SNOW MONKEYS WIN! SNOW MONKEYS WIN! My Snow Monkeys are this season's RIP Stargate Fantasy Football Champs! After failing to make the playoffs in their first year in league play, the Snow Monkeys made a better showing this season - but it wasn't easy. After starting out an impressive 5-2 and knocking off the undefeated…
December 25, 2011: Merry Christmas!
Whew! I'm beat. Gonna sit back and watch the Sunday night game. If Aaron Rodgers and Ryan Grant fail to put up 50+ fantasy points for my opponent, then my Snow Monkeys win their first fantasy football league championship! If they do put up those 50+ points, then I'll have to rely on Roddy White…
December 22, 2011: Maximus’s Day Out! Squeezing in one more food truck! Take part in our Ugliest Christmas Ornament contest!
Given the fact that the prognosis isn't good for my pug, Maximus, we've decided to make the most of his remaining days. And so, this afternoon, taking advantage of a rare sunny day, we took him out for a walk along the seawall. A great time was had by all. Now Maximus may have lost…
December 18, 2011: It’s down to the wire for my Snow Monkeys!
R.I.P. Stargate fantasy football post-season action saw my Snow Monkeys taking on Tio's Popular Vote Petunia for the right to play in next week's final. I agonized all morning over my line-up, considering and reconsidering my decision to play C.J. Spiller over Kevin Smith. Finally, a minute before kick-off, I switched out Spiller for Smith.…
December 15, 2011: The Daily Update!
Did my sixth Dark Matter interview this morning, this one with my our old friend Steve Eramo (SciFiAndTvTalk) who I haven't seen since his last visit to the Stargate offices. He's been keeping busy, doing a lot of writing for The Morton Report - Where Popular Culture Meets Swanky Living. It was great chatting with…
December 13, 2011: Snow Monkeys, Project Research, and a Mailbag!
It's been non-stop partying at Snow Monkey central since my Snow Monkeys wrapped up their first ever post-season victory in R.I.P. Stargate fantasy football league action. This sets up a big semi-final showdown against the much-reviled, #2 ranked Popular Vote Petunia next weekend and, while all the experts (and their data-based computer-generated projections - ie.…
December 12, 2011: Your typical football feast! Snow Monkeys poised! John Denver’s Japanese roots?
Ah, yes. Nothing says Sunday afternoon football with the guys like macarons, pastries, pecan pie and ice cream: Am I right? Mike Dopud ended up bringing a case of beer last weekend. What was he thinking? For that kind of money, he could have picked up a linzer torte or a tompouce or even a…
December 11, 2011: Dinner at Refuel!
Last night, a bunch of us gathered at Refuel for a dinner in honor of Golden Boy Martin Gero who happened to be in town. There were eight of us in all. Rather than choose individual dishes from the menu, we elected to leave our culinary fates in the hands of the infinitely capable Chef…
December 10, 2011: Later dinners and even later nights! A modest mailbag!
Heading out to dinner tonight with some old Stargate friends. A late dinner. I know that many don't consider 8:00 p.m. late (hell, in France and Spain, they often don't start eating until 10:00 p.m.) but so far as I'm concerned, late dinners are a young man's game, secretly designed to segue seamlessly into an…
December 8, 2011: Snow Monkeys! Holiday mode! Two Dogs in a Tub!
The fantasy football postseason kick off tonight. As you know, my Snow Monkeys snagged the last playoff spot by destroying their week 13 opponent. Now, they face a much more formidable foe. The last time these two teams met was back in week 8 when my Snow Monkeys defeated the then undefeated I Have No…
December 6, 2011: The Big Comic Round-up!
Catching up on my bid to check out the many, many comic book titles out there... GRIFTER #1-3 This series hits the ground running and maintains its quick pace through the opening three issues, following con man Cole Cash as he attempts to evade pursuing aliens and, oh yeah, the military. It's never explained why…
December 5, 2011: Trufflepalooza!
White truffles, a.k.a. white diamonds, are one of the most highly prized and expensive of foods. Rare, only available a few months of the year, and limited to parts of Italy and Croatia, the Alba Madonna are notoriously difficult to locate. Experienced truffle hunters use dogs to sniff out these rare gems hidden underground, near…
December 4, 2011: Sweet, sweet, ice-cream flavored victory!
Snow Monkeys win! Snow Monkeys win! And in impressive fashion no less, snagging the sixth and final playoff spot in the R.I.P. Stargate fantasy football league. Ivon, Rob, and Mike Dopud were on hand to celebrate the victory with schnitzel sandwiches (pork and veal), three types of ice cream (chocolate, vanilla, and festive eggnog), and…
December 3, 2011: Snow Monkeys’ last shot! Mailbag!
Well, this is it. My fantasy football season comes down to one game - tomorrow - Snow Monkeys vs. Reagan's Raiders. A win allows me to snag the sixth and final playoff spot in our R.I.P. Stargate League. A loss and I my efforts were all for naught and everyone I've invited over tomorrow to…
December 2, 2011: Getting into the Christmas spirit! My new favorite show! Joe’s language school! News of note!
Hey! It's snowing!!! Not outside but right here on this blog! I am officially in the Christmas spirit. Post your questions and I'll answer them in tomorrow's holiday mailbag. From the "How did I miss this?" file comes my favorite new show I just happened to discover on DVD last week: Actually, friends have been…