Some links

I’ve run across some cool links lately and thought I’d share them.

• Running Map
  • Grab a map of your neighborhood and find the mileage of your favorite route. Also displays the elevation of your course and lets you search for other suggested routes in your area.
• HDR Photography Howto
  • Create amazing HDR photographs using consumer grade cameras. HDR, high dynamic range, is an image representation technique that better depicts the full range of lighting in a scene. In english: Photos look more lifelike and more surreal. They seem to pop out of the frame.

10 Thu 08

Fancy Schmancy Restaurants

Normally I'm fairly opposed to spending more than $5 for a meal. Consequently, I eat a lot of sandwiches and pasta. Whodathunk that I'd be suckered in by Baltimore Restaurant Week's $30 dollar dinner menus.

Abigail and I went to Ruth's Chris Steakhouse last night. Maan. Fantastic stuff. We pulled up and (after helping a few other customers) a friendly valet ran up to our car, opened Abigail's door and greeted me with friendliness typically reserved for clergy. "Theenkya bwoss," he said as he took my tip in trade for my valet ticket.

We had made our menu selections a week before but we both still made an excellent show of carefully selecting our entrees and I fussed a bit over the wine list. We got water, petite filets, salads, and a side dish. I picked mashed potatoes as my side item. At gold-plated prices, I figured they would rock. I wasn't disappointed. Abigail chose gold-plated mushrooms... also fantastic (no, there wasn't gold on them. figure of speech.)

The filet was the best piece of cow I've ever eaten in my life. Better than any prime rib I've ever had. I don't have a clue what kind of cut it was... but this cow must have lived on a steady diet of meat tenderizer. It was fantastic. I was tempted to calculate a cost-per-bite but figured that'd spoil the fun. I silenced my frugality by cutting my bites in half and congratulating myself on negotiating the 50% discount.

We finished the meal with "Chocolate 'sin' Cake". The cake was solid chocolate (with a hint of espresso) and had a consistency somewhat like cheesecake. Step aside Eskimo cake, you're now second place to the delicious deadliness of C.S.C. You'll be missed.

"Got it bwoss," the valet said as he scampered off to find my car. When he returned, he opened Abigail's door and accepted my tip with another "Theenkya bwoss." I'd say being called "bwoss" was worth the $2.
10 Thu 08

First Post

First posts are the coolest things in the world. What could possibly be cooler than writing the first post for a new piece of blogging software? Writing more than one post, you say? Yeah, you're probably right.
10 Thu 08