cover the point spread. So for the first bet if the Saints win by 10 then I win. If they win by 9 I get my money back, and if they win by 8 or less or lose outright I lose my bet.
Atlanta Falcons v New Orleans Saints take the New Orleans Saints -9
Minnesota Vikings v Oakland Raiders take Minnesota Vikings -4.5
San Diego Chargers v Denver Broncos take Denver Broncos -8
Kansas City Chiefs v Cincinnati Bengals take Kansas City Chiefs -6.5
Detroit Lions v Seattle Seahawks take Seattle Seahawks -10
Jacksonville Jaguars v Tennessee Titans take Tennessee Titans -9.5
St Louis Rams v Chicago Bears take St Louis Rams -6
New York Giants v Philadelphia Eagles take Philadelphia Eagles -3.5
Lastly for all my fellow Virgo's out there our horoscope today at www.theonion.com is
Virgo: (Aug. 23—Sept. 22)
If you, like many Virgos, are a gambler, the stars advise you to bet on the army of horned demons and take the points.
Lets do it boys and girls!
Viola's Casserole
Ahhhhh Sunday Morning. Love it. Go to church or stay home read the paper...watch football or movies. Go out and play. Whatever you want.
This morning I wanted to write down a recipe from my adopted grandmother Viola. She was like so many woman in my life, strong and smart. Graduated from University of Montana went on to raise two good sons (one my stepdad) on her own after her husband passed away. She was a teacher. Always polite...always nice. She helped me with my schoolwork when I was in elementary school. Very kind woman.
The recipe is simple but good and comforting...like Viola. I haven't made this in a long time I hope I can remember it.
Viola's Hamburger Casserole
Brown hamburger
Add diced onion early enough in browning process so the onion carmalizes but not so early it burns
Boil and drain egg noodles
To hamburger/onion mixture add - can of cream of mushroom soup, can of cream of celery soup, cup or two or more of sour cream, small jar of red pimentos, can of corn - drained, salt and pepper to taste
Combine noodles, hamburger, soup mixture in a casserole dish.
Put crumbled up potato chips on top
Back at 350 for an hour or so....until chips are brown and the mixture bubbles a little.
This is good. I think I'll make it today.
Wherever you are today I hope this finds you well or at least with the hope that things will be better.
Peace
This morning I wanted to write down a recipe from my adopted grandmother Viola. She was like so many woman in my life, strong and smart. Graduated from University of Montana went on to raise two good sons (one my stepdad) on her own after her husband passed away. She was a teacher. Always polite...always nice. She helped me with my schoolwork when I was in elementary school. Very kind woman.
The recipe is simple but good and comforting...like Viola. I haven't made this in a long time I hope I can remember it.
Viola's Hamburger Casserole
Brown hamburger
Add diced onion early enough in browning process so the onion carmalizes but not so early it burns
Boil and drain egg noodles
To hamburger/onion mixture add - can of cream of mushroom soup, can of cream of celery soup, cup or two or more of sour cream, small jar of red pimentos, can of corn - drained, salt and pepper to taste
Combine noodles, hamburger, soup mixture in a casserole dish.
Put crumbled up potato chips on top
Back at 350 for an hour or so....until chips are brown and the mixture bubbles a little.
This is good. I think I'll make it today.
Wherever you are today I hope this finds you well or at least with the hope that things will be better.
Peace
Friday, November 14, 2003
Fujian Flu - Cop's - Gang Tackling Rush - Nicotine Alcohol and Fast Food - Chili Recipe
I haven't been blogging much lately. Had the flu or something and couldn't get up for a while. I'm drinking double tea and feeling better. Being the media junkie I occasionally am I have to comment on a couple of things in the news.
Paris Hilton tape. Seen some of it. I looked at the video and she looks too scary. It's really dark and she has raccoon eyes.
I always get worried when I see people with really dark circles around their eyes. Are they sick or addicted or really flexible and dangerous like Pris in Blade Runner. The best part of that movie to me is when Rutger says, "All those moments will be lost in time like tears in rain."
You'd think Paris could have bought a decent video camera, makeup or at least some software to retouch that video. I'm sort of a dope...but I feel sorry for her. We've all done stupid things some of us a lot more than others. I hope she finds whatever she is looking for.
There were two items that were worthy of front page coverage in our local newspaper today. This headline...
Monroe Prison is Now States Largest Now there's something to be proud of eh? On that topic I have to say I can't stand watching Cops in (whatever city). Seeing the police gang tackle a transvestite crackhead or arrest some kids for possession of marijuana isn't my top priority as a taxpayer. I guess if we elect the punishment versus treatment philosophy we can fill up our prisons to the brim and create more jobs for the inbred to work as prison guards. Okay there's probably some good prison guards like in the Green Mile...but I always wonder about voluntarily choosing that kind of job. Whatever.
And this article -
Youths Are Smoking Less, Except in Middle School. I'm glad to hear preschoolers aren't smoking as much as they did when I was a kid. My grandmother use to tell me her brothers would smoke driftwood...which of course I had to try. I think I was 5 or 6 when we hid some cigars in a cave to smoke as part of a short lived boys club some friends and I created.
You know when you think about it nicotine and alcohol can kill you a lot more surely than the stuff they are arresting some of the people on Cops for. Maybe the police should gang tackle some Phillip Morris tobacco executive and play that on TV? How come Rush can have enough percocet or whatever it is oxycontin...synthetic heroin to put down a herd of charging rhinos and he gets to go to rehab? Where's the gang tackling? Prison? Can't we all just get along?
Here's a commercial I love Eating Kentucky Fried Chicken Keeps You Slim. It's sort of like a Jared theme except it's a guy sitting on the tailgate of a pickup eating KFC and his friend notices how slender he has become. Asks him what he's eating? Why KFC, you know it hardly has any carbs?
I remember an old New Yorker cartoon of two really really fat people who appear to be a married couple and one is saying something to the other like, "Things were pretty good till that Kentucky Fried Chicken moved in next door." Who do you think is telling the true story; the people from YUM who are marketing KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell, or New Yorker cartoons or Matt Groening when he (or whoever wrote that episode) has Homer order double-skin Kentucky Fried? I think the humorists have a closer take on reality.
Lose weight and eat KFC...sure why not.
I liked the tack Jack in The Box took with the ad campaign that said their cheesy fries promoted good health....and then the guy doing the ad says he used to work for the tobacco industry. I think that's funny and true....and fine. If you want to eat a cheesy fry or smoke a cig have at it...but don't pretend like it's not a death defying stunt.
What's a good recipe for late Friday night? How about been drinking beer and partying in the trailer all night chili? I was at a party many moons ago in a trailer where an odd sort of fellow (kind of a criminal sort of guy who was the boyfriend of a girl I knew whose dad was in prison) cooked some chili and used beer in it.
I remember that girls dad once said how prison had taught him a lot about manners. He was very polite. Another thing I learned was that if you saw a woman with a very nicely tooled leather purse...a lot of time she had a husband or boyfriend in the state pen.
Back to the chili.
In a pot (it always helps to cook things if you have a pot...chili on a stick is really hard to make)
Fry some hamburger or mutton if you happen to be Hindu...if your vegan or veg fry some tofu.
Cut up onions and add to hamburger as you fry it.
Drink some beer and Listen to some country western music (optional)
After the burger is browned dump some beer on it (I don't know what this does but I've played around with putting beer on or in food I'm cooking for the last 30 years...same as wine I guess except not)
Add tomato paste, sauce, stewed tomatoes, fresh, canned whatever kind you have
Chili powder
You used to be able to buy something called a chili stick (some kind of fatty meat product with spices...that made a good chili..I don't know where to get them now).
I always put beans in chili - kidney, although I guess you could use some other kind.
Serve with crackers, grated cheese, onions and sour cream on the side. Drink more beer...party on.
Truth be told I don't drink at all anymore. If I was young and partying with some people in their trailer I'd be down with it though.
Peace brothers and sisters.
Paris Hilton tape. Seen some of it. I looked at the video and she looks too scary. It's really dark and she has raccoon eyes.
I always get worried when I see people with really dark circles around their eyes. Are they sick or addicted or really flexible and dangerous like Pris in Blade Runner. The best part of that movie to me is when Rutger says, "All those moments will be lost in time like tears in rain."
You'd think Paris could have bought a decent video camera, makeup or at least some software to retouch that video. I'm sort of a dope...but I feel sorry for her. We've all done stupid things some of us a lot more than others. I hope she finds whatever she is looking for.
There were two items that were worthy of front page coverage in our local newspaper today. This headline...
Monroe Prison is Now States Largest Now there's something to be proud of eh? On that topic I have to say I can't stand watching Cops in (whatever city). Seeing the police gang tackle a transvestite crackhead or arrest some kids for possession of marijuana isn't my top priority as a taxpayer. I guess if we elect the punishment versus treatment philosophy we can fill up our prisons to the brim and create more jobs for the inbred to work as prison guards. Okay there's probably some good prison guards like in the Green Mile...but I always wonder about voluntarily choosing that kind of job. Whatever.
And this article -
Youths Are Smoking Less, Except in Middle School. I'm glad to hear preschoolers aren't smoking as much as they did when I was a kid. My grandmother use to tell me her brothers would smoke driftwood...which of course I had to try. I think I was 5 or 6 when we hid some cigars in a cave to smoke as part of a short lived boys club some friends and I created.
You know when you think about it nicotine and alcohol can kill you a lot more surely than the stuff they are arresting some of the people on Cops for. Maybe the police should gang tackle some Phillip Morris tobacco executive and play that on TV? How come Rush can have enough percocet or whatever it is oxycontin...synthetic heroin to put down a herd of charging rhinos and he gets to go to rehab? Where's the gang tackling? Prison? Can't we all just get along?
Here's a commercial I love Eating Kentucky Fried Chicken Keeps You Slim. It's sort of like a Jared theme except it's a guy sitting on the tailgate of a pickup eating KFC and his friend notices how slender he has become. Asks him what he's eating? Why KFC, you know it hardly has any carbs?
I remember an old New Yorker cartoon of two really really fat people who appear to be a married couple and one is saying something to the other like, "Things were pretty good till that Kentucky Fried Chicken moved in next door." Who do you think is telling the true story; the people from YUM who are marketing KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell, or New Yorker cartoons or Matt Groening when he (or whoever wrote that episode) has Homer order double-skin Kentucky Fried? I think the humorists have a closer take on reality.
Lose weight and eat KFC...sure why not.
I liked the tack Jack in The Box took with the ad campaign that said their cheesy fries promoted good health....and then the guy doing the ad says he used to work for the tobacco industry. I think that's funny and true....and fine. If you want to eat a cheesy fry or smoke a cig have at it...but don't pretend like it's not a death defying stunt.
What's a good recipe for late Friday night? How about been drinking beer and partying in the trailer all night chili? I was at a party many moons ago in a trailer where an odd sort of fellow (kind of a criminal sort of guy who was the boyfriend of a girl I knew whose dad was in prison) cooked some chili and used beer in it.
I remember that girls dad once said how prison had taught him a lot about manners. He was very polite. Another thing I learned was that if you saw a woman with a very nicely tooled leather purse...a lot of time she had a husband or boyfriend in the state pen.
Back to the chili.
In a pot (it always helps to cook things if you have a pot...chili on a stick is really hard to make)
Fry some hamburger or mutton if you happen to be Hindu...if your vegan or veg fry some tofu.
Cut up onions and add to hamburger as you fry it.
Drink some beer and Listen to some country western music (optional)
After the burger is browned dump some beer on it (I don't know what this does but I've played around with putting beer on or in food I'm cooking for the last 30 years...same as wine I guess except not)
Add tomato paste, sauce, stewed tomatoes, fresh, canned whatever kind you have
Chili powder
You used to be able to buy something called a chili stick (some kind of fatty meat product with spices...that made a good chili..I don't know where to get them now).
I always put beans in chili - kidney, although I guess you could use some other kind.
Serve with crackers, grated cheese, onions and sour cream on the side. Drink more beer...party on.
Truth be told I don't drink at all anymore. If I was young and partying with some people in their trailer I'd be down with it though.
Peace brothers and sisters.
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