I Want To Go To There
I have to give my friend Dave Lifton (via Liz Chang) the credit for this one. What a way to bring out my M*A*S*H obsession. Growing up, my family watched…
Out of Gas
I had a few things I wanted to accomplish on the first Sunday of December. I had a few errands to run, a meeting to attend, and I wanted to take a nap before the Ravens and Steelers played that evening.
But it would all start with a trip to church in the morning. I had a good feeling as we braved the cold and jumped in the car. That good feeling lasted less than a few minutes.
We neared the intersection of Middle and York streets when the car sputtered. I had no inkling anything was wrong. I cranked and cranked the ignition with no positive results. This was not how I envisioned my day going.
Old 97s videos
A couple more to come when I get a chance.
A Grand Theatre Indeed
I wanted to include video I shot with this post, but that will have to wait until later. I did include someone else's file at the bottom and will add…
Happy Holidays – Like It Or Not
As each day gets us closer to Christmas, I enjoy this season more and more. Not the season of giving or the season of celebrating. The season of annoying people who don’t like Christmas or things associated with this time of year.
Now I know some people may have real and legitimate reasons for dreading this time of year. Maybe they have real turmoil in their family or are reminded of a death of a close relative. They have every reason in the world to take a pass on Christmas cheer.
But then there are the rest. Boy, do I love letting them know how awesome Christmas really is. I mean, do I love letting them know how awesome the holiday season is because I know how not calling it Christmas drives them nuts.
Peanut Butter Burger
One summer in college, I went to Los Angeles to spend the week with a few friends. One of them helped open my eyes to the many wonderful uses of peanut butter.
I had only believed that you could use peanut butter for sandwiches and crackers until this point. Shawn showed me that it could really jazz up a bagel, an apple or even a banana.
Not all of these uses appealed to me, but it definitely made me open my mind a little. I thought back to that week the other day as I sat at a bar in Indianapolis.
I had to travel there for work. Before I left, I asked some friends who knew the city for dining recommendations. One pub showed up on almost every reply I received.
After settling into my seat on Wednesday night, just a few hours after my arrival, I began to peruse their extensive menu. I kept flipping back to one page, the one with all of their burger selections.
They had a burger special which a friend of a friend highly recommended. He worked at the newspaper in Indianapolis for a number of years, and I try to always trust suggestions from fellow journalists.
But this burger – the Shewman Special – had a unique combination. They topped the thing with bacon, cheddar, lettuce, tomato and onion. They also mixed jalapenos in with the cheese. Those aren’t my favorite, but I could survive.
The final ingredient kept me both interested and worried as I considered my order. The burger had peanut butter on it.
I had mulled this situation over ever since I found out about the burger a day or so before I left. I love burgers. I love peanut butter. Would I love them together?
Going Bowling and Having Fun
Last night, the matchups for this season's college football bowl games were announced. The schedule includes 35 games, culminating with the national championship game between Auburn and Oregon. Like every…
Feeling Cleveland
Sports can bring out some less than rational actions. I don't get it when people turn violent over the outcome of a game, but I can understand how it will…
Running Wild
Three quarters of the way through my running race at Hanover High School a couple of weeks ago, I sighted my target.
I had tried to remain non-competitive in the race. I signed up to help myself stay in shape and support the athletic program. I didn’t want to get too caught up in things.
But I could see him. I knew I had some energy left in the tank, and he looked like he had trouble maintaining his pace. I had a chance to pass him.
I had to keep a steady pace though. I have only taken part in a couple of races in the past – both back in high school – and neither ended well.
Embracing New Veggies
As a kid, I had a tremendous advantage. My parents had already raised seven kids so they didn’t have much willpower by the time I came around.
I didn’t grow up without discipline, but it seems as if they simply gave up trying to maintain an advantage in certain areas of life.
One of these was certainly vegetables. I really had no fear of having to eat my vegetables if I didn’t want to. I don’t really know how all of this developed. It just did. I said I didn’t want to eat peas or corn or anything like that. They didn’t have the energy to fight it. My siblings protested.
As far as I’m concerned, I was merely getting some sort of karmic payback for all the torture I endured from my older brothers. They may have had to eat lima beans, but I got wedgies. Lots of them.