My mother-in-law is in the hosptial...again. It's rather sad. She's only 64, but she spends about as much time at St. Luke's as she does her own apartment. She had breast cancer about 18 years ago...and since that time she's never been the same. Heart problems, knee problems, lung issues, chronic skin conditions. She deals with far more pain that any one person should.
So....you would think that I would be sad and compassionate about her plight. I am.....but.
This is where it usually goes to....I feel bad for them.....but.
I'm working on getting rid of the "but".....with very mixed results.
You see the "but" and afterwards is where you start picking out the reasons it's that person's fault they are struggling. For my mother-in-law....she doesn't take care of herself. She eats badly, and doesn't sleep well, her apartment is a horrible mess and the dirt and dust doesn't help. And...since she hates her apartment, she does everything she can to stay away from it....out in the cold until all hours of the night. And when you offer to help or your sagely wisdom, she is difficult and combative.....she doesn't see how she's causing all of these problems for herself. So....I feel bad for her, "but".
I remember the first time I saw this guy come to the theatre I worked at pulling a tank of oxygen behind him. It was attached to a tube sticking out of his neck. I felt bad for him until I saw him sit on a bench, remove the oxygen tank, and start smoking a cigarette. My compassion vanished in a matter of seconds.
It seems thast in most cases.....I feel bad for that person, "but". Think of an obese person with heart issues, or an alcoholic with liver issues...it goes on and on. It becomes so easy for your compassion to become conditional or vanish completely.
Occasionally you do get that one person who you can't find the "but". Jim Fixx is my favorite. The guru of running in the 70's....he dies of a heart attack while running. He was in great shape, didn't take drugs....but he got a raw deal. He was immune to the "but".
One of my New Year's Resolutions....probably the most imporrtant one is to try to look beyond the "but". My mother-in-law tries to be a good person and loves her family very much. She isn't always easy, but she deserves her family's compassion and love. People have all sorts of problems....I certainly do. I could put down the cheeseburgers, be a better listener, a better father, a better husband. \
So...this year...a little less judging, a little less finger pointing and a lot more empathy, a lot more compassion.
Monday, December 21, 2009
Friday, December 18, 2009
Bye Bye St. Luke's
So...it's my last day working at St. Luke's Hospital and Health Network - Allentown Campus after 3+ years.
It's been an amazing time...a very exciting time here. We've built a $75 million expansion, and are seeing double digit growth in admissions. It's been quite a ride.
So....why am I leaving? That seems to be the question I get often.....why are you leaving? It must be something bad for you to leave St. Luke's is the underlying theme.
Well....while I love a good scandal....unfortunately I don't have one here. The story is not about where I'm leaving from....it's about where I'm going to.
Turning Point of the Lehigh Valley is an organization that combats domestic violence. It offers people who are being physically or emotionally abused a safe place to go; counseling and help in depserate situations; possibilites for people to get control of their lives. I've been a volunteer at Turning Point for 3 years and I've seen amazing transformations. Domestic violence is such an insideous problem in our society....because victims often feel deep shame....for being victims. And society too often judges these people without knowing their stories.
I have so much to learn about preventing domestic violence from the many dedicated people who work there every day, but I also feel that my skills could make a real difference. So....I've taken the leap and start my new career on December 30th. I'm excited about being a part of the team that begins transforming the communities view of domestic violence and begins the journey to ending this terrible plague on society.
So...farewell to the amazingly talented doctors, nurses, and so many other professionals at St. Luke's. I've learned and grown so much from you.....and I will certainly be at your doorstep whenever I need healthcare.
It's been an amazing time...a very exciting time here. We've built a $75 million expansion, and are seeing double digit growth in admissions. It's been quite a ride.
So....why am I leaving? That seems to be the question I get often.....why are you leaving? It must be something bad for you to leave St. Luke's is the underlying theme.
Well....while I love a good scandal....unfortunately I don't have one here. The story is not about where I'm leaving from....it's about where I'm going to.
Turning Point of the Lehigh Valley is an organization that combats domestic violence. It offers people who are being physically or emotionally abused a safe place to go; counseling and help in depserate situations; possibilites for people to get control of their lives. I've been a volunteer at Turning Point for 3 years and I've seen amazing transformations. Domestic violence is such an insideous problem in our society....because victims often feel deep shame....for being victims. And society too often judges these people without knowing their stories.
I have so much to learn about preventing domestic violence from the many dedicated people who work there every day, but I also feel that my skills could make a real difference. So....I've taken the leap and start my new career on December 30th. I'm excited about being a part of the team that begins transforming the communities view of domestic violence and begins the journey to ending this terrible plague on society.
So...farewell to the amazingly talented doctors, nurses, and so many other professionals at St. Luke's. I've learned and grown so much from you.....and I will certainly be at your doorstep whenever I need healthcare.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Soothing the Savage Genius Part 1
My daughter Maggie is a genius.
I understand that just by typing those words, I risk coming across as one of those douchy parents. You know the ones....my kid is great....yours sucks. Okay, maybe your kid doesn't suck, but certainly couldn't be a great as mine. Here are 500 pictures and 32 videos illustrating why my kid is awesome.....
Well....maybe I have some healthy pride about my daughter, but that doesn't change the fact that Maggie is a genius.
Now...the term genius is used a lot in the world....so let me be clear about exactly what I mean. Maggie has been evaluated by multiple professionals...and her IQ has been placed in the 160 range. I say range because they said it could be higher, but some of her answers were completed after the alloted amount of time. Her answers were correct....but did not count. She also answered a bank of math questions correctly that she did not have the knowledge to complete. She instead found an alternate way to calculate her answers using skills she had mastered.According to her elementary school psycologist, if you put Maggie in a stadium with 50,000 other people, statistically there would be a good chance she would have the highest IQ.
Maggie is a genius.
This was not shocking to Jeni or myself.....she had demonstrated advanced vocabulary at 14 months, and was answering basic addition problems before her 2nd birthday. To this day....she can recall facts and memories from as far back as 18 months.
Maggie is a genius.
Most people think we hit the lottery....you have a gifted kid. And we did...kinda. But it's not always that easy...or clear cut. Don't get me wrong, Maggie is amazing, particularly with her communication skills. Most kids who are profoundly gifted have difficulty relating to their peers. Maggie could make friends with a rock. She truly values her friendships with her classmates...and loves people.
But.....it's not always easy. Maggie has an acute case of perfectionism. She believes that she has to always be correct. She has to be exceptional at everything. She is not allowed to fail, or have a learning curve, and make a mistake. She came home in tears in the beginning of school becuase she got one wrong on her spelling pre-test. Yes...I said pre-test. She had never seen a number of these words before, and one of them she missed the silent e. And it took two hours to talk her off the ledge. She got a 96 on one of her math tests...and was afraid she would be grounded.
I know this sounds like Jeni and I keep her in a cage and only let her out when she's perfect, but believe me, we've been working with her on this for 5 years. We've had some breakthroughs.....but it'll always be tough. I taught her how to play chess last week....but it took me months to get her to try, because she didn't want to be bad. And if I ever want to play with her again, I couldn't actually beat her. No....we'll mess around and I'll let her win until she gets good enough to be competitive and has enough confidence to win or lose on her own.
Jeni cannot help Maggie with her math homework. In 2nd grade. I thought we'd have more time....god I wanted more time. I had to walk her through a logic problem over the phone on my way to work this morning.
We cannot lie to Maggie....even one of those parent white lies. You know...some story you push through to get them to do something or not to do something. We aren't smart enough to correctly answer the barage of questions to certify our story. Conversely, she can't lie to us.....she tries. She can never, ever get away with...I forgot. Because she didn't forget....she never forgets. It's kinda like living with Jiminy Cricket sometimes.
Maggie has a temper....some of which can be blamed on her red hair (as a red head myself, I can confirm the myth that we have bad tempers), some of which is her artistic bent, but much of it on not understanding why other people don't see the world the same way. I always wondered how difficult it must be to have a different perspective than 99% of the other people in the world.
The worst thing is that it is so easy to forget that Mags is 7. You can fill in the blank with the age....becuase it's always been easy to forget Maggie was her age. We are guilty of this way too often. Why can't you remember your piano lessons? Why don't you put your dishes in the sink? Why didn't you feed the cats? Because your 7!
While we're guilty of this....it's far more painful for Mags when other people forget she's 7. She's been in two plays in her short life...and in both cases she has been cast in a large age appropriate role. I say age appropriate...but in reality people would normally cast an older kid who is short for their age. If you can use an 8 year old that passes for 5....double bonus. In both cases, the people who made the casting decisions got frustrated...Mags wasn't focusing the way they wanted. Can we help get her to focus?
No...not really. She's 5. Or later...she's 7. And an energetic, busy 5...or 7. And an energetic, busy 5....or 7, that never needed to pay attention to anything to learn it. I wish more than anything that I could get Maggie to focus, but if I can get 10 minutes of attention from her, I'm having an excellent day.
So...everybody's frustrated. Mags wants to be perfect, but doesn't have the emotional maturity to match her intellect, The director is wondering why this kid, who remembers everything, including all of the other charaters lines and blocking, can't do their part right. And us parent who want every experience to be wonderful, are sad that it's not always. In both cases things ended up going well....but not without some bumps in the road.
You know....research says that people with intellects slightly above average are more likely to be successful in their careers and make more money than people who are profoundly gifted. There is no guarentee that a profoundly gifted person will graduate high school or college, have a good fulfilling job, or be able to be happy with their lives.
All we have now is potential.....and right now a happy 7 year old. I'd be lying if I didn't feel like I've been given this amazing gift, but one that I could easily screw up. It's more than a little intimidating and scary. Do we let her skip a grade, should we send her to a special school, what are the right activities to keep her challenged?
Right now....I'm going with trying to keep her being a happy 7 year old. Until she's 8....
I understand that just by typing those words, I risk coming across as one of those douchy parents. You know the ones....my kid is great....yours sucks. Okay, maybe your kid doesn't suck, but certainly couldn't be a great as mine. Here are 500 pictures and 32 videos illustrating why my kid is awesome.....
Well....maybe I have some healthy pride about my daughter, but that doesn't change the fact that Maggie is a genius.
Now...the term genius is used a lot in the world....so let me be clear about exactly what I mean. Maggie has been evaluated by multiple professionals...and her IQ has been placed in the 160 range. I say range because they said it could be higher, but some of her answers were completed after the alloted amount of time. Her answers were correct....but did not count. She also answered a bank of math questions correctly that she did not have the knowledge to complete. She instead found an alternate way to calculate her answers using skills she had mastered.According to her elementary school psycologist, if you put Maggie in a stadium with 50,000 other people, statistically there would be a good chance she would have the highest IQ.
Maggie is a genius.
This was not shocking to Jeni or myself.....she had demonstrated advanced vocabulary at 14 months, and was answering basic addition problems before her 2nd birthday. To this day....she can recall facts and memories from as far back as 18 months.
Maggie is a genius.
Most people think we hit the lottery....you have a gifted kid. And we did...kinda. But it's not always that easy...or clear cut. Don't get me wrong, Maggie is amazing, particularly with her communication skills. Most kids who are profoundly gifted have difficulty relating to their peers. Maggie could make friends with a rock. She truly values her friendships with her classmates...and loves people.
But.....it's not always easy. Maggie has an acute case of perfectionism. She believes that she has to always be correct. She has to be exceptional at everything. She is not allowed to fail, or have a learning curve, and make a mistake. She came home in tears in the beginning of school becuase she got one wrong on her spelling pre-test. Yes...I said pre-test. She had never seen a number of these words before, and one of them she missed the silent e. And it took two hours to talk her off the ledge. She got a 96 on one of her math tests...and was afraid she would be grounded.
I know this sounds like Jeni and I keep her in a cage and only let her out when she's perfect, but believe me, we've been working with her on this for 5 years. We've had some breakthroughs.....but it'll always be tough. I taught her how to play chess last week....but it took me months to get her to try, because she didn't want to be bad. And if I ever want to play with her again, I couldn't actually beat her. No....we'll mess around and I'll let her win until she gets good enough to be competitive and has enough confidence to win or lose on her own.
Jeni cannot help Maggie with her math homework. In 2nd grade. I thought we'd have more time....god I wanted more time. I had to walk her through a logic problem over the phone on my way to work this morning.
We cannot lie to Maggie....even one of those parent white lies. You know...some story you push through to get them to do something or not to do something. We aren't smart enough to correctly answer the barage of questions to certify our story. Conversely, she can't lie to us.....she tries. She can never, ever get away with...I forgot. Because she didn't forget....she never forgets. It's kinda like living with Jiminy Cricket sometimes.
Maggie has a temper....some of which can be blamed on her red hair (as a red head myself, I can confirm the myth that we have bad tempers), some of which is her artistic bent, but much of it on not understanding why other people don't see the world the same way. I always wondered how difficult it must be to have a different perspective than 99% of the other people in the world.
The worst thing is that it is so easy to forget that Mags is 7. You can fill in the blank with the age....becuase it's always been easy to forget Maggie was her age. We are guilty of this way too often. Why can't you remember your piano lessons? Why don't you put your dishes in the sink? Why didn't you feed the cats? Because your 7!
While we're guilty of this....it's far more painful for Mags when other people forget she's 7. She's been in two plays in her short life...and in both cases she has been cast in a large age appropriate role. I say age appropriate...but in reality people would normally cast an older kid who is short for their age. If you can use an 8 year old that passes for 5....double bonus. In both cases, the people who made the casting decisions got frustrated...Mags wasn't focusing the way they wanted. Can we help get her to focus?
No...not really. She's 5. Or later...she's 7. And an energetic, busy 5...or 7. And an energetic, busy 5....or 7, that never needed to pay attention to anything to learn it. I wish more than anything that I could get Maggie to focus, but if I can get 10 minutes of attention from her, I'm having an excellent day.
So...everybody's frustrated. Mags wants to be perfect, but doesn't have the emotional maturity to match her intellect, The director is wondering why this kid, who remembers everything, including all of the other charaters lines and blocking, can't do their part right. And us parent who want every experience to be wonderful, are sad that it's not always. In both cases things ended up going well....but not without some bumps in the road.
You know....research says that people with intellects slightly above average are more likely to be successful in their careers and make more money than people who are profoundly gifted. There is no guarentee that a profoundly gifted person will graduate high school or college, have a good fulfilling job, or be able to be happy with their lives.
All we have now is potential.....and right now a happy 7 year old. I'd be lying if I didn't feel like I've been given this amazing gift, but one that I could easily screw up. It's more than a little intimidating and scary. Do we let her skip a grade, should we send her to a special school, what are the right activities to keep her challenged?
Right now....I'm going with trying to keep her being a happy 7 year old. Until she's 8....
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Bad Condiments
Last week after a horrid Thanksgiving Day meal at Krista's, I felt I needed a lunch to cheer me up. After careful consideration, I decided to break down and head to one of my favorite spots, Grumpy's.
If you haven't had the pleasure....Grumpy's has the best authentic BBQ in the Valley by far. We're talking about pig being slow cooked in a smoker for about 14 hours. Now...I'm a bit of a BBQ afficianado, and I've had the real thing. I've been to world renowned places in Kansas City, Memphis, Atlanta, Austin....and Grumpy's is pretty close.
So...I grab the family and head over to Grumpy's Roadhouse and order my favorite meal; big bowl of steak gumbo and a pulled pork sandwich with cole slaw and fries. My gumbo comes and it's amazing....I'm told a glazed look of complete satisfaction washed over my face while I ate it. Then the pulled pork came, mmmmm. I put a combination of hot and mild BBQ sauce on it, then I grabbed the ketchup for the fries.
This is where my story takes an odd but necessary turn. Now as you can tell, I'm pretty passionate about good food. And I'm impressed when a restaurant takes the time to offer authentic, quality items at reasonable prices. So imagine my dismay when I grab the ketchup, and it's some generic restaurant supply brand. Ugh!. I dabbed a little on my finger and sadly discovered it tastes like feet. So...my fries had to be eaten naked, dealable but I missed dipping them in a quality ketchup.
You see....98% of the world including me eats Heinz ketchup. It's just better than any other ketchup.....hands down, no arguements. Hunts is the next most popular brand, and it sucks. We could discuss the same thing with virtually every other condiment...French's Mustard, Kraft Mayonnaise, etc.
Now....I'll still go to Grumpy's even after discovering this terrible faux pas.....but now I have to watch what I order. You'd be surprised how many other wonderful local establishments have the same issue. Ringer's Roost serves this nasty nosebleed ketchup with a gold label. I cannot order a burger or fries there.....it must be chicken cheesesteak and chips...items that need no additional condiments. The Starters Restaurants do Hunts......just sad. Do you know the last time I went to Starters Riverport with friends I actually brought ketchup packets from McDonalds? Do I really have to do that......
Just stop.....all of you restaurant owners repeat after me. Condiments matter to my customers. I will not try to save a few pennies by serving ass condiments, and instead buy named brand products. Keep repeating it as you take all of the crap from your table....and replace it with Heinz ketchup and the like.
Thank you....
If you haven't had the pleasure....Grumpy's has the best authentic BBQ in the Valley by far. We're talking about pig being slow cooked in a smoker for about 14 hours. Now...I'm a bit of a BBQ afficianado, and I've had the real thing. I've been to world renowned places in Kansas City, Memphis, Atlanta, Austin....and Grumpy's is pretty close.
So...I grab the family and head over to Grumpy's Roadhouse and order my favorite meal; big bowl of steak gumbo and a pulled pork sandwich with cole slaw and fries. My gumbo comes and it's amazing....I'm told a glazed look of complete satisfaction washed over my face while I ate it. Then the pulled pork came, mmmmm. I put a combination of hot and mild BBQ sauce on it, then I grabbed the ketchup for the fries.
This is where my story takes an odd but necessary turn. Now as you can tell, I'm pretty passionate about good food. And I'm impressed when a restaurant takes the time to offer authentic, quality items at reasonable prices. So imagine my dismay when I grab the ketchup, and it's some generic restaurant supply brand. Ugh!. I dabbed a little on my finger and sadly discovered it tastes like feet. So...my fries had to be eaten naked, dealable but I missed dipping them in a quality ketchup.
You see....98% of the world including me eats Heinz ketchup. It's just better than any other ketchup.....hands down, no arguements. Hunts is the next most popular brand, and it sucks. We could discuss the same thing with virtually every other condiment...French's Mustard, Kraft Mayonnaise, etc.
Now....I'll still go to Grumpy's even after discovering this terrible faux pas.....but now I have to watch what I order. You'd be surprised how many other wonderful local establishments have the same issue. Ringer's Roost serves this nasty nosebleed ketchup with a gold label. I cannot order a burger or fries there.....it must be chicken cheesesteak and chips...items that need no additional condiments. The Starters Restaurants do Hunts......just sad. Do you know the last time I went to Starters Riverport with friends I actually brought ketchup packets from McDonalds? Do I really have to do that......
Just stop.....all of you restaurant owners repeat after me. Condiments matter to my customers. I will not try to save a few pennies by serving ass condiments, and instead buy named brand products. Keep repeating it as you take all of the crap from your table....and replace it with Heinz ketchup and the like.
Thank you....
Friday, November 27, 2009
I'm Fat.
I’m fat.
I am….please don’t argue with me and tell me that I’m….(fill in the euphemism for fat). I’m a pretty self aware guy, so it’s not like this fact is shocking to me.
I’m also not about to come up with interesting medical reasons that I’m fat like some other folks. My favorite is the slow metabolism excuse…..people grab onto that one like a lifeboat. Two facts about metabolism that are undisputable:
1). People have different metabolisms. I had a roommate once named Chris who was 5’9” and 125lbs. He used to drink 1,200 calorie shakes daily so he wouldn’t lose weight. He had a fast metabolism….and I hated him for it.
2). Your metabolism gets slower as you get older. That’s why you see 50 year old men who were skinny all of their life…that start developing a little belly, or 50 year old women who get some hips. IT’s inevitable for most people….unless you’re one of those people who won the lottery like Chris, or willing to spend more and more time in the gym, on the road...or sweating somewhere.
No…I was dealt with the hand that I can easily gain weight. That doesn’t mean that I have no recourse….and that I’m doomed to be fat, it means like millions of other people, my weight will be controlled if and only if I work to control it.
And for the last 18 months, I have done virtually nothing to control it.
I have two major issues…..
Firstly, I love to eat. I love fried food, red meat, cookies, crackers, cake, pie, muffins, cream sauce…..I could keep going. I love to eat lots of it. When I eat at McDonalds, I get a Big Mac, Large Fry….and still need an additional sandwich to avoid being hungry.
Secondly, I have forgotten how to exercise. Well….that’s not exactly true, I know how….but it’s usually been placed about 24th on my prioritized to do list…you know, the one I get to #5 each day.
About 5 years ago….I also had this problem….and one day, I walked into the gym and got to work. 10 months later, I had lost 60 lbs….and to tell you the truth, I really didn’t watch my diet that much. I was in the gym EVERY day…..for at least an hour. I took Yoga Classes, Kickboxing Classes, and my all time favorite, Spinning Classes. I was in shape…I felt good…..and I looked pretty good too.
So….I have decided it’s time to get back to work. I’m starting the drive for 75……..which means that I will be losing 75 lbs. in the next 12 months. It’ll take even more dedication than last time…..particularly in watching my diet. I'll be replacing Yocco's Hot Dogs with Broccoli....MMmmmm.
Stay tuned…..I’ll let you know how it’s going periodically…..
I am….please don’t argue with me and tell me that I’m….(fill in the euphemism for fat). I’m a pretty self aware guy, so it’s not like this fact is shocking to me.
I’m also not about to come up with interesting medical reasons that I’m fat like some other folks. My favorite is the slow metabolism excuse…..people grab onto that one like a lifeboat. Two facts about metabolism that are undisputable:
1). People have different metabolisms. I had a roommate once named Chris who was 5’9” and 125lbs. He used to drink 1,200 calorie shakes daily so he wouldn’t lose weight. He had a fast metabolism….and I hated him for it.
2). Your metabolism gets slower as you get older. That’s why you see 50 year old men who were skinny all of their life…that start developing a little belly, or 50 year old women who get some hips. IT’s inevitable for most people….unless you’re one of those people who won the lottery like Chris, or willing to spend more and more time in the gym, on the road...or sweating somewhere.
No…I was dealt with the hand that I can easily gain weight. That doesn’t mean that I have no recourse….and that I’m doomed to be fat, it means like millions of other people, my weight will be controlled if and only if I work to control it.
And for the last 18 months, I have done virtually nothing to control it.
I have two major issues…..
Firstly, I love to eat. I love fried food, red meat, cookies, crackers, cake, pie, muffins, cream sauce…..I could keep going. I love to eat lots of it. When I eat at McDonalds, I get a Big Mac, Large Fry….and still need an additional sandwich to avoid being hungry.
Secondly, I have forgotten how to exercise. Well….that’s not exactly true, I know how….but it’s usually been placed about 24th on my prioritized to do list…you know, the one I get to #5 each day.
About 5 years ago….I also had this problem….and one day, I walked into the gym and got to work. 10 months later, I had lost 60 lbs….and to tell you the truth, I really didn’t watch my diet that much. I was in the gym EVERY day…..for at least an hour. I took Yoga Classes, Kickboxing Classes, and my all time favorite, Spinning Classes. I was in shape…I felt good…..and I looked pretty good too.
So….I have decided it’s time to get back to work. I’m starting the drive for 75……..which means that I will be losing 75 lbs. in the next 12 months. It’ll take even more dedication than last time…..particularly in watching my diet. I'll be replacing Yocco's Hot Dogs with Broccoli....MMmmmm.
Stay tuned…..I’ll let you know how it’s going periodically…..
Sunday, November 22, 2009
BAM by Emeril
On Friday night I had the good fortune to receive an invite to preview Emeril's new restaurant concept at the Sands - Burgers and More by Emeril, or BAM for short. Actually, I had my choice of either going to BAM, or the Carnegie Deli which also opened...but since I'd been to CD in New York multiple times, I didn't really consider that one.
Unfortunately it seems that most people had the same reaction and went for BAM....our 8:15 reservation stretched to 8:45, and we were seated with a couple we had never met. To our good fortune Cheryl and Jeff were very nice people and we enjoyed their company.
So...this is a basic review of my experience and my recommendations.
BAM is in the Sands Casino at the opposite end of Emeril's Chop House. As I suspected, it's a nice place for what in reality is an upscale burger joint. Full bar available with top shelf drinks, and as always you can see the line from the restaurant. We were seated on the opposite side of the restaurant...so we couldn't watch the cooking, but when I checked them out while waiting for a seat...they looked busy, but well trained.
Let me start with....we got excellent service. This does not always happen when attending an opening as it's crazy busy, and everyone is ordering far more food than normal since it's all free. Our waitor only had a few tables and was very attentive and helpful. He definately earned his tip on Friday.
I started out with an Appitizer of Andouille Sausage, particularly since it's Emeril's place. Good sausage with a decent amount of heat, but not overpowering. Jeni had the chicken lollipops, which were tender with a nice tasty breading. Not sure why it came with Blue Cheese.....but that was good as well.
Burgers came next.....which was really why we're there. They had 6 burgers on the menu, but what most people dis was to go with the Build a Burger concept, where you get to pick the type of burger, type of roll, how it's cooked, toppings, side dish, etc. This is a great idea unless you're one of those people who have trouble making a decision. You literally have to answer nine questions to order your burger.....
They 4 burgers available were ground chuck, grass fed beef, short rib brisket burger, and a turkey burger. I went with the short rib since I wanted to get something a bit different that usual. This was extremely tasty and cooked perfectly. I went with cheddar cheese and my own littany of toppings. The burger was great...with the exception of the marinated grilled onion, which were too numerous and the taste overpowered the rest of the burger. Once I stripped most of the off.....it was perfect.
Jeni got apple bacon on her burger.....and let me tell you this was the most flavorful bacon I've enjoyed. In fact...they have an array of meats you can top your burger with including pastrami, andouille sausage, and pancetta. As a meat freak, this is exciting to me. Her burger was also perfectly cooked and excellent.
They were out of onion rings....so we both got BAM fries. If you like your fries crunchy...they were good.....if you go in for fries you can fold in half, you'd find them overdone. They obviously spent far more time on the burgers that the sides...although I did like the fact they were served in a mini frier basket.
For dessert, I had a scoop of the apple pie a'la mode ice cream, which tasted just like it's name. I was told the ice cream is from a local creamery...and always will be, which was cool. Jeni has a strawberry shake....which was decent, but nothing special. If you want a better shake, go over to The Cup.
So....we've established I enjoyed the restaurant, and for those who know me and my love of burgers, that shouldn't be shocking. I love burgers....I mean I love them, so getting a well cooked burger with fresh quality toppings was a good thing.
But.....
I now have to talk about convenience and value. We got our meals free.....but I did take a look at the prices, so I'd be remiss if I didn't comment on them.
This is the first BAM restaurant from Emeril....in fact, his first departure from fine dining. While diners (including myself) will pay $50 for a meal you can't make yourself, I'm not sure how the $14 burger will play in the Lehigh Valley. Appetizers and salads are priced from $5 - $9, and my unsweetened iced tea was $3. Good thing it's an unlimited refill situation and I had 7 iced teas. My ice cream was good....but my single scoop was $6. No toppings....just a small scoop. After having an app and large burger I didn't need more food....but I'd have trouble pulling the trigger on that in any event. I calculated that Jeni and I would have had a bill around $50 for our meal before tip....which is what we usually pay for a much nicer meal. Add in the fact that getting in and out of the Casino is not always the easiest thing, and I feel Emeril's will be almost totally dependant on people already there who have doing well in their gambling exploits.
When really taking a look at this....Red Robin keeps popping into my head. Red Robin has the best burgers by far from any of those Friday's, Tuesdays, etc chains....that's where I go when I'm jonesing for my well cooked ground chuck experience. I just don't know why I'd drop $14 when I can get a great burger for $8. Color me cheap....but that's just me.
So...check it out and splurge, but I don't think most people will put this on their weekly or bi-weekly agenda.
Unfortunately it seems that most people had the same reaction and went for BAM....our 8:15 reservation stretched to 8:45, and we were seated with a couple we had never met. To our good fortune Cheryl and Jeff were very nice people and we enjoyed their company.
So...this is a basic review of my experience and my recommendations.
BAM is in the Sands Casino at the opposite end of Emeril's Chop House. As I suspected, it's a nice place for what in reality is an upscale burger joint. Full bar available with top shelf drinks, and as always you can see the line from the restaurant. We were seated on the opposite side of the restaurant...so we couldn't watch the cooking, but when I checked them out while waiting for a seat...they looked busy, but well trained.
Let me start with....we got excellent service. This does not always happen when attending an opening as it's crazy busy, and everyone is ordering far more food than normal since it's all free. Our waitor only had a few tables and was very attentive and helpful. He definately earned his tip on Friday.
I started out with an Appitizer of Andouille Sausage, particularly since it's Emeril's place. Good sausage with a decent amount of heat, but not overpowering. Jeni had the chicken lollipops, which were tender with a nice tasty breading. Not sure why it came with Blue Cheese.....but that was good as well.
Burgers came next.....which was really why we're there. They had 6 burgers on the menu, but what most people dis was to go with the Build a Burger concept, where you get to pick the type of burger, type of roll, how it's cooked, toppings, side dish, etc. This is a great idea unless you're one of those people who have trouble making a decision. You literally have to answer nine questions to order your burger.....
They 4 burgers available were ground chuck, grass fed beef, short rib brisket burger, and a turkey burger. I went with the short rib since I wanted to get something a bit different that usual. This was extremely tasty and cooked perfectly. I went with cheddar cheese and my own littany of toppings. The burger was great...with the exception of the marinated grilled onion, which were too numerous and the taste overpowered the rest of the burger. Once I stripped most of the off.....it was perfect.
Jeni got apple bacon on her burger.....and let me tell you this was the most flavorful bacon I've enjoyed. In fact...they have an array of meats you can top your burger with including pastrami, andouille sausage, and pancetta. As a meat freak, this is exciting to me. Her burger was also perfectly cooked and excellent.
They were out of onion rings....so we both got BAM fries. If you like your fries crunchy...they were good.....if you go in for fries you can fold in half, you'd find them overdone. They obviously spent far more time on the burgers that the sides...although I did like the fact they were served in a mini frier basket.
For dessert, I had a scoop of the apple pie a'la mode ice cream, which tasted just like it's name. I was told the ice cream is from a local creamery...and always will be, which was cool. Jeni has a strawberry shake....which was decent, but nothing special. If you want a better shake, go over to The Cup.
So....we've established I enjoyed the restaurant, and for those who know me and my love of burgers, that shouldn't be shocking. I love burgers....I mean I love them, so getting a well cooked burger with fresh quality toppings was a good thing.
But.....
I now have to talk about convenience and value. We got our meals free.....but I did take a look at the prices, so I'd be remiss if I didn't comment on them.
This is the first BAM restaurant from Emeril....in fact, his first departure from fine dining. While diners (including myself) will pay $50 for a meal you can't make yourself, I'm not sure how the $14 burger will play in the Lehigh Valley. Appetizers and salads are priced from $5 - $9, and my unsweetened iced tea was $3. Good thing it's an unlimited refill situation and I had 7 iced teas. My ice cream was good....but my single scoop was $6. No toppings....just a small scoop. After having an app and large burger I didn't need more food....but I'd have trouble pulling the trigger on that in any event. I calculated that Jeni and I would have had a bill around $50 for our meal before tip....which is what we usually pay for a much nicer meal. Add in the fact that getting in and out of the Casino is not always the easiest thing, and I feel Emeril's will be almost totally dependant on people already there who have doing well in their gambling exploits.
When really taking a look at this....Red Robin keeps popping into my head. Red Robin has the best burgers by far from any of those Friday's, Tuesdays, etc chains....that's where I go when I'm jonesing for my well cooked ground chuck experience. I just don't know why I'd drop $14 when I can get a great burger for $8. Color me cheap....but that's just me.
So...check it out and splurge, but I don't think most people will put this on their weekly or bi-weekly agenda.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Top 10 Apollo Astronauts
I love Top 10 lists. I don’t know why, but I’ve always loved ranking things from best to worst…..songs, movies, etc. It allows me to have order in my world, even just for a couple of minutes.
So….why make a top 10 list for such a weird topic? I am obsessed with the Space program from 1958 – 1975. I’ve read at least 50 books, including all of the autobiographies of the astronauts and flight directors. I’ve actually been putting this together for years…..it’s something I work on in my head when I can’t sleep or I have a long car ride. This seemed to be as good a place as any to finally publish my work.
And…more than any other time….this blog entry will probably be something that only interests me. But, that’s okay.
Oh…before I get started, let me put down the ground rules. The Apollo flights had 3 man crews, and there were 11 flights, so that means 33 people had seats in the command module. Four astronauts went on two missions, so we’re down to 29. I decided that to be in the top 10, you had to have flown in space at least twice….so that pares that number down to 15. Fifteen astronauts who flew in the Apollo program flew at least one other time (mostly in the Gemini program that proceeded Apollo). Here is the top 10 based on my perception of their achievements.
10). Wally Schirra – I had to include the only man to fly in Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo. Wally did a phenomenal job in Mercury and was the first astronaut to fly a true rendezvous when Gemini 6 came within 12 inches of Gemini 7. His 11 day mission shaking out the Apollo Command Module set the stage for the Apollo 8’s lunar voyage….but he alienated a bunch of people at NASA by announcing his retirement 3 weeks before the mission, then being difficult and insubordinate to mission control.
9). Michael Collins – The most amiable of the three Apollo 11 astronauts, he was often referred to as the forgotten one as he was the person who was not going to walk on the moon. Most people don’t know he did a lot for learning how to walk in space with his two walks on Gemini 10. The son and nephew of Army Generals, Mike was always a family man. He was offered the job of backup Commander of Apollo 14, which would have given him the opportunity to walk on the moon as Commander of Apollo 17, but he turned it down to spend more time with his wife and kids. He was the first Director of the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum.
8). John Young – First man to go to space 6 times. He rode with Gus Grissom in the inaugural voyage of Gemini, and caught hell for bringing a pastrami sandwich on board. He served as the Commander of Gemini 10 with Michael Collins, and was the Command Module Pilot for the moon landing rehearsal flight on Apollo 10. He finally got to walk on the moon on Apollo 16 at the Descartes Highlands. Later John was the Commander for the first Space Shuttle space flight and the first Spacelab flight on the shuttle.
7). Alan Sheppard – Would probably have been the first man on the moon if he didn’t have an inner ear problem that grounded him from 1962 – 1970. First American in space was in charge of the Astronaut office until he got back on flight status after a revolutionary surgery. He ruffled a lot of feathers bwhen he was immediately being assigned to command Apollo 13, jumping over everyone including a very angry Gordon Cooper, another of the original 7. Nasa headquarters determined he needed more training time and made his crew switch with Jim Lovells……leaving Jim on unlucky 13, and leaving 14 for Alan. Hit the most famous golf shot in history on the moon.
6). Tom Stafford – Rode shotgun with Wally Schirra during the first rendezvous on Gemini 6, then immediately got into the command seat on Gemini 9 when Elliot See crashed his T-38 weeks before his mission, and Tom was his backup. He developed a reputation for being snakebit as his first two flights (Gemini 6 and 9) both were postponed while he was in the capsule and ready to go. He was the first astronaut to fly the lunar module in lunar orbit. Was the final commander in the Apollo program when he flew the Apollo Soyuz Test Mission in 1975.
5). Neil Armstrong – Most people would think this was way too low a ranking for the most famous astronaut of all time. Neil became the first and only Commander to have the least amount of space experience during Apollo 11 as Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin both flew Gemini missions. Neil almost single handedly saved the space program during Gemini 8 when a malfunctioning thruster put his capsule in a violent roll. His calm and quick thinking saved disaster by using the reentry ring to stabilize the ship. While most people gave Apollo 11 a 50% chance for success, he was able to land on the moon and complete his mission despite having computer problems during powered descent, and coming within 20 seconds of aborting due to low fuel.
4). Alan Bean – He almost didn’t fly Apollo and was the last man of the 14 astronauts that made up the third class to be assigned a flight. It took the death of CC Williams in another plane crash to allow Pete Conrad to bring Al to the moon on Apollo 12. He was the only Lunar Module Pilot to actually fly the LEM as Pete gave him the controls on the backside of the moon. He was the Commander of Skylab 3, and he completed an amazing array of medical and scientific experiments in the two months his crew was there.
3). Jim Lovell – Jim is most famous for being the Commander on the Successful failure mission…Apollo 13. He kept his crew alive and performed tasks and flight adjustments as needed to get them home. It was an amazing display of cool in the face of danger and how important the training was for astronauts on everything that could possibly go wrong. Jim was also the pilot on Gemini 7, the longest space mission until Skylab 2, six years later. He Commanded Gemini 12 withg Buzz Aldrin, which was the flight that demonstrated techniques and equipment to easily walk in space. He also served as Command Module Pilot during Apollo 8, replacing Mike Collins who needed back surgery. Most people are not aware that Jim completed his NASA career managing the geology back room for later Apollo missions.
2) Dave Scott – Dave gets this high a ranking simply because he Commanded the most successful geological mission in the entire Apollo program. After being the pilot of Gemini 8 with Neil Armstrong, which was aborted after 10 hours, and Apollo 9, which he was the Command Module Pilot during the test flight of the LEM, he started getting ready for his moon mission as Backup Commanded of Apollo 12, then Commander of Apollo 15. Dave made himself into a talented Geologic observer, and became dedicated to ensuring his mission would focus on science. He was the first person to drive the Lunar Rover, and personally discovered the most important rock brought back from the moon, The Genesis Rock that is believed to be a piece of the moon’s primordial crust.
1). Pete Conrad – Pete is the only astronaut to have flown in Gemini, Apollo, and Skylab. He was the pilot on Gemini 5, NASA’s first attempt at a long duration flight lasting 8 days. It was also the first flight that used a fuel cell instead of batteries. He commanded Gemini 11 was a successful mission that included multiple docking and space walks, and took their capsule and the Agenda docking vehicle into high earth orbit. He was assigned to be the backup Commander of Apollo 8, which would have made him the Commander for Apollo 11 and in line to be the first man on the moon. Because of deadline issues getting the Lunar Module ready to fly, the Apollo 8 mission was rewritten to being a circumlunar flight without the LEM. The crews of Apollo 8 and 9 were switched so the expertise of flying the LEM wasn’t lost for its maiden voyage, now assigned to 9. Still…..most people were betting that the first landing wouldn’t occur until 12, but everything went perfectly for the prior missions leaving Neil and not Pete as the first moonwalker. Pete Conrad was the third person to walk on the moon on Apollo 12, landing his LEM less than 300 yards away from his target. Amazingly. He was able to complete the mission after his vehicle was struck by lightning twice during their launch. Pete was then assigned to be the Commander of the first Skylab mission. During launch, Skylab suffered severe damage including loss of its micrometeoroid screen and one of its main solar panels. Pete and his crew completely reconfigured their mission, and performed extensive repairs making the space station inhabitable for his crew and the two following missions. The work of his crew during multiple space walks set the stage for work done during space shuttle mission, including repairs of the ISS and the Hubble Telescope.
Well that’s my top 10……did anyone actually make it this far in my musings?
So….why make a top 10 list for such a weird topic? I am obsessed with the Space program from 1958 – 1975. I’ve read at least 50 books, including all of the autobiographies of the astronauts and flight directors. I’ve actually been putting this together for years…..it’s something I work on in my head when I can’t sleep or I have a long car ride. This seemed to be as good a place as any to finally publish my work.
And…more than any other time….this blog entry will probably be something that only interests me. But, that’s okay.
Oh…before I get started, let me put down the ground rules. The Apollo flights had 3 man crews, and there were 11 flights, so that means 33 people had seats in the command module. Four astronauts went on two missions, so we’re down to 29. I decided that to be in the top 10, you had to have flown in space at least twice….so that pares that number down to 15. Fifteen astronauts who flew in the Apollo program flew at least one other time (mostly in the Gemini program that proceeded Apollo). Here is the top 10 based on my perception of their achievements.
10). Wally Schirra – I had to include the only man to fly in Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo. Wally did a phenomenal job in Mercury and was the first astronaut to fly a true rendezvous when Gemini 6 came within 12 inches of Gemini 7. His 11 day mission shaking out the Apollo Command Module set the stage for the Apollo 8’s lunar voyage….but he alienated a bunch of people at NASA by announcing his retirement 3 weeks before the mission, then being difficult and insubordinate to mission control.
9). Michael Collins – The most amiable of the three Apollo 11 astronauts, he was often referred to as the forgotten one as he was the person who was not going to walk on the moon. Most people don’t know he did a lot for learning how to walk in space with his two walks on Gemini 10. The son and nephew of Army Generals, Mike was always a family man. He was offered the job of backup Commander of Apollo 14, which would have given him the opportunity to walk on the moon as Commander of Apollo 17, but he turned it down to spend more time with his wife and kids. He was the first Director of the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum.
8). John Young – First man to go to space 6 times. He rode with Gus Grissom in the inaugural voyage of Gemini, and caught hell for bringing a pastrami sandwich on board. He served as the Commander of Gemini 10 with Michael Collins, and was the Command Module Pilot for the moon landing rehearsal flight on Apollo 10. He finally got to walk on the moon on Apollo 16 at the Descartes Highlands. Later John was the Commander for the first Space Shuttle space flight and the first Spacelab flight on the shuttle.
7). Alan Sheppard – Would probably have been the first man on the moon if he didn’t have an inner ear problem that grounded him from 1962 – 1970. First American in space was in charge of the Astronaut office until he got back on flight status after a revolutionary surgery. He ruffled a lot of feathers bwhen he was immediately being assigned to command Apollo 13, jumping over everyone including a very angry Gordon Cooper, another of the original 7. Nasa headquarters determined he needed more training time and made his crew switch with Jim Lovells……leaving Jim on unlucky 13, and leaving 14 for Alan. Hit the most famous golf shot in history on the moon.
6). Tom Stafford – Rode shotgun with Wally Schirra during the first rendezvous on Gemini 6, then immediately got into the command seat on Gemini 9 when Elliot See crashed his T-38 weeks before his mission, and Tom was his backup. He developed a reputation for being snakebit as his first two flights (Gemini 6 and 9) both were postponed while he was in the capsule and ready to go. He was the first astronaut to fly the lunar module in lunar orbit. Was the final commander in the Apollo program when he flew the Apollo Soyuz Test Mission in 1975.
5). Neil Armstrong – Most people would think this was way too low a ranking for the most famous astronaut of all time. Neil became the first and only Commander to have the least amount of space experience during Apollo 11 as Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin both flew Gemini missions. Neil almost single handedly saved the space program during Gemini 8 when a malfunctioning thruster put his capsule in a violent roll. His calm and quick thinking saved disaster by using the reentry ring to stabilize the ship. While most people gave Apollo 11 a 50% chance for success, he was able to land on the moon and complete his mission despite having computer problems during powered descent, and coming within 20 seconds of aborting due to low fuel.
4). Alan Bean – He almost didn’t fly Apollo and was the last man of the 14 astronauts that made up the third class to be assigned a flight. It took the death of CC Williams in another plane crash to allow Pete Conrad to bring Al to the moon on Apollo 12. He was the only Lunar Module Pilot to actually fly the LEM as Pete gave him the controls on the backside of the moon. He was the Commander of Skylab 3, and he completed an amazing array of medical and scientific experiments in the two months his crew was there.
3). Jim Lovell – Jim is most famous for being the Commander on the Successful failure mission…Apollo 13. He kept his crew alive and performed tasks and flight adjustments as needed to get them home. It was an amazing display of cool in the face of danger and how important the training was for astronauts on everything that could possibly go wrong. Jim was also the pilot on Gemini 7, the longest space mission until Skylab 2, six years later. He Commanded Gemini 12 withg Buzz Aldrin, which was the flight that demonstrated techniques and equipment to easily walk in space. He also served as Command Module Pilot during Apollo 8, replacing Mike Collins who needed back surgery. Most people are not aware that Jim completed his NASA career managing the geology back room for later Apollo missions.
2) Dave Scott – Dave gets this high a ranking simply because he Commanded the most successful geological mission in the entire Apollo program. After being the pilot of Gemini 8 with Neil Armstrong, which was aborted after 10 hours, and Apollo 9, which he was the Command Module Pilot during the test flight of the LEM, he started getting ready for his moon mission as Backup Commanded of Apollo 12, then Commander of Apollo 15. Dave made himself into a talented Geologic observer, and became dedicated to ensuring his mission would focus on science. He was the first person to drive the Lunar Rover, and personally discovered the most important rock brought back from the moon, The Genesis Rock that is believed to be a piece of the moon’s primordial crust.
1). Pete Conrad – Pete is the only astronaut to have flown in Gemini, Apollo, and Skylab. He was the pilot on Gemini 5, NASA’s first attempt at a long duration flight lasting 8 days. It was also the first flight that used a fuel cell instead of batteries. He commanded Gemini 11 was a successful mission that included multiple docking and space walks, and took their capsule and the Agenda docking vehicle into high earth orbit. He was assigned to be the backup Commander of Apollo 8, which would have made him the Commander for Apollo 11 and in line to be the first man on the moon. Because of deadline issues getting the Lunar Module ready to fly, the Apollo 8 mission was rewritten to being a circumlunar flight without the LEM. The crews of Apollo 8 and 9 were switched so the expertise of flying the LEM wasn’t lost for its maiden voyage, now assigned to 9. Still…..most people were betting that the first landing wouldn’t occur until 12, but everything went perfectly for the prior missions leaving Neil and not Pete as the first moonwalker. Pete Conrad was the third person to walk on the moon on Apollo 12, landing his LEM less than 300 yards away from his target. Amazingly. He was able to complete the mission after his vehicle was struck by lightning twice during their launch. Pete was then assigned to be the Commander of the first Skylab mission. During launch, Skylab suffered severe damage including loss of its micrometeoroid screen and one of its main solar panels. Pete and his crew completely reconfigured their mission, and performed extensive repairs making the space station inhabitable for his crew and the two following missions. The work of his crew during multiple space walks set the stage for work done during space shuttle mission, including repairs of the ISS and the Hubble Telescope.
Well that’s my top 10……did anyone actually make it this far in my musings?
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