Want to try out a couple other blogs? Yes, TZ still has room to grow

So if Tamingzeus doesn't satiate your appetite for online reading...I guess I will send you on to my competitors. I have always found the best way to stay on top of my game is to check out the latest and greatest from others.

Here's my list; it continues to grow at a rapid rate every week.
www.consumerist.com - the place for consumers to band together and fight back. Need help with a credit card issue or rebate problem, the problem has probably already been solved here.
www.sethgodin.com - an idea a day, guaranteed. He's inspiration, motivating, thoughtful, and has never heard of "being in the box". I have read a couple of his books and they always get me fired up about business...and life.
www.upgradetravelbetter.com - for all of those heavy fliers out there.
adverlab.blogspot.com - MIT's Advertising Lab. The latest, greatest, newest, cutting edge...this one helps me believe I live in Boston without actually ever going. Except for Beerfest.
www.blogmaverick.com - when Mark Cuban rants, people listen. The dude knows how to get people fired up. And, there is always a sales pitch hidden behind every post.

Click away. Just make sure to come back here for a weekly fill of Zeus.

Music Time

My apologizes for my absence at Tamingzeus... it is rough to say that school had taken over my life for a while... but while I was hitting the books, I also spent a good deal of time listening to new music (while writing some dreadfully boring papers!).

Amy's Listening to: Nick Drake, genre: chill music

My new favorite artist is Nick Drake. Drake was born in Burma, grew up in England, became a musician and died from an overdose of antidepressants at the age of 26. Even though Drake invented his own way to play the guitar and wrote lyrics inspired by classic English literature and poetry, he never found a solid audience base. Drake only recorded three records in a span of 6 six years during the late sixties through the early seventies. Although, Drake never experienced famous, he is a very common name today and you might be surprised that you know at least a song or two of this. In 2000, Volkswagen used a "Pink Moon" in a Cabrio commercial and overnight Drake's music began to fly off the shelves. His music can also be found on big name movie soundtracks like Garden State ("One of these things First") and the Royal Tenenbaums ("Fly").

More Chuck Norris thoughts...and a take on 300, the movie

Another classic round of email exchanges:

FIRST EMAIL:
"I saw 300 Monday night, excellent movie. The movie gave me a newfound apprecitation for history. In particular, as I watched these charaters portray ancient greek warriors, it became pretty clear to me our greek friend is not of Spartan descent. In fact, I have written a screenplay called "3:00". It is about the area of greece our friend must have come from and its title reflects the time in the afternoon these people tend to take a nap everyday due to exhuastion from drinking at "the windsor (local bar)" and managing their fantasy football teams.
Theoretical Question: Chuck Norris vs the armies of the ancientworld. Your picks please."

REPLY:
"Chuck Norris would destroy 300 (the movie). Those 300 greeks were brave and powerful, but they were mortals and were killed in the end. Chuck Norris can't be killed. 300 vs. Chuck would be be a good fight, but Norris has been known to give 300 roundhouses in a row.No one survives a roundhouse kick from Chuck Norris. Not even the Devil."

Site of the day - spread the word, try it out

I tend to use this website religiously while hanging out when I don't feel like pulling out the IPOD.

What kind of mood are you in? Let your mood choose your music.
http://musicovery.com/

Dr Pepper + Ribs = Love it!

***This is not a shameless promotion. This is real. Respect and appreciate it. ***

The other night I had the pleasure of attending a team building exercise at the Viking Cooking School in Dallas. To be specific, it was actually the Milestone Culinary Arts Center, located @the Viking Cooking School. That being said, they used Dr Pepper to create this absolute sauce that was full of yuminess, and in no way detracted from the taste of the prime rib that it was meant to complement. Yes, I had prime rib. It was amazing too.

Below, with thanks to the great people at the Viking School, I am republishing the recipe with directions. Have fun. And one more thing - task expansion - I love it when brands move vertically outside of their category.

=== Recipe Below ===

Ingredients

- 16 ounces Dr Pepper

- 4 cloves garlic, peeled

- 2 cinnamon sticks

- 2 tablespoons grill blend

- 1 1/2 pounds of rib eye steaks -- indulge yourself

Directions

In a large bowl, combine Dr Pepper, garlic cloves, and cinnamon sticks. Add the rib eye steaks, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 12 hours. Patience. Preheat grill to medium high. Remove the rib eyes from the marinade and pat dry. Season both sides with the grill blend. Grill the steaks from 6 to 8 minutes on each side, or until done (never cook rib eye steak past the medium-rare stage or it will be very very tough). Remove the steak from the grill, and let rest for 4 or 5 minutes, loosely covered with foil. Cut the steak across the grain into 1 inch wide slices.

Grill blend - yields 1 cup

Ingredients

- 4 tablespoons kosher salt

- 3 tablespoons ground dried ancho peppers powder

- 2 tablespoons sugar

- 2 tablespoons ground cumin

- 2 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper

- 1 tablespoon ground thyme

Directions

Combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl, blending well enough to evenly distribute the spices. Be sure to break up any chunks that appear. Store the blend in an airtight container. Shake or stir again before each use. Pass it on.

Movie Review: Shooter

Been a while, but I have a couple of movie reviews ready to blast out onto the blog. Let me take a moment to let you understand why one person called "Shooter" an 'old-fashioned dispensation of justice'. Personally, I just call it 'hardness'. Oh, Mark Wahlberg continues to make man look like mice the way he is ripped.

So what is the story? Mark is framed for an assassination; luckily, he is a special forces alumni, and uses his skills to kill roughly 50-60 people throughout the movie. What does that make the movie? The new title should be 'Killer'. All in all, if you love action, this is a must see. Sure, you can wait for the DVD, or spend some money and sit through all the explosions, gun shots, throw-downs, on a big screen. I nearly stood up 2 or 3 ties after some of the feats Mark put on. From the line "I am going to find them. I am going to burn their playhouse down" the intensity and the excitement seriously never stops.

I give it a 3 out of 5...enough to pay to see it, since it delivered on all the action criteria I ask for. Hard. Mark Wahlberg, burning playhouses down. Dispensing justice. Never gets old.