Articles
With summer in full swing, it’s barbecue season for sure. Authentic barbecue is usually done in a smoker and should take all day. For most of us, that makes doing it well at home pretty hard, since we have neither a smoker nor the time to stand by one all day. But, it’s still possible to get excellent barbecue results at home. I’ve worked out a technique that uses a slow cooker and I think comes out excellent every time. The work with this one is upfront, but if you take the time for it...
I know it’s unbearably hot in most of the world at the moment, but, thankfully, fall is coming. With that in mind, now is the perfect time to look for some fall essentials. Men’s fashion changes slowly, so last year’s stock, which retailers are looking to sell, is pretty likely to be on sale to make room for new fall looks in just a few weeks. So, let’s take advantage of those deals and pick up some great pieces.
In this series of whisky reviews, I give my impressions of some widely available whiskies so that you can get some idea of new things you might want to try. Today, I’m reviewing Tullamore Dew’s green label Irish Whisky. As usual, I’ll start off with a bit of history on the product and the company. Following that, we’ll walk through my tasting procedure and notes. To wrap things up, I make some recommendations on how I’d choose to drink this Irish whisky, and end with some final thoughts on...
If the last year and a half have taught me much of anything, it’s that sometimes, to stay sane, we need hobbies that we can do by ourselves. Work-from-home can all-too-easily become a deeply unhealthy cycle of being inside all the time, simply switching from work applications to fun ones when the clock strikes the appropriate hour.
Instead, I want to suggest ten hobbies that I have used to try to balance work out with healthy living and keeping my mind engaged. While not all of these...
With the world recovering from Covid, albeit slowly, international leisure travel is coming back. I, for one, welcome this return to something like normal. Here, I want to share with you ten cities that I have been lucky enough to visit, and what I like about each of them. There are hundreds of amazing places in our world, and my travels haven’t taken me to enough of them yet, but I hope this helps spark your wanderlust all the same.
One of my favorite foods is, of course, chicken wings. But, sadly, my love of wings sometimes conflicts with my want to eat healthily. Since most restaurants deep fry their wings, the sheer amount of calories from a plate of wings can end up pretty staggering.
I’m not willing to give up on wings entirely, so, I’ve been working on a way to make wings that is at least somewhat healthier and, most importantly, is at least as good as those that you get at a restaurant. So, here is my take on...
Shortly after writing the article about Jeff Bezos’ then-upcoming trip to space, Sir Richard Branson caught headlines by announcing he would also be going to space. Not only that, he was going to beat Bezos to space by a week as a passenger on Virgin Galactic’s spaceship. Now that both billionaires have successfully experienced weightlessness, it’s time to determine which billionaire “won”.
Virgin Galactic takes a much different approach to spaceflight than Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin...
If you go into any liquor store in the country, right now, you will find Jim Beam. It is, in many ways, an introductory whisky. As a bourbon, it has a bold flavor profile and can be a little bit intimidating for some palettes, but the fact that it can be found, affordably, at nearly any place where liquor is sold, makes it one of the classics.
Here, I’ll briefly cover the history of the brand and the product. From there, I’ll offer some of my ideas in terms of tasting notes as well as the...
In mid-July 2021, unrest began in the streets of most Cuban cities. As a political scientist living in Miami, I’m waiting with bated breath to see what happens. In the meantime, this can be a learning moment for us all.
In this piece, I’ll try my best to explain what’s going on in Cuba as of this moment. To do so, I’ll walk through a brief history that gives you some context, as well as explaining the importance of Cuban to Americans. Once that’s done, I’ll briefly cover the events as best...
Thankfully, the world is going back to normal in a lot of places. For some folks, that means a long-awaited return to the office. As someone who likes to cook, this poses another challenge to me. Without a full kitchen and dishwasher, can I keep up with my enjoyment of healthy lunches?
There’s going to be some desire, I’m sure, to go back to fast-food or uninspired lunches that we all remember from the days when office work was the norm for most of us. But, I think we can do better. So...
Most days, you can do what you want: work, relax, spend time with family. But, from time to time, days get sideways quickly. In my short life, I’ve experienced blizzards, fires, hurricanes, car accidents, tornados, and extreme heat events.
All of those have convinced me that being smart and prepared can get you out of trouble with less pain and suffering than you’ve otherwise endured. In this piece, I’ll offer you ten tips that have helped me get through sticky situations, as well as the...
As the Tokyo summer Olympics approach, we thought it would be fun to take a look at the most successful Olympian of all time: American swimmer Michael Phelps. He’s competed in 5 Olympic games over the course of his career, starting at the young age of 15 in Sydney, Australia. While he didn’t win any medals in Sydney, he more than made up for it in the next 4 Olympics, winning 28 total medals. Out of those 28 medals, 23 of them are Gold, and 13 of those gold medals are for individual events...
Today, I’m here with the third entry in our whisky review series. This time, I’m looking at Four Roses Bourbon. If you’re following along in the series, you know the drill. For the new people, I start with a brief history of the whisky so we have a better idea of where it’s coming from. Then, I give you my tasting notes on the drink. To round things out, I make some suggestions on how I would choose to drink it, but, as always, remember that the key to whisky, is to drink what you like, how...
During the course of a normal life, you’re likely going to face something that needs to be fixed or upgraded in some way. More commonly, that means calling someone to fix the problem you’re currently facing. And, as someone who has spent a good bit of his life in the construction field, I think most people should have a fair sense of their skills, and when they’re out of their depth, call a professional.
With that caveat said, I want to offer you ten tools that I think will make you more...
It’s finally summer, and with the world going more slightly towards normal, it’s becoming more possible to travel again. Here, I want to offer you ten places I think make great summer destinations, especially for long weekend trips.
This list is going to be a personal one, as I’m only going to list places I’ve been and liked: with each of them I’ll offer a general overview, as well as a specific recommendation to help you get the most of out of your summer travel from the perspective of...
Today, I’m here with our second whisky review, this time looking at Grant's Cask Editions Blended Scotch. Last time, I took a look at Maker’s Mark, an American Bourbon. The world of whisky is a wide one, however, and we’re immediately jumping across the pond to Scotland.
While I don’t plan to stick to any one kind of whisky in these- in fact, I plan to try as many as possible- I do plan on sticking to whiskies that are accessible in terms of both availability and price. My philosophy is...
Jeff Bezos, the richest man in the world, recently announced he would be taking an 11 minute ride into Space on July 20th. This flight comes just two weeks after he formally steps down as the CEO of Amazon on July 5th, the ecommerce empire he built from scratch over the course of 25+ years. The space flight will take place aboard Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket, shuttling Bezos and 3 other passengers just over 62 miles - past the Karman line - into space for a few minutes of weightlessness...
Over the last two decades, I’ve been to over a dozen countries and a good few states, traveling by car, plane, foot, and train. In those travels, I’ve noticed that there seem to be some things that are constants, especially unpredictability. No matter how well you plan or prepare, there will likely be a situation that you just couldn’t predict that can make your day a little bit harder. Here, I want to share with you ten things that I keep with me whenever I travel to help offset that...
I’m excited for this one: we’re starting what we aim to be a series of whisky reviews. In each of them, I’ll start with a very brief history of the subject of the review. Then, I’ll get right into it and offer you my opinions on the taste of the whisky: this is going to be subjective, but that’s the name of the game when it comes to reviewing whisky. Finally, I’ll offer my thoughts on the best way to enjoy that particular whisky. Without further adieu, let’s get right to it.
Maker’s Mark is...
Over my lifetime, I’ve learned to love to cook. Some of my best memories come from the kitchen: cooking breakfast with grandma before anyone else was up, making dinner with a partner on a romantic evening, or just relaxing after a long day.
Here, I want to share ten things that have made me a better home cook. I’m not a chef, so my advice should be taken with a pinch of salt, but I hope you can learn something from one of my favorite tips, tricks, and tools.