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I have an on again/off again relationship with hummus. Sometimes I love it, and sometimes I don't want anything to do with it. But ever since I went drastically low-carb, I have been looking for treats for that mid-afternoon pick-me-up. And hummus, that delicious Middle Eastern puree of chickpeas, sesame, lemon and garlic can really fit the bill.
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=== Offense "Needs To Settle In" ===
Geoff Baker agrees with Eric Wedge that the offense has simply been missing its karma, missing its coherency, missing its collective beehive instinct.
They haven't quite found their balance point to grind this 2013 rail yet.
EXHIBIT A: several of you amigos pointed out that Michael Morse overswung during Sunday's game with RISP. You had the lead run, or tying run, or insurance run, in scoring position 2 or 3 different times, and Morse is well capable of lining an RBI hit to right field. But he was going for the 440-foot jack on every swing. Just bad thinkin'.
There are lots of other exhibits - Smoak's shrill insistence on being thrown out at 2B after his leadoff rope banged off the LF wall, and stuff like that. The Mariners' batters look like they just don't know exactly what to do, except to hit the ball hard somewhere.
A seasoned lineup -- say, the Yankees' -- simply knows when a single will do just fine, and when it won't. It's got a sixth sense for how hard to press in any particular AB. A #5 hitter for the Yankees is less likely to over-press, because more likely to have some trust in the man behind him.
It sounds esoteric, but that's the Zen Flow that is occurring during a 12-game winning streak. Mo' Dawg will tell you, when he shoots a 69, he's not pressing his shots too hard. He's pressing them just the perfect amount, all the time. Pleasantly ambitious, but always within himself.
I concur 1,000% with Baker, and Wedge, that the M's are totally blind that way.
.........
Wedge speaks in terms of "settling in."
The 2013 Lollapalooza lineup is a jaw-dropper, to be sure. This year's annual festival in Chicago will feature a diverse lineup of big name performers. If you've never been to Lollapalooza, now might be an excellent time to consider a trip to ChiTown for the big event.
When it comes to the topic of washing your knitting, opinions are as varied as they are entrenched. One person will tell you to use X and never anything but X and certainly never Y. While the next person will swear that they only use Y and would never dream of using X. Personally, I have tried just about everything, and I don't think it matters as much as most people seem to think. It all comes down to individual preference.
Woolite
Pro: It says "wool" right in the name, and is marketed as a detergent specifically for hand-washing woolens.
Asparagus is still, for the most part, a springtime food in America. Even though the global nature of our food network means that you can get out-of-season asparagus year round, it just isn't very good. Asparagus is best in springtime, when it is tender and fresh and often on sale due to its amazing yet short-lived abundance on the market.
Axe Body Spray is proof that just because you're the butt of everyone's jokes, that doesn't mean you can't be a successful product. I don't know one single person who wouldn't jump at the chance to rail on Axe Body Spray, from its horrible line of too-too-strong scents, to its mind-bogglingly sexist ads that leverage rape culture for marketing purposes. And yet, people - mostly teenage boys - are buying Axe in droves.
When I first visited South Dakota in 1994, my parents toted along a big guidebook for the state. In addition, we had a Mobil Travel Guide that covered the state. Having them were good ideas, given how tourist-oriented the state is, especially in the western half centered around the Badlands and the Black Hills.
This year's South By Southwest featured some of the greatest musical performances in the history of the festival. In case you think I'm exaggerating, I'm here to say I'm not, I assure you.
For the past few weeks, I've been doing my best to travel Australia on the cheap. While I came to Oz knowing I was going to have to spend a dollar or two, I didn't realize how many dollar or twos I would be spending. Even though the colorful Australian dollars may remind the American traveler of money from Monopoly, the fact is, you will be spending Boardwalk like money to do almost all activities while down under. But like all ventures in life, there is a way to do Australia on the cheap if you are willing to work for it.
Few people realize that the author of the famous fantasy, The Wizard of Oz, Frank Baum was a prolific writer who actually wrote 14 books about that magical land. My childhood was colored by those tomes that I discovered in grade school. They sat side by side on a low wooden shelf and I checked each one out in succession.
