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The unpleasant, acrid smell of burnt poetry.
Young Men in Spats, 1936

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March 31, 2010

9:14 p.m. - Busy day again. Up at 5:30 a.m. - nearly slept through my alarm, which seems to be the norm - and off to the gym by 6:15. I struggled to do my 30 minute walk, and had to slow it down a bit after 20 minutes. Tomorrow I'll try for a more vigorous walk. Quiet evening thus far. Spent some time on the 'phone with my father, and am generally relaxing before heading to bed in about 45 minutes.

March 29, 2010

9:19 p.m. - Busy day. I was up at 5:30 a.m. - and I slept really poorly last night - and off to the gym by 6:15. This time I did 25 good, solid minutes on the treadmill. Tomorrow I'll up the ante to a full 30 minutes with a bit faster pace and steeper hill. The elliptical machine is far more forgiving than the treadmill so I am stepping up the game, so to speak, with a brisk 1.5 mile walk each morning.

This evening I grilled a couple of perfect steaks, accompanied by fresh asparagus and carrots. A great dinner! I could eat like that every night. Jennifer went for a long walk with Gryffindor after dinner, while I spent a good hour working on the Friends of Scottish Rite sponsorship brochure. Hopefully it's about ready to go without much further changes and updates.

Jennifer is watching The Queen on cable, while I periodically chime in with things the Queen might say if she had some horrible cockney accent. Time for me to pack the gym bag for tomorrow and get ready for my favorite time of the evening: bedtime.

March 28, 2010

7:57 p.m. - Relaxing weekend, and all the nicer since the weather has finally turned for the better. We had a quiet Friday at home. I had a brief nap, and after dinner - we had Papa John's - I watched the season finale of Caprica on Syfy. Frakkin' awesome show!

On Saturday, I slept in until about 8:00, and then I went to the Omaha Postcard and Paper show at the Westside Community Center. Nothing new, though I had a nice chat with Kristine, who has published several books of pictures on historic Omaha. That was really nice. I also bought another copy of her Omaha Then & Now book, one on Council Bluffs history, and Jennifer got another copy of the Junior League's cookbook. In the afternoon, we went to see Hot Tub Time Machine at the movies, which was really funny. It was a true throwback to great 1980s movies, with a great helping of fellatio jokes thrown in, too. Jennifer and I really enjoyed it! We had a laidback evening and relaxed at home.

Today, Jennifer and Julie went to Lowe's to spend too much money on various things for projects. We met for lunch at Smashburger. My fans know that I am always on the look out for the perfect burger. New burger joint, says you. New opportunity for the perfect burger, says I. Alas, this was not the place. First off, the place lacked "the hook," or that selling point which makes the ambience unique. Louis M's, the Dell, Crescent Moon, Stella's - all one of a kind places with their own charm. So what makes a franchise place different? Burger Star has that whole rock-n-roll theme going with the concert posters, the guitars, the videos playing, seats covered in some kind of fake cow hide stuff. Smash Burger was designed by a franchise architect who has never been anywhere other than a franchise. Where's the love? There was absolutely nothing to make the experience unique. Franchises live and die by what sets them apart from the others. I can get a good burger anywhere, but part of the experience is that I'm not at the other place. Not even a single piece of art on the wall. It was a franchise restaurant that will be the exact same experience in San Diego as in Seattle, Fort Lauderdale or Portsmouth. And that experience is: nothing.

So does the menu set it apart? Alas, no. You get your choice of burgers, hot dogs, or chicken fingers. French fries, onion rings, or fried veggies. I had the onion rings. They bespeak the entire problem with the menu: grease. The onion rings would have been tasty if they weren't swimming in grease. Julie had the fried veggies, which also came drenched in oils. Blech.

Indeed, the burger was quite good, but it looked they deep fried it in grease rather than grilled it. Who fries burgers? Even McDonalds burgers don't come swimming in their own stool. Toppings are key. I can over look a slimy burger if the toppings are perfect. Most places - Louis M's, I'm looking at you - drown the burger in perfect toppings. Smashburger charges a premium for the "build your own burger." So a little dollop of cheese - 49˘. A tiny scoop of guacamole - 79˘. The bacon - which I grant was thick and crispy, as good bacon should be - $1.00. Whiskey, tango, foxtrot? I may as well have brought my own ingredients. The bun was supposedly infused with chipotle goodness, and it was rightfully toasted which speaks well of some corporate franchise chef, but when it is choking in the burgers grease, how can you tell? By the time I ate half the burger, the greasy burger had slipped out of the greasy bun, and I was mostly picking it up with my fingers.

Sadly, I have to say we won't be going back to Smash Burger. I tried it. I couldn't wait to investigate whether it would contain the perfect burger. And it didn't. I give it a C-, and that's being generous.

Rest of the afternoon, fairly quiet. I took a 30 minute nap with Arabella at my side. Jennifer put together these copper pipe doohickies which will apparently keep the garden hose from dragging into the flower beds, and I helped (primarily through observing the process from the sidelines). I finally lugged the snowblower back to the basement until next season! It's nice to have my kitchen back, where it had been living since about January! Then I grilled perfect chicken breasts, made sweet potato fries (crispy, not greasy), and Jennifer made corn bread. She has gone to bed, and I'm watching my evening television before retiring shortly myself.

March 26, 2010

Adorning my desk . . .

7:54 a.m. - Nice evening last night. I started by taking the dogs on a nice walk down to Woolworth Avenue and back. Afterward, I grilled two really nice Kansas City strips and we had carrots. Jennifer made red beans and rice and I had left over broccoli and asparagus from a few days ago. After dinner, she went to plant flowers in the pots along the steps and we spent some time chatting with Greg from across the street, and I played with his daughter who is one of the sweetest, most out-going 3-year olds I've ever met. In the evening, Jennifer played on the computer and I watched last Tuesdays episode of Survivors on DVR.

March 25, 2010

1:02 p.m. - Stopped at Jimmy John's on the way back from a meeting. I ordered the Italian sammich, and I got the turkey club sammich. I have some serious bitterness going on here. I was hungried up for my Italian sammich and instead I'm champing on turkey and ham. Blech. But it was reasonably good anyway, and my tummy is full of happy noms.

So last night. I got home late after the Board meeting and Jennifer had already had dinner, so I made a pancake. It was a quiet evening. Herself went to bed early, so I watched last night's Justified. So far, I am enjoying it and there are enough amusing lines in there to keep it good. I'm still concerned that the show is the Redneck Thug of the Week with Marshal Raylan Givens deftly disarming them with his patented brand of an Old West ass-kicking. There is enough humor and wit to keep it charming, but the show is still on the ropes for me and it could still fall off my list. Lost, however, was fantastic, and each week brings us closer to what I am confident will be an amazing conclusion.

Nothing going on tonight, fortunately. I'll grizzle some Kansas City steaks and steam some vegetables. BBC moved Survivors from Saturday to Tuesday, so I'm hoping we catch up with the last new episode.

March 23, 2010

3:53 p.m. - Broiled pork chops last night, asparagus, and broccoli. All very tasty, and I am thawing a few Kansas City strip steaks for tomorrow. Tonight is the Omaha Home for Boys Trustees meeting, followed by Lost and Justified. It is a busy evening for television.

Interesting footnote for the day: other than one (or might have been two) peregrinations in the wee hours of the night to tee-tee. But having done so, I slept like an absolute rock until my alarm went off at 6 a.m., and I almost slept through it. . . again. Getting older sucks. It's harder and harder to wake up in the morning. I could go for a nap right now.

March 21, 2010

8:11 p.m. - So what the dealio? I'm at the haircut place yesterday, and this fellow walks in, the classic definition of DB. He has his woolen cap on his head, pulled completely down like some kind of head condom, rather than worn to protect his scalp from the cold. You know, like a hat! And he's wearing his sunglasses indoors (because wearing shades inside is just classic cool), with the ear piece part worn over the cap rather than over his ears and under the hat (which would be a moot point if the hat wasn't entirely pulled down) making him look like a gormless douche. It kind of put the sour touch on my day to see this guy stalking around wearing an idiotic wool cap indoors, pulled down on his head like that kid in Fat Albert comics. I just wanted to shriek do you know how frakkin' stupid you look!?

4:03 p.m. - Again, we find ourselves on the tail end of the weekend. Quite a busy last couple of days. The Dementia Care Conference was on Friday, and it was a long day. I was there at 6:30 a.m. and didn't leave until nearly 5:00 p.m. I didn't do a lot, but I was always on-hand, answering I/T questions, meeting with the exhibitors and making certain they were happy, taking pictures, and generally being available. All total, it was a smashing success, and I take my hat off for my co-workers who made it possible. Jennifer was at work when I got home, helping the orchid show people set up for the weekend. I could barely stay awake, and I generally lazed and napped Friday evening, watching Caprica on SyFy with the dogs (frakkin' awesome show!). Jennifer was out the door early on Saturday, and I was out to get the dogs to the groomers, get a haircut, and get some groceries. She got home around 5:00, and I picked up take-out dinner a bit later. Jennifer went to bed early, and I again puttered around with the dogs. Today, she was out again for the final day of the orchid show. I've been tackling laundry, ran a bunch of garbage bags of stuff to the big dumpster at work (finally!), and alternating again between laziness and industry. I'll probably grill porkchops for dinner when Jennifer gets home in about an hour and a half.

March 18, 2010

9:45 p.m. - Very long day. I picked up our keynote speaker for tomorrow's Ed Conference, one of the most delightful gentlemen I've ever met. We are very fortunate to have this doctor speak tomorrow, and I can't wait to hear him. The 2010 Dementia Care Conference is going to be very, very good!

It has been a long day. We took the doctor to dinner at Biaggi's, which was an excellent repast. I had the marinated pork chops, which were so juicy and tender, I could have cut them with a spoon. The only problem is that eating after 5:30 or so keeps me up late, and I need to be up at 5:00 a.m. tomorrow. Time to go to bed. Hopefully I can fall asleep easily tonight!

March 17, 2010

7:10 p.m. - I fired up the grill this evening for the first time since last year, and grilled a couple of hamburgers. I still haven't lost my touch at the craft, and they were nearly perfect if I do say so myself. We made asparagus and cole slaw, and Julie came over for a bite of dinner. Jennifer and Julie went for a walk, while I finished the dishes, and then I sat on the front porch with Arabella and smoked a really good briar. Ahhhh. . . Spring is here. Jennifer says it is supposed to snow on Saturday (Of course. Wouldn't that just figure?) but it looks like it will begin melting again Sunday.

7:48 a.m. - So last night's Lost: excellent! We had a glimpse of Sawyer and Miles' "alternate" life (not alternative lifestyle), which was an interesting twist on James Sawyer for us. And we had an extraordinary look at John Locke/the Man in Black. Great episode, though the only thing I don't like is that all the Lost characters take a bow, however minor, in the alternative universe. Sawyer goes out on a blind date with Charlotte, who happens to be in Los Angeles working for Miles' father, who is also in Los Angeles. Locke substitutes at the same school as Ben Linus, who happens to be the teacher for Alex Rousseau, whose French biologist parents are now also living and working in Los Angeles. I'm waiting to see how Daniel Faraday, Penny, and Desmond make their appearance!

Justified on F/X

Afterward, I watched the first episode of Justified on FX. I really enjoyed this show! Timothy Olyphant hits a home run as Marshal Raylan Givens, who shoots first and when he draws his gun, someone dies. After shooting a bad guy in Miami, Marshal Givens is transferred by way of punishment to his home turf of Harlan County, Kentucky. Turns out, Boyd, an old friend of his in town, is now the town's redneck racist, robbing banks and blowing up churches. The two growl at one another, and over an old-fashioned show down over a fried chicken dinner, with Ava hovering in the background, Marshal Givens shoots Boyd. Didn't see that coming, did you?

We'll see two story arcs unfold: the first being his relationship with Ava, an old flame, and his ex-wife who calls him the angriest man she knows. It will be an entertaining show, with the caveat that we've seen this before again and again, with different twists. We've seen Big City Cop In A Small Town in In the Heat of the Night. I'm sure there at least a half-dozen Tommy Lee Jones movies that are essentially the same, and it's hard to beat Tommy Lee Jones at this genre. My other objection is that our tightly wound here dispenses hillbilly justice at the end of his revolver. Once we've shot the town redneck and the drug-dealing redneck and whatever other archetype rednecks they think of, we're going to be out of fresh material for Marshal Givens to shoot. There are only so many good ol' boy rednecks in town to shoot. That was always the problem with In the Heat of the Night. Once you've exhausted the possibilities of Big City Black Cop in the Small White Southern Town, all you're left with is the Murder of the Week, and Sparta, Mississippi had the highest per capita murder rate in the world with the possible exception of Jessica Fletcher's Cabot Cove, Maine in Murder She Wrote, where someone was getting whacked each week. So will we take a show pregnant with possibilities and grow, or will it become Marshal Raylan Givens Versus the Redneck of the Week? Will the show parody other, better shows, or will it find a new angle on the old Shoot 'em Up?

March 16, 2010

Percy is utterly contented with his rawhide.

5:15 p.m. - Got home to let the dogs out. Percy managed to find a rawhide somewhere betwixt his room and the backyard, so he ran out, flopped down in the lawn, and began nomming his rawhide. If you have ever imagined what the most contented dog in the world, this is what one looks like.

8:30 a.m. - This is a shout out for my old college roommate, who has just announced that he has posted the banns. Congratulations, old boy! My question is, when will we be traveling to the Garden State to witness the ceremony?

March 15, 2010

9:02 p.m. - Had a great dinner at the Dell with Marcus, Dean, and his two boys. Had a nice long conversation with the boys, aged nine and six, covering the intricacies of Darth Vader, his imperial army, and the rebels. I took the view, as per usual, that the Imperial Army were a decent group of joes and the rebels were a bunch of destructive teenagers. They took an extremely different view, with great enthusiasm, and passion.

7:54 a.m. - Monday again. I hit the gym for the first time in over a week, and huffed and puffed my way to about 26 minutes on the elliptical. Time to make the gym part of my daily ritual again, though getting up at 5:30 is getting harder and harder. I fell asleep at about 11 last night, and slept straight through (a rarity for me) until the alarm went off at 5:30. I almost didn't go to the gym - had a sour stomach - but I stuck it through.

Quiet weekend for the Evanses. We relaxed at home on Friday night, which was quite nice. I think I picked up a pizza, and we generally relaxed. On Saturday, I started the day off with a KSA meeting, filling in as Secretary, followed by the Omaha Area Masters & Wardens meeting where I am - apparently - still the scholarship committee. Jennifer went out in the late morning, so I looked in on Jiffy Lube for a long past due oil change. I always walk out with 10 extra overpriced services. This time, I got talked into using a higher grade of oil and replacing the serpentine belt (which probably needed replacing). I think I need to replace a tire that has a pin hole leak next. Afterward, I generally relaxed until Jennifer got home, and we had a quiet evening at home.

On Sunday, I nearly forgot about the time change until I happened to hear about it in the news or read it online or somesuch. We got off to a late start and had lunch at Louis M's, followed by a bite of ice cream downtown. We poked around Second Chance Antiques, but the cigarette stink drove us out quickly. I took a nap when I got home, but Jennifer was called to work on business, so I spent the afternoon cleaning up around the house until she got home. Quiet Sunday. She played online and I watched TV.

In the meantime, the snow is finally melting, and it's safe to go outside. On Friday, I shoveled a great deal of doggie poo from the backyard, after letting it collect for the last 4 months. It was horrible, and sadly there is much, much more left to get from the lawn. 3 dogs, each pooping once or twice per day, seven days per week, times 4 months is a LOT of waste to collect. This is going to be miserable.

March 11, 2010

1883 Union Pacific Land Grant map. Not in the best of condition, but I'm still ecstatic about finally getting this one!

9:34 p.m. - I've been following this eBay auction for the last week, an 1883 Union Pacific land grant map. The map is in miserable condition, which is okay since the price will be right. I've seen this one sell for upwards of $900, though I saw one sell for considerably less. I kick myself for having forgotten it at the time and losing out on a chance to bid. In this case, however, I picked up this one in ratty condition for $62, which is extraordinary! I can't wait to get this. I would love to frame it, regardless of the condition sometime this summer.

8:20 p.m. - Went to the Dundee Dell for dinner, followed by ice cream. Jennifer played online while I channel-surfed. She went to bed around 8, and I'm playing online. The excitement never ends.

March 10, 2010

8:34 p.m. - The other day I looked in on a new store out west somewhere at Village Point called Brix, licensed to purvey wines and spirits. It was your typical west O store, with a lot of Range Rovers and Suburbans parked out front, and pretentious yuppies inside, gulping down samples of various high toned hooch. That was all well and good, and I admired the cute touts drawing attention to the wines, but I made a bee-line to the Scotch section and practically assaulted the wall. They had my Balvenie's, including a $200+ bottle of 21 year old portwood. They also had a fantastic selection of Glenmorangie. I took two decently priced bottles of the Glenmorangie Quita Ruban and a Balvenie's 12 year old Doublewood. I also picked up a bottle of Dow's tawney port. I had some of the Glenmorangie this evening before J got home from work. It is like liquid silk, with a touch of vitriol mixed. Mmmmm. . .  Alas, it's not quite the right aperitif to accompany a mini-pizza for dinner, but it hit the spot after a long day.

11:46 a.m. - Quoth http://blogs.amctv.com/mad-men/:

Mad Men Barbie dolls. Now Barbie can hook up with a chain smoking, passive-aggressive Don Draper or a philandering Roger Sterling.

As mentioned in the New York Times, Mattel, Inc., Lionsgate, and AMC announced today the launch of four BarbieŽ Collector Mad Men dolls available to consumers July 2010. Designed by Barbie designer Robert Best, the Mad Men Barbie doll line features key players from the Sterling Cooper Advertising Agency: creative director and leading man Don Draper; his wife Betty Draper; Sterling Cooper partner Roger Sterling; and bombshell office manager Joan Holloway. Today's announcement marks the first licensed doll line in the Barbie Fashion Model Collection, a signature silkstone collection within the Barbie brand known for featuring couture quality fashions and accessories.

A Mad Men doll? Whiskey. Tango. Foxtrot. Look, I yield to no one in my appreciation of this AMC dramatic series. But other than Waylon Smithers, who is going to pay $75 for a freakin' doll that looks only vaguely like Roger Sterling or Don Draper?

March 9, 2010

8:09 a.m. - You thought I had forgotten you, didn't you? Shame on you for entertaining that notion. Shame on you. I've been tending the vineyards, so to speak, working on a fundraiser at work which has commanded my utmost attention. It was a stunning upset success, with a phenomenal turnout. Our guests had great fun, and we raised a great deal of funds to support our programs. My volunteers, co-workers, committee members, and of course our guests made this happen, and to them, I tip my hat.

Which means I'm back to give you periodical updates of my comings and goings. That said, I have nothing else to report for the last week. In other news, apparently I accused - no, j'accuse is such a strong term. Nothing was explicitly expressed nor implicitly implied - my better half of jacking the heat up to 67° after lecturing me on the merits of saving energy. The Better Half strenuously denies doing that, and I am happy to take her word for it. So consider the statement cheerfully withdrawn with nary a stain on the family escutcheon.