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Cinco de Mayo in Jersey

Chili Contest? OK.

Her: (getting into bed)
Me: (leaping into bed)
Her: Oh, you’ve clearly misread the situation.

We’ve been together now for over four years and have a kind of seasonal rhythm . When the weather gets cold, we end up huddled at home for most of Fall and Winter and start to head out again in Spring. Nothing special, really. Suppose most people are like that. It’s just how it is.

But when spring does come, she’s generally more responsive to it than I am. I’m usually still shaking the cobwebs out. Unless there’s chili or rum involved.

To wit:

Her: I’m meeting up with some friends in New Jersey next month.
Me: I’m not sure if…
Her: There’s a chili cookoff…
Me: I’m in.

So this past weekend, hopped onto the PATH train and headed out to Grove Street in Jersey City.

An ex lived there so I took the train there dozens of times in the past but I’d not in ages. Walking upstairs, everything had changed but was still the same. It’s just how it is.

A buddy from my wrasslin class lived spitting distance away so we met up too, spoon in hand, and tried 25 different chilies. Once it was over, we went back for more. I may have gone back a third time. Or fifth. Don’t recall.

He and I both agreed that we liked our own respective recipes more; having a recipe is one of the 15 things I think every guy should know.

The wife and I took the train back and were home before five.

Her: I’m always glad when we head out early and come back early. (looking me sprawled out on couch) What’s wrong with you?
Me: (mumbling) Food coma. Tired.

 

Location: about to run to wrassle
Mood: hungry
Music: I am yours
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Southern food in the Upper West Side

Smothered Country Fried Chicken? OK, if you insist…

A soda in a mason jar

Him: Will you let me take you out for your birthday?
Me: It’s fine, you don’t have to.
Him: You say that every year; I insist.

Besides a quiet dinner with the wife, didn’t really *do* anything for my birthday.

It’s funny. I have some friends who never acknowledge my birthday at all – but insist that I go out to celebrate theirs. I’m always cutting those friends.

Others call, text, or email, which is really good enough. A few others send cards, which is really nice. Then I have one or two that want to take me out or something. For those people, I just don’t want them to go out of their way.

But my buddy Paul dangled the promise of some smothered country fried chicken and cheesy grits in my hood. How could I say no?

So last week, Paul, his girl, and I went to eat at Jacob’s Pickles around the way. Thee wife was working on a last minute project so that meant more southern food for me.

We all chatted for a bit and caught up before we headed back downtown.

One of life’s more satisfying moments is a nice dinner out with close friends.

Cheesy grits and smothered country fried chicken don’t hurt either.

Smothered country fried chicken with cheesy grits at Jacob's Pickles in the UWS

Braised turkey leg at  at Jacob's Pickles in the Upper West Side, NY

Location: getting ready to meet a client at Columbus Circle
Mood: hungry!
Music: I watch the people go shuffling downtown
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Mycroft was smarter than Sherlock

Not involved in the nerdy for once

High line train tracks above the meat-packing district

Work’s been getting even busier so I spent most of last week running around to client sites for this or that. Was a blur.

It’s hard to gauge how I feel about the work: On the one hand, not having to stress over coin is always a good thing; on the other hand, man, I’m beat.

On top of that, my bro came into town this past weekend because it’s my birthday in a few days. Didn’t really get to spend too much time with him because of all the deadlines I had coming up but Paul came over with his girl over the weekend and we all had some pizza, rum, and conversation.

I told Paul’s girl about Hopper’s Nighthawks because she and I are both insomniacs. It’s no fun.

While my bro was here, he showed us this game he played and my wife’s mouth was agape when she saw how quickly he played. She’s been playing it non-stop since then.

Me: Well, it’s been nice being married to you while I was.
Her: (deadpanning) I wish I could say the same.

Sherlock Holmes – as smart as he was – freely admitted that his older brother Mycroft was far smarter.

I joke all the time that in my family, I’m the dumb one. This is actually true.

But then again, I’m sure you knew that.

Her: (to my brother) …we treat for schistosomiasis.
Him: With praziquantel?
Me: This is the nerdiest conversation in my house that I’ve not been involved in.

Location: my desk
Mood: ambitious
Music: I’ve been sleeping in my bed
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It’s not easy being a responsible adult

Lobsters from Maine

Fresh cooked lobster

The wife’s boss lives in Maine and stopped by for dinner on Sunday with fresh lobsters he brought. Did not know that one can just board a regular plane with a cooler full of lobsters and seaweed.

Now, I’ve always liked the guy, but anyone that’s willing to haul a cooler full of six lobsters and about 15 pounds of seaweed across four state line’s a good boss in my book.

Live lobsters from Maine.

Me: (yawning loudly)
Her: What was that? It sounded like a horn from middle earth.
Me: Thanks Hon.

Still fighting the insomnia. It’s been pretty bad lately. Every time daylight savings happens, it seems to be worse.

Got four invitations to watch the GSP v. Diaz fight but had the turn them all down because I’ve been trying to stay on a tight sleep schedule to get a handle on the insomnia and not seem totally loopy on Sunday in front of the wife’s boss.

It’s not easy being a responsible adult.

Which is fine, because I do it so rarely.

Location: Astoria, Queens
Mood: busy
Music: hear your moonlight dancing crash into the ocean
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A trip to the Museum and a birthday

Our Global Kitchen exhibit at the Museum of Natural History

Been so busy these days that I forgot to mention that the wife and I went to go see the Our Global Kitchen exhibit at the Museum of Natural History since we’re both becoming a lot more conscious about what we eat.

The museum is right by our pad so we try to go every once in a while. It was a pretty cool exhibit so if you get a chance to go, it’s very eye opening.

If nothing else you’ll learn that corn is our biggest food export, bananas are our biggest food import, and that cod is getting a lot smaller because of over-fishing.

Me: Now I want a banana.

Also went to see my friend COB for her birthday. She’s actually the woman I met in this conversation. This is a good time to point out two things:

  • If you stick by the rule that: Leave people better off having met you then you will get more invitations in life, the occasional email penpal, and some homemade gifts such as the above, which she made for me and my wife.
  • Sometimes people ask me if I make up some of the things I write, like the conversations. I always tell them that I’m not that creative.

Met her fella and a bunch of her friends that day. Nice people – I would have stayed longer but I had a previous engagement. Still, it was good to get out of house for a bit.

Her: That’s the thing about California, you really need a car to get around and I didn’t have one.
Me: Did you consider car-jacking?

Mood: artistic
Music: Liebe ist so wie du bist
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The guys in your corner

Life’s easier with people on your side

Was doing work when I got a text from my buddy Thor telling me he had a fight the next day. He’s probably the only guy I get to practice my crappy German with so I said yes.

Him: Hey buddy, do you maybe have some time tomorrow to take some pics?
Me: Maybe – where and when?

The next night, was walking down an empty Jerome Avenue looking for a fight ring.

Pretty soon, walked into a Bronx gym that smelled like old sweat and violence.

Found Thor and the coaches and waited around for the other fella – who ended up being a no show. But the guys just ended up looking for another fighter to fight and found one.

The only issue was that he was ranked two levels higher than my buddy (white vs. purple).

But Thor was game so it was on.

Just like all of the other fights, it was a lotta waiting around before they finally got down to scrapping. I stood in his corner with his coaches to film it.

Thor ultimately lost but we were proud that he held his own.

It’s ok, we all lose at some point.

And we all lose our very last fight. It’s our fate.

But along the way, it’s nice to have people in your corner – people on you side.

As for me, if I get to choose which corner to be in, I choose to to be in the one with the people that, when that bell rings – regardless of the what or who they’re up against – take a deep a breath, knuckle-up, and roll.

Him: Thanks for coming. It means a lot to me.
Me: You did great – it was against a purple! That’s something. Get ready for the next one – let’s go...

Mood: proud
Music: on the surface he looks calm and ready to drop bombs
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Unattended children will be given an espresso and a free puppy

Something about a freezer full of chili makes me happy

The Professor was in town and came by last Friday for an early breakfast. He took a quick look at my leg while he was here.

Him: Well, now’s a good chance for you to get some definition into those flabby and amorphous legs of yours.
Me: Did you just come into my house, drink my coffee, eat my food and call my legs flabby and amorphous?!
Him: Yup.

In actuality, I’ve been working them out every day. And – here’s the big thing:

I can bend my bad leg 155 degrees as of the weekend.

It hurts like hell when I do it, but I can do it. 45 days after my surgery, I can essentially kick my own butt. Very happy about this. I read the forskolin review this weekend and I think I might try it, anything to cut down my cellulite.

———-

Her: I hate going to work.
Me: You totally should have married someone rich.
Her: I know!

My workload, the injury, and the medical bills – which are piling up even with insurance – is not helping my sleep. Been up several nights this past week thinking of all sorts of things.

As a small positive, recently read an article by the Atlantic entitled The Case for Drinking as Much Coffee as You Like, which is as self-explanatory an article title as one can hope for.

Was feeling good enough to make a vat of chili so between the freezer full of frozen chili, the 155 degree bend, and the license to drink as much coffee as I can handle, it’s not been a bad weekend.

OK, Monday…let’s go…

Location: getting ready to take a walk
Mood: hard to say
Music: let’s go all have a beer ‘Cause everybody loves an accident
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Non-intersecting

Our Hyperbolic and Non-Intersecting Lives

Him: How’s wok?
Me: The workload’s killing me; my phone won’t stop ringing.
Him: Quit complaining. It’s better than the alternative.

This Thanksgiving was a little different for me that my usual, mainly because of my work schedule and injury.

The injury meant that I wasn’t in the right headspace to see my friends like Johnny and the Family Man, plus the Professor wasn’t in town.

But I did manage to see my family and my buddy WM who came on Thanksgiving with a homemade baked carrot cake. Hung out with him and the fam for a while before heading back to my pad that night.

Had to go because of my work schedule. Was actually all over Queens and Brooklyn the morning of Thanksgiving and then on an industrial farm the day after Thanksgiving and then off to the Jerz to see the wife’s fam.

Still, I can’t really complain; have to catch up on the three weeks I couldn’t work and also make up for the dismal years and theft.

As I was driving along and alone, thought about algebra, coordinate geometry, and the idea of non-intersecting lines. (it’s what I do). Essentially, if you have two lines which never intersect, they can get ridiculously close but never actually touch – and this goes on into infinity.

Though about that in relation to my leg. Feel much better now but the injury plus my age makes me think that, while I’ll get close to how it use to be, I’ll never get there.

It’s slightly sad, but more just a fact of life and something that I suppose I’ll accept one day.

On another point, it’s the opposite of my concept of venn diagrams, where people intersect in your life and some stay and some leave.

But now there are also those that leave and kinda stay – like via Facebook, blogs, or random email – but you never intersect with again.

I see them get older, get married, have families, but not really. Our lives are simply hyperbolically non-intersecting.

It’s slightly sad, but more just a fact of life and something that I suppose I’ve accepted.

Location: getting ready to have some (more) leftovers
Mood: busy
Music: Went to the Apollo, you should’ve seen ’em go go go
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Travelogue (Kinda) – Downtown NYC

We love weddings and staycations; even better together

A buddy of mine that’s made a number of appearances in this blog over the years under another name got married this past weekend downtown.

The wife and I decided to book a hotel downtown a while ago so that we could have a staycation. But we were worried after the storm hit that the Hilton Doubletree downtown might be damaged so we called and they said everything was fine.

We found out later that this was only partly true.

Getting around downtown with a cane and a buncha bags wasn’t easy, and there was definitely a strong odor of gas/anti-freeze/oil in the air. Everywhere we went, there were ConEd workers and pumps chugging along. Piles and piles of rubbish everywhere.

But we made it to our hotel in one piece.

The thing that was partly true about the hotel was that only two of the three elevators were working. We didn’t think that was going to be a big deal but it ended up meaning long waits for everything.

Me with a cane meant that we couldn’t take the stair so it was a whole lotta hurry up and wait.

We decided to just stay in the hotel for dinner and I ordered myself fried chicken with waffles before crashing.

The next morning, we ordered some breakfast and then went out for a walk. Downtown is really completely different from rest of the city in that it’s streets are a lot like Boston or Philly because of this massive fire in 1776.

We couldn’t believe how much the water rose during the hurricane.

But it was a sunny, if not cold, day so the city looked like it was getting back to normal.

We then went over to Battery Gardens where we sat for a Jewish ceremony complete with my Asian buddy smashing glass at the end and getting hoisted up on a chair.

Saw a number of old friends that I’d not seen in a while.

Also, isn’t it funny when you find out that you have a friend in common with people that you didn’t know knew the same people? That seems to happen more and more these days.

The guy with the shaved head below insisted on getting me food while I sat and nursed my leg – what a mensch! Between him and my wife, I pretty much just sat back and received food and drink. That’s the way to live, my friends.

I’m leaning on a cane below; I wanted one with a silver handle and a fur hat for the festive occasion but the wife put a stop to that idea.

She ruins all my great ideas.

The next day, took almost half-an-hour for the elevator to arrive but we made it home soon enough. Spent the rest of the day nursing my leg; the trip home wiped me out.

Life is slowly getting back to normal for us as well. As it were.

Me: Morning, honey. Oh shoot, I’ve got to call that chicken farmer this morning.
Her: Morning. Wait, what?

Location: planning a trip to an industrial farm
Mood: better
Music: But someone picked you from the bunch
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Do you actually do any work?

When you make things look easy, people think it’s easy

Traditional double-edged razor, shaving mug, shaving brush, and standWas planning to post last Friday but a buncha ConEd people showed up early Friday to open up a gas pipe in front of my building and asked me if they could tap into the gas in my apartment. Very strange.

Afterward, hobbled down to Chinatown to meet up with the CEO of a bank and RE Mike, which doesn’t sound like fun but it was one of the best 90 minute meetings I’ve ever had. We mostly ended up talking about television shows and growing up the in big city.

There was this very young secretary at a firm I worked at once that didn’t really understand what I did all day. To her, it seemed like a lot of lunches and drinks.

Secretary: Do you actually do any work?
Me: (amused) That guy that just left? The one wearing the flip-flops and over-sized tee-shirt? He just hired us for a $19 million deal. So I would say, “yes.”

There’s this throw called the Harai-Goshi which, when done correctly, looks effortless. But to be able to get to that stage takes years of work. Ironically, it was that throw that the newbie was trying to do that put me outta commission last week.

But that’s neither here nor there.

In any case, took me forever to get back home because of my bum knee and then later that night, injured it even more trying to kill a mosquito. Could barely walk the next day.

Still, the weekend picked up dramatically after that. Went out with my wife for another date night around the way although even that took forever with my knee.

Her: Logan, if this were the animal kingdom, I would have already eaten you and found another mate.

Ended the night drinking wine and watching Forks over Knives on Netflix, it’s also on Showbox if you have that – btw, if you enjoyed Food Inc, you’ll probably enjoy this as well.

I’d tell you more about the date itself but she’s got her own blog now so you can click it and see for yourself.

She did take a really nice shot of me, which makes me look better that I really look. Those are the best kinda shots.

Since I’ve got the time, I’ll be posting tomorrow too. See you then?

Location: still home with a bum leg
Mood: fat
Music: I know she’s gonna leave this broken man behind her
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