Screen time

Dark of Knight

There are few movies I have looked forward to more than “The Dark Knight.” That’s why this hurts more than most other reviews I might give.

I didn’t enjoy “The Dark Knight.”

Not only did I not enjoy it, it makes me angry that a movie this dark and this sadistic is being targeted toward kids. Some of you may say that I am somewhat of a hypocrite because of other films that I like, such as “No Country for Old Men” or “Blade Runner.” Well, allow me try and pull my reputation up and explain why I feel the way I do.
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Eating, Social Media

New Thickburger is subprime

Mushroom-Swiss has always been my favorite hamburger permutation. For years, that was the only “specialty” burger I would order. A few years ago, though, I started trying different types of specialty burgers, and I decided there were some others that were pretty good. Case in point: The Bonsai burger from Red Robin. With a nice, big slice of pineapple, some lettuce shreds, a light mayo sauce and a little soy, the Bonsai’s flavors all match really well. It’s a tasty burger.

But not all specialty burgers are created equal.

Hardees Prime-Rib Thickburger is neither thick nor prime-rib. It is meatier than a standard-issue fast-food burger, but it doesn’t measure up to something I might make at home. While the meat does taste like meat — and that’s never a given when it comes to a fast-food burger — it tastes more like ground beef than prime rib. It’s well-cooked ground beef, at least. It wasn’t dry.

The onions and the mushrooms are a nice touch, but the horseradish sauce is distracting and not very tasty. I would have preferred a kaiser roll or a standard hamburger bun to the “ciabatta” roll Hardees uses for the Prime-Rib Thickburger. Like the sauce, the flavor of the ciabatta didn’t mesh well.

Overall, I give the Prime-Rib Thickburger a solid C. Given the choice, I would prefer one of their standard, 99-cent cheeseburgers.

Flotsam / Jetsam

Gimme shelter

There are several factors that contribute to the fact that we seem destined for a life of renting. Rockford and I have been married for seven and a half years, and we have yet to buy a home. Much of that is due to a history of financial nitwittery. Right now, though, the prevailing factor is the housing market.

I have heard rumors that this is the time to buy a house. They say that prices have dropped tremendously. Apparently we’re living in some sort of Realtors’ utopia, though, because houses here still cost a great big chunk of change. Even if that weren’t the case, it’s also become more difficult to get a mortgage, especially if you don’t have loads of cash on hand. (Which, should you need clarification, we do not.)

So we’ll continue renting for a few more years. Or forever, maybe. Whatever.

Anyway, our current lease ends at the end of August. I’ve already delivered our intent-to-vacate letter, which means we’ll definitely be moving somewhere. The question is, where? I want a house. With a yard. In my ideal world, we would find a 4 bedroom, 2.5 bathroom house with a garage, a finished basement and a large, fenced backyard. Oh, and a beautiful, functional kitchen. And it would be within walking distance of to the library and grocery store. In the real world, I’d like to find a house with at least 3 bedrooms, 1.5 baths and a yard that (a) doesn’t sit in front of four lanes of traffic and (b) isn’t a ravine. Beyond that, I’m not picky. (That’s not true. I’m extremely picky.)

I’m not in panic mode yet, but it’s been a tough search so far. We looked at one house that had a basement straight out of a B-grade horror flick. It even had a fallout shelter! Which could come in handy, I guess, but we passed nevertheless. We’ve also passed on:

  • The townhouse with the domestic dispute occurring on the front stoop.
  • The house with the paved yard.
  • The lovely house with a treehouse and a great yard — that was half an hour away from Rockford’s office. (I know 30 minutes is a wee commute in some areas, but not this one.)

    I keep saying that I’m not going to look at any more rental listings until August. Then five minutes later, there I am on Craigslist. It’s a sickness. In my defense, though, there are people listing houses that aren’t available until August. Which is when we need to move. So there’s nothing wrong with me looking at all. See how easily I rationalize the crazy?