Chipotle has been busy this week.

Hello World.

This morning Chipotle reposted added an ordering application to the Apple iTunes App store. The app is free and allows “iPhone and iPod touch users the ability to create their favorite Chipotle order, place it at the Chipotle location of their choice, and also pay for their food direct from their device.”

The app serves a useful purpose without even considering the ordering aspect - it helps locate nearby Chipotle locations and provides hours and maps to assist you in shoving 3 pounds of bliss in to your stomach.

Dulles Airport should read 6:00 AM to 9:00PM

If you do decide to place an order the App knows to let you do all the things to your burrito you may wish to do when ordering in the line. In particular, you can order extra meat, combo meats, and add both beans and fajitas to your masterpiece. One problem with this process however is that it completely removes the chance of a magical Chipotle hook-up…. you know what I mean too, like when you order in Spanglish and wink at the burrito wrapper and they smile and somehow neglect to place the $1.85 surcharge ”G” on your foil or when double meat comes at single meat prices…

Sorry, no triple meats however…

Fear not, there is still a chance to tell them to do some kind of crazy bullshit to your meal if you like it that way (to this point the day laborer in Kingstowne who poured a full Budweiser in to his burrito bol before eating it takes the cake). On the last page you can name your order something absurd and place any special instructions such as “Guac on the side, yo” or “set on fire”…

I can only imagine how many PEN 15 orders are made a day

Last but not least, now Chipotle fans can broadcast from their iPhone/iTouch main operating screen that they enjoy burritos enough to necessitate a button that is always within a seconds reach should they need to immediately place an order.

45 minutes from placing my “SYSTEM TEST: Code 002″ order…  maybe it will end up being free. 

Ever wonder if you can get to the gated terminal area of an airport without a boarding pass?

The head of security at Dulles Airport (IAD) told me “no freaking way” when I asked if I could get in to Terminal B for nothing more than a Chipotle burrito breakfast.

He didn’t seem interested that I HAD to follow-up on my last visit to Dulles and at least SEE what was on the breakfast menu - it was really tormenting me and the Internets failed me in producing an answer.

All of that didn’t stop me from enlisting a friend from getting the job done and I can say I am not disappointed in what my flying detective found out.

You are seeing it right, there are three breakfast options. The new Chipotle breakfast unveiled new burrito ingredients previously unheard of in the history of the restaurant: herbed potatoes, scrambled egs, a new sausage meat option UPDATE 9/24: and a new Onion-Jalapeno spicy salsa. I am still not sure why Chicken didn’t make the AM cut.

The inside of the Dulles Chipotle is also a new take on the traditional Chipotle formula. The location encourages eaters to sit (briefly) at highly lit stool seating. This is probably to help move traffic along and fit as many people and their luggage in to the restaurant as possible. Also, new sheet metal artwork adorns the walls and a wood grain ceiling contains noise while it accents and contrasts with the unusual slate colored entrance.

Given this news, the next time you plan to fly out of Dulles make sure you book a morning flight and arrive early (breakfast is served 6am-10am) - and perhaps most importantly - come to the airport on an empty stomach. The “breakfast burrito coma” is sure to make any flight, even on Continental, a relaxing experience.

Our next target: Blacksburg Chipotle.

So this may conclude the most important question of the Michael Vick Watch: Vick will play in the NFL again? …and it looks certain he will, and he will do it as a Philadelphia Eagle. Have no fear that “the watch” will continue as we will have to keep a close eye on if Mr. Vick will ever takes the field or if he has a relapse in to a doggy murder spree with Josh Hamilton snorting coke off the corpses.

Normally I only cheer for the Eagles the two times a year that they play the Cowboys, but today I support the franchise and their bold decision to place Vick on their roster.

But the Eagles signing Vick really makes sense for a number of reasons:

1. Eagles fans are constantly booing everything anyway. It doesn’t matter if its a beloved icon like Santa Claus, American Idol winners during the National Anthem, or their own players, Eagles fans love to boo and throw D-cells. When Vick trots out on the field the boo-birds will be nothing unusual to Lincoln Financial Field. It may even too hard to tell the difference between the animal lovers and the McNabb haters this Fall, its just accepted as a form of “cheering” for the Eagles.

2. MV is performance that can help Philly win. Assuming Vick will be used in any kind of a backup QB to cripple-destined McNabb, he will bring movement to the pocket that the position has somewhat lost as McNabb has aged. I know that the Redskins are particularly awful against speedy quarterbacks so I am not looking forward to this possibility.

3. MONEY MONEY MONEY! Anyone who says “I’m disgusted with the Eagles and I will show them by boycotting watching their games” is shit-for-brains. Despite attempts by society to make professional football (or any pro sport) some kind of shining example of our country’s integrity and a role model for our children, the National Football League exists for one reason and one reason only: MONEY! Vick is by FAR the most talked about, watched, discussed, googled, protested, you-name-it player in football and it is a gaurantee that ratings skyrocket for Eagles games as fans from inside and outside the sport tune in to see the man who has been the talk of the media for YEARS. Even if Vick is a total bust athletically he will be a boon economically. Just his jersey sales alone (whether they are bought by Philadelphia inner-city fans or by PETA activists to burn in protest) will make up for his salary.

4. Jersey Number ‘7′ is available but it doesn’t have to be as a backup QB. Don’t forget that Vick doesn’t need to be a QB to make a difference, he may be used in some other capacity Devin Hester style to make a difference. He isn’t in much of a position to complain if is platooned other than behind center (or on the bench for that matter).

5. Eagles come out on top in the end. There may be some P.R. backlash right now but the Eagles are in a win/win situation. If Vick performs well and helps the team win then “who cares?” they were smart to give the man a chance -someone had to. And if Vick doesn’t really show the magic he had before the Eagles can put their arms up and say “we tried to give this man a chance, he deserves it, and its what Jesus would have wanted.”

So I think that covers it (although A.S. will tell me that I am completely incorrect about any statistical or analytical aspects of this post in relation to his favorite team), the Eagles made the right choice and it was the right choice for football, professional sports as a whole and the United States of America. Parents, you can expect to find the family Bichon Frise, “Mirabel”, with a 9-volt battery shoved up its ass, drowned in the toilet by week 6.

It looks like Bud Light is upping the ante on becoming the tailgate shotgun beer of choice at this year’s Hokie football tailgates. My prediction is that it will be a success, history tells us so. The first time that Dixie plopped down orange solo cups next to the Beer Pong standard Solo red cups they sold out immediately across town.

I look forward to a Nebraska double pounder:
Hokie BL in my left, Hokie Bird White in my right.

I am just pleased because it makes one more reason why people will avoid buying that piss of a beer Miller Lite. But don’t get too far ahead of yourselves Hokie fans… we aren’t the lone school worthy of this marketing gimmick -these school color cans have been made for a number of other NCAA football schools this season as well.

9/24/09 Update: It looks as though the Bud Light “Fan Can” promotion may die before the football season even begins (see the comments section). If you must have these soon-to-be-collector’s items you should head to the University Mall Kroger where the first case was spotted or scour eBay, a few savvy sellers have already put up auctions to sell off cans. Let’s hope that VT doesn’t take an official stance against the cans like many other schools (Boston College, Syracuse, Alabama among others) have and perhaps we can make it to at least one tailgate with orange and maroon cans.

I suppose its only fair to post the FXCO reply video to my earlier posting of “Arlington: The Rap” - unfortunately Fairfax sucks so much worse than A-Town that its more depressing than funny to watch. They did at least visit a Chipotle …

We all know that VT has been ranked in the first coaches’ poll as a respectible Number 7 team. That number will be immedately tested on a national scale when the team takes on Alabama in the first game of the season. The ‘Tide was able to pull out a respectable (and somewhat surprising) fifth place rank themselves. We should be mindful of what the team needs to prove however and not let ourselves get too carried away…

It would be unfair for me to ignore all my hatred and arguments over the faults of a pre-season poll process simply because the Hokies landed a top-ten spot. Remember that the “coaches” who are voting in this so-called poll probably aren’t even the coaches themselves (most insiders now realize it is some overzealous A.D. assistant or intern that pulls the trigger on their head coach’s behalf) and even if is the real deal head coach deal filling out the ballot whats to say that they do any homework on what teams really are the best? Bobby Bowden isn’t bothering with this shit, neither is Joe-Pa, maybe even Uncle Frank feels there are better things than to waste time on a media worshipping vote.

Regardless of how low that number next to our name gets, we find ourself in a similiar position that we have been at before… we have an EXPECTATION to do well… but fortunately this year we don’t play a cupcake filled first month of the season and instead head straight in to the fire. I do like that we are still underdogs for the game against Alabama, even if so slightly. I feel like we have always done better when we surprise the competition rather than when we have to sustain our place in the polls. Its going to be two teams with a lot to prove on September 5th and neither teams wants to be the season’s first to be labeled “overrated.”

It is scary to put so much on the line right at the start of the season, but knowing are less than one month away from kickoff just makes me think “bring it on.”

Unfortunately the Dulles Airport Chipotle didn’t open as planned. Originally set to open 8/7/09 the first airport location won’t open for almost another two weeks. I was disappointed when I approached the storefront, located near gate 58 in the B Terminal, on what was supposed to be their grand opening day and found coming soon signage. Upon finding what you see above I tried to get a glimpse through the cracks of the front doors and someone on the other side spotted my snooping and opened the door smiling.

The location has a much more modern feel to it than most Chipotle locations. Less than the usual industrial facade, the tables are well lit and bright. The stools have cream leather and the kitchen is brighter, spacious and opened up like a cooking show.

The man who opened the door was pleased to hear that I was a fan of the C and told me the new location would open on August 19th and in response to my question of if they would be serving breakfast he said it was a definite and they were still working out the breakfast-burrito combination.

Now I have to figure out where to fly next Wednesday.

UPDATE: The Chipotle breakfast menu unveiled

ESPN.com recently relied on three analysts (Pat Forde, Ivan Maisel and Mark Schlabach) to pick the best 40 programs in college football. This isn’t a top 25 projection for the 2009 season nor is it a listing of the most storied or popular programs of all time nor is a list of the best teams at this very moment; it is a hybrid list of the best teams when “all things considered” out of all 120 NCAA programs.

Three men drafted what they called the ”most successful programs in the nation” based on well… whatever criteria they choose to use. There was no set formula (though wins and losses mattered most) and there was no birthright for any team based solely on its history- 21st century domination was more important than what happened in the 1930s. Fan followings, history and overall team prestige counted as well. So really once you realize the criteria is total bullshit it doesn’t even mean anything at all to be ranked on this list… but ANY time Virginia Tech beats FSU, Miami, and UVA I will happily brag about it.

Here is a portion of the list:
1. USC
2. Florida
3. Oklahoma
4. Texas
5. LSU
6. OSU
7. Penn State
8. Alabama
9. Notre Dame
10. Georgia
11. Michigan
12. Nebraska
13. Virginia Tech
14. FSU
15. Tennessee
…
24. Miami
…
36. Boston College

Apparently these 40-teams will be split up in to four 10-team conferences for a nauseating season-long ESPN.com mock tournament that will pit each team against one another in a weekly fictitious elimination match ending (most likely) with a giant picture of Pete Carroll snorting coke out of Mark Sanchez’s hair. Either way, its good to be the top of the ACC and I’m very proud of how far this school’s football program has come since I went to my first game in 1996.

Link to the list: http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=4375901