Attack Of The Killer Spambots

Man, I don't know how they found me. This week the comments section has been an onslaught of online poker rooms and texas hold'em strategies.

I will be guest blogging on Ten Fingers, 6 Strings starting this weekend. Since I'm SO consistent with this site, I thought I would challenge myself and be responsible for 2.

It should be fun. I'm hoping I can keep up with the great content coming out of TF6S. There is a sneaking suspicion that I will pull a Chris Griffin: "This one time TF6S pooped in the neighbor's yard and lied about it..."

Scary...

Another Flickr Post

Which Way Do I Go?
Originally uploaded by From The Still.

Here is another entry pushed from Flickr with another picture of the pea packer.

Trying to customize the template out of Flickr so it doesn't end up looking like poop on this site.

There are some good folks at Flickr. Recently, they gave a really nice gift to those who supported them as a paying customer while the site was still in Beta. It's a great way to share your digital photos. Definitely check them out.

U2 Concert

I have heard good things about last night's U2 concert. Wednesday night's concert was probably equally as rockin', but I haven't heard anything.

I also heard that there were tickets released prior to the show. Hopefully this stuck it to the scalpers, even if it was a dull pin prick.

I am pretty sad that I missed it, but sometimes sacrifices have to be made. Bono was as political as ever. Which isn't horrible, but sometimes you just want to say, "Okay, get on to the next song".

The tour seems to be going well as expected. According to U2log there has been a third Dublin date added. Very, very tempting...

What's The Matter...Chicken?

It's been awhile since I've had a recipe on the site. To be honest, it's been awhile since I've had much of anything on the site. Below is my roasted chicken recipe.

Kyle's Roasted Chicken

1 full roasting chicken (organic, if you want to be cheeky)
4 strips favorite bacon
Herb Butter (recipe below)
salt and pepper

Herb Butter
12 tablespoons(stick and a half) unsalted butter, room temperature
4 tablespoons fresh sage, finely chopped
4 tablespoons flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
(Note: The herbs don't necessarily have to be the ones above. I've made this butter dozens of times and I don't use the same combination. This happens to be the most recent way I've made it.)
2 cloves of garlic, minced
zest of a lemon
pinch of salt and pinch of pepper

Put the butter in a mixing bowl. Add sage, parsley, garlic, lemon zest, and salt and pepper and mix. I like to use my hands to mix everything together. It is the most fun, but a spoon or spatula is sufficient as well.

Now to the chicken...

Wash and dry the chicken before preparing. Liberally season the inside and outside with salt and pepper. Using your fingers, separate the skin from the breast of the chicken. Make sure you don't rip it. Carefully push the herb butter under the skin and all the down the sides. You can definitely use all of the herb butter if you want. I usually save some to wipe over the skin as well.

Quarter the lemon you used for the herb butter and stuff it in the cavity. You can get a little funky here. If you have some leftover herbs or garlic go ahead and throw them in there. Lay the 4 strips of bacon on top of the chicken.

I fold the wings under the body of the chicken so they don't get too over done. You can tie the legs in if you want; I usually don't. Transfer the chicken to a roasting tray.

Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Roast for an hour and 15 minutes. I usually take the bacon off at the 35 to 40 minute marker so it's still pretty edible, and continue to roast the chicken without it.

Nothing to fancy to this recipe. I call it "mine" because I believe I've bastardized enough of other people's recipes to get a unique bird :). That is the fun of roasted chicken or any time of cooking for that matter. Getting the basic ingredients, knowing your favorite ingredients, and applying a little improvization.

A Photo To Make TF6S Jealous

Boulder Canyon Grabbin'
Originally uploaded by From The Still.

So after Ten Fingers, 6 Strings posted a picture of the North Palisade & Starlight Peak, without any trace of his likeness anywhere near that beautiful mountain; I felt obliged to post the above picture of me in Boulder Canyon.

How do you like them apples, TF6S???

Jealous

TF6S has acquired some very desireable tickets for some insane acoustic guitar jamming.

Take his advice and visit Justin King's site. The design needs some work, but the music is amazing.

Drive Right, Pass Left Comedy

Funny thing came on 9News tonight about the Drive Right, Pass Left campaign.

Denver cops have issued 460 tickets since the beginning of 2005 to people driving the speed limit in the left lane. The newly formed "law" carries a $41 fine and 3 points for your license.

Here is some wisdom from the Drive Right, Pass Left website:

We've all been behind that person. The person who thinks he/she/it is a bad ass for driving 5mph over the speed limit. Screwing up traffic flow for miles and miles behind them. Refusing to move back into their rightful place at the right side of the road despite friendly flashes of headlights from those with proper knowledge of the rules of the road. And why don't they move? Because God forbid they sit three car lengths behind the car in front of them when they can move their ass into the left lane where the next car bumper is miles away. It's a matter of comfort for them. Or perhaps it threatens their sexuality to look at the rear end of another car. Regardless, it is rude and inconsiderate.

I can definitely relate to the feeling described above. I believe we all can. However....

Two things:

• Cops can pull you over for speeding in the left lane even if you are passing. So the "bad ass driving 5mph over the speed limit" might be saving your ass.


• "Ass" is quite possibly the best word for any political platform.

Flickr Test

The Pea Packer
Originally uploaded by From The Still.

This is my first test post from Flickr. I couldn't resist putting the pea packer up here. I'm definitely behind the curve on the Flickr/Blog connect. It seems pretty cool.