Getting Ready For Podcast Number 1

Hey kids.



So, the time is drawing near. This Sunday Romeo, Jake and I plan on trying to record our first podcast. This thing is totally the brain child of Jake and Romeo in Ottawa and I'm the tag along. I think I'm okay with that.



I hope that we can put together a blog somewhere that allows us all to have admin access and the opportunity to throw up links to awesome stuff online and the podcasts as they are recorded and released.



Another part I'm in love with is having talks with the boys. They make me shake my head sometimes and make me shake my fist sometimes but they always make me smile.



Romeo told me that he wants us all to come up with some ideas for our first go 'round. So last night I threw up a tweet with some ideas. Beer, Batman bad guys and bacon were on that short list, but I'd like to bring more to the party. So let me know what you're thinking.



I'm looking at you @technicolor_cat you always come through for me. And you can totally use this to call out other twitter folk.



This whole podcast thing is new to all of us, so I sent Romeo the links to some Wikihow articles to get us started. I'm pretty sure that the idea came from Kevin Smith and Scott Mosier on SModcast, which is hilarious. And I have no problem with Mr. Smith being the inspiration.



Because there's going to be a telephone element to this set-up I'm thinking we might even get E-ve and/ or Heath in on this thing in the future. Then I can prove to everyone that they're real.



In the end I see this thing as a way for me to hang out with my friends. Even if the three of us are the only ones that listen it'll be worth it.



But I hope you tune in as well.



That's all for now amigos. Let me know what you're thinking. wally.z1.0@gmail.com or @wallyzblogger on Twitter.



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TV Entertainment That Fills My Time

It's been a while since we did some long form musing... So here we are.



And, because I'm home watching TV right now we're gonna muse about some awesome television entertainment.



As I've said too many times, I'm a sports guy, so hearing that the NHL Network and the rest of the Super Sports Pack are near the top of my must see TV list shouldn't be a shock to anyone. But here's why.



The NHL Network gives exclusive access to in game updates and highlights through their NHL on the Fly show. Every night they have a couple dudes that run down the night's action and tell me who has scored. That last part is important because it keeps me up to date on my fantasy league players. It also means that E-ve doesn't have to watch out of market games with me to see if Anze Kopitar and Joe Thorton have points in a Wednesday night game.



Next is Chuck. I've blushed and bragged and gone on and on about NBC's Monday night masterpiece. I love it. And this season is living up to all of the hype that the previous 2 have pumped up. The story lines have been tight, the characters have stayed but become more trimmed down and directed in their involvement whereas before things got a little messy with so much going on that wasn't Chuck/ spy related. The romantic story of Chuck and Sarah is amazing and makes me want to cheer for the geek the way I used cheer for Pacey.



NCIS is next. This is a show that I didn't watch at all for the first few seasons. And now here I am watching it on Showcase and Rogers On Demand and anywhere else I can find it. Gibbs is "The Man" and everyone else falls in line. At the beginning of the series the female agent on the team was Caitlin "Kate" Todd but she met an untimely end. (Also, it was the same actress that played Pacey's older sister. Just wanted to throw that in there.) CBS is doing a good job keeping things going on this detective show and makes me want to keep coming back. My only concern is the new NCIS: LA and the CSI syndrome. After CSI got Miami and New York the original just wasn't the same. I hope that doesn't happen to Jethro and his gang.



I'm also still a junkie for the Family Channel, though not as much as I used to be. I can still sit down and watch Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide and Suite Life and Hannah Montana and Wizards of Waverly Place but that's about it. Raven and the spin-off and a bunch of the other shows have gone way down hill. I've always just figured I watch these shows to grasp at some sort of childhood gone by. But maybe it's just good entertainment.



Last one we'll hit on today is my fav from the Food Network. Dinners, Drive-ins and Dives rocks my world and makes me hungry. I love the places Guy goes to. The food that he tastes and the feel of the whole thing. There are no suits and ties and reservations. No 5 stars and such. Just good, freshly made, tasty, sometimes greasy, good food. What's not to love about all about this stuff? Plus Guy is funny and makes me smile. A good host is a great plus. And the Food Network certainly picked a good dude to host their show.



There ya have it kids. Just some of the stuff that I spend my free time watching on my crappy old TV. Maybe you'll enjoy some of it too.



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Birthday Wish List Ideas

Ok, we're in the month of the date of my birth... and E-ve isn't sure what to get me... so I thought I'd put together a little list and see what happens.


- A healthy Mike Cammalleri

- An olympic gold medal

- Some lovin' by Twitter, Facebook or phone from @ThatKevinSmith
- To win at Scrabble without knowing that E-ve lost on purpose

- Some new books

- Some new comic books

- A huge TV that fell off the back of a truck or something (but didn't break of course)

- A laptop that suffered the same fate as the TV just mentioned

- Some more Facebook friends

- Hang out time with Jake and Romeo

- Some more Twitter followers

- Some more blog readers

- Korean Karaoke

- Time and inspiration and a ton of new material

- Cuddles from E-ve

That's all that I can think of right now. And to be honest I think that there are maybe 5 or 6 that are feasible. I'll let you try to figure out which ones they are.

Thanks for stopping by.

Don't forget that we're dailyish at www.newmorningmusings.blogspot.com and often as we can be at www.thelongformmusings.blogspot.com

Let the countdown begin.

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Power-girls vs. Geek-boy (via hotpinkgeek.com)

Here's a piece that I wrote for http://www.hotpinkgeek.com/ March 25th 2009... I liked it, it was fun to write.  And now that I may be even more of a geek than I was then, I think it's a good time to revisit the fun.

Original link to see the photo that goes with the piece and other awesome hot pink geek stuff from other hot pink writers. http://www.hotpinkgeek.com/power-girls-vs-geek-boy/483/#more-483

Enjoy!

Let me start by saying hello. I’m new to the geek community after many years spent in the closet. It’s nice to be out.

I’ve got a list in my head of female comic book and TV characters that could most certainly kick my ass in a fight. And it’s not because I wouldn’t hit a girl.

This list will by no means be complete and I invite all of you, including our own little geek squad to chime in.

Without further ado, check out my list after the jump!

Xena Warrior Princess – I’m not sure I need to give any explanation here, but why not. First of all, she’s huge. I’m not a little guy but she would tower over me. She’s also good with a sword, and I am not. She has a vicious war cry that would probably make me wet my pants. And she was in Playboy. Overall, it’s quite easy to see that Xena could dispose of me in short order.

Note: I do believe that I could take Gabrielle if push came to shove.

Wonder Woman – Another no doubter. She’s an Amazon princess for crying out loud. She’s bigger than Superman and defeated Ares, the God of War in her first ever mission. She’s not afraid to kill and she flies an invisible plane. I wouldn’t have a chance in hell of keeping up with her. She could give me one kick with those long uncovered legs of hers and send me flying through a brick wall. And I’m sorry to report that I don’t think I would survive being kicked through a brick wall.

Black Canary – This Justice Leaguer may not get a lot of press but she deserves it. Her only super power may be that crazy sonic cry but I don’t think she’d need to use it. She’s athletic, acrobatic, a skilled fighter and fierce lover. Her martial arts experience is above average and enough to make this geek boy lie down and say uncle. But the whole package is significant. My only chance would be to make her feel sorry for me and sweep her leg and kick her while she was down. And then remember to gag her so that she can’t use the scream.

There’s one more on today’s list. She is saved to last as suggested by my E-ve. I even got a text from her when I pitched the idea saying that this character could most certainly kick my butt.

Princess Adora, She-Ra: Princess of Power – Here’s another princess that packs a big punch. Twin sister of Prince Adam aka He-Man, Adora has superhuman strength and stamina which is tough to match up against. The princess also regularly outsmarts the bad guys, which means that she doesn’t even have to use violence. Last but not least she has the magic Sword of Protection. It’s a friggin’ magic sword that transforms her into She-Ra. I like to think that I’m not stupid, but a super powered princess with superior intellect and a magical sword is more than this geek thinks that he can handle.

So, that’s the list friends. As I said, there are most certainly more tough female characters out there that could take a round or two out of me. Let’s hear which power-girls you think could give you a run for your money.

Grocery Shopping's Done... Now The Cooking Begins

So I did the grocery shopping with E-ve’s help. It was a resounding success.


The No Frills had everything that we were looking for and now the freezer, fridge and cupboards are full of new foods. It’s exciting.

Let’s take a look at some of the things that came home with us.

-Soy crumble (Blue menu)
-Breaded fish fillets
-Chicken quarters
-Bacon
-Large brown eggs
-Red onions
-Sweet bell peppers
-Sausages
-Pork chops
-Canned fruit salad
-Canned crushed pineapple
-Margarine
-Canned green beans
-Canned beans
-Canned creamed corn
-Canned soup
-BBQ sauce
-Mini-Wheats
-Hot dogs
-Brownie mix
-Instant mashed potatoes
-Whole wheat bread
-English muffins

We also found out that my freezer is awesome and didn’t ruin a bunch of the stuff that was already in there. So I also have chicken fingers, hamburgers, taquitos, a pizza and ice cream in the freezer.

So far I’ve cracked a few eggs and had sandwiches on English muffins. The red onions and red pepper and some left over bacon made a great combo with the fluffy muffins.

E-ve also made a great pancake dinner for us Thursday night which didn’t actually use anything that we brought home from the grocery store. And strangely that made me feel really good. I think it was because I hadn’t spent that much money all at once on food in a long time. And not using it up right away calmed me a little bit.

Side note: E-ve’s homemade peach jam was great on my pancakes and it even mixed well with a little table syrup. Tasty win.

Moving forward there are plans for roasted chicken with veggies. Maybe a sausage and pasta dish. Pork chops with potatoes and creamed corn. Perhaps some soup and sandwiches. Beans and weiners and toast. Chicken fingers and taquitos munchie night. Fish and veggies. And who knows what else.

I’ve also been keeping track of some of the recipes that have worked out well so far. I was thinking that maybe I would share them. I’m a pretty alright cook, but most of the things I do are terribly simple. Things that anyone can put together with the right ingredients. I’m also hoping that you all might add respond with some easy ones for me to try as well.

I even have a request from @technicolor_cat on my Twitter feed for the results of the Soy experiment.

So, wish me luck my friends. With E-ve’s help and support I’m gonna give this whole eating at home thing a real shot.

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Grocery Lists And Home Cooking My Way To Happiness

So I was talking the other day about how E-ve is excited that I’m thinking about picking up some soy when I do my grocery shopping this week. It’s that whole healthy alternative thing that has her smiling and praising me before I even get to the store.

Truth is that she and I are both excited that I have the gumption and planning to go grocery shopping and start cooking in the first place. For quite a while now I’ve been in a rut of laziness where food is concerned. Fast food and pre-made dinner has been the order of the day almost 7 days a week for too long.

The ideas behind grocery shopping and cooking are multiple. Health is one of them. The one that has E-ve excited and where the soy comes in to play. Also, cooking chicken and beef and pork and such at home with veggies or pasta or both is going to be a lot healthier than grabbing chicken nuggets or hamburgers.

Side note: I will miss shawarma and it may be my cheap treat from time to time.

One of the others is cost. I try to eat the cheap stuff from the fast food joints near my apartment, it’s not like I’m 5 star dining every night, but it adds up. I’m burning through a lot of cash doing the grab something on the way home routine. If I can save some money by cooking for myself it’s a bonus for sure. There never seems to be enough cash in the account to do fun stuff when the ideas strike. And with Jake’s play coming up in March I’ll need some scratch for a bus ticket.

The third is waste. Fast food makes a lot of garbage. And I’m a bad house keeper. If I am cooking for myself there won’t be bags and napkins and plastic forks all over the place. I’ll have to wash dishes so that I can cook and so that I can eat. That cycle should keep itself going. I try to be a green dude, but I will fully admit that I’m not doing a very good job of it right now.

Side note: I just thought of this now, but wine and other drinks are going to go so much better with home cooked food. Bonus.

The last idea behind this whole thing is me being happy. I like cooking and I like eating, those are pretty self explanatory. But on top of that there’s this whole funk that I’ve been in. Come home around 8pm or so and grab something (greasy) on the way to the apartment. Change clothes, eat, watch some TV, sleep. That’s been the routine for the last while now. It’s draining and it makes it feel like home is nothing more than the cable bill and place to sleep. What I’m aiming for is that feeling of home that comes with cooking and the smells and the satisfaction of being a little bit more of a grown-up. Let’s not get carried away here, I said a little bit more grown-up.

Let’s take a look at what could end up on the grocery list by the time Thursday comes.

-Mini-Wheats cereal
-canned corn
-canned peas
-canned mushrooms
-bacon
-chicken thighs/ whole chicken (on sale at more than one grocery store this week)
-whole wheat bread
-margarine
-pork chops
-cheese
-milk
-soy crumble
-sausages
-side kicks
-eggs
-sweet peppers
-onion
-small potatoes
-instant mashed potatoes

So, wish me luck. There’s a whole lot riding on this movement.

And if it works I might even try to become a better house keeper.

But that’s a big maybe.

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This Isn't Love, It's Fantasy Hockey!

Hey there my puck loving friends,


This week is the second week of the second half of this season’s hockey pool. The last season and a half haven’t been especially great. I have done alright in the last few weeks but I need to be able to put a streak together.

The key to the pool that I play in is paying for short term production. The weeks go from Saturday to Friday and then it’s time to pick 12 new dudes. I get 6 forwards, 4 defensemen and 2 goaltenders and I get 30 points to spend to get them. Each dude is valued 1 point to 4 points each with goalies going from 2 points to 4 points each. The value is directly related to the player’s talent, as you may have assumed.

The other key to fantasy hockey and all fantasy sports, is not to fall in love with the dudes on your favourite team. Trust me, it’s not always a good thing. Now, if your favourite team is the Penguins or Sharks or Caps than you are in better shape than most. But in general, one of the worst things you can do is pick with your heart instead of your head. This isn’t love my friends, it’s a competition. You have to be mean and calculated and take risks that you wouldn’t think you’d take. Okay, so that last part sounds like love, but that’s it.

This year’s fantasy studs have been Henrik Sedin from the Vancouver Canucks, Joe Thorton, Dany Heatley, Patrick Marleau and Dan Boyle from the San Jose Sharks, Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom and Mike Green from the Washington Capitals, Thomas Plekanec of my Montreal Canadiens and even Thomas Kaberle of E-ve’s Toronto Maple Leafs.

Now, because this is a cap system there comes a point decisions have to be made. Do I spend on defensemen and hope for power play points? What cheap forward am I going to take a chance on this week? So far it’s been Alex Ponikarovsky , Andrei Kostitsyn and Stephen Weiss among others.

While last week wasn’t a great one, I’m hoping for a big push this week. But more importantly I don’t want to get myself into a big hole. There’s a car on the line for the winner. Also, I try every week to get the better of one of my co-workers. Last week I did. Most weeks I do.

This week I’ve got a bunch of really good hockey players on my roster. If you see names like Kovalchuk, Heatley, Thorton, Gaborik, Richards, Byfuglien, Robidas and Nabakov you’ll know that I’m doing alright.

You know what else is awesome? E-ve supports my habits. I smile big when she watches the ticker with me and counts points. I’m a lucky dude that way. I know that I have what can be an overwhelming affinity for sports, and not just hockey. But having her entertain my fancies is a huge bonus. I’m a big fan of her as well as the sports.

So, wish me luck. This thing is a big fun part of my fall, winter and spring.

And if I win the car I’ll DD.

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