I keep hearing people in the area talk about how great of a BBQ place Hard 8 is and after eating there three times already, I just don’t understand how. But over the past year I’ve become more educated in BBQ, understanding preparation and different styles, knowing you shouldn’t need sauce, as well as the importance of getting the fatty juicy meat from the point of the brisket. With that in mind I gave Hard 8 another shot yesterday requesting meat from the point. Overall, it was good, but not great. While it was tender and passed the pull test, there was a lack of a decent smoke ring and there wasn’t much flavor. I also prefer a bit of crunchiness on the outside which it lacked, and I guess you can contribute the lack of flavor and crunchiness to their rub.
From time to time the Morning Musers on The TICKET will complain about air travel, specifically stating that if you lean your seat all the way back you are being the jerk. That’s one thing I’ll never agree with them about because everyone has the ability to lean back. And I don’t think ‘The Dude’ meme applies here.
Another thing they will sometime mention that I tend to disagree with them about is if you have to choose between an experience/vacation/trip or a possession, choose the experience every time. I’d rather spend money on things I can utilize everyday (i.e., level my backyard and add a playset for the kids), which in itself build a many lifetime memories, then take a week long trip – for the most part. Of course in real life you can compromise on things and get a little bit of both, but generally speaking that’s how I feel.
A faithful reader provided a link that the details the harrowing events the night Phil Hartman died. But I do think the author took some liberties as he stated that Hartman seemed to be smiling, I’m just not sure how he can know such a thing without referencing it. And another faithful reader sent me this link about Jon Lovitz and Andy Dick fighting about Hartman’s death and his wife.
MIT estimates it will take 68 days for the first person of Mars One, the Netherlands organization attempting to send people on a one-way to mars, to die. But the article didn’t specify if those were Earth days or Mars days. But even when you compare sidereal days vs solar days on Mars, you’re looking at roughly a 40-minute longer day on Mars than what you get on Earth. NASA has a nice graphical quick facts website to help you compare all things Earth and Mars related.
This guy is developing a tattoo removal cream, now if there was only other creams to remove other bad decisions. Upon reading that sentence a second time, there’s a joke in there somewhere.
I like talking to my conservative friends about some hot button topics because it broadens my view and gives me a better understanding on their stance, but I’m surprised how they often use terminology or concepts that incorrect. For instance, if we’re talking about evolution, many believe the theory states that humans evolved from monkeys, which isn’t the case, we share a common ancestor which is totally different. And when it comes to climate change, many will intermingle the terms climate and weather, when they are two different things. And I have no doubt there are terms I intermingle when talking to them about issues they are more familiar with. I’m just thankful we have tactful dialogue.
One of those conservative friends claimed that liberals were the ones that changed the term “global warming” to “climate change”. But it was always my understanding that the terminology change is mostly attributed to conservative political consultant Frank Lutz – Although Luntz later tried to distance himself from the Bush administration policy, it was his idea that administration communications reframe “global warming” as “climate change” since “climate change” was thought to sound less severe.
The ‘CBS Evening News’ had a segment on what the American Sniper movie left out in regards to two important things snipers do, stalking unimaginable distances and rifle assembly done by hand which can take up to three days. One thing that stood out in this segment was the quiet resolve they take in their job, unlike a lot of former service members that tend to write books about their experiences: They’ve all been in combat and none of them will talk about it. I asked Gunnery Sergeant Gerald Gavin if he could tell me how many kills he has but he declined to answer. “It’s just not something that we share, sir,” Gavin told me.
One other thing about that segment, trying to spot the snipers in their camouflage and “gillie suits” reminded me about the start of a particular movie, but I can’t recall which one. I want to say it was one of those Tom Clancy movies. EDIT: Turns out it was Clear and Present Danger and here’s the clip. To my surprise, Clark Gregg is in that movie.
I find all our local news stations annoying, but I chose CBS11 for most of my viewing because I can somewhat tolerate it, though I’m not sure how much longer.
George Riba filed his last report for WFAA and took us down a nice trip down memory lane. Since he started in 1973, the four major sports teams have had a total of 44 head coaches and managers. The Rangers themselves racked up 20 in his tenure. His “official” goodbye is today at 10:00 PM.
I’m jonesing to binge watch the new season of House of Cards. Maybe I can get WifeGeeding and the kids to visit the grandparents that weekend.
I actually like these NFL concept helmets, and I wouldn’t mind if the Cowboys stepped away from tradition to this one, or at least as an alternative jersey on Thanksgiving.
Gawker had a weird experiment trying to test how much Brian Williams still carries – Gawker, posing as the personal assistants to Brian Williams, Geraldo Rivera, and Allison Williams, called 15 of New York’s most exclusive restaurants to see who has the most clout. Congratulations to Geraldo, King of New York!
If you ever wondered what episode a Simpsons quote came from, just type it here – www.SimpsonQuotes.com
This guy wrote about his week at war photography camp.
I watched the latest episode of HBO’s ‘Togetherness’ and they played kick the can, a game I have no concept about, but I guess it’s like capture the flag.
While watching ‘The Americans’ I saw a white Corning teapot in the background that had a little blue decorative decal on the side which brought back memories of my parents making coffee and us eating breakfast together on Saturday mornings. They used that thing so much eventually that decal wore off.
Norm Macdonald went on a very, very long but informative and entertaining Twitter rant and stated that Eddie Murphy was to be Cosby in the Celebrity Jeopardy! skit. Man, I could only imagine the crowd’s reaction the buzz on social media for the next two days. But it appears that Murphy has too much respect for Cosby, didn’t want to kick a man when he was down, and backed out. And to my surprise, it turns out the whole idea behind that skit came from the mind of Macdonald himself. Man, I think that series of tweets was the best thing I’ve read all week.
I completely agree with THE TICKET on leaning back on a plane. I never do it when there's someone behind me. I know I don't appreciate it when someone in front of me does. And it's not like it really goes back that far or makes the seat any more comfortable.
Re: leaning back on a plane – just because you CAN do something, that doesn't mean that you should. I'm 6 feet tall (which is not super tall, I know), and my knees touch the seat in front of me already. Lean that thing back, and I'm pretty uncomfortable. Let's all acknowledge that flying is kind of crappy now, and just bear with it. To be fair, I am okay with leaning back on long flights, but only as long as necessary, not for the duration of the flight.
Upon viewing that video, it seemed a little off. It took a second to realize that it's the straight video feed, so there's no audience laughter. That was odd.
The Norm Macdonald series of tweets was phenomenal. And I had no idea he was one of the writers for the Jeopardy sketch, but I was wholly unsurprised that Higgins was involved. That guy is a genius, too.
As someone over 6'2" that has taken a flight over 6 hours with the a-hole in front of me fully reclined, I completely agree with The Musers. I wish I had known about the Knee Defender before that flight.
I also read Norm MacDonald's tweets. That was a great story, but it also highlighted the main flaw with Twitter. 140 characters do not a detailed story tell.
The Browns concept helmet looks great, which brings up the subject of The Browns logo. Their current logo is a picture of their (orange) helmet with no logo. When they get their new logo, it WILL NOT go on their helmet (per ESPN). Only in Cleveland…
I had several phone conversations with George Riba back when I was a DJ. His Dale Hansen stories would have you rolling in the aisles.
I have a real issue with the knee defender. If I’m a passenger and my seat has the ability to recline, a function that I paid for, a fellow passenger shouldn’t take that away. If I tall person was behind me, I’d try to be considerate and wouldn’t lean back the entire duration, and I’d react much more cordially if I was asked not to lean back instead of someone straight up taking my right away as if he or she has some authority over me..
"Clear and Present Danger and here’s the clip. To my surprise, Clark Gregg is in that movie."
You know Ding (Chavez) is Tucco, right? Always liked him as an actor.
"As someone over 6'2" that has taken a flight over 6 hours with the a-hole in front of me fully reclined,"
6'7" here buddy. When you sit down, wedge your knees against the seat in front of you. They may apologize, or they may be jerks, but you can look at them and tell them you're tall and can't make your legs any shorter. And if they sneak back on you, just keep kneeing the seat. It's like a game, after a while.
I went to school with a guy who has a Lamborghini SUV. It was used by Saudia Arabia to put anti-tank missiles. It could do 120 in the sand. And looked pretty cool roaming around Waco.
I typically don't recline my seat on a flight out of courtesy and, since the seat doesn't exactly recline back that far, because it does very little to make me any more comfortable. At the same time, I don't fault someone who does recline their seat in front of me. I make the best of it and I'm usually adjusted to it pretty quick. I do acknowledge that I might feel a lot different if I was over 6 feet tall and no 5'8".
WGII was very happy with the Westminster results. In fact Miss P is a cousin of my beagles. Her great grandfather is my girls grandfather. Thanks for the shout out!
The Hard 8 in Stephenville was the 1st to open. The owner was Phillip Nivens, who was a classmate of mine during the times he lived in Bridgeport. He has lots of relatives in the Alvord area. I want to say Phillip was in his early 40's when he decided to open the BBQ joint. Phillip liked to gamble, especially craps, so that's where the Hard 8 name came from. Phillip passed away a couple of years ago, dying from an incurable lung disease. He spent his last days in Seattle.
RE: Reclining airplane seats
Having flown, a lot, I can tell you it's not so much the guy having the seat reclined that is the issue, it's the guy that thinks he's in his Lazy Boy recliner that is the issue. You have your tray down, with a drink on it, and the next thing you know this "dude" is slamming his seat back without any warning. At minimum, you can politely turn and ask the person behind if it's ok to let your seat back before putting your seat back.
The other issue is when you get trapped, having the window seat on the 3 seat side of the plane and the folks in front of you all have their seats reclined. The only way out is to have your row mates get up and stand in the aisle while you slide out.
I have a personal rule to only sit in aisle seats, that way you at least don't have to bother as many people if you need to get up and you can use the aisle for a little extra space….until the flight attendants come thru with the service cart, that is.
Man, it looks like a bunch of giants read this blog. I'm 6'1", and I do what Jason does, I use my knees to prevent the person ahead of me from leaning back all the way.
On the Hard 8, I had a similar experience at Franklin BBQ in Austin. Tender as all get-out, but lacking flavor. I found out that they only season with salt, pepper and smoke. Like you, I enjoy a crunchy outside. That's why I add brown sugar to my rub, to get the yummy crunch!
I completely agree with THE TICKET on leaning back on a plane. I never do it when there's someone behind me. I know I don't appreciate it when someone in front of me does. And it's not like it really goes back that far or makes the seat any more comfortable.
Re: leaning back on a plane – just because you CAN do something, that doesn't mean that you should. I'm 6 feet tall (which is not super tall, I know), and my knees touch the seat in front of me already. Lean that thing back, and I'm pretty uncomfortable. Let's all acknowledge that flying is kind of crappy now, and just bear with it. To be fair, I am okay with leaning back on long flights, but only as long as necessary, not for the duration of the flight.
SNL created tattoo removal cream quite a while ago: https://vimeo.com/69310297
Upon viewing that video, it seemed a little off. It took a second to realize that it's the straight video feed, so there's no audience laughter. That was odd.
The Norm Macdonald series of tweets was phenomenal. And I had no idea he was one of the writers for the Jeopardy sketch, but I was wholly unsurprised that Higgins was involved. That guy is a genius, too.
As someone over 6'2" that has taken a flight over 6 hours with the a-hole in front of me fully reclined, I completely agree with The Musers. I wish I had known about the Knee Defender before that flight.
I also read Norm MacDonald's tweets. That was a great story, but it also highlighted the main flaw with Twitter. 140 characters do not a detailed story tell.
The Browns concept helmet looks great, which brings up the subject of The Browns logo. Their current logo is a picture of their (orange) helmet with no logo. When they get their new logo, it WILL NOT go on their helmet (per ESPN). Only in Cleveland…
I had several phone conversations with George Riba back when I was a DJ. His Dale Hansen stories would have you rolling in the aisles.
I have a real issue with the knee defender. If I’m a passenger and my seat has the ability to recline, a function that I paid for, a fellow passenger shouldn’t take that away. If I tall person was behind me, I’d try to be considerate and wouldn’t lean back the entire duration, and I’d react much more cordially if I was asked not to lean back instead of someone straight up taking my right away as if he or she has some authority over me..
"Clear and Present Danger and here’s the clip. To my surprise, Clark Gregg is in that movie."
You know Ding (Chavez) is Tucco, right? Always liked him as an actor.
"As someone over 6'2" that has taken a flight over 6 hours with the a-hole in front of me fully reclined,"
6'7" here buddy. When you sit down, wedge your knees against the seat in front of you. They may apologize, or they may be jerks, but you can look at them and tell them you're tall and can't make your legs any shorter. And if they sneak back on you, just keep kneeing the seat. It's like a game, after a while.
I went to school with a guy who has a Lamborghini SUV. It was used by Saudia Arabia to put anti-tank missiles. It could do 120 in the sand. And looked pretty cool roaming around Waco.
I typically don't recline my seat on a flight out of courtesy and, since the seat doesn't exactly recline back that far, because it does very little to make me any more comfortable. At the same time, I don't fault someone who does recline their seat in front of me. I make the best of it and I'm usually adjusted to it pretty quick. I do acknowledge that I might feel a lot different if I was over 6 feet tall and no 5'8".
WGII was very happy with the Westminster results. In fact Miss P is a cousin of my beagles. Her great grandfather is my girls grandfather. Thanks for the shout out!
RE: Hard 8
The Hard 8 in Stephenville was the 1st to open. The owner was Phillip Nivens, who was a classmate of mine during the times he lived in Bridgeport. He has lots of relatives in the Alvord area. I want to say Phillip was in his early 40's when he decided to open the BBQ joint. Phillip liked to gamble, especially craps, so that's where the Hard 8 name came from. Phillip passed away a couple of years ago, dying from an incurable lung disease. He spent his last days in Seattle.
RE: Reclining airplane seats
Having flown, a lot, I can tell you it's not so much the guy having the seat reclined that is the issue, it's the guy that thinks he's in his Lazy Boy recliner that is the issue. You have your tray down, with a drink on it, and the next thing you know this "dude" is slamming his seat back without any warning. At minimum, you can politely turn and ask the person behind if it's ok to let your seat back before putting your seat back.
The other issue is when you get trapped, having the window seat on the 3 seat side of the plane and the folks in front of you all have their seats reclined. The only way out is to have your row mates get up and stand in the aisle while you slide out.
I have a personal rule to only sit in aisle seats, that way you at least don't have to bother as many people if you need to get up and you can use the aisle for a little extra space….until the flight attendants come thru with the service cart, that is.
Man, it looks like a bunch of giants read this blog. I'm 6'1", and I do what Jason does, I use my knees to prevent the person ahead of me from leaning back all the way.
On the Hard 8, I had a similar experience at Franklin BBQ in Austin. Tender as all get-out, but lacking flavor. I found out that they only season with salt, pepper and smoke. Like you, I enjoy a crunchy outside. That's why I add brown sugar to my rub, to get the yummy crunch!