i passed dan on the stairs today and he asked how i was.
"pretty good."
how was he?
"excellent."
i think about bob almost every day because almost every day is pretty good.
excellent.
how did he do it?
it's not about outside influences.
raining? it happens.
rough nite? it's over.
fail a test? study next time.
how do i get to excellent?
responsibility.
embrace it.
be accountable for yourself.
be a positive influence.
sometimes that's all it takes.
attitude.
attitude.
attitude.
i'm infinitely lucky to have his guidance,
but i miss him.
"poise, gentlemen, poise."
April 30, 2004
April 12, 2004
pancakes
what is it about colonials and outlet malls that gives people, namely tourists, a hankering for batter-based breakfast foods? no, really, i'm asking.
mom and i spent saturday afternoon shopping in williamsburg and not once did she say to me, "you know, i could really go for a syrup drenched belgian waffle. and eggs." even when we both finally admitted to each other how extremely hungry we were, we agreed on a popular non-breakfast-oriented chain instead of the pancake and waffle house, the waffle and pancake house, and IHOP. and gazebo pancakes.
here's my theory: when america was still in the midst of its grand opening celebration (a.k.a., the revolutionary war) it was too dangerous to just hop on your horse and trot down to the local burger king for an order of onion rings ... especially if you were wearing blue or gray. there was probably also a tariff on french fries. so, everyone ended up having to eat at home all the time.
and what meal is most often eaten at home? breakfast! and what did colonial america not have enough of? chickens! but what they did have a lot of was flour because there was a lot of dirt. and the dirt, as we all know, is where flour comes from.
so, they mixed the flour with water and out came pancakes and sometimes waffles ... and they ate them in their houses, safe from enemy fire.
because pancakes and waffles are so filling, there really wasn't a need to hit the local BK or bullets on the way to or from the battlefields. eventually those melted out of existence until the early 1920s when the revolutionary war came mostly to an end and people had eaten enough pancakes to satisfy future generations and now all they wanted was a small, greasy meat patty that contained meat from between 10 and 100 cows and was slopped between soggy bread and, get this, "american" cheese.
but the point is, clearly the revolutionary war lives on in williamsburg (but with relatively less open shooting). you don't have to visit "colonial williamsburg" to experience it. just drive down 60 and have some pancakes. there are about a bazillion pancake houses within one square mile to choose from. it'll be great. you'll see. the family will love it.
mom and i spent saturday afternoon shopping in williamsburg and not once did she say to me, "you know, i could really go for a syrup drenched belgian waffle. and eggs." even when we both finally admitted to each other how extremely hungry we were, we agreed on a popular non-breakfast-oriented chain instead of the pancake and waffle house, the waffle and pancake house, and IHOP. and gazebo pancakes.
here's my theory: when america was still in the midst of its grand opening celebration (a.k.a., the revolutionary war) it was too dangerous to just hop on your horse and trot down to the local burger king for an order of onion rings ... especially if you were wearing blue or gray. there was probably also a tariff on french fries. so, everyone ended up having to eat at home all the time.
and what meal is most often eaten at home? breakfast! and what did colonial america not have enough of? chickens! but what they did have a lot of was flour because there was a lot of dirt. and the dirt, as we all know, is where flour comes from.
so, they mixed the flour with water and out came pancakes and sometimes waffles ... and they ate them in their houses, safe from enemy fire.
because pancakes and waffles are so filling, there really wasn't a need to hit the local BK or bullets on the way to or from the battlefields. eventually those melted out of existence until the early 1920s when the revolutionary war came mostly to an end and people had eaten enough pancakes to satisfy future generations and now all they wanted was a small, greasy meat patty that contained meat from between 10 and 100 cows and was slopped between soggy bread and, get this, "american" cheese.
but the point is, clearly the revolutionary war lives on in williamsburg (but with relatively less open shooting). you don't have to visit "colonial williamsburg" to experience it. just drive down 60 and have some pancakes. there are about a bazillion pancake houses within one square mile to choose from. it'll be great. you'll see. the family will love it.
March 31, 2004
where grilled cheese came from
there's now a suggestion box in the cafeteria. i'd tell you the name of the cafeteria, but you'd think it's much too silly and i must be making it up.
ok, it's capital yum.
told ya. maybe i should make a suggestion.
anyway ... it's time for a story!
when was processed meat invented? i don't know ... probably in the 40s during "the war." that's when everything else was invented. so that'll be when our story takes place.
where was it invented? i'm going with oscartown on this one because the company info portion of the oscar mayer website says it a lot.
picture this: it's march, 1942 in oscartown. you're a cute blonde girl, about 27-ish years old. you're a desk jockey, and a damn good one. against your own best judgment (and your new year's resolution), you have to eat lunch in the company cafeteria every now and then. maybe it's because your best friend is on a cruise, or because neil wasn't at his desk at 12.30, or because everyone else shot down your offer. (you really need to start bringing lunch with you.)
from pork and pasta to salad and stir fry, you've methodically tried and ruled out the gamut of sodhexo offerings. lately, you've been getting sandwiches. they seem safe. salami, roast beef, chicken salad. then one fateful day it's turkey. slimy, shiny, processed turkey. how bad can it be?
your fourth bite finds something crunchy. and it's not lettuce - you already took that off because it tasted like dirt. so, out from between the slices of bread comes the gelatinous substance, leaving you with only cheese. with the enthusiasm of a clam, you work on choking down what's left of the sandwich. it's then that a random fellow employee wanders by and notices your pathetic lunch.
"cheese sandwich, huh?" reminding you how boring it is. "maybe you should cook it or something."
i know it doesn't fit the setting, but by some miracle there happens to be a george foreman grill in the galley. it fades into thin air after you finish making your sandwich.
there you have it! the grilled cheese sandwich is invented. like most artists, you go on to live a life of absolutely no fame or fortune, but your contribution to future generations of desk jockeys who have to eat in crummy cafeterias is immense ... and we thank you.
ok, it's capital yum.
told ya. maybe i should make a suggestion.
anyway ... it's time for a story!
when was processed meat invented? i don't know ... probably in the 40s during "the war." that's when everything else was invented. so that'll be when our story takes place.
where was it invented? i'm going with oscartown on this one because the company info portion of the oscar mayer website says it a lot.
picture this: it's march, 1942 in oscartown. you're a cute blonde girl, about 27-ish years old. you're a desk jockey, and a damn good one. against your own best judgment (and your new year's resolution), you have to eat lunch in the company cafeteria every now and then. maybe it's because your best friend is on a cruise, or because neil wasn't at his desk at 12.30, or because everyone else shot down your offer. (you really need to start bringing lunch with you.)
from pork and pasta to salad and stir fry, you've methodically tried and ruled out the gamut of sodhexo offerings. lately, you've been getting sandwiches. they seem safe. salami, roast beef, chicken salad. then one fateful day it's turkey. slimy, shiny, processed turkey. how bad can it be?
your fourth bite finds something crunchy. and it's not lettuce - you already took that off because it tasted like dirt. so, out from between the slices of bread comes the gelatinous substance, leaving you with only cheese. with the enthusiasm of a clam, you work on choking down what's left of the sandwich. it's then that a random fellow employee wanders by and notices your pathetic lunch.
"cheese sandwich, huh?" reminding you how boring it is. "maybe you should cook it or something."
i know it doesn't fit the setting, but by some miracle there happens to be a george foreman grill in the galley. it fades into thin air after you finish making your sandwich.
there you have it! the grilled cheese sandwich is invented. like most artists, you go on to live a life of absolutely no fame or fortune, but your contribution to future generations of desk jockeys who have to eat in crummy cafeterias is immense ... and we thank you.
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