As one of my New Year's resolutions for 2009 I stopped buying DVD's. I made the long awaited move to exclusively purchasing Blu-Ray discs. HD is the only way to go - so why wait to start the collection until after I buy a Blu-Ray player? One of the strongest selling points to my move to "a Blu-Ray only lifestyle" was that Blu-Ray offers iTunes/iPod versions of the movie FREE with your purchase of the disc. This was all well and good until last Tuesday when I purchased my copy of "Quantum of Solace" WHICH DID NOT INCLUDE A FREE DOWNLOAD. Now.....did I mention that I don't own a Blu-Ray player? So here I am, alone on a Friday night with a brand new Blu-Ray and no way to play it. I cured my boredom (and used my last iTunes gift card from Christmas) by downloading the HD version of "007" from iTunes. It was then that I realized that all my previous downloads that were provided with my purchased Blu-Rays were in SD (standard definition). 7 HOURS LATER...(or Saturday morning) I was able to watch my purchased movie. I loaded it to my Apple TV which is connected via HDMI. I was AMAZED at the quality. Pure HD with no lag in the over 3GB video file. SO.....here's my synopsys: if you own an Apple TV and can use an iTunes download via HDMI and don't mind paying an additional $19.99 for a movie when you already spent $19-$27 for a DVD or Blu-Ray........then iTunes HD movies are the way to go. A better suggestion would be to rent the HD versions directly to your Apple TV. Same price as a rental at Blockbuster without having to take the disc back.

Retial: $19.99

Wrigleyville Irish

I was reading my Monday Morning Wizard of Ads this morning (if you don't currently subscribe - you really should) and I stumbled across one of their many easter eggs - hidden in the emails. After a series of witty jokes and limerics, I found this video.....and now I want one.

Retail: $125,000


Wrigleyville Irish

Manchester Backpack - RVCA

My good friend Kyle Winner of sent me a link to this new store. They design for MMA Fighters such as BJ Penn. In looking through the site I found a few great bags. I really liked this Manchester pack: anything with Balistic Nylon can't be that bad, right? Good design, good functionality. Check out their site

Retail: $81.00


Wrigleyville Irish

Titleist Pro V1

Simply put: the best ball in golf. The original Pro V1 was pulled from the PGA Tour last year and later lost a lawsuit to Callaway Golf for patent infringement. Titleist came back with a re-designed golf ball with more durability and longer driving distances. At $58 per box your water hazards are a little more costly. Thanks to Titleist for sending me a box to demo this season. You can find 1 of the dozen in the water hazard on #4 at The Links and 1 more on #13. It's Oklahoma......It was windy. And raining. And my grips were worn. And I lost a spike on my right golf shoe. And now I sound like my brother Kevin. Great goonga-la-goonga.

Retail: $58.00

Ecosse Heretic Ti

If you are looking for a workout bike to lose all the extra pounds from your Edy's Ice Cream addiction......this IS NOT the bike for you. Instead it's 135hp of carbon fiber and titanium. I've only driven a motorcycle a few times and while I'd like to think I could handle a machine like this; I'd love to be able to afford the try.

Retail: $140,000
(Divorce costs not included in retail price)

Edy's Loaded Ice Cream

NOTE: IF YOU ARE ON A DIET - DO NOT READ.
This is maybe the best Ice Cream ever made. I'm pretty sure it's also the most hazardous to your health. It doesn't have any warning labels but I'm positive that they have buried addictive chemicals inside the little brownies in the ice cream. I am a connoisseur of mint chocolate chip ice cream: and this my friends is as good as it gets.

Retail: $3.50

Nike Custom AirStab

It's not football season and the Blackhawks game doesn't start until 6pm. What better to do than design my own vintage shoe! The NikeStore website lets you customize various shoe models with you own color scheme and "ID" on the shoe.

Retails: $112.00

Maybe it's the freak 8'' of snow that we got in Tulsa yesterday - or maybe it's because I was forced to hear about how ugly my old Doc Martin boots are from my wife earlier this morning. Either way, I decided to post an old favorite on the blog today: The Classic Irish Setter Red Wing Boots. You pay plenty for them, but they last a lifetime. I would like the blog to show that my Doc's have lasted me since the summer of 8th grade; and yes: I wore a size 12 in 8th grade.

Retail: $225.00

Arc'teryx Alpha SV Jacket

Hands down - the best all purpose jacket on the market. Arc'teryx has long been the leader in their industry - and the Alpha SV jacket is their best yet. Fully weatherproof shell with all the necessary features. If you have this jacket - just stop there. You will never need another one. Unless you lose it. Then you'll need to buy another one.

Retail: $599.00
Color Shown: Titanium (other colors available)

Chicago Cubs Chin Music Track Jacket by Nike

A simple approach to a classic track jacket from Nike. It's probably to nice to wear in the bleachers, but it will work on most any other occasion. They also made an alternate version for St. Paddy's day in green - but it has the Cubs' "C" logo - not the Cubby Bear logo. I like this design better - but the green jacket is a head turner as well.

Retail: $59.99

Ron Santo Home Blue & Pinstripe Jersey

Ron Santo has established himself as one of the greatest third basemen ever, as an outstanding and passionate radio broadcaster, and as a guy who does Chevy commercials - with no legs. Both jerseys are as authentic as you can get - short of time traveling back to 1969 or 1974. I don't think Ron ever wore a jersey like the Blue Alternate - but this jersey circa 1989 is one of my favorite Cub throwbacks. The only thing better than these jerseys is Ron himself. Here's to Ron Santo HOF in 2010!

Pinstripe - $274.95
Blue - $149.95

Reebok Primere Winter Classic Jersey

I had the privilege of being one of the 41,118 fans to attend the 2009 Winter Classic at Wrigley Field. It was one of the greatest sports experiences in my life - in spite of the Red Wings running away with the game in the 3rd period. All was made well when a loyal Hawks fan decked a celebrating Red Wings fan, in the face. We gave him a standing ovation as security carried him out on their shoulders. It was a great start to 2009 and this jersey is a great look back at 1938 Blackhawks Hockey.

Retail: $349.95