Early September 2012

September 3, 2012

Mom, Dad, & Roy came for a visit today.  It’s always good to see Roy.  We sure had a lot of laughs the last few years. Living together, and then being neighbors.  I really enjoyed having him around.  I would have never guessed that out of all of us that he & I would have become the friendly roommates.  We didn’t see eye to eye as kids.  But I sure do miss him now.  And it’s always good to have him make me laugh & vice versa.

Sept. 5, 2012

Well, I have spent the last several days cheering for football teams to win that I don’t really follow, just trying to help, Georgia Tech for the Jeffords, NY Giants for Sanders, Vandy for Buford P. Tinkle, all for naught.  It looks as though I shouldn’t cheer for any team if you want them to win.  So consider me just a casual fan, who watches a lot of games.

Sept. 8, 2012

Learned a lot during my visit with Pops, Meenaw & Momma today.  Chitterlings are on their menu the next few days. Have to say I’m a little jealous.  It’s always good to see them It bring a smile to my face for days.  I got some ancestry info that I had been wondering about.  Lots of laughs, lots of love.

Sept. 10, 2012

“These Eyes” by The Guess Who, made even funnier by Michael Cera/Evan in the movie Superbad.  Good song….and hilarious.

Sept. 12, 2012

I had an idea last night.  Everybody, at least I do, loves homemade pizza.  But it can be a little work.  Well, here is a semi-homemade way to have it that is easier and possibly cheaper.  Rather than buying the dough & sauce, go to Little Caesars & get one of their Hot-N-Ready cheese pizzas.  You can cook up your Italian Sausage or ground beef and put it on top with more cheese, pop it in about a 300* oven until the cheese melts. Gotta be tasty.  I think some spinach, mushrooms & onions or maybe sausage, pepperoni & peppers. Or bacon, ground beef, onion & pickles.  Be creative, make up your own, just make sure you cook raw meats first before adding them.   I’m just jealous that I can’t participate in trying it out.  Let me know how it goes. 

 Sept. 13, 2012

The Great Outdoors was on a few days ago and ever since, Wilson Pickett’s “Land of 1,000 Dances” has been stuck in my head.  Catchy tune, I suppose and a classic movie.  Would be a good one to watch on a cold, rainy day.  The song is featured at the end as Dan Akroid(?) dances.  Classic all the way around.

Sept. 14, 2012

I’m addicted to Sudoku, and I’m pretty awesome at it. 

Me and my buddies sit around with the grocery ads from the Independent and “wish”.  It’s pretty sad….. and funny.  Do you get the feeling my life revolved around food?  What gives it away?

End of August 2012

August 30, 2012

I am ssoooo glad that football season is upon us.  Anything to make the time go by.  Go Vols & Titans!!

August 31, 2012

Got to talk to my 99 year old Grandaddy tonight, among others.  Hate to miss the RumiKube, the food, & the fellowship.  I’ll be there in spirit.

Speaking of the reunion, a few years ago Rob talked me into riding bikes from his house to the reunion.  That meant we were to ride from North Jackson to Pinson Mounds, a mere 19 or 22 miles, can’t remember exactly other than it felt like a million.  I was obviously reluctant at first.  Let’s just say I wasn’t at my fighting weight.  Too many hours at the bar, too few hours at the gym, and even with volleyball & softball being part of my regular schedule, I was not in peak condition.  Not to mention the fact that I hadn’t been on a bicycle in about 20 years, aside from the occasional recumbent bike ride at the gym which included conditioned air & a television.  But Rob was persistent, and he talked me into it. It was going to be simple.  We were going to borrow his neighbor’s bike & hit the road early, in order to be at Pinson Mounds in time for breakfast.  The neighbor’s bike was un-ridable, flat tires with no spare tubes.  No problem right, Rob has two bikes!  Wrong! 2 bikes yes, problem was one was a mountain bike, one was a road bike.  And they had clip in pedals.  For those of you who don’t know, clip in pedals are very useful because they allow the rider to utilize the strength of the entire leg, you push the pedals down but by being clipped in you can also pull the pedals back up as they come around.  Great idea for any seasoned rider.  Terrible idea / death trap for an amateur rider who may wish to bail off of the bike after a sudden stop rather than just falling over, feet glued to the pedals and nothing to stop your fall but a slew of profanity. Fortunately he had some standard pedals, but they only fit the mountain bike.  There’s nothing fundamentally different between the bikes other than one is set up to glide smoothly on pavement & the other to crash & bang over rocks,  hills, & mud.  Needless to say, I ended up with the mountain bike with the standard pedals.  I also ended up with an extremely sore backside.  To quote my buddy, McCaskill, “I felt like I got punched in the taint by a dump truck!”  It was bad.  Sore legs.  Sore back.  Sore everything.  And I wish I could do it again tomorrow.

UT begins the season with a win & “they look great.”  Is that déjà vu of so many seasons past? We shall see.

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.