Entries from September 16, 2007 - September 22, 2007
I’m at a loss for what to cook tonight for dinner. THE Daddy was supposed to be home, but (shocker!) he’ll be late. I am craving seared tuna in a BIG WAY. The closest and best place to go near us is in Portsmouth and it’s a bit too upscale to bring the kids after a day at school…especially by myself.
In lieu of a recipe this week, I’m going to share a new website. Well, it’s new to me, at least. It’s called Open Table. It offers “Restaurant Reservations: Instant, Reliable & Free.” It’s pretty cool, especially if you feel like dining upscale at the last minute. It’s very user friendly. You’re able to look up restaurants in your area, check out their menus and book reservations right online. I checked my favorite restaurant for Tuna, Jumpin Jays Fish Café, and they have tables available for tonight. Good to know. Too bad I’m not able to go!
The best part about Open Table is that they offer Dining Rewards Points. Each time you use their site to book reservations and honor them, you recieve points in your profile. Build up enough points and you will receive Open Table Dining Cheques to be used at participating restaurants. Not a bad deal. My only complaint is that there aren’t more restaurants in our area, but they are fairly new. Also, in their defense, there aren’t a ton of restaurants in the Seacoast New Hampshire that accept and/or require reservations.
Any recommendations for what to do for dinner at the last minute? Please leave a comment.
(Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with Open Table in any way, shape of form.)
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After a long week of back and forth, I finally have solidified which side of the fence I am on. Although there is no excuse for cheating, the New England Patriots handled the situation with the same dignity and class with which we are accustomed. I am extremely proud to be a Patriot’s fan.
THE Daddy was actually at the game last night. He occasionally gets tickets from his vendors at work. I paid the karma bank forward on this one because I told him that he really should take his father this time. That was before I realized that the tickets were on the 1st row…and well before all of the videogate controversy.
One thing that we didn’t get to experience watching at home: a standing ovation from the fans the second that Belichick hit the field pre-game. I was there for Tedy Bruschi’s come back game after his stroke and he said it was that times 1000. I was teary eyed with goose bumps for Tedy, so I imagine it was quite amazing. THE Daddy said that Bill stared down at the ground and seemed to be having a hard time finding his composure for a minute or so. Despite his tough guy attitude, the guy has heart.
Why were the fans cheering? Because Bill Belichick took responsibility, openly apologized and accepted the ruling. He didn’t whine or fuss. He did his best to focus on his job and his players despite the media’s attempts to turn it into a 3 ring circus. I don’t condone cheating, however, I do believe that he continues to be a great role model. We’re all human and make mistakes. This had the potential of bringing down an organization and poisoning the players against their leadership. Fortunately, it had quite the opposite effect. In fact, according to this Boston Globe article, Kraft actually gave the game ball to Coach Belichick after the game. I’ve heard rumblings outside of New England for him to be fired. I think Kraft stated his position pretty clearly with his actions!
My favorite quote from the Globe’s article: “San Diego could have used semaphore to signal in its plays and it wouldn't have mattered.”
In a separate AP article, Pats linebacker Tedy Bruschi declared, "This victory was for all the Patriots teams past and present,” and about the win, “This is the most satisfying because I've never been in a situation that doubted what we've done with past teams.” Calling this game his most satisfying says a lot coming from a player with 3 Super Bowl rings.
The Boston Globe reporter summed it up perfectly , “LT [Whom I refer to as Mr. Whinypants!] questioned the Patriots' class after New England 's 24-21 victory in last season's Divisional playoffs. Last night, he and the rest of the Chargers learned the Patriots are the class of the AFC.”
THE Mommy
OK, LOVED this article from the Boston Herald:
"What played out may have seemed startling to some, but not likely to a team whose three Super Bowl wins suddenly were being called into question, whose accomplishments were being challenged, all because coach Bill Belichick and his staff were caught illegally filming the Jets’ defensive signals.
This was a butt-kicking of major proportions, as the Patriots crushed the Chargers, 38-14, the same count by which they blew out the Jets the previous week.
No cameras confiscated. No cameras needed."
THE Mommy
Mr. Whinypants himself from another Boston Herald article:
“One thing you have to understand about athletes is when their backs are against the wall, that’s great motivation,” Tomlinson said. “This was a trap for us. Everyone was calling them cheaters, and they said, ‘Let’s show everyone we’re not cheaters.’ ”
Earlier in the week, Tomlinson joked that the Patriots live by the credo, “If you ain’t cheating, you ain’t trying.” That phrase ended up being a rallying cry for the Pats.
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So now we only beat them because we had a better motivator? Had nothing to do with being the BETTER TEAM!?! I have a quote for LT, "if LT's not whining or making excuses, he's not talking!"
Also, for a little news out of San Diego:
Chargers outplayed, humbled by Brady and Patriots' defense
"...in some ways, the Chargers are more red-faced today than they were after their playoff loss to this team in January. On that day, they physically outplayed the Patriots and lost because of mistakes. Last night, they were awful on offense and staggered on defense.
“I don't remember the last time I felt like this,” LaDainian Tomlinson said.
It's not that they lost. The Chargers knew that was a possibility. They were playing across the country against one of the best teams in the league. They had considered a victory in last week's season opener paramount because of the cushion it gave them coming here.
But to be destroyed in such a manner – outgained 407 yards to 201, turning the ball over three times, having Tom Brady complete 81 percent of his passes – left them astonished."
This site is TOO funny. At Netdisaster.com, you can enter your least favorite website’s URL, pick your weapon from a hilarious list and watch as it destroys their home page. I haven’t tried all of the weapons, but so far my favorite is the “dog poop”. I actually laughed out loud watching a little dog walk across the screen and poop on my least favorite anti-liberal author’s face. For the record, I don’t necessarily disagree with some of her politics, but I find her approach extremely offensive and basically think she’s an insensitive bitch who cares less about her political agenda than building her “celebrity”.
Save this for later if you actually want a productive Monday…I guarantee you’ll spend some time here!
Share your favorites in the comments.
