to pass the id into a JS function, try something like this:

<function>(Me.<DropDownList>.DropDownListUniqueID)

scriptText.Append(“<function>(categoryDropdownID)” & vbCrLf)
scriptText.Append(“var categoryDropdown = document.getElementById(categoryDropdownID);” & vbCrLf)

and, to check if the dropdownlist has a selected value in JS, use something like this:

scriptText.Append(String.Concat(“if(categoryDropdown[categoryDropdown.selectedIndex].value == <value>)”, vbCrLf))

i don’t have the exact source i’m quoting in front of me, but essentially you’re – passing the DropDownListUniqueID into the JS function to be able to reference the object directly in page code. you are then adding the ID to a variable. then you can compare the control to see if it has a selected value. elegant – probably not. will i use it again – probably.

maybe you can use this, i’m sure i will need this later.

it all started with my buddy mike telling me that he and vidi were going out for halloween as Mario and Luigi. i said, cool, i’ll be Wario. they said, no, that’s dumb. i argued that it was cool and i almost look like him anyway. even offered to grow a real mustache. still, i’m told it wouldn’t be cool.

so, they say, go as the question block. and i’m all, huh?! how the H do you go as the question block? they say, erm, not so sure, but it would be awesome. i decline, for a few weeks. they attempt to talk me into it. finally, a week before, i am peer pressured into it. i will be the question block.

again, how the H does one dress as a question block. first step must be creating the power-ups a question block would dispense. this was not an easy task. finding good pictures of the items was a pain. thanks to google image search, i was able to come up with most of what i needed, and inspiration for the rest. a couple sheets of foam-board, lots of printer ink, glue sticks and hand-cutting later, i had a nice assortment of power-ups to be earned from the question block.

next up, the block itself. how does one make a question block? it’s just a box right? i suppose, but it needs to be goldish and have question marks. mike recommends construction paper. i one up that with posterboard. so i pick up a large home depot moving box, spray adhevsive, orange posterboard and get to work.

i cut the box to be an actual square as the box from the store was too tall to be useful. turns out, cutting the one end and leaving the flaps at the bottom was a stroke of genius – a shelf to hold that which needed to be held for the evening. word.

next, glue on the posterboard and create some shadow effect with darker colored posterboard. and we’re getting there. this might actually come together. next, i need some question marks. they can’t just be drawn on, that would be stupid. more foam board to the rescue. four 3-d question marks later, i have a decent little costume coming together. and while i’m at it, might as well make the bolts? in the corners 3-d as well. hey, this might just work. i could actually be having fun making this thing.

and then, how do you wear a box? it’s not the most logical costume or the easiest to maneuver, but one will need a way to carry the box around all night without dropping it. and so laura recommends suspenders. nice! but where does one buy suspenders? sears has me covered with some heavy duty craftsman jobbers and i am set. i can now wear the question block and have made something quite original if i do say to myself.

so we handed out candy to the kiddies in lyndhurst and a few even knew what i was. more parents were aware than 5-year-olds, but i expected that. as we handed out the candy – and beer to the parents – we figured it would be much better if the question block actually had a power-up floating above it at all times. again – how does one accomplish this?

a friendly neighbor recommends a hanger – brilliant! one mangled dry cleaner hanger later and we have a floating power-up above the question block for the rest of the night. not the most comfortable or reasonable costume for bar-hopping, but it did get plenty of attention/compliments. all in all, it was a fun costume to make and a great conversation piece for the evening. there are more photos on facebook and flickr, if you are so inclined to see more of my work. it was fun and somewhat memorable. the costume even survived the evening for the most part, which surprised me greatly.

that is all…

• while watching a recorded show, the live channel is not recorded – at all – wtf?
• on series recordings, you can only choose 3, 5, or 7 episodes to keep. what if I only want to keep 1?
• no play option on shows which are currently recording – why can’t I start the show I want to watch late?
• every time power is lost to the box it requires a reinitialization and software check which takes about fifteen minutes at best
• no longer able to “record” the two shows I am switching between. my 8300HD had this with the Navigator upgrade and I was very happy with it. Why doesn’t my 8240HDC have it?
• why only 3 fast-forward speeds? I used to love the 4th ffwd for getting through shows or getting back to a point I wanted to see
• the playback freezes consistently – especially when watching and recording at the same time.
• slow, slow and did I mention slow? it can take 5 seconds just to load the menu/list view.
• searching for shows is terrible. passport did it so much better

this is just the beginning of my complaints. I’ll add as I notice more. hopefully TWC-NEO is at least listening – although I doubt anyone there cares. chime in with your annoyances if you like.

</end rant….for now>

phone #1, the touchscreen decided that no matter where i touched, front or back, right or left corner, i was touching the bottom of the screen [vertical]. and sometimes, all i had to do was look at it and the bottom menu bar and back button would be pressed back and forth for as long as i could bear to look at it.

phone #2, took it out of the box and experienced flickering and ghosting on the screen. how sweet is that?!?! a Factory Refurbished Unit that barely works. quality control at its best, VZW. better yet – the VZW store had no other FRU units – so i’m stuck with broken phone #1 (which i will be charged for if i don’t send it back in time) or broken phone #2, until FRU #3 arrives in 5 days. Wow, Sweet, Glad i decided to re-up my contract for this piece.

i had really high hopes for this phone as it should have been every bit as good as the f700. unfortunately, VZW has to slap their own UI on every GD phone they put out which not only makes them all slower, but also annoys every power user that ever existed (don’t care if we’re only .01%). it’s enough to make me want to pull my hair out every time i try to pick up a new device. here’s to hoping i can get a decent working phone when the next FRU shows up broken – the crackberry curve is about the only decent set they have right now…

so, if anyone ever asks you to use a glyde, politely tell them no, and then punch them in the face for insulting you. seriously…

</end rant>

anywhoo – back to the beer. we got to stone about a half hour before the tour began, so we checked out their assorted gift shop items (glasses, shirts, hats, beer) and news articles until the [free] tour began. you had to “sign up” ahead of time because the tour is limited to 25-30 and you need a pass to get on the tour.

our guide was a young fellow who was in college and just doing the tour as a part-time gig. apparently the perks are quite nice at stone (free beer, in large quantities) which makes me think i might want to move to san diego county…

he was very knowledgeable, not only about the brewery/company but also about the process of creating beer. the lucky bastard guy got to carry a beer around and drink it during the whole tour while we were left to salivate over the delicious sounding beers he described. it was really interesting and i learned a bit about the brewing process – having never been on a brewery tour. i’d recommend it if you get the chance, at any brewery.

the end of the tour included the obligatory “free” samples – which apparently are not legally free because of the knowledge they drop on you during the tour – at least that’s what the tour guide said that the insurance company told them. we got four samples each. they were (i believe):

• ipa
• arrogant bastard
• smoked porter
• pale ale

if you have ever tried stone – you already know how good it is. however, the fresh pours at the brewery were so much better than any other stone you have tried. right temperature, fresh tasting, just superb.

a couple of very cool features of the tour:

1. the main length of the brewery is a large glass wall which overlooks the bistro, or vice versa depending on which side you are on – the tour guide saluted the other stone employees on the other side of the glass each time we passed
2. their bottling line is quite special – although i don’t want to ruin it for those who read this and might go. let’s just say it was in a beer related movie, eh!?

so, long story….long, if you are in escondido and looking for something to do, find your way over to stone brewing and learn about their awesome brews – and get a few free tastes in the process.

after googling for a recipe and deciding that i didn’t quite like any of them, i wrote my own – sort of. it was more like a list of ingredients with relative amounts and a few ideas about when to add/subract/heat/move ingredients. i’m sure you’re quite intrigued by now as my explanation has been just amazing. so without further ado, here is my “recipe”:

• ~1lb. mussels (from the fresh market down the street, btw, i love this store)
• 1 1/2 tbsp. butter
• 2 habanero peppers
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 2/3 c. white wine #

above is what i used. here is how i did it (not necessarily how i should have done it)*:

1. rinse mussels
2. remove broken/open mussels – throw away – because they are dead and will taste gross (or kill you)
3. trim “beards” from those mussels which need it
4. heat butter in large pan – i used my calphalon 3qt. saute pan with lid
5. chop garlic into chunks – dicing didn’t seem necessary because it was just for flavor.
6. slice habaneros into thin slivers – i didn’t remove any of the seeds or membrane (may have been a mistake, more later)
7. add garlic and peppers to heated butter – probably like medium-high heat, when the butter starts to sizzle a little
8. saute until the garlic is browning a bit
9. add wine – i took it off the heat for this
10. add mussels
11. bring to a [light] boil and then turn down heat to simmer
12. put lid on pan
13. remove mussels as they open nicely – some take longer than others [who knew?]
14. pour broth over cooked mussels
15. get rid of mussels that don’t open

overall, i was pretty happy for my first attempt, but guess what? it was damn spicy. i thought sautéing the habaneros would reduce the spice enough, but boy was i wrong. don’t get me wrong – i love my food spicy, but this was a bit too much, even for me. also, i was not content with the garlic flavor of the “sauce.” so, here are my thoughts for the next time i try this:

1. either use 1 whole habanero or 2 with seeds and membranes removed – this i will have to experiment with, but i just can’t deal with that spice again
2. lots more garlic – i couldn’t even taste the garlic in this which is usually one of my favorite flavors in mussels. i will probably try 6 cloves next time and see what happens
3. more butter as well – couldn’t taste this either and i think it would have added a lot to the overall experience. i might also try olive oil – in the “sauce” – i think it might be a good flavor
4. i meant to add fresh ground pepper but forgot. i think this would add a lot to the flavor and texture. not sure if i would recommend milling or hand-grinding, another experimental ingredient for the future.
5. as for stove heat – think i will try keeping it higher next time. some mussels were done in a few minutes while others took 10 or so minutes. i would like to try to have more finish at the same time so will also try to experiment with this.
6. finally, i think i might cut the wine down a bit – while the flavor of the wine wasn’t overwhelming (even though i drank the same wine with the meal), i think i might cut it down with some water or…something next time. the “sauce” was a bit sweet with the spicy – maybe like 1 c. wine with 2/3 c. other liquid

as i said, overall, i was quite happy, but think my recipe needs work. i think at $3.99/lb for the mussels i can afford to try this a few times without breaking the bank.

if i make this again in the near future, i’ll be sure to post my thoughts as a comment or update here, or a whole new post depending on the recipe. stay tuned and good cooking!

#the wine i used (and incidentally drank with the meal) was a 2006 Simi Sauvignon Blanc [Sonoma County]. the flavor was crisp and very soothing. the wine cooled my taste buds from the habs and was not at all overpowering of the dish – which was very nice. i kept the bottle out and it warmed quickly in my apartment as the a/c was off. it was much more soothing when chilled – just something to keep in mind.

*excessive detail included for those who haven’t tried cooking mussels before

now off to some stone smoked porter if it is cold. i’ll have to tell you all about the brewery tour one day. it was quite a good time….