To write, or not to write

Hey everyone,

Right now I should be frantically working on my finals projects, studying for tests, working on my resume to look for a summer job, any number of highly important things other than write a blog entry.

So why am I avoiding my school work? I mean, I should be worried about my grades (I am), but something just keeps nagging me about writing, you know, just to write.

It is a nice break to not have to explain what project management maturity models are, or how a anaerobic digester work and what the challenges are of having one at 17,000 ft (temperature mostly). It is nice just to type, words, just other words instead of trying to frame a business idea and model of retrofitting ocean oil rigs to generate renewable electricity and distill water for needy countries in the same voice while hitting all the key points required by the professor and the possible attendees at the assessment fair we will be presenting at on Tuesday.

I want to write about how well the 10th anniversary of the school creative arts magazine, Yours Truly, was. The band, a string trio, was amazing, but then again I am a sucker for classy music. The food was just as amazing; sausage stuffed mushrooms, spring rolls, chicken skewers, fresh baked desserts. It was probably the best food that campus has ever seen.
One attendee even admitted that when she was at the event she felt like she wasn't even on that campus anymore, but a much more better campus (okay, I embellished that last part, but I think that is what she meant to imply).

I want to write about how I want to write, anything and everything. I want to write about learning how to play guitar, record music, play piano. I want to write catchy pop rock tunes, because they are fun. Trying to be important, unique and creative is hard and well, let's be honest, it has all been done before. So, make a pop album and have fun. The sophomore flop is going to happen anyway, then you can get all crazy with playing saws and using copious amounts of ambient soft noise.

I want to write about my ideas for a movie, for the Incredible Hulk (I think it still sucks as they have, like, a rainbow Hulk team now or something like that). Not that my idea is better or more refined, but I think it would be more fun.

So there you go, me avoiding work, and not editing or checking this entry before I post it to the webernets.

Oh well, life is like that sometimes. If you're lucky, sometimes you get to enjoy the process.

Rest easy internet.
Joshua

Is this good? My Drunk Kitchen.

Snacks

These were some vanilla cupcakes I made, that I topped with vanilla frosting and habanero sugar sprinkles, they turned out amazing. 

It was a nice alternative to the old standard of spicy chocolate, in fact, the vanilla and spice worked very well together.

I bought some nettle infused raw honey at the Fremont Market recently, and man it is great! My jar is almost empty. At first I was just spreading it on buttered bread, which was great. But then I just started eating by the spoonful. Then, I added a few raw almonds to it. I think I may have found the perfect snack.

The exact honey is from Brookfield Farms, their web site is waking-wild.com. At the Fremont market, Ian (At least that is what I think his name was...) was there who is the head bee keeper at the farm. A very nice gentleman who makes a great product.

Give it a try, you just might like it.

Old photos

Hey everyone,

So I have been super crazy busy with school and projects I have been working on for school, but I have not forgotten about you or this crazy blog of mine.

Instead of talking about the great concerts I have been to (Yuni in Taxco, Telekinesis, Mal De Mer, The Lonely Forest, The Joy Formidable which was by far one of the best shows I have ever seen, not as good as seeing The Forgetters play at The Vera Project but still damn good) and all the mediocre poor college student meals I have been indulging in (rice and beans make you nice and lean...or at least they ought to), or other peoples parties I have been to and baked killer vanilla habanero cupcakes for, I am going to share some old photos with you.

I have had this roll of film for a very long time, say 5-7 years. Perhaps even longer. I just picked up the developed photos from the store and have yet to view them. I thought, how neat would it be to share my reactions and a few of the allowable photos from my past?

To be honest, I really have no idea what is on these. I have not owned a 35mm camera for ages, these could literally be of anything.

Okay, here goes. I am breaking the seal....

Wow, what a weird collection of odd photos.

The first one is of a cat. I have no idea who this cat is! It is almost as if someone stole my camera to take a photo of a cat as a prank on me. Weird...

Then there are some random ones of friends and I, but because I respect peoples privacy, I am not going to post them. Nothing out of the ordinary, just people.

But then, suddenly, more oddness.

If anyone has an clue about this one, that would be cool. I am pretty sure it is in Seattle, right? Just not sure why I took a photo of it....

A somewhat inappropriate one, I think this was in the Bothell house I lived in. Not in our yard, but seen on a walk one fine winter night.

And then just more random pictures of friends and I.

I was really expecting some epic surprise, I don't know why, but I was. Perhaps delusions of grandeur about how cool I or my past is I guess.

Stay tuned, true believers! As the summer rapidly approaches, so will my free time as I will no longer be working or taking 15 credits! At that time I will attempt to absolve my woes and fretting via this blog. Please note, that does not mean I am going to bitch and whine about stuff, just so you know.


Joshua

Kefir, Pine Pollen and the Forgetters

As you may know by now, I am a huge fan of fermented and cultured foods. I am pretty sure they are the source of all things good in the world. Like the Easter Bunny and Santa are both, in all likelihood, from a left over pile of goodness and sweets mixed with just the right amount of beneficial yeast and bacteria. You can see, I am still a young and ignorant scientist.

Science!

But I wanted some kefir, and I hated and still hate buying plastic jugs of something called "kefir" and having to recycle the bottle. It is so energy expensive to create those bottles and recycle them, and by that I mean lots of waste gets created.

So I took a crack at making my own. Since I am somewhat an enemy of dairy products, I elected to use raw nuts as the base. Specifically almonds and hemp.

I ordered some kefir "grains" from Cultures for Health and got to work reconstituting them dried kefir "grains". For this part I used Vanilla Coconut Milk from So Delicious. Once my raw almonds and raw hemp seeds came, I soaked them in water for about 6 hours. Into the blend tec blender the nuts went with a few cups of water. I was out of Jesus water so I used distilled and spring water from the store. A quick trip through the blender and then into some cheese cloth. Once separated, I added the now fresh kefir grains to this mix, placed a loose lid on it and put it on top the fridge so it can do its thing.

I used a custom recipe for my nut milk based loosely off this recipe and this recipe. I basically used 1 cup raw soaked almonds, 1/2 cup raw shelled hemp seeds and about 32 oz of good clean water. Blend, and then strain through cheese cloth. Once strained, I added some cinnamon, raw cacao powder, honey, salt, honey and some colostrum to it. Yes it was delicious and yes it was nutritious. It was so much better than plain old boring cow milk, and man did it bring the serious burst of energy. No joke. Try it, you'll like it.

Pine Pollen is supposed to be super good for people, so this spring, in fact in late March I am going to go collect as much as I possibly can in the wild. I am pretty stoked about this, and will let you all know how it goes. My guess is that it is going to be great.

The Forgetters, ah yes, Blake. You see, Blake was once upon a time in a band called Jawbreaker. Jawbreaker played a very large roll in my life growing up as a punk rock drummer in Iowa. But alas, as all good things (and bad, btw) do, they never last. The band broke up and went their ways. Blake formed another band that could have just as well been Jawbreaker 2.0, the sound was clearly a further maturuation of that dispalyed in Jawbreaker. This newer band was called Jets to Brazil. Super good, in oh so many ways. I actually got to see Jets play at Graceland (unfortunately now El Corazon) when they were on tour for Orange Rhyming Dictionary, it was a great small show. I was able to have Blake sign my copy of ORD and shake his hand and personally thank him for making music for my life. As all cycles occur, again this band was ended. But, a new band has arisen from the ashes, called The Forgetters.  And they came to The Vera Project on Jan 30th. $11. Pretty good price, seminal person musically for me, but I am also a full time student (i.e. unemployed) and $11 is well, $11.

The Forgetters were incredible. They were so tight and precise, and the energy they performed with could have blown the doors off the Vera. A pure magical night, so glad I went and was able to continue this thread in my life with a long lost unknown friend.

BBQ Sauce

Ah hell yeah, baked beans and BBQ, well, just beans and BBQ actually. I did not bake the beans, but this sauce, ridiculously good. I used tomato paste instead of ketchup, and brandy instead of bourbon, half the called for molasses, and it still was really great.

Speaking of good food, the Seattle Weekly is once again doing the Voracious food tasting, tickets are on sale now. Last year it sold out! I highly recommend this event for any local foodies that want to sample many fine noshes and tasty adult beverages for a decent price.

Another great thing coming up that looks amazing is this: Whiskies for Wildlife. Both of these things are relevant to my interests.

Fight the good fight.

Today is Feb. 13th, 2011, the day I turn 38. What a great life I have. Thanks to all my family and friends whom without my life would surely be lesser than the stellar ride that it has been. Wait...does that sentence even make sense?

The Tractor and some lentils

I recently went with some friends to see the movie "Strange Powers", a documentary about The Magnetic Fields, and I happened to be in the area earlier than expected. Well it turned out to be serendipitous as they were just getting ready to go eat at The Kingfish Cafe. So I joined them.




I had never even heard of this place, but sure am glad I found out about it. The space itself is a tiny, cozy and split in two; one side has the bar and seating, the other an open kitchen and additional seating. The cuisine is southern, and they serve it up in large portions. Not only are the portions large, but all the dishes I sampled that night were pretty damn amazing. I mean all the dishes we had were just incredible. The collard greens were especially impressive, drenched in a vinegar sauce that was slightly sweet. It literally was the best tasting thing on the table that night. And addicting. I could have eaten three sides of that by myself for a meal and been totally content. But, we had other things as well. The red beans and rice was great and both were cooked perfectly. The mac and cheese was all sorts of goodness, although, because dairy and I don't really get along, I only had one bite. So, if you're in the mood for some great comfort food, grab a friend and head to The Kingfish Cafe.

Stretch your dough (ha, get it, dough and it's about home made bread?)

Baking bread seems like an economical thing to do, so while I was shopping the other day I bought the things I needed in order to do so. The main issue was I have not baked in, like, two years or so. I mean bread type things. I have baked cookies, but that is really a whole different ball game.

I also did not have a bread recipe in my collection. When I used to bake/cook it was mostly dessert breads or quick breads (and to be honest, I always thought the quick breads I made back in the day could have been better). The only thing I used yeast in was the pizza crust dough.

So I hunted and pecked around online and ended up using this recipe for the occasion. But, alas dear reader, as you may have noticed by now that I can't leave well enough alone a plain old recipe. No! I must tinker and toy with it to no end! So I ended up adding: 1/2 cup oatmeal, 1/4 sunflower seeds, and 1/4 cup wheat germ. I also used honey instead of sugar.

It turned out surprisingly well, even though, like most men, I failed to read all the instructions and only let it rise for half the amount of time, called it good, and threw it in the loaf pan to bake.

I will say this, it was a little sweet. I was really in the mood for just some fresh bread, more a carrying device for the butter I slather on it. The honey added a little too much sweetness for my liking, that will be corrected in the next go around. But to be sure, all the bread was consumed.


Music!

King of the Beach

Expectations

A Mayan Holiday

The Choir of Young Believers pretty much rock as well. Listen for yourself. In fact their label, Ghostly International, has a few bands that I really enjoy.

Sharon Von Etten is great as well. Here is a song (video is not hers, fyi...) and she was on NPR also. If you have not heard, NPR is a great place to discover new really good music.

Okay, so the snow day I am on today is great, and Cheryl at KEXP playing great songs non-stop, so here is Dan Deacon if you have not heard about him.

Clap your hands.

Links!
http://dailylit.com/
http://www.bartleby.com/
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Main_Page
http://scholar.google.com/

The Tractor Tavern

I found myself in Ballard on a Tuesday night in search of a beer and some live music. Good thing I went Ballard, they have plenty of both.

Playing at the Tractor that night was : Smile Brigade, Julia Massey and the Five Finger Discount, and Airport Way.

I missed a little of Smile Brigade as I was down the street enjoying a beer, but I caught the last half of their act and they were pretty damn good. They also clearly really enjoy their craft, so that made it all the more enjoyable. I can't really say what they reminded me of, but I did enjoy their rambunctious tunes they were laying down.

Julia Massey and her group were really talented, especially their bass player. He was killing it all night long. The drummer reminded me very much of Chris Daly from Texas is the Reason and Jets to Brazil, very nice. Julia herself sounded like Joanna Newsome, but without all of her unique inflections and harp sound. They had some pretty good songs, but a few weaker songs. It's almost as if they are still getting used to each other, sorting it all out, and not really trusting themselves to be in this band. The bass player was super nice, between songs he ran into the crowd and shook peoples hands to thank them and hugged the obvious couples in the crowd. And then, zoom, back to the stage in just the nick of time to play again. Awesome.

Airport Way I had heard of before, probably on KEXP, so I was interested to hear them because of this. I was a little confused, I only had time to listed to three songs before I had to leave to catch the bus home, but each song was different. I mean, they are talented people, but please, settle on a sound. Unless of course, not having a sound is your sound. The first song was folk-ish until the end then it rocked out. The second song was a equal parts 311 and Sublime, and the third song was clearly inspired by the Chili Peppers. Oh well, I was off the bus anyway.

So I started a sourdough starter, from scratch, pretty cool. I just hope I can keep it alive and use it. I also started a kefir with coconut milk. I think that is going to be great. Can you tell I am into cultured and fermented foods?

I also made some really good lentil soup.
Want to know how? Okay...

Well, the real trick is to start with some left over soup as the base. I cooked one cup of green lentils with two cloves of chopped garlic, added a Tbs of turmeric, a dash of cayenne powder, salt, and a spoonful each of: powdered cat's claw and Health Force Earth (google it). After it all cooked for about 20 mins, I added two stalks of chopped celery, 1/4 of a diced red onion, a Tbs of sesame seeds, 1/2 cup chopped red cabbage, and two talks of kale chopped. Cook for another 10 mins or so. Test the lentils to make sure they are soft, and serve. I topped mine off with a sprinkle of hemp seeds and some salsa. It was much better than I had hoped it would be, and I am pretty sure it is because I started with the old soup base. It was the previous batch of lentil and diced tomato soup.

The truth of the universe.

Some things I found in the dryer...

You must not know who I am.

*Warning* This link is a video that has band language in it.

Well guess what, I have all these old half done blog posts laying around and I ran across this one from towards the beginning of this year about some corn bread that as I recall was awesome! That and I have been crazy busy, like one million thoughts per minute crazy "quick, write that idea down before I forget it".

So at campus, I feel like the youtube ambasador of funny clips. Well, at least of the ones I think are funny. It amazes me that somewhere in the world, even right now, someone is being deprived of seeing old GI Joe PSA's being dubbed over. *warning, see above*.

I was going to go see The Head and the Heart play with Avi Buffalo, but when I got to Neumos I found out the show was sold out. But the evening was not lost as we then went to The Elysian on Capitol Hill for a beverage. Surprisingly we ran into a table full of fellow Cascadia College Students who just happened to go there after a tour of McKinstry. There was also two others there, sitting at a different table, that I know from the now defunct Sunday Brunches. At first I did not recognize them and thought they were waving to someone behind me, but when I got closer I recognized them. Clearly, there must have been some sort of planetary alignment going on for such a rare moment to occur.



It is also the season for skipping Thanksgiving and going right to Christmas! Not really, in fact, thank you all. Never the less, here are a few of my favorite things: Brazilian Girls, Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr., Tchaikovsky - Piano Concerto 1 - B Flat Minor,


As you may have guessed, I have been slammed with school work and on campus club meetings. One of my professors is teaching us with a 400 level text book written by this guy which has no teachers edition and the pre req for the class was only Math 107. Needless to say, it is challenging. But fun in an odd self torturing sort of way.


One of the new clubs on campus that I am involved with is a new online school news paper. In the first meeting we threw around some ideas about possible names for the paper (my original idea was to call it The Kodiak Times as the Kodiak bear is the school mascot) and I happened to be flipping through the most recent edition of, oh I can't recall, it was either The Stranger or The Seattle Weekly and reading my horoscope which I do for pure entertainment purpose. That particular week the word Skookum appeared in my prognostication, and it was described in the passage as being in harmony and perfect for the job. I suggested skookum as a possible name, and to my surprise and horror, it was voted in as the name for the school newspaper. It is a regional Chinook Indian word so it does hold some relevance that way. Not sure if I should be proud of that or not, but as the typical dry and humorless saying goes "it is what it is", but isn't it always? I will be a contributing writer, possibly with a pen name, doing my best to write articles like this guy. Lord save us all.




- the Seattle Weekly horoscope had this to say about my people:

Aquarius(Jan. 20-Feb. 18)

Aquarians are likely to travel very far before they realize they took a wrong turn. Perhaps you’ll be 90 percent of the way toward being a doctor before you figure out that you really don’t want to practice medicine. Of course, such a revelation or admission could be almost traumatic (for you and whoever paid for your years of schooling), but don’t get too worked up about it. Your first impulse will naturally be to change course immediately—however, that wouldn’t be the wisest decision. Although you should begin to consider alternatives, see this choice through to its next immediate conclusion (graduating from medical school, for instance) before you figure out what’s next. You’ve come this far, after all.

(Oh how I can relate to feeling like I have gone way too far down the wrong path in many areas of my life. Surprisingly, I do become more than a little self doubting when I reflect on my life and where I think I am at in it. I have been doing some life reflecting these last few weeks, and I am not overly happy about the conclusion I have come to. I was inspired to hear a key note speech by Nancy Rawles at the 2010 WCCHA Conference and she shared a story about a conversation she had with a retired therapist who told her of course most people are depressed, that you had to be smart in order to be depressed other wise you would not know what you are missing and not be depressed. I wonder what this guy has to say about that? Actually, probably something like this.)


- The Stranger Free Will Astrology had this to say:


Numerologists say the number 10 signifies completion, wholeness, totality. It could rightly serve as your lucky number in the coming weeks -- a symbol of your power to draw long-term processes to a climax on your own terms. But you might also want to consider using 11 as your emblem of good mojo. That number denotes the drive to surpass the success you've earned before -- to transcend easy triumphs and conventional wisdom so as to reach for a more challenging conquest. Either way, Aquarius, I think you'll be flying high for the foreseeable future, so there's no need to worry about which way you should go. If you do choose 11, the risks will be somewhat greater and the rewards more interesting.

...and then the other day at the Symphony, on the say out, I found $0.11 on the floor! What does it mean?

- "Yours Truly" is once again taking submissions, so if you know any artists of any sorts, point them in that direction if they are looking to submit pieces for possible publication. This is the 10th edition of the magazine and are going to be putting out a mega great book (well, they always do, but more so this being the big 10 and all).

And now some notes on cooking and other kitchen related stuff....




This just in! Salt and chocolate products that are awesome. More chocolate. More salt!


Date line: November 12th, downtown Seattle pre-symphony...



The Brooklyn before the concert was amazing. Crowded, yes, but man you can't beat $1 oysters on the half shell and $4 pints. Even though it was crowded, it was surprisingly not filled with all swanky dressed people. There was common folk there as well. Oh sure there was a few well dressed people, such as myself, but there was also an average couple sitting at a table playing cards (didn't get close enough to tell which game it was) while they waited for their food and drinks. All in all it was a swell crowd. Apparently, when it is this crowded (which is most of the time I guess), you get to sit at the bar and get to know your neighbors real well as the drinks and food flow.


And in closing, I ran across this corn bread recipe that I used way back in the beginning of the year at a dinner party with pulled pork sandwiches. I am not sure if I have already shared this recipe, and really even if I have, it is worth sharing again. This, was, amazing...oh wait. I get it now, I think I used a terrible pun about it being a-maiz-ing or something like that. Oh well. Read this, make it, enjoy it!


I used a regular corn bread recipe with some tweaks: I added some cheese, used keifer & sour cream, whole corn (which was pulsed in a food processor with the cheese, keifer and sour cream). I baked it in a cast iron pan that was coated with the grease from 5 thick cut strips of bacon that I cooked in it earlier. I also added some diced jalapeno's in the pan with the bacon fat to really infuse the whole thing with a nice jalapeno flavor.

It was dynamite!

Boom!
Also, some serious cole slaw. There were two versions at that the party; one was jalapeno and cilantro infused and the other was regular but delicious as well. I only have the recipe for the second one (maybe if the maker of the jalapeno cilantro one reads this entry they could put the recipe in the comments box?):

1/2 head of green cabbage
1/4 head of red cabbage
(this ratio can be changed based to what you like)
1/2 red onion (aren't they really purple?)

Dressing (or as the cook called it "sauce"):
8 Tbs Mayo (your choice, you could also make your own)
2-3 Tbs Apple Cider Vinegar
Salt and Fresh Cracked Pepper

I found it great slapped on top of my pulled pork sandwich, man it was awesome!

(Shout out to the host, thanks for having me over. I had such a great time) I had never been to this location for a dinner party before and it was great, mostly because it reminded me of the house I grew up in. The wood trim around each door was the same, and the 45degree angle/slant in the upper part of the last foot of the wall before it became the ceiling was also the same as in the house I grew up in. Of course the company and the food played the most part in the overall enjoyment of the evening, but the feelings of nostalgia the abode brought upon me was gentle and soothing in the evening as well.

Good night everyone, thanks for reading.
- Joshua

Hey-ooo, nothing but good times

When you're standing in a chow line!

Yeah, so hiking for the time being has been put on hold as classes are in session. I have been biking lots; mostly to campus and for classes and club work. But, I am happy to say I got out and saw some live music!

It was Friday, the 22nd, and I had bought my tix to go see the Vaselines at Neumos. Local Seattle band The Young Evils was opening followed by The Dum Dum Girls from Cali. KEXP DJ Troy Nelson is in The Young Evils, and The Vaselines heavily influenced the Seattle grunge scene back when that was still a thing. Nirvana actually covered their song "Molly's Lips".

Beer

But before all that, I went to The College Inn Pub, apparently where all the cool grad students hang out. After a few pints with some friends, we ran into some other friends, and of course they all got invited to see the show. I mean after all, it was the Seattle City Arts Fest weekend, and the sad part was it was not even sold out.

After conversing and agreeing to meet at the venue, we departed to Aladdin Falafel Corner for some quick grub before the show. I actually had heard about this places some time ago, way back when I worked for WashPIRG when after a canvasing shift everyone would go out here to eat and lounge on the couches. I, however, was working two jobs at the time and always went straight home after words to sleep.

Anyways, the grub there was great.

We then made our way to the venue, met our friends there and began to listen to the sounds.

The Young Evils

There was a short food break we took before the Vaselines went on. We went just down the street from Neumos to Rancho Bravo for some of the best taco's you can get on Capitol Hill.

...wait a minute, we need to got back for another epic night that took place about 4 weeks ago....

Actually, a few things happened that weekend. First, the place where the band I play in was being vacated by the tenants and the band mates that lived there. What does that mean? We lost our practice space :(

Second, one of the gentlemen moving out was having a going away blast. That day, if you recall, was a gorgeous Saturday in Seattle. Sunny and just warm enough to be sleepy. What a better way to celebrate than go hit up Paseo for a awesome sandwich (seriously, if you have not eaten here, please do so before you leave town), pick up a six pack and head down to Gas Works park to have a picnic? None!

Later that day we all met at Linda's Tavern in Seattle. Yeah, so we got there about 9ish, and I had to use the facilities. 9pm on a Saturday, as you well know, means the place is not yet jumpin. So I made my way to the Men's room where I was the only occupant. Now this is a regular men's room and it is built to accommodate several gents at a time, which is why it was odd that while I was using it there was a "knock-knock" on the door. I answered "Hello?" like "who the hell is knocking on the men's room door?" And to my surprise, the door opened to reveal seven women standing there begging and pleading with me for my help. Turns out it was a brides maid party on a scavenger hunt and they needed to have their picture taken in a men's room by a urinal and they asked me to take a photo of them. So I did, it was the least I could do. I mean, they already invited themselves into the restroom. But then they said they needed another favor, and one of them handed me a banana. Yes, I was as confused as you are right now. They said I could anything with it, so I proceeded to unzip my pants and stick just part of it in leaving the majority of it exposed. This, of course was received with hoots and hollers from the ladies, and one of them actually got down and put the other end in her mouth while another one took a picture of the event. It does my heart good to know I am now part of someones pre-wedding scavenger hunt memories.

Mind you, this was all before I even had a chance to get a drink from the bar that night; the bar for the evening was set very high indeed. I am happy to report the night lived up to it's expectations. Oh, I almost forgot, it was also someone's birthday that day (you know who you are), so in effect it was a DOUBLE PARTY!

So then Sunday, the following day was the Fremont Ocktober Fest and 5k run. Well, needless to say, I was in no shape to run and did not even make it to the fest until 2pm. But, it was still great. I got my shirt as if I ran and all my beer tokens. I met a friend of mine there, also named Josh, and at one point in the afternoon, his better half left me in charge and responsible for both he and I. Note: never let Josh watch Josh at a beer fest. Well, I mean you could, just be aware of the only possible outcome.

But wait, my weekend of binge drinking is not over yet! We then went to Brouwer's and had absinthe drinks and goat stew, and a few more beers. But wait! We were still hungry and thirsty as the night wore on, so off to the North Lake Tavern for pizza and beer!

...whew...

just recalling it all to tell you all is making me tired. But I am happy to report that despite all that, I was up early on Monday, all fresh eyed and bushy tailed ready for the first day of the quarter....

wow, and now mid-terms are already here.

c'est la vie