Riddle Me This, Jishman

WTOP, the Washignton, DC all news radio station, was reporting this morning about the most expensive airports to fly from in the United States (based on a Cheapflights.com survey). The survey is very interesting for a number of reasons. In no specific order, here are some of the issues I have with survey’s like this:

1. Why only 101 airports? Far more than that offer commercial air service.

2. With three airports in the Washington, DC, New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco areas why not also report average for the region? This would be a more realistic indicator of true choice for passengers in those markets. For example, when I fly out of Washington, I look to see the cost of flights at Regan National (DCA), Baltimore (BWI), and Dulles (IAD) all by using the code WAS (same for New York City with NYC).

3. Of the three airports in Washington, National is the “cheapest” at #23, followed by Baltimore at #74, and Dulles at #99. If you look at where flights from those airports go, you may notice that National is almost exclusively domestic flying (with some flights to Canada and the Bahamas) whereas Baltimore has limited international flights and Dulles is a major international hub for United Airlines. The more international flights an airport has, I would think the average ticket price would be higher as the result of business and first class seats being sold on international aircraft. (As a point of reference, the same can be said for New York City, with La Guardia at #9, Newark at #91, and JFK at #98).

While it is interesting that La Guardia and National (with their statutorily controlled slots) are cheaper than other area airports, what does this really tell you about air travel? There are many destinations (especially international) where you cannot get from point A to point B from La Guardia and National. If you live in a major metropolitan area, why would you chose to use those airports, regardless if they are “less expensive” if you cannot fly where you want or need to go?

Maybe next time, surveys like this will use a real methodology to actually say something about how people use these airports and not just have a blanket statement about average cost that is ultimately meaningless for most travelers.

From time to time, I have been known to check in on my friend PJ to see how his career is progressing. Last year, he released his second album and he has been touring to promote it while getting married last month as well as (rumor has it) hitting the studio to record his third album.

PJ just released a cover of a Beatles tune, “Something” (with video). Enjoy it!

And here is the current schedule for PJ’s Summer tour! For my friends in NYC and New England, he will be all touring your neighborhoods all summer. Rumor has it that Jishman himself might hit a full band show in NYC this summer. And for all my NERFL members, we may have to head over to the All Asia bar after the NERFL Draft on August 28th!

Even though my primary interest in wines are those from the United States (California, Oregon, Washington, and Maryland in particular), I try to make sure that I am tasting and trying to understand wines from other countries and states. To that end, I was in the grocery store a couple of weeks ago and stumbled upon an inexpensive ($5.99 a bottle) Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile. Chile has an excellent reputation for red wines, so I figured, who not give it a try.

A little background on the wine before my thoughts. The 2008 Sunrise Cabernet Sauvignon is made by Concha y Toro, one of the largest wine producers in Chile. They made very high end wines and low end wines that border on plonk. Sunrise is not their lowest label (maybe second from the bottom), Frontera has that honor. Because it is not a well known label and not the top end of the Concha y Toro brand, I did not know what to expect from the wine.

What Concha y Toro has done with the Sunrise Cabernet Sauvignon is experiment a little with the traditional way Cabernet is produced. With 70 percent of the wine for the 2008 aged in stainless steel tanks and 30% in three-year old American oak, they have decided to produce a wine that is not a complex, not as oaky, and not as big (only 13.5% alcohol). On the nose (smell) you get traditional Cabernet odors of ripe red fruit and a little cherry. The taste is not big, but very pleasant. There are hints of cherry, raspberries, and even a hint of raisin. Overall, this was much better than I expected, especially at the price. Since I, unfortunately, cannot afford to drink fine wine all the time, this will be mixed into my rotation when I want a Cabernet that is lighter and more malleable than others in its price range that often do not taste like Cabernet.

If rumors circulating over the past few days are true, there is going to be a major reorganization of Division I (FBS, Football Bowl Series, formally I-A) football over the next few weeks or months. This all began when the Big Ten announced earlier in the year that they were considering expansion. Since the, almost every other conference has been rumored to be adding or losing teams in the creation of several “super conferences.” If today’s news stories are true, here is my best (and uneducated) guess about what the conference landscape will look like in a few years.

(more…)

Last night, we had some friends over for dinner. One of them brought white wine to pair without beer-can chicken. The wine was a Sauvignon Blanc from arguably the best place to grown Sauvignon Blanc: New Zealand. The wine comes from Sherwood Estates in Waipara, New Zealand. I expected a classic Sauvignon Blanc, but instead the 2008 was very mild with light hints of grapefruit on the nose and on the palate. We did not finish the bottle last night, so we screwed the cap back on and put it in the fridge.

We took the bottle out tonight to finish it and had a completely different experience. While the nose was similar, the bottle now has the classic sauvignon blanc fresh grass taste. While not my favorite characteristic of sauvignon blanc, this is a wine that I would seek out again, just to drink all in one sitting instead of letting it sit in the refrigerator overnight!

Greetings to all of the RMTJ readers out there! Mrs. Jishman here.

When Jishman and I started dating, I insisted that RMTJ would and could always be his pet project and that I was not really interested in being a regular contributor. Blogging just isn’t my thing though I certainly appreciate reading what many of you contribute to the site. But, this one time is different…

In January of this past year, my father was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS; aka: Lou Gehrig’s Disease). ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease with no treatment and no cure. According to the ALS Association, there are approximately 30,000 people living in America with ALS. Every 90 minutes a person in this country is diagnosed and every 90 minutes another person will lose their battle against this disease. 5-10% of ALS cases are genetic and for those who have genetic ALS, each of their children has a 50% change of developing the condition. Dad’s father, my grandfather, lost his battle with ALS in 1966. It’s time to make sure that we find a cure so that future generations are not be forced to continue this fight!

May is National ALS Awareness Month and, in the spirit of education and advocacy, I ask that you please take time to learn a little about the history, research and realities of ALS. www.alsa.org and http://www.als-mda.org/ are two great places to start. My family will be participating in the ALS Association’s “Walk to Defeat ALS” in June. It’s a fantastic way to support the ALS community, to raise awareness and to raise money for research and patient care.
In 1939, after news of his diagnosis had spread far and wide, Lou Gehrig addressed 61,808 fans at Yankee Stadium and expressed his love for the sport and for his fans in a heart-felt speech that ended with, “I might have had a tough break; but I have an awful lot to live for.”

Over 70 years later, my Dad is tackling ALS with the same commitment to live life to the fullest. It is an important and inspiring lesson and I strongly encourage each of us to answer the call to do the same!

If it’s possible to forget episodes 1, 2 & 3, you now can watch the whole Star Wars saga in 3 minutes…told in legos…and awesomeness!

This is hilarious

So, I have a quick thought about Verizon Wireless getting an iPhone soon. It does kind of make sense to try to get an iPhone on the VZW network (if you are VZW’s CEO). People replace their phone every 2-or so years. Commonly held thought was that Apple should wait until LTE (4G) networks were rolled out, so Apple would only have to produce one handset regardless of the network. I say, forget that.

AT&T and Verizon will be lucky to get 13 markets up on LTE by the end of this calendar year. They might - MIGHT - get 20 markets up next year too. They won’t have the whole country blanketed in LTE coverage, and so your phone will drop calls almost as badly as when networks were FIRST being rolled out (or worse, if you have AT&T now, and live in DC, SF or NYC). For a company that has made it’s living on claiming it has the best network, why would Verizon take that risk?

On the other hand, getting a CDMA iPhone will be short term expensive, but will open up the phone to another potential 78 million customers. That’s a lot of people. And yes, I know there are payment issues (will VZW give Apple the same deal AT&T does per handset), but I say the above reasons make a lot of sense to make a CDMA phone if you are Apple for right now.

Thoughts?

I’ve been pretty upfront about my enjoyment of football. I love watching it on TV. I used to get annoyed by John Madden’s clicker and pen, but it became part of the lexicon of the sport as everyone started to use it.

Baseball was totally different. I never enjoyed watching baseball on TV. Baseball on TV felt like it had more commercials than actual game time. A friend of Mrs. Jishman once told me that there are only between 15 and 20 minutes of REAL GAME TIME in any baseball game. Even a high scoring one still only has about 20-25 minutes of real game time. It’s the same amount as a half hour sitcom! But the radio changed all that. I remember going to camp and listening to Yankee games on the radio. My friend, Matt, and I would gather around the radio and in between innings, we would argue about the benefit of keeping Andy Hawkins in or bringing in Dave Righetti in the 8th. When I was in high school, I would listen to Yankee games at night and would go to sleep listening to the voices of the great broadcasters. When I graduated, I would listen to Yankee games in the car and would drive for hours just listening, hoping the game would end before my ride did.

As a fan of radio both in general and as a professional later in life, I loved listening to the broadcasters - the players came and went but the broadcasters really brought the whole game together for me. They would give you both the action and the action between the action. In between pitches (which seemed interminable), you would listen to great stories and interviews.

Though I did not grow up in Detroit - nor got the chance to hear him too often - I will never forget one time when I heard him call an All-Star game on WFAN one year in college. He was expressive and interesting. His stories were poignant and well-spoken. His voice was phenomenal, but for me too, it was his language. He had catch-phrases (or poems/Bible phrases), of course, but he didn’t feel the need to use it every time he got on the mic (thank you, Michael Kaye, you a$$). It was probably the only All-Star game I listened to, in its entirety, on the radio. I have never forgotten that game, and listening to him again on Sportscenter, I hope I never do.

If you’ve never listened to a baseball game on the radio, take the time this summer to do it. Baseball was born in an era that was before television. Use one of the 130 remaining games to listen to your favorite team on the radio. I hope you won’t regret it.

A few weeks ago, when the iPad came out, I was saying to a friend of mine that I could very easily see it as being the easiest computer to teach people how to use. No longer do you need to know how to type with 8 fingers. No longer do you need to know how to hunt and peck (right, Slugfest?) to find what you need. It’s all right there at the touch of your finger. And for 80 year olds (or older) who’ve never owned computers before, the iPad could be the easiest way for them to get on the net without really needing to do too much. Can’t see small type on a screen? No big deal, just pump the volume (dance dance!)…ahem, font size.

Now, I haven’t posted yet about my true feelings on the whole iPad-device-thing, but the video below shows an example of how it could be used, especially by a 100 year old(!!!!).

Now, until about a year ago, I was not a beet person. I didn’t like the texture. I didn’t like the taste. I definitely didn’t like the fact that I, as someone who eats like a 3 year-old sometimes, would inevitably get it all over myself and stain everything I’m wearing (something I do regardless of what I’m eating).

Well, let me be the first to tell you, I am a changed man. I now love beets. Love ‘em! Mrs. Jishman and I went to the Culinary Institute of America a few weeks ago before I started my new job and what did I get? Beet salad…TWICE! However, I am now like a Hollywood star because I only wear black whenever we go out just in case I want to get something that might stain, but whatever. Black is slimming, I’m told.

So, the other night, I decided - since I’m working from home these days - that I was going to cook a dinner for my wonderful wife. I was going to make roasted 4000 herb chicken, broccolini (starting to get in season - yum!), green beans, and of course, beet salad. Now, traditionally, the sweetness of beets go well with citrus (specifically orange) and the licorice of fennel.

Problem #1: Neither of us really like fennel that much. Or more appropriately, we don’t like licorice that much. I like fennel more than she does.
Problem #2: Beet salads typically don’t come with lettuce.

So, we went slightly more traditional - and filling - on the salad route, adding romaine lettuce, orange supremes, and avocado to our beets.

The next day, however, I really started getting creative. I made an UBER-creative (okay, not really) beet salad removing the lettuce, and adding thinly sliced celery, sliced cucumber and chunked red delicious apple to my mix. Let me tell you, I am never going back. Lettuce, you can have 90% of the rest of salads in the world, this one is all mine! No lettuce! Mixed with an amazing vinaigrette, this salad was incredible. I had a huge bowl the next day and contrary to Homer Simpson, still had friends (for more info on that reference, check here). Go for it. You’ll love it.

Ingredients:
2 cans of chunked beets (next time, I might go with sliced instead)
1 avocado
1 Red Delicious Apple
1/2 sliced cucumber (half moons)
1 orange (sliced without rind)
3 hearts of celery (sliced thinly)
2 TBS Grain Mustard
1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar
1/2 cup Olive Oil
2 cloves garlic
salt
pepper

Instructions:
1.) Make the dressing. Mix the mustard, vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper together and then slowly add in the oil to form an emulsion (we used a stick mixer in a bowl - thank you, Cuisinart! - but you can do it by hand too. Not hard.)
2.) Drain and marinate the beets in 1/4 of the dressing for at least 30 minutes.
3.) Cut and mix the veggies.
4.) Add back in the beets to the veggies.
5.) Consume and spread the love.

Enjoy!

Living in Maryland, I want Maryland wineries to produce quality products that I enjoy drinking. My experience with local wines is limited and has been mixed. I have had some very good wines and some very mediocre wines. In addition, I do not love sweet wines, which many wineries produce. Recently, I have discovered a white wine that I really enjoy. It was a “Terrapin White” made by the Linganore Winecellars in Mt. Airy, Maryland.

Terrapin White is a Riesling based wine that has 3 percent residual sugar. This is a little sweeter than I would normally choose to drink. The wine was a light yellow (or straw color and on first smell, the nose had hints of pineapple. The wine has hints of pear with a note honeysuckle. This may be because of the residual sugar left to make it slightly sweet.

Overall, I think we have found a good summer wine. Now to find more bottles because even though it is a Maryland wine, they are not as easy to find in the State of Maryland as you would think. State law makes it impossible for the winery to send them to me (felony to send and receive wine in Maryland).

My good friend, PJ Pacifico, is working on a new album and still touring in support of the album he released last summer. For those of us in New England, PJ is going to be in the area soon.

This Friday he is in Burlington, Vermont. Saturday, he is in Boston and later in the month, he is back in Northhampton! Here is the full schedule so far!

As for the new album, last weekend PJ opened for Maura O’Connell at Infinity Hall. This week he released a live video of a new song “Fold Up Your Heat”… here is the video!

I hope to see you all on Saturday night in Boston!

Talk about the readership we’d get if we got this!

Now, I’m not sure I’d say the domain is too “hot” to be sold….wait, they’re talking about the other hot. Now I get it.