Weekend!
We have passed through the first of the three gates of Summer.
Memorial Day is behind us, the 4th of July and Labor Day before. How in the heck is it 2016? I just got used to it being 1998.
In any case, I’m prepping to be sent off to the Middle East again in a couple of weeks so this weekend will be devoted to all of the stuff that I seriously need to do before I go off to Qatar. This includes, but is not limited to, setting up the air conditioner for the summer season. (I think that this is the latest we’ve done it… It’s certainly the latest we’ve done it for several years.)
But we also have to get the usual stuff done. Costco. PetSmart. Grocery Store. Laundry, sweet, laundry.
I will also schedule a cheat night in there somewhere. I got Chinese last week and, sadly, left that meal disappointed. This must not happen again. Part of me wants to say “heck with it!” and have a cheat breakfast. Sure, you’re giving up pizza or sandwiches from that amazing place that makes the grilled chicken breast sandwich that is second only to the grilled chicken breast sandwich you had in Athens, Ohio back in 1993… but in its place, you’re getting pancakes and biscuits and ranch potatoes.
Maybe that’s on the docket, then.
So… what’s on your docket?
Tomorrow morning my uncle is leading a history walk in our Schnitzelburg neighborhood that I will be attending. These are always interesting and I learn a little more about the place where many of my relatives lived.
UFC 199 on Saturday night.
We have a new Chinese restaurant in the neighborhood, not just an Americanized takeout place but supposedly the real deal, so I need to check that out.Report
That sounds amazing. I wish someone here would do what your uncle does. I would sign up for that in a heart beat.Report
I don’t know if every city does this, but NYC combines two of the things @mike-dwyer mentioned and does walking food tours of different neighborhoods. They’re inherently a little touristy but if you find a good one, they can be pretty awesome even for locals. I think the best one I did was midtown food trucks, which included some little mom-and-pop ones that have been there for a couple decades (like TriniPaki, which is run by an old lady who has Trinidadian and Pakistani background and cooks a mix of the two) to the new fangled ones like the Korean taco truck. Delicious and you learn a neighborhood’s history and culture and the like.Report
This is probably the 10th one he has done and I try to attend at least one per year. He changes the routes each time and adds new details. For an ‘amateur’ he has become quite the historian. Better yet, as he approaches 80 he realizes the importance of oral history and has been trying to get as many people from the old days to tell him what they know. Of course, I eat it up because so many of the details are about people who knew my family.
It’s also a little bittersweet to hear the longing in his voice for his youth. He clearly loved where he grew up and having so many friends and family close by and misses it. Growing old can be tough that way.
We had German food after the tour this morning at a little cafe that we would take my grandma to when I was a kid. The rolled oysters and schnitzel are still as good as I remember. Not a bad Saturday at all.Report
We had to put my cat to sleep last weekend, so something nicer than that, hopefully.Report
Sorry to hear that. My grandmother had to do the same to her cat the week before..Report
Condolences, they really are little tiny family members.Report
Sorry to hear that. It’s a hard thing.Report
That sucks, dude. We’re still counting cats at feeding time. Occasionally, one of us refers to one of the cats by the name of a cat who passed 8 years ago.
Edit: which is not to make this about me as much as to say something like “you are not alone”.Report
I’m sorry to hear that, aaron.Report
Oh man, that is awful. I am so sorry to hear that. I know you mentioned last week that it might have to happen soon.
Family members passing is literally the worst.Report
Aww man. I’ve got a little monster yowling in my face for treats right now. The yowling annoyed me until I read your comment, so I gave her some love instead because you remind me there will inevitably be an end. Now she’s purring (but still demanding treats).
Will you take in a new cat to occupy the place held by the recently-departed one?Report
Still getting used to the summer work schedule, so I’m planning to alternate between catching up on sleep and catching up on chores… looking forward to getting used to not working Mondays again though.Report
I’m going to a show tonight to see a good friend perform.
I just got asked to do a piece on Mary Lou Bruener for a magazine in Germany, so most of the rest of the weekend is probably going to be doing research on her.Report