Quote of the Week

"You believe because you have seen. Blessed are they who have not seen, and yet believe." - Jesus Christ

Gastronomy

Today I'd like to provide you, my faithful readers, with a useful list. I wish to inform you of the best foods available in this world (as far as I know), that your culinary adventures might be more fruitful. Here then, is a list of where to find the best food in each listed category. I got rather specific, as I don't believe in stamping my approval on an establishment as a whole. (Every restaurant in the world has a dish I would hate... Pizza was an exception to this rule) Don't forget your appetite!



Best Sandwiches:



1) The Legend Club - LeGrand's Deli, St. Louis, MO

This tasty pile of freshly sliced Boar's Head meats, combined with pepperjack cheese, garlic cream cheese, and pepper spread is a not-too-spicy delight. Without a doubt, the best meal between two pieces of bread ever conceived.



2) Cuban Sandwich - La Carreta, Miami, FL

Ham, sliced pork, swiss cheese, pickles, mustard and mayo on Cuban bread. You can't beat that with a stick...



3) Prosciutto con Tomate - Bella Vento, Rome, Italy

Ultra thinly sliced prosciutto, tomato slices, mozzarella cheese, onions, oregano, and olive oil. It's worth flying to Italy just for this sandwich, but you should stay and see the Vatican while you're there...



4) Sandwiche de Lomo - Pastry, Buenos Aires, Argentina

The most simple sandwich you can imagine: A half inch cut of filet, cooked to your taste and served with tomato between fresh french bread. No one knows meat like Argentines!



Best BBQ



1) Parrillada - Rodizio, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Like I said, no one knows meat like Argentines! A parrillada is a mixed grill filled with several cuts of beef, as well as rib tips, chorizo, sweet bread, blood sausage, etc. At Rodizio it is brought to you on a platter which rests atop hot coals. The finest cow ever prepared anywhere on earth.



2) Pork Ribs - Rendezvous, Memphis, TN

In a dark, secluded alley just across the street from the famous Peabody hotel, Rendezvous serves up the finest baby back ribs known to man. Whether your fancy is Carolina dry rub or Memphis Vinegar, you'll find ribs you can pull apart by hand.



3) Pulled Pork Sandwich - Michelbob's, Naples, FL

Michelbob's serves up some of the best American style bbq around, but the pulled pork sandwich stands out. Not overly sauced like at most bbq joints, just perfectly cooked and flavored meat served on a hoagie roll.



Seafood



1) Shrimp Scampi - Legal Seafood, Boston, MA

The only chain restaurant you'll find on this list, Legal Seafood serves up the finest shrimp scampi you'll ever know. The garlic and butter combination is intoxicating, and the end of your meal is gloriously slurped up with the two pieces of garlic toast that accompany the shrimp.



2) Dungeneous Crab - Eliot's Oyster House, Seattle, WA

It's whole, it's steamed, and it's delicious. Fresh out of Puget Sound, Eliot's Oyster House steams you up the best dungenous crab you'll ever taste, with a beautiful view to boot.



3) Clam Chowder - Bristol's, St. Louis, MO

Bristols can't compete with coastal restaurants when it comes to seafood freshness (although they come close) but when it comes to clam chowder, they've got the goods. I have no idea why theirs tastes so much better than anyone else's, but it ain't no lie.


Steak


1)Bife de Lomo - Rodizio, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Meat is a way of life in Argentina, as you all are discovering. This exquisite filet is cooked to perfection on a traditional Argentine brick grill. It doesn't need steak sauce or butter or a piece of bacon wrapped around it in order to taste good. Such trifles are left up to far lesser steak houses...

2) Bife de Chorizo - La Chacra, Buenos Aires, Argentina

At the entrance to La Chacra there is a stuffed cow to great you. The restaurant inside might as well be a shrine to beef. Bife de Chorizo is a cut found only in Argentina, and that alone is worth a journey south.

3) Filet Mignon - Hereford House, Kansas City, MO

The Hereford House is a Kansas City institution. A marvelous wine list compliments the finest cuts of meat west of the Mississippi, and the filet is certainly the king. Dessert was mildly disappointing, but with dead cow like this, who cares?

4) New York Strip - Flemmings, Richmond, VA

A tender, moist, cooked to perfection strip is a thing of beauty, and I haven't found a place that does it better than Flemmings. The ranch garlic mashed potatoes are an excellent add to a fantastic beef experience!


Pasta


1) Tortellini a la panna - Mom and Pop joint, Florence, Italy

After wandering around the town for about 30 minutes in search of lunch, some friends of mine and I stumbled onto what was literally a mom and pop restaurant with two tables, and only two things on the menu. Tortellini, and salad. It was, beyond any doubt, the finest Italian pasta meal I'd ever eaten. Alas, there's no way I could ever find the place again...

2) Linguini Tutto Mare - Ristorante La Lanterna, Sorrento, Italy

The Linguini is hand made on location, and the fish and clams used for the white wine sauce are yanked from the ocean that very day. 'Nuff said.

3) Spaghetti Bolognese - Il Convivio, Rome, Italy

Three straight Italian restaurants in the pasta section. Hmmm... Coincidence? Il Convivio has a great atmosphere, friendly staff, and the best bolognese sauce I've ever tasted.

4) Cannelloni - Gianfabio's, St. Louis, MO

Gotta show the locals some love here. Gianfabio's is by far St. Louis's (and perhaps the midwest's?) best tasting Italian restaurant. The Cannelloni are veal stuffed and served under a cream and meat sauce mix. Yummy!


Pizza (listed by best pizza joints, not individual types)


1) Los Inmortales - Buenos Aires, Argentina

Yes folks, Argentina has the best food on the planet. I've been all over the US, Canada, South America, and Italy, and the fact is, no where yet has the food been so consistently good over so many categories. Pizza is no different, as Los Inmortales serves up fresh mozzarella and toppings to your heart's content.

2) Lou Malnato's - Chicago, IL

Giordano's is more popular, but Lou Malnatos is a better pie hands down. Deep dish lovers revel in front of a pizza you have no choice but to eat with a fork and knife.

3) La Gallina Bianca - Rome, Italy

It's the thick but light crust that makes this Rome's best pizza. If you don't parle Italiano, just point at what you want. They'll hack you off a slice big enough to be a meal, and you'll be a happy camper for sure.

4) Imo's - St. Louis, MO

If you're into super thin crust pizza (and I certainly am!) then Imo's is the place. It's a locally famous chain, and the only delivery place to make the list.


Well folks, you're welcome to argue with me all you want, but I'm sticking to my guns on this one. If you have additions, suggestions or just something mean to say to me, feel free to comment. I certainly hope for your sake that one day you'll visit one or two of these fine establishments. If you do, please let me know how you liked it!

Quote of the Week

"Nothing brings out the worst in our country like an election year."

Quote of the Week

"There is always some madness in love. But there is also always some reason in madness." - Friedrich Nietzsche

Where Have You Gone Joe DiMaggio?

July 19th since my last addition to this blog. Such is the state of my life right now that I cannot find even the time to muse aloud in this medium...

Truth be told, the drain on my time is entirely the result of my very happy and fulfilling relationship. She is, without a doubt, the answer to my prayers. I can only hope to be the man she deserves...

So while I turn my attention to bettering myself for her benefit, there will surely be more future periods of blog neglect. I suppose you folks will just have to deal with it. Really, you don't have a choice...

Quote of the Week

"Those who face that which is actually before them, unburdened by the past, undistracted by the future, these are they who live, who make the best use of their lives; these are those who have found the secret of contentment." - Alban Goodier

Righteous Anger

Despite the overall goodness of my life right now, the present moment finds me quite irate. My anger is centered around the fact that a very close friend of mine has been deceived, lied to, and ultimately jerked around in the worst sense of the phrase.

The truth of the matter is that the injustice suffered by my friend has absolutely no effect on me, other than the fact that it pisses me off. I will not lose sleep over it, it will have no physical or mental effect on me, and my life will continue uninterrupted. However, (to borrow a phrase from "Gladiator") I am terribly vexed. I suppose when all is said and done I'd like for my friends to at least be treated with respect. Especially by the people they trust.

Sometimes circumstances create a situation when there's simply nothing you can do. Other times a person chooses to do what is easy, because they are too immature or because doing what is right might take some effort on their part.

My friend, being a strong, resilient, faithful young man, will get over it. It would likely have hurt one way or the other. While that may be true, the fact remains that there was a right way and a wrong way to go about this matter, and clearly the wrong way was chosen.

That vexes me. I am terribly vexed.

Quote of the Week

"To love deeply in one direction makes us more loving in all others." - Anne-Sophie Swetchine

Quote of the Week

"I want to touch the light, the heat I see in your eyes." - Peter Gabriel

From the Airwaves

Recently heard on O'Hare tower frequency:

Controller: "United 1234, fly that two twenty heading and contact departure on one two seven point four."

United 1234: "Two twenty heading, twenty seven four, United 1234, GO CUBS!"

Unidentified Voice: "GO CARDINALS!"

Controller: "Who's the Cardinals fan that's not getting off this airport today?"

Unidentified Voice: "Don't be jealous because we win more than every hundred years"

Short moment of silence

Different Unindentified Voice: "He's got you there..."

Quote of the Week

"The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances: if there is any reaction, both are transformed." - Carl Jung

Band of Brothers

This dream of aviation comes not without its nightmares. Those nightmares usually arrive in the form of shrinking companies, shrinking paychecks, and layoffs. Such is the state of the industry today.

To my brothers and sisters who will find themselves unemployed later this year from Eagle, know that you will be prayed for. Despite inexperience, little rest, and demanding working conditions you still operated safely. Good luck, and God bless.

And the rest of us who remain in this difficult time must remember: despite our low moral and disappointment with these events, the people we carry are loved. They have families and friends who anxiously await their safe return. They look forward to hugs from their children, parents, and grandparents, and handshakes from their coworkers after a job well done. It remains our most heavy responsibility to care for them in their travels, and bring them safely home.

Join me then, all of you who read this blog, in praying for those who have or will be layed off, and also for the safety of the traveling public who remain in our care.

From the Airwaves

Recently heard on O'Hare ground control frequency:

O'Hare Ground Controller - "Eagle flight 1234, double back at echo, alpha, hotel, papa, alpha bridge, at alpha 16 transition to bravo to your gate."

Eagle Flight 1234 - "Over the river and through the woods, Eagle 1234."

LC

"I don't know what you mean to me,
but I want to turn you on, turn you up, figure you out.
I want to take you on." - REM

Bundled

The range of human emotion is an astounding thing, but what grabs me most this week is the capacity for more than one emotion to bubble over and overwhelm you.

This particular week brings with it a mix that is almost certainly very common: the crashing together of excitement and anxiety. I had almost forgotten what it was like to have these two somewhat similar yet diametrically opposed emotions yanking you in different directions. Perhaps the good Lord designed them to go hand in hand as often as possible. The forward-looking optimism of pure excitement is tempered by the anxiety telling you the ground will fall out from underneath you any minute.

The end result is a handful of lessons the Lord intends for us to learn. The first, I believe, is to turn to him with our hopes and concerns. The second is to trust in his divine plan. The third, I imagine, is simple patience. Our questions will eventually be answered.

Onward then, for life does not live itself.

Glad Tidings

What a great week!!!

Quote of the Week

"Small oppurtunities are often the beginning of great enterprises." - Demosthenes

Epilogue

So, after talking about the power of thunderstorms briefly earlier tonight, the power was displayed to me fully. I spent over an hour in the lobby of my hotel in Wichita, KS waiting out a tornado warning. Good thing scheduling agreed to delay our show time in the morning, 'cause that 5am van time probably wasn't going to happen...

Rumble thy Bellyful

At 35,000 feet the thunderstorm looks huge. Your mind is simply not capable of wrapping itself around the fact that the swirling mass of moisture and energy just off your right wing is the size of a small nation. It's so big you feel like you might drag your wingtip through it, even though you're twenty miles away.

It looks so serene from the outside, like a giant marshmellow. Big, white, fluffy, peaceful. We know better. Inside of it, roaring like a wild beast, lies the power to rip your insignificant machine to pieces.

We are so small upon this world, and the awesome power the Lord manifested in a simple thunderstorm is merely the tip of the iceberg.

Lest we forget how truly great he is, or how truly insignificant we are.

Quote of the Week

"Chance is always powerful. Let your hook be always cast; in the pool where you least expect it, there will be a fish." - Ovid

Quote of the Week

"But my heroes are the unknown, unheralded airline pilots who fly without incident or accident, making decisions, stopping potential disasters before they happened, flying all night to see dawn through scratchy tired eyes; fighting bad weather in all seasons from ice to thunderstorms; away from home and family at least half of every month... They have taken thousands of people safely from one place to another, across continents and oceans, but few know of them or bestow on them the laurels they deserve - these are my heroes." - Bob Buck

Spanning the Globe

Today when I arrived in Chicago on my way to the crew room I came upon something very interesting. There was a crowd of people gathered around the outside of Chilis restaurant, all watching the TV. What was so enthralling to everyone was a sporting event. Not a baseball game, or NBA or NHL playoffs, mind you. Instead, everyone was riveted to the final few moments of the UEFA Champions League Final, which would crown the greatest club soccer team in Europe. Being a soccer fan myself, I maneuvered myself towards the TV to watch as well. What struck me most was the diversity of the crowd. There were, as expected several Englishmen (there are, of course, lots of flights between O'Hare and London), but also gathered 'round were Americans, Hispanics, an Irishman, two Germans, and a handful of Japanese. No other single sporting contest could possibly draw that kind of international audience, I'm sure. As Manchester United defeated Chelsea in penalty kicks, a roar went up from the crowd, and a smile crept across my face.

The Cardinals may be my first love, but there will always be a place in my heart for futbol...

Quote of the Week

"I met a young woman who's body was burning. But I met a young girl, she gave me a rainbow.
And I met one man who was wounded in Love." - Bob Dylan

Quote of the Week

"A person is always startled when he hears himself seriously called an old man for the first time." - Oliver Wendell Holmes

A Many Splendored Thing

Halfway through May and my Redbirds are battling atop the Central Division. (Would it be rude to ask the experts how their crow tastes?)

I love this game...

Hello Again

It's a pleasure to be with you all again after my too brief, yet very fulfilling journey to Europe. Italy was, as expected, amazing. I would tell you about the trip, but I simply don't have the time or the energy. Besides, you don't have the time or the energy to read that much anyway. Just know that the Pope was very close to me, and I spent nearly 3 whole days at St. Peter's Basilica. Oh, and by the way, I ate gelato every single day...

Quote of the Week

"Pray as if everything depended upon God and work as if everything depended upon man." - Francis Cardinal Spellman

Let the Games Begin

Monday evening brings with it the beginning of softball season. It is a time I particularly enjoy. Competitive sports have long since become a part of my history, as age and inactivity have taken their toll on my body. Now, coed recreational softball is as close as I can get.

My inability to compete at a high level in soccer or rugby make playing either of those sports tedious at best these days. The rolling of the soccer ball especially is merely a reminder that my best days have long since past me by. But softball is different.

In softball, the game itself is enough. I enjoy the thrill of swinging the bat, and the anticipation of playing defense. My horrendous performance aside, the softball diamond still puts a smile on my face where the soccer pitch has now failed me.

Take me out to the ballgame!

Quote of the Week

"The greatness comes not when things go always good for you. But the greatness comes when you're really tested, when you take some knocks, some disappointments, when sadness comes. Because only if you've been in the deepest valley can you ever know how magnificent it is to be on the highest mountain." - Richard Nixon

Losing Streak

Sometimes in life it feels like you can't win. Like a baseball player slumping, all you can do is grit your teeth, drag yourself to the ballpark every day, and keep swinging.

Sooner or later you'll replace your strikeouts with basehits.

Then maybe you can replace your basehits with homers.

Then again, some ballplayers should recognize when it's time to hang up their spikes...

Moments

I've once, then often searched for peace
and found it lay not on the ground,
but high amidst an azure sky
lit brightly by the light of dreams
borne forth from children's eyes...

Quote of the Week

"It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are." - E. E. Cummings

Riddles in the Dark

Some of life's riddles are perhaps unanswerable. Others, however, require a certain amount of bravado.

It's a bravado I am apparently lacking, as three friends of mine so kindly reminded me this evening. Fear of failure, and loss, and rejection all rob me of any bravery I may have had. All in all, I suppose I am simply not as adventurous a person as I would like to think I am.

Or maybe I just need to be pushed in the right direction...

See ya soon!

I'm leaving the country tomorrow and won't return until next week Tuesday. Hope everyone does well in my absence.

Mi Buenos Aires querido...

Quote of the Week

"I am not bound to please thee with my answers." - William Shakespeare

Almost Upon Us

The sounds and smells and sights are like distant recollections. They are old friends I haven't seen in too long. Soon, I will no longer need to reach back into my memory to gain some comfort from them. Soon, we will be together again.

This year the winter has been longer and colder than years past. The energy seemed sapped from the frigid air as though it was stolen and carried away in the night. In most cases, we never even got to say, "goodbye."

Ah, but winter's long bitter grasp is faltering... The ravaging cold darkness is giving way...

Very soon we will hear the first hints of their return. There will be a solid, thundering crack, and all who hear it will say, "That sounds like my old friend..." A hint of freshly prepared frank will begin to wisp into the air, and all who smell it will look around themselves to find the source. And then they will see it.

There it will be, just as it was when we left it, nestled amid the cold concrete and steel. The warm, red brick jewel box of summer with it's renewed emerald gem basking in the sunlight!

In just seven days, baseball will be with us once again. And all will be right with the world.

Quote of the Week

"People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring." - Rogers Hornsby

Just a Little Higher...

On the ground everything is gray. The tarmac, the terminal building, the sky, the horizon. A cold drizzle falls. Such is the state of this Chicago afternoon. Number six in line for departure, all checklists complete, waiting for our turn to blast off into the murk. Just another day.

"Eagle flight 436, runway three two left, tango ten, clear for takeoff, turn right heading zero four zero."

Before takeoff checklist complete, thrust set. The gray world outside accelerates past the cockpit as drops of water race each other towards the top of my windshield.

"Vee one. Rotate"

The sound of the tires on the pavement ceases, and almost as quickly, the once prominent gray surrounds us with its impenetrable shroud.

We accelerate. We climb. We are blind. Only the light of a computer screen hints at our progress. Our focus is directed solely upon that screen as though every other thing in the world has ceased to exist. With the blind faith of zealots we follow as the screen leads us deeper into the gray nothing. We accelerate. We climb.

There is little warning. Only a brief silvering of the once impenetrable gray alerts us just before we burst forth.

Light! Glorious, drenching, warm sunlight! The enveloping gray is powerless! Below us is a pearled white landscape, and above us is the clearest blue sky imaginable, stretching out as though it has no end in the universe. Just like that, the gray is forgotten...

If ever you are in search of joy, you need only accelerate, and climb.

It is always a beautiful day above the clouds.

No Rest

They say there is no rest for the weary.

When I am no longer weary, and therefore able to get some rest, I will devote more time to this blog.

Quote of the Week

"The great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Healthy At Last!

The bug that's been going around got to me last week. To put it as mildly as possible, I was homebound and miserable for 5 straight days.

We as human beings think we're so smart and so powerful. It must be to God's great amusement that the tiniest of creatures wield such enormous sway over us...

The joke is most likely on us I imagine. But no matter, I feel human once again, and I'm off to work tomorrow. Wish me luck!

Quote of the Week

"Between the wish and the thing life lies waiting." - Unknown

Quote of the Week

"To follow, without halt, one aim: there's the secret to success." - Anna Pavlova

Does it get any Better?

The last couple of months at work have been at times highly challenging. Weather and maintainance problems have conspired to make the job unpredictable, and things have not been smooth. It is interesting however, that I find myself thrilled to be where I am despite these recent difficulties.

The entire experience of this career is remarkable. Take these two contrasting examples for instance:

The peace and tranquility of gliding through a moonlit night is nearly unimaginable. The snow-covered ground slips by underneath you as the multitude of stars keeps silent watch above. Only a few quiet lights in the cockpit serve to remind you of your duties, keeping you from loosing yourself entirely in the beauty surrounding you.

The exhileration of bursting out of the clouds mere seconds from touching down on a runway your instruments promised was there is intoxicating. The roar of the wind screaming past your landing gear fills the cockpit as you refocus your eyes to the outside world. Suddenly, almost magically, the grey nothingness has given way to grey runway, complete with bright flashing lights of all kinds. It is almost as though you can feel and hear nothing. All that exists is the adrenaline in your veins, the aircraft, and the pavement just a few feet away.

I am so truely blessed.

What Gives?

Tonight I received the strangest proposition I've ever received in my life.

The dynamic between men and women is perhaps the strangest part of this human existance. It is at all times intoxicating, confusing, and completely non-sensicle. I suspect that no one has ever truely figured it out. Some people are just better at getting used to it than others.

Unfortunately, learning how to get used to it is about as easy as taking a boot to the stones. Very often it feels the same way too...

Quote of the Week

"I am wealthy in my friends." - William Shakespeare

Grasping at Air

When you've dreamed about something for your whole life it's hard to explain the feeling of almost being able to touch it. I say almost, because sometimes it just happens to be there, on the horizon, beckoning you. You can almost feel it in your grasp, and your imagination begins running wild at the thought of being on the cusp of something great.

Time slows down to an impossible crawl once you've spotted your goals on that horizon, and the harder you stretch, the longer it seems to take...

Quote of the Week

"We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." - United States Declaration of Independence

Silent Night

Tonight as we flew from Chicago to Moline, I had a moment. The moon lit the earth with a dim, gray light, and the snow-covered upper midwest reflected the pearled luminesence towards the sky. From twenty six thousand feet, with the sky slipping silently past my window, I knew what peace and beauty were really meant to be.

I love my job.

Riddles in the Dark...

Life often has more questions than it has answers. It is interesting to ponder whether the search for those answers is what drives us. Unfortunately, I feel as though the search for answers may often drive us down a road we would be better off avoiding.

If we had all the answers life would be boring indeed, and some questions are better left unanswered anyway.

The truth may be out there, but do you really want to know?

Quote of the Week

"Think not those faithful who praise all thy words and actions; but those who kindly reprove thy faults." - Socrates