New IFOCE Rankings!

New rankings are out. Only a few subtle changes. Bertoletti has moved up to #2, ahead of Kobayashi who falls to #3. Good for Pat. I did not agree with the last ranking change that put Joey at #1 ahead of Kobayashi seemingly just because the Nathan's result. But now I'm OK with it because now I think Kobayashi is punk-assedly making excuses for not being as good as Joey and Pat are now. Neil Young sung it's better to burn out than fade away. I guess Kobayashi is fading away instead of burning out. Sayonara.

Back to the rankings. Rios and Goldstein traded places (so did Richard Foley and Sean Verma - all together now: WHO?). Boone & Chi dropped off. Sciullo enters ahead of Bubba. And, Lipsitz is ranked again AFTER HIS "RETIREMENT" at #48. The IFOCE seems to pull some interesting moves (to say the least) and that one ranks right up there.

That's all.

S-C-O-R-E

Pretty much immediately when we switched from Sylvan Learning Centers to Score! we saw quick progress with Bobby. When kids love to learn, they will learn. At Sylvan, it is so much more of a "mill" feeling than at Score learning. They are a very innovative tutor indeed! We do not worry about finding out why that is but it is what it is. Bobby is flourishing, especially with reading, at Score with his mom in Texas so that is all that matters!

No matter what the subject matter, Score can handle it and get your 4 to 14 year old kid learning too! They have the normal Math Tutors, Reading Tutors, and Writing Tutors. But they also offer study skills courses and much more. It sometimes is how your child is studying. So I urge you to see what Score can do for you and your kids!

Whoa!

Tonight I was placing an order on tdameritrade.com - the BEST online broker! I've used them for over 10 years - and I came across Deckers Footwear. They make UGGS. Anyway, back in 1999 you could have picked up a share for a bit over $1. Now it is over $143 a share! Jesus Christ. Now is probably not the time but Jesus Christ.

Save Big Ca$h

With the holiday season right around the corner and soon to kick into full gear you need to know there are quite a few coupon sites but one great coupons site is CouponChief.com! All you need to do is go to the site, find the merchant where you want to shop, click on the coupon and you are automatically redirected to the merchant site and any coupons get applied automatically! No more entering obscure promo codes! CouponChief has so many merchants from A to Z so you probably will find the one you want!

We shop from Circuit City for a lot for electronics and computer stuff, and this site has a dizzying array of very useful CircuitCity.com coupons! CircuitCity.com has some great deals and CouponChief makes the deals even better! This holiday season do not forget the pets. CouponChief and PETCO is a great combination. Stop by and see for yourself!

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For all you dorks out there that sit behind a keyboard all day and tap on it like monkeys (hey, that's what I do you byotch...) here is something out of which you might get a kick:

This Adds Up

Almost immediately when we switched from Sylvan Learning Centers to Score! we saw quick progress with Bobby and his math class. When kids love to learn, they will learn. At Sylvan, it is so much more of a "mill" feeling than at Score learning. They are a very innovative tutor indeed! We do not worry about finding out why that is but it is what it is. Bobby is flourishing at Score with his mom in Texas so that is all that matters!

No matter what the subject matter, Score can handle it and get your 4 to 14 year old kid learning too! They have the normal Math Tutors, reading, and writing. But they also offer study skills courses and much more. It sometimes is how your child is studying. So I urge you to see what Score can do for you and your kids!

Alfonso's

T-munny and I went to another spot on our tour of eateries in the greater Canon City/Florence/Wetmore metropolitan area. This time:

Alfonso's Real Mexican Food, in the Conoco.

You might remember we went to Mr. Ortegalini's a little while back. That place is in a neat building but the food sucked. Alfonso's is in a many-people-would-think-crappy building but the food is bananas. Bananas is good.

You walk into the Conoco and turn toward Alfonso's counter. Think of any Mexican food item. It will be on the menu.

The fonts size on the right side of the menu make reading some things difficult, but on the left side are photos of the combinacions so if you want to can find a photo that looks good and go for that.

I had the carnitas combination.

Tortillas, killer. Rice, killer. Pico, killer. Beans, killer. Green sauce (in the mustard bottle), killer. Red sauce (in the ketchup bottle), killer. Carnitas, absolutely killer. The only non-killer thing was the guacamole. I would not eat guac anyway so no big deal but it looked pretty unappetizing - see that green loose-bowel-movement blob under the beans?

T went for the chcken enchilada combo.



The tortillas were YOOGE!

Break the tortilla in quarters and stuff it full of:

The carnita meat was unbelievable.

Alfonso's was unexpectedly good. We'll be going back there again and again. Burritos are around $3 or $4 or so but they have a $9 grande. I'll find out what that's all about. But without that guacamole! (And sour cream

Check It: Capella

So this guy at work wants to go back to school to get his mba. He is always busy and has 2 kids. He wanted to go to a traditional school, but how would he find time? He has finally realized that and has been looking into online schools. He has checked out a couple most notably University of Phoenix. I told him to check out capella university in Minneapolis. They are accredited and offer a bunch of different programs. Right now they have over 20,000 students from all over the US and from all over the globe – like 60+ countries. Anyway, we’ll see how it goes.

Chipotle Plans

Along with Crocs stock another darling of the stock speculator this year is Chipotle. And like Crocs they are the news lately for a big decision they are taking: to open more restaurants. Not in the United States, but in Canada. They are starting with just one outlet but they will see how it goes and they will open more stores in Canada as the results roll in. I am definitely keeping an eye on this!

Here It Is!

There is this guy at work who is single and he is always in search for another avenue to meet someone. He tried a new free dating service – DateHookup.com. What follows is his experience from signing up to using the site:

Great site! It is really easy to sign up as a member and begin the search. Their search features make it so easy to find exactly what you want. And posting my bio was so easy and fun too. They also have a search engine for date ideas. I have not yet found the perfect someone but I know I will here. I would highly recommend this site to anyone. It is great and much better than other dating sites out there.

Had to go back: A & W

Look at these delectables:

A & W's Original Deluxe Bacon Double Cheeseburgers. It's kind of interesting that two people each constructed one and the first dude went patty-cheese-patty-cheese, bacon and then toppings while the other dude broke out toppings then cheese-patty-cheese-patty and finally bacon. I had them leave off the (..shudder..) mayo. I was going to also leave off the cheese but sampling from the menu means cheese on the cheeseburger.

And as with the others, I combined one onto the other.

I did add the ketchup.



This quad was totally not something that could be put down once you started. Things would have fallen off for sure with all the lubrication.

Here is the burger blanket after I was finished...

The A & W burger had that fast-foody taste. And after-effects. Unlike the BK burgers that are, disturbingly, almost good. The Angus burger from Burger King was almost top-notch. BK knows their anus.

You Want Leads?

How many times have you thought this same thing: No matter what field you are in you probably want to get ahead of the next guy. That is never easier than getting the best mailing list you can. And to do that do not look anywhere but Martin Worldwide. They have some great Mailing Lists you can purchase. They are innovative as well. One of their most successful products is ResponseCom. It is a potent, proprietary blend of databases that gives you a very versatile database. Martin Worldwide is one of the largest and most successful mailing list providers. They have decades of experience and that has led to a very good database of 290 million consumers! Check them out today!

Crocs News

If you haven't heard yet, Crocs is opening two retail stores on the East Coast. One in Boston and the other in New York City. There is already a store in Santa Monica, CA, and there are about 20 others around the globe. I think London, Helsinki, Tokyo, etc. We'll see how that affects their stock price.

Try This Stuff!

A buddy of mine, El Toro, is well-known by anyone involved, even tangentially, with the International Federation of Competitive Eating. But many of you readers might not know that El Toro harbors an old chronic pain. His training has resulted in wild fluctuations in his weight and stomach size. What this has done is to result in chronic pain in the abdominal region due to the stretching in both ways. It is unfortunate but that is one of the things that can happen in this line. He used to believe there was no fix for his ailment. But he has good things to say about Freeze It.
(That's Toro on the right)

Freeze It is available in a 3 ounce roll on or it is available in a 4 ounce tube of gel that you rub on the area. Toro has discovered that no other solution is as effective as Freeze It. What he would give to win a supply of the gel! All he does is rub it into his abdominal area before his training begins and he is good to go. He is amazed and wants to let everyone know how great the product is.

If you to their website you can read about Freeze It Gel and read the testimonials of actual people who use Freeze It and how much good it has done for them. If you work out like I do then sore muscles are very common. Freeze It can help! Arthritis is all too common as well. Why not try Freeze It? Of course you might not experience the same reactions as some of the testimonial people but you should at least try it. Me, for example, I get some neck pain every now from the workouts. Freeze It can handle it!

Take a look at their TV commercial and then be sure to go to their website to find out what Freeze It can do for you.

2 + 2

I'm hooked on the greasy goodness of BK after getting the two Anus Burgers. Tonight:

Two double Whoppers. Each has two fresh tomatoes, some onion, some lettuce, a couple pickle slices, and some ketchup. Hold the mayo. That and large water. Keep the calories down.

Like with the Anuses, move the patties and toppings from one burger to the other.

And we're ready. With all juices from the veggies and from the ketchup this was definitely a don't-put-down-keep-eating situation...

Toward the end, the top bun had totally disintegrated. The final two or three bites were open-faced.

I think the durability of the corn-dusted bun from the Angus burgers might be an idea to try on the Whoppers. But maybe the top bun disintegrated because of the grip I had on this quad Whopper from Burger King where you can have it your way.

Check It: New Cards!

Is anyone out there looking for some credit cards? If you are, great! If you are not, why not! Get some more credit cards and run up your credit card debt! It is the American thing to do! Check out CreditCardSearchEngine.com, by far the best site to compare cards and apply for cards. Any kind: low interest credit cards, airline miles credit cards, a Small Business Credit Card, walnut nuts, peanut nuts, anything!

There are a dizzying array of cards out there and available to anyone so anyone looking for a credit card should compare the choices. That is where the website comes in. You can choose the category, view the cards available, compare them, and even submit credit card applications right there in one spot. Cool. And the site offers something for everyone. If you have good credit, then take your pick of the choices. If you have bad credit, then the site offers cards that can help you rebuild your credit.

I am looking around for a good card for balance transfers. I can go to the site, make my selection, and see the many optimal balance transfer cards available to me. Quick! Easy! You should check it out to see what it can do for you!

Build a Deck

I am looking around for solid deck plans. The deck we want to put up is not going to be a big deal but it has to be a sturdy construction. I have found one great website for deckplans.com and it looks pretty good. Their system is called the Floating Deck System and it looks pretty easy and the finished product looks great. Hmm, I will keep looking.

Review: Biotene Kicks Ass!

If you have sensitive teeth like I do then you just have to try this stuff from Biotene. You all know about my sensitive stomach, and I am dealing with that, but you might not know about my teeth and that for a while now I have been searching for a good sensitive toothpaste to use. Biotene might be it.

At the Krystal’s event in October the teeth were really acting up. The burgers were not too hot, but they were just a little over a tolerable temperature. So eating them killed. But when I got back to the hotel I brushed with this Biotene. Then later I had fresh, hot Krystal’s and it was not a problem at all. Amazing! Biotene rocks!

The thing that is really cool is that Biotene does not just make the problem like the competitors but rather it solves it. And fast, too! It is really amazing to me how fast it works. Your experience might not be the same as mine but I think you should try it if you need something like it. Before you do try it definitely check out their site to read all the information.

Here is the tube of Biotene next to my toothbrush. I cannot get enough of this stuff!

Yuck

Check out this. It seems like it wouldn't be that hard to do but obviously it is:

S.D. man downs 5.5 ounces of hot sauce

TEA, S.D. (AP) - A South Dakotan may be new world-record holder when it comes to swallowing Tabasco sauce. Levi Johnson of Tea drank 5.5 ounces of the hot sauce, or nearly 3 bottles, in 30 seconds at a sports bar in that community.

The Guinness Book of World Records lists the previous record at 5.07 ounces. Johnson's feat must be verified by Guinness publishers before it is considered official.

This was on 9news.com

November?!?

Here goes another weather update. The calendar says November but this is crap. We got a little snow in October but it was a here-today-gone-tomorrow thing because it was like 70 degrees the day before the snow, then it snowed, and got warm again. And the ground being so warm was no help in keeping the snow around. Maybe there's something mid-week. Updates as necessary.

Innovate or Else

Almost immediately when we switched from Sylvan Learning Centers to Score! we saw quick progress with Bobby. When kids love to learn, they will learn. At Sylvan, it is so much more of a "mill" feeling than at Score learning. They are a very Innovative Tutor indeed! We do not worry about finding out why that is but it is what it is. Bobby is flourishing at Score with his mom in Texas so that is all that matters!

No matter what the subject matter, Score can handle it and get your 4 to 14 year old kid learning too! They have the normal math, reading, and writing. But they also offer study skills courses and much more. It sometimes is how your child is studying. So I urge you to see what Score can do for you and your kids!

Dr. Big Deal

Just keeding, Doc. But seriously, that lighting was ideal:

You've done this before: your arms are perfectly positioned. Great even skin tone. Doing that on national TV (well, "national" is stretching since it was Spike.. Am I right? Am I right, people..) takes some balls. I'm pretty much pasty white from the neck down, and I'm a hairy monkey. But what are you covering up? Dr. Flabby McFlab?

I challenge you, Dr. Juris Shibayama (if that's your name), to a body fat % throwdown. The winner will have bragging rights as the (unofficial) most fit eater in the IFOCE. A few months ago I thought I was, but seeing Wedges & Wings...If anybody else wants in, that's fine.

Hooray for NCNatural!

Before you know it Christmas and other holidays will be here. We are all probably going to turn to the web to buy some, most or all of our gifts. Before you do buy anything online you would be smart to check out NCNatural's coupon site first. Coupons kick ass! Just ask Humble Bob. The layout of the site is very simple so that users can quickly find the coupons they need. And the site is updated on a daily basis with offers from hundreds of merchants. The merchants are popular: Dell, Cabela's, Omaha Steaks, Target, and many more! You never know who they may add next!

You are shopping anyway. Why not save some money! Check them out today and be ready!

A & W

Yet more coupons used. This time, buy-one-get-one for the Coney Chili Dogs and also for the Root Beer Float. I do not think I had ever eaten at an A&W. I know I've gone through the drive-thru for the float before but that's it.

Very greasy chili, but the onions are perfect.


Nothing special about the dogs and buns. The hot dogs were not as long as the normal-sized buns. And, does any other place still use these Styrofoam containers? I assume these containers aren't as bad as the ones used up to the 80s but still...


More soft serve and less root beer! Yeah, only one float but the guy did not charge me for it - other than me surrendering the BOGO for the floats. I'll take that deal.

Review: Wikiinvest.com

A lot of people are winning a lot of money in the International Federation of Competitive Eating events but at some point you have got to find a better source of income. That better source, I think, is the stock market. There is so much money to be made in the market. And lost, too, but there are ways to minimize losses and maximize gains. Be informed. A really good way to be informed is to use wikiinvest. Wikiinvest, as its name suggests, is a financial wiki. There is a pantload of good information.

This morning I was looking around this wiki for new investment ideas. I have heard about gas and oil companies, so I checked out what the wiki has to say about Exxon Mobil (XOM). There are other gas and oil companies, but XON looks good! I learned that Exxon is so much more than just oil. Because of this they are ranked among the six big supermajor petroleum companies. That is good to know, and that is a new angle to me. This wiki rocks!

On the wiki is a lot of news you will not find at other financial sites. I highly recommend it and I do not think you can do better than this site. Check it out and see what you can learn from it.

241@BK

Another 2-for-1 coupon! This time: Burger King. The Angus Beef Burger

Jeez, I don't know when the last time was when I went in a Burger King. Well, I went in one a few months ago to take a dump. But eat, who knows.

Let's get started:

I took them both out of their wrappers. One, to inspect each one to make sure the nasty-ass mayo is not on them (it was on both). Two, to see what the Angus Burger is.

Bun, meat, onion, lettuce, tomato, some type of BBQ sauce, mayo (damn), bun. No problem with the mayo - it's only on that top bun so it is easy enough to scrape off. To minimize the mayo exposure I decide to throw out one mayo-defiled top bun and one semi-soggy bottom bun. Put the remaining insides on top of the other insides. Double Angus.

So it is built. It looks good, actually.

And it doesn't taste all that bad. The freshly toasted corn-dusted bun compressed and broke apart right away but it was tasty. The onions were very mild, but provided a refreshing crunch that the wilty lettuce did not provide. Each meat patty, 100% Angus char-broiled beef, was maybe 1/4 lb or so. Other than for the flat top and bottom of each patty, they looked and tasted like something you might make at home.

When I got done, I was pleasantly surprised. It was quite tasty. I won't make a habit of going to Burger King, but it was good to try once. If I had one idea to better this burger, add bacon! (When I got home to calculate the nutri-numbers, I discovered BK offers an Angus Bacon & Cheese Burger).

Many people, and me too, look upon eating these fast-food burgers with derision. But actually BK burgers aren't that bad themselves. Hold the mayo - and any other crappy condiments - and hold the cheese. You're set. And you can enjoy the flavors of the meat, onions, and whatever else.

This is Easy!

This guy at work is single and he is always in search for another avenue to meet someone. He tried a new free dating site – DateHookup.com. What follows is his experience from signing up to using the site:

Great site! It is really easy to sign up and begin the search. Their search features make it so easy to find exactly what you want. And posting my bio was so easy and fun too. They also have a search engine for date ideas. I have not yet found the perfect someone but I know I will here. I would highly recommend this site to anyone. It is great and much better than other dating sites out there.

Krystal Square Off IV

I have uploaded the full 8-minute Krystal Hamburger Eating Championship. The two biggest stories are Humble Bob, and Liz. I don't know the full results yet but it appears as if Tim's decision to eat the 10lb of ramen noodles yesterday hurt his Krystal final...but a very smart move as far as winning a title and winning whatever he won for it (maybe a Wii?).

Billy, if 103 Krystal's isn't a supersizedmeal, what is?!?

Update - Tim downed 74. Very good decision.

Termites

When we bought the Big House the inspection of the house turned up a few things. One was some evidence of termites in the basement. We made sure the seller had a licensed termite exterminator took care of anything. He did but if you want to DIY take a look at this online guide to find out all you can. Lots of good info on this site.

Cheesesteak Update

If you haven't read the setup, it's here.

I ate the other half of the Cuban. I think it tasted much better and it was actually quite good. I had wrapped it up at Pat's, and just left it on the kitchen counter when I got home. About 5 hours later it was room temperature.

It had not become soggy in any way - even with the pickles touching the bread. And the oil. Also the bread was not glistening as it was at Pat's. Could the prov wit half had tasted better if I had taken it home, too?

Free Tacos!

Taco Bell. There is some fine print to read. But who can complain about free food! Turns out there were just two stolen bases in this 4-game series but that's better than nothing. And the way it worked out was these two stolen bases were in 2 games that got redeemed on the same day so TB was only on the hook for one free taco.. oh well..

Seriously

Normally the articles and posts on this blog are light and fun with topics like food, eating, home improvement, or whatever, but not this one. I want to tell everyone about Alzheimer's disease. I will not go on a whole lot about the disease – we all know enough about what it is, who it affects, the usual prognosis, how those who are affected deal with the disease – but I am going to talk about the Alzheimer's Foundation of America.

If you have not heard of them before you need to know that their mission is "to provide optimal care and services to individuals confronting dementia, and to their caregivers and families—through member organizations dedicated to improving quality of life." There is not a whole lot to say. The Foundation is great and they perform a valuable resource to affected individuals and their caregivers. What is not to like about that?

But doing the good work they do is not cheap. It is sad but today is about money. At least in some situations. And this is one of those situations. The Foundation gets a lot of donations that keep it going. People often wonder if their donations matter and are used effectively. At the Foundation a very robust 87% of donated amount is used directly for Foundation do-good.

With the holidays coming up you might think you can’t help. But you can! Go To their eStore and buy a holiday gift! Or two or three! While seeking a cure to Alzheimer's is important, ensuring quality care for those who suffer from the disease must not be overlooked, so the holidays are a good time to gift a donation or buy a gift from the eStore. Check out what they have. You might be surprised at the stuff. Caring for patients is important so they need all the help they can get.

It's About F-in Time!

Damn Al Gore and his inventing this global warming scam. But seriously, around here the weather is really sucky so far this winter, well I guess it is fall but still. Not that I mind 70 degree blue-sky days, love it, but it should be colder and there should be some snow. One day.

Try Dentemp Now

Did I ever tell you about the time a few months ago when I was up on stage in an International Federation of Competitive Eating competition in Reno. The food was ribs. Spare ribs. You must love ribs! Anyway, so there I was eating away and before I knew what was happening one of my fillings fell out. And it hurt like a bitch! And what is even worse is that it hurt so badly that I had to stop eating because the rib meat on the exposed root hurt big time! It might be the worst pain ever. It was pretty embarrassing too to have to stop.

Man, if I only had heard of Dentemp OS then. It is the best temporary dental repair tools out there. One hour with Dentemp and you are set! Dentemp could not be easier to use. All you do is simply open the vial that it comes in, mix it around a bit, and it is ready to use. It sets very quickly too – in 30 minutes it is safe to eat. Why suffer through the pain if you do not need to. Go with Dentemp and you will not have to suffer the pain and embarrassment like I did in Reno.

Pat's - Part II

After eating half of the prov wit, it's on to the next: South Florida Cuban.

Unlike the above, it's not a perfect combination of Seasoned Roast Pork, Ham, Melted Swiss Cheese & Pickles but it's quite tasty. And drippy:

The cheesesteak was packed full of chopped meat. The Cuban - not quite as packed full of chopped pork and ham.

My initial idea was to eat one of each half there, and take the other two halves home to see how they both taste when not piping hot and eaten right away but that prov wit is phenomenal.

So I do have the last half of the Cuban. I will update when I eat it.