Monday, January 15, 2018

On The Fence

I’m on the fence about whether it’s a good thing or not for the NBA to cash in on the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King by broadcasting a marathon of games on TNT today, but I’ll try to figure that one out while I watch the Golden State Warriors take on the Cavaliers of Cleveland.

Instead of sitting around the house watching NBA or surfing the interwebs today - or generally doing anything of service - I decided to take my children on a 5 mile hike to some waterfalls out by the Lewis River in SW Washington.

It was especially fun because my older brother came along too. And actually it is sort of a service for my kids, gave them an opportunity to get away from their devices and see the outdoors ... and spend time with their Uncle Pat!

I remember going to San Francisco, crossing the Golden Gate Bridge with my aunt and uncle and cousin when I was young. And I want my kids to have that sense of family and experiences that they can pass on to their families.

Now it’s halftime, and Charles Barkley and Shaq are talking like the Warriors-Cavs might be the best rivalry in the league. And yet maybe we won’t see either team in the Finals this year. There are a lot of good teams. In the West and in the East. OKC, Houston, Boston, Toronto ...

For my money, the best rivalry might be between my son and my daughter though. Over and over they are battling about who’s first, who gets the most attention, who’s the favorite. And that’s when it turns ugly. They argue about who can cover their face the best, who wears a hood better, versus hiding her face with her hair; who’s going to push who off the wall, into the drink; and who’s going to be the most annoying. Who gets the most attention. Who’s the loudest. Who gets to control the dog. And who gets to control me.

Me, that’s who.

I try so hard not to show any differential favoritism to either of them, I don’t think there’s any way I could love someone more that I do them. And it’s different, but not equal. I love them with pride, I love my son with satisfaction for doing an excellent job; and I love my daughter with fear - fear of a new school, fear of fitting in. But it’s even more than that, it’s love from seeing the results. And a fear of expectation. My expectations are high, but I hope for their expectations to be even higher.

So when I hear from my son that he thinks I take his sister’s side all the time in arguments, it breaks my heart; disappoints me.

Well, now the Warriors finally taken the lead in the 3rd quarter with a 3 from Curry, and we know it’s going to be all right. I still don’t know if it’s ‘okay’ to use MLK-day to sell a televised basketball marathon. But they play basketball on Christmas, and I don’t hear too many people at my church complain. In fact, that’s always something we look froward to. Just so long as the refs don’t play favorites.

Saturday, January 13, 2018

Linguisa Omelette from Paul’s Restaurant & Lounge

Starting a new blog. Writing about something.

Writing about eggs.

Writing about an omelette.

A linguisa omelette from Paul’s Restaurant & Lounge in Vancouver WA. The omelet was okay, but it came with a half order of homemade biscuits and gravy which was really good. But the linguisa was cut up, looked like bits of hotdog. Didn’t taste as exciting as I’d hoped.

But let me tell you about the biscuit. It was a square, like something cut from the pan of a cornbread cake. It tasted real good / had good flavor, and the sausage gravy was thick and yummy. But it wasn’t like an actual biscuit! Then I doused the whole thing with Cholula Hot Sauce, which earned a comment from our waitress, and then who could tell anyway. Not a crumb was wasted.

But this wasn’t our regular joint! So we weren’t used to eating here (right next to the Elbow Room, world famous drinking establishment). It was Bruce, Tom, Tim, Nancy, Neil, Jerry, and me. Seven of us at the table, and the waitress was on her game. She had comments and coffee enough for all of us, and that’s enough of a reason for me to come back again, try it again. Tim had pigs in a blanket, and the waitress had something funny to say about that too … after all, he’s a grown-ass adult.

Our regular spot is Dulin’s cafe, just around the corner from Paul’s, on Main Street. It might be a little better, but it’s also a little pricier. And it’s also a lot more crowded. But Dulin’s was closed today - for maintenance. I’m thinking, maybe best to keep that quiet too.

But of course we’ll be back to Dulin’s. They’ve got a traditional English breakfast that’s really good, even comes with grilled tomato. And an omelette called the French Connection with brie cheese baked inside.

I like having breakfast with these guys. This is a good crew, even though Larry was missing.

The other crew goes to Provecho, an awesome Mexican restaurant. There’s Greg and Richard and sometimes Brian and Reed. A good group of guys. A little too conservative, but they let me hang so that’s cool.

It’s literally (not literally) a hole in the wall establishment, Provecho. They’ve got outside eating, and a sausage and egg burrito that’s to die for. Also, today would have been a perfect day to eat outside. Weather’s just amazing. Instead I’m spending it inside writing a blog, waiting for the NFL games to begin.

And Provecho has this proprietress who always has a snarky comment, and lets Richard ask if they have any leftovers from the night before. Maybe a cup of soup, or a single enchilada. And the chips & salsa cost $6 … but I think they’ll refill them for free. The salsa is always delicious, and the red sauce will make you cry it’s so good. I’ll sometimes get the hiccups after eating too much. Such a gringo!

But back to Paul’s … 

Paul’s almost makes you yearn for the day when you could smoke in a restaurant. There was another party sitting at about 5 tables pushed together with dudes wearing black leather vests with Christian Motorcycle Club patches on the back. Hell’s Angels rejects. Christian badasses.

And there we were, seven of us squeezed together in this makeshift booth. I’m jealous because Tom and Bruce are going down to Mexico next week, and that’s what a lot of our conversation consisted of. And the James Taylor concert soon with Bonnie Raitt. “Oh Mexico, I never really been so I just don’t know.”

End new blog.