Wings & Lax

Wings, Wings, & more Wings

On Thursday, January 30th, 2014, Rachel & her roommates as well as their boyfriends (including me) had their first eating contest of hopefully many more to come.

The location was Buffalo Wild Wings & the contest was: Which couple can eat the most wings within an hour! We headed over to BWW, packing six into a car of five and once we were seated, began placing orders. Rachel & I ordered 50 wings, consisting of mild, asian zing, teryaki, honey bbq & sweet bbq. Jeff and Mary ordered 42 wings, all mild, as well as 2 beers. And Aly & Jay ordered 58 wings, 75% honey bbq 25% sweet bbq. Oh and it was Thursday, so the wings were boneless.

While we were waiting I began to get nervous, can Rachel & I really eat 50 wings? Seems like a lot. Aly & Jay ordered 58, will we have enough time to order & eat more if need be? We can just order before we are done with our 50 and they should be out in no time right? Are Mary & Jeff going to be able to eat their 42!? So many questions, only time will tell.

After about 25 minutes, all 150 wings came out and the feast began. This was good news if we needed to order more wings, only 25 minutes for 150 wings, they should be able to cook up another 12 or 24 if need be in less than that. To my pleasant surprise, Rachel started off very strong, polishing off at least 10 wings in the first 7 minutes, she was actually ahead of me in # of wings eaten! I needed to catch up, so I started gobbling them down. We had the most of the mild wings, which wasn't bad because I enjoy how they taste, but boy was I sweating like a dog. Literally, sweat dripping off of me as I chowed down with each bite into the mild wings. People around us must have thought I was doing the Blazin' Challenge the way the sweat was pouring off of my head. I even had to take off my sweater I was sweating so much.

As time ticked by, our 2 plates of wings began to diminish. Across the table, Aly & Jay were a few wings behind us as we all began to fill up. Mary & Jeff were enjoying their wings to the fullest, taking sips of their Tall Boys in between each bite. About 20 minutes into the competition Rachel & I were running dangerously close to being done with our first 50, so we put in another order for 12 wings, which would out-do Aly & Jay's total of 58. 40 minutes for the wings to come out, no problem right?

We finished our 50 wings in 22 minutes. Rachel put down 20, which was well above the 15 she guaranteed, & I had consumed 30, but was still craving more and did not even feel that full.

As we waited for our wings to come out, the time passed by... first 10 minutes, then 15, then 20... and we began to get nervous. After almost 30 minutes of waiting and only 10 minutes left in the competition, we saw Aly & Jay finishing off the last of their 58 wings, with their America headbands and armbands on. Each of them had 29 wings and were looking very full. I was convinced if the wings came out now, Rachel & I would be able to take on 9 wings in 10 minutes to surpass them and win the challenge. Jay put in a final order of 8 wings for team Aly & Jay just in case our wings did come out, they may be able to top us still!

But that would not be the case, as 10 minutes became 9 to 8 and so on all the way down to the last minute. Disappointment was definitely the mood for Rachel & I, as Aly & Jay celebrated their victory as time expired. 2 minutes after the competition had ended, and over 40 minutes after we had ordered 12 honey bbq wings, they finally came out. We were pretty upset & Rachel said to just pack them up and take em home, but I was frustrated, so I stabbed 2 wings at once, and put them in my mouth. Then continued this trend until I had consumed an additional 10 wings & Rachel finished off the last 2 of the 12. Giving us a grand total of 62 wings, too bad BWW sucked and couldn't get the wings out on time.

So the final tally's were:
Team Aly & Jay - 58 wings
Team Rachel & Josh - 50 wings (62 wings after time)
Team Mary & Jeff - 35 wings & 3 Tall Boys

It was ultimately a fun competition and despite BWW ruining our winning night, I had a good time and felt super full. Oh we also got 10 dollars off our bill because they took so long!

We then headed back to the apartment with full stomachs and everyone feeling somewhat sick. Once back everyone just laid in their beds groaning in pain as our stomachs were packed full of chicken.

Aly & Jay get the claim to fame as best couple, and will get to pick the next competition. Can't wait to see what it is!


What I've been up to this past week

  • The past week marks the 20th anniversary of the release of Dookie by GreenDay. Wow I am getting old. Especially with one of my favorite albums, Smash by The Offspring turning 20 as well in April. Time flies.
  • I finished up the book Insurgent, what a great 2 books they have been so far. Despite hearing negative things about Allegiant, the third book in the Divergent series, I am excited to start it this week.
  • I have been into watching old classic films of late: 12 Angry Men, Rear Window, North by Northwest. Alfred Hitchcock is a genius. These thriller's really make you think & the stories are top notch. Love it.
  • Fox Valley Lacrosse tryouts were on Sunday. This year I'll be coaching the 8th green (b) team. 65 kids trying out for 8th grade, wow, lacrosse has come far since when I was in 8th grade and there were probably that many kids total spread over 6 teams. It should be a good, fun year. There was a lot of talent at tryouts and a ton of good players in the area. I am getting pretty pumped for it to start next weekend.

I have been busy busy busy with lacrosse -  training, playing, & video editing. I finally had time to get around to editing the GoPro footage from BenU's fallball 2013. A bit long, but with 2 cameras, it came out pretty well I'd say.

The young lacrosse team brings back a handful of players, as well as a solid group of freshman/transfers. Should be an interesting year for them in the MLC & I plan to catch a few games and hopefully shoot a few videos. Stay tuned!

 

Josh

 

Blog Tuesday for a 2nd Time!

This is me successfully blogging for 2 straight weeks. Impressive I know.

I will be headed to Vegas in a few days, still a lot to plan, even though it is just a 3 day trip, I want to make the most of it. Finding the best shows to see, tastiest food to eat, great spots to take pictures, and dip into the gambling at one of their famouscasinos.

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Made some delicious meals with Rachel (and Johnny) this past weekend. Two BBQ Chicken Bacon Pizzas, and then a Brat, Onion, & Pepper Pasta, aka Castrofique!... Let's just say they were both scrumptious and I am still enjoying the left overs.

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Greg "the beast" Gurenlian & Chris Mattes, both MLL faceoff studs, stopped by 1223 for a FaceOff Academy sponsored by New Wave the past weekend. The dude was literally a beast and had a wealth of knowledge at the Face off X.

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Been busy with a lot of media / website / marketing work for 1223 Lacrosse the past week. Lots and lots of good things coming your way from 1223 in the near future. 

YaBoysJcubed and Rachel also got together this weekend, filming some ping pong doubles action, played some classic board games, Rummikub & Loaded Questions, while sipping back on some Hot Chocolate & Schnapps. Not to mention we worked on a bit of music that should be coming your way later this year, get excited. 

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How about that Richard Sherman...The Denver Broncos beat the New England Patriots handedly earlier in the day. Then after the Seattle Seahawks knocked off the San Francisco 49ers with a great defensive play by Richard Sherman, we were blessed with this fantastic interview. It was like the WWF out there! I am pretty pumped for the Super Bowl in 2 weeks. Definitely can't wait to watch, Denver Broncos vs Seattle Seahawks. #1 offense vs #1 defense. Should be a great game.

And we cannot forget also this past week when former NBA player Dennis Rodman talks exclusively to CNN's Chris Cuomo from North Korea. He goes off for a classic Worm moment.

Well done, well done. WWF & Richard Sherman.

Finished up the book "Divergent" on my nook. A pretty good read that is based in a dystopian Chicago where there are different factions of people within in the city. A quick read with a great story line. Similar type of writing/reading as The Hunger Games, although I thought there could have been more description in the last few chapters. Can't wait to get started on book 2, "Insurgent." This is Veronica Roth's debut novel, and she does a great job with it. I highly suggest it, as the movies will start rolling out this year! 

I have Morton's Toe. Explains everything! Even though it actually explains nothing since I have none of those symptoms and never have had any issues regarding its symptoms... knock on wood! But my feet are definitely structured this way. Me and the Statue of Liberty are best of friends!

Just found out that the National will be playing at the Chicago Theatre on April 15/16. Tickets go on sale on 1/23 at 10am. Cannot wait. These guys are phenomenal, producing soft, calming music, yet so powerful at the same time.

Lots of work to be done, See you next week!

Josh

Awesome Videos, Disappointment, & More to Edit

Well Well Well. 

After a jam packed week & weekend where I went on two interviews, filmed a whole lot of lacrosse videos, got a parking ticket, turned down a job offer, had a 75th birthday party for my Grandma, played a great day of lacrosse, then lost the tournament the next day, edited a lot of videos, listened to a boatload of music, went to a Deer Tick concert, & watched a plentiful amount of movies and videos, I finally figured it would be a good time to put some of this down in writing.

 

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To start with, the Naperville Apaches played in the NIU tournament, where we were the defending champs. The first day of lacrosse we played Chi-Town Lacrosse, a men's club team, where I dropped 3 goals and 3 assists in a commanding victory. We then took on an amped up Michigan State University Reserve team that came out fast and playing hard. After settling down, I finished with 5 goals and 1 assist to lead the team to a strong 2nd half victory. Of my 5 goals, 1 was behind the back and another was a lucky tip deflection. After a 12 point day on day 1, we headed into day 2, thinking the toughest competition was past us. On championship sunday we took on Wisconsin White Water and had a solid 6 to 3 lead at halftime. I had scored 1 and assisted another to Sean. However, the second half saw our crumble, as we did not score a single goal in the second half. After calling timeout with a 6-5 lead and just under 4 minutes left, discussing our possession of the ball and only taking sure, smart shots, the team took 2 careless shots that ended up leading to 2 goals for the opposition. With just 40 seconds left in the game we were losing 7 to 6 and on our way to our first tournament loss as the Naperville Apaches. We had one last chance, but were unable to control the ball and get off a shot.

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This was a huge disappointment and I could not believe we had lost to an unimpressive club team in my opinion. But they played with more heart and gave more effort, as our team had lost our composure and collapsed. After this loss, what upset me even more though, was the apathetic attitude that a majority of the team had. We still had a game to play for 3rd place, but the team decided to just quit and leave, not even playing in this final game. As a team, in the 2 years prior, we had always made it to the championship, and I understand some frustration on not making it, but I wanted to take out my anger in the next game. I wanted to continue to play and show my passion for the sport that I love so dearly, but instead I sat and watched as my teammates took off their gear, packed their bags, and left, not saying really anything. This has been a reoccurring issue in my lacrosse career since I started. In high school, college, & now, there are always a majority of people who just don't care, and it is utterly sad and disheartening. A handful of my teammates did stick around and wanted to play as well, so I at least give a few guys credit and am glad they have the same dedication as me. Having played competitively for so long, and now only having a chance to do this about twice a year, once in summer and once in fall, it is very painful to be forced to walk away from a game and not even get the opportunity to play. Having all this on my mind, I definitely had a damper put on the start of my Sunday.

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Luckily, with the help of my lovely girlfriend Rachel, who attended all of my games and took some great pictures, and also the rest of my family, I was in good spirits for the start of my Grandma's 75th Birthday Party.

The Birthday party was awesome, taking place at my Aunt Jan's church, over 60 people came out to celebrate my Grandma with great food, live music, and family fun. 


I have been very busy playing, filming, and editing lacrosse videos. My most recent accomplishment is the production of a StringKing / 1223 Lacrosse video that I made and was published on StringKing's and 1223 Lacrosse's Facebook walls. Check out my video, which I shot, edited, and am also in! 

This is by far my most professional video production, and I look forward to making many more videos for 1223, as I am in the process of editing at least 3 more!  

On October 12th, John, Johnny, Rachel, & I headed out to DeKalb to see Deer Tick play at Otto's! It was an awesome show, and we were front row, making it one of my favorite concerts. I made a short video with some of their songs I took on my iPhone. Great music, great show.


I would like to share some great videos and links that I have come across in the past few weeks as well. 

A incredibly made timelapse of the city of Chicago. I really want to learn how to make something similar to this. Amazing. 

A series following the Michigan State University club Lacrosse team. I like what I have seen in the first two episodes so far. Very well made, and I look forward to following them all year long. 

I watched a 2 hour PBS Frontline special today on the NFL and concussions. Quite disturbing information and very interesting to see. Really makes you think about big business and the possible future of the league.  

Leage of Denile 

A 90 minute special about two brothers who have one goal; to play lacrosse for Syracuse University. Great little documentary.  Native Americans today in the sport of lacrosse.

The Medicine Game 

A story about a man and his daughter, who has down syndrome.  A powerful message that involves change and the hope for life.

September 11th, Lacrosse, Heroes, and Love. A emotional and heart warming story about a young man who risked and gave his life for many others. The Man in the Red Bandana. Inspirational and Amazing. 

A well made and inspiring UNC Lacrosse video made last year. Welcome to the grind. Even though I think waking up at 6 would mean you missed practice... 

This guy does some hilarious and impressive impressions. Having multiple conversations, as different celebrities. Brilliant! 

A lot off my mind. A week of lacrosse training, editing, more interviews, and then dog watching ahead. Not to mention 2 years of Rachel and I being together. Pure Love.

 

Josh