How Evil Are You?

I took this test and since I came out OK, I thought I would post the results.




How evil are you?

Sunday Gift Exchange

Our gang consists mainly of four couples including Barbara and I. Today, we got together to exchange gifts since Brian and Faye are taking an excursion to New Mexico next week. We met at Claude and Judi's log cabin to begin the festivities.



The log cabin holds some good memories for the guys of the bunch. If anyone is doing a major project, the other three help. Projects are usually smoke screens for getting together to curse, tell dirty jokes, and have a few drinks. This time though, we were tearing down a section of the roof and replacing supports for the porch. I have to say, at first, I figured trying to remodel the cabin was a waste of time. It was in poor shape. There were holes in the roof and the floor. When the door was shut, cement from between the logs crumbled off and hit the floor. It sounded like the place was falling apart. Believe me, Brian, Marty, and I gave Claude hell - as is the duty of any guy to rag his buddy at every opportunity.



So there we were, sitting on top of Claude's roof, tearing off shingles and rotten boards. We were laughing and making fun of the place. When we demolished the part we were going to rebuild, we stood back to admire our handiwork. Someone said, "that looks pretty good where we removed the roof." I added, "yeah, why don't we keep going and make it look even better." We worked the whole day on the place; Claude would spend many days and to the amazement of us all, it turned out great. It has real character and has a real character living there.



Back to the gift exchange. I stopped by Lowe's on the way to get my gift for the boys. I bought each a pair of fancy safety glasses. Get it? The blind guy giving something to protect sight? These were stylish too. I also bought them a box of assorted sheet rock anchors. Now you ladies are probably scratching your head about now, but any guy would appreciate this gift. If you don't know what a sheet rock anchor is, it is a little plastic tube that one presses into the wall (after a hole is drilled) then a screw goes into it. They are used to hang pictures, shelves, and anything else you want hung on the wall. Every guy has needed one and had to go to the hardware store to get one instead of just walking to their tool shed or kitchen drawer like they can now. I am saving them a lot of hassles here. The last thing I bought them was some bungi cords. Guys always need to strap things down so I am helping out.



We also swung by the grocery store and bought some vodka and bloody mary mix. Everything was in place for a good time. Friends, a nice place full of memories, presents, and some refreshments. We had a great time laughing and exchanging gifts. After the gift exchange, we all went to Outback for a late lunch / early dinner.



It was a great time on a great day with some great friends. Just another seasonal tradition I got to enjoy. I feel blessed to have such good friends.



Here's to you Brian, Faye, Marty, Cindy, Claude, and Judi - ya'll have given my life much happiness.



Until the next time

John Strain

Roasted Corn Grits

I talked about these roasted corn grits yesterday and had some inquiries about them. I have tried making them with some success, but the best place to get them is at Zea's Restaurant in New Orleans. The easy way is to get some Quaker yellow grits, make them according to the box, then stir in a can of creamed corn. Cream can be added to make the consistency smoother.



Here are a few recipe links you can experiment with. They are simple. An alternative to roasting the grits over charcoal is to do it in an iron skillet.

• More Complicated



• Less Complicated



• Lacee's Recipe Exchange - Good New Orleans Recipes



• More New Orleans Recipes

Enjoy!



Until the next time

John Strain

Busy Saturday

I got up at 5 AM to get ready for my run. Stepping outside to get the newspaper I noticed the clouds overhead sailing quickly across the sky. It was blustery and the leaves were making clattering sounds as they brushed against each other. The birds were not singing yet and it was about 30 minutes before sunrise. I thought to myself, I hope that rain holds off until after the run. I made the coffee and applied vaseline to strategic areas on my body to prevent rubbing myself. Long runs are notorious for causing bad skin rubs. The nipples and crotch are most at risk. Some runners put band aids on their nipples, but I just use vaseline. I am a bit concerned about what the paramedics would think if I dropped dead and they found band aids on my nipples. "Oh lord Lou, look at this - another weirdo - we get 'em all."



Neal showed up right on time - 6 AM and we took off. Just barely light, by now the squirrels were running around the trees. Their toenails clicking on the tree bark and singing birds gave testimony of a new day. Temperature was in the mid 50's and all went well until about mile 5 when the rain started. I do not mind so much if the rain starts when I am into the run, but I won't start in the rain. It ended up pouring and I could not have been more wet had I jumped in a swimming pool. It was different and different is usually welcomed by me. One stretch of road was fresh black top and the rain made it look like glass. I imagined I was running on water like a river - it looked that way. I remembered Hawkeye from the TV show MASH in the episode when he was temporarily blinded saying the rain sounds like an egg frying - he was right.



I was not the only one running in the rain. I passed some people and we acted like nothing was strange. Altogether, it was about 40 minutes in the rain. Ran a total of 11 miles. The Napa Valley Marathon is March 7, 2004 and I am right on schedule.



Once home, I rung out my clothes and hit the shower. Oooooo did that feel good. I had to hurry, because by 9:00 AM there was an inservice at City Hall for the Planning and Zoning Commission, of which I am a member and the City Council about city planning. Not what I wanted to do today, but it was informative and the speaker was very good.



After the meeting, I had to go into work for an hour or so to do a social history for a new admission. Now, I am back home and about ready to install a new 120 GB hard drive in my computer. I am replacing my main hard drive which is 2 years old and I am losing faith in it due to some strange noises. Since I do video work, the extra GB's will come in handy for more scratch disk space.



Tonight, the big reward is going to Zea's Restaurant in New Orleans. Their specialty is ribs and my favorite side dish, roasted corn grits. It would be easier to describe heaven than to describe how good these grits taste.



After eating we may go to the Celebration in the Oaks. City Park in New Orleans is decorated with zillions of tiny lights and it is an amazing sight. I will take my camera and try to get some good pics.



That's it from Louisiana on this Saturday. I hope your Saturday is going your way.



Until the next time

John Strain