APT518.net
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Kids, got'em. Books, read'em. Bacon, Om Nom Nom.
gscott2010-08-19T11:23:52ZPICTURES PICTURES PICTURES
http://www.apt518.net/blog/index.php?op=ViewArticle&articleId=49&blogId=1
<p>Along with the belated birthdays, I'm also quite tardy posting new pictures. Just in time for Easter, I'm posting whole batches of new pictures, going back to Will's first bowling trip in January. Here's a list of links to the new pictures: </p><p> </p><ul> <li><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/gscottwalters/WillS1stBowlingTrip#" target="_blank">Will's First Bowling Trip</a></li> <li><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/gscottwalters/WillS1stBowlingTrip#" target="_blank"></a><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/gscottwalters/ValentineSDayFacePaint#" target="_blank">Will gets his face painted at school</a></li> <li><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/gscottwalters/ValentineSDayFacePaint#" target="_blank"></a><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/gscottwalters/ValentineSDay#" target="_blank">Valentine's Day</a></li> <li><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/gscottwalters/ValentineSDay#" target="_blank"></a><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/gscottwalters/WillS5thBirthdayParty#" target="_blank">Will's Birthday Party</a></li> <li><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/gscottwalters/WillS5thBirthdayParty#" target="_blank"></a><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/gscottwalters/WillS5thBirthdayAtMOA#" target="_blank">Will's Birthday Dinner at the Mall of America</a></li> <li><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/gscottwalters/WillS5thBirthdayAtMOA#" target="_blank"></a><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/gscottwalters/StPatrickSDay2010#" target="_blank">St Patricks Day</a></li> <li><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/gscottwalters/StPatrickSDay2010#" target="_blank"></a><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/gscottwalters/EllaS1stSwing#" target="_blank">Ella's first swing at the park.</a></li> <li><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/gscottwalters/EllaS1stSwing#" target="_blank"></a><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/gscottwalters/MNZooInMarch#" target="_blank">Family Trip to the Minnesota Zoo</a></li> <li><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/gscottwalters/Apr12010#" target="_blank">Ella's Birthday Party (part 1) </a> </li> <li><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/gscottwalters/Apr12010_2#" target="_blank">Ella's Birthday Party (part 2)</a></li></ul><p> </p>apt518EllaWillbirthdays2010-04-01T20:39:26ZgscottNo Foolin': Happy Birthday Ella
http://www.apt518.net/blog/index.php?op=ViewArticle&articleId=48&blogId=1
<p>We celebrated Ella's Birthday today. Presents, cake, pictures and Will got a hair cut. </p><p>Ella enjoyed her day, wanted to say Thank you to everyone for her presents: </p><p><object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="355" data="http://www.youtube.com/v/s_0KPGFs_-0" id="ltVideoYouTube"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/s_0KPGFs_-0" /> <param name="wmode" value="transparent" /> <param name="allowScriptAccess" value="sameDomain" /> <param name="quality" value="best" /> <param name="bgcolor" value="#ffffff" /> <param name="FlashVars" value="playerMode=embedded" /></object> </p>birthdays2010-04-01T18:58:16ZgscottHappy (Belated) Birthdays
http://www.apt518.net/blog/index.php?op=ViewArticle&articleId=47&blogId=1
<p>March was a big month for birthdays, and I forgot to mention any of them until now. So with little fan fare and my appologies for not doing this sooner, here's the list. </p><p> </p><ul> <li>Tara Bland (3/3)</li> <li>Will Walters (3/9)</li> <li>Grandma Bettie (3/20) </li> <li><strong>Erin Rouke </strong>(3/30)</li> <li><strong>Uncle Dan </strong>(3/30)</li></ul><div>And while I wasn't there to sing Happy Birthday to your personally, here's something just as special. </div><div> </div><div><object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="355" data="http://www.youtube.com/v/m44z-223UYE" id="ltVideoYouTube"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/m44z-223UYE" /> <param name="wmode" value="transparent" /> <param name="allowScriptAccess" value="sameDomain" /> <param name="quality" value="best" /> <param name="bgcolor" value="#ffffff" /> <param name="FlashVars" value="playerMode=embedded" /></object> </div><p> </p>apt518birthdays2010-03-30T07:14:07ZgscottMounds Pancakes
http://www.apt518.net/blog/index.php?op=ViewArticle&articleId=46&blogId=1
<p>Will, Ella and I let Mommy sleep this morning. Learning from our past experiment with Banana Coconut waffles, we sprung forth a new adventure, named above. Our recipe went something like this: </p><p> </p><ul> <li>2 cups Bisquick </li> <li>3/4 cup Milk</li> <li>chocolate chips (added individually to each pancake)</li> <li>toasted shredded coconut* (added individually to each pancake)</li> <li>2 eggs</li> <li>2 bananas**</li></ul><div> Then, it's just pancakes as usual. Place batter on a warm skillet, add ingredients as you feel necessary. I recommend adding the chocolate chips BEFORE the coconut. Flip once, and viola. Pancakes. And if you haven't yet got your fill of coconut, sprinkle some on your pancakes after buttering and syruping. </div><div> </div><div>* I toasted my own shedded coconut, just spread out the coconut on a cookie sheet and heat at 350 for 15-20 minutes. Once the edges start turning golden brown, remove from oven and mix together. </div><div>** I know Mounds doesn't have bananas, but I like bananas so we added them in too. </div><div> </div><div>The whole Walters clan enjoyed these for breakfast. </div><p> </p>Food2010-03-28T14:47:57ZgscottValley of the Moon Zinfandel and Tanzania Peaberry Coffee
http://www.apt518.net/blog/index.php?op=ViewArticle&articleId=45&blogId=1
<p>Kirsten and I made some pasta for dinner last night. We added some ground sausage and wine to some La Rossa's pasta sauce and set it to simmer while we boiled the water for pasta. For the wine, we opened a bottle of 2004 <a href="http://www.valleyofthemoonwinery.com/">Valley of the Moon</a> Zinfandel. Kirsten and I had toured this winery during a trip to Sonoma a couple years ago, and while we enjoyed the wine, we definitely enjoyed some other wines even more. This was the only bottle we purchased from this winery on that trip; and after the first couple sips the memories of mediocrity came flooding back. While certainly not a bad wine, it wasn't a great wine either. It was better than the Northern Vines, but not as good as the <a href="http://www.apt518.net/blog/index.php?op=ViewArticle&articleId=42&blogId=1">Doobie Red</a>. In fact, the more time that goes by, the more I wish I had bought more of that particular wine. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><hr /> <p> </p><p>Tragity struck the Walters house on Thursday when I ran out of coffee. So, a trip to may favorite new (and some would say inconveniently located) coffee shop, J & S Bean Factory. Don't let the silly name fool you, they are serious bean heads. They purchase the raw beans from co-ops, farmers, or ethical resellers and roast the beans on site. K stopped by on the way home, and picked up a pound of <a href="http://www.jsbeanfactory.com/index.php/African-Coffees/Tanzania-Peaberry/Detailed-product-flyer.html">Tanzanian Peaberry</a>. I brewed my first pot this morning, and let me tell you, those are some delicious beans. LIght, fruity and strongly caffeinated. Makes a great start to a saturday, or any morning really. </p><p> </p><hr /><br /><p> </p><div>I watched the Michigan State Spartans beat the Northern Iowa Panthers last night. I thought UNI put up a good first half against MSU, but the second half MSU did everything that it needed to, and UNI couldn't make a basket to save it's season. I saw a stat near the end of the game that said UNI didn't score a field goal in the final 10 minutes. It's hard to win basketball games if you can't put the ball in the basket. Congrats to UNI on a great season.They exceeded all expectation. </div>sportsWinecoffee2010-03-27T13:42:07ZgscottBig Sky Brewing Company: Buckin' Monk Tripel Ale
http://www.apt518.net/blog/index.php?op=ViewArticle&articleId=44&blogId=1
<p>There is a reason this beer comes in only 750 ml bottles and a cork; this beer has some serious carbonation. And not in a bad way. I popped the cork, and began to poor into a standard pint glass, and immediately it began to foam. In fact the first pour was nothing but foam. To empty the bottle into two pint glasses, it took about 20 minutes, but it was definately worth the wait. </p><p> It's likely that there will only be 3000 blog posts about this beer, as it was a Limited Edition. And I know that it's a limited edition because it's hand numbered on the back "1459 of 3000". If you see a bootle of this in the store, buy it. It's THAT good. Once the foam settles, you are in for a treat as the sweet malts and barley give this beer an almost candy flavor but with a nice alcohol finish to remind you that this is a strong beer (10% Ach/Vol). </p><p>You may be thinking, Big Sky, haven't I seen that name around before? In fact you have. These are the same people that bring you wonderfully mass-produced bottles of Moose Drool, Trout Slayer and Slow Elk. This beer is not of that ilk. It's a beautifully crafted beer that makes the mouth sing for joy and thanks you for not giving in an buying PBR. </p><p>Four Firkins still had at least a couple of these on the shelf last week, I'm hoping we can be lucky enough to find one more. </p><p> </p>Beer2010-03-24T20:24:57ZgscottSports and Coffee
http://www.apt518.net/blog/index.php?op=ViewArticle&articleId=43&blogId=1
<p>Big shout out to by UNI Panthers for knocking off number one seeded Kansas over the weekend. Since ESPN, CBS, NCAA.com and even David Letterman have all had their chance to praise the Panthers, I'll save my words for more interesting topics. </p><p>MLS 2010 season was saved from a stupid players strike. An agreement for a 5 year collective bargaining agreement was signed last week. I'm glad this got done sooner than later. ESPN has more details <a href="http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=758671&sec=mls&cc=5901" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><p> </p><hr />Caribou Coffee has changed their look. For the most part, it's pretty much same-old, same-old. Caribou used to have a policy that would allow for $0.50 refills on a cup of coffee after you purchased your first one at full price. THis policy has been dropped, and instead you have to pay FULL price for any refill. Combine that with the fact that they raised the price of a large cup of coffee by $0.45 and it leaves me paying significantly more for my daily dose of caffeine. I like Caribou, but paying more than $2.00 is for a cup of their coffee, when I can go to Dunn Brothers or StarBucks for 7/8th the price, isn't worth my time. <p> </p><p>Caribou, I used to love you. Now, you are dead to me. I cancelled the refill card I've had for the last 7 years. Breaking up is hard, but the Dunn Brothers are my new mistress(es). </p><p> </p>Foodsports2010-03-24T07:55:26ZgscottWine, wine and more wine
http://www.apt518.net/blog/index.php?op=ViewArticle&articleId=42&blogId=1
<p>Over the weekend, Kirsten and I took the kids to Stillwater, MN. It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon, and they have a nice park for Will (and maybe Ella) to play in and lots of interesting shops downtown. Instead, the park had not yet opened for the season (a gated park?! WTF!). So we took a walk through the town and along the sandbag dike by the river; it's flood season in MN. We stopped by <a href="http://northernvineyards.com/wine-list.taf" target="_blank">Northern Vines</a> and decided to split a quick tasting (a normal tasting is 10 samples). Kirsten tasted the Whites and I took on the Reds. To be honest, I wanted to like the wines, I did. But even after 5 samples, they seemed shallow. Good color, nice legs, but tasted like water. It tasting was a good expereince, but I don't know if it's the grapes, or the steel barrel aging process, but these wines had no depth of flavor, at all, period. We did end up taking home an Octoberfest White and a dessert wine. But not much to write home about. </p><p>As a stark contrast to the shallow wines, we opened a bottle of 2004 Doobie Red from the <a href="http://www.brcohn.com/" target="_blank">B.R. Cohn Winery</a> . Wow, now THIS is a wine with depth. Perhaps it was just the contrast of this wine compared to the other's I'd just tasted, but wow. In all likelyhood, it's not fair to compare a California wine and a Minnesota wine. But considering you can buy either off the shelf in the grocery store, both are easily accessible, and thus worthy of comparison. In case you were wondering about the name, B.R. Cohn was a member of the Doobie Brothers. And the bottle we opened was signed by Mr. Cohn. </p><p>We received our quarterly shipment of wine from <a href="http://www.moonmountainvineyard.com/age_gateway" target="_blank">Moon Mountain</a>. With this shipment we recieved a 2007 Malbec and a 2007 Merlot. While these bottles are sure to be enjoyed, they may be enjoyed before they get the chance to age for very long in our 'cellar'. And by 'cellar' I mean the bottom of our pantry. And in case you were looking for one, Moon Mountain has one of the best Port wines I've ever tasted. A case of that would not last long in our house. </p>Wine2010-03-22T20:41:56ZgscottSoccer Update: MLS Strike
http://www.apt518.net/blog/index.php?op=ViewArticle&articleId=41&blogId=1
<p>I know it's the start of the NCAA Basketball tournament season, but something this stupid can't go unnoticed and written about by me, the 105th person in America that pays attention to these things. </p><p> It seems that the NFL isn't the only professional sports league that is having problems between 'Labor' and 'Management'. Major League Soccer seems headed for a work stoppage while the players re-negociate a collective bargaining agreement. The most recent publication I could find was from the <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/12/mls-strike-players-vote-y_n_496145.html" target="_blank">Huffington Post</a>. </p><p>First of all, if the Huffington Post is the only news outlet regularly following a potential labor strike for MLS, that says that no one really cares about your league anyway. Shouldn't soccer players in the US just be grateful they still have jobs without having move to Europe? The MLS is at least solvent and building stadiums for it's teams. It's growing and dare I say thriving in the face of other leagues that have failed before it. <strong>The quickest way to kill any fan base you may have earned is a strike or lockout. </strong>No one wins with these situations. Fans stop buying tickets, advertisers stop buying ads, people stop caring. Recovery in the eyes of fans takes years. Just ask the NHL, NFL and MLB. Hockey has never been the same since it's last work stoppage. Everyone remembers how bad the NFL was with scab players. And it took Cal Ripken, Mark McGuire* and Sammy Sosa* to resurrect that MLB after it cancelled the World Series. </p><p>Keep the MLS alive and kicking! No work stoppage in 2010. </p><p> </p><p>* and a lot of steroids. </p>sports2010-03-15T14:21:07ZgscottHappy Pi Day
http://www.apt518.net/blog/index.php?op=ViewArticle&articleId=40&blogId=1
<p>Today is March 14th, or as math geeks call it, Pi Day as in Π or 3.14159265. So get out and celebrate Pi Day, with a nice slice of pie. If you're feeling extra festive, you can have pi ala mode. </p><p>It is a glorious day outside today. Temperatures are in the low 50s. The sun is out and it feels actually warm. </p><p>I'm also turning comments back on. If it gets too spammy, I may shut them off again. </p>apt5182010-03-14T13:37:00Zgscott