Just $1.57? by Adam Elliott,posted Jul 31 2012 4:00PM
I guess if you already have everything. Why ask for more.
When I heard that Paul McCartney was only paid one Britsh pound for his performance at the Olympics, it obviously seemed like a tax thing. They had to pay him something, so they just make it a $1.57 transaction to keep everything legal on the books.
That's fine. I'm sure he would have done it for free if lawyers were not involved.
The harsh thing is, I'm planning a trip to London in late August. $1.57 = $1 pound?!?!?! What kind of worthless exchange rate is that?
Hello London! Here's my wallet, take what you like!!!
It felt rather awkward sitting down for as much as i did this weekend to watch a bunch of athletes give it thier all in the Summer Games, but that's the reality of it.
There was one moment that had me rolling.
Here's video of US Gymnast Aly Raisman's parents as they watch her perform at the 2012 games. Glad I wasn't sitting near them.
I got out to Smoky's on University Avenue, right next to Bagel's Forever last night. Smokys is my favorite steakhouse in Madison, mostly because they never fail to impress. Last night was no exception.
Smoky's menu is on the right.
Smokys - 3005 University Ave• Madison • 53705 • 608.233.2120 • Hours: Mon-Sat 5-9p • Website
Dinner Menu
FIRST COURSE
Soup
Salad
Stuffed Mushrooms
SECOND COURSE
16 oz. Ribeye Steak
5 oz. Tenderloin with 2 Shrimp
Five Broiled Jumbo Scallops
DESSERT
Dessert Size Grasshopper
Bailey's Delight Ice Cream Drinks
I went for the 5 oz Tenderloin (medium) with two shrimp, salad and the Grasshopper desert. My girlfriend had the Ribeye, Tomato Bisque soup and the Baileys Delight. We did the sharing thing with our steaks for variety. The nice touch was that both meals also came with a side of hash browns.
Both were delicious and both left us completely satisfied, but not in a meat-induced coma.
I love Smoky's for the supper club like atmosphere and because my girlfriend and I get to debate why Smoky's doesn't have another "E" in it's name. Honestly, I don'ty care how they spell it, as long as they're still open for my next steak craving. Check them out.
Restaurant week is a semi-annual event is the perfect opportunity for food lovers to sample some of Madison's finest local offerings. For $25 participating restaurants offer a prix-fixed menu with 3 courses and 3 options of each course. Some restaurants offer a reduced menu for $15 for lunch. Diners may simply visit their favorite participating restaurants throughout the week to enjoy the special menus. Diners are strongly recommended to make reservations in advance.
Best of all, Winter Restaurant week is coming up soon.
What’s your policy about swearing in the workplace?
According to a recent CareerBuilder survey Most (81 percent) believe that the use of curse words brings the employee's professionalism into question. Others are concerned with the lack of maturity (68 percent) demonstrated by swearing at work, while 54 percent said swearing at work makes an employee appear less intelligent.
Then again there was this: a different survey found that swearing at work can be beneficial by boosting morale.
Personally, I don't mind it.
I had friends when I was growing up, who let thier kids swear at home. THAT seemed very awkward to me.
I'm not saying I'd do this, but it is interesting.
So let's say your boss is walking down the street. He doesn't see you lurking in the shadows. You realize you could PUNCH HIM IN THE FACE with no penalty. He wouldn't know it was you, you wouldn't lose your job, and the cops wouldn't get you.
--Do you do it? In a new survey, 32% of American men say . . . ABSOLUTELY. Just about one out of three of the men in this country say they'd punch their boss in the face if they could get away with it. 68% say they would not.
--The survey also found that MORE THAN HALF of American men say they'd punch a coworker if they could get away with it. 52% would, 48% wouldn't.
--Those numbers are both higher than the three other countries in the survey . . . the U.K., Australia, and Canada. BUT . . . while they aren't as inclined to punch people from the office, they're MORE inclined than Americans to punch strangers.
That's how it usually goes, but I can't seem to get this one story out of my head from this morning.
Over the weekend, a New Jersey woman says she hit the gas instead of the brake as she left a New Jersey car wash, sending her vehicle into a river.
An employee had to jump into the Hackensack River to rescue the water-adjacent car wash. They managed to pull her through the window and tow the truck from the drink. She's recovering just fine.
I guess she had a little soap left on the car and wanted to make sure it was off.
You'd think the 'Mad Men" would be happy now. With 17 nominations this morning, they're in the running to tie Hill Street Blues, LA Law and The West Wing for most drama awards.
Here's the rest of the Emmy breakdown. Awards are on Sept 23rd.
Outstanding Drama Series
"Broadwalk Empire"
"Breaking Bad"
"Downton Abbey"
"Game of Thrones"
"Homeland"
"Mad Men"
Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Kathy Bates, "Harry's Law"
Glenn Close, "Damages"
Claire Danes, "Homeland"
Michelle Dockery, "Downton Abbey"
Julianna Margulies, "The Good Wife"
Elisabeth Moss, "Mad Men"
Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Hugh Bonneville,"Downton Abbey"
Steve Buscemi, "Boardwalk Empire"
Bryan Cranston, "Breaking Bad"
Michael C. Hall, "Dexter"
Jon Hamm, "Mad Men"
Damian Lewis, "Homeland"
Watch the announcement:
Outstanding Comedy Series
"The Big Bang Theory"
"Curb Your Enthusiasm"
"Girls"
"Modern Family"
"30 Rock"
"Veep"
Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
Zooey Deschanel, "New Girl"
Lena Dunham, "Girls"
Edie Falco, "Nurse Jackie"
Tina Fey, "30 Rock"
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, "Veep"
Melissa McCarthy, "Mike & Molly"
Amy Poehler, "Parks and Recreation"
Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Alec Baldwin, "30 Rock"
Don Cheadle, "House of Lies"
Louis C.K., "Louie"
Jon Cryer, "Two and a Half Men"
Larry David, "Curb Your Enthusiasm"
Jim Parsons, "The Big Bang Theory"
Outstanding Made for TV Movie/Miniseries
"American Horror Story"
"Game Change"
"Hatfields and McCoys"
"Hemingway and Gellhorn"
"Luther"
"Sherlock: Scandal in Belgravia"
Leading Actor in a Made for TV Movie/Miniseries
Woody Harrelson, "Game Change"
Clive Owen, "Hemingway & Gellhorn"
Benedict Cumberbatch, "Sherlock: A Scandal in Belgravia"
Idris Elba, "Luther"
Kevin Costner, "Hatfields & McCoys"
Bill Paxton, "Hatfields & McCoys"
Lead Actress in a Made for TV Movie/Miniseries
Julianne Moore, "Game Change"
Connie Britton, "American Horror Story"
Nicole Kidman, "Hemingway & Gellhorn"
Emma Thompson, "The Song of Lunch"
Ashley Judd, "Missing"
Outstanding Reality-Competition Program
"The Amazing Race"
"Dancing With the Stars"
"Project Runway"
"So You Think You Can Dance"
"Top Chef"
"The Voice"
Outstanding Host For A Reality Or Reality-Competition Program
Tom Bergeron, "Dancing With The Stars"
Cat Deeley, "So You Think You Can Dance"
Phil Keoghan, "The Amazing Race"
Ryan Seacrest, "American Idol"
Betty White, "Betty White's Off Their Rockers"
Outstanding Reality Program
"Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution"
"MythBusters"
"Antiques Roadshow"
"Shark Tank"
"Undercover Boss"
"Who Do You Think You Are?"
Outstanding Nonfiction Series
"American Masters"
"Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations"
"Inside The Actors Studio"
"The Weight Of The Nation"
Outstanding Variety, Music, or Comedy Series
"The Colbert Report"
"The Daily Show with Jon Stewart"
"Jimmy Kimmel Live!"
"Late Night with Jimmy Fallon"
"Real Time with Bill Maher"
"Saturday Night Live"
Outstanding Variety Special
"Betty White's 90th Birthday: A Tribute To America's Golden Girl"
"Kathy Griffin: Tired Hooker"
"The Kennedy Center Honors"
"Mel Brooks And Dick Cavett Together Again"
"Tony Bennett: Duets II (Great Performances)"
Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Aaron Paul, "Breaking Bad"
Giancarlo Esposito, "Breaking Bad"
Brendan Coyle, "Downton Abbey"
Jim Carter, "Downton Abbey"
Jared Harris, "Mad Men"
Peter Dinklage, "Game of Thrones"
Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Archie Panjabi, "The Good Wife"
Anna Gunn, "Breaking Bad"
Maggie Smith, "Downton Abbey"
Joanna Froggatt, "Downton Abbey"
Christina Hendricks, "Mad Men"
Christine Baranski, "The Good Wife"
Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Ed O'Neill, "Modern Family"
Jesse Tyler Ferguson, "Modern Family"
Ty Burrell, "Modern Family"
Eric Stonestreet, "Modern Family"
Bill Hader, "Saturday Night Live"
Max Greenfield, "New Girl"
Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Mayim Bialik, "The Big Bang Theory"
Merritt Wever, "Nurse Jackie"
Julie Bowen, "Modern Family"
Kristen Wiig, "Saturday Night Live"
Sofia Vergara, "Modern Family"
Kathryn Joosten, "Desperate Housewives"
Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie
Sarah Paulson, "Game Change"
Frances Conroy, "American Horror Story"
Jessica Lange, "American Horror Story"
Judy Davis, "Page Eight"
Mare Winningham, "Hatfields & McCoys"
Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie
Ed Harris, "Game Change"
Denis O'Hare, "American Horror Story"
David Strathairn, "Hemingway & Gellhorn"
Martin Freeman, "Sherlock: A Scandal in Belgravia"
Tom Berenger, "Hatfields & McCoys"
Guest Actress in a Comedy Series
Dot-Marie Jones, "Glee"
Maya Rudolph, "Saturday Night Live"
Melissa McCarthy, "Saturday Night Live"
Elizabeth Banks, "30 Rock"
Margaret Cho, "30 Rock"
Kathy Bates, "Two and a Half Men"
Guest Actor in a Comedy Series
Michael J. Fox, "Curb Your Enthusiasm"
Greg Kinnear, "Modern Family"
Bobby Cannavale, "Nurse Jackie"
Jimmy Fallon, "Saturday Night Live"
Will Arnett, "30 Rock"
Jon Hamm, "30 Rock"
Guest Actress in a Drama Series
Martha Plimpton, "The Good Wife"
Loretta Devine, "Grey's Anatomy"
Jean Smart, "Harry's Law"
Julia Ormond, "Mad Men"
Joan Cusack, "Shameless"
Uma Thurman, "Smash"
Guest Actor in a Drama Series
Mark Margolis, "Breaking Bad"
Dylan Baker, "The Good Wife"
Michael J. Fox, "The Good Wife"
Jeremy Davies, "Justified"
Ben Feldman, "Mad Men"
Jason Ritter, "Parenthood"
Outstanding Animated Program
"American Dad"
"Bob's Burgers"
"Futurama"
"The Penguins Of Madagascar: The Return Of The Revenge Of Dr. Blowhole"
"The Simpsons"
Outstanding Children's Program
"Degrassi"
"Good Luck Charlie"
"iCarly"
"Victorious"
"Wizards Of Waverly Place"
No need to leave so early. You showed up early to the party this morning. No need to leave already.
Sure, you caused a little problem on the beltline this morning. Hey. That's no your fault. Come on. Sit back down, relax and take your coat off. You just got here. Let's talk a while about how much we missed you.
Its so nice when you come by for a visit and I hate to say this, but we really miss you. You haven't been visiting that often and you've been off galavanting, who knows where? This is where you belong. This is where people love you.
Here's why. The Wisconsin State Fair people showed up at the studios today and brought not one, but six boxes of creampuffs.
Two for me. One for Scott. Three for me. One for Heather. Two for me. One For David. Three for me. Scott & Heather split one. That math should work out well.
The athletes are arriving in London today with the Summer Olympic games just 12 days away.
While Canoe Slalom, Table Tennis and Trampoline remain in the games, there are some sports that have been cut over the years. Check out Time.com's list of oddball sports that no one competes in anymore. Distance Plunging sounds like a fun game for kids in the pool.
Distance Plunging: The event required athletes to dive into the pool and coast underwater without moving their limbs. After 60 seconds had passed – or competitors had floated to the surface, whichever came first – referees measured the distance the athletes had drifted
Live Pigeon Shooting While competitors typically shot at disc-shaped targets called clay pigeons, the 1900 Games in Paris went with livelier targets – real pigeons. Live birds were held and released, as athletes took aim at the moving targets. Reportedly more than 300 birds were killed in the event.
Image: courtesy of Getty Images
Tug Of War Official rules stipulated that an eight-man team had to pull their opponents six feet to win. If either side failed to do so, judges gave the struggle a further five minutes and then declared the team who had made the most progress the victors.
Croquet Croquet is credited with being the first Olympic event in which women participated
Dueling Pistols Confusingly, the event consisted of no actual dueling as individuals merely shot at plaster dummies dressed in frock coats from a distance of 20 or 30 meters.
Top TV Moments by Adam Elliott,posted Jul 11 2012 10:34AM
I'm trying to think what my Top TV moments are over my lifetime. I really prefer a movie screen to the small screen, but when Nielsen came out with this new list of the top TV moments of the last 50 years, this surprised me a bit.
You'd think TV finales or memorable drama or sitcom moments would stick out in people's heads more. Nope. It's really news coverage that we remember so well. That's a bit sobering.
Here's how they measured it: They created a score for each event derived by the number of people who viewed the event live, the number who could recall details about where they were during the occurrence and the number who could remember discussing what happened with others. Those parameters may explain why the surreal, slow-speed chase of Simpson's white Ford Bronco on June 17, 1994 ranked higher on the list than the earthquake in Japan, the Columbine High School shootings and the 2010 BP oil spill.
Based on that criteria, I'm guessing my list would be pretty similar to the Top 20 that Nielsen came up with. Maybe throw some Simpson's episodes in there too.
1. September 11th tragedy (2001)
2. Hurricane Katrina (2005)
3. O.J. Simpson verdict (1995)
4. The Challenger space shuttle disaster (1986)
5. Death of Osama bin Laden (2011)
6. O.J. Simpson white Bronco chase (1994)
7. Earthquake in Japan (2011)
8. Columbine High School shooting (1999)
9. BP oil spill (2010)
10. Princess Diana's funeral (1997)
11. Death of Whitney Houston (2012)
12. Capture and execution of Saddam Hussein (2006)
13. Barack Obama's acceptance speech (2008)
14. The Royal Wedding (2011)
15. Assassination of John F. Kennedy (1963)
16. Oklahoma City bombing (1995)
17. Bush/Gore election results (2000)
18. L.A. riots (1992)
19. Casey Anthony verdict (2011)
20. Funeral of John F. Kennedy (1963)
OK, I'm not exactly a home renovation pro, but I can get some work done around the house.
Here's a tip I learned so save some good dough while doing those fix-er-up jobs. Check out the Habitat For Humanity ReStore. They just opened up a second location on the west side of Madison at 5906 Odana Road. The east side location is 208 Cottage Grove Road.
I found a plastic coated wire shelving system that I put in my garage for a total cost of about $20. I estimated over $150 to buy all the pieces new, plus its just good recycling.
They're well worth a trip before the next renovation project.
Ka-BOOM! by Adam Elliott,posted Jul 5 2012 10:20AM
My favorite story of the day comes from San Diego, where their 4th of July Fireworks show went up in one massive blaze of glory.
A technical glitch is to blame for their entire Big Bay Boom show firing off at one time, lasting approximately 15 seconds. Although some may call this a big mistake, I think this is actually some pretty cool art.
An Ode To Tom by Adam Elliott,posted Jul 2 2012 9:02AM
From Scott Miller In The Morning: 7/2/12
As every married or formerly married person knows, marriage is a Risky Business. We want Endless Love, but seldom find it. And Losin' It is hard, isn't it? We feel like the Outsiders we really are. It's Taps for our couplehood, and even if we have All The Right Moves, we discover that we are Top Guns, no more.
Swilling from a Cocktail of pain drunk by some stranger named Jerry Maguire, we relieve the Legend: The Color Of Money stains our fingers as we pay and pay it out. Our tears fall like Rain, Man. For these are the Days Of Thunder as we angrily set out in search of A Few Good Men. Mission: Impossible, perhaps?
With Eyes Wide Shut, we may lead The Firm Far And Away behind us and take to the Vanilla Sky. Or, perhaps conduct a night time Interview With A Vampire. Alas, the Minority Report is in; no one believes in our Goldmember anymore. Divorce can be like War Of The Worlds, but one must guard his honor like The Last Samurai in the sad knowledge that his children are mere Collateral.
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...it rains, right?
You'd think the 'Mad Men" would be happy now. With 17 nominations this morning, they're in the running to tie Hill Street Blues, LA Law and The West Wing for most drama awards.
Rain. 
I'm trying to think what my Top TV moments are over my lifetime. I really prefer a movie screen to the small screen, but when Nielsen came out with this new list of the top TV moments of the last 50 years, this surprised me a bit.
OK, I'm not exactly a home renovation pro, but I can get some work done around the house. 
As every married or formerly married person knows, marriage is a Risky Business. We want Endless Love, but seldom find it. And Losin' It is hard, isn't it? We feel like the Outsiders we really are. It's Taps for our couplehood, and even if we have All The Right Moves, we discover that we are Top Guns, no more.
