So light em up up up, light em up up up, light em up up up, I'm on fire

How were your burgers? Good right? I know.

I suppose with my last post I opened to the door to the deck or patio where the BBQ is kept and I should keep going in that direction with the blog for another post or two. Works for me, I love my BBQ. I think for this entry I’m going to go the direction of tips and tricks for keeping your BBQ functional and for a few different recipes.

First, the BBQ itself. Keep it clean. That isn’t as easy as it seems since it is kept outdoors in the elements, probably year round. In the spirit of that, keep it covered when it isn’t in use. BBQ covers are fairly cheap and come in a wide variety of styles and materials. Choose what works best for you and go with it. Even with a cover you’re going to get dust and pollen and whatnot on the outside of the BBQ but that is easy to wipe off if needed.

A lot of people don’t clean the internals of their grill as often as they should. Now I’m talking gas grills here and not charcoal, which are a whole different animal that I don’t like using because I want my steak to taste like steak and not an ashtray filled with lighter fluid. Getting back to the internals; the grill top is self explanatory. Everyone has a wire brush that they brush off the burnt bits with when they are done. Easy as pie right? Well now you need to deal with those burnt bits that just fell into the body of the BBQ. Those bits get down on the heat shields and light on fire and actually end up burning holes through the shields which cause hot spots on your grill top. I personally shop-vac the crud out of the bottom of my BBQ every couple of weeks or so to keep it functioning well. Other than that, check your burners regularly to ensure you are getting flame from them from one end to another. They do wear out and they do plug off from time to time which will also cause hot and cold spots on your grill top. Replacement burners are available at many retailers if needed so don’t think you have to buy a new grill because your burner crapped out. Twice a year I also take my grill racks and burner covers out of the BBQ entirely and pressure wash them to clean them completely. That way you can inspect them and see if it is time to replace them. Yes they can be bought at many retailers as well.

Wow this is exciting stuff. Lets get to the food. Here are a few tips and tricks I use for some of my favorite grilled foods.

Steak/Chops – I have one side of my grill screaming hot and the other on medium to medium-high. That way I can give the outside of the steak/chops a good sear for 2 minutes a side and then move it to the lower heat instead of turning down the one side and letting the steaks/chops get the higher heat for a longer time which in the end can get them overcooked. DO NOT cut the steaks/chops to see how done they are, this will let the juices out and dry out the meat. Once they are cooked, let them rest for a few minutes. I cannot stress that enough. Let the juices reabsorb into the meat before you cut it.

Roast – Yes that says roast, as in beef or pork. I rotisserie my roasts but first I get one side of my BBQ screaming hot and do a couple minute sear on each side of the roast to seal in the juices.  Now I have a 3 burner set up for my BBQ so I position the roast in the center and use indirect heat from either side. Put a “drip pan” under the roast to catch any juices that fall from the it as it cooks and put a bit of water in the pan at the start to keep those juices from burning to the pan when they fall. Those juices go fantastic in gravy. I actually marinade my roasts overnight the night before and then put what is left of the marinade under the roast and use the marinade and juices together in the grave. Again, once it is cooked, let it rest before you cut it.

Beercan chicken – Two quick tips. First, use indirect heat to keep the skin from burning and second, resist the urge to lift the lid and check the thing. Lifting the lid lets the heat out and food that isn’t directly on the grill top needs the heat that is in the space above the grill to cook properly. Figure out your cooking time and follow it.

Skewers/Kebabs – I like to marinade the meats on my kebabs overnight before I skewer them. You can add ridiculous amounts of flavor by doing that. Alternate meats and veggies when skewering to let the flavors mix with each other as they cook. Kebabs are famous for sticking to the grill top so I got a set of metal holders that keep the skewers about an inch above the actual grill and prevent this. I love using them and recommend them to anyone who wants to make delicious kebabs.

 

Fish – The main tip for grilling fish is be aware of how fast it cooks. Fish is done in the blink of an eye so look up cooking times and follow them closely.

Potatoes – Ah spuds, so good when done properly. When I make potatoes on the grill I slice them thin (and anything else I am putting in with them) and wrap them in foil with some olive oil and spices and put them on the grill. The tip is to flip them often or they will burn to the foil.

I think that’s enough for now. Going simple on the recipe this time.

Dogg’s Garlic Aioli

Ingredients:

2 egg yolks, room temperature                     9 cloves of garlic, as finely minced as you can

1 tsp Dijon mustard                                      2 tsp lemon juice

½ cup olive oil                                              ½ cup sunflower (or lighter vegetable) oil

Directions:

1. Add the egg yolks, garlic, mustard and lemon juice to food processor and blend until smooth
2. With the food processor running, VERY slowly drizzle the olive oil into the mixture. This can take up to 5 minutes. Seriously, that slowly. If need be stop the food processor to scrape the sides.
3. Repeat step 2 but with the sunflower oil. The mixture should “whip up” as you do it.
4. When done put in an airtight container in the fridge and let the flavors come together for a few hours before you eat. 

BMW's shop: a descent into hoops, hockey, and science

This is my first foray into the blogosphere, so bear with me as I/we sift through what you can expect out of my posts.

 A little about myself: I'm a 24 year old college grad hailing from the University of Minnesota with a degree in Neuroscience and Biochemistry. This fall I'm enrolling in a doctoral program in Pharmacology and Molecular Science at Johns Hopkins University out in Baltimore. I'm born and raised in the Midwest, and Minneapolis has been my home for 6 years now, so we'll see in short order how the transition to living out East goes. But enough about my professional life and regional affiliation, I'm here to muse on a hodgepodge of items. For those that lack critical reading skillz, I'm big into biomedical science and several other sciences as well. I've always been fascinated by life and how, at every level, from atoms on up to ecosystems, there are numerous moving parts working together to produce the phenomenon that is the world/universe around us.

Due to my love for understanding how those moving parts fit and work together, and my relegation to living in states that have 4 not-so-distinct seasons( almost winter, winter, still winter, and road-construction), I developed a strong, distinct love for two cold weather sports: basketball and hockey. The movement, grace, and artistry of these two games are unmatched. Those who follow soccer, I hear you and understand your groans; alas, my ignorance of the game prevents true appreciation of subtle plays, and, frankly, diehard soccer fans are just vicious to newcomers. Baseball fans, I see you shaking your head, and I understand because I think Joe Mauer's stroke is a thing of beauty, too, but the game just moves too slowly at times and seems compartmentalized--there is no, for lack of a better word, flow. Don't even get me started on you NFL junkies, with your jaws now on the floor that someone dare challenge Czar Goodell's baby, although I do love me some Adrian Peterson. Basketball and hockey, to me, require a level of synchronous movement and trust in teammates that is more critical, or more obviously critical, than that required by the other two major U.S. sports. Sure, it's obvious when a receiver zigs when he should zag, or when a pitcher crosses his catcher up, but in those sports those incidents feel isolated. In basketball and hockey you can see the momentum swing gradually as players slide into or out of a rhythm with their teammates. When everything clicks you see things like the Bruins rallying from 3 goals down in the 3rd period in Game 7 to beat Toronto in round one of this year's Stanley Cup playoffs, or the Spurs' offensive clinic from Games 4 and 5 of the NBA finals. When it falls apart you get really obviously awful crap: hey guys look, it's the Charlotte Bobcats and Florida Panthers!

Anywho, hopefully that stream-of-consciousness rambling conveyed my point a.k.a. what will be the focus of my posts here: basketball and hockey. As a Big Ten and Minnesota boy I am by no means set on only discussing the professional ranks, so College Hoops and Hockey will be featured along with their professional counterparts from time to time.

Periodically, I may touch on buzzworthy intel from the realms of science, but ultimately this space will be a chance for me to provide my not-so-professional opinion on hoops and puck. I'll be kicking things off with a semi-live blog of the NBA draft this Thursday, followed by my take on a NHL draft primer for the festivities on June 30th. 

Until then, stay out of the sin bin, eh?

Living With Allergies: Part Two

This is the second post from Peter in his series about living with severe food allergies.  To read part 1 click here.  


You see, having allergies isn't really about “not eatinng"-- at least for me. I don’t exactly know what I’m missing out on, so when I say “I have never eaten sushi in my life,” I don’t being to cry uncontrollably. For all intents and purposes, I hate sushi, so who cares if I can’t eat it? So really, not being able to eat certain things never sucked that much. It’s the efforts I had to take to stay away from the foods that have taken a toll.

I think my first memory of thinking “allergies blow” is from 4^th grade or so. My friend Nicky was having a birthday party at a local sports center, and all the cool kids were invited. Well, it wasn’t actually like that, but kids were talking about it a lot, so there was hype. Thus, you can imagine how pumped I was when I got my invite. Just think about it, little Peter, so innocent, so unaware: all I wanted was to go to this party. And yeah, of course I made it, and of course I was having a blast. But then something happened. All my friends were called into this side room, so I just followed. And I had just gotten a glimpse of what it looked like, balloons and chairs and plates and hats, and it seemed pretty cool. But that was when my mom suddenly stopped me, telling me “Oh, Peter. You shouldn’t go in there, they are serving pizza, and I don’t want you reacting.”

Now, bear with my mom here. Whenever I tell this story, people are all like “wow she really overprotected you.” She tells me now that she was paranoid that the kids would throw the pizza back and forth, which actually had happened at a birthday party my brother had gone to recently. So the idea was fresh in her memory, and she was being safe. There is no love lost, but nevertheless, the situation really bothered me. I turned away from the room, and went to go kick a soccer ball, alone and waiting for them to come back. My mom did actually sit there with me, but there was a feeling of isolation, being an outcast in a way.

I think similar scenarios had played out before this one, but this instance really stuck with me because in the following week in school, my friends were talking about the party, and they referenced some sort of specific event that happened while they were eating. I had no clue what they were talking about, but I laughed, and then stupid Casey had to say “Peter you weren’t there you don’t get it.” I mean, screw that guy, right? That hurt a lot. I didn’t cry or anything, because I was a manly 4^th grader, but I really wanted to tell him why that was such a terrible comment. Of course, I was little and couldn’t express myself well, so I just carried on. That’s really the worst side of my allergies; they don’t just stop me from eating food. They hold me back from enjoying certain activities. I had to stay inside at camp during the egg toss. I was never in the line at school to get food on bagel or pizza day. The amount of times I had to reject candy from confused adults on Halloween is about a zillion. It’s really a shame that the skill hasn’t been utilized to its fullest, yet--I’m looking at you, creepy guy with minivan.

Now that I’m older, this stuff doesn’t really bother me. However, my childhood will always be partly remembered for these restrictions I had to comply with. Nowadays, the cons of allergies are really what would be expected. I can’t eat food, and I have to deal with that. Because I’m older and wiser, I can determine which situations are safe and create my own restrictions. I no longer stay back kicking soccer balls, I’m right there at the table…just not eating. However, one thing that allergies still stop me from doing that I want to point out is they keep me from going out to eat. I don’t go to restaurants with my friends, I stay home and eat. It’s definitely made me really attached to the place I live, but by no means am I a hermit. Plus, I’m sure there are things that places can do to accommodate my condition, I’ve just never felt it’s worth the effort to ask. I go home to eat, then meet up with my friends later. It’s not even that bad, and I also get to save cash.

In fact, I think it’s about time I get to the pros of my allergies. I’m just going to bang them out, because there is no point in being dramatic here. I eat relatively healthily. If I ever have to diet when I get older, it’ll be easy. I have amazing self-control, and I’m not bragging. I am excellent at reading food labels. I have seen an immense amount of human kindness in my life. It means a lot to me that when I tell people I have allergies, they instantly back off and say “Oh, should I not be eating this here?” Maybe I read too much into moments like that, but I think it’s awesome.

And finally, this is my favorite. I believe my allergies have given me a sense of hope in life. Because, well, chances are I will sooner or later grow out of most of my allergies. That fact has always been with me. Today I may not be eating that cheeseburger, but one day I will. The only direction is up. It’s a fantastic feeling, and it makes life that much better. No matter how bad things are, something out there can make it better. And of course, you cynical bastards ask “what if you don’t grow out of them?” To that, I say this: Some things just don’t work out. I have lived with allergies for 17 years, I can do it for another 83. It’s just food.

--Peter

Kingdom Hearts III: Predictions

Now that I've gone through the process of explaining the series and what it is about, I can finally get to my predictions for Kingdom Hearts III.

The general plot of Kingdom Hearts III is not a mystery. It is known that Sora and the seven guardians of light have to fight Xehanort and the thirteen darknesses, as it has been foretold. What isn't known, however, is how this is going to be accomplished. I'll spend a bit of time on plot, gameplay, and overall expectations.

Plot

As mentioned, the overall plot is already known. We've been told that the game will conclude the "Xehanort Saga", which means that something huge has to go down at the end of the game. We know that Sora, Riku, Kairi, Terra, Ven, Aqua, Lea, and Mickey can all wield keyblades. However, we don't know who the seven guardians of light are. While it makes sense for Terra to be one of the seven, I'd say it's more likely that Lea is one of the seven guardians of light at this point, considering how much he's done to save Sora and others.

As far as the darknesses, I am completely lost. There are a few I have the utmost confidence in, given that they have already appeared: Xehanort, Young Xehanort, Braig, Isa, Xemnas, Ansem: Seeker of Darkness, and the possessed version of Terra known as Terranort. As for who the others could be, well here's a thought:

Riku was possessed by ASOD, which means that a form of Xehanort was present at the time of his existence. "Rikunort" as he was called could be brought back. That still leaves five different spots. All of the original Organization XIII members are gone except for Xemnas--who has been brought back from another time. It will be interesting to see what Tetsuya Nomura does to fill these spots.

As far as I'm concerned, there are going to be a few key moments that have to happen in the game:

1) Aqua will return to the Realm of Light after an absence that has simply been far too long. She has an extensive knowledge of Xehanort's past plans and has a strong connection to Terra and Ventus. She's going to meet/team up with Sora at some point.

2) Ventus needs to be woken up. Aqua knows where he's been hidden, and now we know how he can be woken up: Riku. Yes, conveniently, Riku has gained the ability to wake up people's hearts. He did it with Sora, and he should be able to do it with Ventus.

3) Something's gotta happen between Kairi and Sora. Thus far in the series, the creator has portrayed a huge connection between the two, but we have yet to see it fully mature. Now that the characters are going to be set as 18-year-olds (most likely), I think it's time to either establish them as friends or something more.

4) Xehanort must go. Ending the saga with something other than Xehanort's termination at either the Keyblade Graveyard, Kingdom Hearts, or the Destiny Islands wouldn't do the series justice. I think it makes the most sense for Sora to put an end to Xehanort in a big final clash.

Game Play

I fully expect the same hack-and-slash style that has been present for the whole series. I also expect the elements used within the side games to appear in the third game. Ideally, we see the reaction commands from KHII, the command deck and command styles from BBS, and the environment interaction that was portrayed in 3D (videos are all below).

KHII Reaction Command Examples (watch at 8:20 for the best example)

Birth By Sleep Command Style Examples

Kingdom Hearts 3D: Environment Interaction Examples

I'd also like to see more interaction between Sora and his party members. It's been nice having Donald, Goofy, and others be in the party and act on their own, but I'd like to see more team-up attacks and whatnot. It's been a while since we've gotten the opportunity to have party members, so I hope they address this.

Worlds

Since the creation of the latest game, Disney has been busy acquiring properties, as they now own Lucasfilm and Marvel Studios. I've seen many fans complain about the possibility of using these titles in the next game, but let's be real: if the goal is to get more dark and serious, you can't just stick to Disney. The series was very clever in its adaptation to Disney's "Pirates of the Caribbean" series, and I'd like to see more of that. I don't mean to make Sora fight in a Star Wars themed world, but I wouldn't mind seeing Marvel characters worked into the mix. They are cartoon-based and have back stories that can be easily woven into the Kingdom Hearts universe.

Please, for the love of all that is good in the world, INCLUDE PIXAR IN THIS GAME. Toy Story was initially developed into Kingdom Hearts II before being removed. Another world that needs to be included is The Jungle Book, which seemingly is removed last second in the development of every game. I have ideas listed below:

World of Heroes (Marvel-based)
Toy Haven (Toy Story)
Jungle Ruins (The Jungle Book)
Port Royal (Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man's Chest)
Tangled (no idea what to call this world, but this movie easily fits in plot-wise)
Sword and the Stone (Merlin's been pretty important thus far)

There are a lot of options that haven't worked out for whatever reason. Let's see a more serious game with world inclusion that goes beyond cartoon Disney.

Final Fantasy Characters

Despite their inclusion in the plot, Final Fantasy characters have been light on usage in the games thus far. I understand the desire to make the series about Sora and Disney, but let's get some FF characters in parties. I'd like to see Leon, Tidus, and Lightning make appearances in the series and be party members. At the very least, get Lightning into the plot, because her character in the Final Fantasy XIII games has been pretty epic.

Boss Fights

While the secondary games have been really good, they've been lacking in their secret boss fights. The ultimate boss fights in the first couple of games came when Sephiroth (Final Fantasy VII) was involved. Links are posted below:

It's not like the series has been short on other great boss fights either. I'm just going to post videos from here on out for boss fights (both regular and secret). As far as predictions go, the only secret boss I'd really love to see in the game is Caius (Final Fantasy XII-2), as he is one of my favorite bosses in any game ever. Perhaps they could throw in a few special Xehanort-related battles. Anyway, enjoy these:

Julius (Kingdom Hearts 3D)

Xemnas (Secret Fight in KHI: Final Mix)

Lingering Sentiment (Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mix)

Anyway, those are my thoughts on what KHIII should be about. I want a more serious game that wraps up the plot--the Xehanort parts anyway--and expands on game play. A major complaint in the series has been a lack of ability to interact with the environment around Sora, and Kingdom Hearts: Dream, Drop, Distance provided a format to fix that issue. I think the creators have gotten themselves in a good spot, and I anticipate a highly well-received game.

Unlike a lot of the people on the internet that have overreacted to news that the title is "early" in development, I think the game will be out closer to the end of 2014 than the beginning of 2016. Have some optimism, people.

Kingdom Hearts: My Favorite Things in the Series

Characters:

1) Lea/Axel

So as it turns out, Lea's character takes the longest to develop throughout the series, but it turns out that he is there at most of the big moments. He's the best friend of Roxas and is on hand to save Sora at two key moments: in the realm between in the second game and right as Xehanort is about to make Sora the 13th vessel. He's pretty awesome. Got it memorized?

2) Xehanort

As the main antagonist, it is unbelievable how cruel this guy is for a Disney-based product--and I love it. Think about it this way: he's destroying the lives of tons of people out of nothing but sheer curiosity. He just wants to see what happens when a new Keyblade War is sparked. The game's creator--Tetsuya Nomura--has said that he wants the third main feature title to be darker. Thanks to his creation of Xehanort, that idea is certainly much more possible.

Did I mention he's voiced by Leanord Nimoy? Yeah, he is.

3) Vanitas

Vanitas is the darkness within Ventus' heart after Ven is split. When his mask is off, he comes in the appearance of Sora--with weird skin and really dark hair--and he's even voiced by the same actor (Haley Joel Osment). Vanitas' character is cocky, condescending, and knows that he exists for only one purpose: fight Ven and forge the X-Blade. Just an awesome character all around.

4) Master Riku

While Riku's character design is probably my least favorite in the series, his excellence as a character cannot be denied. Rather than walk the Road to Light or the Road to Darkness, he goes down a path that no keyblade wielder has before: the Road to Dawn. He is Sora's greatest ally and will always be there when Sora needs him most.

5) Sora

Sora's character has a fantastic backstory: he has a unique ability to connect with other people's hearts. While he is often teased/insulted in the series for being weak, it is this unusual bond with other people that makes him strong. He is the "Chosen One" in the series and is tasked with putting an end to Xehanort's schemes. He forms an exceptionally strong bond with Kairi, and it's a major driving point throughout the series.

Music

The best part of this series, even with its great story and awesome characters, is the music that is composed for the series. Here are a few of my favorites in no order.

"Passion"

"L'Oscurita dell'Ignoto"

"Dearly Beloved"

"Simple and Clean: Orchestra Version"

"Rage Awakened"

And now onto one of the best parts of the game: the keyblades. As mentioned before, keyblades are weapons used to protect the light, but they can also be used as weapons of destruction. Here are images of the keyblades available in the series:

Boss Fights

Here are videos of a few of my favorite boss fights in the series to date:

Xemnas Battle 1: Kingdom Hearts II

Riku/Ansem Battle 2: Kingdom Hearts I

Young Xehanort: Kingdom Hearts 3D

Kingdom Hearts: The Plot, Part 2

Part Five: Chain of Memories (COM)

Sora, Donald, and Goofy are stuck roaming an area unknown to them, and they eventually make it to Castle Oblivion, where they are introduced to Organization XIII (that's thirteen).

**This is the major plot point that is driving the series. Xehanort's plan is to replicate himself into the thirteen darknesses so he can wage war against the seven guardians of light. This is why the Organization exists, but its members don't entirely know it yet**

Castle Oblivion has a weird side effect where it causes people to forget memories while new ones are created. As SDG (Sora, Donald, and Goofy) make their way through the levels of the castle, a witch named Namine (put an accent on the e and pronounce it nah-mee-nay) replaces Sora's memories with false ones per the instructions of the organization--Namine is spawned as Kairi's nobody.

The main plot of COM is that certain members of the organization--Marluxia (mar-loo-sha) and Larxene (larck-seen)--are attempting to stage a coup and overthrow the organization. In short, this fails due to the efforts of Axel, Riku, and SDG.

At the end of the game, we learn two important things: to properly restore the memories in SDG, they need to be put into a sleep-like state similar to what Ven is in, so that happens for a year as Namine restores the original memories. We also learn that Riku learns to control his power over darkness and chooses to walk "The Road to Dawn"--which basically means he isn't joining himself with the light or the darkness, which makes him a unique keyblade wielder.

**We also meet a man named Diz, who is just the original Ansem working his plot to get revenge on Xehanort**

*Riku was meant to be the original keyblade wielder, according to sources within the series. Sora was the number two option, and when Riku originally chose darkness, this ability was passed onto Sora, which is a good thing and is something Xehanort can't exactly predict*

Part Six: 358/2 Days (the stories of the Organization)

**The stuff in 358/2 Days happens before COM, for the most part**

Organization XIII is run by Xehanort's nobody: Xemnas (zem-nus). He leads his group of peons in the process of collecting hearts to restore Kingdom Hearts. He eventually recruits Roxas (rocks-us), who is Sora's nobody and creates a "puppet" named Xion (dji-own...think of how "djibouti" is pronounced), who is created out of Sora's memories. They go around collecting hearts and yadda, yadda, yadda.

**Yep, getting hearts is another way to get at Kingdom Hearts. Organization XIII realizes it needs to restore Sora to get these hearts more easily, so they help speed up the process**

**Note, this next part happens after COM. Order isn't exactly presented the greatest in the series. A chart is below. Add KH 3D to the end, and it is correct**

Eventually we learn that Xion cannot exist if Sora wants to be woken up from his sleep. Despite not wanting to, Roxas destroys her and those memories are returned to Sora. Throughout this game, we see how Axel--the nobody of Lea, who becomes more relevant later--is strongly tied to Roxas, which gives Lea a strong bond to Sora.

Part Seven: The Nobodies (Kingdom Hearts II)

Roxas has been placed inside a data world--by Diz--where he slowly learns of his existence. The final piece of patching together Sora's memories is returning Roxas to back within Sora. Roxas--who has met and befriended Xion and Namine--returns to Sora (if you haven't noticed by now, Sora's heart holds onto just about everyone and is the center of the story).

SDG are revived and then travel to meet Yen Sid--remember, he taught King Mickey and is a retired Keyblade Master. Yen Sid informs the group of the Organization's plans, and they set off helping worlds and fighting Organization XIII while also looking for Riku--who was locked away in the realm of darkness and is hiding behind the disguise of ASOD.

Along the way, Sora learns of the Organization's plan to use him to restore hearts, and eventually makes his way to "The World That Never Was"--the home of the nobodies. He defeats all of the members of the Organization that he encounters leading up to the final scene. Diz reveals himself to be Ansem and attempts to digitize the contents of Kingdom Hearts to block Xemnas' attempt to restore/reveal it. Eventually this backfires and Ansem is flung back into the realm of darkness.

Sora and Riku then travel to fight Xemnas by opening the door and fighting their way through to him. After they team up to defeat him, they are trapped on a shore--ironically, right across the sea from where Aqua and Ansem have just met--and eventually find a way home through the light.

The group returns to the Destiny Islands and all seems happy--until Sora gets a letter from Mickey, which reveals a few key points.

Part Eight: Data Sora

This part won't take long: we learn that Ansem has hidden some important research inside Sora, and the group eventually gets to thank Namine for her efforts to restore Sora's memories. Mickey and the gang create a data version of Sora, who goes through and debugs the data. Really short game, very little plot reveal.

Part Nine: Mark of Mastery and Xehanort's Master Plan (Dream, Drop, Distance)

So if you've played the series and haven't gotten to this game yet, this is arguably where most of the plot movement takes place. So Sora and Riku get instructions from Yen Sid that they are to be tested for the Mark of Mastery. In order to do this, they must seal the "seven sleeping keyholes"--worlds that are in a state like Ven after being disrupted by Xehanort's efforts with darkness. This involves "diving" into a dream world.

Time to backtrack. Remember Xehanort's master plan? Well, the key here is that Sora is the ideal 13th vessel--they've already tried with Riku, but he was too strong and fought off the darkness. Enter time travel!

**Xehanort has used a complex theory of time travel to round up his younger self, ASOD, Xemnas, Braig (his #2), and Isa (a young boy whose past is relatively unknown) to form a part of Organziation XIII**

Remember the cloaked guy at Destiny Islands? Well, he was there as part of Xehanort's time travel scheme. Part of him needed to be there so that he could return on the day the islands were plunged into darkness so that he could interfere with the goal of awakening the seven sleeping worlds. At this point, Riku saves Sora by diving into Sora's dreams (dream within a dream--Inception style).

Eventually we learn that Xehanort is planning to use Sora as the 13th vessel (well, Riku was the ideal vessel, but that effort failed), and Riku is there to save him. In an epic final scene, Lea (restored when his nobody Axel sacrificed himself to save SDG in the realm between) appears and saves Sora from Xehanort's attempt to make him the vessel.

**If you're confused: the original Xehanort has been restored since ASOD and Xemnas were defeated. Those two are back, however, because Xehanort had enough foresight to use time travel to bring them back to the present day so that they can be used as vessels. Yes, Xehanort is one of the smartest dudes ever**

After thwarting Xehanort's master plan for the time being, we learn that Sora has been put into the coma-like state of sleep that Ven is in. Riku, through his journey, has gained the ability to unlock other people's hearts, so he dives into Sora's heart, defeats the darkness, and meets Ansem--who gives him the contents of his research that were hidden inside Sora. Eventually Riku returns to the realm of light and we see everyone in Yen Sid's study. Riku is granted the title of Keyblade Master and Sora is not. Also, we learn that Lea has now gained the power to use the keyblade after--making an assumption here--Yen Sid performed the ritual of passage onto him.

In the secret ending of the game,Riku returns with Kairi, who can wield the keyblade herself.

So here's what exists at the present day heading into Kingdom Hearts III:

1) Xehanort has gathered many of his past selves and can use time travel to get them back at any time. This means he can gather the 13 darknesses for one big fight. We "know" that the ones involved for sure are:

Xehanort
Young Xehanort
ASOD
Xemnas
Braig
Isa
Terranort (this is a bit of a stretch, but seems to be a consensus that he'll be involved)

2) The "guardians" of light have started to take shape:

Sora
Master Riku
Kairi
Mickey
Aqua (who is still roaming the realm of darkness for all we know)
Ven (who is still asleep inside the Chamber of Sleep at Castle Oblivion)
Lea (this spot may be reserved for Terra, but it's unknown at this point as Terra is still possessed by Xehanort)

3) Sora has been recruited by Mickey to go off on this next journey.

So that's my attempt at explaining the plot. Hopefully you aren't terribly confused and I haven't done anything to misguide you. Gathering the info over 11 years and six games puts a strain on my brain. Hopefully you enjoyed it.

Kingdom Hearts: The Plot, Part 1

If you read my post about the 2013 E3 event, or if you have been around me at any point since 2002, you probably know that I'm a big fan of Square Enix' "Kingdom Hearts" series. At its best, the series is an action/adventure game focused on the efforts and relationships of one boy: Sora. The series is played as a hack-and-slash and is a marriage between Disney and Square Enix' "Final Fantasy" franchise. The boss fights can be incredibly long, the stories are incredible, and it's a series that really should be experienced.

The biggest criticism--in a landslide--of the Kingdom Hearts series is its incredibly deep and complex story line. Hopefully I can do a good job of explaining it here:

*Watch this video for easy explanation:

Part One: Understanding Kingdom Hearts (the thing, not the series)

Our story begins in the distant past in the Kingdom Hearts universe. To start off, let it be understood that Kingdom Hearts serves as the source of all light, power, and knowledge in the world--the details have yet to be fully explained, but Kingdom Hearts is a sort of deity here. It existed with its counterpart, the X-Blade (pronounced "key-blade" as that's a Greek letter Chi, not an x)--which served as the its protector. With this source of power, there were those who wanted to take over possession, which spawned the original Keyblade War. At the end of the war, the X-Blade was broken into 20 different pieces: 7 of light and 13 of darkness. When this happened, Kingdom Hearts was swallowed by darkness.

Part Two: Enter Xehanort

There series' main antagonist is Master Xehanort (pronounced zay-uh-nort)--the "master" title refers to his expertise with the game's main weapon, the standard keyblade. When he was young, Master Xehanort lived in a place called the "Destiny Islands" where he felt limited and sheltered by his existence there. Eventually, he found his way out of the world and discovered the powers of the keyblade and learned the story of Kingdom Hearts.

**Quick, go read the first part of Part Three before continuing on**

Prior to the events of Birth By Sleep, Master Xehanort sets forth his plan to restore the broken X-Blade and spark another keyblade war. In his first attempt, he finds a young Ven and makes him his apprentice. When Ven refuses Xehanort's plan, Xehanort attempts to split his heart into two pieces: one of pure light and one of pure darkness (which becomes a character known as "Vanitas"--pronounced vah-nee-tas). When this happens, Ven's heart is damaged and is restored by Sora's heart.

Xehanort is obsessed with the idea of recreating the universe through another keyblade war.

Part Three: "Birth By Sleep"

This is the first of games in the series if we go in chronological order. In this game, there are three main characters: Terra, Aqua, and Ventus--Ven for short (Terra left, Ven center, Aqua right). For Terra and Aqua, they have been under the watchful eye of another Keyblade Master named Eraqus (pronounced air-uh-cuss). As for Ventus, he has been brought to the care of Eraqus by Master Xehanort--the two masters have been friends for quite some time.

**Quick, go read the second part of part two before going on**

At the beginning of the game, Aqua and Terra are seen going for the "Mark of Mastery." As part of his plan, Xehanort corrupts Terra during his exam--because Xehanort is targeting Terra as his vessel--causing Aqua to pass and Terra to fail. At this point, Vanitas' existence has created beings known as "Unversed" which are spawned of darkness, which causes Terra, Aqua, and Ven to set out to other worlds. Terra is told by Xehanort to search for the seven princesses of heart, which is part of Xehanort's backup plan to the Vanitas/Ventus fight.

Fast forwarding a bit, Eraqus learns of Xehanort's plan to have Ven and Vanitas fight to restore the X-Blade and spark the war. Due to this, Eraqus decides to eliminate Ven. When Terra learns of this, he confronts his master and uses the power of darkness to hold him back--Xehanort deals the final blow and kills Eraqus.

**Upon defeat, Eraqus' heart takes refuge within Terra**

After this Terra, Ven, and Aqua find their way to the "Keyblade Graveyard"--which is a ruin of the Keyblade War. They confront Xehanort and Vanitas, with King Mickey--who has learned from Master Yen-Sid (the guy from Fantasia)--at their side. In this fight Xehanort frees his heart and gets inside of Terra (a new vessel...remember that for later) and Ven's fight with Vanitas causes his heart to fall "asleep"--which, in this series, is basically the equivalent of coma. The X-Blade is forged, but is broken and eventually explodes, which forces Aqua to take Ven back to "The Land of Departure"--a safe haven for keyblade wielders.

Aqua uses a technique bestowed upon her after earning the Mark of Mastery to seal away the world--which hides it from visitors--and locks Ven safely away in the "Sleeping Chamber" in a place later referred to as Castle Oblivion. After this, Aqua confronts "Terranort"--which is Xehanort living within Terra's body--and eventually gets pushed to the Dark Realm--the Kingdom Hearts Universe is composed of the Realms of Darkness, Light, and in-between.

*Note, through the game, Terra, Ven, and Aqua are connected to/meet Sora, Riku, and Kairi--who will be introduced at a later point--and pass on the ability to use the keyblade as a weapon. Terra performs the ritual on Riku first, and Aqua chooses not to do so with Sora because of competition between the boys. Kairi gains the ability through accidentally touching Aqua's keyblade. Sora gains the ability when the Destiny Islands fall to darkness and the keyblade seeks the nearest and strongest heart. In the second game, he can dual-wield through an ability granted to him by Ventus through Roxas/Xion--who will be explained later in the series.**

Throughout the game, we are introduced to Ansem (a researcher) and his team of assistants, which includes Dilan, Braig, and a bunch of others*. Terranort (now just calling himself Xehanort) is adopted into this group as one of Ansem's primary assistants.

*Their nobodies are the original members of Organization XIII. Also relevant to future plot, Xehanort betrays Ansem, which causes Ansem to seek revenge.

Part Four: Sora (and the rest of the first game in the series)

Introduce Sora, the series' main protagonist. Sora is a boy who has grown up on the Destiny Islands--yes, the same place as Xehanort--with his best pals Riku (pronounced ree-koo) and Kairi (pronounced Kiii-ree...long "I" sound at the front). Kairi is from a place called Radiant Garden--we'll get to that later. As mentioned before, these three have been granted the power to use the keyblade, and the first game is primarily about Sora's exposure to it. In the beginning of the game, Sora encounters a man in a strange cloak--who turns out to be Xehanort reduced to nothing but a heart.

**When a person releases their heart, like Xehanort did, the person is split into two beings: a heartless and a nobody. When both of these things are destroyed, the person is restored. Xehanort's heart goes to Terra, his heartless is the antagonist in game #1, and his nobody is the antagonist in game #2**

Simply put, the islands are destroyed and Sora is forced on a quest to find his friends--at this point, the keyblade chooses him as he is the nearest and strongest heart. He meets Donald and Goofy, who have been sent on a quest by King Mickey to find Sora. This game's primary antagonist--for most of the time, anyway--is Maleficent, the witch from Sleeping Beauty. She has teamed up with Xehanort's heartless (known as "Ansem: Seeker of Darkness" or ASOD for short) to capture the seven princesses of heart.

**Xehanort's second attempt to unlock Kingdom Hearts is to collect the seven princesses of heart**

Along the way, we learn that Riku is playing for the wrong side and has been tricked into using darkness to find Kairi on his own. This makes him a dark person, and eventually ASOD uses Riku as a vessel to carry out his plans (hmmm...more vessels, you say?). Sora travels to a place called "Hollow Bastion" (the ruins of Radiant Garden) where Maleficent resides. Sora eventually puts an end to Maleficent before squaring off against "Rikunort" (Riku possessed by ASOD). After doing so, ASOD is separated from Riku, but still has a strong connection to his heart. Sora learns that Kairi's heart has been resting within his--remember, Sora did the same thing with Ventus, so yay Sora's heart--and knows that he needs to free it in order to be able to seal the keyhole--keyholes are locks that seal the heart of a world, which is basically its essence.

**When Aqua meets Kairi in Birth By Sleep, she casts a spell on her that makes it so her heart will find the nearest, strongest heart for refuge should her heart ever be threatened by darkness**

To free Kairi's heart, Sora uses the keyblade to free his own heart, and he is turned into a heartless and a nobody (remember this). His heartless form is restored by Kairi (pictured above)--who, as it turns out, is a princess of heart and has this kind of power--other princesses of heart are: Belle, Alice, Cinderella, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Jasmine.

Sora seals the keyhole and eventually finds his way into the darkness, where he fights ASOD and he teams up with Riku, Mickey, Sora, and Donald to seal the door to darkness, thus ending the first game.

It also ends the first part of this entry.

NBA Draft Top 20 Prospects

1.       Victor Oladipo – SG – Indiana

- Oladipo showed significant improvement this last season and the sky is the limit with his athleticism and work ethic...quite possibly the only all-star caliber player from this draft class...see similarities to Dwyane Wade


2.       Trey Burke – PG – Michigan

- Burke led the Wolverines to the national title game this year and possesses all the traits to be a very good point guard in the NBA...not going to be Chris Paul good but similar style of play

3.       Nerlens Noel – PF/C – Kentucky

- Noel is a defensive force with his length and athleticism...biggest question mark will be the development of his offensive game but he does create some offense already off his defense...Larry Sanders is the player I see the most in Noel

4.       CJ McCollum – G – Lehigh

- CJ doesn't possess great size but as an off-guard he can flat out shoot like nobody else in this draft...I have troubles finding a comparison for him but he'll become an instant asset with his shooting ability

5.       Sergey Karasev – SF – Russia

- Sergey is a perimeter forward with size, sharp shooting ability and handles the ball very well for the position...not being an elite athlete prevents him from being placed higher but being able to shoot and create his own shot places Sergey high on the list

6.       Anthony Bennett – F – UNLV

- Bennett, who recently added quite a bit of weight thanks to injury, might have some work ethic concerns connected to him, but when it comes down to it he can simply ball...likely an undersized 4, Anthony can score anywhere on the court and creates off the dribble 

7.       Cody Zeller – PF/C – Indiana

- Cody had an underwhelming season at Indiana and I know I have been critical of him, but at the end of the day he is an athletic, skilled big with good upside...not going to be a franchise changing player as a Top 10 pick but on a playoff caliber team he'll be the necessary big to make it work


8.       Giannis Adetokunbo – SF – Greece
- Giannis is as good an athlete as we'll see in this draft with terrific length...he operates very well in the open floor thanks to his plus ball handling and passing skills...he does need to become stronger and refine his offensive skills but at the least, especially early on, he can be a defensive skills
 
9.       Ben McLemore – SG – Kansas

- Ben has been argued as worthy of the 1st overall pick by some, but I don't see it...he has the potential to be a solid perimeter scorer in the league but he has not shown the ability to be able to create his own shot as he is a weak ball handler

10.   Otto Porter – SF – Georgetown

- Otto is the perfect example of high floor, low ceiling player...he's a good, not great athlete and has shown a good offensive game...I question whether his perimeter shooting will translate and he doesn't convert much off the dribble...his length makes him a good defensive forward as well


11.   Dennis Schroeder – PG – Germany

12.   Shabazz Muhammad – SF – UCLA

13.   Kentavious Caldwell-Pope – SG – Georgia

14.   Alex Len - C - Maryland

15.   Glen Rice Jr. – SF – NBDL 
16.  Jackie Carmichael – PF – Illinois State

17.   Kelly Olynyk – C – Gonzaga

18.   Rudy Gobert – C – France

19.   Michael Carter-Williams – PG – Syracuse

20.   Allen Crabbe – SG – California


   

On to the meat of the matter, because meat matters

Welcome back, while you were gone I cooked and ate something great. I hope you did too.

I want to address something that is a pet peeve of mine, people who make a lousy hamburger. There is no excuse for this. Making a delicious burger is easy and only takes 15 minutes from raw hamburger in a package

to delicious burger on your plate.

For those of you who don’t know me, I have a bit of a reputation amongst my online family (shameless plug #2 http://www.forums.mlb.com/ml-mlb ) as being a bit of a grill master. I BBQ a LOT and I do it year round. As long as the propane to my grill will flow, I will use it to cook and as such my first recommendation for making a better burger is grill the thing. No pan frying. Grilling puts a delicious sear on the meat and locks in the juices making your burger so much better. And really folks lets face it, everything tastes way better if you cook it over fire.

That said, lets do this from beginning to end. The first key to making a great burger is having great meat to make it with.  Store bought burgers do not cut it, make your own. You can make your own burgers taste exactly how you want as opposed to the prepackaged ones that come in 6 delicious flavors ranging from greasy cardboard to waxy construction paper. Back to the meat of the matter, your meat matters. Burgers need a decent fat content to stay juicy when you cook them so avoid the “uber lean, negative fat content ground beef” at the store. I personally have a local cattle farmer raise my beef for me so I know exactly what I’m getting and I suggest this if you can get it. There is nothing worse than getting poor quality meat that is high in water content and low in fat and your burgers shrink to half of the size you want while they cook.

Now that you’ve got your beef you need to decide what you want in a burger. How big, what flavors and what style of burger do you want. The possibilities here are almost endless so I’m going to go with my basic style and let you experiment from there.

I make my burgers ¼ pound apiece. Very simple method since hamburger is sold/packaged in one pound packages. I also make 2 pounds worth at a time, but that is just me. Put your burger in a bowl and add one egg for every 2 pounds of meat. This is all you need to help your burgers stick together, you do not need combiners like bread crumbs which in the end will just dry your burger out and make is cardboard-like. From here it is time to spice. The spices you choose are up to you and your personal tastes. One thing to avoid is putting any type of salt in the burger. Putting salt in the meat will draw the moisture out of it and dry your burger out. Add salt if you want it just before you grill or even while the burger is on the grill. Salt goes ON the burger and not IN the burger. My basic burger seasonings are: garlic powder (again, not salt), chili powder, black pepper, smoked paprika, Worcestershire sauce, oregano and basil. I very often will add other things depending on my mood. This is a great place to experiment with your spices and come up with new and exciting flavors of your own. I know of many people who add BBQ sauce or jalapeño peppers or onion or some pre-bought spice combination to their burgers and love them that way. If you do add a pepper or onion I find it best to mince them into tiny tiny pieces as we’ve all had someone’s mom make us burgers with giant onion chunks that are burnt on the outside and still raw and tear jerking on the inside. Not good.

 

Now that you have your meat spiced it is time to make the burgers out of it. Again there are many methods you can use to do this. I split my 2 pounds of meat into 8 equal parts and use a burger press to make uniform patties. There are tons of variations of hamburger making presses to choose from or you can just make your patties by hand. Another option right now is to make “stuffed burgers” where you literally wrap the meat around whatever ingredients you want as the “stuffing” and form a patty out of it. There are also burger presses that can be used in this manner so if this interests you, shop around.

Remember that once the patties are formed you need to use your thumb to press a small dimple in the center before you cook them. This keeps the burger from “rounding out” while cooking and becoming a large meatball. Think back to when you were a kid and you had a Kaiser roll with a burger that was the size and shape of a chicken egg on it, that was because it wasn’t dimpled.

Ok, the burgers are formed, lets get cooking. I use medium high heat on my grill which gives the burgers a good sear on the outside which locks in the juices. Now I cannot tell you how long to cook your burgers as it varies depending on how thick your burgers are and how well done you want them so that is something you will need to figure out on your own. Remember that eating undercooked meat is a great way to get really really sick and the USDA recommends an internal temperature of 160 F.  What I can tell you is what not to do while grilling a burger. DO NOT squish your burger with your flipper. All that juice that comes out and burns up is what makes your burger juicy and tasty. Honestly if you squish it will dry out. There is a huge debate among us BBQ nuts on how often to flip your burgers. Many say once, others say often. I’ve tried both and personally the only difference I’ve noticed is that flipping often prevents flare ups and gives a more even char on the outside of the burger. Again, it is totally up to you. Finally, let your burgers rest for a few minutes before you eat them to let the juices reabsorb into the meat. Same deal as with a steak. With burgers it is really easy to do if you just fix your bun while the burgers are resting.

Here's a quick rundown of how to make a great burger:
1. Use hamburger with a decent fat content to keep the meat juicy
2. You do not need combiners like bread crumbs only 1 egg for every 2 pounds of meat
3. Put salt on the burger instead of in the burger
4. Put a dimple in the burger before grilling it to keep it from rounding out
5. DO NOT squish the burger while cooking it
6. Let it rest for a couple of minutes before you eat

And that is that. I’m not going to tell you what to put on your burgers as the options are pretty much limitless so all I will say is dress them up with whatever you enjoy .

Happy grilling my friends and in honor of a blog that is all about burgers, here is my recipe for clam linguine.

Clam Linguine in White Wine and Mustard Sauce

Ingredients

1 pound clams (canned, fresh or frozen)                  1 pound bacon (chopped finely)

1 medium onion chopped                                        ½  green pepper chopped

2 stalks celery chopped                                           Linguine noodles

2 cups white wine                                                   2 tbsp Dijon mustard

Thyme

Directions:   

            1.     Fry bacon until crispy and set aside, drain as much fat from pan as you can

2.       Add onion, pepper and celery to pan and cook until onion is translucent 
3.       Add bacon back into pan 
4.       Deglaze pan with white wine and then add mustard, thyme and clams. Cook until wine has reduced to half 
5.       Cook linguine noodles until al dente and drain
6.    Pour sauce over noodles, serve and enjoy