Tuesday, April 22, 2008
I'm not a one trick pony (or piglet).
| Most of my past few posts have had a running "back story" to them. The problem is, it's a secret back story you don't know yet. I haven't yet figured out how to say what needs to be said, so I dance around it instead. Just like today. Tomorrow is secretary's day. Our department secretary, Ulene, is crafty, so we have no hope of surprising her on Secretary's day. So we got sneaky and did it today! I'd be willing to bet that trick won't work next year. Anyway, starting about a week ago the top secret "who's bringing what?" list started going around in Email. I could feel the unspoken peer pressure:  The picture above is from Chris' Christmas in Conyers. (And yes for those utterly confused by my multiple Chris references in my previous post, I did just say "Chris" Christmas Party.) Sadly, I never got to make one in Macon, but I managed a save by baking a red velvet cheesecake with my mother just after Christmas.  So to please the masses I added my name and "Cheesecake" to the list, and was greeted with great sighs of joy and relief. But in the spirit of being sneaky and crafty, I had a plan. I'd been telling them ever since I brought my first cheesecake that I can make others. I keep telling them "I'm not a one trick pony!" No one seems to care. No one has ever asked for anything else. It's assumed I'll bring in the turtle cheesecake. You know what they say about assuming right? I decided that since they'll always ask for the same thing, it was up to me to force the issue. I decided to go with my original "Reese's Cheesecake" made with Reese's Peanut Butter and Hershey's Chocolate.  Of course there were plenty of confused looks when I opened the cake caddy and there sat a very un-turtlish cheesecake. I then had to explain it was chocolate and peanut butter (no caramel). This was greeted with nods and smiles. Then they attacked my cheesecake, forks, spoons, and knives flying everywhere. I do hope I have shown them I am not a one trick pony. Sadly, it occurred to me later this afternoon that I have probably just convinced them MORE than I am "the cheesecake guy." So next time I think I need to go the complete opposite of cheesecake. And that is where I got stuck for most of today. What is the opposite of cheesecake? The best I could come up with was fish. But I don't eat or cook fish. I was stumped. Then Colby came to the rescue. You may remember Colby, the finder of all things Pork. He introduced me to Chocolate covered bacon. He sent me the link to the Wake-n-Bacon Alarm Clock. The latest example of Porkfection from Colby: Chicken Fried Bacon With Cream Gravy! For your own safety, do NOT read the "Nutrition Facts" on the right hand side! But wait! There's also a video! Oh I can feel my arteries clog up just thinking about it! And maybe we can have cheesecake for desert? What? You don't really feel like cheesecake anymore? GOOD!  |
Labels: Bacon, Conyers, Macon, Recipe
Friday, February 29, 2008
Always plan spring break in pencil
| In December, I started fleshing out my plans for my Spring Break. Basically I had a choice of 4 destinations: Jacksonville, FL; Macon, GA; Conyers, GA; or Pennsylvania. I opted to do a PA trip. Stopping off at my brothers in DC on the way up, then following Emily's Toybox around for 3 or 4 concerts in eastern PA. Once they released their March schedule I had my plans set. I'd be hitting Shippensburg, State College, Hershey, Northampton, Pennsberg, and King of Prussia, PA. Only concerts in State College, Northampton, and Pennsberg. The other three were special places I wanted to get by someday. (I suspect only one or two people reading this will know why.) I was nervous about the weather up north, but figured I'd press forward anyway. I started locating hotels and getting driving directions. Lets call this Plan A. Then the IRS decided they wanted to be my proctologist and everything changed. Apparently the state of Georgia is rather PO'd that I left. By my calculations, NC owed me $32, I owed the feds $750, and I owed GA $1275. That is not a typo. Plan B: Sit at home and sell everything not nailed down on Ebay to pay my taxes. Then I happened to find out that my parents would be doing some interesting things for Spring Break and those would be a heck of a lot cheaper than a huge trip to PA. After all, family trips are free! (Well, free for me. If you come along, we may charge you a cover fee.) Plan C: The first weekend (starting today actually) a trip to my parents, where we'll be meeting up with 2 of my aunts and uncles for the weekend. We'll be doing some in state travel to visit several family related sites. Then the last weekend of Spring Break we'd be going to visit my brother and his family up in DC. Then I get an email that my father's plans up on Gettysburg, PA have changed and he wont be leaving til late Sunday or Monday. Plan D: I go visit my parents the first part of spring break as in Plan C, but spend the rest of spring break at home, possibly selling everything I own on Ebay to pay my taxes. Then I finally break down and go get my taxes done by a professional. I hope I don't go to jail. Now instead of me owing Uncle Sam $750, I only owe them $450. NC now owes me $52, but the real kicker is that instead of owing GA over $1200, they now owe me $25. Plan E: It's my spring break, I own a truck, and I'm over 18. I can do anything I want. So today I'm going to my parents, as in plans C and D, then next week I am going to drive myself up to DC and drive back whenever I want to. This is where things currently stand. I have had one small addition, but it won't change Plan E. On Monday morning I have been invited by the librarian of a local elementary school to come read a book to some children. Of course I'll be taking "The Big Orange Splot" again. Me and Mr. Plumbean will reunite to educate and entertain children. I am contemplating the purchase of a huge fake handlebar mustache for my Plumbean impersonations. Hopefully there will be a few pictures. If I wear the fake moustache there will be no pictures. Anyway, I am sorry there are no links in this post. It certainly deserves a few. I may come back later and edit this post to put some in. But for right now I am trying to get out the door before plans have a chance to change again! Until I can get back to a working Internet connection (Monday?) I hope you have a great spring break! Oh...... sorry!  |
Saturday, February 02, 2008
The Bee tries to beat the K
| Many years ago when the first Applebees opened in Conyers, it was a great hangout. Lovingly referred to as "The Bee." Then a few years later, a Chili's opened across the street and was immediatly dubbed "Gary's Olde Town Tavern." (If you don't get the joke, you need to watch more Cheers.) I have always been fond of Applebees. When I lived in Macon, there was an Applebees just down the hill from me. Made it easy to stop by on Monday for "Steak Night." Buy a steak and get your first drink free. Sounds like a good deal to me! Unfortunately I had a girlfriend who started working there, met her next boyfriend who tended bar there, and more or less ruined it for me. Thankfully they opened like 3 others Applebees in Macon so I could still get Steak Night. When I moved to Wilmington I didn't see any Applebees. I found it strange for such a big city to be without Your Neighborhood Bar and Grill. Then one day I found it, stuffed in between a Lowes and the Wal Mart. Not at all easy to get to, to say the least. A few months back I made my way up to see if there was anything new going on at the Bee and to my surprise, there was. It appears Applebees is trying to hop on the Mini Burger Express. You might recall that in my last week in Macon I reviewed Rudy Tuesday's mini burgers. I figured it would only be fair to put the Bee to the test. On the menu you'll actually find the "Mini Bacon Cheeseburgers" offered as both an appetizer as well as a full fledged burger dinner.  While we're on the topic of confusing things. Maybe someone can explain to my why, when I go to the Applebees Web Page and click on the "Investors" link in the top center, I am taken to IHOP's Investor Relations page?!?! (Go quick, they may fix it someday.) Is Applebees or IHOP trying to tell us something?   In a strange twist of alphabetical irony, I am going to have to give The Bee a Cee. I awarded bonus points because the onion rings were especially tasty and Krystal let us down this year with no Vidalia Onion Rings OR Onion Petals. The bacon was also a nice plus. But frankly the burger was weak and the bun a disappointment. Given The Bee and Ruby T's attempts, what I think we are slowly dicovering is that the Small Hot Steamed Square burger is an "everyman" kind of burger. When you try to "Glam it up" and make it "high class," you ruin it. Lets face it, when you are going for a tasty delicious mini hamburger and the hostess seats you and hands you silverware wrapped in a cloth napkin, you're so far out of touch with reality, you'll never get back to a good burger. And no, I have no intentions of going to try any mini burgers at Chili's. And yes they have them: BIG MOUTH BITES*That sneaky old Gary is always up to something and I don't want to fall victim to his trickery. |
Labels: Bacon, Cheese, Conyers, Macon, Onions, Wilmington
Friday, January 18, 2008
Any Size, Same Price
| In my recent post I mentioned how Chris and I spent a large portion of one summer cruising around Atlanta. After my post I got an email from Chris with one simple, cryptic comment: "Suddenly my bladder's full and I don't know why!" And when I say "cryptic" I mean cryptic for you, not for me. I knew immediately what Chris meant, and I also knew immediately how Chris felt. One important factor in that summer was "The Thirstbuster Game." I am not 100% sure how the "game" started or if we ever officially declared "Game On!" In fact I am not sure the rules were ever spelled out very clearly. Here is what I do recall. In the early 90's Circle K started selling beverages of many different sizes. Their big sales pitch was the same price for any sized drink. I am pretty sure it was 79 cents. The biggest drink of all was the fabled "44oz Thirstbuster." It absolutely had to be said with reverence tempered with a touch of fear and awe. While in college at Mercer I had taken advantage of the deal as we had a Circle K adjacent to campus. Let's face it: as a starving college student with little cash, a deal like that was hard to beat. Buy a Thirstbuster at lunch and it'll carry you thru late night studying. One day as Chris and I were cruising around Atlanta (again for reasons I can no longer remember) we stopped in at a Circle K for a drink. Being the wise thrifty young adventurers we were we decided we simply had to go for the 44oz Thirstbuster. If you're paying 79 cents, then why not? How could we face ourselves or each other knowing we hadn't really gotten the best deal possible? At this point you probably think the game is some sort of bladder buster game: whoever has to take a leak first loses. There was a bar not far from Mercer that did this every week. You paid a flat fee and sat at the bar drinking beer. It was all you can drink until the first person had to go to the bathroom. Since I personally find beer revolting, I find the entire set up to be laughable. My objectivity and complete disinterest has given me a different perspective, though. If people were really really serious about getting their money's worth, they'd purchase adult diapers for everyone at the bar, and then really do some serious drinking. (Might I suggest the purchase of Oops! I Crapped My Pants.) While the quest for relief did occasionally come into play, that was not the point of the game. No the original Thirstbuster game was even easier, and a lot less messy. The rule was simply this: you must buy the 44oz Thirstbuster and finish it before you get home. This quite simple rule actually bring a lot of strategy into play. Obviously the earlier in the trip you get your Thirstbuster the longer you have to drink it. So basic strategy is to buy at the first Circle K you can find. One particular trip we had at least 5 or 6 places to go by, so we felt we'd easily find a Circle K along the route. After all there are Circle K's all over the Atlanta area. Good fortune must not have been with us that day because we simply couldn't find a Circle K. In all of our discussions of Thirstbusters and getting worked up for the challenge we were getting ferociously thirsty. By the time we'd finished our last stop we were almost screaming in agony due to thirst. Finally Chris decided he knew where a Circle K was and we made a mad dash. Those Thirstbusters never stood a chance. Since we were so close to home, though, we probably wouldn't have finished our drinks in time if not for our extreme thirst. This incident lead to a change in the rules. To avoid being stranded without access to a Thirstbuster new rules state that you MUST stop at the first Circle K you see. This new rules however later caused problems. One day we were on an especially long drive. We stopped for our mandatory 44 and casually finished it off. With an empty cup in hand and half the trip left to go we decided to go for seconds. Circle K used to offer discounts on refills of ANY size. Looking back, I see where our problem came in. Forty four ounces times two is eighty eight ounces. You may think it is impossible to do the pee-pee dance sitting down but I assure you it's not. Of course the most common problem with the game was simply getting down 44oz of ice cold soda before you get home. Circling the block simply to get extra time is strictly forbidden. Many instances of brain freeze occurred. Some trips we probably needed a sump pump and a garden hose. This past Christmas while back in Conyers Chris and I did some driving around to get ready for his party. We joked on occasion about the old days of Thirstbusters and Whoot! There it is! (and Boooty) Secretly I kept my eyes peeled for a Circle K. I was shocked that I couldn't find one. My memories were that they were at every exit off I-20. It must have just seemed that way because of my near bursting bladder back then. Then, ahead, just off the interstate at the next exit, I saw it! Perched just slightly above the trees. The big red K in the big red circle. "Look!" I screamed, pointing excitedly. Chris very calmly pointed out that we were getting off at the exit after this one and there was NO WAY he was stopping. I would have protested more but I was scared Chris would hiss at me and jab me in the neck like the Dog Whisperer. Instead I stared with my nose pressed to the window as we drove past. I think deep down inside, I heard my bladder say "Thank you!" Curse you, Circle K! Curse you and your impossibly large beverages! You may have escaped from me this time, but we will meet again. And I will be ready for you! |
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
Kryst-mas Chicks!
Tomorrow I am giving final exams. They continue on Monday. Next wednesday is my last day of class this semester, and then it's time for Christmas vacation! My Krist-mas Ornament hanging from the Holiday Pothos Current plans are as follows
For those in Middle GA who will be around, shoot me an email or your number and I'll try and call when I get to town. I know for a fact I will be having Krystals on Thursday at my old haunt on Vineville Ave, just before I roll out of town. Currently on tap in Conyers is Chris's superhuge annual Christmas party. And hanging out with my main man, Josh. With the Christmas season upon us, you may be wondering what to get people, perhaps even me. Well Krystal Gift Cards are always a big hit, and even come in different holiday styles this year. You can use them to buy one of the new Holiday flavor MilkQuakes, as well. I plan to try them all while I am in Krystal Country. I would ask that those of you thinking of buying me Krystal gift cards to please refrain. It's cruel to give me a Krystal Gift card and then send me back to Burgatory. Another great gift this year would be the Krystal Chiks Calendar, available at the stores and online as well. Do you have your copy yet? Have you found the typo yet? I already have a calendar, so I am interested in a different kind of Chik this Christmas. Please watch as Brian shows you the coolest Christmas gift this year. Add to My Profile | More Videos Last but not least on the holiday shopping front. Let me assure you there is no Christmas Spirit at Toys-R-Us at 8am on Saturday. Yes, I know, I should have gone when I had Friday off, but I was stupid. Just like the last 3 years when I went to Toys-R-Us. Primal screams from millions of kids, parents smashing carts into you and each other. Store employees with obvious shell shock hiding in any corner they can find. I did discover one fact, though. Let's call it the "Stud-finder" method of toy shopping. You carry your kid up and down the aisles of Toy-R-Us and when the screaming reaches eardrum shattering levels, you have found the proper toy for your child. Of course you have made everyone else in the store hate you. I have discovered an excellent online toy store called Ty's Toybox. They have been nominated for some huge award, and sadly that attention has caused their website to almost crumble. You can browse, but you pretty much have to call them to place an order, and the phone line's busy a lot. But the prices are great if you want, for example, a Doodle Bops Guitar. And the ladies working the phones are suprisingly upbeat, in comparison to the Zombies-R-Us employees. (No I wont tell you what I got. While Sean and my youngest nephew are too young to be using the computer, you just never know, with kids these days.) Looking forward to next semester for me, they are shaking things up.  I also get to start teaching programming classes again. While it's VisualBasic and not C++, I can live with it. At least it's not corrosion control or sheet metal math! Anyway, as you can see, it is about to get extremely busy around here. I may be able to pop back on and post once or twice before I leave town, I don't know when or for how long. So look for a recap just before Santa hits town. And instead of cookies this year, I heard Santa wants a #1 combo! |
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Krystal Wednesday?
 Fear not. I was looking in my freezer tonight, whispering sweet nothings to the eight remaining Krystals in the freezer, when suddenly it hit me. I'll be in Georgia tomorrow evening and can have FRESH HOT Krystals. I don't need my frost bitten Krystals. I couldn't bring myself to just toss those babies out though. And who says you can't have Krystals on Wednesday AND Thursday? I liberated them from thier icy cave and tossed them in the microwave. A little bacon, cheese, and ketsup, and it was looking like it would be a good evening. What's that? Oh, my choice of beverage? Well Krystal doesn't serve alcohol, but boy howdy if they only did?!?!? I still have 4 more Krystals in the freezer (and 3 more Smirnoff's) so if I feel the urge tonight I may go back for seconds. I know I'll be restocking the freezer on Monday. Yes my friends, this weekend is again Dragon Con weekend. Just like this time last year, Krystal Adventure will go quiet for a few days. However unlike last year it is no longer a quick trip up I-75. This year will take more planning and coordination. Current plans are to bolt out of Wilmington ASAP tomorrow arriving in Conyers tomorrow evening (with a quick stop at a Krystal somewhere along the way). Friday it's in to Atlanta for a weekend of insanity and fun, and likely a fair amount of alcohol. Monday morning it is back to Chris' to pick up my truck and then quickly back to Wilmington. There will be a short stop in Augusta to pick up a Steamer pack to last until October 5th, when I am due back in Middle GA. While heading north on I-95 from Florence, SC, I will be driving slow and in the far right hand lane to avoid large metal poles flying up and hitting my truck. Hopefully I arrive home in time to get enough rest to recover from the weekend before class at 8am Tuesday morning. It will be a busy weekend for me. I'll be taking my cell phone along (under protest) just in case chaos should erupt. And chaos usually does erupt when the guys report for Dragon Con every year. Boy, could I tell you some stories, but then someone would get arrested, and it all goes down hill from there. I will have my camera along as always and will take oodles of pictures, most of which I am probably not allowed to post here. Again, someone would probably get arrested, and so on. I suppose that means that this will be my last post for a little while. I may be able to post on Monday when I arrive home but I suspect I'll be too tired to do anything. Thankfully Tuesdays are one of the slower days at work, and when I get done about 3, it's home and straight to bed, without any supper. So until next week, I hope you all have a wonderful Labor Day, and it's best to try and avoid all labor on Labor Day. Find a pool (or a beach) and park your caboose for a while. You've earned it. And if you CAN have Krystals, then you BETTER have Krystals! And a MilkQuake to cure the heat! |
Labels: Bacon, Cheese, Conyers, Wilmington
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
Smugglin'
| I know that normally I recap my Krystal Adventures chronologically. For this past trip, since I am feeling a bit feisty, I think I'll go topically. Tonight will be all about the Krystals. Tomorrow will be all about the concert. Friday will be all about the open (and not so open) road. I did manage to stick to my original plan to skip the Pooler Krystal and push on to the Brunswick Krystal by the hotel before giving in to my Krystal Kravings. as I pulled in, I noticed a very long line in the drive through. It went about half way around the building. My first thought was "Who would get in a line that long in the first place?" I have previously posted on different tactics that places use when they plan their drive throughs. Some of those crazy ideas came to mind as the Brunswick Krystal has the classic one menu and one window set up. I wisely chose to go in. Since I hadn't had fresh Krystals in what seemed like ages (but was in fact about 2 weeks) I went with the #1 combo, add cheese and ketsup. Once I polished those off, I went back for the vanilla MilkQuake and the hot apple pie, to go.  While I was sitting at Krystal chowing down on my steamers, I also discovered why there was such a long line at the drive through. At one point a manager started asking the girl on drive through why there was such a hold up on the line. The girl on the window said that the customer at the window had ordered a Steamer pack (24 Krystals). The manager told her to have him pull forward. The girl running the window then said "I asked him to and he won't pull forward." For the record, when you order a steamer pack, you clog up the works. A steamer pack is a full load of Krystals and they take a few minutes to cook. Perhaps you get lucky and they just dropped a pull griddle of burgers, but more than likely that's not going to happen. Accept the fact that if you order a steamer, you wont get your Krystals in 2 minutes. Sadly, if you are in line behind someone who orders a steamer pack, you wont get your Krystals in 2 minutes either. (The upside is that when you DO get your Krystals they will be the freshed hottest steamiest Krystals possible, like mine were.) Apparently the guy on drive through felt that if he pulled forward that somehow they would not give him the first Krystals off the grill. My first thought was that getting half a box of old Krystals and half a box of fresh Krystals isn't so nice, especially when that takes exactly the same time as a full box of fresh Krystals. But then I realized that the customer was just being a jerk. A helpful piece of advice: if you are going to order a Steamer Pack, go in. Don't you hate it when you go to the bank drive through and the person in front of you doesn't have their deposit slip filled out until they get to the window? Well thats basically the same idea as ordering a steamer pack at the window. I know there are places out there that preach "The Customer Is Always Right." That statement is an outright lie, and frankly, those places are stupid if they believe it. Want proof? Go to McDonalds and order a Whopper. When they try to explain that they don't sell Whoppers, you need only remind them "The customer is always right." If/when they bring you a Whopper you tell them you are only going to pay a dime for it. If they say it costs more, just tell them "The customer is always right." My response to "The customer is always right." is "What if the customer is an idiot, then what?" I won't post here what the ultimate solution to the problem was, as Krystal HQ reads this blog, and I am not certain they'd approve of the solution. I however give a standing ovation to the poise and tact of the manager and her innovative solution to the problem. Sometimes when you are in the business of serving your customers, you have to decide who your REAL customers are. Fast forward about 20 hours and I am on the road back home. I did not get my stockpile of Krystals in Brunswick. Instead, I waited til Pooler. I went in and ordered a Steamer pack, and then sat down and waited like a good boy. I would have gotten a few Chiks to eat while I was there, but Jen and I had a bit IHOP breakfast and I was still stuffed. Jen also advised me not to bring the cooler and zip lock bags into Krystal. Apparently that makes you look crazy. Bagging and stuffing Krystals into a cooler in the back of your pick-up truck, however, doesn't make you look crazy.  Cooler  SCUBA gear for Krystals  Cozy  Chillin'    My next Krystal Run will be late this month, as I will be returning to Atlanta for Labor Day weekend. I suspect that restocking will be at the Krystal in Augusta, GA, or perhaps the one in Conyers, simply for sentimental reasons.  |
Labels: Bacon, Cheese, Chiks, Conyers
Saturday, June 30, 2007
This is Macon (long and ramblin')
| One of my biggest concerns about moving, and probably one of the things that has kept me in place all these years when I knew darn well I should be moving on is my memory. I never claim to have the greatest memory. In fact I always bring a shopping list to the grocery store even if it is 4 items. I have found that once I arrive I get distracted and always forget one. My most recent trip I forgot to get mustard. You'll know why that is important on Monday, most likely. The memory I have is for the friends and events of my life. Due to the fact i have lost a lot of friends in my life, I know darn well the value of friends and friendship. When I left Conyers, I left for college and just never really moved back. I was only about 75 miles away anyway so I never really felt like I'd lost anything. Leaving Macon is a whole new ballgame. In arranging my party at Krystal (Friday the 5th at 5:30pm) I learned that my friend and fraternity brother Brian won't be able to make it. His family will be out of town. So we've been trying to work out arrangements to see each other before I move. In the phone calls and emails it is becoming clear that we both are realizing that all the time we thought we'd have just isn't there anymore. Its not just Brian, I have countless other fraternity brothers and friends in the area and my existance as a hermit these past 5+ years have really made me miss out on things. Its memories like those that you won't ever have that make you value the ones you do have. I was lucky however I sort of saw this coming, and Krystal Koincidences helped drive it home. Back a few months I happened to run into a fraternity bother of mine, Brian (no the other Brian) at Kroger. We talked and of course Krystal came up. Within a few days I was in downtown Macon for Cherry Blossom Festival. By that point I knew I would be leaving Macon fairly soon, destination unknown and date unknown. While downtown, I decided to go take a picture of where the Krystal used to be in downtown Macon. I'd known for a while where it was just never bothered to post it here.  As I was walking down Cherry St. in another of those Krystal Koincidences I happened to run into Clint. I went to school with Clint many years ago and he pledged ATO way back when as well. We talked for a while and he also brought up the whole Krystal thing. Since he's from Macon he also confirmed that the location across the street was a Krytal ages ago. And in another very bizarre twist we figured out that I live in the same apartment complex his father lived in many years ago and as a kid he'd run around all over this place. Too many koincidences, I felt, and I knew something had to be done. Krystal Karma had set in so I called Eric. Eric is also a fraternity brother of mine. We share birthdays (he's a year older) and we also have the same fraternity "Big Brother" (Rich). We discussed the fact that I was having "ATO Sightings" all over and that something must be happening. "Strange juju" I called it. I suggested we get together and catch up. So arrangements were made.  I have people around me in my life who are convinced that I have reached some level of greatness. I often disagree. Part of it is a rabid sense of modesty, but mostly it is because I have grown up around greatness. I know what it looks like and it's not what is in the mirror. Rhett is an English major. Brian is an Art major. Since I am a computer science major, I was brought up in the environment that english majors and art majors were not destined to be "productive" members of society. They don't build buildings or cure diseases. Rhett and Brian were entrepreneurs while still in college. They were running a successfull internet business before Amazon.com was even a goofy idea someone once had. If you are sitting near Brian or Rhett when they see this, you'll certainly see milk shoot out of their nose:  Many evenings I would get phone messages with only one word: "Loganberry!" Sadly, that was all it took. In moments I'd be knocking on their door, cash in hand, for some of that wonderful water. Looking back on it, I was an idiot. But in reality they were just very crafty. Not bad for an art major and an english major. Eric is another on the list of the greatest people I know. One of my first introductions to Eric was in a philosophy class we had together. We were reading over each other's papers, and I noticed that Eric (who lived in Panama City Beach, Florida) used the word "dude" in his paper. Not once but a few times. Now I am no english major (Rhett is) but "dude" doesn't seem like a "college level" word. Not only did "dude" work out for Eric's paper, Eric wound up being one of the top graduates from Mercer. He's just that great. The fact that Eric is an art major and again my first insinct was that society would wind up supporting him some day. But then you tack on his minor (major?) in Philosophy and I assure you, any conversation with Eric will stretch your mind. Eric and I on paper are probably exact opposites. But in reality we're so similar its almost funny. We both love teaching and have in fact we both have taught at Mercer. We both have a passion and thirst for knowledge. Clint was always hard for me to "get a grasp on." He never seemed stressed, he never seemed to have to work for anything. Clint was everyone's friend and always eager to have fun. For the life of me I couldn't figure out how someone could glide through college as easily as he did while I was sweating and suffering on a daily basis. I think perhaps there was a bit of jealousy on my part. And of course the reason all of this comes up today was a conversation I was having with Brian the other night on the phone. (No, the other Brian!) I forgot how we got to the point in the conversation but Brian start quoting Stephen Hawking to me on the phone. Now I can handle a little Hawking now and then. I took a year of Physics in college and a year of Chemistry to boot. However, to have an artist quoting Hawking to me just sort of stripped the teeth off my mental gears. (You can view some of Brian's video blogs here. For those that don't know, Stephen Hawking is the greatest physicist to ever live. Sadly most folks get hung up in the fact that he's been afflicted by ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease). They say if you lose one of your senses the others compensate. I believe that due to Hawking's loss of control of his body, his mind has compensated. In a weird was, ALS was probably a good thing. Because ALS usually kills its victims in a matter of a decade or less, Hawking started to feel time pressure on him. So much in his head he needed to get out. So he has "written" a lot of material. But if you have ever tried to read his original stuff, it makes you head hurt. Frustrated by his inability to express himself to the common man, he backed up and wrote an astrophysics book for "the rest of us" called "A brief history of time." It was (and is) a wildly successful book, however it still hurts the brains of most who read it. So to have Brian (no the other one) quote Hawking to me seemed a bit surreal. In high school many years ago, I took Latin as my 2 year language requirement. Why Latin? We I certainly didn't want to take Spanish as my brother dominated the Spanish department in my high school. At least with Latin there could be no comparisons. Especially when i knew I was going to stink at it. My greatest accomplishment was learning to say "Semper ubi sub ubi." (Always wear underwear) But I did find a lot of fascinating facts about Romans. in particular they all strived to be multi faceted people. Lots of our latin phrases concerned "Warrior-poets" or "Farmer-poets" and of course there were "farmer warriors." While I will never be a "warrior." I passed up on the military in favor of college and now Im too old to sign up anyway. I doubt I'll ever be a "farmer." I can barely manage to keep one potted Golden Pothos alive. The poet thing is up for debate. I have written poetry, but I do not know if I qualify as a "poet." In my opinion, if you haven't ever been paid for it, then you probably shouldn't claim to be one. I have always felt that it isn't being good at one thing that makes you great, it's being good at many things that makes you great. I once heard someone say "A human being should know something about everything and everything about at least one thing." You always hear the phrase "A jack of all trades" but no one ever hears the second half: "A master of none." I hate having to say "I don't know." So to that end if I ever find something I do not know or understand I want to learn more about it. It's not so much a quest for greatness in my mind as it is my duty is a human. If I am going to keep using up oxygen I need to at least do something useful. As you can see, I have grown up surrounded by greatness (by my standards) and that environment has caused me to try and explore areas and expand my abilities to hopefully reach "greatness" myself some day. I hope you can also now see why it is hard to leave Macon. When you have found an oasis of greatness, you just don't want to leave it. I hope I find greatness where I am going, because it would be a darn shame to give this all up for nothing. |
Labels: ATO, Conyers, Loganberry, Macon, Mercer
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Goodbye Conyers!
| Remember, George: no man is a failure who has friends. -Clarence the Angel to George Bailey, It's A Wondeful Life. Almost exactly a year ago, I had to return to Conyers for the funeral of my friend Ken. While I was in town, I also made a visit to the first Krystal I ever ate at, and also where my 17 year Krystal Thursday Odessey started in 1989. because I moved a fair amount as a kid, I always struggle when people ask me where I am from. It isn't that I do not feel I have a "home." Quite to the contrary, I feel I have many homes. Macon is where I have lived the longest. Conyers is where I went to school and spent my childhood. Eastern North Carolina is where my family roots are and where I am soon to return. Yesterday, I returned to Conyers for a sort of "goodbye." Officially it was a going away barbecue in my honor. I think I, and everyone else there knows that I am never really "going away." I am just getting a new base of operations. Because of "where I am from" and were I am going, a Carolina Pulled Pork Barbecue was the theme. And since my friend Chris makes the best barbecue on Earth, I knew it was going to be good. To help contribute to the cause, I brought along my last two bottles of Scott's Barbecue Sauce. I donated them to the cause without hesitation because I'll soon be able to get as much as I want! I also brought along an ample supply of Cheerwine a North Carolina Speciality. Of course, Pepsi was born closer to Wilmington than Cheerwine. (Pepsi in New Bern and Cheerwine around Salisbury.) In Georgia, bringing Pepsi to a party is a sure way to get looked at funny, and possibly ejected from the party. Upon arrival, Chris unveiled the centerpiece for he evening:     On the way from Macon to Conyers, depending on your route, you might venture past an unremarkable shack on the side of the road. Unremarkable unless you're someone who knows good barbecue when you see it.  Chris's Pork-a-palooza I only managed to pull myself away from the table o'plenty and into the kitchen, where I was met by the tractor beam pull of the biggest banana pudding I have seen in years. Two plates of pudding later and I had broken a sweat. Jeff was walking around in a daze. If you were not there, my words cannot even come close to describing the tastes and the smells and the sights. I would not be the person I am today if not for the rock solid foundation built by my parents and family. Open that foundation, the "me" has been built over the years by the contributions of my friends, the greatest people I know. I learn from them, I draw from them, I love and trust and depend on them. I am who I am because of them. And for that, I suppose, I owe them everything. |
Labels: Conyers, Macon, Wilmington
Saturday, June 23, 2007
The Final Krystal Thursday?
I just got back from a tasty Krystal Breakfast (#1 breakfast combo: 2 sunrisers, hash brown Kryspers, and an OJ). While I was there I finalized plans with Bernida for my Krystal going away party. At Bernida's suggestion it will be on a Thursday. That seems fitting. Mark this date in your calendars:Thursday, June 5th, 2007 at 5:30pmI have always been taught you should never go to a party empty handed. Most people bring wine to a party of course but since I am clueless when it comes to wine (and I don't drink wine anyway) I have to get creative. Yes I have absolutely brought Krystals to a party before, on many occasions. Often I will cook something. I am famous for my cheesecakes and other desserts. I was thinking of bringing a bag of Doritos so everyone could indulge in the Kryspy Krystal. There are lots of other wonderful things you can put on a Krystal, but I need to keep in mind that whatever I bring must be able to sit in my truck for a while. I am open to suggestions of course. Also if you plan to drop by let me know. I'll try and give Bernida a heads up if there's going to be a ton of folks. As for my subject: The Final Krystal Thursday. I am absolutely being overly dramatic. I know for a fact this wont be my last Krystal Thursday. I am leaving Macon on or around July 14th. I fully expect to be a Krystal on Thursday the 12th and my father will most likely be along to enjoy a fresh Krystal or two. The big question is, what happens to Krystal Thursdays after I move to My current plan is as follows: The closest Krystal to where I will be living is in Murrell's Inlet, SC, about 2 hours south. Obviously I cannot go there every Thursday. With the price of gas, I cannot afford to go there every week on any day. I intend to make a monthly road trip to Murrell's Inlet and stock up. While I am there I will absolutely chow down on Pups, and Chiks, and Milkquakes, and basically be a glutton. Then buy the fabled Steamer Pack of 24 Krystals. Those are to last me the following month. I had planned to bring a FoodSaver along and seal them up in the store. But I have made a recent discovery. There are no exposed electrical outlets in the dining area of Krystal. I am quite sure it is a safety/liability issue. If the little girl that is always dancing on the table at Krystal happens to stick a fork in an outlet, that would be bad news for Krystal. yes it is sad that stupid people get rewarded for being stupid in today's society, but that's what government and the lawyers have given us. My next thought was to locate a nearby inexpensive hotel room to drag my catch back to for processing. Also I could stay overnight instead of making a 4 hour round trip. The problem is, there is no such thing as an inexpensive hotel room in Murrell's inlet or Myrtle Beach. My 24 Krystals would wind up costing roughly $5 each after that trip. I don't have the kinks worked out of the system yet, but I am working on it. I will also I know there are places out there that sell frozen Krystals in the grocery store. I know someone who recently moved from georgia to Wilmington and I have her looking around, but so far no luck. I know the frozen ones aren't as good as the fresh ones, but they're still better than a lot of other stuff out there! Until Wilmington gets a Krystal, I think I will be doing the Smokey and the Bandit thing and smuggling Krystals into Burgatory. Of course I already have practice smuggling Krystals into a cruise ship and dining on a Krystal on the deck of the Sovereign of the Seas on the way back from the Bahamas. (See my early October posts.) My new job will afford me Summer Vacation, Christmas Vacation, Spring Break, Thanksgiving Break and they apparently almost never teach Friday classes. While I will likely teach summer classes for a while, I expect to come south to visit friends (and eat Krystals) a few times a year. I also intend to get over to Chattanooga for the Square Off when I can. Chattanooga really is a beautiful place to visit, and I haven't seen it all yet. But speaking of nice places to visit. Wilmington is the home of Michael Jordan! There's lots of beaches! Apparently they have good seafood (even though I don't/won't eat it!). Plenty of But with that said, I am rolling out of Macon in a few hours to head up to Conyers for a Barbecue. Tomorrow I will go by the Krystal in Conyers, where it all started.  |
Labels: Chiks, Conyers, Macon, Pups, Wilmington
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Logs and Marines and bears, Oh My!
| In a slightly delayed Fathers Day nod to my father, I offer up this article from today's Macon Telegraph: And with that said, this does actually relate to my current big story: my decision to move to Wilmington, NC. When I first started my job hunt I had a rather long list of criteria for locations. Among the criteria were things like: Distance from my parents and grandmother, distance from a Krystal, distance from a pro hockey team, distance from a major university (for my eventual PhD pursuit) as well as distances from Conyers and Macon, GA where I have roots. When it got right down to it, the deciding factor was family. Bernida at Krystal said it best when I told her I was moving: You can always get another job. You can always get more friends and you'll never lose your old friends if they're real friends. But you only get one family. As the search went on, my geographic range grew larger and larger and my list of requirements got shorter and shorter. It finally narrowed to two schools. One near Myrtle Beach, SC and Wilmington, NC. I worked through my criteria. Myrtle Beach has a Krystal (Murrell's Inlet) and they'll have a hockey team in the next 3 years. Wilmington has neither, and neither one is even on the horizon at present. Both places are the same distance (2 hours) from a major university. Wilmington, however, is 2 hours closer to my parents and my grandmother. So it boiled down to which is more important: Krystals and Hockey or family. I love them all, but it's really no contest. Since I made my decision to go to Wilmington, there has been an endless flood of "signs" telling me I made the right decision. The day I signed my "letter of intent" was the day Ron Clark came to Macon. Ron Clark is from Eastern NC a little ways north of Wilmington. He and I discussed Wilmington when I met him. He told me I would love Wilmington, much the same as everyone else I have talked to who have spent time there. I am sad to be leaving my friends in Macon. I have already started having to say my good byes and they all hurt a little. There are plenty more to come. Lots of memories, lots of tears, and lots of laughs. But I have learned (the hard way) that if you spend all your time looking in the rear view mirror and crying over what you are leaving behind, instead of looking forward out the windshield and smiling about where you are headed, then you're going to run off in the ditch. Every time. Come to think of it, a ditch is just a big rut, isn't it? And I believe I discussed yesterday about how my life has slowly turned into one big rut. Now it makes sense. |
Labels: Conyers, Macon, Wilmington
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Sad + Happy = Sappy?
| Big news around here at Krystal Adventures. bear with me... This week, Ed Grisamore the write for the Macon Telegraph that interviewed me about the KLHOF this time last year, announced he was ending his Blogging stint after 1 year. During our interview, he asked me about blogging since I had been doing it for a while, and we discussed the pros and cons. Shortly after that he jumped in. in his last blog post, he basically attributed the end of his blog to a lack of time, and other pressures. I sort of saw that coming. When you write for a living, perhaps a blog isn't the best hobby to pick up. I have found the best bloggers have one or more of the following:
The reason I point this out is that over the past 4-6 months I have started second guessing keeping this blog going. When it started it was just to give play by play of an attempt at Krystal Hall Of Fame Induction. That happened a year ago.I have been setting "milestones" at which point I would end the blog: end of 2006, 1 year after I was inducted, when the new HOF class was announced. But I keep going. There's never been a lack of Krystal Kontent, so I keep going. Who knows how long? In a prior article on his blog, Ed talks about moving and how much work it can be. Packing and relocating and such can be such a headache. Once again, I am in tune with Ed. You see, folks, I am fixing to move. It's a big move. It's been in the works for a while, but it is now final. Today I gave my 2 weeks notice at work. I am moving on or about July 14th. And I am moving to Wilmington, NC. I know this all comes as a shock to a lot of people. Some folks have known for a few weeks, but not many. I am sorry I had to keep it hush hush. I did really want to blog my job-search adventures. The first blog I ever really started reading was a guy blogging on his extended job search. I found it quite entertaining and can certainly relate. If you look at the calendar you will see I have roughly 3 1/2 weeks til I move. I use the word "roughly" because this move is going to be rough as well. I have 12+ years of "crap" to sort and pack then move and unpack. Some has made it to Ebay already (I somehow made $100 on 20 comic books I bought in 1985. Perhaps the Comics market isn't dead after all?) Goodwill has already gotten my old 1987 era stereo (when CD players were uncommon, but Record Players were not and no one ever thought of a remote control). I know you probably have plenty of questions. I have heard them all at least once so far. Over the next week or two I'll try and answer them. Lets me tackle the ones you're dying to know: There is no Krystal in Wilmington, the closest in Murrell's Inlet, 2 hours south. I went there back in March if you want to dig it out of the Archives. I contacted Krystal HQ the day I made my decision to move and asked when they'd be in Wilmington. Outlook is grim. I do not know if Krystal Thursdays can survive. I'll see what I can do. I am unsure of the future of this blog. I'll have to see what happens. Bernida at my Krystal is sad but very understanding and she wants to throw me a going away party. Details will be posted here when I know them. My Conyers friends are throwing me a party this weekend featuring North Carolina Style Barbecue (and that's why I have the best friends ever!) Bottom line is, I need a change in my life. The past 4 or 5 years I have become stagnant. Occupationally, emotionally, physically, socially. I believe this is what they call a "rut." I welcome all comments, emails etc. As I said I'll answer the questions I know you'll have right here over the next few days. I don't promise to have all the answers or even have "good" answers, but I'll try. But for now, I am physically and emotionally drained. That sounds like bed time to me. Peace, Love, and Krystals(And lots of each!) |
Labels: Conyers, KLHOF, Macon, Wilmington
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Yummy.. breakfast!
| Do you remember, as a kid, waking up on Saturday morning and wandering into the kitchen, while rubbing the sleep out of your eyes. You were flooded by the delicious aroma of bacon and sausage. And there was your dad, spatula in hand, asking "how do you want your eggs?" Well, when you get to be my age, you pretty much give up any hopes of that happening anymore. If I want a delicious bacon smell in the kitchen, I have to cook the bacon. No one asks me how I want me eggs, because I know I'll be cooking my own eggs. Growing up kinda stinks. Where's the rewind button on the VCR of life? (I guess by saying VCR of life I am sort of showing my age, as well, eh?) Anyway, if you long for the days of having someone cook breakfast for you and actually ask you how you want your eggs, there's no need to fear. Krystal has ya covered. Normally when I have breakfast at Krystal I am on the way to somewhere else, usually work. So it's Sunrisers, or rarely the Scrambler. But with my goofy work schedule lately I am finding myself up at freakishly early times in the morning on Saturday and Sunday. We're talking 4:30 or 5am. When you wake up that early and you're hungry as a bear, there's really only one option:  When you go to other places for breakfast, you pick whats on the menu or you go away. Go to McDonalds and ask for 3 fried eggs, a biscuit, and 2 strips of bacon and you'll most likely have to speak to a manager. At Krystal they ring it up and ask what you'd like to drink. Hard to believe these days that a "fast food place" would "slow down" for breakfast. But then again, homemade breakfast has been a cornerstone for Krystal since they started. And come to think of it, homemade breakfast has been a cornerstone of mine ever since I started, too! Just a small editorial note: this week KrystalAdventure will be featuring a mini-series on our delicious little friend, the pig, in honor of Charlotte's Web and it's award winning actress, Dakota Fanning who also happens to be from Conyers, GA, where I grew up. |
Labels: Bacon, Conyers, Scrambler
Saturday, December 02, 2006
Stuffing Stuff
| With the release of my Krystal Secret Stuffing recipe, I have been keeping a watchful eye out for stuffing related things. And I have a small batch of them for you this morning. First, I found this article in the paper yesterday. This is most certainly not what Thanksgiving Stuffing is about. Man accused of trying to force wife into oven on Thanksgiving Now there's actually a Krystal Koincidence in there too. The events took place in Conyers, which is where I grew up and first ate Krystals. I would be willing to bet that had they made Krystal Stuffing for Thanksgiving this would never have happened. Krystals are all about love and happiness and fun, not about stuffing your estranged wife in the oven while your five kids watch. I always knew Krystals were the answer to world peace, but they may also be the cure for domestic violence. I think a study is in order. Next up, I have gotten a few reports of Krystal Stuffing being made around the country. One report comes in from New York. How do they get Krystals in New York? Well sadly, they don't. White Castles had to be substituted. Normally this would cause shock and outrage amongst those of us in Krystal Kountry, but I believe it was Crosby, or Stills, or Nash, or perhaps Young who said it best: "If you can't be with the one you love, honey, love the one you're with." A+ for effort! I mentioned the other day that I saw something at the Krystal in Byron, but wanted to get a picture of it before I posted it here. Well yesterday I took the camera and went way over to Byron to take care of it. As you may recall, I was going to hit the drive thru quick on my way to work. As I pull up to place my order I look up to see this:  Click for a full size view. I actually see the ad as a good thing. People will see supercutemodelguy and start trying to find out where they can get his Stuffing recipe. That will eventually lead them here. After the initial shock upon learning that I am not supercutemodelguy, they'll realize that Krystal Stuffing is awesome and they will realize that supercuteness isn't everything. They'll also find my Krystal Pizza recipe and their world will be a better place. Krystals are all about love and happiness and fun, not stalking supercutemodelsguys on the internet because you think they can cook. Now, what does need to happen is I have GOT to get that sign! I am fairly certain that Jennifer, the silent partner over at Krystal Lover blog could get me one since she's apparently the queen of all in store advertising. However, that seems to be cheating to me. I think since I am the head of the Krystal Adventure Acquisitions Department I should try and get the actual sign from the Byron store. No, not by stealing it! This coming week I will take a box and a cup to the Byron store and see if I can convince them to let me have it when they are done with it. The cup and box are to prove that I am the true Krystal Stuffing guy. I am sure they'll be expecting supercutemodelguy to be the stuffing king. I have checked 4 other Krystals in the area and none have that sign posted. And with Thanksgiving over, I expect they may be disappearing soon. So if you want to see it, hit the Bryon, GA drive through. And while you're there, tell em you know the Krystal Stuffing guy and he wants that sign!! And get something tasty while you're there, too! |
Labels: Cheese, Chili, Conyers, Pups, Recipe
Sunday, October 22, 2006
Krystal Kamping!
| As you may or may not recall I was a Boy Scout as well as a Cub Scout. Yes I am an Eagle Scout, and I could probably fill an entire blog post with the awards, badges, and ranks I got as a Scout. Needless to say, I'm a big fan. I'm super proud my nephews are getting into Scouting, and if you have boys, I cannot think of anything better for helping them grow into exceptional young men than Scouting. Now with that PSA out of the way, back to my point. One of my favorite things from Scouting was going camping. I even worked at Bert Adams Summer Camp in Covington, GA for 3 summers. Once I started college I stopped camping. It wasn't until last year that I got back to the woods.  Sadly, it seems I inherited my father's luck at choosing weekends to go camping. As all of the Scouts from Troop 354 in Conyers can attest: if my father (who was Scoutmaster at the time) picked the weekend to camp, it would rain or snow. The weekend I went camping last year happened to be Veterans Day weekend and also the week that temperatures dropped from 80's on Monday to freezing by the weekend. So there I am in the woods with shorts and t-shirts when the overnight temperature hits 31 degrees. Somewhere in there I seem to recall something about Boy Scouts and being prepared. But I wasn't paying much attention. I know, I know, you're wondering what on Earth is the point of all of this. Well, here it is. Next time I go camping I know the tent I need to take with me:  While I was busy drooling at the tent and the amazing aromas that issued from it, I asked Brad if it would be OK for me to get a picture taken in the tent:  Sadly, I somehow think they'd be able to give a good description of me to the police, since I'm all over the internet and stuff. Such is the price of fame, I guess. So sadly, my next camping trip will be beanie weenies, or hot dogs, or ravioli. But I'll be dreaming of a tent full of Krystals! |
Labels: Conyers
Thursday, September 14, 2006
The Onion Saga Part 2: The Root Strikes Back
| Yesterday I began the tale of the delicious, yet dangerous root veggie called the Onion. I declared my love of the Onion and, through the crafty combination of Mythbusters, Alton Brown, Steve Irwin, and my impending cruise, I explained a useful (though slightly absurd) method for chopping onions without the tears. As a side note, I have not yet tried to chop onions at a baseball game. Tom Hanks assures us in A League of Their Own that "there's no crying in baseball!" I am unsure if this is an absolute fact, but has Tom Hanks ever been wrong? But I digress. I feel it is unfair of me to give the better options for onion chopping without addressing the bad options. Everything on this post from this point forward should be considered a warning. Use my misfortune for your own education. A year ago, after I grew weary of constant onion chopping, I decided to invest in a mandolin.  I bought my mandolin for $5 at the Dollar Store. Yes you read that right. It was $5 at the Dollar Store. I suppose there's a "truth in advertising" lawsuit in there somewhere, but I'm no lawyer. And if you are thinking "Isn't $5 a bit cheap for a multi purpose kitchen tool?" then you're thinking too far ahead. Please try and stay with the rest of the children and don't wander off! Last year, while making my Krystal Stuffing, I needed to chop some veggies. You do not need to chop any onions, as Krystal has already chopped them for you and put them on the Krystals. (You are now starting to see the beauty of my stuffing recipe, eh?) I did however need to dice some celery. Yes I have now given you one of the secret stuffing ingredients. Settle down, now! Since dicing celery is no fun, I decided to put my nifty $5 mandolin to work. A mandolin had sharp cutting blades and a "slicing guard" that you use to move the food back and forth over the blade to make nice even cuts.  This is my $5 Dollar Store mandolin. Apparently, the boxes for more expensive mandolins include a warning about never using it without the guard. Boxes for $5 mandolins do not have this warning. This is a very subtle but very important point. I now firmly believe that this warning should completely cover the box in 6" tall letters. Since the celery would have been too awkward to use the guard while dicing, I went "freestyle." While freestylin' might be good for rappers, it's not such a good idea for BMX bike racing, or cooking. Cerebrus quickly devoured celery, then a large portion of my index finger. Something like this:  After realizing what had happened, I quickly ran through all of the bad words and phrases in my vocabulary (known amongst my friends and I as hockey words: things hockey players say when bad things happen). I then realized the remainder of my finger was missing. Luckily, I was not dicing directly into the stuffing bowl otherwise I would have had to toss out the entire bowl of stuffing. Since it was Thanksgiving, I could not have gotten more Krystals, because (as we all know) they're closed on Thursday. Realizing I needed first aid for my mildly mangled finger, I had to decide on which version of first aid to use:
I know you're at a complete loss over the super glue first aid approach so let me explain. One of the earliest uses for Super Glue was as a sort of band aid. This is fact and you can look it up. I had heard this fact many years ago. Then while working my first job in the seafood dept. of Bruno's grocery store in Conyers, I sliced off a portion of my finger while I was cutting salmon fillets. (Yes I can cut salmon. Steaks, Fillets, whatever ya like!) I hadn't completely removed the portion of my finger but it was irritating, like the worst papercut you ever had. Remembering the Super Glue story, I decided to put it to the test. A little bit here and there and TADA! It worked great! The best part was that I didn't have to wait for it to work. As we all know, Super Glue "bonds instantly to skin." (Hey thats another one of those tiny print warning things!) Returning to this past Thanksgiving, after I superglued my mangled finger back together, I was forced to discard the diced celery since I was unable to locate the recently jettisoned portion of my finger, and could only assume it was in the celery. I then returned to fixing my stuffing. (One handed.) Nothing was going to deter me from Krystal Stuffing with my turkey! I assure you, the "Krystal lover" title is well earned. My stuffing was wonderful. My finger hurt like crazy. And I now keep Cerebrus chained in one of the top cabinets in the kitchen only letting him out on rare occasions. Now just how exactly does this tie in with yesterday's adventures in onion chopping? Well here it is: yesterday I was discussing chopping onions by using a knife. The problem with cerebrus, and all mandolins, is they chop the onions amazingly fast however the blades aren't as sharp as a real knife so they tend to release more of that bad oil. So we get MORE oil and MORE quickly. In other words, keep a box of Kleenex handy. It's going to be brutal! So what have we learned today?
Please don't try to Super Glue Band Aid trick! Apparently, Super Glue is sort of poisonous on skin. Liquid Bandage and other similar products work on the same principle, but are actually intended for skin contact! |
Labels: Conyers, Onions, Recipe
