Fakeon

There are many products out there that are just plain bad ideas. Some are so bad of an idea that I am left with no other choice than to try them. I am by no means a vegetarian however I have tried my hand at many of the meatless alternatives. For example, the meatless chicken patties, very good. Meatless burgers, not bad. And I can certainly enjoy the meatless sausage and brats. Even the meatless ground beef, a little chewy, but entirely eatable.
Then there is the bacon or, as I like to call it, the fakeon. First of all. They tried a little to hard to try to make it look like bacon. So hard that in fact it looks nothing like bacon. They put in some red sections that are supposed to look like meat and some white sections that represent the fat. One thing I can say for it, when it was cooking, it did smell like bacon. That was where the similarities ended. The box said it would get crispy. I guess what they meant was dried out. And then there was the flavor. Have you ever had those fake bacon bits, Bacos? They contain a lot of ingredients and a lot of flavoring all of which to disguise the fact that there is nothing remotely resembling bacon in the bottle. Well think of the flavor of Bacos gone bad. Then multiply that by 7.125.
There you have it. That is how bad the Fakeon is. However, if you are like me, you will not take my word for it. Go see for yourself and enjoy the experience.

The Chieftains

About a year ago Dawnielle and I tried to go see the band The Chieftains. This would have actually been one of our first dates. Unfortunately, there was a huge snowstorm here in Chicago and The Chieftains' flight was not able to make it here. This year they were met with sunny skies and near 40 degree temperature. Dawnielle and I went this past Sunday down to the Symphony Center in Chicago to see them.

From their website: "Six time Grammy winners, The Chieftains, are now recognized for bringing traditional Irish music to the world's attention. They have uncovered the wealth of traditional Irish music that has accumulated over the centuries, making the music their own with a style that is as exhilarating as it is definitive."

Best known for their traditional Irish flavor they have also teamed up with country and bluegrass musicians on their albums "Down the Old Plank Road" and "Further Down the Old Plank Road". And more recently tried their hand at some Scottish collaborations. When we saw them they had a Scottish singer, Alyth McCormack, that sang several songs with them. The Chieftains front man, Paddy Moloney, is quoted as saying. “It’s about time we join up with some Scots, considering we gave them the bagpipes and all.”

Ice Ice Baby

A couple of weeks ago Dawnielle and I were at Millennium Park where they had the Ice Art exhibit. The Museum of Modern Ice, Paintings Below Zero. It was pretty cool (pun intended).

Rue Royale New Album

My former roommate, brookln and his wife Ruth, have just released their self titled album, Rue Royal. I just downloaded it on iTunes and I can truly say that if you have two ears and a soul then this is the album for you. To listen to and purchase it click HERE. You will be glad you did.

Polar Plunge

I'm not sure what is is about being in Wisconsin... Maybe it is the smell of cheese and beer in the air. I'm not sure, but something about standing on a well frozen lake makes me want to pound a hole in the ice with a maul (a cross between an ax and a sledge hammer). When pounding a hole in a foot of ice you can really start to work up a sweat. What better way to cool down than a plunge into the icy depths of Camp Wonderland.

As you can see, the hole is just the right size to fit down in. Estimated dimensions of the ice hole: 1.25' x 9". With about a foot deep of ice, three feet of water, and some disgusting sludge at the bottom. This made for an easy in and out of the ice hole. Then a short jog over to a well intentioned bonfire and we were good as new.
Despite Matt's best efforts, we could only scrounge up two swimmers. I hear there are some pictures of us actually taking the plunge. I will update if those become available. I would like to take a moment to thank all of those who worked so diligently on the hole, having no intentions of going in themselves. Honors go to Mark, Mark, and Jonathan. Plus a special thank you to Mark who is now the proud owner of the maul which he purchased in order to help see Matt's dream realized. And to his wife who was slightly unthrilled about his newly acquired purchase.

I'm not entirely sure about the necessity of the blowtorch but it does make for an exciting photo.