Random Thursday

Posted on April 19, 2012 by reggietales

*Last night following the Twins win over the Yankees, Fox Sports North announcer Anthony Lapanta said the game “had a late season feel to it.”  Hey, I might be the biggest Twins fan in the world, but that has to be one of the most preposterous statements of 2012.  I really hope The Common Man was listening.

*Good luck to Red Sox Daughter, Blonde Daughter and the entire Grand Forks Central Girls Tennis team as they head to West Fargo today to take on the Packers in an East Region showdown.

*It’s been 15 years since the Flood of ’97.  It’s strange, but I can remember certain aspects of it like it was yesterday.

*Reggie Tales shout out to Gary in Wannaska.

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Stuff

Posted on April 18, 2012 by reggietales

We’ve been pretty busy here at the Home Office.  And, as usually is the case, when we take well deserved time off we really have to scramble when we get back to the “real world.”    It’s been the perfect storm of my other job colliding with my duties at The Tales.  And since my other job pays much better than what the people at The Tales pay, well, I think you get the picture.

But this, too, shall pass.  I’ve got some really good blog ideas in the near future.  And to think I’ve barely said a word about the Minnesota Twins.  Standby.

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Random Thursday

Posted on April 12, 2012 by reggietales

*Good to see the Twins won’t go winless this year.

*I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again:  There is nothing better than the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

*Reggie Tales shout out to Bro#3′s significant other.  She spearheaded an Easter Buffet that might have been a Top 3 all-time holiday meal.

*I recently watched Jurassic Park.  For the first time.  I was underwhelmed.

*I think the Generals are due against the Globetrotters on Saturday night.

 

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A Video Worth Watching

Posted on April 11, 2012 by reggietales

I realize that you are bombarded on a daily basis with “friends” sending you videos that have been forwarded 37 times.  I don’t think I’ve ever led you astray when it comes to introducing you to cool videos worthy of your time.  Who can forget classics such as the two year old Indonesian boy smoking cigarettes?  Or the dog playing the piano?  Or my favorite, the eyewitness to the car crash in Arizona?  I think my track record speaks for itself.

So sometime during your two hour lunch today, I ask that you set aside 10 minutes to watch this very well done video.

You’re welcome.

Special thanks to Bro#1.

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Random Thursday on a Monday: L.A. Edition

Posted on April 9, 2012 by reggietales

Manhattan Beach

*I vacation with so much intensity that when I get home I need a vacation from my vacation.  Or maybe it just feels like that when you go somewhere like Southern California where the sun is seemingly 800 feet above the earth’s surface.

Crenshaw Boulevard

*If you drive up and down the Pacific Coast Highway you can see a lot of “interesting” things.  Especially in the areas of Long Beach and Compton.  Summer Sidekick and I were on our best behavior while on our driving tour.

*If you ever get the opportunity to make the trip, visit Hermosa Beach, Long Beach, Newport Beach and of course, Manhattan Beach.  So, basically all the beaches is what I’m trying to say here.

Public Yoga in Long Beach.

One of the more interesting sights were the 200 or so people doing yoga Monday morning in Long Beach alongside the ocean.  Apparently it’s a daily activity and all you have to do is show up and be friendly.  SSK and I briefly (5 seconds) thought about joining them but we were in a hurry to beat the noon rush at the In-N-Out Burger.  Mission accomplished!

*I realize that going to an In-N-Out Burger in California is kind of a touristy thing to do, but it should be mandatory and I think we fit in quite well.  And the burgers (I had a double-double, animal style) and the fries are worth the trip alone.  I also had a chocolate shake which I found to be quite pedestrian and lackluster.

Los Angeles Kings at the Staples Center.

Dodger Stadium

*We took in some sporting events during our well-deserved time off.  The Los Angeles Kings are professional ice hockey team and we watched as they squared off against the Oilers of Edmonton.  The Kings won and I met Tom Arnold.  In the business we call that a win-win.

*Dodger Stadium turns 50 years old this season.  It doesn’t look a day over 40.  If you go I suggest you leave early.  Traffic is nuts.  Six lanes of bumper to bumper insanity.  At7:00 at night.  Where are these people going?  I also suggest you sit in the second row of Dodger Stadium with a box full of meat like we did.

*Special Reggie Tales shout out to Hawke and Alyssa.  Hospitality and laughs at its finest.

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Chay to Make NHL Debut Tonight For Wild

Posted on April 7, 2012 by reggietales

Chay Genoway

Former UND Fighting Sioux standout Chay Genoway will make his National Hockey League debut tonight in St. Paul with the Minnesota Wild.  The Wild take on the Phoenix Coyotes in the last game of the regular season.

Chay will be the 47th player used by the Wild this year and appropriately enough will wear #47 tonight on the ice.  He is the leading scorer amongst defensemen for the Houston Aeros, the Wild’s American Hockey League affiliate.  He has 7 goals and 32 points on the season.

Here’s to one of the all time greats to play for the Fighting Sioux.  A good guy on and off the ice.  Two years ago a concussion called into question if and when he might ever play again.  And while I realize that one NHL game does not a career make, it is a great accomplishment for one of the good people.

Good luck, Chay.

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Well Deserved Time Off

Posted on March 30, 2012 by reggietales

I’m going to be away from the Home Office of The Tales for a week as I do some traveling.  Red Sox Daughter and I are taking a quick trip to the Minneapolis and St. Paul regions of Minnesota for some hockey and shopping.  And then Summer Sidekick and I are heading to sunny California to visit a friend and for some hockey and shopping.

If everyone remains calm on the Internet, I promise to take pictures and blog about everything we do carefully selected portions of it

So while I’m gone, please go back into the archives and visit some of the Best of Reggie Tales if you start suffering withdrawals.

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Random Thursday

Posted on March 29, 2012 by reggietales

*I’m considering starting a Twitter account.  If I do, it will be the largest collection of irrelevant observations ever assembled.

*While in D.C., we witnessed who we believed to be a homeless woman punch a complete stranger in the back of the head while standing on a street corner in the middle of the day.  Unprovoked.  I was so shocked that I didn’t know what to do.  The crazy woman walked away shouting obscenities while the victim’s husband tried to detain her.  He finally gave up.  It was so bizarre that it left Jimmy From Accounting speechless, which is difficult to do.

*Speaking of JFA, doesn’t it seem strange to anyone that he took time off during his “busy” season?

*I’m actually surprised at how good Kevin Love of the Timberwolves has turned out.  If they could get another player to complement him they could make the playoffs next year and for years to come.

*I’ve decided that the Twins don’t have nearly enough pitching to compete.  I foresee them losing a bunch of games 9-5.

*Reggie Tales shout out to Claire in North Carolina.  I hope you had an awesome birthday!

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More DC Stuff

Posted on March 28, 2012 by reggietales

The Minnesota Wild and the Washington Capitals.

We took in a nice NHL game on Sunday afternoon.  We had some pretty good seats to see the Minnesota Wild tangle with the Washington Capitals.  The Capitals have a talented team.  The Wild do not.  I was very surprised by the fan support shown to the Capitals.  Almost every single person in attendance wore a red Caps jersey and of those 75% were of the Alex Ovechkin #8 variety.  The Capitals home is the Verizon Center, which is also home to the NBA’s Washington Bullets Wizzards and the Georgetown Hoyas basketball team.  If you’re into people watching, stand outside the Verizon Center for fifteen minutes.  I think I can safely say that “I’ve seen it all” now.

 

Hill Country BBQ Market

Full disclosure:  I do not have the vocabulary to do the Hill Country BBQ Market justice.  Suffice it to say that it was the best smoked meats I’ve ever eaten.  Ever.  Anywhere.  We stumbled upon this place while searching for a place to watch the UND and Western Michigan hockey game on Saturday afternoon.  Turns out that the game was blocked out across the country except for Minnesota and North Dakota.  Anyway, our discovery of this Meat Mecca made up for it.  As I write this, I have tears in my eyes thinking about the moistest brisket in the world.  And beef ribs that were every bit as good.  Five grown men ate without saying a word…unless you count grunting and moaning as talking.  Hill Country BBQ is located in the heart of D.C. about three blocks from the hockey arena.  I will never make another trip to Washington without going there.

 

 

Elevation Burger, left; Dogma Dog Bakery, right.

It took us 24 hours to eat again, and when we did we went to a place called “Elevation Burger” in Arlington, Virginia.  Even though the place was plastered with signs saying “Organic This” and “Organic That,” it ended up being awesome.  It was located next door to “Dogma Dog Bakery.”  And no, I didn’t get anything for CJ.  I only brought a carry on, and I already had it stuffed full of brisket and ribs.

 

Jefferson Memorial

After the amount of food we ate, it was a good thing we walked 37 miles.  I include this photo of the Jefferson Memorial because it’s my personal favorite.

I took a bunch of other photos but I’m unable to post them due to the meat coma I’m slipping into.

If you do go to Washington D.C., it’s best if you have a really good friend that you went to high school with and has lived out there for 20 years.  It also helps if he has the patience of Job.  And a nice place to stay in Arlington with good coffee.  If you have all that, then I suggest you go.  And do it with friends.

Thanks, Kevin.

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DC Randomness

Posted on March 27, 2012 by reggietales

Washington Monument

I won’t bore everyone with all the details of our just completed trip to Washington D.C., but rather, I will hit a few of the high points.  The above photo I took just before we landed at Reagan National Airport.  It seemed like we were very close to the Washington Monument.

 

The White House

Sunday morning we went down to the White House so that we could take the obligatory photo at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.  Keen observers will notice that I reached through the fence to take this picture.  On this particular morning it was relatively quiet at the President’s house.  That is to say there were probably about 200 people milling around doing various strange things.  I dare say we were the most “normal” people there.  The White House is a magnet for people wanting to make a statement.  Our statement was, “Let’s hurry up and get out of here.”

 

Ben's Chili Bowl

For those of you worried that we spent all of our time sightseeing and looking at historical documents and playing board games, we did manage to squeeze in a few meals.  One of the best was a late night stop at this popular D.C. joint, “Ben’s Chili Bowl,” as seen on The Travel Channel’s “Man Vs. Food.”  The place was packed and the line spilled out the door, but it moved quite briskly.  I had a Chili Half Smoke, which translates to a ginormous chili cheese dog.  These things are not for the weak of heart…or stomach.  I’d love for Marilyn to stop there some night around midnight.  It was really good, especially if you’re into chili and cheese and sausages with spicy mustard late at night.  The place was absolute chaos inside and out.  When we were exiting, we watched as police “subdued” a man on the sidewalk.  And somehow it seemed quite normal.

I will write some more about our D.C. trip tomorrow.  Stay tuned.

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