Thursday, October 31, 2013

Candy or Bust!

Today's festivities will commence at dawn and run well through sunset and into the wee hours of the evening.
The sugar high may last for days.

Tattooed on my Soul

Great song came on the rotation when I was pulling into work today. Had to just stop and sit and listen.

--

True love will never fade
True love will never fade
True love will never fade
True love will never fade
True love will never fade

I wonder if there's no forever / No walking hand in hand
Down a yellow brick road / To never never land

These days I get to where I'm going / Make it there eventually
Follow the trail of breadcrumbs / To where I'm meant to be
To where I'm meant to be

I don't know what brought you to me / That was up to you
There's so many come to see me / Who want their own tattoo

I fixed a needle in a holder / Laid my hand upon your spine
And there upon your shoulder / I drew the picture as your sign

When I think about us / I see the picture that we made
The picture to remind us / True love will never fade

True love will never fade
True love will never fade
True love will never fade

I worked the rowdies and day trippers / Now and then I think of you
Any which way we're all shufflin' / Forward in the queue

They like to move my operation / They like to get me off the pier
And I dream I'm on a steamer / Pullin' outta here

When I think about us / I see a picture that we made
The picture to remind us / True love will never fade

True love will never fade
True love will never fade
True love will never fade
True love will never fade
True love will never fade

--Mark Knopfler (2007)

Monday, October 28, 2013

Big Burger Daddy

I am what you would call a Burger Aficionado. I consider the cheeseburger to be America's finest culinary creation of all time - meat, bread, cheese, condiments, even some vegetables from time to time - all in one easy to hold, easy to eat package that when executed properly is the size of a small melon. I can recall a time in my life when I ate a cheeseburger for breakfast, lunch and dinner - all in the same day.

So I was unsurprisingly excited to hear through the grapevine that Greensboro's "Big Burger Spot" was in fact "the finest Burger in town." This was not rote advertising, but rather the considered opinion of several well-respected members of the Greensboro Burger Aficionado Underground.

WE WANT OUR BURGERS!!!
Tucked away into the side of a gas station convenience store building, designated by unassuming signage and awning tastefully done up in a neon-green-and-hunter-safety-orange color scheme, this is truly an out of the way gem. The Big Burger Spot features, well, Burgers - but not just any burgers, grilled meat on bread with cheese executed to perfection. yes, you can get it medium rare (beef is never frozen); yes, you can get a bison burger (that's what I had); yes, they have a dog-friendly outside dining area that features murals of customer's favorite pooches (and some cats). The dogs with halos are off chasing the big beef bone in the sky. A mix of Michael Jackson, Waylon Jennings, Cher, and the Avett Bros. blares from the outdoor speakers, and the owner brought out  sample pouch of homemade organic dog biscuits for Dean-o. This is the essence of Am-bi-ance. The line stretches out the door from 11 in the morning to 2 in the day, and the food comes out on hammered aluminum plates - this is basically the Burger version of BBQ-heaven 12 Bones in Asheville.


This is just plain old good-eating. Doc's Pimento Cheese Burger disappeared in a flash, the kids all cleaned their tin plates, and Matilda's Classic Bison Burger had to be shared among several still-hungry mouths. The fries are good, the tea is good, the sun was shining. Life - and food - doesn't get any better than this.



Monday, October 14, 2013

The Many Faces of Sam

This guy cracks me up:


 Sam has recently taken a cue from Big Sister Honey Badger and has started throwing his "mean face" around to voice (silently) his displeasure at someone or something. This makes for a very comical transition from time to time, where he goes from jolly to "mad." The really funny thing is the last little tweak he does with his eyebrows, to really push it over the edge:




But then we get the old Sam back - mowhawk hair and yelling at the top of his lungs for Mom- My. Even though he's sitting in her lap. Because when he's not, he's running his little bow-legged stomp run to get there. 


Sometimes there is even room for Big Brother.