Random Scandal Sheet for Sunday 2/7/16

What Phoenix is talking about this week:

... the same thing they talk about every week, apparently -- which is, the answer to the question of where to find the best tacos.

Of course, it might have just seemed that way because A) it was my first time setting foot in the southwest of our great country and B) it was the weekend of the super bowl, so quick and easy and delicious food was on folks' minds ... but regardless, it was the topic that seemed to be on everyone's tongues.

Which made it all the more special to stumble on Taco Guild, a gastropub in an old church that takes your breath away when you walk in (my picture I posted on the Facebook didn't quite do justice to the grandeur of the main taco hall/bar setting, so hopefully this google image will convey it better) ... and then again when you bite into any of their gourmet old-school OR new-school tacos.

I won't recite the menu in this post (after all, it's not Thursday, and this is far from Florida and my weekly 50 Tastes series), but, as way of endorsement -- I can say that you should stop whatever you're doing right now, book a flight to Phoenix, and get thee to the Taco Guild-ery post haste.  I have a feeling that Jesus himself would approve!

YES PLEASE, MAY I HAVE ANOTHER:
http://tacoguild.com/

AN ALTERNATIVE TAKE THAT SOMEHOW MISSED THIS SPOT (!?!):
http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/restaurants/10-best-tacos-in-metro-phoenix-6549823

OR, IF YOU'RE INDUSTRIOUS, MAKE YOUR OWN SOUTHWEST STYLE:
http://www.yummly.com/recipes/southwest-taco

Random Soapbox for Saturday 2/6/16

I don't mean to go off on a rant here, but ...

... I finally saw the very *first* full length Peanuts feature that came out before I was born, and it was a little ... let's say "surprising" to say the least.

For instance, I know that this was during the acid-dropping days of yore, but the animation got a little trippy more than once.  And, speaking of drugs, there's a whole story arc that has Linus going through a horrific detox (admittedly, because he had given up his blanket, but he's only seconds away from needing Dr. Drew to intervene more than once).

Worst of all is the meanest Peanuts song ever ... a little ditty called 'Failure Face' that doesn't have any redeeming quality at all and is a far cry from the uplifting messages prevalent in the holiday specials.  And, speaking of songs, Schroeder plays something classical that I was certain was a Billy Joel song, so much so that I had to go to the interwebs to research to discover that, indeed, Billy sampled Beethoven's Sonata No. 8 Pathetique - 2nd Movement in his 'This Night' song and *that* was what Schroeder was playing (the Beethoven, not the Billy).

[Of course, it may also be true that I was traumatized whilst watching in that the story line focused on a spelling bee, and I was personally booted out of our junior high editions on the words 'vault' and 'piano' each year back then -- stories for another day (that may have already been told).]

Regardless, I was so turned off by the experience that I declined to watch the '72 sequel (the same year as my birth), called 'Snoopy, Come Home', which, according to the wiki, looks to be some tale of a custody battle for the poor dog.  Here's hoping the latest full length movie was a touch more uplifting and that the characters weren't accosted by terrorists or some other modern day plotline.

THE AFOREMENTIONED MOVIE CAN BE FOUND ON THE YOUTUBE:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8aGqMNtkiM

MEANEST.  SONG.  EVER.:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cz6_9ReEGuY

I *KNEW* IT ONCE I HEARD IT:
http://www.whosampled.com/sample/76975/Billy-Joel-This-Night-Ludwig-Van-Beethoven-Sonata-No.-8-Pathetique-2nd-Movement/

Random Flashback for Friday 2/5/16

Here's the third set of photos from those I inherited when my father passed -- aka what I'm posting every *other* Friday in 2016 as flashbacks.

Similar to the last set, these are "kids in snow" pics from a long unknown time ago.  The first three clearly belong together and were taken at the exact same time.  The fourth one looks to have had the child on the sled ripped out on purpose (for reasons also unknown).  And, finally, there's a good chance that my father was one of those boys in the last shot (unless family members know otherwise).

#11 - boy and girl in melting snow

#12 - boy and girl in melting snow with parent wiping a nose

#13 - boy and girl in melting snow (both looking at camera)

#14 - girl pulling headless child on sled

#15 - three boys and a girl in the snow

Random Thought for Thursday 2/4/16

[My new series for 2016 continues ... with the FOURTH of FIFTY tastes of FLORIDA (coming to you on sequential Thursdays.  All.  Year.  Long.)!]

Establishment:  Old Heidelberg
Location:  Ft. Lauderdale (Marina Mile)
Meal:  Dinner
Drink:  Coca-Cola (actually the third choice because they were inexplicably out of their "beer flight" AND bitburger that night)
Appetizer:  German Potato Soup and Sausage Sampler Platter
Bratwurst, Knockwurst, Kielbasa
Main:  Jaeger Schnitzel
Mushroom Gravy
Side(s):  Spaetzel and Red Cabbage
Dessert:  Homemade warm Apple Strudel and Black Forest Cake
[Strudel] Topped with Vanilla Sauce
Server:  "Bearer of Bad News" Maria "Gabor"

Having spent a semester abroad in Cologne, Germany during my college days (well, *west* Germany, seeing as how it was during the fall of 1990), it was bound to be early in this series that one of the local authentic German restaurants was featured.  Company was still in town on the night we all went to sample the meal, and no one could dispute that the foods tasted authentic -- from the first bites of the German potato soup to the last bites of homemade black forest cake.  However, it was the three strikes of being out of three different featured items that put an immediate damper on the evening (and it was only 7pm on a Monday).  In shock, I was prompted to ask our server Maria whether the establishment was going out of business.  In her defense, she who was repeatedly the bearer of bad news was sweet about it and did her best to comfort us (she had a habit of referring to the table as "my dahlings ... my loves ... my dears", so I assumed she was of the Gabor bloodline, hence the bonus points for her below).  Despite the deliciousness of the very authentic food (see photos), and with at least two more German restaurants in the area to try, the initial thought though is that this is one in which we are in no hurry to return.

AMBIANCE:   8/10 (roomy place with that Bavarian feel replete with soccer banners throughout, but one point lost for not having music on that night [we were looking forward to a bit of "oompa" to accompany our meal] and one point lost for the server not knowing any German [a fact that was even more disappointing to the actual German speakers one booth over from our party])
FOOD:            8/10 (one point lost for split pea soup being the soup of the day [who likes split pea soup?] and one point lost for the oddest of house salads [not pictured, as I had soup] made up tiny piles of lettuce, canned green beans and pickled cucumbers and shredded carrots)
SERVICE:      7/10 (one point lost each for being out of the beer flight, the bitburger and the ghoulash that night)
BACON:         3/10 (just one item on the dinner menu included bacon -- the German Beef Rouladen -- which someone in our party ordered and thoroughly enjoyed)
BONUS:         9/10 (+3 for the server making the best out of the menu outages, +3 for the huge huge portions, +3 for the oh-so-authentic flavors)

TroyScore:  35 out of 50 -- aka 70, a C- (the lowest in the series to date)

Random Word for Wednesday 2/3/16

Chasing the Super Bowl (IV)

Used in a sentence:  "Tomorrow, the now annual tradition known as chasing the super bowl (IV) begins for the 2016 edition."

That tradition is precisely why I have pictures in Indianapolis dated Feb 2013, New Orleans dated Feb 2014 and NewYorkCity dated Feb 2015.

And ... it's why I'll have pictures in Phoenix this weekend.  (This particular trip is bookended by Vegas ... before for vacation fun .. and after for work "fun" [a week long conference].)

Maybe one day I'll have the kind of cash to be IN the host city ON the actual weekend of the big game ... but, until then, I'll at least be able to take advantage of all the cheap extra rooms in the host city the year after they ramped up for the game the year before ... which is the secret behind the tradition of chasing the super bowl (IV).

Now I should probably research which teams are playing so I have something to talk about when the advertisements aren't on ...

SAN FRAN in 2017, HOUSTON in 2018 AND MINNEAPOLIS in 2019:
http://www.topendsports.com/events/super-bowl/hosts.htm

UPTOWN FUNK'S GONNA GIVE IT TO US (DON'T BELIEVE ME?  JUST WATCH!):
http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/super-bowl/6859537/bruno-mars-coldplay-beyonce-super-bowl-50-halftime-show

SOUNDS LIKE DOBBIN'S LOOKOUT IS A MUST-SEE:
http://www.10best.com/destinations/arizona/phoenix/attractions/free-things-to-do/

Random Tune for Tuesday 2/2/16

So two weeks ago, it was this lady's birthday.

And I was posting late at night in a hurry, and I couldn't for the life of me think of the name of the song where "the girl goes into the woods to meet the mean guy and then end up falling in love".

Against the clock, I settled for her rendition of 'PMS Blues' that night... and then, while I was falling asleep, the song I originally wanted to post came to me -- but it was too late for me to get up and edit it.

Which brings me to tonight ... and my opportunity to show that *this* was this one:

"Joshua ... Joshua ... what you doin' here livin' all alone?!"

[NOTE:  This is a tune tale told of a different time and place.  I do not recommend going up to your scary neighbors in today's modern world to see if he'll let you move in just for showing up -- even if his name is Joshua or he's the biggest man you've ever seen.]

THE TALE OF LOVE UP IN THE MOUNTAINS:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLlyrkIWZos

Random Memorial for Monday 2/1/16

Gone but not forgotten:  O'Malley and Hucksterbee.

By morning, there may be more names to add to those who let the Iowa caucuses be the determining factor in a campaign suspended (and, yes Virginia, suspended campaigns don't get reanimated) ... but for now, it's one from *each* side of the political fence who gets one final bit of press to say goodbye.

It's an exciting milestone in a never ending campaign to finally have the first of the primary contests completed, and it's going to move quickly now to narrow the field in the days and weeks ahead, leading up to the epic battle this fall.

And so it begins ...

He who really only ever seemed to be running for Democratic VP but did a good job portraying Baltimore as a nouveau Camelot AND he who took things a bit too far whilst seeking the extreme religious right vote, especially after sleeping with Kim Davis (figuratively, I presume) ... you (plural) will be missed.

ON SUSPENDED CAMPAIGNS:
http://politicaldictionary.com/words/suspended-campaign/

ON THE "IMPORTANCE" OF IOWA:
https://www.slantnews.com/story/2015-10-13-winning-new-hampshire-and-iowa-doesnt-really-matter-in-presidential-elections

BETTER LUCK NEXT TIME O'MALLEY:
https://martinomalley.com/