Things I Like Right Now

NBA League Pass

One of the problems I have is limited free time, like most adults I only get a few hours a week to watch TV. I decided I would only follow one sport and really deep dive into it while ignoring the others instead of just skimming the surface of all of them. Since I don’t have cable, I needed something online so I chose the NBA because of NBA League Pass. Even though they blackout three teams (Grizzlies, Pacers, and Cavs) for three days, and three hours on TNT/ESPN broadcasted games, I still have enough content to watch at any moment on demand. Sometimes I turn off the scores and watch a game that looks interesting if it was earlier in the week (which is great because there’s no timeouts, halftime, or commercial breaks) or sometimes I watch them knowing the result because I like the players. I also will watch several games at once on my PC on Friday nights live. I pay for the commercial free package, so when there’s a timeout they show the camera feed from the Jumbo-Tron, so it is like I am at the game with the local fans.

I’ll give kudos to the NBA, they got this app thing down right. I do know they invested heavily into online technology and it shows. There’s lots of content on NBA.com to follow also – including informative vignettes on past NBA superstars to celebrate their 75th anniversary. The more I watch, the more I get into it. The nuances in player’s games, their mentalities, the rivalries, it is real soap opera sometimes. The NFL and MLB don’t seem to have that same conflict, or if they do they certainly hide it better.

I always get asked too – who is my team? I just follow players, although I have a warm spot for the Sixers following my fascination with that Iverson/Mutumbo/Snow trio in the late nineties. I really like KD and Lebron, but the developing talent in the league too means there’s an All-Star or one in the making on every team. The NBA seems to have fewer poverty franchises too, whereas the NFL and especially the MLB are stacked with them. It is just a better product in my opinion.

If there are two runner-ups it’s probably the UFC or UCI Cycling’s Grand Tour races in Europe, with cycling being the closer second. More on that in the summer.

Chili Crunch

My wife purchased the entire collection of Momofuku’s chili crunch and noodles for my Christmas present. I find myself putting this stuff on literally everything that needs a flavor enhancement. It’s the most interesting condiment I’ve ever sampled. It’s spicy AND crunchy. It jazzes up any boring stir fry or noodles. I am putting it onto everything at this point and I cannot stop!

I love Asian food and eat a lot of it. I enjoy Japanese especially, followed by Vietnamese, Korean, and Thai. I do eat a lot of Chinese, mostly because a stir fry is so easy and a great way to use up veggies before they go bad. I typically purchase a bag of Asian stir fry vegetables from Kroger’s every week and make it. It’s not the most flavorful thing, hence the enjoyment of Chili Crunch.

Square Shopping Containers

We were early adopters of reusable shopping bags, mostly because I hate plastic bags. However, those early shopping bags sucked. Everything in them fell around in the back and stuff would get crushed. Now we have these square shopping bags that fold into cubes and I love them. Most men wouldn’t have an opinion on it, but I do all the grocery shopping and inventory management in the house because my wife hates the grocery store (and I do not as I’ve worked in three of them thus far). I also love stacking these in the back of the Bronco in a neat pattern, my need for perfection and visual order is met in the most nerdy possible way.

I guarantee once you add a fold-able crate and these collapsible grocery bins you’ll use them all the time too.