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family / food / memories / photo / Thursday — Comments Off
26
Nov 15

Happy Thanksgiving

I am torn about Thanksgiving. The holidays are usually pretty challenging to start with. So many people to see. So many places you have to get to. I have it in my mind that I need to treat everyone equally in terms of time. And the logistics are such that you simply just can’t see everyone you need to, full stop. And never far off in your mind are those you can’t see anymore. I am torn about Thanksgiving.

We had lunch at a north Alabama state park with one side of my family. The food is good. The company is pleasant and there are enough other people around doing the same thing that it keeps the room lively. Plus you can get seconds and no one notices. Also, you don’t have to do the dishes. We’ve done this the last few years now. I understand why we do it. I can’t raise an objection to it. It is not my favorite thing.

But there are nice views at Joe Wheeler State Park.

Anytime you can be near the water something fun could happen. Even when the water level is down and you can walk out into what should be the shallow parts. There could be boats or fish or people could push you in. But not this time of year.

There are piers to nowhere when the water is low. This makes sense, but it makes more sense during boating season.

And, of course, there are the rays of the sun dancing in the movement of the water. That’s always a captivating experience.

About three hours later, because that’s what you want to do after a big Thanksgiving lunch is have a ridiculously early Thanksgiving dinner, there was another meal with more of my family.

I have been promoted to the chief ham slicer there. This is a big responsibility and I must now mentally prepare myself for it every year now. Mostly I think no one else wants to do it and they figure I will take it seriously. I do take it seriously. Even if this meal comes too soon after the last. Even if you can’t see everyone, or even all of the people you’d hope too, even when your thoughts are full of those people you can’t see. Even when you have nice views, and a tasty ham, this is Thanksgiving. I am torn about Thanksgiving.

food / photo / Tuesday — Comments Off
13
Oct 15

In praise of Cheez-Its

I don’t eat these things. You could put boxes of them in our cabinets and I’d move them all out of the way on the off chance that there’s something else behind them that I’d actually like to enjoy.

Four miles into my run this weekend, some 61 miles into my day, I had a handful at an aid station.

And they were easily the most delicious things I’ve ever put in my mouth.

We walked a few miles yesterday, just to move around. I remain a little stiff, but in good shape. Just completely tired. This will last another day or two. But I was thinking about those Cheez-Its when I saw that box in the cabinet this morning.

You eat a light, nutritious breakfast before a race if you can. You eat what you’re accustomed to, really. I had some toast and fruit and jelly and honey. You don’t have anything in the swim, obviously. Somewhere along the way in your training you realize that really the entire experience is about fuel and water. So you have to regularly keep yourself in good shape with both. So you drink a lot of water on the bike and you start eating there, too. There were two or three water stops on the cycling loop and I started eating Shot Bloks and various energy gels. I do those about every 45 minutes, meaning I had … quite a few. (Because I’m slow. Have I mentioned that?)

That goes on through the 56 mile ride and throughout the half marathon, as well. So by mile four I was tired of lukewarm water and gels and bloks. At the little tent at the four mile mark they had a giant bowl of Cheez-Its. Just for variety at that point, because I’m hours into this by then, I had the best cracker snack ever.

Reminded me of the Eddie Murphy bit: If you’re starving and someone throws you a cracker you’ll be like “That’s the best cracker I ever ate in my life! That ain’t no regular cracker was it? What was that a Saltine? That was delicious. That wasn’t no Saltine, that was a Ritz! That wasn’t a Ritz?”

Everything tastes like that after a big workout, though.

food / photo / weekend — Comments Off
6
Sep 15

Light up the coals

We grilled. I invited you online. (No, you; not you.) Unfortunately you could not make it. This might have been my fault as the invite was sort of a last-minute thing.

Probably for the best. Those burgers were delicious. The Yankee put some crazy new seasoning in them. I think she called it pep … pep-per … or something like that. I didn’t really want to share.

Hope you’re having a lovely Labor Day weekend.

food / Monday / photo — Comments Off
19
Jul 15

Sink signage

I went with my mother a few weeks ago to this place called Genghis Grill. It is a stir fry place, the gimmick being that you pick all of the items that are going in your ridiculously-sized bowl. There are dozens of choices. My mother picked the place, I think, just to make me squirm over all of those decisions.

One of the things I decided on had something called dragon salt in it. The first part of the name should have been the warning. But, alas. Apparently, I have just learned, it is a mix of salt, garlic, cayenne pepper, ginger and Cajun spices. At the time I just thought it sounded cool. It was anything but.

The food was good, and plentiful. I had a lot to eat later that night, when it was even better, and the dragon salt wasn’t as intense by dinner time.

Anyway, in the restroom, was this sign:

Gengis, get it? I stumbled across that pic again in my phone just now. Thought it was worth sharing.

adventures / Belgium / food / memories / Tuesday — Comments Off
23
Jun 15

The more I think about it …

(Holdover thoughts from our time in Belgium.)

I want a waffle.

Perhaps the biggest disappoint of visiting Brussels — aside from not meeting Jean Claude Van Damme — was that you couldn’t find a waffle magnet. We do the complete tourist thing with the magnets, yes, and our fridge is awesome.

I’d just want a waffle magnet that looks like this:

Of course I’d probably walk by it every day and do that, so maybe it is a good thing.