The Acclaim to Fame hit 177,000 miles this morning.

well done Acclaim to Fame! 23,000 to go!

The ‘backup car’ plan is moving forward! Provided all works out with the salvaged title information, I will be purchasing Jocelyn’s white ‘97 Nissan Altima within the next month or so.

Don’t worry, this is not the end of the Acclaim to Fame. This second vehicle will serve as a means for me to do repairs on the Acclaim when she suffers without the stress of needing to borrow a car, or bum rides off my friends.

The problem is, I need a name for the new car. Something powerful and definitive like Kurt’s THE DIVA, Shaun McQuaid’s BLACKHOLE, or Sander’s THE CHARIOT. Something that works best when capitalized.

Right now I’m thinking THE DICTATOR.
or THE NISSAN ALTIMAMA. (THE ALTIMAMA for short)

other ideas include:
IRON WHEEL.
THE TITAN.
THE SCORPION.
STEEL JUSTICE.

your suggestions and comments are welcome!

Dance Dance Revolution is a game that I was only recently exposed to.

Let it be known, that it is perhaps the single most exciting game on Earth.

Gentle Readers:

This week, as the Power behind “Defy S. McQuaid” has dictated, we witness a bit of a diversion from the usual Question/Answer format.

In this installment, S. McQuaid will answer a question posed BY himself TO himself. Prepare yourself.

The Question

Word on the street has it - S. McQuaid used to work at McDonald’s during the Golden Age of the mid-90’s. True? And if so, what items of culinary mastery were created that can no longer be acquired at the local Golden Arches?

The Answer

Yes, it is true. During my tenure at the town McDonald’s, cheeseburgers flew fast and furious. Grill items were prepared with enthusiasm and correctness at blazing speed. The “Black Hole” (the first car I ever owned, a 1985 Chrysler New Yorker, black, and it TALKED) was in full operation. And Sean Connery often answered consumers at the drive-thru speaker. (Note the clever mis-spelling of “Drive Thru” - that’s the way it is spelled on all McDonald’s internal literature).

But none of this bears on the second part of the question - what food items were created?

The proper question is, what food items were NOT created?

Let’s first examine the items that were on the menu at the time, but are no longer available. The first, and most important item, is the Arch Deluxe.

A breathtaking arrangement of meat, vegetables, and soft roll, the Arch Deluxe was marketed as the “Grown-up burger”. Definitely one of my favorite burgers to create (and consume), the Arch Deluxe was a masterwork of bacon, spices, meat, and special sauce. I won’t go into the details of the production of this beast, but if you are curious, there is an extensive Wikipedia article available: Arch Deluxe of Power

Also during this time frame, the McDonald’s Fajita was in full swing.

The fajita was fabulous - chewy yet tender, a taste unable to be characterized. And to think, as part of my morning routine, I created over a HUNDRED fajitas in less than 10 minutes. No lie. The fajita came with both Hot and Mild Picante sauce, and, in a series of independent taste tests undertaken several years back by myself and some compatriots, the Mild Picante sauce and a Small Coke were chosen as the Top Ranked Food Items at the local McDonald’s in Worcester. That tells you just how kicking the sauce was. (Details of this taste survey, which covered the main fast food establishments in the Worcester area, may be revealed at a later date).

And how can we forget The McRib?

A slab of meat, deboned, then processed into a moldable medium, and finally shaped to appear as if it actually had bones. But it didn’t. Soaked in tasty barbeque sauce and served with real onions, the McRib was always a huge seller. And, if you accidentally drop a McRib meat-shape into a fryalator, NOTHING HAPPENS. The McRib is impervious to hot oil, and does not even deign to interact with it. Freaky.

Dozens of culinary masterpieces were birthed in the grill of my local McDonald’s that cannot be found anywhere else. Take, for instance, the PickleBurger. The PickleBurger was requested by a friend and created by the power of planning, execution, and S. McQuaid. The request was for “a Double Quarter Pounder with more pickles than meat”. Some might quail at a request like this. I did not. The PickleBurger was produced, and approved, and consumed over the course of a half hour.

The secret of the PickleBurger is LAYERS. In order to construct the beast, strict layering protocols were followed. For the first time, I am revealing the hidden recipe to you, the gentle reader.

—————> Top Bun (with sesame seeds, of course)
—————> The Intangibles (ketchup and mustard)
—————> Double layer of pickles
—————> Real Onions (the non-dehydrated, natural variety)
—————> Single layer of pickles
—————> One slice Orange Cheese Product
—————> Triple layer of pickles
—————> One all-beef quarter-pound (before cooking) patty
—————> Double layer of pickles
—————> One slice Orange Cheese Product
—————> Triple layer of pickles
—————> One slice Orange Cheese Product
—————> Triple layer of pickles
—————> One all-beef quarter-pound (before cooking) patty
—————> Double layer of pickles
—————> One slice Orange Cheese Product
—————> Triple layer of pickles
—————> One slice Orange Cheese Product
—————> Triple layer of pickles
—————> Bottom Bun

This is just a brief survey of the magnificence that was S. McQuaid in the McDonald’s grill. I certainly hope that you, the gentle reader, are edified and informed, and perhaps even a tear was shed during this stroll down Memory Lane.

The first challenge of the Ultimate Blogger championship was to put together a pitch. Each of the contestants had to pitch something. The decision for me was clear. With my affinity for drawing My Little Ponies, it was only natural for me to try and sell the idea of mechanized military fighting ponies.

Here’s my submission:

My Little Pony is a phenomenon that took the United States by storm in the early 1990’s*. These little toy ponies were by far the coolest toys for young girls and effeminate boys countrywide. NOT only could you get the ponies, you could get cloud castle, and all sorts of hair accessories that you could use to turn your pony into the hottest pony on this side of the Prime Meridian. In the Ultimate Blogging world of My Little Ponies, Zoe would probably have the most impressive end result. It’s all about product.

The obvious evolutionary step for these cute ponies would be to turn them into mechanized military fighting machines. With governments spending all sorts of research dollars on robotic warriors, why not take advantage of a design that will likely bring extreme fear into the hearts of the unexpecting.

As usual, I made an MSPaint image. Check it out:

Now, don’t be confused… these wouldn’t be toys. They would be life sized my little pony death machines. We could send ‘em into dangerous mystical countries like ‘Austria’ and ‘Canadia’ to seek and destroy all things evil. They would obviously be powered by rainbows and pneumatics and be able to withstand heavy machine gun fire and tank piercing rounds. Complete with Jet Packs and guns that make you go ‘mmm,’ these ponies will leave you wishing your TNMT pizza van was turbo. They might not be the cheapest weapons of mass destruction, but I assure you they would be the most pretty.

*it was pointed out by a few of the other contestants that my time frame here is all wrong. My Little Pony has dominated the shelves of toy-stores everywhere for far longer than 16 years.

I hope my submission is well received by the Blogging Superstars. I put my heart into that one. I hope that all of you will check out the other entries here. I’ve been talking to a few of these bloggers more intensly, and I have to say… if I am anything like them, than I have fulfilled all sorts of childhood dreams.

I am one of the thirteen proud contestants of the second annual

What does this mean?

well, for one, I’m going to be participating in all sorts of wild challenges that the folks at Urban Honking come up with, in a wild attempt to win all sorts of cash and prizes. Jump over to their site to check things out. I suspect it will be a wild, and perhaps dirty fight to the top.

It’s going to be done survivor style, so there’s the obvious chance that I’ll be voted off within the next few weeks. But, let’s hope that my never ending MSPaint antics will help me survive for at least a little while. Wish me luck! and check out the other contestants here! (if you are using Internet Explorer, you will have to scroll to the bottom)

So last night Jon Abad and I tackled White Challa Bread Pudding.

Just to give you an understanding of how good this is, I’m going to give you some short information about the ingredients to this masterpiece.

3 Cups Heavy Cream -> 400% of your daily sat fat.
8 egg yolks. EIGHT. EGG. YOLKS.

unbelievable.

you can imagine that this is perhaps the most delicious dessert item ever.

I’m gonna jump right to the ratings on this one.

mike d’s rockclimbing food ratings:
DELICIOUSNESS: 5.12c

DIFFICULTY: 5.7-

this was definitely worth it. If you’d like the recipe, fire me an e-mail.

The company president walks into my office with a gift he received from a visiting Korean customer

President: Want some Ginseng?
mike d: huh?
President: Come on, let’s eat some Ginseng.
mike d: alright. it’s suppose to be good for memory right?

the president opens the ginseng container and produces little packets of ginseng. He gives us a little Ginseng history and comments on how it’s super super expensive.

I opened my Ginseng package and tried a little piece about the size of two rasins. Colored like apricot.

President: how is it?
mike d: eh. not bad.

I eat two more as the president grabs one. Sander grabs one. I eat two or three more.

President: it tastes like dirt.
Sander: nah… it tastes like sweet potato

I eat a couple more.

mike d: this is interesting stuff.

I eat one or two more.

the president turns over the package and reads the back aloud as I put four more in my mouth

President: “Directions. This product is portable. take two or three pieces at a time…”
mike d: uh oh. I just had about two dozen of these things.
Sander: what does it do?
President: it’s an aphrodisiac.
Sander: better tell Jesse to lock his door tonight.

so sweet.

Yesterday was the WPI career fair. It was a sensory overload.

We definitely brought hot wings which were a moderate hit. Some people resisted, what with all the suits and dresses, but those that participated got a taste sensation. The amount of people I spoke to is staggering. Four hours of non-stop standing, talking, and concentrating. A gauntlet of eager undergrads throwing their ego at us nonstop. I didn’t even get a chicken wing break until about 3 hours in. Thankfully, there were a lot of cool people interested in our company. or at least our free hot sauce.

There was a huge crowd of old WPIers that I hadn’t seen in awhile. Shamus, Andrew, Sam, Chris V, Justin, Sarto, and a handful of other grads. It was fun.

After the career fair I hung out for a short while in Worcester. Shared dinner with Old man and the crew before getting back on the road. tonight, it’s a midterm and hopefully some relaxation.

Mechanical Engineer:

Our elite engineering design team is looking for a hard working Mechanical Engineer with design experience that is willing to take a project from start to finish. As we expand our product line and meet our customer’s specific and custom designs requirements we are finding a growing need for ambitious mechanical engineers who are as comfortable with selecting a motor as they are with trying new things. In the world of Superhero Engineers, we want our mechanical engineers to be more like Batman than like Superman.

Regional Sales Manager:

This new member of our sales team will be responsible for identifying and achieving commercial objectives in their assigned geographical charter. The primary focus of this job is a consistent execution of selling, account management, and customer relations activities day to day. Think Han Solo minus the sarcasm and blaster. Excellent written and verbal communications skills are a must; knowledge of welding and metals processing a plus.

Tomorrow I will be returning to WPI as a representative of my company for the 2006 Career Fair.

So if you’re going to be in Worcester, stop on by our booth for some mike d lovin.

The Question

mike d. asks:

Dear Shaun McQuaid,

Why the heck is there a cold season? This doesn’t make sense to me.

The only two things that I could think that might cause it are
1) cold weather. in which case… does Mexico or Mediterranian countries have cold seasons?
2) kids go back to school. in which case… why doesn’t cold season last until June? It can’t be because we grow more immune, because if were were more immune then there wouldn’t be another cold season the next year.

Shaun McQuaid… I’m lost and confused! Please help!

sick of being sick,
mike d.

The Answer

There have been a number of studies done, trying to show a correlation between the cold weather of winter and an increase in illnesses. The results have been conflicting; some show a massive correlation, some show none at all. But you can’t throw out decades of experience - there has to be SOMETHING.

The answer I believe makes the most sense is this:

In the winter season, regardless of whether you live in sunny California or wicked cold New England, the air tends to be drier. Dry air will dry out your sinuses and your nasal passages. And dry nasal passages and sinuses are less able to filter out the germs.

Hence, a twofold effect: When you breathe in the germs, they are more likely to infect you. And when you sneeze or breathe out, you are more likely to infect others. It’s a sort of positive feedback loop.

Thus, a cold season.

Sad earth, wicked happy moon.

I ordered a full Dewalt drill bit set off of Amazon.com on Friday for 40 dollars.

I happened to RE-check the item this morning to find that it was now being offered for 30 dollars.

one quick e-mail later, and I’m getting a $10 credit to my account.

Rock on Amazon.com

This past weekend was great. I got plenty of guitar practicing time in and saw a handful of people that I haven’t seen in awhile. Including Kate from Ohio.

Ohio is a slippery state. Only recently have I really understood where Ohio is. It’s common knowledge that New England residents have a view of the United states that is kind of like this:

well, it turns out Ohio is right about in the middle of WEST-ish. if you’re curious. it’s highlighted in Pink here.

Anyway, a great idea was spawned this weekend. The ON-DECK car.

I’m going to begin looking for a new car to have as a backup for when the acclaim dies. I would continue to drive the acclaim, and then if anything ever happened to her I would have car #2 to save my butt. This is great for all sorts of reasons. Mainly, I’d be able to put some serious research and hunting into my quest for a new car and would never have to buy out of necessity. Also, having a back up car would allow me time to work and improve the acclaim when something went arry… perhaps resulting in many extra months or years of operation.

Remember when Andy broke down on the side of the road, walked to a dealership and immediately bought a new car? That’s what i’d like to avoid. So if you know of any great car deals, let me know!

JonAbad while driving: Mike D’s hair is obstructing my view through the rear view mirror… It’s taking up a whole lane.

Yesterday we cooked the 18lb turkey.

In fact, we made an entire dinner. Kate from Ohio was visiting and JonAbad and I have had a hampering for a giant cook-off, so it only seemed natural for us to assault the turkey that had quietly been taking residence in our freezer for the past four months.

Our fatal flaw came with the gravy.

I didn’t want to follow Fanny Farmer’s advice (in retrospect… this was exceptionally stupid) so instead we just used the fat and juices that came off the turkey… added some cream and flour and poured it on top of our dinners.

it was terrible. Fatty burned residue that is still able to foil my mouth with unfortunate tastes after two teeth brushings, flossings, and flourides.

Thankfully, the rest of the dinner came out great. Including two pumpkin pies, greenbeans up the wazoo, stuffing, biscuits, mashed potatos (curtosy of the Kitchen aid), and of course tons of meat.

So, if you’re in the area and find yourself aching for some turkey, stop on by the House of Rock.

Mike D’s rockclimbing food ratings:
Deliciousness:
Turkey: 5.8+ it was a little dry since we kept it in the oven post-cooking to keep it warm
Mashed Potatos: 5.10-
Biscuits: 5.8
Gravy: 5.2-
Green Beans: 5.6

Difficulty:
Turkey: Time was the only tough part here 5.5
Mashed Potatos: Kitchen Aid? no prob. 5.5
Baking powder Biscuits: 5.7
Gravy: How the heck are you suppose to make good gravy? 5.11d
Green Beans: 5.6. we used the frozen variety.

When I was a little kid, I remember lying in bed looking at my clock. I came up with the following puzzle.

A woman goes to bed without setting her alarm. She has a restless sleep and wakes up to look over at her digital clock. She makes note of the time and goes back to sleep. She lays in bed for exactly five more minutes before looking at the clock again. As she lays staring at the clock, another minute passes and she realizes her clock is upside down.

What time is it?

I’m approaching the three month mark since my last haircut. If I can hold out for another week, I’ll be on course for four haircuts a year.

Wow. I just wrote a whole post and then lost it. Darn it. Here goes again…

THANKS to all the participants in this week’s contest. All of the entries were super exciting. The Challenge was to submit an MSPaint picture of a matador up against an angry purple hippo.

I received five entries total, so I’m going to try something a little different this time. MSPaint styles are very specific and repeated among artists. Using the images below, your challenge is to guess who submitted each drawing.

Hippo 1.
Artist #1 often times walks down the path of the abstract. I’m not sure what the thing in the upper right is… but I think it might be a disco ball. This one shouldn’t be too hard to guess because there are some returning themes from previous contests. Great job Artist 1!

Hippo 2.
By far the easiest to identify, Artist 2 has a very obvious style. Crisp curving lines and sharp color contrasts are typical for this artist. Great job Artist 2!

Hippo 3.
This is an amazing Hippo. The impressiveness might be the easiest thing to draw upon for this artist. Look for the common usage of the spray paint tool and the way that the artist makes the lines look hand drawn. This is a stunning picture. well done Artist 3!

Hippo 4.
This may be the hardest of the bunch to identify. I was informed by the artist that the entire picture was drawn in record speed with just the Round brush and Fill tool. The color choices might be the best way to identify this artist. Well done Artist 4!

Hippo 5.
This hippo is hilarious. In trying to identify artist 5 look for usage of the spray paint tool as well as general hilarity. This one might be tough too because I don’t know if i would say that this style is typical of his/her work. hmm. good luck on this one. Excellent work Artist 5! hilarious!

If you happen to know that a person participated, or if you know which drawing belongs to which artist through alternate means I would request that you do not participate in guessing for that particular drawing. If you submitted a drawing feel free to throw out some guesses for one or two of the other submissions!

Finally ,here are some references in your quest for artists. Each of the artists above participated in at least one of the following contests.

The Cupcake Armageddon contest, and its results
The Pirate contest, and its results
The Clown contest, and its results

For even more samples, click here.

Entries into the MSPaint CONTEST are due TONIGHT!!!!

I’ve only received two entries so far… so if you haven’t made yours yet… get on it!

The challenge:

Using only MSPaint (or Mac equivilent) draw a picture of a matador up against a vicious angry purple hippo.

I had a dream last night that a stock that I had invested in jumped 600% and suddenly I had $120,000!!!

As I began to wonder what to do with all this money I thought “I could get a new car!” then I realized… nah… the Acclaim is in great shape.

A post that’s a little more serious than usual.

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