:: Life on Planet Dan-E ::

:: Dolphan for a Day ::

Once again, my little brother sent me tickets to a Dolphin game for my birthday (which was a while ago so please no belated wishes, I'm depressed about my age as it is) and once again, I went with my buddy Chuck. He's one of the few Miamians who would appreciate a respectable Dolphins team.

When he bought the tickets around Week Two it was just another division game versus the Patriots. Tom Brady just got hurt and the Pats looked awful. The constantly crappy Dolphins just got smacked around by the perpetually sucky Arizona Cardinals (which is like losing a footrace to a pre-Subway Jared).

It's hard to see how the season will unfold that early. Since then, Matt Cassell has developed into a decent starter for the Pats. The Dolphins have gone 6-2, and Arizona is the leader of the NFC West (which is like being "Best Porn Star" two years in a row; sure you're winning but you still suck.)

Both teams came into this game with identical records and a second wind. The Patriots salvaged their season after much uncertainty, and the 'Phins, um, sucked most of this decade. It went from being just another game to a real rivalry matchup.

Our seats were upper deck but right around the 25-yard line. Unfortunately, we were on the visitor's side so were surrounded by obnoxious Boston fans. (I started to get annoyed at the number of Red Sox hats around. As long as we're talking about this, I had laugh at how many Culpepper jerseys I saw there. I can understand wearing old Marino jerseys; he was a local legend. But Culpepper signed for one year, spent half of it on the disabled list and wasn't very good when he did play. I think Miami fans have become so despondent over the state of their team that they prefer clinging to what could have been over what's actually happening. And I complain about being a 49ers fan. Sorry, I digress.)

It was a fun game to watch live. Neither team could run the ball so all the passing kept things interesting. Miami kept it close but you tell early on that New England's offense had a slight edge. Miami had a couple of dropped passes early on that killed drives and would set the tone for the rest of the game. Chad Pennington had a very good day but I've never seen him play a game where he doesn’t have at least one throw that made you realize why Hootie is crying.

Sure enough, in the 4th quarter, down by ten points and pinned at their own 20 Pennington lobs up a floater for an interception that crippled any chance at a comeback. Up until that point, it seemed like Miami could at least tie the game, since neither team had much trouble marching up and down the field. Instead, that crippling interception just to demoralize the team. Not long after, I noticed Dolphans leaving early to beat traffic. (Why do people continue to deride just Los Angeles sports fans for leaving early? I see this almost everywhere.)

NE would go on the score ten more points, leaving my buddy Chuck in a state melancholy that no amount of beer could cure and he also left early. What started as an interesting game became a blowout. Not to say that we didn't have fun... quite the opposite. The mostly good-natured trash talking between the Pats fans kept things lively. Unlike last year’s low-scoring snooze fest, Miami scored four touchdowns, which gave the Phans a chance to sing the Miami fight song over and over again. (The song itself is kinda lame. Of course I sang along.)

Labels: football

:: Miscellaneous Ramblings by Dan-E at 9:41 PM [+] :: | 0 comments
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:: Hole-y Cheeseburger ::

...In Heaven, looking down at us, shaking his head thinking, "Jesus, we're gonna have a lot more people coming up next year."

That's the answer to the question posed by the mastermind featured in this video.

Labels: awesomeness, cheeseburger, double double, food, in-n-out

:: Miscellaneous Ramblings by Dan-E at 12:09 AM [+] :: | 0 comments
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:: More Cooking ::

The local Publix (the grocery store on South Beach that looks like a Space Ship) had veal shanks on sale so on a whim, I bought two pounds worth just to see if I could successfully cook Osso Bucco. This despite the fact that I've only tried it once before and I can barely remember what it tasted like.

I couldn't be that hard. I talked to the head chef at The Steakhouse and he gave me a recipe that's flavorful and easy. It's actually not too different from braising lamb shanks, which I've done many times. Still, I do enjoy a challenge and trying something new, but not only that, I really like funny words.

Wish me luck. I just hope I don't cut myself or burn down my apartment.

Labels: cooking, food, klutz

:: Miscellaneous Ramblings by Dan-E at 12:08 AM [+] :: | 0 comments
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:: I Need a New Hobby ::

I played tennis like usual Saturday morning despite staying up till six in the morning (I really wish I could say it was because I stayed out late at some club or bar, meeting some hot brunette but really, I just couldn't sleep). I had a really good session. I felt good once I got out there, and I was hitting the ball as well as I ever have recently. I figured I'd do just as well, if not better, when I played again Wednesday night.

Nope.

Tonight, if I wasn't hitting it into the net, they were sailing to the back fence. I hit half my shot off the frame, which would be okay except I'm supposed to hit them off the strings. Once the drills were over, I played a set against one of the other regulars. He's okay, but not quite at my level and yet, he kicked my ass. If tennis had a water hazard, my rackets would be in there right now and I'd probably be scouring ebay for replacements.

Good thing I'm not too temperamental. For that matter, good thing I don't play golf.

Labels: anger, frustration, tennis

:: Miscellaneous Ramblings by Dan-E at 10:37 PM [+] :: | 0 comments
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