redd granite

God Bless Lakita Evans.  She sold everything she had as a 23 year old to open Fat Ho Burgers in Waco, Texas. This burger joint opened up in late March 2011 with much fanfare because of its name, Fat Ho Burgers. You see, Waco, Texas is a sleepy city of 125,000 or so laced with more Southern Baptists than there are mosquitos in Northern Wisconsin. Not only Southern Baptists, but conservative, God fearing, anal Southern Baptists who will not take it lightly that their cherished city has a burger joint named ‘Fat Ho’

Fat Ho Burgers

When she opened in March of 2011, the name captured national attention with the name.  Living in Waco Texas during the weeks, I had several approach me inquiring whether I had been to Fat Ho. i had no idea what this was about.  Finally, I decided to embark upon a journey to find Fat Ho Burgers, and to review the product.

Frankly, I did not know what to expect. Since I had not followed the hype in March, I thought this was a chain that came to Waco. Well, clearly it is not.  It was started by 23 year old Lakita Evans,  a college grad who sold everything to start this joint. She choose a mid-Waco neighborhood, largely African American, surrounded by small buildings touting ‘Gospel Missions”  on the front, hand made signs.  Clearly, Lakita is my soul mate for the gumption she showed by opening, and calling this joint Fat Ho Burgers, in this neighborhood and Waco, Texas. The opening weeks were a craze for this joint. The internet had gone viral, and lines outside this joint were 30 minutes of wait with the business running out of beef on opening day.

Inside Fat Ho Burgers

But here is where the sad part begins.  After all of the hype, Fat Ho Burgers is left with the product. Gone are the lines that snaked into the streets. Gone are the uber number of peeps laying down an average of $7+ for a burger plate. What is left is a sign that still reads “Fat Ho Burgers, Coming Soon”; and a business that is struggling to stay going in a difficult environment both economically and in the neighborhood.

On this Thursday, assuming that their manual receipt book keeping is accurate, I was the 29th cover to come into the restaurant at 12:45p. Not a good sign for the business. At an average of $7 per cover, this equates to a paltry $203 on a day when the lunch business should be picking up.

Inside Hip-Hop and R&B was playing. You order at the counter. Today, their fountain drink machine only had regular Dr. Pepper left out of a normal 8 choices. You get the impression that these folks are not that familiar or experienced with operating a restaurant.  Not a good sign.  I ordered a combo of cheeseburger and fries, total damage, about $6.95. Now here is the difficult part for this business, the cheeseburger was actually quite good and the fries decent. The bun was thoroughly toasted, the meat flavorful with the appropriate fixings on the burger that left it messy and delicious. Never mind the food came out from behind a red curtain where you are not sure what goes on. The meal was good.  Not what I expected, but good.  I expected more branding of the name that flowed over into the plate names.  While she clearly had attempted this with the naming rights of the plates, she could have done so much more.  Their brisket plate is called ‘Sloopy Ho”?  Really? Is this a misspelling or am I getting bad information?  Clearly Sloppy Ho has to be a front runner, and maybe this is what they meant….how about ‘Bag Full of HO” for the really big order, or, ” Blow Ho” for the really spicy burger?]

I hope this place makes it.  I will be back.  It is not the best burger I have had, but very, very good. Some of you Waco peeps who fear certain neighborhoods just need to get over it. These people are real and nice, and the service showed that exponentially.   On a scale of 10 big burgers, I give this a solid 7.

Check them out if you are ever in Central Texas…..if for any  other reason, just to spite the personality of Waco, a city that has so much going for it if it would just get over its overt conservativism.

Peace

Today we look at Grey Goose.  This is a French made vodka fashioned from grain. No doubt the French will state it is the water that makes the taste. Many vodkas are fashioned from grain, so this is no problem.  Easily one of the most recognizable brands out there, the Goose has flown all over the world. Virtually any bar in the world you can call the Goose, but you will pay.  All that marketing comes with a price.

Grey Goose (click on the name for the website) starts really smooth. So smooth, the temptation is to dive in too deep at first. The smoothness rides through the palate for most of the experience, then finishes a little more roughly. The ending of the Grey Goose experience to me introduces a bit of pure chemical taste.  An unpleasant one. The hint of wheat in the initial taste run is subtle and enjoyable. Initially, you are quite unaware that you are drinking a 80 proof drink.  But when the chemical tastes kicks, you feel like it is falsely flavored ever clear, and the proof is 150.  Not what I look for in a vodka. This finish singularly has me shying away from consistently ordering it. And further, the finish begins to lob it in with the tastes of many nasty, less expensive vodkas.

The Goose took a little while, but it jumped on the band wagon of flavored vodkas as well. The flavoring somewhat seals the bad chemical finish, leaving a decent drinking experience, whether straight or mixed with your energy drink so you can amp up for a rave. But in my opinion, this merely masks the taste. I am not certain why you would want to pay the Grey Goose prices to go this route.  Get flavored Stoli or some other rot gut instead…..it costs so much less, and lets face it, if you are drinking flavored vodka and/or mixing them with Red Bull or the like, face it, you are there to get hammered and quantity becomes much more important than quality.

And in this case, quantity comes at much less a cost. Speaking of cost, be prepared to separate $55-65 of a 1.75 litre bottle.  This is the same pricing as my beloved Belvedere.  Problem is, I just do not think it is worth the cost. And when a eatery has only Grey Goose and no Belvedere, I am pissed…..but there you go, marketing and branding is everything.  I give Grey Goose 5 out of 10 bottles

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A humble message to the Baylor Nation:  First off, please note that I am not a communist to the Baylor Nation. So please do not take what I am about to post out of context. True. I prefer basketball, and support the Baylor basketball teams with season tix for men’s and women’s basketball programs. And also true, it is far easier these days to support Baylor Basketball than football. Even with Skippy’s Thugs not playing well and blowing the highest school ranking in history (9) by loosing three games to stunningly mediocre teams, I am staunch basketball. (Thank you Lady Bears for your first Number 1 school ranking in history).  But in the end, I really wish to see the football program excel.  You just cannot get around it, football brands the school programs stronger than basketball (although you could argue with me on this one, think: Butler, Marquette, Duke)

Baylor Fell Short of the Glory of The Baylor Nation

The Baylor Nation seemed pleased with the football program.   They went to a bowl for the first time in over, what 15 years? Great. Success. But, really Baylor Nation? Success?  I guess it is on one level. That was clearly a goal of Briles to get to a bowl. But in the end, I have a hard time thinking that this was a resounding success. I was proud of the program putting up a 7-2 record.  I knew the last three games would be tough.  But in the end, great teams, and great programs have to win the big games.  Not all of course, but you have to win some, and certainly be competitive in the rest.  Look at the A&M game.  What happened? Up 18 at half, and you loose the game scoring a big zero in the second half? Seriously? You are blown out by OU and OSU (ah, that Oklahoma State for you Yankees on this site).  You loose the consolation bowl game significantly to a mediocre Illinois team? Time to wake up everyone.  The Baylor Nation deserves more.

Hats off to Briles that he brought them to the bowl.  Great. While I have called for his head in previous posts, I must admit, we are better today than the littering of bad coaches in the immediate past.  But truly, with the talent this club had, I expected so much more. I am not hanging the last four losses in a row on the kids.  I am squarely hanging it on Briles.  He was simply out coached. No adjustment at half time at A&M game (at home, mind you). Play calling that worked straight into the the other teams strategy, because, as good teams, they studied film on Baylor and knew what to expect, . And of course, Briles delivered.  The defense, in spite of some real talent, failed miserably. This was a highly penalized team, which always smacks of lack of discipline. Bottom line, I am just not sure that we can get there with the current coaching formula.

So what is the answer?  As a life long Chicago Cubs fan, I hesitate to say simply “wait till next year”. Lets think out of the box. Cast your darts in my direction if you must. I propose a compromise.  Lets dream the impossible for a moment: Mike Singletary is suddenly on the market again. I am completely aware that he poo poo’d Baylor last time in the coach search convinced Baylor was not committed to put the resources to really win (read, facilities, on campus stadium) ((oh yeah, for those of you that think this will not happen, think again, it will in the near future…trust me on this one)). At least that was the party line.  Now the Baylor Nation largely is in love with Briles based upon what I view as low expectations.  I understand. He brought us to a bowl in three years. Cool.  So, lets dream a bit, or as I put it, think out of the box. Bring Singletary in as the defensive coach. Let him insert discipline in a group that could get it done, but needs good leadership.  Let Briles continue as the head coach. Obviosuly, egos would have to move to the side lines for this to happen. Yes, Briles would feel threatened. Singletary would want a head coaching job.  Look, I understand all of this.  But I am just saying, if the Baylor team had a strong dose of the Mike Singletary intensity, we would have done much better this year. Although I do not think that Singletary is the best strategic coach, I do believe he can get the most out of a group of kids whose talents are buried deep in the desert sands. And for those of you who think he would not take a lower level coaching job like this, who knows.  He may just use us a holding job for the next NFL job, although he would make a much better college coach than NFL.  OK, back to reality. But really, anything to return Baylor to a strong program, that is what I am interested in.  It can be done. TCU has proved this (and for you people, and you know who you are that says it is all facilities and such, read again.TCU facilities suck overall). I would love for Baylor to have the issue that TCU faces every year in the whole BCS debacle.

Whatever the answer, I call on the Baylor nation to expect, and demand more.  Do not accept the fact that we got to a bowl and that was great. Look at the whole picture. We can do this. It takes more. It takes true commitment to make programs great.  Demand that Baylor Football excel at any cost. Whatever it takes.  Any maybe, just maybe, the football program can catch up to the basketball program, which right now, is really putting the Baylor Nation on the map

PS: Go out and support your Baylor Basketball teams.

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All right, some of you will think I am way too cynical quite like others of my group. Fine.  Some of you will think this is way too harsh.  What you say?  Baylor is going to a bowl for the first time since, well, I am not really sure, and you are bitching and moaning? Coaches are measured in part by appearances in bowls.  I understand. Briles is a great recruiter in Texas, I understand. Sure he turned University of Houston program around in three years.  I understand. There is great improvement.  I understand.  The media tries to build up Briles and the program improvements. I understand.

But the thing is, he is not a good coach.  Week in and week out, he gets out coached and puts teams on the field who are not prepared to play the competition. His defense has been non-existent. His play calling is highly questionable. His teams execution on offense is inconsistent at best. Penalties and untimely errors occur way too much. He does not understand that teams against him adjust at half time, he does not. 20 straight losses against Oklahoma…..the list goes on and on. In short, Briles lacks the mental toughness of a coach, and his talented kids reflect their coach’s mental toughness.  OK.  Maybe I should give him a break. After all, just a short 6 years ago he was a high school coach. And turning U of H around, well, this is a weak conference, a sort of B league if you will.  So his lack of experience shows in the Big 12.  BU will return a lot of players next year, but I expect a similar result as this year.  Another bowl appearance, OK. But really, I am looking for so much more. I am not satisfied with the feel good story of the football program turning around.  You see, I actually believe in the talents of these kids. I see others as thinking it so dramatic that they have achieved what they did as if they are Jerry’s kids stepping on the big stage for the first time. No, I believe BU has talent, a lot of it.  It is raw talent that remains under coached.

I make no secret that I think that football is a game the dwells more on the mental side of the mind than the talent.  I know Baylor Football will not recruit on the same level of the state schools who have the branding, think Texas, Oklahoma; or with the schools who’s programs have been purchased by a wealthy donor aka OSU.  But I think at this level, talent is relatively flat across most players, and the difference is attitude, mental toughness, and sheer will to win. This is what a coach must instill in the players. I do not think Briles is the guy to do this. What he does have in motivation, he lacks in coaching skills.  He is solidly out coached in most games.

I am not a cynic for the sake of being one. I am a true supporter of the program, and the other Baylor Sports. I also demand more out of programs than apparently most of our supporters do.  So Art, either figure it out or step aside.  These players deserve more than you have to offer.

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This has been part of a fantastic weekend in Waco, Texas where 5 separate sporting events took place. 3 BU Lady Bears basketball games, one Men’s BU Basketball game, and one football game. Great time.  So far, all the basketball teams have won solidly with one Lady Bears game to go. But let us this time focus on football.  No doubt, the Baylor football team has enjoyed a year of resurrection, to some degree.  Bowl eligible for the first time in over a decade, and in the hunt for the top spot in Big 12 South.  Or was, more appropriately put. Great. But the thing is, it is still Baylor football.  Tonights clash with Texas A&M only proved, the old BU ghosts still fly uncontrolled. Yes, BU has a great offense, and a star quarterback in RG III.  Great. My hats off to these guys. This posts is not meant to take anything away from the RG III or any other hard playing BU football player. Nope.  This one is squarely on Art Briles. I know he came packaged with RGIII.  Yes he is a good guy. Yes he fits the BU coaching mold. But in the end, he is outcoached regularly in these tough Big 12 games.  I loved watching the first half as BU piled up yardage and points to take an 8 point lead.  If not for questionable special teams play, the lead would have been more.

First off, hats off to you Aggie people.  Just know, I do not like you. I heartedly resisted putting up rebuttal posts in Facebook tonight on some of the Aggie pro comments.  But in the end tonight, your team showed great resilience, and your questionable coach Sherman adjusted to out score BU 28-0 in the second half.  You won, and you won firmly.  And I tip my hat to your team for this and your coach, who clearly, once again out coached Art Briles. What team goes into half time down not looking to adjust?  Apparently, not Baylor.  With all that talent, not Baylor. This is Coaching 101, and Briles has failed once again. Sure you can say we played them well, blah, blah. But in the end, you must close the deal.  You must play an entire game. You must keep the intensity that brought you to the half time dance to begin with.  The players talents did not change at half time, they were every bit still capable as in the first half.  But coaching;  a) attitude, b) play calling, and c) overall player mental preparation has to be there as well. This is the coaches responsibility. If you cannot prepare accordingly, go back to high school coaching.

Oklahoma looms as the final game.  Each week I hold out the possibility that something good will happen as it has several times this season. Baylor will likely be headed to a bowl game for the first time in a long time.  But, in the end, resting on that achievement, doesn’t that feel a bit like accepting a brides maid role to each you?  It does to me…………

This is a rather quick post to review the opening game for the Baylor Men’s Basketball team, a team that went to the Elite 8 last year. Although there are significant losses of personel from last year, namely Epke Udoh, who was drafted as the sixth pick in the NBA draft, there is (was) significant anticipation for this year as well. Newcomer Perry Jones III arrives as the nations Number 2 recruit last year, according to ESPN.  Returning scoring star Lace Dunn would provide the senior leadership for the team. Mesquite Texas’ own Quincy Acy returns to scare the hell out of the opposition.  A strong supporting cast of returning players now with more experience under their sneakers.

Well Coach Scott Drew (I call him Skippy, and hereto forward in this article, that is what he shall be called), known for turning this titanic of a basketball program around, has seemed to run into a few bumps in the road. All that glitters is not gold, at least for too long apparently.  You see, it seems that Lace Dunn allegedly rearranged his girl friends face….oops, one star player out while they sort this matter out.  Please note, I said “allegedly”  God only knows how accurate this is.  But, Dunn is out indefinitely as a result. Skippy is also now a bit tarnished as NCAA is investigating the program for allegedly (there I go again, using that “A” word) texting a Columbian recruit…a clear violation of rules, if it indeed did happen. And further, the texts allegedly (thats three) were very aggressive and basically threatening the kid that he will never leave his native Columbia if he does not come and play for BU.  Now thats not very Baptist, Skippy.

Bottom line:  Distractions are a plenty at the beginning of this season.  The game I witnessed was an exhibition game against a very scrappy, aggressive DII school, Midwestern State, coached by ex-BU basketball players.  The starting line up for BU was Anthony Jones, a third year underachiever from Houston area, AJ Walton, a sophomore point guard who got a lot of playing time last year, Quincy Acy, best known for the blown call by incompetent refs in the game against Duke last year when they called Acy for a charge in a drive to the basket which was no more than me bumping into my grandmother…..(believe me Mr. Incompetent Boob of a Ref, you will know when Acy really charges, and next time may it be at you). Perry Jones started as well.  Perennial journey player Fred Ellis was the fifth starter. The team continued its normal tact of 5 individuals playing a basketball game while the Midwestern State team put on a clinic on passing around a zone defense.  In the end, BU won 68-59.  But they were out hustled, out played, and nearly out rebounded even though at any given time BU has at least three player on the floor 6-7 or more. Jones did not do much. 5 total points, and I think 5 rebounds.  The one thing I witnessed that was impressive, however, was his ball handling. After a rebound, he took the floor, and for a 6-11 dude, he looked like a natural point guard.  Rumor has it he is a three point threat.  But then again, so was Anthony Jones to be as well, and his three point game has spiraled to hell since his freshman year. The impressive player in this group was junior transfer J’Mison (think ‘Jameson’) Morgan, transferring in from UCLA.  This dude served up a double double with 15 rebounds playing half the game. I consider him to be the potential impact player on this squad. Match him with ever aggressive Quincy Acy (love this guy), and if the Dunn situation does work itself out before the season wears on too long, this could be a great combination.  Jones III? Hey, first game.  But if he going to be the one and done like I think he think he is, and certainly the way Skippy likely did the recruiting sales job for one and done, the kid will have to make a impact quickly.  This was no Kevin Durant out there.  As number two pick in the nation, I expected more

WE will see how this sordid saga of distractions mix into this season’s agenda.  Heres to hoping that somehow, God sweeps in and makes everything better with the NCAA and personal issues on the team….and they just get to playing ball.  Ranked 14th in the nation, they have an opportunity, and the personnel, to make this another great season.

Now that I am nearly over the loss of the Rangers in the World Series, I am ready to move on.  Oh, hold it, I kind of moved on Monday night as instead of watching the Rangers loose, I went to a Baylor Lady Bears Basketball game.  This is a exhibition game for the Baylor Lady Bears.  This means that the stats and results do not count toward NCAA stats and rankings. These games are ‘tune up’ games.  The Baylor Lady Bears were definitely tuning on Monday.  They played St Edwards University from Austin Texas.  This is a D III school; hence the exhibition game.

The Baylor Lady Bears come in nationally rank #2 in all polls, behind UConn, who has won (don’t quote me) 79 straight games.  One of those most recent victories was in the Final Four against the Baylor Lady Bears.  What surprised me somehwat is that there were not many new faces on the Baylor Lady Bears bench. Missing was their top recruit, Odyssey Sims.  No one seemed to know, (of my peeps who keep up with the scoop there) where she was or the story behind her MIA.  Sims tore an ACL in mid senior year of high school, so perhaps she is redshirted. That left two new faces on the bench that I saw. Brooklyn Pope, a transfer from C Vivien’s Rutgers, and Coach Mulkey’s very own daughter.

As one would expect, the Baylor Lady Bears had no trouble against an extremely out manned, yet scrappy St Edwards. The 89-46 final score was slightly less margin than last year’s 89-43 against the same St Edward’s scrappiness. With this trend, the Baylor Lady Bears would loose sometime in 2024….Brittney Griner had 28 points and 12 rebounds.  Encouraging signs this year is that she has seemed to develop a 6-8 ft. jump shot, hitting with accuracy.  This is good news, as it will make her harder to defend. Ashley Fields, a junior got the start.  Interesting choice.  Not particularly fast, with only decent shot potential, she seemed an odd choice.  Must have worked her butt off in practice.  She answered with 14 points and I think 8 rebounds. She is kind of a blue collar player.  OH yeah, her sister plays for St Edwards.

The impressive one, in my opinion, was Pope.  She ended with 9 points and 15 rebounds.  As is the case in most years for the Baylor Lady Bears, there has always been one player that scares me, me and the rat in the alley.  Pope is that person.  She stands about 6′ 2″. But she has a vertical jump that impresses.  Her 9 points were a result of the one weakness she showed, that is missing short shots. If she had hit 1/2 of the short shots she had, she would have been high in double figures scoring.  This chick never smiles.  She acted pissed that Fields got the start. She is quick. If she can be harnessed by hard ass Mulkey, this one could be a great player. I think she has two years left…..we will see.  She got into issues with C Vivien at Rutgers, who also scares me….a truly ‘take no shit’ coach.  We will see how attitude plays into this story line.

Absent for the most part as well was the three point game. This is absolutely crucial if the Baylor Lady Bears are to live up to their #2 billing. It must be present if they have any hope of winning at UConn the second real game of the year. Senior Melissa Jones was 1 of around 5 at three point range.  She needs to improve.  The only other three pointers (2) were drained by Mulkey’s daughter…she was 2-3 from the three point line.  No reaction from Mulkey on either.  The dynamics of coaching one’s own daughter must be interesting. Two players did not get into the game, two who played a  lot last year. One name I cannot for the life of me remember…but the other was Mariah Chandler. Not sure what the story is on these two.  Both did well last year. The Mulkey dog house can have thick walls. Not a good place to be.

It is very difficult to gage where they are after this game. With all of the jaded stats in favor of the Baylor Lady Bears, you just cannot draw conclusions against a St Edwards.  UConn looms quickly. One area that was not good stat wise was turn overs.  Way too many.  They had 11 at half time, and fortunately ended up with less than twenty.  But that is way too many to play at a ranked level. Baylor once again shot less than 45% from the field.  This too must improve.

Total attendance for an exhibition game was just short of 6,000. Quite impressive.  I guess everyone is ready for Baylor Basketball.

We look forward to the next game…..depending upon what Friday brings…..

PS…this related post below is not mine…..shame on them

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With the 2010 world Series unfortunately behind, it is now time to look towards the season….basketball.  But first, I wanted to muse a bit about the results of the 2010 world series.  I am a Texas Rangers fan. So naturally it pains me to see the loss in game five last night in Texas Rangers stadium, (actually, Ballpark in Arlington). Lets start with San Fransisco.  Hats off to them. They played deserving of this series.  Their story is a good one, one that we all should feel good about in that this was a team tagged together by mid season changes, waiver claims, and no names doing a great job on the big stage.  You could see it in their eyes when they batted. There was shear determination in nearly every player who stepped up to the plate. Rangers? not so much. I also wished to express my appreciation that the Rangers did not loose to a team of, well, whatever you wish to call the Yankees….insert it here . Four letter words allowed.  San Fransisco is what I would consider a friendly team, and I am glad a good group of guys (and some characters) won it.

But focusing on the Texas Rangers, it again pains me to say that I just do not think they were ready for the biggest stage. The top hitting team in baseball was held to just a little under 2.5 runs per game.  SF pitchers were good, but not that good.  Our guys did not have the look.  They looked clueless many times, if not scared. Fortunately, our starting pitching, for the most part was good. Lee pretty much did what he is paid to do. CJ Wilson, well, he did well also, with the exception when the Texas Rangers did not play well behind him, then he would fall apart…..as Washington would say:  ”that just what CJ do”. Tommy Hunter did not do well overall, but you know, in the end, his performances were not that bad if the offense had a clue. No run support equals game loss.  The math works every time.

But in the end, my hats are completely tilted toward the Texas Rangers.  ”White Lines” Washington said it best after the second loss in SF.  He said that if you would have told me that we would be in the World Series, down 2-0 at the beginning of the season, would you feel good about that?  I would. Washington said.  You know, I completely agree. I have never been one for being satisfied with a consolation prize, but in the end, this team was special, and they a had a mi-rad of stories of their own. There was no real leader on this club.  While most sports analysts would question whether this was good or not, I believe this team was, well, a team. They played the season as a team.  They had many a screw up, yes. And with my own lack of patience throughout the year, I called for Washington’s head several times. But, he got them there.  And the NY series for the most part was a total pleasure to watch with all of the aggressive Texas Ranger baseball inserted that helped them win a bunch of games in the regular season, then pummel the best two teams on paper throughout the playoffs. Hats off to them.

I believe the team is swelling with potential. Great new ownership. OK. Cliff Lee is probably gone. Really, I do not think he was that good in the club house.  If the Stankeys want him, well, it is his loss. Maybe he should think long and hard going to play in the streets of NY….it is a frigin long way from Benton, Arkansas.  Do you sign Vlad again, hell yes. In fact, I believe this team has a future no matter what the player moves are, because, while they failed on the big stage due to lack of experience, they have hit a home run in team chemistry and getting the most out of the farm system. In the end, two teams with very reasonable payrolls played the 2010 World Series.  Ok. The other team won.  But I appreciate San Fransisco, and I appreciate the Texas Rangers for all they did this year, and what I firmly believe, will continue to do in the future.

Maybe its time to get season tickets again……..

And to follow up on the opening line of this post, I will review the Number Two ranked Baylor Lady Bears in a following post.

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My latest purchase was a rum listed by several sources as one of the top rums made today:  Mount Gay Rum—Extra Old.  This premium run is from Barbados and has been made since 1703.  While I am always fascinated by the various bottle shapes by Rum makers(marketing geeks take note) it is ALWAYS about the inside that counts.  This bottle is  mostly plain with manufacturers’ crest of some sort etched into the bottle. What caught my eye was the cork screw top.  Don’t have any scientific documentation, but the rums I have tried stopped with cork, just seem better than those with a regular top.

This was the most expensive bottle of rum I have ever tried.  It was a birthday present to myself, and it was in the $40-$50 range.  The rich amber color of the rum as it poured into the glass was very promising.  It is 86 proof, a little stronger than most rums I have tried, and you can tell the difference.

Opening the bottle, the aroma is rich, stout, promising warm nights, cool breezes, and swaying palm trees.  A very good start.  Sipping it straight, the first intake is unbelievably smooth, no bitter aftertaste, no bite.  This was the first rum I can honestly say I could sip straight, like a whiskey.  It melts in your mouth like warm brown sugar.  Mixed with Coke , or Cherry Coke Zero, it mixes well, with a rum flavor that blends, if used in the right proportion with the mix.  However, it is not a rum to drink if you decide to “double down” the rum content of your drink.  It will overpower the cola.  Also, it does not mix that well with fruit drinks or the frozen mixes.  A lot of darker rums don’t make good Boat Drinks and this one is no exception.

Bottom Line:  Very good rum within its particular parameters.  Expensive, and not necessarily a good value for the money.  Sometimes paying the cost for higher end goods and services brings a higher return in quality and sometimes you just pay more.  Mount Gay Extra Old did not meet the high expectations given the cost.

My Top Three Rums:

Pyrate

Plantation Grand Reserve

Goslings Black Seal

The Quest Continues.

The Rum Guy

Yup.  You got it, fat America. This post is about our obesity and not so much the effects on America overall. First of all, lets get business matters straight.  I stole this pic from their website.  So sue me. This is the pic you see in their sign up page of the official weight watchers web site. As far as dieting goes, this thing is a god send to fat people everywhere, but, only if you really choose to do something about it. Now, let me say, I am not meaning to throw darts at all the fat people irresponsibly. But for those fat people who find it necessary to con their insurance companies to getting them an electric chair because they are just to lazy to walk, well, I am throwing darts at you.  And may they land as a direct hit.  If I have to go through one more narrow grocery store isle doing battle with the electric chair piloted by some fat jockey who has convinced themselves that life has just dealt them a bad card, so screw it, they are going to get what they deserve and consume 46,000 calories a day doing it, well, I may go postal.

Now for the apologies due in line here. I know some have physical ailments. I know some have metabolism in-balances. Some have other medical issues I am to stupid to know about.  This post is not for you. Only you can disseminate your conscience appropriately.  The rest, they are fooling themselves at best.

Now for my own darts. I am a graduate of Weight Watchers. But, as is the case for many people, I lost a bunch, and put back a bunch. The numbers:  I started at 231 (6’2″ male), reduced to a low of 188, and now at 215. Break. Let me get a sip of wine before I continue.  So you see, I am not saint.  I throw this criticism at myself as well as anyone else.  Also, please note, there is not advertising on this website for Weight Watchers, so I am not trying to sell you anything for personal gain (at least in this post…ha).

Here is the fact and why I write this.  I am headed back to the program. I am a life time member, but, did not do what was necessarily to keep this up without paying again.  But, what I learned in loosing those 43 lbs (count em, from top to lowest),will never leave.  I do not need to go back and pay the initiation fee once again.  I know it all. It all comes down to the discipline to follow the program.

In a nut shell, this program is no more than calorie counting. But, they put a formula in place that translate calories to points based upon certain parameters for the food quality, fiber, fat, all the usual suspects.  They allocate you points based upon your body type. And then, it is up to you.  This is where the meetings help.  I do not believe the on-line folks overall have as much success as those who go to the meetings.  Many food tips and ideas are shared there.  And you guess it. The meetings are filled with those huge beasts who may have dawned an electric chair….the difference?  They are truly trying to do something about it. They are struggling, cause they are serious. I am amazed at the openness of most of these people, and my heart goes out them.  Not in morbid sympathy…they do not want this, but because, they are really, really trying.

I was overweight, but did not show it that bad. When I lost all that weight, many friends said I went too far…..but medically speaking, my maximum weight is supposed to be 194.  So I am now 21 pounds over my maximum. Only I can change this.  Thanks to Weight Watchers, I have tools for life to know how to deal with it….no follow on, no shitty hype driven sale, just true practical results.  Weight Watchers does not promise the moon.  They give the tools to deliver just what you personally put into it to deliver.

Really, kinda wish they had an affiliate program to put an ad on this website.  I believe in this that much.  And, I am faced with the necessity to do something once again about the weight to pull it back to something a little more reasonable.  Yes, I failed, only in the fact that I gave in to what most dieting people give into, they loose and put back.

I will hope to contain this once again.  And you see, my criticism of those electric chair jockeys do not come without responsibility of my own. But I have the tools to change once again, and it may be a on-going struggle as I love to eat and drink.  IT IS UP TO ME.

I love to tell the story in one of the early meetings as I was on the road to loosing 43 pounds, after I lost my first 6 pounds in a week (guys have it so much easier than women), the Weight Watchers leader asked me to share my success with others in the meeting.  ”What did you do to loose 6 pounds so quickly?” I responded that she really did not want to know. She said, “C’mon, share with everyone so they can know:.  I said, ” I drank my points away with Vodka”.  She said, “seriously, what did you do for your success?”  I repeated that I drank my points away with Vodka.

You see, that is the beauty of Weight Watchers, YOU CHOOSE how to spend you points. They preach healthy foods and you will get many suggestions for the such, but in the end, you decide.  I love this program.  And you know, it is really a spin on good ole common sense. You consume more calories (points) than you take in.  Tonight, I am choosing to drink my points away, without dinner.

Now if you electric chair fat people can go with this, go for it.  I am behind you. There is room for failure.  I am proof. I have back slid. But with the tools that Weight Watchers gives you, my friend, it is totally up to you, and noone else.

Peace