Free For All

Interesting day of football today!

My friend Brent Sandy and I are going to be on Craig Kessler's jazz radio show tomorrow from 2 to 6 PM (central time). We're going to share and discuss favorite "desert island" sides from our listening history. It was hard to narrow it down to just a few! It will be online on KCCK.org.

Chargers/Titans might be a good game.

I like to use velcro. But flannel is nice too.

Great to see you back here, Randy! Your sense of humor has been missed. Hope your recovery is swift and complete.

It's like a Bizarro Long Island Tea. Gaack!

M E R R Y C H R I S T M A S .....to all my wonderful Organissimo friends! Have a great holiday and new year! Keep on swingin' baby! -Paul

Yup, my dad had STACKS of those.

I wish I could. I don't have any of his train stuff, and the reason is a long & sad story.

I've got most of it already too, but I also find it a little comforting to see these sets still being released. Like things aren't quite dead yet.

My dad was a big time model railroader. He was into the O gauge size, and the whole basement was a continual layout-in-progress which he never really completed. I had a Lionel train set- I remember the little tablets that you put in the engine stack to create smoke and the smell of the rheostat as it got warm. Also the little animated mechanical people and crossing guards. I would spend hours looking at the accessory catalogs. I got way into building scenery and using an airbrush. I was also into slot cars- I had a Strombecker 1/32 set that I loved. We (me, my dad & an occasional train buddy or two) used to travel to various locations to watch trains go by, and my dad would take super 8 movies. I remember feeling the excitement as the train would approach and the loud rumbling sound of serious power. We stopped at Horseshoe Curve (eastern PA) on a vacation once, that was a pretty spectacular view. When possible we would take trips on the train- I remember how cool it was to eat in the dining car. The waiters never spilled despite the unpredictable movement of the car. For some reason pancakes always tasted better in the dining car. I also remember sitting in the observation car. Wow, I haven't thought about this for a long time. Really vivid memories.

I knew this was inevitable, and Allen didn't disappoint.

Grilled, usually with only salt & pepper. Sometimes I like to put some blue cheese or gorgonzola inside the burger before cooking. As far as dressing, I like lettuce, tomato, grilled onions and a toasted bun. Sometimes avacado. As far as favorite restaurant burgers- Steak & Shake, In & Out, Wendy's, Red Robin, the Squeeze Inn in Sacramento and Fuddrucker's. I remember a great place for burgers in Austin on Guadalupe called G&M Steakhouse. Anyone know if it's still there?

The most recent one for me is those obnoxious TV ads where they rewrite the lyrics to holiday tunes (to move product). I think Best Buy is the worst offender, but many others have jumped on this evil bandwagon. Happy Holidays everyone!

This one always cracks me up.

Very sad to hear he passed away. This shouldn't have happened at all. RIP.

Grilled a filet mignon with a baked potato and some grilled asparagus. Cognac, blue cheese and butter melted in a pan and poured over the steak. Awesome!

I slam my cabinet doors. Because my dishes talk smack to me. They taunt me. But I get the last word, by slamming the effin doors. Neighbors be damned. Deal with it, MFs.

Wow, what's the deal w/the Steelers? Happy for the Browns though. One shining moment in a dismal season. Where's SS1 to celebrate this?

Enjoying a nice taste of winter weather in Iowa City. Don't mind it one bit.

.....not that there's anything wrong with that!

Pardon my ignorance, but does Red have an album with Christmas tunes or are you just saying you like to listen to his stuff this time of year? Just noting he shares his name with the holiday decoration.

Major apostrophe abuse here! I've never seen their name like that on any of their record's.

Ellington Nutcracker (thank you Billy Strayhorn). Got to have some Red Garland at Christmas too!