Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Gimme Shelter

While waiting for the red light to change, this storm moved across my view. The race to get home and walk the Stan officially began!
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Saturday, May 23, 2009

Half sour & dill

Being greeted with a plate of half sour/dill pickles with green tomatoes is one of the few pleasures I can still find at my local deli 'rant, the Pastrami Club. Usually around Wednesday I get the pickle itch. Once I start to scratch the only relief in sight is to give in, hands up in surrender and ask for a booth. Before the waitress can even greet me, satisfaction arrives and the itching stops. The assortment is a sodium nightmare, yet quite a tasty delight. As soon as the plate hits the table, I slice & dice like Edward Sissorhands in a beauty parlor even finishing before the meal arrives. There have been times when after canabalizing the plate and the carnage ends, I ended up taking my entire lunch back home to go. I walk away happy knowing there will be more pickles another day.
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Sunday, May 17, 2009

3 a.m. Snack

Can we agree that at 3 in the morning everything tastes good on a bagel? It was empty the fridge nite when making these. Can you name the ingredients?
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Sunday, May 10, 2009

The Perfect Pickup

The alignment of time and space when arriving at an airport to welcome out of town guests is viewed by many as the Perfect Pickup. I guess if I were writing this when I was younger you would be reading about how to grab a girl’s attention. Nonetheless this is about experiencing zero wait time upon arrival. For years I was able to call the airline and check on the status of the flight yet once I left the house any changes in status would only be discovered after aimlessly circling the airport. While my cell phone informed me of changes and web access provided real time adjustments, the perfect pickup is not always guaranteed.

The other night I had the opportunity to experience such an event. I planned accordingly using all necessary tools to facilitate the alignment. My cousin informed me that his bags were carry-on and he would meet me outside immediately after landing. Everything was looking great, traffic was light, no unexpected surprises, and the plane was on time. As I approached the off-ramp from the interstate to the airport entrance my cousin called, this was too good to be true. This was the phone call I was expecting all night. The one that was going to tell me he arrived. This was the phone call telling me that he is headed for the arrival area. No delays, no unexpected surprises, and the plane arrived on time. The perfect pickup was in sight.

I answered and I heard what I wanted to hear…almost. He arrived safely (a good thing), yet his bags were checked in at the airport. The perfect pickup escaped by the delay of waiting for baggage claim. The perfect pickup was once again just a fantasy, yet having spent the last few days with family; I realized I had the exceptional pickup.

Saturday, May 2, 2009

Finished before 41

And I have over two weeks to spare. Today is graduation and if I was in Phoenix, Arizona right now I would be walking to receive my degree. I just read that some universities are eliminating the customary handshake, yet what I find disturbing is that the shake was not replaced by the "fist pump". Hey, if it's good enough for the President...that's all I have to say about that. (Insert a fist pump here!)

I'm not sure what happens next. I did not always aspire to have a Master's degree or to be bothered by the course work. Hoops should be a game played on the court, not in the classroom. Yet despite the hoops, I did enjoy the challenge of reading, writing, and debating with my classmates. I'm going to spend the next few days decompressing and wondering what to do with this new piece of paper.
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T