As I was sitting there scraping off the fried coconut/batter that made up over half of what were microwave reheated coconut shrimps I was thinking to myself about how awesome my life was.
There I was, 10 minutes ago, 11:30 pm on a Tuesday night sitting at a dinner table alone in the middle of a retirement community in the middle of Florida...eating leftover red lobster. Leftovers that weren't even mine to begin with. I only like coconut shrimp when I can barely taste the coconut. So most of the coconut shrimps? I don't like too much. This was one of those cases.
I was thinking to myself how I must be a disgrace to those that came before me because I'm sure they loved coconut. My parents love it. I'm not a huge fan of the taste. Just like watermelon. People think I'm crazy not to like watermelon. Well I think some people are crazy for not liking to eat meat with the bone still in it.
We're down here to help support my last surviving grandma. Well, she is a grandma by law to me, but still I consider her family.
Her husband passed away on Thursday morning. Which was a bit of a blow to me because we had just seen him the Sunday before.
And I was kicking myself after hearing that news.
The guy had seen a lot. And due to cancer in the past he had to eat through a tube and that made it hard for him to talk. I'm sure he would've loved to share a lot of his knowledge with me. From what I had heard from the rest of the family, he was a great investor, and to this day even after his death he still has money outperforming the market. I wanted to pick his brain for a good 30 minutes at least on what he thought of what was going on. And now I'll never get the chance to.
So if you think I was being facetious regarding the whole coconut shrimp bit, I wasn't. Life could always be worse. Or life can be over before you know or expect it.
Sometimes I step outside of myself - this may sound odd - but I almost look at it if I was being taped as part of a reality show.
-Here's Seth reading his book in bed...
*stomach rumbling*
"I'm starving. This is what happens when I eat dinner at 5 pm."
*Seth stumbles through the dark looking for the light switch in a house where he is not familiar with the placement of furniture and more importantly light switches. He touches a glass framed painting and has a moment of panic when he realizes that the painting could fall to the floor busting the glass in to shards and cutting up his feet. He brings it a step further and imagines his wife and her grandma in the local emergency room, looking over him and sighing as a doctor is stitching up his foot. They are surrounded by other senior citizens suffering from similar ailments. What a clumsy bunch. Finally he finds a light switch...woops wrong light...and finally...*
So the grandma has a thing with leftovers. You could say that about me too. I love leftovers. I will eat things up to about a week and couple days later. And I'll still think they're good. Something about leftovers hopefully reminds you of when you were first eating it. Or maybe not.
Well, "grammie" as they call her is the exact opposite. She would rather chuck it down the disposal than box it up and put it in the fridge. I think since we've been down here on Sunday, it's been the first time she's had leftovers in the fridge. How can that be possible you might ask? Lots of sandwiches.
So the wife tells me to "eat those shrimp so that grammie can stop complaining about them tomorrow". Hunger + food available = no more hunger.
Luckily for me there was also a baked potato from the red lobster meal that could serve as my carb. Unluckily for me while I was microwaving the whole bit the shrimp started popping and I had to shut the whole thing down. And what did that mean? Cold ass potato. So the whole time I'm struggling with trying to cut the coconut breading off of this shrimp the dog comes out, nose in the air, wondering what the eff I'm doing up at this time...but I'm eating so she's interested.
Unfortunately I couldn't even pawn off the cold potato on her either.
And yes, I was too lazy to put it back in the microwave. 'Tever, I wasn't that hungry after trying to throw down a few shrimp (with ketchup nonetheless!) anyway. Hah - and the best part of this post? The whole reason I am writing it is because I have this whole deal about eating and then going straight to bed. I feel like food won't digest as well (and I have read things about eating before going to bed - and how we shouldn't) since I'm in a horizontal position. So I stay up for at least 30 minutes after eating (just like how I don't go swimming for 30 minutes after eating) to make sure everything is OK before hitting the sack. That is unless I'm wasted. And if that's the case sometimes I'll catch myself sleeping on the toilet.
And that is why my life is awesome. I find this almost inexplicable joy in thinking about my thoughts or thinking about how ridiculous I would seem doing things that feel normal to me. Yes. All this from a plate of leftovers.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Summer Breeze
Makes me feel fine...
When it's summer in Seattle you know it.
Down here in Charleston you can't really tell. Or at least I can't because I haven't seen the winters down here. Almost every day I've been down here it's been in the mid 80s to as high as 100 degrees. I can count the number of overcast days (not even raining all day like it does in Seattle) here in Charleston on 1 hand.
And you know, honestly I was afraid that being in the sun every day (like some parts of this country) would be oppressive. Especially with the humidity down here. I thought it would get old after a month after seeing how I felt about Vegas on day 4 of a "vacation". But it hasn't been bad at all although I think it would a lot worse if we were further inland.
The reason I'm writing it this post is because this afternoon was the first time I looked around me and really felt "summer".
One of my defining moments of each summer - and I understand it might seem silly to others - is getting that moment when the sun is about halfway down, around 6:30 or 7 pm...it's in the upper 70s to lower 80s and I'm driving with my windows down, sunglasses on and music up. Given gas prices these days it's rare that I feel like I could just drive with no destination. Regardless I took my time coming home from running an errand this afternoon.
I'm sure I could've felt this way earlier when I was here. But since I work from home and everything we need is in walking distance on this island, there hasn't been any reason for me to really drive anywhere. One of the most amazing things about working from home is that I haven't filled up my gas tank in my car since...dramatic pause...April. Yes - it's true. It'll be 4 months since I've filled up my tank on the 28th of this month. And I've still got about 70 miles left to drive on this current tank before I need to fill up again.
I think I'll strive to only have to fill up twice while in South Carolina. I kind of get confused in regards to oil changes because they say, "Either 3 months or 3,000 miles". But really, do I have to go in to get my oil changed when I've only driven my car about 10 or 15 times (a total of 200 miles!) in the past 4 months? I guess I'll have to research that.
Every Wednesday night the restaurant down the street from us, Brewer's Bistro, has live music. And since the river is about a quarter mile from our front door the breeze off of the water floats the music down to our porch. The amazing thing about the music is that the wind usually blows in gusts. So standing on our front steps you can suddenly hear the music as if it was 30 feet away and then just as quickly as it hit your ears it's just a faint inkling of sound in the distance.
Every week that I've heard the music I'm always surprised. Hopefully after this week I'll remember that they're having live music next week. Every week that I hear the music I take the dog on a peaceful evening stroll with the Jason Mraz/Jack Johnson type music in the background as our soundtrack. The island is so quiet at night that the music can carry really well. Usually they don't start with the music until about 7 pm and they play well on in to the night. I love walking to the Bistro at dusk when the music is playing because everyone is sitting outside enjoying each other's company along with the cool breeze. Women sitting in their sun dresses and men in their button ups...the sun slowly falling beyond the horizon and painting the clouds that dot the sky a dark purple. The flicker from the gas lanterns dances on the glasses of wine and beer. For a moment I find peace.
And I know it sounds cheesy, but tonight I just had to sigh and realize I'd be leaving here probably sooner than I would like to. Which was probably the original intention of this post. I'm already missing being down here and I'm torn because I'd like to stay but at the same time I miss home and my family just as much.
So for now I'll just recognize that I've let this place in - I've let it affect me. And I'll try to take advantage of the rest of the time I've got down here.
Sweet days of summer...
When it's summer in Seattle you know it.
Down here in Charleston you can't really tell. Or at least I can't because I haven't seen the winters down here. Almost every day I've been down here it's been in the mid 80s to as high as 100 degrees. I can count the number of overcast days (not even raining all day like it does in Seattle) here in Charleston on 1 hand.
And you know, honestly I was afraid that being in the sun every day (like some parts of this country) would be oppressive. Especially with the humidity down here. I thought it would get old after a month after seeing how I felt about Vegas on day 4 of a "vacation". But it hasn't been bad at all although I think it would a lot worse if we were further inland.
The reason I'm writing it this post is because this afternoon was the first time I looked around me and really felt "summer".
One of my defining moments of each summer - and I understand it might seem silly to others - is getting that moment when the sun is about halfway down, around 6:30 or 7 pm...it's in the upper 70s to lower 80s and I'm driving with my windows down, sunglasses on and music up. Given gas prices these days it's rare that I feel like I could just drive with no destination. Regardless I took my time coming home from running an errand this afternoon.
I'm sure I could've felt this way earlier when I was here. But since I work from home and everything we need is in walking distance on this island, there hasn't been any reason for me to really drive anywhere. One of the most amazing things about working from home is that I haven't filled up my gas tank in my car since...dramatic pause...April. Yes - it's true. It'll be 4 months since I've filled up my tank on the 28th of this month. And I've still got about 70 miles left to drive on this current tank before I need to fill up again.
I think I'll strive to only have to fill up twice while in South Carolina. I kind of get confused in regards to oil changes because they say, "Either 3 months or 3,000 miles". But really, do I have to go in to get my oil changed when I've only driven my car about 10 or 15 times (a total of 200 miles!) in the past 4 months? I guess I'll have to research that.
Every Wednesday night the restaurant down the street from us, Brewer's Bistro, has live music. And since the river is about a quarter mile from our front door the breeze off of the water floats the music down to our porch. The amazing thing about the music is that the wind usually blows in gusts. So standing on our front steps you can suddenly hear the music as if it was 30 feet away and then just as quickly as it hit your ears it's just a faint inkling of sound in the distance.
Every week that I've heard the music I'm always surprised. Hopefully after this week I'll remember that they're having live music next week. Every week that I hear the music I take the dog on a peaceful evening stroll with the Jason Mraz/Jack Johnson type music in the background as our soundtrack. The island is so quiet at night that the music can carry really well. Usually they don't start with the music until about 7 pm and they play well on in to the night. I love walking to the Bistro at dusk when the music is playing because everyone is sitting outside enjoying each other's company along with the cool breeze. Women sitting in their sun dresses and men in their button ups...the sun slowly falling beyond the horizon and painting the clouds that dot the sky a dark purple. The flicker from the gas lanterns dances on the glasses of wine and beer. For a moment I find peace.
And I know it sounds cheesy, but tonight I just had to sigh and realize I'd be leaving here probably sooner than I would like to. Which was probably the original intention of this post. I'm already missing being down here and I'm torn because I'd like to stay but at the same time I miss home and my family just as much.
So for now I'll just recognize that I've let this place in - I've let it affect me. And I'll try to take advantage of the rest of the time I've got down here.
Sweet days of summer...
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Can't Sleep
I can't ever sleep.
I don't remember the last time I slept for more than 8 hours.
Even this morning, hung over after 6 hours of drinking last night, I woke up, wide awake, still drunk at 6:40 AM. Came downstairs, tried to nurse a headache and a stomach that wanted to rid itself of sickness...
Only to try and go back to sleep 2 hours later, with no luck.
Luckily the hangover wore off around 11 and I've been fine for the rest of the day. And I got an hour long nap around 1 pm and here I sit now. Almost 1 am and I can't sleep. Because of the nap. Or maybe because I didn't work out today? My body should be tired. I've been laughing since about 8:30 tonight.
I've read 3 different blogs before writing in mine. Nick, you seriously need to update yours. Your life is interesting enough to write about right? I think in our own little ways all of our lives are...maybe not bestsellers...but a handful of people would gladly read them. I read Pol's blog through once after our vacation last summer. I went through the whole thing again and about died from laughter from a few things I haven't thought about recently. Especially the whole apple incident at the CVS.
Stat: The top 40 US Taxpayers for 2007 made an average of $214 million.
Sick.
You know what the worst part about not being able to sleep is? Well, scratch that. When I go to sleep I sleep just fine. Only sometimes do I wake up in the middle of the night, wide awake at 3 am. Anyway here are some bad things about going to sleep later than you want to:
-You get less sleep for the next day, which will probably require a nap again thus continuing the terrible sleep pattern...ever spiraling downward and never making a new deposit to the sleep bank...only withdrawals.
-I don't know about everyone else, but I get hungry. Every 3 and a half hours or so. Even today for example. Today's been a pretty long day for me. So far I've been up 19 hours and counting. So divide that up by 4 and you get...yup...4 meals. I have eaten 4 meals today. And I'm starting to crave my 5th. It is hard for me to sleep on an empty stomach. And there's nothing good to eat here or at least nothing that I want to cook because...
-I want to keep quiet because everyone else is sleeping. Sure having your "quiet time" is great and everything, but I get plenty of quiet time going to sleep later than most people and waking up earlier than them too.
-They say get your "beauty rest". I am one ugly mofo. Last summer when I scrunched my eyes together at a bar and asked a couple (who looked like they were about 18) how old they thought I was she said, "34?". We were all shocked because she hit it right on the head. Maybe that's why I don't hang out so much in the party scene anymore? Maybe because people think I'm about 5 or 6 years too old to be out in it?
-Getting comfortable. When you get in bed with someone who is sleeping, it's hard to get comfortable because you're worried about waking them up. So, you toss and turn and try to relax...try to shut off your mind and you try to do so without making too much noise. Rarely does it ever work though.
Really I wrote this post hoping that writing about sleep would make me tired. I read somewhere that reading words related to "sleep" will actually make a person yawn. I've yawned about 4...nope 5 times while writing this. Maybe I am getting tired. But I could definitely go for some waffles and an omelet right now. And here's what I've always wondered...
Why do breakfast places never give you those options? It's either the waffles or the pancakes. Why not both? Or give me the biscuit AND the toast. Or maybe - and this might blow your mind - maybe instead of giving me 2 eggs with my breakfast, how about giving me an omelet? Oh yeah, with all the fixings. And how about a sausage patty and sausage links! All in the same meal? Someone call the crazy house...we've got a new applicant.
Hah! I have to stop writing about food. It is making me energetic and making me fantasize about a 1 AM run to Denny's or IHOP. Damn you power of suggestion.
I don't remember the last time I slept for more than 8 hours.
Even this morning, hung over after 6 hours of drinking last night, I woke up, wide awake, still drunk at 6:40 AM. Came downstairs, tried to nurse a headache and a stomach that wanted to rid itself of sickness...
Only to try and go back to sleep 2 hours later, with no luck.
Luckily the hangover wore off around 11 and I've been fine for the rest of the day. And I got an hour long nap around 1 pm and here I sit now. Almost 1 am and I can't sleep. Because of the nap. Or maybe because I didn't work out today? My body should be tired. I've been laughing since about 8:30 tonight.
I've read 3 different blogs before writing in mine. Nick, you seriously need to update yours. Your life is interesting enough to write about right? I think in our own little ways all of our lives are...maybe not bestsellers...but a handful of people would gladly read them. I read Pol's blog through once after our vacation last summer. I went through the whole thing again and about died from laughter from a few things I haven't thought about recently. Especially the whole apple incident at the CVS.
Stat: The top 40 US Taxpayers for 2007 made an average of $214 million.
Sick.
You know what the worst part about not being able to sleep is? Well, scratch that. When I go to sleep I sleep just fine. Only sometimes do I wake up in the middle of the night, wide awake at 3 am. Anyway here are some bad things about going to sleep later than you want to:
-You get less sleep for the next day, which will probably require a nap again thus continuing the terrible sleep pattern...ever spiraling downward and never making a new deposit to the sleep bank...only withdrawals.
-I don't know about everyone else, but I get hungry. Every 3 and a half hours or so. Even today for example. Today's been a pretty long day for me. So far I've been up 19 hours and counting. So divide that up by 4 and you get...yup...4 meals. I have eaten 4 meals today. And I'm starting to crave my 5th. It is hard for me to sleep on an empty stomach. And there's nothing good to eat here or at least nothing that I want to cook because...
-I want to keep quiet because everyone else is sleeping. Sure having your "quiet time" is great and everything, but I get plenty of quiet time going to sleep later than most people and waking up earlier than them too.
-They say get your "beauty rest". I am one ugly mofo. Last summer when I scrunched my eyes together at a bar and asked a couple (who looked like they were about 18) how old they thought I was she said, "34?". We were all shocked because she hit it right on the head. Maybe that's why I don't hang out so much in the party scene anymore? Maybe because people think I'm about 5 or 6 years too old to be out in it?
-Getting comfortable. When you get in bed with someone who is sleeping, it's hard to get comfortable because you're worried about waking them up. So, you toss and turn and try to relax...try to shut off your mind and you try to do so without making too much noise. Rarely does it ever work though.
Really I wrote this post hoping that writing about sleep would make me tired. I read somewhere that reading words related to "sleep" will actually make a person yawn. I've yawned about 4...nope 5 times while writing this. Maybe I am getting tired. But I could definitely go for some waffles and an omelet right now. And here's what I've always wondered...
Why do breakfast places never give you those options? It's either the waffles or the pancakes. Why not both? Or give me the biscuit AND the toast. Or maybe - and this might blow your mind - maybe instead of giving me 2 eggs with my breakfast, how about giving me an omelet? Oh yeah, with all the fixings. And how about a sausage patty and sausage links! All in the same meal? Someone call the crazy house...we've got a new applicant.
Hah! I have to stop writing about food. It is making me energetic and making me fantasize about a 1 AM run to Denny's or IHOP. Damn you power of suggestion.
Sunday, July 06, 2008
Firsts
I was sitting here on the couch this evening, after a perfectly timed 4th of July weekend thinking to myself about how many "firsts" I've experienced in only just these past 3 days.
-I celebrated the 4th of July outside of the state of Washington. Thinking back I don't think I've ever done that before. And I walked down to our pier a few blocks down the road and watched 4 different fireworks shows light up the sky over the river. It was amazing.
-I've cooked a lot of steaks in my life and for the first time I felt like the steak that I cooked was perfect. Sometimes it's too bloody, sometimes I burn it too much. But for dinner on the night of the 4th? Just right. Throw in a couple beers, corn on the cob, salad, baked beans and rice and you've got one hell of a meal.
-For the first time I drank beer from Brazil. I believe it was called "Xungi". It was excellent.
-I met a guy named "Rhett" for the first time. Perfectly Southern.
-I had shrimp and grits. For breakfast. It was spicy. I had tried grits down here previously, but I felt that with the spicy gravy on the shrimp it was a perfect complement for them. I now understand what the big draw behind the shrimp and grits is.
-I played golf in an area that is famous for it's golf. I didn't play on any special course, but for the first time I feel like I'm in control (as much as I can control) on the course. I used to just try to hit the crap out of the ball and not know where it was going. I am confident now that I can solidly hit the ball 280 yards and hit it somewhat straight. Now finding the ball after hitting it? That's another thing. And don't even talk to me about putting. *sigh* For the first time I've wanted to purchase my own clubs. Craigslist and ebay here I come. Also, in the past I have been against drinking and playing sports. I had 3 beers while I was on the course. I felt that I was able to play better after drinking. Go figure.
For the wife's birthday I went through a few firsts for her:
-I got my first ever pedicure. I've always thought that pedicures were for the feminine...male. It wasn't as great as I had hoped, but my feet do look good. For the money I'd rather poney up some extra bucks and get a sports massage. I can cut my own nails, scrub my own feet and lotion the whole bit for free. Unless I'm getting a pedicure for free I don't think I'll be going back.
-I went shopping for a good amount of time without complaining. Yes. That was actually one of the gifts I provided to my wife. She drags me along to shopping all the time. And I absolutely hate it. This time I shut my mouth, smiled and gave my opinions on what she was trying on.
-I celebrated the 4th of July outside of the state of Washington. Thinking back I don't think I've ever done that before. And I walked down to our pier a few blocks down the road and watched 4 different fireworks shows light up the sky over the river. It was amazing.
-I've cooked a lot of steaks in my life and for the first time I felt like the steak that I cooked was perfect. Sometimes it's too bloody, sometimes I burn it too much. But for dinner on the night of the 4th? Just right. Throw in a couple beers, corn on the cob, salad, baked beans and rice and you've got one hell of a meal.
-For the first time I drank beer from Brazil. I believe it was called "Xungi". It was excellent.
-I met a guy named "Rhett" for the first time. Perfectly Southern.
-I had shrimp and grits. For breakfast. It was spicy. I had tried grits down here previously, but I felt that with the spicy gravy on the shrimp it was a perfect complement for them. I now understand what the big draw behind the shrimp and grits is.
-I played golf in an area that is famous for it's golf. I didn't play on any special course, but for the first time I feel like I'm in control (as much as I can control) on the course. I used to just try to hit the crap out of the ball and not know where it was going. I am confident now that I can solidly hit the ball 280 yards and hit it somewhat straight. Now finding the ball after hitting it? That's another thing. And don't even talk to me about putting. *sigh* For the first time I've wanted to purchase my own clubs. Craigslist and ebay here I come. Also, in the past I have been against drinking and playing sports. I had 3 beers while I was on the course. I felt that I was able to play better after drinking. Go figure.
For the wife's birthday I went through a few firsts for her:
-I got my first ever pedicure. I've always thought that pedicures were for the feminine...male. It wasn't as great as I had hoped, but my feet do look good. For the money I'd rather poney up some extra bucks and get a sports massage. I can cut my own nails, scrub my own feet and lotion the whole bit for free. Unless I'm getting a pedicure for free I don't think I'll be going back.
-I went shopping for a good amount of time without complaining. Yes. That was actually one of the gifts I provided to my wife. She drags me along to shopping all the time. And I absolutely hate it. This time I shut my mouth, smiled and gave my opinions on what she was trying on.
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