Parking Lot Problems

Posted inColumns, Family, Travel

I had to travel for work recently. I don’t have to do this often so it still has some novelty involved.

I have a few traditions for these trips. I try to sample as many local beers as I can. I have at least one room service dinner. And I always take good notes on where I parked my car at the airport.

I have good reason to worry about this issue. For this, like most things, I blame my brothers.

Time for a Trip

Posted inColumns, Football, Sports, Travel, Vegas

I approached my wife with a little trepidation. I don’t know why.

I should have no worries asking her about the fun things I want to do. We understand that parts of our personality differ so we might each want to strike out on our own at times.

This works out for me both ways. I get to run off and have my fun, and I don’t have to go see “Les Miserables” and things like that.

But, this time, I had some concerns. So I just asked the question and hoped nothing bad would happen.

“Do you mind if I plan a trip to Vegas for myself to cash in my winning ticket?”

She looked at me funny for a second before saying something I never expected to hear.

“What winning ticket?”

Wakeup Call

Posted inColumns, Travel

Traveling often puts us at the mercy of other folks. You have to hope that the person in the seat next to you on the plane isn’t a jerk. You have to trust the taxi driver doesn’t try to rip you off. And you have to believe that the person who had the hotel room before you didn’t set the alarm to try and wake you up unexpectedly in the middle of the night.

Based on my recent trip to Arizona for work, two out of three ain’t bad.

A Day at the Beach

Posted inBeach, Columns, Travel

My big mouth gets me in trouble sometimes. That should not shock anyone. I have learned over the years, however, to not promise things I might not do.

I did not follow that guideline earlier this summer during a conversation with my daughter. She loves our family’s annual beach week as much as I do, so I told her we could make plans to head down to the beach for a day trip sometime.

I didn’t regret things at that point. When I saw a free Saturday on our schedule and proposed the trip, I felt a little guilty, but not enough to worry.

At that point, I felt fully confident I could get organized and pull off the trip. My only concerns at that point were ones out of my hands, specifically bad weather or rough surf which would keep us from enjoying the actual ocean.

Pacing Myself

Posted inBasketball, Travel
When I found out last year that I had to travel to Indianapolis for business for a few days, I immediately began to make plans. I knew some sporting event…

Peanut Butter Burger

Posted inColumns, Food, Travel

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?