Now the number one condiment in America!
Last week here in the office, we took a bunch of cheese and melted it down in a crock pot. We dipped chips and bread into our cheesy goodness.We did this three days in a row. I might do it again tomorrow.
I bring this up because this cheese fest has inspired me to create a similar dipping extravaganza. This one will be a two week salsa spectacle. The four days prior to, and the four days after, Presidents’ Weekend, different coworkers will bring in home-made salsas and related creations. So a green salsa is allowed, but so is a block of cream cheese and jar of salsa. My intention is to take sign-ups for the event and then space out the varieties so that we don’t get two of the same type back to back.
So, you may begin your eager anticipation for the photos that will serve as my daily posts for those two weeks.
This is called planning ahead.
Someone answer me before I pull out the plug
I am a fan of witty and clever use of language. I love a good turn of phrase. And I think some words are just good words.
A few years ago I had a good buddy, Matt. Matt was the accompanist at the college where I work, and where I was taking classes. Matt loved words too, and when he heard one that he particularly appreciated he would respond with, “Good word!”
One semester, I was in an opera being staged by the music department. During one of the rehearsals, I was on stage with the music director, and Matt was seated at the keyboard beneath the stage, in the orchestra pit. The director was giving me some acting advice/instruction; something along the lines of, “move your arms thusly” or “point at that thing when this action is taking place”. I don’t really remember. Anyway, I responded to what she was saying by using the word “gesticulate”. At the same time, I pointed ‘through’ the stage to where Matt was sitting as if to cue his response. Sure enough, Matt clapped his hands a couple of times and exclaimed, “Good word!”
Good memory! God, I miss Matt!
Showcase of the Mundane
I expect that you think I live quite an exciting life. You’d be wrong. Allow me to illustrate.
I am a bit more than halfway through an uneventful weekend.
Friday evening I went to Sonora for a hafla. This is a belly dancing event where several performers take turns showcasing dances they’ve been working on. I was there with my group, Burning Sky Musicians, to play between sets and allow for a kind of open dance period.
Yesterday I went to my buddy Ross’s place, the House of Robot Pets, to play some board games. A group of four of us played Tales of the Arabian Nights, a story telling game. Mike won by a wide margin. The three of us played several hands of Zombie Flux, a card game wherein the rules can change as you play. The last board game we went with was Carcassonne: Hunters and Gatherers. Ross won this one while I came in second place. Finally, Ross and I worked on creating some Rogue Trader characters and discussed comic books. Yes, we are all nerds.
Today, I did so little, that out of boredom, I took a 3 hour nap. I expect to be up all night. All I did was play LOTRO and watch some stuff on the DVR.
Tomorrow I plan to do laundry, and go grocery shopping.
To those of you still awake, I’m impressed.
I just want your extra time and…
Today’s post brought to you by the question: If you had a time machine that only let you spend one hour in a different time, what date would you go to?
If I spent some time thinking about it, I might come up with some different ideas, but my first reaction is that I would like to go back to February or March of 1987 and spend an hour talking to my younger self. Certainly I would give myself some tips about what to do and where to invest money (a la Biff in Back to the Future). But the most important thing I would tell myself is to go for it and kiss Angel.
I have never been, very forward/bold/assertive/brave. At the age of 17, I had never kissed a girl, and my first ‘girlfriend’ was Angel with whom I was in a play. She was 15 and we were both a bit shy. We only were together for a couple weeks and it was all so awkward and innocent; all we ever did was hold hands. I had the opportunity to kiss her, but I was too shy and had no idea how to approach doing so.
It would be 4 more years before my first kiss. I have always regretted not going for it.
First Food Post!!!
A local twitter buddy of mine, @tonjac has been working her way through downtown Modesto eateries and blogging about it. I, and others, have joined her on occasion. Today, I met her at Charlie Browns, a new burger place located at 14th and J streets..
I liked the space, it seems just large enough for a lunch rush and no larger. There were 8 or so tables and lots of counter space as well. The menu is basically burgers, but they also have soup, salads, and chili. The burgers are a lot like those at In-N-Out. By that I mean that they are very fresh and hand-crafted. It’s the kind of burger that once you pick it up to take a bite, you’re better off not putting it down as the bun or toppings will slide all over the place. To accompany my double burger, I got a soda and a basket of onion rings. The food was good and filling. My total came to a bit under $7.00 which seemed right in the price range I would expect. The servers were very friendly and my order was completed and brought out to me very quickly.
Overall then, I was quite satisfied with the place. I will not say it’s the best burger I’ve ever had. To be honest, I don’t mind previously frozen, machine made patties. In any case, I can happily recommend this restaurant for anyone looking for a quality burger and fast friendly service.
It was also nice to chat with Tonja. J
Cultural Collision
I mentioned that I like music, I pretend to play some instruments.
Here is my latest acquisition, a cuica.
This is also my facebook profile pic, so sorry to those of you who’ve already seen it way too much.
A cuica is a friction drum that is played by rubbing a stick or dowel attached to the drum head. It is supposed to sound like a lioness mating call. You can simulate the sound yourself by rapidly moving a straw in and out of the lid of a soda cup. You know what I mean?
Anyway, it’s used in samba music. Well, typically used in samba music. I hope to use it in tribal polyrhythms that I’ll play for belly dancers.
A Backstory in two Acts
Prologue
I think perhaps that I should have written this post first. I hope that it will serve as an introduction as well as provide explanation and perhaps justification for the existence of this collection of ramblings.
Act I – Wherein we meet the protagonist
I am Seán, your narrator and guide. I am 40 years old as of this writing. I live in the Central Valley of California, in the grand metropolis of Modesto. I have many interests that I hope to share with you over time. These include music, dance, television, movies, languages, technology, role-playing games, Catholicism (my faith tradition), science fiction, photography, and many other things. I am single and trying to remain patient until the right woman comes into my life.
I have a very goofy sense of humor sometimes. Not everyone gets me. I hope that over time, you will.
- Bands/Artists: Barenaked Ladies, Depeche Mode, Garbage, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Roberto Leal
- Movies: Aliens, Lethal Weapon, Die Hard, Strictly Ballroom, Princess Bride, Matrix, Big Trouble in Little China, Inception
- TV (Currently): Chuck, Castle, How I Met Your Mother, The Good Wife, Modern Family, Big Bang Theory, Smallville, Blue Bloods, V, Dexter, True Blood, Mad Men
- TV (All time): Sopranos, 24, Firefly, Heroes (but only season 1)
Act II – Motivations are revealed
Earlier this week, a young lady acquaintance of mine, Rachel, posted on one of her blogs that she had begun this WordPress postaday2011 challenge. This inspired me to make a similar attempt. Another friend of mine, Betty is a very creative individual and this kind of endeavor is right up her alley. Being friends with people like Rachel and Betty motivates me to try to be more creative and expressive. So I happily hitch my wagon to their stars and try to be a content generator.
Here is a link to the original post of the WordPress challenge http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2010/12/29/welcome-to-the-daily-post/.
Epilogue
I am not the king of follow-through. Your encouragement and support will be invaluable if I am to be anywhere near successful with this. Please and thank you.
Three to Visit
Today’s assignment: talk about three countries I’d like to visit.
In no particular order, I’d like to visit Ireland, Australia, and Canada.
Ireland has appealed to me for a large portion of my life. In part because I am a sliver Irish (at least 1/8 and as much as 1/4), and because I really like Irish music. I’d love to travel around from pub to pub enjoying the music and maybe joining in on my bodhran. I once told a roommate of mine, himself from Killarney, if Ireland isn’t like it’s portrayed in The Quiet Man, I’m not sure I’m interested. Well, he said it really wasn’t, but I remain curious.
Australia has only recently become a desired destination for me. I love the Aussie accent and I wonder how long it would take for me to convincingly emulate it. I really like that tipping is a somewhat foreign concept down there. 🙂 I love languages and I would like someday to travel to places where different languages are spoken, but I am 40 and pretty much travelled nowhere so far. So maybe a country like Australia where English is the language but different accents and vocabulary can cause just a little confusion is a good place to start.
Canada. My grandparents are from Canada and my mom and a couple of her siblings were born there as well. In 2000 I took a trip up to Vancouver and spent a few days there. I loved it. French is one of the languages of Canada and I spent many years studying French. It would be great to have the opportunity to practice speaking it a little.
I’m not terribly adventurous and rather inclined to inertia, but I really would like to go visit some of these places someday.
