Kevin Bacon Commercial

For some reason this commercial just makes me laugh. Good old Kevin Bacon.

Pelican Bar and Grill

I attended a Christmas party this past weekend that was held at the Pelican Bar and Grill on 3rd St Downtown Des Moines. For those of you from my generation, it's in the building that use to be Papa's Planet. I drive by the place everyday on my way to work, but haven't had a chance to stop in since it opened last year. Anyways, to be honest I really didn't think it would be that nice. But in this case my preconceptions were wrong. The place has two levels. The main level is pretty small, but was a nice casual bar atmosphere. TVs were up in the bar area to watch sports, there was a pool table, oh and there was a Big Buck Hunter game for those of you who like to shoot down Bambi while enjoying a frosty libation. So as a bar not a bad place. But the thing that really surprised me was the food. Usually bar food = greasy fried crap. Not here. I sampled 4 different types of their pizza and all were very tasty. They serve it up on a thin crust and have lots of different ingredients to choose from. But the champion of the night...... The French Dip. I think it ended up about 7 of us ordered the French Dip. I can honestly say, the best French Dip I have ever had. The bread was awesome and some good juicy quality roast beef was there as well. So if you are downtown, looking for a quick bite to eat, I would recommend stopping in and grabbing a drink, some pizza and definitely the French Dip.

Smokey D's BBQ - Some Great Ribs!

So I finally got the pleasure of eating at Smokey D's BBQ on 2nd Ave in Des Moines. My mom and other friends had been telling me how great their food was, but I never got around to going. Boy, I was missing out on some of the best ribs in town. Let me think about that....... No, I will go out on a limb and say the best ribs in town! They were mouth watering, meat falling off the bone ribs. So, so good. So now that I have just described my food porn to you, let me tell you a little bit about the rest of the food I sampled. I also tried two other meats. The chopped pork was pretty good, the turkey was the thin sliced turkey, so I wasn't a huge fan. The 2 sides I had, the mac & cheese and fries were both really tasty too. So overall some good food, but make sure to try the ribs! Oh and get there early. I was there early at 4:30pm on a Saturday and it was already busy. So check it out. For more info click here.

Star Wars Spike TV ADS

The golf ad makes me laugh out loud.

GoldenEye 007 Multiplayer Trailer

I spent much of my early 20's playing the original GoldenEye on Nintendo 64. This new Wii version looks like it has everything the original has and a few new things. Looks awesome! Might want to check it out.

Tipping at Starbucks

Does everyone expect a tip now? It seems like more and more people are expecting a tip from me and with the economy being the way it is, I have no more money to give them. Just yesterday I went to three places where a tip was expected. The first was the hair salon to get my hair did. I've never really understood tipping the stylist. I think they get paid a pretty good hourly rate, don't they? But, what it really comes down to is fear. If I don't tip well, will they botch my haircut the next time around? Will I leave with a big chunk of hair missing from the back of my head? Will they shave the word "cheapskate" back there?

So then I go out the dinner at Centro. Some great food by the way. So here I see why we tip. The servers get paid a small hourly wage and depend on tips as part of the salary. But here's a question. Would I rather eat somewhere where I didn't have to tip and the food prices were higher? Or would I rather have the choice to tip based on how good the service was? I think I like to have the option of choosing what my server gets.

Then after dinner I had to stop and get an Iced Coffee at Starbucks. Now this is the place I don't understand tipping. The workers there don't get paid $3.25 an hour like a server. And for an Ice Coffee all they have to do is pour two liquids already made into a glass. Does this deserve a tip? No. But yet they place that little tip jar there and I feel like they give me a dirty look if I don't throw my extra change in there. But come on, you didn't do anything to deserve my hard earned money. I just paid $2.39 for my drink. Isn't that enough? The answer to this problem? Just use the drive-thru and pay with credit card. Then no extra cash or coin to give them. And no worries.

One thing I have decided from all these thoughts about tips. I think I will put a tip jar on my desk at work. Somebody has a question..... I expect a tip. Somebody needs me to solve their issue..... not getting done until I see something slipped into that tip jar. :)

Jethro's BBQ - Food Review

So people have been telling me how good Jethro's BBQ is for the last year. I have been putting off going there, but after seeing the restaurant featured on Travel Channel's Man vs Food, I decided to try it out. My wife and I split a Dinner for 2 that included 4 meats and 4 sides. Here are my thoughts on each meat we tried:

Brisket: Had a good flavor, but the meat was really fatty
Smoked Turkey: Tasted like sliced lunch meat fried up on the skillet - Not impressed
Ham: Nice cut of ham, but didn't have much flavor
Pulled Pork: The highlight of the 4 meats. Great flavor - One of the best pulled porks in town

The sides that came along with it were your normal BBQ joint sides. The mac and cheese was a nice surprise and would definitely recommend. As far as the BBQ sauces, that's another place that Jethro's got it right. Their main house sauce is one of the best I've had. So overall, there were a few hits and a few misses. I will go back again to get some of that pulled pork. They also had some giant pork tenderloins that looked tasty. One other thing to mention. The soda there costs $2.50! I find that a little pricey. Just something to think about....

Maxie's Restaurant & Lounge - Review

I have been going to Maxie's Restaurant in West Des Moines since I was a little kid. It has been a fixture on Grand Ave for the last 40 years, and there's a reason it's been in business so long. The reason..... Two words...... Maxie Burger. Yes, I would say this is the best burger in town hands down. You get a 1/2 pound burger with your choice of toppings (I suggest going with American cheese and pickles and mayo on the side) along with fries and onion rings. Now, I'm not a huge fan of onion rings, but most people will tell you that they are pretty darn good too. Since I always get the same thing there I can't say how good the rest of the food there is, but my wife gets the Filet and Lobster and has good things to say about it as well. You might also want to check our the "Maxie Special", which is a 7oz sirloin with 2 breaded shrimp, dinner salad, spaghetti and bread for only $16.29. Click here for full menu.

So definitely, the next time you want to try a Des Moines area legend, head over to Maxie's and enjoy some great food!

Zoolander Gas Fight

Feeling a little down? Try a little Zoolander. There's just something funny about male models playing around with some gas. Skip ahead in the video to the 1:45 mark and prepare to have a chuckle.

Broccoli 101 for Children

Restaurants just don't seem to get it. When you are preparing broccoli for toddlers and children you have to actually cook it! It has to be easy to cut up and easy for the child to chew without choking. Now don't get me wrong, I'm grateful that these restaurants offer broccoli as a side for kids meals, but if you are gonna do it, do it right. If you have to over cook it and make it mushy, that's still better than half raw broccoli that my child can't eat. So, if any restaurant managers or chefs out there are reading this, please cook your broccoli. That way it doesn't go to waste or end up choking one of your customers. Thank You.

Cheap Restaurant Gift Certificates in Des Moines Area

Right now if you visit http://www.restaurant.com you can get some good deals on Des Moines area restaurant gift certificates. If you purchase the $25 gift certificates and enter the promo code "touchdown", you will only pay $2.00 per gift certificate. Some of the restaurants on there are Gino's West Glen, Legends, Dos Rios and Wellmans's Rooftop pub. Check it out.

Teaching Your Kids Manners

So I was reading the West Des Moines Register today and I noticed an add for a class that teaches your kids manners. Now wait a minute. Shouldn't parents be teaching their kids manners? This is just another sign of why kids are so messed up these days. Instead of parents teaching kids manners and showing their kids good manners by their own actions, they depend on someone else to do it for them. Then the parents wonder why their kids don't respect them. I think it's time for some parents to step up!

Free Usable Lunch Bag

For those of you who purchase Annie's Homegrown products, you can get a free reusable and waste-free lunch sack by going to this website:
http://www.annies.com/konserve

All you need to do is fill out the form and punch in 2 UPC codes from your Annie's products. This would be great for work or school.

The Green Way to Control Dandelions

So you find yourself with dandelions all over your yard. You don't want to use a weed killer with harmful chemicals in it and you don't want to spend lots of money on an "All Natural" weed killer. What do you do? Well here's your solution......

Tell your 19 month year old daughter that the dandelions are "yellow flowers". Tell her that mommy would really love them for a gift. There you go. She goes around and pulls up all the dandelions for you in a matter of minutes. If you don't have a precious little one in your life, offer a neighbor kid five bucks to pull them all up for you. You will be doing your part in going green. :)

Des Moines Area is Making Some Progress

Trying to get Organic food in the Des Moines area over the years has been hit or miss. There have been a few stores that sell organic items, but you have to take out a second mortgage just to pay for them. But over the last year some signs of hope have begun to appear. Hyvee has continued to add more and more organic options to their Health Market and is offering them at some affordable prices. Target Stores have upgraded their organic options, most noticeably, the chip aisle. Yes, without a doubt, Target brand organic tortilla chips are the best out there.... hands down winner!

Some of the most exciting news has come this summer. Trader Joe's announced that they are opening a store in West Des Moines this fall. On top of that, there are now rumors of a possible Whole Foods opening in the area in late 2011. If we get a Whole Foods, that will be a major thing. There will be no more reason to shop at 3 or 4 different stores to get the organic items I need. It will be a one stop shop!

So bright things could be on the horizon for my fellow organic eaters out there. I guess now all that would make life a little better would be me opening my Organic Irish Pub. What could be better than that?

The Cozy Cafe - Review

So I've driven by the Cozy Cafe on Hickman, a thousand times since it opened a few odd months ago. I kept saying that I was going to try it and never got around to it. But, I finally decided to stop by tonight and I am pleasantly surprised. My wife and I ordered a cheeseburger and a breaded tenderloin along with some fries. We decided to pick the food up using their drive-thru. It did take some time to get our food, but I don't mind waiting if it means my food is going to be fresh. And yes, the food you could tell was made to order and was piping hot when we got it. The burger was a 1/3 pound burger with American cheese, pickles, lettuce and a tomato. The thing I really appreciated about the burger was the fact that it came on a toasted bun! Having a toasted bun, makes a burger 10 times better. Anyways, all the components of the burger were good and tasty. The breaded tenderloin, which I was told by friends to be great there, was just that. It was a huge portion, and appeared to be a hand breaded tenderloin. Both my wife and I thought it to be of pretty high quality. Definitely, the best breaded tenderloin in the Waukee/Clive area. The fries, were pretty good too. Overall, some quality tasty food. I will be going back and recommend their burger and tenderloin to everyone. To see their menu visit here.

New Brad Thor Book is a Must Read

Just got done reading Brad Thor's latest book, Foreign Influence, and this is by far his best book in a few years. Not saying the others weren't good, but this one had the same effect on me as the first couple, where I didn't want to put it down until I was done reading it. I like how Thor's main character Scott Harvath isn't afraid to say how things really are in the world and his get the job done at all costs type attitude. If you are looking for a good read this summer, definitely check out this book.

Top 3 Songs with "Rain" in Them

So throughout my 31 years I had acquired 2 favorite songs with the word "Rain" in the lyrics. The first one was "Blame it on the Rain", by Milli Vanilli. Come on, it's a classic! Sure, the didn't actually sing it, but for heaven's sake, they sang it on the hit TV show Blossom. The second one would be "Pray for Rain" by PFR. Another classic Christian song that I use to play all the time back in high school. So then I went thru a period of no "Rain" songs that really struck home. That was until 2 weeks ago, when I bought Toby Mac's new album "Tonight". I flipped to track number 7... and there it was the third best "rain song" of all time. The track is entitled "Break Open the Sky". Take a listen....

Pay it Forward

So this whole "pay for the person behind you thing" at the drive thru sounds like a good idea, right? Well, it's nice, and gives you a warm fuzzy feeling when the person in front of you pays for your morning coffee. But, what happens when it's your turn to pay for the person behind you and it ends up being a Soccer Mom in an 8 passenger Suburban, full of kids eating breakfast sandwiches. Then, your $.99 cup of joe just turned into you paying $19.99 and you helping to contribute to childhood obesity! Hmmmm. I know which one I prefer.
The more I think about it, the more it sounds like the new health care package. I get to pay more than what I would just pay for myself, so I can help pay for every one's health care. Oh yeah! Sign me up.

Be Ready for the Storm

Living in Iowa, you always have to be prepared for severe weather in the middle of the night. It could be severe thunder storms, tornado's, hail or snow. To be alerted you could go out and buy a weather radio. But, the problem with the weather radio is that it blasts you with an ear popping alarm that will wake up the whole family. Yes, yes, I know that's the point, but maybe I don't want to be woken up in the middle of the night for a flash food warning when the closet body of water to me is 3 miles away. With most weather radios, it's all or nothing when it comes to getting the alerts. So what you can do to solve this problem? Well the Weather Channel has the answer. Sign up for the their "Notify" service and have a phone call, text or email sent to you when severe weather in your area hits. The cool thing about this is if I only want to have a call when a tornado warning is in my area, I can set it up that way. Anyways, check it out. Click here.

Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution

This is a great new show Friday nights on ABC. I totally agree with his thoughts on the processed crap that kids are eating these days. Fresh, quality ingredients, without preservatives are the way to go. Go Jamie!!

Earn Money Writing and Sharing Your Knowledge Online

So you like to write? And you like to make money? Well then, it sounds like Bukisa might be for you. Bukisa is website where you can share you knowledge thru articles, videos or slide shows. So let's say you know everything there is to know about running a marathon.... You write an article about it and then you earn money each month based on ad revenues collected when people read your article. You are definitely not going to get rich on this, but it's still fun and you could earn a bit of extra spending cash. Check it out. Click Here.

Barnes and Noble - Stick to the Books

Does anyone actually buy movies and cds from Barnes and Noble? Yes, I admit, I shop there, but it's for the books and an occasional giant square rice krispie treat. And for the most part the books are priced pretty competitively with other stores and vendors online. Then there's the movies and cd section. First of all, I have always thought it was weird the way they gate off that section from the rest. It almost feels like I am entering a little prison where I am being monitored. The one clerk located back there is watching me a little too closely. Do they really need security gates in front of that section and the front of the store? Anyways, getting back to the pricing on the movies and cds...... IT'S INSANE!!! They have a movie selling for $25.00 that you can get at Target or Walmart for $15.00. Their cds go for upwards of $15.00-20.00 while you can buy the same cd or upload it for that matter for $9.99. So who would spend that much extra money?? I'm guessing it's the people who got Barnes and Noble gift cards for Christmas or a birthday and can't read or it's people who just have enough money where they don't care.

So my advice to everyone..... Go to Walmart or Target to buy you movies and go to Amazon or Itunes for Music!

5 Reasons Organic Costs More - And What We Can Do To Change It | Mambo Sprouts Articles

Interesting Article.

5 Reasons Organic Costs More - And What We Can Do To Change It | Mambo Sprouts Articles

Proper Way to Leave a Voice Message

Nothing annoys me more than when somebody leaves me a phone message and says their phone number 100mph. Come on!!! That's the most important part. If I don't know your number I can't call you back. This happens to me at work all the time. Then I have to go back and listen to the message again, which isn't a huge deal, but when the person leaves a long winded 5 minute message and I have to listen to the entire thing until the end when they mention the phone number, then it becomes a big deal. So what can be done about this? Well, here is a short lesson in how to leave a message. Let's pretend I just called and got your voicemail....... This is what I say, "Hey 'insert name here', my name is Tom, I need an answer to something, could you please call me back at 1-800-Tom, once again my name is Tom and my phone number is 1-800-Tom. Thank you."
Notice how I repeated my name and phone number again at the end. That's all it takes. You might just save somebody some time and get called back.

Star Wars and Adidas Join Forces

What do you get when you mix my favorite athletic company and one of my favorite obsessions over my 31 years of life? Some cool stuff! No, your not dreaming, Adidas and Star Wars have joined together to come out with a whole new line of shoes and apparel that will even have Emperor Palpatine looking dope. Check out the merchandise. Click here.

Butt Warmers = SBS

Yes, it's really stinking cold right now in Iowa. But, if you offered to purchase and install a butt warmer in my car for me I would have to say no. Why? Three little letters come to mind....... SBS. Now some of you ladies might be asking what does SBS mean? Well, it's something us guys know all about, and it's something that a butt warmer even in the middle of winter can cause. Yes, I'm talking about Sweaty Ball Syndrome. I'm not trying to be gross, just keeping it real. It's something that 99 percent of men will suffer from at least once in their lives. So car manufacturers..... why not seats that cool off your underside? I think the Volkswagen cars offers this. This would really make your car guy friendly and save a lot of people in this world from that uncomfortable feeling of SBS. :)

Thank You Mexican Radio

Every morning when I'm driving to work I surf the local radio stations trying to find someone actually playing music. Most of the time it's just lame Radio DJs with their stupid jokes or entertainment news. That's not what I need in the morning. I need something to get me going. But, there is always one channel I can count on. It's always there when I need it. That's right 105.5 La Ley, the local Mexican station. It rocks. They always have some great music that takes me to a happy place where I'm laying on the beach in Cabo drinking an ice cold Corona. Forget the fact that I can only speak maybe 10 Spanish words, there something about that music that just speaks to me. So next time you are looking for some music to bop that head to in your car, turn that dial over to 105.5.