Husker Season... (well sorta, not really...)

I love Husker season!  I really do.  But not for the reasons most do.  I love that when the Huskers are playing and it is televised - everyone is either at a sports bar or at home watching the game.  Which means the places I enjoy going to are usually almost empty.  This season has proven to be just as true as seasons in the past - my husband and I went to lunch at the Upstream downtown and there was hardly anyone there (even though they did have the game on in the bar area upstairs!), then we went to get ice cream at the best ice cream store ever, Ted and Wally's, and there was NO LINE.  I have gone there during a snow storm and had to wait in line, but not that day.  We have also gone to the movies - same thing - no lines, no waiting, and had the theatre almost all to ourselves.  It's fabulous!

So needless to say, I like to go out and about during the games.  I was very happy this week when I found out that the game was at night.  This meant I could go to my absolute favorite restaurant - Rivera's!  This place is so good, and unfortunately the Omaha World Herald agrees with me.  I say unfortunately is because ever since the OWH ran not one, but two rave reviews about Rivera's you can't get a seat at the place without waiting.  So my favorite secret spot is no longer secret.  But you don't have to wait on game nights!  In the past, Rivera's had been known to close early on Husker game days, due to no customers, but tonight we (Joe, Eric, and I) arrived fifteen minutes after kick off and most of the tables were filled.  AND they had the game on as well!  But we did get seated right away. Oh man, Rivera's - I have missed you!

Here are just some of the reason why I love Rivera's.  (There are so many!)

• The food!  Their menu is different than other mexican restaurants - it more authentic and just plain good!  I have tried quite a few of their dishes, but I definitely have my faves - My very favorite is the Shrimp Sonora Wrap - spinach, black beans and it has so much shrimp in it that I usually run out of tortilla before I run out of shrimp!  And the sauce is AMAZING!  I also love the lobster enchiladas, chicken nachos, Bo pork enchiladas (which I got tonight - mmm!), Spicy Chicken wrap (fried tortilla and cheese sauce over the top!), and Cazuela al Horno - which is like a mexican lasagna, amazingness!  There are so many other great things, I could go on and on...  Most dishes come with refried beans and rice - which are better than other places.  The beans are smoother and so flavorful and the rice is straight up rice with seasoning - no veggies and cooked perfectly.  I like to mix my beans and rice, I don't know why, I just have always done it that way.  Oh also, you get a free basket of chips and salsa after you order.  The salsa is fire roasted, so it looks orange, but it is the best salsa I have ever had!
• The RED MARGARITA!  I'm not gonna lie, their margaritas are strong, but oh so tasty.  I like the red margarita, it's made with pomegranate juice.  I'm not sure if I have ever had any other drink there, but I'm sure they are great, too.
• The service.  I have been going here for years and they always have the same servers.  They are super nice, check on you often, refill your drinks, and remember you!  Our server tonight welcomed us back and said it had been awhile since she had seen us - which was true.  My husband is also a food baby (he describes himself as this) and had a very specific request with his order.  Since he worked in food service, he always apologizes before asking for things removed or substituted, but then still does it.  ;-) Our server (I feel bad, I do know her name but can't think of it right now, I'm 95% sure it is Natalie) was all smiles and told him that his request was not at all unreasonable.
• One more thing about the service - it is owned by Jesus and Tracy Rivera.  They knew my friends because they went there so much and then met me because I started going there with my friends.  Tracy and I became friends on Facebook.  She then friend requested my husband (who wasn't my husband at the time) after I started bringing him there.  Tracy will ask how we are doing and know various things about our personal lives such as birthdays and when we got engaged.  It's awesome to know that the owners truly care about us and how we are doing!

Like I said, I have been going to Rivera's for years.  I was introduced to it by my friend Kacie.  Kacie and I (and others, Casey and Eric to name a few... ;-) have many memories of fun nights that have started by going to Rivera's first.  We also did our own food challenge there.  I'm not sure if they still have this, but Rivera's used to have fried habanero peppers stuffed with cheese sauce on their menu.  If you don't know what a habanero pepper is - it is a super hot pepper!  I think it is also called a ghost pepper.  We each ordered one and challenged each other to finish it.  We did it!  Not to say that we didn't sweat, and have our eyes and nose run, but it was fun to try it.  (by the way, I feel I ultimately won because it didn't make me sick later ;-)

Emmy's

All right, i tore myself away from my usual sunday nap time to watch the 'little house on the prairie' marathon on the hallmark channel this afternoon.  (i'm obsessed with that show!)  now i am breaking away from the marathon to watch 'live from the red carpet' on E.  i will just bullet point my thoughts as i watch...

• kelly osborn's hair is still lavender/grey old lady looking but at least she addressed - saying she has been given grief about it...
• oh ross mathews - i love you!
• really want lena dunham and girls to win something tonight!  love this picture of her directing, writing, and acting - with no pants!

• woah! kat dennings - boobage!  i kinda digged her hair piece - didn't notice it right away...

• mayim bialik is too pretentious for me to even try to like her
• kinda dig judd apatow's wife's dress - it is fun!

• can't decide if i love or hate hayden panettiere's dress...  it's a bit much

• heidi klum - plunging neck line and very high slit - seal who?  peeps are saying 'va va voom' and i must agree...

• loved melissa mccarthy's dress - and that she was wearing her daughter's purple ring!
• january jones - love the dress - hate the hair and makeup
• sofia vergara - always does well!  love the color!  i think she's my fav so far...

• amy pohler looking AMAZING!  this picture is not doing her justice 

• loving julianne hough's dress and her nails!  but not diggin' the hair.  it's pretty cute seeing ryan seacrest when she is being interviewed - i actually hope this couple works out...
• christina hendricks - those can't be real, right?  she looks better than she has in the past...

• totally digging lucy liu's metal dress 

• finally, nicole kidman is looking good!  and she is saying she is playing grace kelly next...  i know someone who might be intrigued about that... ;-)
• fast forwarding through commercials - see one for the new movie Argo - CANNOT WAIT FOR THAT TO COME OUT (and yes, it is mostly because my second husband is staring in it!)
• jimmy falon just used the same jokes with the bachelor host as he did with ryan seacrest -  lame!
• i'm not sure who these people are, but really???

• Michael J. Fox!  can't wait for his new show!  love him!
• julianne moore looks like an egg - white skin and yellow dress... reminds me - i am hungry - think i am going to have breakfast for dinner... (true story, just had hash browns and eggs, it was fabulous!)

• edie falco - love the belt!!!
• aw - jesse tyler ferguson - love! and his tie business - fantastic!

All right on to the actual awards...

• eric stonestreet!  love him!  and he's from kansas city!  i was going to say give someone else the love, but it's an award for the best... (yeah, even i think that was cheesy!)
• yep, still thinking boobs when i see kat dennings presenting
• kristin wiig has to win, right?
• oh, sad face, i disagree with this one - i don't think julie bowen is funny, she reminds me of someone who is trying to be funny but isn't...
• DUCKY!  sorry - i have never watched two and a half men and only associate jon cryer with pretty in pink
• i don't even know what show julie louie dryfuss is on...
• the amazing race is not that amazing and they are actually really dumb for not putting my friends on their show - if they would have put them on, they would actually deserve the emmy
• so you think you can dance needs more nominations, it's the BEST reality show/competition out there!  by far!
• who is this guy who wasn't using a mic?  i thought that was staged, but i don't think so
• kat dealey should have won, but i am cool with tom bergeron winning too - dwts is the second  best reality show out there
• nice plug for dwts all stars starting tomorrow!  i'm cheering for melissa and tony because i love tony (he's so nice, treats his partners well, doesn't complain, doesn't yell, had to put up with kate gosling, and can choreograph well) and he usually gets crap for partners.  i would love to see him finally win!
• peter dinklage didn't win...  i have a special bond with him...

• kinda love tracy morgan's jacket - my hubs should have worn that on our wedding day!
• poor jon hamm, can't they show him some love?
• i think i need to start watching homeland - i have loved mandy patinkin since yentl!
• tina fey cracks me up
• my husband came out of his man cave to make a sandwich for dinner and just 'yayed' for jon stewarts win
• ryan murphy created glee and american horror story?!?  huh...
• true story - the hubs and i watched the hatfields and mccoys on our honeymoon - we even stayed in, made grilled cheeses for dinner one night just to make sure we didn't miss it!
• aw, in memoriam... always kinda a downer...  
• yay!  kevin costner won!  i kinda dig him!  but what's up with his unbuttoned shirt and cas style?
• aw - standing ovation for michael j. fox!  he's awesome!  not afraid to show his disability and work despite of it.  he's my inspiration!
• darn, girls didn't win... 

it was fun blogging about the emmys, being able to add pics and write more than 140 characters.  however, i think i do like live tweeting better - can be more interactive and immediate.  we'll see what i do for the next awards show...  :-)

now back to my little house on the prairie marathon...

I'm Back! Dredd movie review!

i've been wanting to write on this for a while but always thought about writing at inopportune times.

i've also wanting to have a 'format' - something that will get me to write more - instead of writing whatever i think of when i have time, i want to write on a specific topic.  i'm thinking my format theme will be over all 'entertainment' but probably more about theater - i LOVE theater - all kinds - whether it is movies, plays, musicals, etc - it doesn't matter, i enjoy it!

to start off - the hubs and i were talking about what we wanted to do for 'date' night - every saturday is usually date night where we try to do something special and spend time together.  we were talking that we hadn't gone to a movie in a while and thought that sounded fun.  however, when we looked through the list of movies out - they were all crap!  i was thinking i the timothy green and curve movies looked decent and he mentioned resident evil or dredd.  since we were super excited about either, we decided we would just go out to eat and possibly rent a movie or something...  then our friend eric texted...

he asked if we wanted to go to dinner or a movie - we decided to go to jazz (we had a groupon from my brother and sister in law - thanks brent and tamika!).  while there, i'm not sure how, but we settled on going to dredd, not only dredd, but dredd in 3D!  so i am now going to pay extra to see a movie i was pretty sure i wouldn't like.  however, i was enjoying hanging out with the guys, so i was willing to go...

(btw... i love jazz - i think it's super good - but the boys were not as big of fans as i am...)

so we head to aksarben cinema (my favorite movie theatre!).  as we ordered our tickets, the lady who sells us the tickets tells us that she heard it was great!  but she looks like she is 50 and i didn't really think it was her type of movie and somewhat called her out on that.  she admitted she would never go see it...  fabulous.

the movie was about a worn down america in the future.  there are so many people that they build towns (blocks) up instead of out.  there is much crime and those who enforce the law are called 'judges' - where they are the judge, jury, and executioners.  judge dredd is assigned to work with a new rookie recruit who did not do well on her tests to become a judge but she is an amazing psychic, so they give her a chance.  they go to answer a call to investigate three killings where the victims where on a new drug called 'slo mo', were skinned, and fell 100+ stories in the 'block' peach tree.  they learn that instead of having rival gangs, one gang has taken over the entire block - led by a crazy lady named 'mama'.  the judges capture one of the guys who skinned and killed the guys.  because they captured the guy and were going to take him in for questioning, mama has the block on lock down - no one can get in or out.  she also orders everyone to kill the judges.  the rest of the movie is about them trying to stay alive and learn how mama became so powerful.

things i liked about the movie:

• it didn't drag on - too much.  it seems like a lot of newer movies seem like they are going to end and then keep going.  this one didn't.  it ended when it should have.
• i didn't know any of the actors so it introduced me to some new folks
• i loved hanging out with joe and eric :-)
• the 3D effects were really good!

things i didn't like:

• the rookie was supposed to be a powerful psychic - she used this to her advantage some times and at others i was questioning how she didn't know what was going to happen or who some of the people were
• i never saw judge dredd's face - he always wore a helmet
• i never learned exactly why/how mama because so powerful and crazy.  
• almost the whole movie was filmed in 'the block'.  i got bored with the scenery.
• it was too violent and depressing for me
• there was no love story (sorry, that might be a spoiler)

alright, gonna try to write more - maybe i will live blog about the emmys tomorrow...