Pearl Jam

Pearl Jam is scheduled to release the Reissue of Ten, the album that sold over 12 million copies and introduced the world to PJ! There are four packages to choose from and they hit stores on March 24th.

I cannot be more excited for this, Pearl Jam is my favorite band of all time! Stemming from Mother Love Bone to seeing them in concert last summer. You have to be crazy not to like them! They boycotted Ticketmaster for Christ sake! They're everything a band should stand for...the music! Today's musicians play for money, publicity, popularity, clothing lines, perfume/cologne, movie deals, accessories and fame. Young America eats it all up too, buying all that crap!

I wish I was able to see Pearl Jam, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nirvana, Bush, Green Day, Stone Temple Pilots, Collective Soul, Blind Melon, and Smashing Pumpkins in their primes. That was my childhood music, not this shit on the radio today!

I'll ease up on the ranting for now and just give the information on the album. The album extras include:

• Remaster of original Ten album + remix by producer Brendan O’Brien
• DVD of previously unreleased 1992 Pearl Jam MTV Unplugged performance with 5.1 surround sound audio remix
• LP of the band’s 1992 "Drop in the Park" concert
• Replica of Pearl Jam three-song demo cassette with Eddie Vedder’s original vocal dubs
• Recreation of Eddie Vedder composition notebook
• Never before seen memorabilia
• Bonus tracks and more.

Each Ten package will include two versions of the album: the remastered version of the original album PLUS an accompanying remixed version done by the band’s long-time producer, Brendan O’Brien (Bruce Springsteen, AC/DC, Audioslave).

So hit up the store on March 24th and enter the world of Pearl Jam!

Big Love

Big Love is a show based upon a family who are Polygamists and who are Mormon. This show is in its third season and is going strong! It gives a much different perspective than what I feel most people insinuate about Mormons. The family is pretty modern for what they make the viewers believe, they do not live on a traditional compound and only one of the wives wears traditional clothes. Bill, the husband and father runs his own business and is constantly coping with the internal and external struggles of being, Mormon, a Polygamist, a husband, father, son-in-law, and an entrepreneur.

501 Huguenot has been hooked on this program recently and has watched the entire season together. I definitely recommend this show for all, it is very interesting, not knowing anything about Mormons is enough to at least watch one episode. To discover and learn about other cultures should be something each and everyone of us should attempt.

Your constantly learning something new by watching this show, scenes never get get unrealistic either like some shows out there. Your satisfied with the choices everyone makes because their probably the same choices you would make. I really feel this show has taken some barriers down for me, especially my ignorance and negativeness of Mormons.

You can catch new episodes Big Love on Sundays at 9:00pm est, or on HBO Demand.

Recipe of the Week

This week I have decided to post one of my favorite TV personality chef's recipe, GiadaDe Laurentiis. I have made this sandwich in the past and it is very simple to make and very delicious. I've made quite a few of Giada's recipes and recommend everything she makes because you won't be dissatisfied.

Remember, don't ever be afraid to attempt! Here's the recipe, good luck!

4 (4 ounce) beef filet steaks
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 croissants
6 ounces Brie cheese, cut into 1/2 -inch slices, rind removed, at room temperature
2 cups arugula
1 cup (about 4 ounces) jarred roasted red bell peppers, thinly sliced

Season the steaks with salt and pepper. In a medium skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Cook the steaks for about 5 minutes each side for medium-rare. Set aside for 5 minutes before slicing. Slice the steak, across the grain, into 1/4 to 1/2-inch thick slices.

Heat a large non-stick skillet or griddle over medium heat. Using a serrated knife, slice the croissants in half lengthwise. In 2 batches, place the croissant halves, cut side-down in the skillet and cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute until lightly toasted. Spread the Brie over the toasted croissant halves. Place about 1/4 cup of the arugula on the bottom halves of the croissants. Add the sliced steak. Arrange the red bell pepper on top of the steak. Top with the remaining arugula and add the top of the croissant. Serve immediately.

Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 6 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes

Relationships....

Why do we commit or attempt to commit when we know it usually ends in a complete disaster, why? I can't even begin to answer that question, I don't think anyone knows why, well actually I do know why, but that's for a later time.

Valentines Day just passed and I don't think one person involved with 501 enjoyed that day. You see, this ridiculous "holiday" is completely controlled by the card companies and the jewelery companies. Commercials, print ads, radio commercials, pop-ups, spam mail, internet ads, are all ploys to get a man to BUY their product. They actually try and make you feel guilty for not getting any of it, they have completely brainwashed the female gender into thinking their way!

Never in 501's experience has V-Day ever gone successful. Either she is so happy with you and the night is "perfect", or she's hurt and unimpressed on how far the man went for her. What ever she picks, you still dropped an absurd amount of money and from the beginning was reluctant to do so. Clearly a catch 22.

What good comes out of this day anyway? It is 5 days since V-Day and 501 along with several of its members are no longer with their "valentines". So tell me what good is V-Day if things don't work out regardless of that "special" holiday? It's not like the scale of "things I do good vs things I do bad" tips to the good side any way. So then why do we do it? What's the point, it's not like we can even begin to rationalize a woman's thought process. Complicated is not even the start of it all.

Granted we're not as simple as we try and make our selves seem, but I think we do a little bit of a better job at it. You see, we might not know what we want in a woman, however women don't know what they want in most categories, so that just might pan out evenly. Now, I'm not trying to be mean, I'm just saying we might have something perfect in front of us and pass on it for the exact opposite, but continue to state that we are looking for someone like the previous woman. Sometimes we just want to be alone and linger out there and not have additional obligations to tend to everyday, but to enjoy the time spent with that someone. Sometimes we just don't want to argue anymore, sometimes we want to move FAR away just to do something different, and sometimes we're just to scared to see the future. That's life, sometimes we all make mistakes, but we do learn from them.


I don't know...

Thrown under the bus!

A-Rod, seriously! Your cousin shot you up with what you thought was an energy booster. You were injected on a cyclical basis and you only thought it was an energy boost? Being young and stupid, come on! I would have had a lot more respect for some kind of truth, I really didn't think he was going up there today and was going to make a ridiculous statement, like that.

I feel bad for his cousin, this guy is probably sitting on his couch in the D.R. like, "what! You S.O.B! You knew!" He totally threw this guy under the bus!

It just seemed so cheesy, as if he still never actually said he took steroids. Maybe that was the point, I mean he does have an agent, manager, publicist, legal team and a crisis intervention team with him.

What ever its over, hopefully this won't distract everyone else on the team to much.

A-Rod

I know its been a couple of days since the A-Rod story broke, but I needed some time to gather some thoughts on this subject. I feel like there are so many issues with just this instance. What I am about to write are my thoughts and feelings on this issue, I have no affiliation with MLB, A-Rod, the New York Yankees or any other topic that might be expressed. Try to bare with me and my rambled thoughts.

First, why did MLB give these players who tested positive arbitration in 2003? Who were the other 100+ plus players? Is A-Rod the only high profile name on the list? If this was supposed to be kept quiet then why did Sports Illustrated leak this, or even print it? Since when does cheating have acceptable guidelines? This just feels like a slap in the face to Pete Rose and the members of the "Black" Sox? They were caught cheating and were punished to the fullest degree.

Are we just supposed to accept that a majority of MLB players take steroids and are just going with the flow? Is this the only way these players can keep them selves ahead of the curve and in the game? Is it all about the money, and how to keep "providing" for your family? Because my father kept food on the table with a lot less than 10 million dollars a year!

You know, I really wasn't this angry when I started writing, I guess it affects me more than I thought it would.

Is MLB telling us that they knew all about this, that they actually knew for certain that people used and let them continue to play. Where does the trickle down affect start and stop? If MLB knew does that mean the MLBPA knew, did Bud Selig know, did the owners know, did the front office of each team know, did the managers know, for Christ sake did the ball boys know?

I love this game more than a lot of other things, how can you take the purity out of this game? Your supposed to play for the love of it, for the passion.... for the integrity.

Paintball

I would like to start off apologizing for my absence to 501 Huguenot St. Truthfully nothing to interesting happened last week. I know what your thinking, NO EXCUSES, YOU PROMISED! Well I'm sorry!

Anyways, on Saturday 501 and the boys went to long island to play some good ole' fashion PAINTBALL! 10 of us caravan'd to Coram, Long Island to Cousins Paint Ball. We had a hell of a time! Nothing like a bunch of black and blue welts to make you feel like a man!

This was our second annual trip to Cousins, only this year we were put into a public course instead of a private party. This meant we had two teams of 30 or more players, and not just regular players or first timers like us, but near professionals. You know those guys, all decked out in new gear, expensive guns, camoflage, extra clips of paint, CO2 cannisters, pretty much like the guy in the picture above. There we were sweat pants, sweat shirts, sneakers, crappy rental equipment and zero talent but we had a blast! We didn't do that bad either.

There really is nothing like running through the woods scared as hell and hoping your not going to be the first one shot. I completely reccomend people doing this at least once a year, gets alot of frustration out! Plus it is a lot of fun too!

Heart of a Ranger

Last night I attended the Adam Graves Night: Heart of Ranger and it was one of the impacting moments in my life. I attended the game with a life long ranger fan and friend; my father. This was only the second time that he and I attended a Rangers game, so therefore when I received these spectacular tickets it was only fitting to take him. From the moment we walked into Madison Square Garden we were starstruck. Neither he or I ever witnessed something with that kind of magnitude and emotion. Indirectly I got to relive my childhood, standing there with my dad and witnessing my childhood idols step onto the ice one last time. There I was excited beyond belief to see Jeff Beukeboom, Tie Domi, Glenn Healy, Mike Gartner, Darren Langdon, Sergei Nemchinov, Stephane Matteau, Mark Messier, Brian Leetch, Mike Richter and Adam Graves! Eyes wide open and yelling at my dad each, "Look dad its..." after every player was announced. My dad even witnessed players he adored, Eddie Giacomin and Rod Gilbert. Graves was given gifts by each group of guests, a signed Bruce Springstein guitar, a photo mosaic of his retired number, a police badge and plaque in remembrance of his late father Robert Graves, a Garden of Dreams Award and finally a signed Soprano's sweater given by the entire cast of Adam's favorite television show.

Even after the heartfelt speeches by Mark Messier and Adam Graves my dad and I were still clear eyed and silent. All that went out the window when his number 9 banner was raised while his family was at his side. The two of us turned on the waterworks, it was at that moment when my father put his arm around me, at 24 year old man and said, "I will always remember this son...I love you." If you could only imagine what that meant for the two of us, a relationship that was very "be the man of the house when Dad is gone" was like. Like I said before the whole night was one of the most impacting and emotional night of my life.

I still cannot believe I was there! I was there the night Adam Grave's jersey was retired into the rafters at Madison Square Garden. I'll be able to say to my son one day, "see that jersey up there, daddy was there that night it went up!"

Polar Plunge

On Sunday before I witnessed one of greatest Superbowl's ever, 501 Huguenot jumped into the Atlantic Ocean. Every year down in Long Beach, Long Island the Make A Wish foundation hosts a polar bear plunge. This year Guinness Book of World Records were there to witness approx. 20,000 people sprint from the beach into the water.

This was first time I ever jumped into the freezing water...well first organized time. I'll explain another time. Don't let anyone ever tell you that it isn't that cold, because it is! True, you do feel great when you get out and it is an adrenaline rush, but it is still really cold. It is for charity and donations go to a great cause. Will I do it again, will 501 do it again......ABSOLUTELY!