Mid August 2012

August 27, 2012

Here is a dill pickle recipe that I want to some day make:

1 cup cider vinegar

5 cups water

½ cup coarse kosher or sea salt

24 small washed cucumbers

18 fresh dill tops or 3 teaspoons dill seed.

30 whole peppercorns

6 jalapenos or habaneros

Combine vinegar, water & salt in medium saucepan & bring to boil.  Stir to dissolve  salt.  Remove from heat and let cool for 15-20 minutes.  Divide cucumbers among 6 clean sterilized jars & place one pepper in each jar also.  Add 3 dill tops on ½ t of dill seed, & 5 peppercorns in each jar.  Pour enough vinegar mixture into each jar to cover the cucumbers.  Seal with lids & place in a simmering hot bath for 10 minutes.  Cool upside down.  Let pickles stand for 6 weeks before serving chilled.  I can’t wait!!!!

Congrats to my cousin Cassie & her husband, Patrick on the healthy arrival of twins.  Cole (boy) & Marlie (girl) were born a few days ago and all are doing well.  As I understand it they are already learning from cousin CJ.  They have a lot to learn, that kid is smart.

Can’t remember a rainy reunion, but looks like this hurricane is going to try to make it a wet weekend at Pinson Mounds.  I guess I’ll sit this one out.  I’ll be missing you all.  I won’t be missing that taco salad though.  Never liked that stuff.

Mid August 2012

August 11, 2012

Pre-season football = smiley me!!!

August 13, 2012

Me and some guys have been talking music lately. And since this song was discussed, and since we just heard it on the radio, tonight’s tune has to be Alice in Chains “Rooster.”  Momma, Meenaw, no need for ya’ll to look into this one, just take my word for it, it’s good stuff.

High knees, sumos, lunges, crunches & Tyson’s all add up to a very uncomfortable “rest” room break.  TMI?  Just keeping it real.

August 17, 2012

I think everyone should agree and say that tomatoes are vegetable & watermelons are fruits.  To think or say otherwise seems idiotic.  Seriously, whoever first said that a watermelon was a vegetable apparently had enough influence & power that people just went with it?  Stupid.

August 25, 2012

Got good news today.  My buddy Bass is better.  Hope he continues to do so.

Haven’t had much to say lately.  I’ve been thinking alot, just not writing it down.  I know, I know.  I can hear Momma now.  I’ve just been figuring things out around here.  High drama, high stress, constant noise.  It’s like I’m hanging around a bunch of convicts or something.  I feel I will one day leave this place an old man.  I’ll only be early 40’s, but I’ll be old.  I won’t be gray-headed though.

Surely I’m not the only one who thinks that Tony Stewart throws like a girl.  That helmet toss display was pathetic.

Early August 2012

August 4, 2012

Seeing Grandaddy in the Independent with all those medals around his neck sure put a smile on my face.  He’ll be 99 this month.  Still lives by himself.  Still bowls a few times a week.  THE patriarch.  An inspiration to many, a hero to many, a positive influence to all who’ve met him.  His wit, his charm, his infectious laugh, his love, his whiskery hugs…… long live the Grandaddy!

Today was a good day.  Good food at the chow hall.  UFC on Fox.  Borrowed a guitar from a neighbor.  Almost normal.

August 6, 2012

I wish I had a mechanical device that greedily gathered up all shrubbery.  Get it?

Today marks six months that I have been locked up. 1/16 of my time gone, 15/16 to go.  It’s actually going by pretty quickly.  It’s something that is a learning experience, and as the time goes by, I hope I continue to learn.  Hopefully, I will lose more bad habits than I pick up.

Roy made fun of my beard tonight.  He came to visit with Mom & Dad, and I haven’t shaved or trimmed my beard in 5 months.  Jealousy is the word he should have been searching for.

August 7, 2012

I think it’s interesting that my buddy that lets me borrow his guitar is tone deaf.  He seems to have perfect pitch when it comes to tuning the guitar, and I mean seriously anal about it being in tune.  But when he opens his mouth to sing, WOW, absolute rubbish.  Couldn’t carry a tune if his life depended on it.  How is this possible?

August 9, 2012

For those of you that didn’t get it, it was a bush-hog.  Strangely named things are funny sometimes.

August 10, 2012

I love Sudoku.  I’m not afraid to admit it.  But today I discovered Kakuro.  I think I will have a love/hate relationship with it.  It’s very different.  I’m sure it will grow on me.

I know by the time you read this it will be over, but John Wayne is on AMC this weekend.  I’m still getting in the last few drops of Olympic goodness, but it’s good to have a designated channel to hop to during commercial breaks.

Early August 2012

August 1, 2012

Apparently I can’t blog while juggling the Olympics and Mob Week on AMC.  Shame on them for being on at the same time.  I will say that I’ve been pleased with NBC’s coverage.  They seem to be showing some of all the events.  Those of us with limited channels appreciate it.  Go USA!!!

August 2, 2012

I never measured any of this, but this should be in the ballpark:  Grilled Asparagus is one of my favorite sides.  Here is my take. 

2 bunches of fresh asparagus washed and dried.

3 T EVOO

2-3 minced garlic cloves

1 T kosher of sea salt

1 tsp. black pepper

¼ cup Parmesan cheese

While heating the grill – combine all ingredients in a Ziploc bag and shake to coat.  Let sit for 10-15 minutes.  Shake again.  Remove from bag & place on a grill being careful to put the stalks all pointing the same direction so they won’t fall through.  I constantly ‘toss’ with tongs to keep it moving to prevent burning (okay one time I didn’t, thanks Joel!)  Cooking only takes about 5 minutes. Serve 8.  It’s a very tasty side that can be cooked while the meat you grilled rests properly to avoid dryness.  Bon appétit.

August 3, 2012

Dong Dong won gold in Trampoline at the Olympics, just in case you missed it.  I never knew that was an event………. Or a name.

August 4, 2012

I don’t know what the song is or who is singing it but the tune on the new Sons of Anarchy trailer has been stuck in my head for a few weeks now.  I like it.

There is an American rower at the Olympics named Charles Cole.  Never been an Olympian before.  Sweet!!

Back to this trampoline thing.  That is the single craziest event I’ve watched.  You should YouTube it or something.  Those guys are insane.  One wrong move, and if you’re not careful, you could lose you’re ____________!  (Insert any word or name, or gold medalist from this event, to create a funny, but possibly crude & offensive joke).  Okay I’m done. 

Who else is excited that we are 4 weeks away from some football?

I haven’t shaved or even trimmed my beard in 5 months.  And you should be jealous, because I look …….. Okay.  I look pretty scraggly.  But I don’t mind.  Uncle Franky has held the title long enough.  It’s time he has a challenger.  I was always envious of his face cloak.  Now I’m creating my own.

     

End of July 2012

July 19, 2012

I just realized that the wedding band in Old School and in Hangover is the same.

Don’t be mad, but I put some more thought into my working of math problems in my head.  To put it simply, [(x-1) * (x+1)] + 1 = x².  Translation is easy.  If 15² = 225, then 14 x 16 = 224 + 1 is also 225.  And if you multiply 23 and 25 and add 1, you will have 24²  which is 476.  See, simple.  (3,473  x  3,475 +1 = 3,474².  

July 21, 2012

 Sure was good to visit with my momma today.  It’s been about a month, so I was past due for a hug.  Thanks for taking the time.

July 22, 2012

I am horrible at remembering dates, but I have never forgotten that today is your birthday.  Strange, I know, but Happy Birthday anyways.

July 24, 2012

It’s very hot outside.  Seldom does it get this hot that I’m not reminded of a dead armadillo.  It was hot outside, and I was called to Bo’s house to “help”.  His dog had killed an armadillo in the back yard and it had started to turn, to say the least.  Putrid does not begin to describe how bad this thing smelled.  Bo claimed he couldn’t handle it, and he was correct, the dry heaves were in full force.  So, me, being the good friend I am, agreed to give it the old college try.  It was bad.  I first tried to use a shovel – but then for some reason still unknown, I thought a more hands-on approach was necessary.  I got a grocery bag and was going to place my hands, and using it as a barrier, pull the armadillo into the bag thus turning the bag wrong side out.  Here was the problem, it was hot and it had been deceased for longer that we thought.  It came apart in my hands and released an odor exponentially more foul that we had previously been exposed to.  Also, the bag did not provide a properly sanitary barrier and to say my hands come into contact with some straight-up funk would be an understatement.  So then we got a garbage bag and returned to the shovel and gagged and coughed and heaved our way through it.  It ended with me on the tail gate, bag in hand, down Simmons Rd and I flung it in the ditch.  I’m pretty sure I washed my hands a dozen time that day before the stench was gone.  I’m also sure it was a good while before they were “mentally” clean.  Scarred for life!

July 25, 2012

Well, I got a new cellie change today.  The old man moved to RDAP & I got a new, young guy that so far seems like he will be okay.  We shall see.

July 26, 2012

Ha Ha.  My new cellie is also a fan of the Baker’s of Ripley.  Jeremy Hall knows all about Bobby.  That guy is famous!

The only three times I’ve ever died from dysentery was while I was on the Oregon Trail.  I have since recovered.

Mid July 2012 #2

July 16, 2012

Got to see Daddy & Rob tonight.  Had some laughs, a little food, good times.

July 17, 2012

Well, my cellie was just told to prepare to be moved to rehab.  Good for him, but makes me a tad unsettled.  Getting a new cellie is like a box of chocolates.  That’s all I’m gonna say about that.

Just a reminder Roy, it’s win the camaros.com.  Ha ha.

Found out today that my buddy Sea Bass is in the hospital with diverticulitis.  Praying that he gets better quickly and returns to his awesomeness.

The dip recipe that I recently posted would go well on top of tacos too.  Especially if it was a nice skirt steak or flank steak that was seasoned grilled & sliced and served in some soft shells with some sour cream.  YES PLEASE!!!!

Today’s song is “Fix You.” Or should I say, today’s 3 songs are “Fix You.”  Three versions and they can all stand on their own.  Cold Play impressed with the original, Straight No Chaser smoothed it out with a mellow, acapella arrangement, & Street Corner Symphony, on the second season of NBC’s, The Sing Off, killed it with another acapella rendition that still gives me goose bumps when the help comes in at the end.  Pleasure to my ear holes!

Since I was asked, here is my educated guess: 64 – number of inmates in my particular pod, consisting of:  40 black, 20 white, 4 Hispanic consisting of: 12 crips, 8 gangster disciples, 6 vice lords, 5 Arian brotherhood, 3 Arian nation 3 Sunni Muslim, and 3nation of Islam.  Now, this is all observation of course.  But, this really is a prison.   

 We were locked down for the last 2 ^½ weeks because some bad things happened.  I don’t want to offend anyone with my light-hearted jovial blogging.  This is my life.   And this blog is what takes my mind away from it.  I know this is not a game.  I pray every day that safety be provided for me & others.  And I will continue to do so.  And FYI, both blacks and whites are in crips, gd s, & vice lords.  But not this guy.

July 18, 2012

My previously mentioned great-grandfather was getting ready to turn 5 when Nelson Mandela was born.

Mid July 2012

July 8, 2012

This one goes out for Bo & Menx.  “The Weight” by the Band Classic.  I can hear ya’ll say, “Wait a minute, Chester” like it was yesterday.

 July 11, 2012

Roy’s birthday’s today.  Hope you have a happy one.  Watch out for those stairs.  I hate Purdue!

I’m developing a test.  My cellie can’t hear very well.  Every time I say something he says, “What?” and I then repeat it.  But, I have started repeating my words exactly the way I said them the first time rather than slower or louder.  He understands it fine the second time even though it’s no different.  Does this mean he can hear me fine the first time?  Or, does it mean that unless he is “ready” to receive auditory input, his brain is unable to comprehend what ‘noise’ just occurred?  I think it’s time for some fart tests.

July 12, 2012

Bear with me while I describe what I thought about last night.  I think the best way to express it would be (x+1)²=x²+ (2x+1).  Now, what this means is, if you know the square of one number, you can easily calculate the square of the next number.  So, let’s assume that everyone knows that 10²=100.  But do you know what 11² equals?  Anyone can work out 11x11 on paper.  But in your head, you can say, “I know that 10²=100, and if I take 100 and add to it 10+10+1, I have the answer which is 121.  If you know that 11²=121 then you can know that 12²=121+11+11+1 which equals 144.  So……

13²=144+12+12+1 is 169.           14²= 169+13+13+1 is 196.

15²=196+14+14+1 or 225                       another way to say this is if you know that 15²=is 225 and you need to know what 16² is, add 225+15+16 to get the answer 256.

16²+16+17=17² and so on.  1237²+1237+1238=1238².  I have A LOT of free time.

I would really like a fresh peach & cold watermelon please.

July 14, 2012

As a kid, one of the treats we sometimes enjoyed while visiting cousins was a meal they referred to as “around the world.”  Each person could choose a dish and order in for everyone to share.  Someone might want pizza, someone Chinese, maybe Mexican, and of course American.  A year or so ago some of my friends & I did something kinda similar.  A family feast of fish from LJS, an 8 pc from Popeye’s, a dozen tacos from Taco Bell, and a sack from Krystal’s.  I wouldn’t have wanted to know the caloric intake for that day, but I do think we all napped with smile on our faces.

Hopefully, we will be off of lockdown soon.  I have once again grown tired of bologna sandwiches. But this time around it did include chips, so not all bad.

Hope the Tennessee Senior Olympics weren’t rained out today.  And I hope that my great-grandfather, Grandaddy, who will be 99 next month, was able to steal the show & set some more records.