Lifestyle
Tough Mudder Seattle
This past weekend I dominated the Gladiator Run at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. Okay, maybe dominate is a strong word. “Completed” is probably a more fitting description. With the help of my teammates, I finished all the obstacles and made it through the course. It’s a 5K run with 15 obstacles created by Dan Clark, aka Nitro, from the original American Gladiators. The course kicked my ass a bit and I was proud that I got through it. But I knew, deep down that my victory was a mild one. The Gladiator Run doesn’t come close to what goes down at Tough Mudder.
The weekend before I did the Gladiator Run, I got to tour the Tough Mudder course in Seattle as part of an adrenaline-packed trip that was sponsored by Degree Men. I knew there was no way I could hang with running that Seattle course, and the challenge of my recent mini-5K just confirmed that. After my little mud run, I got nothing but the deepest respect for the true mudders out there.
I got some cool cuts of the Tough Mudder Seattle event, and after grinding away at the Gladiator Run, I wanted to share some highlights from the big boy course:
Oct 8th
Bulleit Bourbon Review
I’ve always been more of a Scotch guy, but I know a good whiskey when I see one. Lower-end whiskey choices tend to be too sweet and too syrupy. When you want a stiff drink, you want that drink to have some flavor. You want it to have a bold and memorable taste, something with some depth and complexity. You don’t want that drink to taste like an alcoholic Slurpee.
So when I tried Bulleit Bourbon for the first time, the first thing that stood out to me is the nuance, the I-don’t-have-to-be-too-sugary-to-succeed taste. What I like about good Scotch is the subtleties that are at play in the drink. You get a certain scent, a certain immediate, on-the-tongue flavor and some sort of afterthought finish. It’s a process, and not every drink can deliver each step of the way. Bulleit Bourbon can.
Tom Bulleit revamped the Bulleit Distilling Co. with the goal of using his great-great-grandfather’s 175-year-old recipe to make fantastic, authentic bourbon. Bulleit Bourbon is aged al east six years in American White Oak barrels that are housed in single-story warehouses. This allows for more control over the maturation process. The consistency is further enhanced by the mingling process, where two to three distillates will be mingled together to achieve a consistent nose and finish. Bulleit Bourbon uses large amounts of rye grain and proprietary yeast that is cultured on-site at the distillery.
The nose is spicy, but the taste and finish are so smooth. The finish lasts for some time too, which is a good thing. Bulleit Bourbon is great to us in cocktails, because it can stand alone of give itself a proper place to stand out when mixed with other elements. I think it’s a pretty good base for old fashioneds. I tend to like my old fashioneds a little less sweet (with a small spoonful of simple syrup of the crushed sugar cube), but I really like how Bulleit plays with the bitters. Add some citrus-type garnish and you’re good to go.
And if you’re a purist, you don’t need any mixers. Just sip on this quality Bourbon and enjoy the long, smooth finish without any interference.
Oct 3rd
Degree Men Adrenaline Fueled Weekend
This past weekend Degree Men flew me out to Seattle for a sweet set of events that showcased the motion-activated power of the Degree Men Adrenaline Series. Most deodorant sticks respond to a person’s wetness, but the Degree Men Adrenaline Series is some DEFCON-level deodorant that uses MOTIONsense™ technology to respond to actual activity and body movement. This patented piece of odor-fighting tech starts working more the more you move around. It’s a clinical-grade antiperspirant designed to last for long stretches at a time (up to 48 hours). Even the most extreme adrenaline junkies can’t outstink these sticks.
The Adrenaline Series features a full line of products that cater to specific conditions and preferred man-smells:
- Adventure – A citrusy blast of forest fueled goodness. Musky without going overboard.
- Everest – A cool sensation of wintery clean. Almost mentholated in its briskness.
- Extreme – A minty-citrus combo with an outdoorsy undertone. Fresh side of the great outdoors.
- Sport Defense – Rustic black pepper meets odor-busting chillness. Just the right amount of spicy.
- V12 – Calming herbal blend that mixes subtle scents with a crisp finish. Simple and meditative.
With the full product line at our disposal, the Degree Men’s crew treated us to some awesome displays of man-tensity:
Interview with Bear Grylls
Bear Grylls is the ultimate symbol of staying cool in extreme situations. I sat down with him to chat about the spirit of Tough Mudder, the obstacle that he designed for the course, his favorite spot on planet Earth and you know, that whole what’s-it-like-to-be-known-as-the-guy-who-drinks-his-own-piss thing.
Tough Mudder
We toured the Tough Mudder course in Seattle the day before the race and I got to see the clean version of the course – a 12-mile track with 22 savage obstacles – before it was muddied and bloodied by over 8,000 participants. The following day I watch as these muddied masses pushed themselves through all the brutality, with a lot of teamwork, camaraderie and respect on display.
High Speed Go-Cart Racing
Multiple rounds of intense, spinout-fueled competition on go carts that reach speeds of 50 MPH. The Crave Online guys dominated the final race at PGP Motorsports Park.
Ultimate Seahawks Experience
I got to tour the stadium with a fun-loving historian. Saw the scene of the Golden Tate crime, scoped out the visitor locker room and got some practice time on the field. Former Seahawks kicker Norm Johnson and former Seahawks fullback Mack Strong gave us some tips on how to kick field goals and throw spirals.
So yea, good times this weekend. With good people, too; from Crave, AskMen.com and the Yahoo Mansome crew. Stay tuned for more posts from this weekend’s awesome events!
Oct 1st
Enjoy Halfway Day with Kilbeggan Irish Whiskey
Did you know that we’re exactly six months away from St. Patrick’s Day? It might be a bit too early to start planning for March 17, but that doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate Halfway Day with Irish Whiskey from the world’s oldest operating distillery.
Kilbeggan Irish Whiskey is encouraging fans to show their Irish pride today. The brand partnered up with Funny or Die for this instructional Halfway Day video:
Kilbeggan was recognized as the Best Blended Irish Whiskey at the World Whiskies Awards and the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. It was introduced nationally to the US this year. I received a bottle from Kilbeggan, and the stuff is silky smooth, sweet-but-not-too-sweet and has that nice oaky finish that you’d expect from a quality Irish whiskey. It’s tasty when served neat, on the rocks or in a cocktail.
If you live in Boston, Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, or San Francisco other participating cities in the US, look for Kilbeggan Halfway to St. Patrick’s Day celebrations at your local pub. You could end up on the Kilbeggan Cam or find yourself enjoying Kil-Bimini, an Irish-themed ring toss game. Follow the action on Twitter using the hashtag #KilBimini to see what’s going in your neighborhood.
If you like to mix up your Irish WHiskey, here are some cocktail options for your Halfway Day celebrations:
Kilbeggan Irish Breakfast Shot
- ½ part Kilbeggan Irish Whiskey
- ½ part DeKuyper Buttershots Liqueur
- 1 part Orange Juice
- 1 slice of Bacon
To Serve: Enjoy the Kilbeggan Irish Whiskey and DeKuyper Buttershots Liqueur followed immediately by the orange juice. Finish with a slice of bacon.
Kilbeggan Dubliner
- 3 parts Kilbeggan Irish Whiskey
- 2 parts Sweet Vermouth
- 1½ parts Cherry Syrup
- 1½ parts Cranberry Juice
- Dash Simple Syrup (optional)
To Serve: Combine all ingredients into a shaker with ice and shake for 60 seconds. Strain neat into a martini glass. Garnish with a black cherry.
Sep 17th
David Koechner Interview
You know David Koechner. You might not know how to pronounce his last name (hint: “keck-ner”), but you definitely know his face. The guy’s been around. He did improv in Chicago at IO and Second City. He performed sketches on Saturday Night Live and Late Night with Conan O’Brien. Along with his partner Dave ‘Gruber’ Allen, Koechner performed in The Naked Trucker & T-Bones Show for audiences in LA on a monthly basis. The show was picked up by Comedy Central in 2007. You’ve also seen Koechner in The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Talladega Nights, Thank You for Smoking, The Comebacks and Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. Koechner will reprise his role as Champ Kind in Anchorman 2, which is slated to hit theaters in 2013.
I had a chance to interview Koechner yesterday while he was in New York promoting the Bud Light Fantasy Football League. You can check out info on the the league by visiting BudLight.com/FFL. From now until December 30, you can pick up promo codes on specially-marked 12 oz. bottles of Bud Light, visit the site, create an account and enter your promo code to participate in weekly fantasy battles. You set a roster, put together a team and activate your starters 15 minutes prior to kickoff of regularly scheduled games. If you rank in the top 25 of your division, you can win one of 800 prizes that Bud Light will be dishing out on a weekly basis.
For more info on the league, David Koechner, Anchorman 2 and the hidden talents of Tom Brady, check out the full interview:
Sep 6th
FILA Golf Shirt Review – Bristol Polo
I just got back from Cancun, Mexico and it was all kinds of extra hot the whole time I was there. The place had that killer combo of high humidity, unforgiving sun and a wall of sticky heat that hit you in the face and weighed your body down for days. I stayed at the Moon Palace resort, and the first full day I was there, I scheduled a full 18 holes at the Jack Nicklaus designed golf course, which was absolutely gorgeous. The greens were being aerated, which wasn’t ideal because they were super rocky, but it really was a nice place to play a round. The all-inclusive nature of the resort extended to the links as well, so even though there was this unbearable heat situation, me and my group we’re fully stocked with water and beers throughout the morning and into the afternoon. It helped take the edge off big time. It also helped that I was sporting this sweet Bristol Polo golf shirt FILA Golf sent out to me just before I left on the trip.
You have to understand that I’m a big golf shirt guy. Not because I’m great at golf — I’m really not that good at all — no, I love golf shirts because they are the perfect form of shirt. Class meets comfort. Relaxation meets respectability. Over the years I’ve stockpiled vintage golf shirts like you wouldn’t believe. You know the ones I’m talking about. These shirts have a smooth, t-shirt like texture and a little bit of that cotton-poly wrinkle-freeness about ‘em. There’s usually four buttons that give you different neckline options ranging from extra-prep to fully exposed chest hair. The thing that really ties these shirts together though, is the crunchy, stiff and pointy collar at the top.
So with my love of golf shirts established and my new found fondness for the actual game in full effect, I happily accepted an offer to review this FILA golf shirt. I tried this thing out in rigorous conditions in Cancun, and it performed fantastically. I was a bit hesitant to not break out one of my older, trusted golf shirts, but I wanted to see what this FILA golf shirt could do in action. I came away very impressed.
The shirt was super breathable, but not in a pure cotton shirt way or even a cotton-poly blend kind of way. It feels more synthetic than any other shirt I own, like it’s constructed using some NASA-type fabric from the future (87 percent Nylon and 13 percent Lycra). It breathes, but it also absorbs wetness. It doesn’t stay wet for very long, either. I don’t think I’ve ever sweated so profusely for that long in my life. I was wiping my face down with a towel after every other shot. My hat was soaked. My shorts and my socks were soaked. But my shirt absorbed the wetness and still stayed dry. If splashed water on the thing, there would be no wet spot. If I wore a regular, old school golf shirt, it would be breathable, it would soak up moisture, but it wouldn’t be dry at all. This moisture wicking fabric is legit. The shirt also has an anti-bacterial finish that eliminates perspiration odors.
So yea, this shirt performed well. It also looks great. It’s got a bit of a throwback vibe do it. It features a respectably-sized collar and it works as an everyday work/play/comfy-professional top. I didn’t even know that FILA made golf stuff before I received this shirt, but I would totally buy something like this in the future.
Aug 28th
3M Auto Boot Camp
Do you know how many products 3M makes besides Post-It Notes and Scotch Tape? It’s crazy, man. I didn’t know the scope of their product line until I attended 3M‘s Auto Boot Camp. I thought 3M just did paper and tape. I really had no idea how diverse 3M’s technological research was until 3M flew my out for a tour of their Innovation Center as part of their introduction to Auto Boot Camp. There, I saw all the interesting technologies they were developing from silent velcro to heat-resistant window film based on nanotechnology.
3M Innovation Center
The star of the Innovation Center is a large domed room that showcases 3M innovations past, present and future. It is divided into themed exhibits such as Microreplication and Nanotechnology. This room contained so many interesting, hands-on exhibits. It was like a science center on steroids. I could have spent an entire day in this room with my son totally immersed in all the interesting demonstrations and not get through half of it. Seeing all these innovations makes you curious about a company that invents so many different products across a wide range of markets.
Have you ever wondered how things like Post-Its actually get invented? Who has time to invent something like notepaper that’s sticky on the back? Do they get paid to sit at their desk and play with paper and tape all day in the hopes of inventing something we never knew we needed?
15% Time
Well, at 3M Post-its were invented during an employee’s 15% time. 15% time means that employees must spend 15% of their work hours working on a personal project. You may have heard Google has a similar policy. Well, 3M had this policy for decades before Google even existed. Technical Director Kurt Beinlich said that he “can’t remember any wildly successful 3M product that was ever conceived due to corporate strategic decisions.”
Core 3M innovations, including Post-It Notes, Masking Tape and a host of others across many sectors, came about from employees spending 15% of their time working on personal projects under no direct orders from superiors. Some inventions happened because engineers like Dick Drew explicitly ignored his boss when he was told to stop working on an innovation. You have to love a company that encourages independence and ignoring your boss.
3M Auto Boot Camp
Another thing I was unaware of was how long 3M had been supplying components for automobile companies. As a non-car guy my experience is limited to asking a body shop how much before I cringe and decide to keep the little imperfection in my car. Their Automotive Aftermarket division now offers products directly to people like me who have let small little dings go unrepaired rather than taking the car to a body shop. Everyone I know has experienced that sinking feeling when your car gets scratched. The scratch is just too small to justify taking your car to a repair shop so usually we just let that minor damage go unfixed and cry a little inside whenever we see that scratch on our front door. To my surprise 3M’s car care products can make anyone, even someone with clumsy hands like myself, capable of fixing all the minor damage your car has collected over time. They also have how-to videos on their website to demonstrate how easy it is to use all their products, even for a non-car guy like myself. Here are some of their products that were most useful to me:
3M Windshield Repair Kit
Have you ever been at the car wash and had some sales person identify a tiny chip in the windshield and offer to fix it for some large fee or you run the risk of some giant spider web crack appearing? Those people annoy me. Yes, I know my windshield has a chip. It’s been there for 2 years without ever expanding. Yes, I want it fixed, but I’m not going to overpay you to do it so stop threatening me with a windshield apocalypse that’s going to result from a tiny crack. I have one of those tiny chips from driving up and down the I-5 from San Francisco to LA and I would like to find a solution at some point that doesn’t involve these pushy windshield people.
Enter 3M’s Windshield Repair Kit. This kit makes fixing these little cracks a simple process. It comes with everything you need so you don’t have to have an extensive garage to make these repairs. It’s based on a gel that you apply using a simple bridge with suction cups that sticks on your windshield. Once the bridge is set you twist the gel tube down until it is over the crack. You then apply a little gel to seal the crack. Make sure the gel gets in all of the little hairline cracks. Let it dry for a few minutes and your car is healed.
3M Scratch Removal Kit
If you park your car in crowded parking lots you understand the pain of returning to your car and seeing a lovely little scratch that some inconsiderate monster has left on your car door. These are just horrible, horrible people that do this. Why can’t they take the time to open a door slowly? Unfortunately they exist, and if you are like me and park in crowded parking lots often you might even have a nice series of these scratches on your car door due to these bulls in a china shop. Unlike a battle scar on your body, these don’t add “character” to your car. I’ve had these on my car a while but never wanted to take the car to a body shop just to fix a few minor scratches. I have tried touch-up solutions in the past and have been less than impressed with the results.
3M’s Scratch Removal Kits are pretty legit. These kits provide an easy means for anyone, including the mechanically clueless like myself, to quickly and efficiently remove these types of car scratches. The multi-step process only takes about 15-20 minutes and can effectively remove any minor scratches on your car. You start by cleaning the area around the scratch. Then you spray the included abrasive square with water and sand a 4×4 inch area around the scratch. After you ensure the scratch is no longer visible, you use the included purple pad and apply the rubbing compound, and buff the area around the scratch. With this process, it’s is easy to remove minor scratches that you probably have on your car just like I do. Here’s an extensive how-to video that shows you how it’s done:
3M Paint Protection Film
If we really want to save our cars from the Parking Lot Monsters, 3M’s Paint Protection Film goes the extra step. Instead of just fixing the problem after the fact, why not prevent it from happening in the first place? The Paint Protection applies a thin, invisible multi-layered film to different areas of your car such as the car doors, the hood, the trunk and front bumper. The protective film won’t stop a bullet, but it’s great protection from the aggressive car door opener and the bad driver who can’t parallel park and bumps your car. Paint Protection Film can stop these people from ruining your day. Also if you tend to place groceries on your hood or trunk, it can protect against something accidentally scratching the surface. This is not a do-it-yourself product though (unless you are experienced in cutting film and applying it to curved surfaces like cars). It’s definitely harder than it looks as the demonstration showed so best leave the installation to a professional in this case. Although you can purchase each car area separately if you are only worried about one particular area.
Aug 17th
In Search of the Real Captain Morgan
You know Captain Morgan. He’s that jolly pirate with a familiar stance and a fondness for spiced rum. He’s a pop culture icon who sports a recognizable wardrobe and likes to be paired with Coke. But Captain Morgan is more than just a Caribbean rum mascot. The real life Henry Morgan was one of the most notorious privateers of all time. He carried with him a Letter of Marque issued by the British government and the Governor of Jamaica to fight the Spanish on behalf of England. He raided the centers of wealth and influence on the Spanish Main, amassing the largest fleet in the history of the Caribbean. The loot he collected from his adventures was his reward.
Morgan’s mythical status has grown over the centuries, but the real Henry Morgan is resurfacing in the Chagres River in Panama. For the past three years, the Captain Morgan brand has teamed up with a crew of US archaeologists to search for Morgan’s lost fleet. The effort first began in September 2010, when the team discovered six cannon that belonged to Morgan. Last summer, they located a wooden shipwreck from the 17th century. This wreck could be one of the five ships that Morgan lost on the Lajas Reef in 1671.
This summer, the team returned to excavate the wreckage. They uncovered swords, chests, cargo seals and wooden barrels (which, in all likelihood, don’t contain 340-year-old rum). These artifacts are now being preserved in Panama City so that their origins can be verified. They will remain the property of the Panamanian government and be displayed at the Patronato Panamá Viejo in Panama City.
Morgan and his men were able to overcome Fort San Lorenzo at Charges and take Panama. At the time, Panama City was considered the capital of Spanish America and was one of the richest cities in the world. The raid was a success, but poorly timed. After the city was captured and looted, word arrived that England had signed a peace treaty with Spain. By the time Morgan returned to Port Royal, Jamaica, the governor had been arrested and shipped back to England. Morgan soon suffered a similar fate.
But his exile in England didn’t last long. As tensions with the Dutch flared up in the West Indies, the King sought the advice of the celebrated buccaneer. Morgan’s tactical recommendations put him in good favor with Charles II, and before too long Morgan was knighted by the king and sent back to Jamaica to serve as deputy governor.
With his swashbuckling days behind him, Morgan’s life took a more respectable turn. He began overseeing matters of state and grew rich from his sugar plantations. Ever the survivor, Morgan outmaneuvered his political adversaries. After being relieved of his duties, Morgan would reclaim his spot on the governing council at Port Royal and remain there until his death in 1688.
So pretty cool stuff. If you like pirates and shipwrecks and rum and archaeology and feel-good rogue-to-riches stories, there’s a lot to love here. Just check out some photos of the excavation efforts:
Aug 8th
Hennessy Launches VS Limited Edition Bottle Designed By Futura
Last week I attended a Hennessy event in LA to celebrate the launch of the new VS Limited Edition Bottle designed by graffiti artist Futura. The event featured live art demonstrations by Futura and sweet music sets from Diplo and Santigold. There were plenty of beautiful people in attendance and of course, the Henny was flowing freely throughout the night.
I have no idea why it took me so long to try Hennessy. I’ve always been a Scotch and whiskey kinda guy, but I never gave Hennessey a real chance. I’m not sure why that is. Maybe it’s a maturity thing. I always reached for what was familiar – beers, scotch and so forth. I just never really got into Cognac.
But things change. People change. Palates grow more sophisticated. After-dinner drinks graduate past the light beer stage. So this may come as news to no one, but Hennessey is actually pretty tasty.
Hennessy isn’t too sweet and it’s not too gut-punching. It’s not as surpy as whiskey. It doesn’t have that same acquired taste as Scotch. It’s just a friendly, end-of-the-day reminder of the finer things in life – a born nightcap that says good meal and good night. It’s a change of pace beverage, a relaxing spirit that has a chill-mellow finish.
Anyway, back to the Very Special bottle. Futura’s bottle design was inspired by the Cognac itself, as evidenced by the warm, energetic colors. He wanted to incorporate the action of swirling the spirit in a glass, and this movement is also present in the design. Futura adapted his design aesthetic to this smaller scale canvas, and the result turned out great.
The marriage of appealing art, good drinks and great music made for a pretty successful party. Kudos to Henny for putting together a solid event and a smart partnership.
Aug 8th
Akitio Cloud Hybrid Review
Remember when a few gigabytes used to be a lot of disk space? Yea, me neither. If you’re like me, you’ve probably accumulated an insane amount of digital data over the years. It’s probably spread across multiple hard drives – internal and external – in way that’s not really super-organized. I started downloading music in Napster days and never looked back. And with so many other digital toys and file sharing options out there, it’s easy to build up a couple terabytes worth of stuff that you want to have access to.
So you try to consolidate. You pull stuff from old towers and dusty, unused laptops. You keep all this digital data with you and it usually just sits on another hard drive that’s tethered to a desk somewhere. You can try using USB sticks and DVDs to move data around, but you’re usually still tethered.
Well you don’t have to be tethered any more. It’s time to get your personal digital depot into the cloud, man. The Akitio Cloud Hybrid can help you do this in a quick and painless way. The Cloud Hybrid is an enclosure that functions as a NAS network drive, so you get the benefits of a direct attached storage device (DAS) that can also function as a great source for streaming media around your home.
The coolest part of the Cloud Hybrid is having the ability to stream digital content to your phone or tablet device. I personally hate synching up my iPhone and iPad to my desktop. It’s just such a cumbersome process. All you need is the free mobile app (iPhone, iPad and Android apps available) to fire up the connection. You can access the network drive from a web browser (at MyAkitio.com), local network or remotely.
Installing the NAS/DAS is pretty simple. The unit supports a single hard drive up to 3TB. If you’ve ever used an enclosure before, it’s a pretty straight forward process for connecting the HDD. The USB 3.0 cord that comes with the unit supports transfers of up to 5GBs.
Expanding your mobile device to up to 3TBs of stored data is just sick. It’s also pretty sweet that the Cloud Hybrid supports stuff like iTunes, PS3, Xbox 36, Windows 7 and DLNA certified UPnP clients. The unit retails for $99. If you’re ready for more access to all your digital files and you can handle the simple set up, it’s an affordable option for what you get out of it.
Aug 3rd
