Ode to October: Oh, October, how busy you are With the most Straub Family Birthdays by far. Let's celebrate, one and all. The leaves are a-changin', it really is fall. Soon they'll drop off as the cold wind blows. Soon the ground will be covered with snow. Cold winter nights lead to snuggling you see, That's why so many October Birthdays there be.
As happens every year, I am simply awestruck at the physical beauty, obvious intelligence, and engaging affect of each and every October baby so apparent from these photos. They simply ooze quality.
Mia thinks that dust motes are fairies. She was sitting in a shaft of light the other day giving them names: Cheega, Palliday, Rosaleena, Stringray (that one was a boy). Then she started beating on the couch cushions and caused a population explosion.
Thanks for the birthday wishes, everybody. Plans for my very exciting day include working from 2 to 11 tonight while trying to watch the Cubs game and the debate on closed captioning. I might have been able to call in sick, but thanks to facebook people from work already know it's my birthday today. So much for that.
I had chocolate chip pancakes and bacon for breakfast. Then I opened the great new hiking boots that Brianne got for me. I think she's going to bring my some BBQ for dinner, so it should be about as good as work can get.
Happy Birthday, Bob and Mary, Zane and Monica, looking very Festive in your wedding duds Enjoying dinner, dancing, suds. Cumpleanos, one and all! (This weekend I'll be in St. Paul at another wedding, thus I'll miss your real birthdays,) plus on weekends no one seems to blog. So celebrate - and go whole hog! love, Cathy
OK here's a question. I'm not much of a steak eater. I mean, I'd rather have a really good hamburger on the grill than a steak. But I bought some rather thinly sliced (1/2 inch or maybe 3/4 inch) sirloin steaks bc they were cheap. What's the best way to prepare these? Just on the grill but only for a short time? Sliced and used in fajitas or something?
google sirloin steak recipies if you like to cook, you'll have fun looking at them. If you'd rather not think about food all day like I do, it may be boring.
oh i google and try recipes all the time. but not being a steak eater just thought i'd throw it out there. of course i'll probably just grill the heck out of htem and make them tough and chewy.
Don't grill them, pan fry them with fresh mushrooms, lots of garlic and onions...have some wild rice, salad...wine...and then sit in a comfy chair watch Sarah sink!
Cook them on the grill. Charcoal if possible. Whatever grill you use have a super hot spot then a cooler spot. Rub them with a little olive oil. Place them first on the super hot spot and make the criss cross marks on one side. Leave them on that side to sear the outside of the meat. Then flip. Sear the second side. Then transfer to a cooler part of the grill.
When do you flip them? When you see juices just start to pool on the top side. Then flip them and cook about 5 minutes. They should be a nice medium rare to medium. You only need to flip once. Amatuers flip a steak more than once. I like to use Montreal Steak seasoning.
This will give you the very moist steak. Provided you have a hot enough grill.
Excellent! Thank you. This is what I shall do. If not tonight then tomorrow. I made a carrot ginger soup two days ago. It was fine that night but delicious today. We'll have that with the perfectly grilled steaks and a salad. Mary, thank you also for your recipe. I just got a new gas grill so use it as often as possible. p
I've decided I'm voting for neither candidate. McCain is a product of a broken system and Obama is in his heart of hearts a socialist.
The one time our country REALLY needed some leadership in recent years they fell flat on their faces. The Senators couldn't help themselves so they attached 100s of millions of dollars in unrelated "ear marks" and tax breaks to this bail out bill and no one spoke against this.
I'm voting against every incumbent for the rest of my life until they are all gone.
I use Montreal Steak seasoning too. It is so simple and the steaks will be delicious. Tom, Scott may join you in your vote for Bob Barr. He's not sure yet.
I know very little abut politics...I know a bit more about people. I can't help but feel that both candidates are *very* less than awesome. I don't wanna vote for either. Whatayahdo? I know what the advice would be...but, I don't want either of them to be president...period. Hmm.
Well, I think Palin did OK. She says nucular like Bush does, and she gets that folksy voice that drives me crazy but she did OK. Of course, it doesn't even matter what is said in these debates (half the time they don't even answer the question)....it's whether you can sound like you know what you are saying without stumbling. And she did. Biden of course was much better but he was expected to be. P
McCain's pulling out of Michigan. Looks like McSlimey's gonna be the next president. Of course, as you all know, I've been an Obama fan from the beginning. I hope that my ardent, though silent, support for him will be rewarded with some really good, juicy pork.
I don't know why I watch MSNBC. They make me soooo mad. For instance, Olberman characterized McCains testy exchange with the Des Moines Register's editorial board as this..."he completely melted down shouting attacks at the board." If you saw the exchange it was nothing of the sort.
And last night Rachel Maddow (you know, the one with serious penis evny) said Palin completely lost the debate. Didn't meet expectations and was mean spirited.
Also, after the debate a person they labeled as an analyst was in fact an employee of Obama's staff.
They are shamelessly in the Obama camp and they project a smug, "smarter than thou" attitude towards anyone not in agreement.
Like a wise old man once told me, "Olberman parades as an intellect."
Tom - I agree. Those two don't even try to present a objective view. They are completely in the liberal camp. I think that FOX news gets such good ratings because if you are of conservative bent you will go there to watch your news. This means a little less than 50% of the people will go there for news. So MSNBC is trying to lure the liberal TV watchers. Both of them make me sick, but it is entertaining to switch between the two and get reactions that are so far apart.
On the debate - I have never seen somebody lose a debate so badly and still get "points" for not losing it completely.
Sara Palin was good. She really knows how to talk to the camera. I listened to some on radio and watched some on tv. Biden sounded better on radio. Palin was good, but Biden still won.
The most interesting thing about the debate was the exchange on stage afterwards with the families. It looked like Biden could hardly keep from picking up Palin's little ones. He and Palin talked quite a bit (with smiles and laughter) afterwards. Very interesting.
I really don't want to go with McCain... and am having big problems with Obama. I think libertarians are idiots. What to do?
Tom, you should start the Curmudgeon Party. Ed and I (and probably bornagain Obamanut Joe) would join you. I think you watch MSNBC for the same reason I sometimes listen to Rush or Glenn Beck on the radio. They getcher blood a'boilin'. It's fun to reflect on what idiots have access to the airways and think we're better than them (we are.) I'm voting for Obama. But I hate how the far left liberals have totally demonized Palin. She's not qualified to be vice-president. But neither is she some kind of backwoods nut for having more than 1.8 children and being pro-life. I hate how the media inserts itself into the story. Interviews by respected reporters turn into a game of "gotcha" when they keep trying for the quotable quote. Even Tim Russert did it in a debate he was moderating. Report the news, don't try to cause it. I have to say, though, Palin did give Tina Fay plenty of material. It's true - the more she gets pressed, the more adorable she acts. Biden did well to act like a gentleman but not take any crap. So, any curmudgeon candidates come to mind?
Randy's the best curmudgeon I know. I've been telling him that for years. I nominate him as the de-facto head of the party and together you guys can come up with a candidate.
This morning Tom Brokow said something to the effect that he didn't think it was his part to define what a candidate ment to whether or not they won - his job was to put the information out for the voters to decide.
Happy birthday Octobers! I heart Tom Brokaw. No love. Love, love, love. In my heart I know he's a proud midwest democrat.
I don't like being winked at in person, and I especially don't like being winked at over t.v. Especially by a middle aged mom. Creepy. The more charming or folksy Palin tried to be, the weirder it got. She did better than I expected though. In an interview after the debate, Geraldine Ferraro said if Palin mentioned how much she knew about energy again she was going to puke.
Speaking of Palin, here's a good Palindrome: Go hang a salami, I'm a lasagna hog!
I agree with Ed's assessment that for the pure fact that Palin didn't fall flat on her face, she did well. Ridiculous. I noticed BIded was rubbing his head ant temples a few times last night. Headache from a serious affliction? He was also chomping at the bit when Palin said she thought the VP needs more power. Several times throught the night , Scott kept saying, "why didn't the dems put this guy up?" He also said that of the 4 people on the two tickets, Biden is the only one he can stomach.
Changing gears: just got back from my first trip to Aldi and I can't believe how cheap some items are. A gallon of milk for 2.37. Cheese was cheap too. The problem is I bought stuff I don't normally buy. Junk foody stuff like Aldi brand pizza rolls because they were so cheap. I don't know if I can justify buying organic milk any more. I've been paying about 3.37 for a half gallon and I go through a half gallon in two days by myslef. I have two concerns: 1) all the hormones in regular milk 2) the bpa in the plastic gallon milk containers has been linked to cancers ans most recently diabetes. What to do? Stick with the organic cardboard-container milk and cut budget someplace else or say we all gotta go one way or another and go with the MUCH cheaper milk. They really just need to start making organic products more affordable.
I'm no curmudgeon. Just ask a few people in Vancouver. (By the way I'm no hooligan either - just a guy who said the wrong thing to a bartender with an itchy trigger finger).
Lisa - you may just be a Libertarian. I mean if you don't want someone reaching into your wallet so they can give some fruitcake a sex change operation you may be a Libertarian.
Ellen - Palin was winking at me because she thinks I'm cute. If you want creepy you should have checked out cspan when they were voting on their version of the bailout bill. Pallid, creaky old men and women who have far out served their usefulness.
Emily - have I ever told you how smart I think Scott is? Hate to say it again and again but if the democrats would have chosen Biden this race would have been over months ago.
If I hear the word maverick again I"m going to puke. If you refer to yourself as a mverick it kinda loses is authenticity. Ditto on the winking. What was she thinking? It's cute? Also ditto on MSNBC being over the top. Chuck Todd is not nor some of their other analysts, but Olberman is so annoying!
It's ok that there's a balance for FOX...it's needed. The female on MSNBC (Maddow?) is openly gay. She does not have penis envy, she hates the things!! Sara was very good. She's adopting (or has naturally) a Reagan-like style, it could be dangerous.
At least Fox makes the pretense towards fair and balanced. O'Reilly usually tries to get 2 people on either side of an issue when discussing. But, O'Reilly will often over talk both of them - especially the one he doesn't agree with.
With Hannity and Colmes you have some balance. Although, I think they chose Colmes because he's such a wuss. He is not very good at defending the "liberal" point of veiw.
Greta Van Sustern's show started as a show to discuss legal issues. But as things evolved and the election has drawn closer it does a lot of political coverage. By and large she is a right leaning neutral.
Olberman and Maddow, on their shows make no fair and balanced pretense whatsoever. So much so that Brokaw put his foot down and Olberman has been disallowed from moderating any more debates.
Nope...remember the way Emily carried Molly all over downtown Chicago? Youngsters have quicker reflexes...on that same trip Emily stopped the train, with all the kids on the platform and all the adults in the train and the doors closing!! heehee
Palin makes me BARF. She tries way to hard to be a regular person and she's not.
Pat, F-you. 43 is the new 34. And I probably would feel 34 wxcept my hair has been falling out. I blame it on the stress of this stupid election and bail out.
Pat, I was just kidding. Not to worry. I don't feel that old except my hair is falling out. How do I remedy that? No plans for my birthday excpt a pancake breakfast and Tom's football game. I don't know why a Catholic school team has games on Sunday.
Tom is playing his last football game at the UNI Dome on Sunday. I don't think they have lost a game yet. His coach put him in the line yesterday against a kid who was easily twice as big as him. The kid flicked him across the field like a fly. Monica
Well - sorry all of you Cub fans - but you knew it was coming right? It just goes to show - you can't break a 100 year curse by trowing money at it (also your leadoff batter should maybe take some pitches).
Went to the ND game this weekend and the weather was sooo nice. Looks like JC is really turning it on. Now they just need a reliable running game and run defense.
I got a blog-posting-to-the-editor published in the online version of "America" magazine (Oct. 6 issue) Actually I was responding to a previous posting. It's all moot now, but here's the address:
By the way, the guy I was responding to posts all the time and he's very conservative, which is OK, and sometimes supercilious and nasty, which is not.
We went to St. Paul for a wedding over the weekend so we went to Emily's house Saturday for lunch. We had cheeseburgers with Em and Sam - Scott and Jude were off watching the Gophers cudgel Indiana - and they have a really cool house with a pretty back yard. We couldn't visit long because I had to get back and polish my toenails. It took us almost an hour to find it because of multiple detours (mapquest no good) but Emily wrote down directions to get back and we got back in 15 minutes. I highly recommend Emily's Place for a delicious free lunch in charming surroundings with a chubby happy baby for entertainment. And Emily's no slouch either.
Lovely grilled pork roast, corn casserole, baked beans, macaroni casserole, nice kids, good wine, good beer, good conversation, political conversations largely civil, pie with ice cream, sports jabs at worthy opponents, nice dog, clean sheets, hot shower with plenty of pressure, french toast made from cinnamon-raisin bread, sunny morning with the door open, and unlimited coffee. Great visit.
I put sliced tomatoes on Tom's burger tonight that was "found" in our alive neighbors yard. Yes, the food at G & G's was yummy! There were 2 stand-outs...Mary's homemade macaroni and cheese and Joe3's corn/pasta casserole. Macaroni and cheese is an awesome idea for a side dish especially when kids are eating...our kids have become way better eaters but are still not interested in potato salads, cole slaws, beans and such. I asked Joe3 if he just stumbled upon his dish...he said it was from a St. Joe cookbook. It was really good. :-)
So there's a new dude working on my floor that I've never seen before. He's wearing one of those ear warmers, a fuzzy cardigan sweater and fingerless gloves. This is the kind of person that ends up grabbing the fire axe out of the glass case and running amok chopping away at his co-workers, foaming at the mouth, crying and screaming that his pet hamster Snuffles wants him to kill, Kill KILL!!
Another one is to put a little dab of whipped cream or mayonnaise in the ear piece of their phone then dial his extension. Best if you can see them pick up the phone.
With approach of colder weather you can keep in mind the oldly but goody of fill the coat pocket with whipped cream. As they walk by ask them, "Hey, what's that in your pocket?"
Restaurant promo ideas - got any? What is a really cool promo you have seen. What made you go to a restaurant and make you want to part with your money? Contests, discounts, prizes, what?
Tom
If I weren't married I would do a "Win a Date with Tom" promo. That would be a sure winner.
I wanna start a promo to bring more people in for lunch. I think that people are hesitant to go to a sit down restaurant because their "hour" lunch is really like 30 minutes. For example: Noon strikes...grab your purse, talk to a co-worker, go potty and get in your car, drive, walk in and sit down. Now, it's 12:20. They have to order a drink, wait for it, order lunch, wait for it and now it's 12:35. They have 10 minutes to eat, maybe 15 and then, go potty, get in their car and drive back to work. Who wants to do that? Icky. Our salad bar is a nuisance and we hate it. People love it. Gotta keep it. Our soup and half sammy special is by far our greatest lunch request. I was thinking about starting a promo called something like "ZERO-Wait lunch." We could have our soup and salad bar set up as usual and have a covered sandwhich tray set on the buffet alongside the soup bar. Guests can simply walk right in...go and get a salad, soup and/or sammy...and, sit down. The Server then, can charge them according to what they took and get them a beverage. Wham-bam-thank you ma'am. Super fast and a ZERO-wait! Whatayahthink? What should we call it? "Zero-Wait?" Or, would something else be better? Of course, if this doesn't work...we could still raffle off a date with Tom. :-)
Algona Publishing called, last week, and reserved their holiday party for January. The guy that made the rezzie said that our letter/candy idea was very clever and was the reason he chose Sarah's! WooHoo! I am sending out another letter to businesses regarding our meeting room and what we can do for breakfasts' and lunches...also, that we can cater meetings at the Water's Edge. We'll see if that works.
We decided to snatch up the front page of the Dining Guide. We'll be on the front with one other business. Unlike other businesses that simply have an ad about their facility...ours is a simple $5 OFF coupon. Hope it works!
I like the no-wait lunch idea. You could alternate "no-wait" days with "slow food movement" days - no, never mind. But just have a very limited sandwich menu for the no-wait special like 3 or 4 signature sandwiches, condiments on the side...it could work.
Hey Nance and Tom have you heard of the email marketing product called Constant Contact? It's pretty cheap....something like $15 a month for an email list of up to 500 people. They provide templates and you can upload images to create a professional looking email. You can advertise events or specials or what have you. You can also conduct customer surveys. I think there's also a free trial period of 60 days if you just wanted to try it for a bit. It's supposed to be really easy to use, too. P
In Cambodia you can be anything you want: king, prince, president, prime minister, Chancellor of the Exchequer. You can have macaroni and cheese every day if you want.
It would only be one kind of sandwich and a different one each day...I was thinking. I would hate to wrap 'em...don't want them to look like a vending machine sandwich. Would tongs be sufficient? What do you think? Pat...that sounds like a good idea...I'll look into it. Thanks!
How 'bout a little piece of waxed paper under each sandwich? Easy to grab and not touch others...tongs may be difficult to use. Or, do you think they really should really individually wrapped?
How about Martuni Tuesdays? Have a list of about 20 different martinis. If you have one of each (over the course of time - not all at once) you get a Martini Club Tee Shirt. No need to discount to get biz - just give a way a tee shirt that costs us minimal. Taking it further if they have 50 martinis they get a sweat shirt.
You need at least 2 different sandwiches...(Maggie B's has 4 and 2 soups)...there is no "just soup" price on your menu. How much is a bowl or cup and can you get bread with?? I would post a bowl price over your soup pots, so that people coming through at nightwould see the good price, etc...
Are you doing anything Oktoberfesty? And November could be election oriented (free something for everyone that comes in with an "I Voted" sticker, and then a watch the results party for both dem and repubs. - and inds.) December could be, well, holiday party season. p
I like the idea of a martini punch card and in light of the "Perky Parrot," opening for business...it's particularly good timing. Anyone know anything about the Perky Parrot? All I know is that they have a cup of coffee and a martini glass on their sign.
Oh yah, we'll have lots of signage and stuff if we do the "zero-wait" dealey-o. Particularly, during lunch we'll have something on the easle (up front) directing Guests' to the salad bar area for a "Zero-wait." We have sandwich choices on the menu...the daily half sammy/soup special offers only one and that's the one which would be featured in the salad bar area...I think.
drop a business card in the fish bowl and win a free soup and sammy lunch. they HAVE to redeem within a month. if they don't have business cards just put the name and phone number on a piece of paper. one winner a week. the good thing about that is that no one really likes to eat lunch alone...
Good fish bowl idea m.e. I will have to ask Tom about adding soup prices to the menu. I know people order a bowl, at lunch, all the time...but, it should be on the menu too. I don't think Tom wants to do bread at lunch because of a waste issue. This being said, I have always thought that bread with an awesome salad or soup is way better than some crackers. Hmm...we'll have to talk about that.
remember those cake walks and the St. Michaels fair? you'd walk around a table loaded with cakes and when the music stopped you had your hand on a number, they drew a number and that was the winner of a cake? you could do that but with dinners. make a production out of it, drum up bar business the night of the dinner walk. a buck a chance, one winner per round.
push tables together so you can get 20-25 people walking per round. do a round per hour. they have to be there to win, so what will they do between rounds? drink.
Good idea Frank...sorry! I'm not so sure we're a martini-cake-walk kinda place. Bigger glasses was Tom's idea...but, we would have to sell a lot of martini's to cover new glassware, advertising and cheap tee's. This "brain storming" is very helpful. Thanks. :-)
I have to say....your martini glasses are way small. I like dirty martinis and add a few olives..it leaves alot left over for the bartender!! Run up to IKEA and get them glasses for $2!!
oktoberfesty: delicious squash or pumpkin soup; a sausage or brats, beer and kraut night; free drinks costume contest; guys with accordions; buxom babes in blousy blouses bringing beer; comfort foods like shepherd's pie, pot roast or (mmmmmm) macaroni and cheese.
Oh believe me anonymous I've lost my share of funds.....I was being facetious. Or maybe ironic. My IRA was invested fairly heavily in Freddie Mac. Or maybe it was Fannie May.
Snuff. Don't forget the snuff machines for oktoberfest. Emily do you remember those in Mpls at the Gastof?
I shuddered when Comrade Obama in talking about McCain's tax plan and his desire to let the "rich" keep their own money said in his most earnest moment last night, "that isn't fair". This is a clear insight to his socialist philosophy.
I'm also curious about what McCain said about Obama's plan. He said Obama wants to penalize small businesses who do not provide health care to their employees. This is the first I've heard about this. If it came to be it would be a nail in my coffin.
What's lost in all of Obama's wealth redistribution talk is the fact that if you work and study hard you can get ahead. Even if you come from a disadvantaged background. If you want a salient example of this look at the candidate himself.
His story is unlike one of my employees who last night asked for 2 nights off next week because one of the nights is his girl friend's birthday and the other is his own birthday. These people live in government subsidized housing and are covered by medicaid yet they won't work for every dime available.
They are a part of the culture of entitlement. There are poor and rich alike who feel they are owed.
Obama did win the debate. He won it before it started with the markets taking another plunge yesterday.
Another thing I am curious about is Obama's plan to cut taxes for 95% of Americans. How can you do this when something like 30% don't pay federal income tax?
I think the Libertarians advocate an across the board flat tax rate. What's wrong with that?
McCAIN: Said he would provide a $5,000 refundable tax credit for families to buy health insurance "rather than mandates or fines for small businesses as Senator Obama's plan calls for."
THE FACTS: Obama's health care plan does not impose mandates or fines on small business. He would provide small businesses with a refundable tax credit of up to 50 percent on health premiums paid on behalf of their employees. Also, large employers that do not offer meaningful coverage or contribute to the cost of coverage would be required to pay a percentage of payroll toward the costs of a public insurance plan. But small businesses would be exempt from that requirement.
Which guy at Sarah's has a similar story to Obama's? Why don't you hang his Harvard diploma next to the dishwasher (it might get wrinkly) or above the stove fan?
Mary - please read more carefully my posts. I said his story is "unlike" Obama's. Not similar to Obama's. Obama was motivated to improve himself. My guy is a Playstation junkie slug.
And please don't use my words as my making an indictment against all in government subsidized housing. We need to provide this for the truly needy ones.
Before this is all said and done you will see multi-generational households. Just like in the good old days.
We watched the debate as the home of Bill and Colleen Farnham, more disadvantaged Democrats...we've watched the others there, as well. It's fun. But an interesting story...the Democratic Party hired young people nationally to help with campaigns around the country. A nice young lady from West Palm Beach took a sabbatical from Florida State, was hired by the Dems and was plunked down in Kossuth to help Delores Mertz run for the Statehouse. It's been quite an adjustment for her, but now she's in a groove. But last night she told me she thinks she has fallen in love with a guy who works for Monsanto...she's staying after the election to see where it goes!
Over the weekend (I think) I heard on the radio it was the anniversary of the first imnposition of the income tax - I believe in 1913. It was 1%. Some senator arguing vociferously against it said he thought it might some day rise to as high as 5%.
Obama won the debate and the numbers are on his side but I don't think anyone has any idea of how big the Bradley effect (people at the last minute unable to bring themselves to vote for a black person) really is. Palin's been rousing them at rallies saying Obama's feelings about America "aren't the same as yours and mine" to which at least one devotee shouted "Kill him!" She was introduced by a sheriff who made sure to call Obama Barack Hussein Obama. She also was bemoaning her treatment by the media at this same rally and the crowd started moving in and dispersing the media pool (no overt violence, however) and one man told a black cameraman to "Sit down, Boy." She needs to back off before someone takes it as his permission to go get his gun. Anyway, even if the election were held today, I don't think it's a given that Obama would win.
I heard that McCain did and that it took Obama about half the debate to really look like he could participate fully in the town hall meeting style of debate.
I don't yet know for whom I am voting, but as we watch these debates and the after spin, it's interesting to think of how much the afterspin may affect our perceptions.
Well, FOX viewers voted McCain the winner by 86%...CNN had Obama by 4 points...I don't know about MSNBC. McCain seemed mean and I didn't like the "That one" comment as he pointed at Obama, it made me shiver. Based on what Cathy posted above I wouldn't doubt that they've decided to go after the racist vote, as in "get out the racists to vote".
The capital gains tax will remain the same for people making under $250,000...it will be 20% for those over $250,000. It won't affect me in the least, in regards to real estate...not even a farm sale, because it's still lower than even in the Reagan years.
"Imposition" is not necessarily a bad word. I could have as easily and humorously used the word "bestowed." I am delighted to have an easy and automatic way to contribute to the welfare and infrastructure and defense and general well-being of my beloved country.
The reason Capital Gains tax revenues decrease when the tax is raised is that anybody who thinks they might sell their long term investments will do so shortly before the new tax rate kicks in.
Taking this into account I don't know that you can say that you get fewer revenues from increasing the Capital Gains Tax.
I say it because this handy dandy graph contained in this Wall Street Journal editorial says so. It shows that the tax revenue collected has an inverse relation to the tax rate percent. Higher equals lower - lower equals higher.
The handy dandy graph also says the trends last about as long the tax rate is in place. Meaning years.
I have golabki (stuffed cabbage rolls) in the oven. We have been eating out too much in the last month that neither of us feel like anything. Golbki is different and actually sounds yummy.
What does Josh want for Christmas?
Sister Sarah, I think you should wrap the sandwiches in the parchment paper. What about a baked potato bar as it get cooler?
Baked Potatoes! Brilliant! Which leads me to another thought. Why just sandwiches? What if a low cost entree were offered? Something like Chicken & Biscuits on Tuesdays, Meat Loaf and Mashed Potatoes on Wed., Chicken Fettucinne on Thursdays and so on?
As for the sandwiches, why not just have them premade in the kitchen? Then the waitress could bring out the sandwich of choice while the diner gets his soup or salad.
Medical question: My brothers son who is 2 and a half and was premature therefore he is really little and was sick last night in the ER. High fever (103.9), lethargic, et cetera. They couldn't figure out what was wrong and sent him home, blood tests aren't back yet. My sister is babysitting him right now because Mom is at a job interview. His Mom thinks that he is suppose to have Tylenol and Motrin at the same time every 4 hours. She gave him both meds at 5am and just re-medicated him with both at 8am. Could this be right? She said the Dr. told her to give both at the same time...but, I'm thinking he meant to alternate them. Jack weighs about 27 pounds. Ann is with him right now and we're wondering if he's been way over-medicated. Anyone?
I was always told to alternate them. In order for this to not become an issue, an easy thing to do would be just to call the child's regular doctor and ask the nurse.
Mom amd Dad are gone. Ann questioned them about the meds...but, Mom thinks she understands what to do. Ann read the Dr. information sheet and it talks about motrin every 6 hours and tylenol every 4 hours...nothing about doing both together. Ann is watching him closely. He seems fine just getting tired.
blue-tini, blueberry infused vodka...we used to get them at the sushi place in Omaha. I tried infusing the vodka at home, it worked! I also like a slightly dirty vodka martini...can't wait for the new glasses!
The new glasses are 7 ounces and the old were 4. Hopefully, they'll withstand some extra olives. ;-) Ann said she just had an awesome blueberry martini and her husband had a yummy dreamsicle one.
Yah, we thought it was weird not to have stems. Tom, Ann and I were all like "won't they tip over?" Ha, ha. The good thing about stemless is they're 1) mod 2) less breakage when washing 3) less likely to be tippy when the Guest gets tipsy! :-)
I don't like real martinis either...I like flavored ones. Pat, yah I was wondering if the suggestion is to have a hot item over by the soup/salad bar. I should ask Tom. I've even considered not having a menu at all for lunch and only offering the soup/salad bar and then, perhaps a sammy and some sorta line of hot stuff. Hmm. Thinking aloud. :-)
Here's a thought. No matter what side you are on, Democrat or Republican, you have to realize what we have achieved is taxation without representation. This is unconstitutional.
Who is getting taxed without representation? Future generations.
When Social Security first started for every 1 person receiving benefits there were 50 working people. Today the ratio is 3 workers to every 1 beneficiary.
It's time to cut the B.S. and stop spending money we don't have. Everyone is to blame. But now it needs to be fixed.
Everyone who needs money has to get their asses out of bed and go find a freaking job. If you must go on some form of welfare the government should provide you with a ditch to dig and then refill the next day.
Government at every level must stop this. We can't have it all. Our culture of buy now, pay later is bankrupt. Literally and morally.
End of story - end of my rants. I'm so sick of the excuses people make I refuse to dwell on it further here on this forum. I'm sure most of you are glad to hear this.
But one final shot. The road we are on is unabated idiocy. You can follow the piper down this road if you want. Too bad so many others are getting dragged along.
I bought an over the door towel rack yesterday and this was the first sentence in the instructions: "CONGRATULATIONS- You've purchased a fine tubular item from Target." I'm using it as a bookmark now because it makes me laugh every time.
I like pomegranate martinis. You could have seasonal ones. Now could be apple spice (apple martini mix with cinnamon schnapps and vodka). In the winter do something with peppermint. I'm working all weekend at the Des Moines Food Festival. I'll be spending my break time in the international beer tent with Joe and Andy. If we see any interesting flavor mixes, we'll let you now.
Randy is the martini meister. He puts on swanky music, infuses his pitcher with flavor then adds the ingredients. He has had all kinds of flavored martinis. All of which made me gag.
Maybe you could have a theme night to kick off your new martini menu. Music, 50's garb on the staff (not rock around the clock garb, but cocktail garb), door prizes where you give away recipies, olives, etc. and maybe a set of martini glasses.
Perky Parrot is just advertising for kithen and coffee help...no mention of a martini bar, yet.
Doug had a Bloody Mary bar saturday afternoon at Pep's...Mike and I popped in (while working on the house) to watch Notre Dame...we couldn't resist...he had many different mixes, etc.
I stopped in to Crate and Barrel because it's close to Jude's school. I saw these glasses and thought they were neat. I picked some up for Tom and Nance. If they don't like them they can easily be returned, but lots of swanky places use the stemless galsses.
Tom, the one thing I agree with you on is Social Security. Someone has to have the nerve to say we either have to raise the retirement age, or raise the withdrawals. Social Security was meant to make sure our elders didn't slowly starve to death, it wasn't meant to pay for a 30-year retirement. If you are lucky enough to have saved enough to retire at 65, good for you. Otherwise I really believe it should be set at 75, excepting cases of true disability. Not very Democratic, I know, but maybe truly liberal. Bob Kerrey is the only guy I know who ever had the guts to say this, on a commission set up by Clinton to look at the issue. I think their recommendations were quietly shelved.
I love Crate and Barrel...I know people like the stemless, I just don't. Emily, this saturday, sunday and monday breakfast is free at IKEA untill 10:30 (eggs and everything!)
The Creighton men's soccer team is #3 in the nation!! Go Jays!!
I also agree about the providing of work for people who need it. It doesn't have to be as meaningless as digging a ditch and filling it up either - it can be rebuilding infrastructure, upgrading parks, catching up on immigration paperwork backlogs, etc., but you realize this will also cost lots of money - tax money. I'm all for it. Where's the WPA when you need it? Also, innocent children should not have to suffer for their parents' laziness, so how do you fix that?
Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes: “I like paying taxes. With them I buy civilization.”
Of course it doesn't necessarily follow that paying more taxes buys more civilization. Certainly not more civility. (Highly prized by us old-fashioned liberals)
We're coming to the Garrigan game tomorrow! Yay. Nance has again agreed to babysit Sam. THANK YOU!!! Mom and Dad, can we stay with you? WE'll be heading back to MN Saturday afternoon.
Hooray...it's senior night, so Joe3 and Kelly will walk out onto the field with Joe4, as they introduce the seniors...have free breakfast at IKEA first!
Mmmmm....Stevo's gone and I was just deciding what fast-food option to indulge in tonight when I remembered the Knights of Columbus Mostaccioli Dinner tonight (here they pronounce it muskacholli) with Carlo Salvo's homemade sausage. You can get it to go and they like me so they'll load it up.
I knew a guy at Creighton named Carlo Salvo, he tranferred to some school in DC. He was from Harlan, as I recall. Nice guy.In Ed's frat. Do you think the sausage guy is his dad?
A study just came out saying that current and former smokers who drink at least 1 glass of red wine a day reduce their risk of lung cancer by almost 60%. Only red wine, white does nothing. The study included 84170 men and was conducted by Kaiser Permamente.
I understand the attraction to the stem on a martini glass. I don't like drinking wine outta a water glass. Hopefully, we won't have any protesters. The stemless glass is good from our perspective because they don't break as easily when washing them behind the bar. Also, if we went with a stem we would have to buy a bar quality glass which would be four times the cost. We'll see how it goes. If people complain and refuse them...we could always wrap 'em up and give them to someone on our gift list. Does Bob drink martinis? :-) I was telling Tom that we should box up all our old martini glasses and he said we only had like 5 left...the rest have all broken. We gotta figure out which flavors we're gonna feature. Hmm. Thanks again, Emily...we're excited to get them tonight. ;-)
Another good thing about the stemless is that they can be chilled in our beer glass chiller. The ones with stems would tip over 'cuz the chiller is constructed of "grates." Tom...do we have room?
418 comments:
1 – 200 of 418 Newer› Newest»Ode to October:
Oh, October, how busy you are
With the most Straub Family Birthdays by far.
Let's celebrate, one and all.
The leaves are a-changin',
it really is fall.
Soon they'll drop off as the cold wind blows.
Soon the ground will be covered with snow.
Cold winter nights lead to snuggling you see,
That's why so many October Birthdays there be.
Happy Birthday Bro!
Happy birthday Joe J!
How old are you today?
I didn't mean for that to rhyme.
You looked very handsome in your tux. Are you doing anything fun?
Good job on the photos, and the blog in general, Molly. And the October poem.
To borrow a word from Liam's vocabulary...October birthdays are "awesomer" than any others. Happy Birthday everyone.
On the radio this morning...an Ohio voter as to why he is going to watch the debate tonight, "I want to see if she's as good as Tina Fey." Funny.
Tom
As happens every year, I am simply awestruck at the physical beauty, obvious intelligence, and engaging affect of each and every October baby so apparent from these photos. They simply ooze quality.
Won't even attempt to write a poem after Molly's *very cool* one!
Happy Birthday Joe Jayjack! Whatcha gonna do? :-)
Molly, you amaze me.
Great poem. Did you enter all those pictures and compose the poem while nursing Oscar and watching Mia? Yikes.
Happy birthday, Joe J!
Happy birthday to all. I just gotta remember to get back to each person on their birthday, now.
Have a fun day, Joe. You do look great in the tux, and you are an all-around upstanding guy!
lisa
randy
emma
mary
Happy Birthday, Joe. I never knew anyone who rented a tux for his birthday before. Have a good one.
love,
Mom
Mia thinks that dust motes are fairies. She was sitting in a shaft of light the other day giving them names: Cheega, Palliday, Rosaleena, Stringray (that one was a boy). Then she started beating on the couch cushions and caused a population explosion.
Thanks for the birthday wishes, everybody. Plans for my very exciting day include working from 2 to 11 tonight while trying to watch the Cubs game and the debate on closed captioning. I might have been able to call in sick, but thanks to facebook people from work already know it's my birthday today. So much for that.
I had chocolate chip pancakes and bacon for breakfast. Then I opened the great new hiking boots that Brianne got for me. I think she's going to bring my some BBQ for dinner, so it should be about as good as work can get.
Right now I'm watching "The Gods Must Be Crazy."
Happy Birthday, Bob and Mary,
Zane and Monica, looking very
Festive in your wedding duds
Enjoying dinner, dancing, suds.
Cumpleanos, one and all!
(This weekend I'll be in St. Paul
at another wedding, thus
I'll miss your real birthdays,) plus
on weekends no one seems to blog.
So celebrate - and go whole hog!
love,
Cathy
OK here's a question. I'm not much of a steak eater. I mean, I'd rather have a really good hamburger on the grill than a steak. But I bought some rather thinly sliced (1/2 inch or maybe 3/4 inch) sirloin steaks bc they were cheap. What's the best way to prepare these? Just on the grill but only for a short time? Sliced and used in fajitas or something?
p
boil them in filtered water.
google sirloin steak recipies if you like to cook, you'll have fun looking at them. If you'd rather not think about food all day like I do, it may be boring.
lisa
oh i google and try recipes all the time. but not being a steak eater just thought i'd throw it out there. of course i'll probably just grill the heck out of htem and make them tough and chewy.
p
Don't grill them, pan fry them with fresh mushrooms, lots of garlic and onions...have some wild rice, salad...wine...and then sit in a comfy chair watch Sarah sink!
Pan fry because they will be more moist!
they stay real moist if you boil them, and they turn a lovely gray color.
Cook them on the grill. Charcoal if possible. Whatever grill you use have a super hot spot then a cooler spot. Rub them with a little olive oil. Place them first on the super hot spot and make the criss cross marks on one side. Leave them on that side to sear the outside of the meat. Then flip. Sear the second side. Then transfer to a cooler part of the grill.
When do you flip them? When you see juices just start to pool on the top side. Then flip them and cook about 5 minutes. They should be a nice medium rare to medium. You only need to flip once. Amatuers flip a steak more than once. I like to use Montreal Steak seasoning.
This will give you the very moist steak. Provided you have a hot enough grill.
Tom
Excellent! Thank you. This is what I shall do. If not tonight then tomorrow.
I made a carrot ginger soup two days ago. It was fine that night but delicious today. We'll have that with the perfectly grilled steaks and a salad.
Mary, thank you also for your recipe. I just got a new gas grill so use it as often as possible.
p
I've decided I'm voting for neither candidate. McCain is a product of a broken system and Obama is in his heart of hearts a socialist.
The one time our country REALLY needed some leadership in recent years they fell flat on their faces. The Senators couldn't help themselves so they attached 100s of millions of dollars in unrelated "ear marks" and tax breaks to this bail out bill and no one spoke against this.
I'm voting against every incumbent for the rest of my life until they are all gone.
I may even become a Libertarian.
Tom
I use Montreal Steak seasoning too. It is so simple and the steaks will be delicious. Tom, Scott may join you in your vote for Bob Barr. He's not sure yet.
I know very little abut politics...I know a bit more about people. I can't help but feel that both candidates are *very* less than awesome. I don't wanna vote for either. Whatayahdo?
I know what the advice would be...but, I don't want either of them to be president...period. Hmm.
Well, I think Palin did OK. She says nucular like Bush does, and she gets that folksy voice that drives me crazy but she did OK. Of course, it doesn't even matter what is said in these debates (half the time they don't even answer the question)....it's whether you can sound like you know what you are saying without stumbling. And she did. Biden of course was much better but he was expected to be.
P
Happy Birthday Mary Laurel! Maybe you can stay home from school today.....
Happy Birthday Bob! Enjoy happy hour.
Happy Birthday Zane! Have a football game? I hope you win!
Happy Birthday Monica! You're old.
p
McCain's pulling out of Michigan. Looks like McSlimey's gonna be the next president. Of course, as you all know, I've been an Obama fan from the beginning. I hope that my ardent, though silent, support for him will be rewarded with some really good, juicy pork.
Causes of financial crisis according to the Veeps:
Palin: The greed of the fat cats on wall street caused it.
Biden: Deregulation by the current administration caused it, allowing the fat cats on Wall Street to be too greedy.
Sherlock Holmes says...
"Any truth is better than indefinite doubt. I'm voting for McCain."
Sherlock Holmes can't vote, he's not a US citizen.
I don't know why I watch MSNBC. They make me soooo mad. For instance, Olberman characterized McCains testy exchange with the Des Moines Register's editorial board as this..."he completely melted down shouting attacks at the board." If you saw the exchange it was nothing of the sort.
And last night Rachel Maddow (you know, the one with serious penis evny) said Palin completely lost the debate. Didn't meet expectations and was mean spirited.
Also, after the debate a person they labeled as an analyst was in fact an employee of Obama's staff.
They are shamelessly in the Obama camp and they project a smug, "smarter than thou" attitude towards anyone not in agreement.
Like a wise old man once told me, "Olberman parades as an intellect."
Tom
Tom - I agree. Those two don't even try to present a objective view. They are completely in the liberal camp. I think that FOX news gets such good ratings because if you are of conservative bent you will go there to watch your news. This means a little less than 50% of the people will go there for news. So MSNBC is trying to lure the liberal TV watchers. Both of them make me sick, but it is entertaining to switch between the two and get reactions that are so far apart.
On the debate - I have never seen somebody lose a debate so badly and still get "points" for not losing it completely.
Sara Palin was good. She really knows how to talk to the camera. I listened to some on radio and watched some on tv. Biden sounded better on radio. Palin was good, but Biden still won.
The most interesting thing about the debate was the exchange on stage afterwards with the families. It looked like Biden could hardly keep from picking up Palin's little ones. He and Palin talked quite a bit (with smiles and laughter) afterwards. Very interesting.
I really don't want to go with McCain... and am having big problems with Obama. I think libertarians are idiots. What to do?
lisa
Happy birthday to our bit of fresh-scribbed sunshine, Mary.
Happy birthday to Bob! May all your dreams in life come true. (You've already got Deb and that automatically puts you in the pretty darn lucky camp)
Happy birthday, Zane. Do a birthday back flip over Braden for your big day!
Happy birthday, Monica! For your birthday I hope you find the right shade of muted peacock blue for your living room.
Lisa
Tom, you should start the Curmudgeon Party. Ed and I (and probably bornagain Obamanut Joe) would join you. I think you watch MSNBC for the same reason I sometimes listen to Rush or Glenn Beck on the radio. They getcher blood a'boilin'. It's fun to reflect on what idiots have access to the airways and think we're better than them (we are.)
I'm voting for Obama. But I hate how the far left liberals have totally demonized Palin. She's not qualified to be vice-president. But neither is she some kind of backwoods nut for having more than 1.8 children and being pro-life. I hate how the media inserts itself into the story. Interviews by respected reporters turn into a game of "gotcha" when they keep trying for the quotable quote. Even Tim Russert did it in a debate he was moderating. Report the news, don't try to cause it.
I have to say, though, Palin did give Tina Fay plenty of material. It's true - the more she gets pressed, the more adorable she acts. Biden did well to act like a gentleman but not take any crap.
So, any curmudgeon candidates come to mind?
far left liberals: oxymoron. Liberal means open to all views, generous of spirit. I am proud to call mysellf a liberal.
Randy's the best curmudgeon I know. I've been telling him that for years. I nominate him as the de-facto head of the party and together you guys can come up with a candidate.
This morning Tom Brokow said something to the effect that he didn't think it was his part to define what a candidate ment to whether or not they won - his job was to put the information out for the voters to decide.
Lisa
Brokaw's good - do you even know for sure what his political views are? No, and you shouldn't.
I just got an email from Joe Biden. He says Sarah Palin gave a spirited defense of a disastrous set of policies. He wants money.
Happy birthday Octobers! I heart Tom Brokaw. No love. Love, love, love. In my heart I know he's a proud midwest democrat.
I don't like being winked at in person, and I especially don't like being winked at over t.v. Especially by a middle aged mom. Creepy. The more charming or folksy Palin tried to be, the weirder it got. She did better than I expected though. In an interview after the debate, Geraldine Ferraro said if Palin mentioned how much she knew about energy again she was going to puke.
Speaking of Palin, here's a good Palindrome:
Go hang a salami, I'm a lasagna hog!
I agree with Ed's assessment that for the pure fact that Palin didn't fall flat on her face, she did well. Ridiculous. I noticed BIded was rubbing his head ant temples a few times last night. Headache from a serious affliction? He was also chomping at the bit when Palin said she thought the VP needs more power. Several times throught the night , Scott kept saying, "why didn't the dems put this guy up?" He also said that of the 4 people on the two tickets, Biden is the only one he can stomach.
Changing gears: just got back from my first trip to Aldi and I can't believe how cheap some items are. A gallon of milk for 2.37. Cheese was cheap too. The problem is I bought stuff I don't normally buy. Junk foody stuff like Aldi brand pizza rolls because they were so cheap. I don't know if I can justify buying organic milk any more. I've been paying about 3.37 for a half gallon and I go through a half gallon in two days by myslef. I have two concerns: 1) all the hormones in regular milk 2) the bpa in the plastic gallon milk containers has been linked to cancers ans most recently diabetes. What to do? Stick with the organic cardboard-container milk and cut budget someplace else or say we all gotta go one way or another and go with the MUCH cheaper milk. They really just need to start making organic products more affordable.
Ooh, I also bought my annual box of Boo Berry.
SO SORRY!!!
Happy birthday to all you lovely and handsome October babies!
I'm no curmudgeon. Just ask a few people in Vancouver. (By the way I'm no hooligan either - just a guy who said the wrong thing to a bartender with an itchy trigger finger).
Lisa - you may just be a Libertarian. I mean if you don't want someone reaching into your wallet so they can give some fruitcake a sex change operation you may be a Libertarian.
Ellen - Palin was winking at me because she thinks I'm cute. If you want creepy you should have checked out cspan when they were voting on their version of the bailout bill. Pallid, creaky old men and women who have far out served their usefulness.
Emily - have I ever told you how smart I think Scott is? Hate to say it again and again but if the democrats would have chosen Biden this race would have been over months ago.
Tom
If I hear the word maverick again I"m going to puke. If you refer to yourself as a mverick it kinda loses is authenticity. Ditto on the winking. What was she thinking? It's cute? Also ditto on MSNBC being over the top. Chuck Todd is not nor some of their other analysts, but Olberman is so annoying!
Jack Kelly and James Garner are the only true Mavericks.
Don't forget about Roger Moore and Robert Colbert (Beau & Brent Maverick).
It's ok that there's a balance for FOX...it's needed. The female on MSNBC (Maddow?) is openly gay. She does not have penis envy, she hates the things!!
Sara was very good. She's adopting (or has naturally) a Reagan-like style, it could be dangerous.
There's about 22,000 Mavericks at UNO.
what was i thinking? good catch.
the good catch comment was to Ed for the obscure Maverick reference.
the whole folksy thing could backfire on Palin. she doesn't have the charisma Reagan had, and won't be able to carry it off for long. she's no Gipper.
It has occured to me that Palin's winking may actually be a eye thing-y.
lisa
At least Fox makes the pretense towards fair and balanced. O'Reilly usually tries to get 2 people on either side of an issue when discussing. But, O'Reilly will often over talk both of them - especially the one he doesn't agree with.
With Hannity and Colmes you have some balance. Although, I think they chose Colmes because he's such a wuss. He is not very good at defending the "liberal" point of veiw.
Greta Van Sustern's show started as a show to discuss legal issues. But as things evolved and the election has drawn closer it does a lot of political coverage. By and large she is a right leaning neutral.
Olberman and Maddow, on their shows make no fair and balanced pretense whatsoever. So much so that Brokaw put his foot down and Olberman has been disallowed from moderating any more debates.
Tom
"FOX NEWS...FAIR AND BALANCED"
"MSNBC NEWS...A FULLER SPECTRUM OF NEWS'
For those of you who totally believe taglines.
Was anyone else concerned that little girl Palin was going to drop the baby while walking down the stairs?
p
Nope...remember the way Emily carried Molly all over downtown Chicago? Youngsters have quicker reflexes...on that same trip Emily stopped the train, with all the kids on the platform and all the adults in the train and the doors closing!! heehee
Okay...which one of you knuckleheads totally believes tag lines?
Probably the most effective tag line of all time..."Miller Lite Tastes Great - Less Filling". I didn't know which one to believe.
Tom
Palin makes me BARF. She tries way to hard to be a regular person and she's not.
Pat, F-you. 43 is the new 34. And I probably would feel 34 wxcept my hair has been falling out. I blame it on the stress of this stupid election and bail out.
Monica
Monica whoa. Dial it back. You're not old.
You're feisty.
Like Sarah Palin.
Who's older than both of us.
I think you are very, very young.
P
Hey, what gives? I though Biden was supposed to step aside today to make room for Hillary.
the clones are playing well so far...
Pat, I was just kidding. Not to worry. I don't feel that old except my hair is falling out. How do I remedy that? No plans for my birthday excpt a pancake breakfast and Tom's football game. I don't know why a Catholic school team has games on Sunday.
Monica
My hair thinned out about 4 years ago. Then it stopped.
p
Happy Birthday, Monica! :-)
Tom is playing his last football game at the UNI Dome on Sunday. I don't think they have lost a game yet. His coach put him in the line yesterday against a kid who was easily twice as big as him. The kid flicked him across the field like a fly.
Monica
Well - sorry all of you Cub fans - but you knew it was coming right? It just goes to show - you can't break a 100 year curse by trowing money at it (also your leadoff batter should maybe take some pitches).
Went to the ND game this weekend and the weather was sooo nice. Looks like JC is really turning it on. Now they just need a reliable running game and run defense.
Pat - you can do it.
Tom - see the poll to the left.
Thank you for the birthday wishes. It was a nice day.
Monica
Ed;
Did you mean Jesus Christ is turning it on? I know ND is a Catholic school and all!
Is the sky falling?
Not if your head is in the clouds!
I got a blog-posting-to-the-editor published in the online version of "America" magazine (Oct. 6 issue) Actually I was responding to a previous posting. It's all moot now, but here's the address:
http://www.americamagazine.org/blog/entry.cfm?blog_id=2&id=9E5CE2BC-1321-AEAA-D3826C42F7574BE2
By the way, the guy I was responding to posts all the time and he's very conservative, which is OK, and sometimes supercilious and nasty, which is not.
Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit amphetamines.
I just talkedto Desmond...he's on his way to Santa Monica to do a commercial. So I googled his hotel "The Huntley" right on the ocean. I'm jealous!
Cudgel wielding!
p
We went to St. Paul for a wedding over the weekend so we went to Emily's house Saturday for lunch. We had cheeseburgers with Em and Sam - Scott and Jude were off watching the Gophers cudgel Indiana - and they have a really cool house with a pretty back yard. We couldn't visit long because I had to get back and polish my toenails. It took us almost an hour to find it because of multiple detours (mapquest no good) but Emily wrote down directions to get back and we got back in 15 minutes. I highly recommend Emily's Place for a delicious free lunch in charming surroundings with a chubby happy baby for entertainment. And Emily's no slouch either.
so i'm reading this book and the author refers to a gathering of wives as a bludgeon. as in a flock of geese, a murder of crows, a bludgeon of wives.
That guy's all wet. The correct term is "a monstrous regiment of women."
Hey, I meant to ask this before - what did the obscure maverick reference mean? I don't get it.
Ed came up with a reference to the tv show Maverick, 2 characters that were not on very often.
Cathy...please describe in luscious detail the wonderful meal and company you had in Whittemore!
Lovely grilled pork roast, corn casserole, baked beans, macaroni casserole, nice kids, good wine, good beer, good conversation, political conversations largely civil, pie with ice cream, sports jabs at worthy opponents, nice dog, clean sheets, hot shower with plenty of pressure, french toast made from cinnamon-raisin bread, sunny morning with the door open, and unlimited coffee. Great visit.
I made apple crisp today from apples Peter stole from our dead neighbors yard. It was yummy.
I put sliced tomatoes on Tom's burger tonight that was "found" in our alive neighbors yard.
Yes, the food at G & G's was yummy! There were 2 stand-outs...Mary's homemade macaroni and cheese and Joe3's corn/pasta casserole. Macaroni and cheese is an awesome idea for a side dish especially when kids are eating...our kids have become way better eaters but are still not interested in potato salads, cole slaws, beans and such. I asked Joe3 if he just stumbled upon his dish...he said it was from a St. Joe cookbook. It was really good. :-)
So there's a new dude working on my floor that I've never seen before. He's wearing one of those ear warmers, a fuzzy cardigan sweater and fingerless gloves. This is the kind of person that ends up grabbing the fire axe out of the glass case and running amok chopping away at his co-workers, foaming at the mouth, crying and screaming that his pet hamster Snuffles wants him to kill, Kill KILL!!
Yep. Gonna have to keep an eye on this one.
BElated wishes:
Happy birthday, Monica. Forever young (er than me).
Happy birthday, Zane. Hey. Whadyall get for your birthdays?
Love
lisa
Frank - pull a Jim Halpern and put his stapler in a jello mold. That should make for some good water cooler talk.
Tom
that'll set him off for sure.
A tried and true restaurant prank is to dump a bunch of salt or hot sauce in a coworker's drink. Give that a shot.
Tom
Another one is to put a little dab of whipped cream or mayonnaise in the ear piece of their phone then dial his extension. Best if you can see them pick up the phone.
With approach of colder weather you can keep in mind the oldly but goody of fill the coat pocket with whipped cream. As they walk by ask them, "Hey, what's that in your pocket?"
Tom
Restaurant promo ideas - got any? What is a really cool promo you have seen. What made you go to a restaurant and make you want to part with your money? Contests, discounts, prizes, what?
Tom
If I weren't married I would do a "Win a Date with Tom" promo. That would be a sure winner.
I wanna start a promo to bring more people in for lunch. I think that people are hesitant to go to a sit down restaurant because their "hour" lunch is really like 30 minutes. For example: Noon strikes...grab your purse, talk to a co-worker, go potty and get in your car, drive, walk in and sit down. Now, it's 12:20. They have to order a drink, wait for it, order lunch, wait for it and now it's 12:35. They have 10 minutes to eat, maybe 15 and then, go potty, get in their car and drive back to work. Who wants to do that? Icky. Our salad bar is a nuisance and we hate it. People love it. Gotta keep it. Our soup and half sammy special is by far our greatest lunch request. I was thinking about starting a promo called something like "ZERO-Wait lunch." We could have our soup and salad bar set up as usual and have a covered sandwhich tray set on the buffet alongside the soup bar. Guests can simply walk right in...go and get a salad, soup and/or sammy...and, sit down. The Server then, can charge them according to what they took and get them a beverage. Wham-bam-thank you ma'am. Super fast and a ZERO-wait! Whatayahthink? What should we call it? "Zero-Wait?" Or, would something else be better?
Of course, if this doesn't work...we could still raffle off a date with Tom. :-)
Algona Publishing called, last week, and reserved their holiday party for January. The guy that made the rezzie said that our letter/candy idea was very clever and was the reason he chose Sarah's! WooHoo!
I am sending out another letter to businesses regarding our meeting room and what we can do for breakfasts' and lunches...also, that we can cater meetings at the Water's Edge. We'll see if that works.
We decided to snatch up the front page of the Dining Guide. We'll be on the front with one other business. Unlike other businesses that simply have an ad about their facility...ours is a simple $5 OFF coupon. Hope it works!
I like the no-wait lunch idea. You could alternate "no-wait" days with "slow food movement" days - no, never mind. But just have a very limited sandwich menu for the no-wait special like 3 or 4 signature sandwiches, condiments on the side...it could work.
Do people want sandwiches that have been out and possibly handled by other diners? You might have to wrap them.
Hey Nance and Tom have you heard of the email marketing product called Constant Contact? It's pretty cheap....something like $15 a month for an email list of up to 500 people. They provide templates and you can upload images to create a professional looking email. You can advertise events or specials or what have you. You can also conduct customer surveys. I think there's also a free trial period of 60 days if you just wanted to try it for a bit. It's supposed to be really easy to use, too.
P
Macaroni and cheese....mmmmmmm.
In Cambodia you can be anything you want: king, prince, president, prime minister, Chancellor of the Exchequer. You can have macaroni and cheese every day if you want.
It would only be one kind of sandwich and a different one each day...I was thinking. I would hate to wrap 'em...don't want them to look like a vending machine sandwich. Would tongs be sufficient? What do you think?
Pat...that sounds like a good idea...I'll look into it. Thanks!
How 'bout a little piece of waxed paper under each sandwich? Easy to grab and not touch others...tongs may be difficult to use. Or, do you think they really should really individually wrapped?
How about Martuni Tuesdays? Have a list of about 20 different martinis. If you have one of each (over the course of time - not all at once) you get a Martini Club Tee Shirt. No need to discount to get biz - just give a way a tee shirt that costs us minimal. Taking it further if they have 50 martinis they get a sweat shirt.
You'll have to get different martini glasses...
You need at least 2 different sandwiches...(Maggie B's has 4 and 2 soups)...there is no "just soup" price on your menu. How much is a bowl or cup and can you get bread with?? I would post a bowl price over your soup pots, so that people coming through at nightwould see the good price, etc...
Are you doing anything Oktoberfesty? And November could be election oriented (free something for everyone that comes in with an "I Voted" sticker, and then a watch the results party for both dem and repubs. - and inds.)
December could be, well, holiday party season. p
I like the idea of a martini punch card and in light of the "Perky Parrot," opening for business...it's particularly good timing.
Anyone know anything about the Perky Parrot? All I know is that they have a cup of coffee and a martini glass on their sign.
Oh yah, we'll have lots of signage and stuff if we do the "zero-wait" dealey-o. Particularly, during lunch we'll have something on the easle (up front) directing Guests' to the salad bar area for a "Zero-wait." We have sandwich choices on the menu...the daily half sammy/soup special offers only one and that's the one which would be featured in the salad bar area...I think.
Good ideas, Pat. What would be Octoberfesty?
drop a business card in the fish bowl and win a free soup and sammy lunch. they HAVE to redeem within a month. if they don't have business cards just put the name and phone number on a piece of paper. one winner a week. the good thing about that is that no one really likes to eat lunch alone...
Good fish bowl idea m.e.
I will have to ask Tom about adding soup prices to the menu. I know people order a bowl, at lunch, all the time...but, it should be on the menu too. I don't think Tom wants to do bread at lunch because of a waste issue. This being said, I have always thought that bread with an awesome salad or soup is way better than some crackers. Hmm...we'll have to talk about that.
that wasn't m.e., that was me.
remember those cake walks and the St. Michaels fair? you'd walk around a table loaded with cakes and when the music stopped you had your hand on a number, they drew a number and that was the winner of a cake? you could do that but with dinners. make a production out of it, drum up bar business the night of the dinner walk. a buck a chance, one winner per round.
push tables together so you can get 20-25 people walking per round. do a round per hour. they have to be there to win, so what will they do between rounds? drink.
Good idea Frank...sorry!
I'm not so sure we're a martini-cake-walk kinda place.
Bigger glasses was Tom's idea...but, we would have to sell a lot of martini's to cover new glassware, advertising and cheap tee's. This "brain storming" is very helpful. Thanks. :-)
I have to say....your martini glasses are way small. I like dirty martinis and add a few olives..it leaves alot left over for the bartender!! Run up to IKEA and get them glasses for $2!!
I just read that retirement accounts have lost $2 trillion dollars.
Good thing people aren't saving as much as their supposed to.
p
Speak for yourself. It makes me want to cry.
Algona has an Ikea?
oktoberfesty: delicious squash or pumpkin soup; a sausage or brats, beer and kraut night; free drinks costume contest; guys with accordions; buxom babes in blousy blouses bringing beer; comfort foods like shepherd's pie, pot roast or (mmmmmm) macaroni and cheese.
No they don't have an IKEA...but I will suggest it to the City Council....I'll say "IKEA's a good IDEA"
Oh believe me anonymous I've lost my share of funds.....I was being facetious. Or maybe ironic. My IRA was invested fairly heavily in Freddie Mac. Or maybe it was Fannie May.
Snuff. Don't forget the snuff machines for oktoberfest. Emily do you remember those in Mpls at the Gastof?
p
Also. Spaetzle. Yum.
p
I've never been to IKEA. I want to go.
College accounts for kids are losing money too. THAT I am worried about.
Monica
i put all my money in hog bellies.
SS, let me know if you want me to look for martini glasses at IKEA for you.
I thought that debate was boring.
I shuddered when Comrade Obama in talking about McCain's tax plan and his desire to let the "rich" keep their own money said in his most earnest moment last night, "that isn't fair". This is a clear insight to his socialist philosophy.
I'm also curious about what McCain said about Obama's plan. He said Obama wants to penalize small businesses who do not provide health care to their employees. This is the first I've heard about this. If it came to be it would be a nail in my coffin.
What's lost in all of Obama's wealth redistribution talk is the fact that if you work and study hard you can get ahead. Even if you come from a disadvantaged background. If you want a salient example of this look at the candidate himself.
His story is unlike one of my employees who last night asked for 2 nights off next week because one of the nights is his girl friend's birthday and the other is his own birthday. These people live in government subsidized housing and are covered by medicaid yet they won't work for every dime available.
They are a part of the culture of entitlement. There are poor and rich alike who feel they are owed.
Obama did win the debate. He won it before it started with the markets taking another plunge yesterday.
Another thing I am curious about is Obama's plan to cut taxes for 95% of Americans. How can you do this when something like 30% don't pay federal income tax?
I think the Libertarians advocate an across the board flat tax rate. What's wrong with that?
Tom
McCAIN: Said he would provide a $5,000 refundable tax credit for families to buy health insurance "rather than mandates or fines for small businesses as Senator Obama's plan calls for."
THE FACTS: Obama's health care plan does not impose mandates or fines on small business. He would provide small businesses with a refundable tax credit of up to 50 percent on health premiums paid on behalf of their employees. Also, large employers that do not offer meaningful coverage or contribute to the cost of coverage would be required to pay a percentage of payroll toward the costs of a public insurance plan. But small businesses would be exempt from that requirement.
Emma wants to run for 3rd grade student council.
Last night when practicing karate with Randy, Mary chopped him in the adams apple.
lisa
TOm and Nance,
Scott's in Duluth today to track down some smugglers. Do you guys have any place i can suggest for him to eat lunch?
TOm and Nance,
Scott's in Duluth today to track down some smugglers. Do you guys have any place i can suggest for him to eat lunch?
Tom and Nance,
Scott's in Duluth today to track down some smugglers. Do you guys have any place I can suggest for him to eat?
There is a Gyro/Coney Dog restaurant about 2 blocks from the Holiday Inn. I forget the name of it.
tom
Which guy at Sarah's has a similar story to Obama's? Why don't you hang his Harvard diploma next to the dishwasher (it might get wrinkly) or above the stove fan?
Mary - please read more carefully my posts. I said his story is "unlike" Obama's. Not similar to Obama's. Obama was motivated to improve himself. My guy is a Playstation junkie slug.
And please don't use my words as my making an indictment against all in government subsidized housing. We need to provide this for the truly needy ones.
Before this is all said and done you will see multi-generational households. Just like in the good old days.
Tom
We watched the debate as the home of Bill and Colleen Farnham, more disadvantaged Democrats...we've watched the others there, as well. It's fun. But an interesting story...the Democratic Party hired young people nationally to help with campaigns around the country. A nice young lady from West Palm Beach took a sabbatical from Florida State, was hired by the Dems and was plunked down in Kossuth to help Delores Mertz run for the Statehouse. It's been quite an adjustment for her, but now she's in a groove. But last night she told me she thinks she has fallen in love with a guy who works for Monsanto...she's staying after the election to see where it goes!
Sorry for the triple post. I hate it when I do that. Who is Monsato?
Can someone in the business of real estate maybe explain to me how Obama's plan to nearly double the capital gains tax will help the industry?
Tom
...didn't think so.
Over the weekend (I think) I heard on the radio it was the anniversary of the first imnposition of the income tax - I believe in 1913. It was 1%. Some senator arguing vociferously against it said he thought it might some day rise to as high as 5%.
Obama won the debate and the numbers are on his side but I don't think anyone has any idea of how big the Bradley effect (people at the last minute unable to bring themselves to vote for a black person) really is. Palin's been rousing them at rallies saying Obama's feelings about America "aren't the same as yours and mine" to which at least one devotee shouted "Kill him!" She was introduced by a sheriff who made sure to call Obama Barack Hussein Obama. She also was bemoaning her treatment by the media at this same rally and the crowd started moving in and dispersing the media pool (no overt violence, however) and one man told a black cameraman to "Sit down, Boy." She needs to back off before someone takes it as his permission to go get his gun. Anyway, even if the election were held today, I don't think it's a given that Obama would win.
Cathy - I'm glad to see you are coming around. Your describing income tax as an imposition is very apt.
Tom
Obama won the debate?
I heard that McCain did and that it took Obama about half the debate to really look like he could participate fully in the town hall meeting style of debate.
I don't yet know for whom I am voting, but as we watch these debates and the after spin, it's interesting to think of how much the afterspin may affect our perceptions.
lisa
Well, FOX viewers voted McCain the winner by 86%...CNN had Obama by 4 points...I don't know about MSNBC. McCain seemed mean and I didn't like the "That one" comment as he pointed at Obama, it made me shiver. Based on what Cathy posted above I wouldn't doubt that they've decided to go after the racist vote, as in "get out the racists to vote".
The capital gains tax will remain the same for people making under $250,000...it will be 20% for those over $250,000. It won't affect me in the least, in regards to real estate...not even a farm sale, because it's still lower than even in the Reagan years.
Every time the capital gains tax has been raised the actual revenue from that tax has dropped. It's a fact.
Tom
We haven't turned on the furnace yet this season, but when I got out of bed today it was 64 in the house. Brrrr!
"Imposition" is not necessarily a bad word. I could have as easily and humorously used the word "bestowed." I am delighted to have an easy and automatic way to contribute to the welfare and infrastructure and defense and general well-being of my beloved country.
By the way, the statistics I saw this morning showed Obama winning in the minds of 51% and McCain by 31% of respondents in a blind poll.
Why are they only polling the blind people?
p
The reason Capital Gains tax revenues decrease when the tax is raised is that anybody who thinks they might sell their long term investments will do so shortly before the new tax rate kicks in.
Taking this into account I don't know that you can say that you get fewer revenues from increasing the Capital Gains Tax.
I say it because this handy dandy graph contained in this Wall Street Journal editorial says so. It shows that the tax revenue collected has an inverse relation to the tax rate percent. Higher equals lower - lower equals higher.
The handy dandy graph also says the trends last about as long the tax rate is in place. Meaning years.
Here's the link:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120847505709424727.html?mod=opinion_main_review_and_outlooks
Tom
What's cooking?
I have golabki (stuffed cabbage rolls) in the oven. We have been eating out too much in the last month that neither of us feel like anything. Golbki is different and actually sounds yummy.
What does Josh want for Christmas?
Sister Sarah, I think you should wrap the sandwiches in the parchment paper. What about a baked potato bar as it get cooler?
Baked Potatoes! Brilliant! Which leads me to another thought. Why just sandwiches? What if a low cost entree were offered? Something like Chicken & Biscuits on Tuesdays, Meat Loaf and Mashed Potatoes on Wed., Chicken Fettucinne on Thursdays and so on?
Tom
As for the sandwiches, why not just have them premade in the kitchen? Then the waitress could bring out the sandwich of choice while the diner gets his soup or salad.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDFgtFXfnv0
Yes I think a hot entree each day is a good idea. p
We have hot entrées on the menu...we're talking about a *quick* sammy included in the soup/salad bar area.
Are you guys sayin' we should set up like a hot entrée station in the salad bar area? Hmm.
I really think that whatever we can provide that would be self-serve, therefore fast...is a good idea. Good ideas guys...keep 'em coming. :-)
Emily picked us up some no-stem martini glasses at Crate & Barrel...can't wait to seem them. :-)
What are some yummy martinis' people have had lately...I'm thinking:
chocolate
pomegranate/mango
green apple
Medical question:
My brothers son who is 2 and a half and was premature therefore he is really little and was sick last night in the ER. High fever (103.9), lethargic, et cetera. They couldn't figure out what was wrong and sent him home, blood tests aren't back yet. My sister is babysitting him right now because Mom is at a job interview. His Mom thinks that he is suppose to have Tylenol and Motrin at the same time every 4 hours. She gave him both meds at 5am and just re-medicated him with both at 8am. Could this be right? She said the Dr. told her to give both at the same time...but, I'm thinking he meant to alternate them. Jack weighs about 27 pounds. Ann is with him right now and we're wondering if he's been way over-medicated. Anyone?
I've heard you can give one and then 2 hours later give the other. I don't know though, I"ve never done it.
Our kids are fever kids, never lethargic, just a high fever when ill. I've been told to alternate them every 4 hours...never both at the same time???
Tom -
Please read this:
http://time-blog.com/curious_capitalist/2008/05/the_official_word_on_whether_c.html
I was always told to alternate them. In order for this to not become an issue, an easy thing to do would be just to call the child's regular doctor and ask the nurse.
lisa
This is why it's best to receive written directions when leaving the emergency room
lisa
Mom amd Dad are gone. Ann questioned them about the meds...but, Mom thinks she understands what to do. Ann read the Dr. information sheet and it talks about motrin every 6 hours and tylenol every 4 hours...nothing about doing both together. Ann is watching him closely. He seems fine just getting tired.
blue-tini, blueberry infused vodka...we used to get them at the sushi place in Omaha. I tried infusing the vodka at home, it worked!
I also like a slightly dirty vodka martini...can't wait for the new glasses!
I also like stems on my martini glasses....it's part of the sexyness of the drink (to me). sorry Emily.
The new glasses are 7 ounces and the old were 4. Hopefully, they'll withstand some extra olives. ;-)
Ann said she just had an awesome blueberry martini and her husband had a yummy dreamsicle one.
RE: Hot dish, I was just agreeing with Tom's suggestion. If you are going to have a quick lunch menu, I like the option of one hot dish item.
I like the stemless glasses.
p
Yah, we thought it was weird not to have stems. Tom, Ann and I were all like "won't they tip over?" Ha, ha. The good thing about stemless is they're 1) mod 2) less breakage when washing 3) less likely to be tippy when the Guest gets tipsy! :-)
I had a real martini once and have never ordered another. I guess I'm just not a grownup. By real I mean gin, splash of vermouth, olive.
I love baked potato bars. That could be an occasional hot lunch quickie.
I don't like real martinis either...I like flavored ones.
Pat, yah I was wondering if the suggestion is to have a hot item over by the soup/salad bar. I should ask Tom. I've even considered not having a menu at all for lunch and only offering the soup/salad bar and then, perhaps a sammy and some sorta line of hot stuff. Hmm. Thinking aloud. :-)
We'll have to have the menu...I know. Just thinking.
Here's an interesting story on real mavericks:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/05/weekinreview/05schwartz.html?em
I love this headline on the Upper Des Moines website.
Breaking news: City council to tour O.B. Laing Middle School Monday
whoa!
Here's a thought. No matter what side you are on, Democrat or Republican, you have to realize what we have achieved is taxation without representation. This is unconstitutional.
Who is getting taxed without representation? Future generations.
When Social Security first started for every 1 person receiving benefits there were 50 working people. Today the ratio is 3 workers to every 1 beneficiary.
It's time to cut the B.S. and stop spending money we don't have. Everyone is to blame. But now it needs to be fixed.
Everyone who needs money has to get their asses out of bed and go find a freaking job. If you must go on some form of welfare the government should provide you with a ditch to dig and then refill the next day.
Government at every level must stop this. We can't have it all. Our culture of buy now, pay later is bankrupt. Literally and morally.
End of story - end of my rants. I'm so sick of the excuses people make I refuse to dwell on it further here on this forum. I'm sure most of you are glad to hear this.
But one final shot. The road we are on is unabated idiocy. You can follow the piper down this road if you want. Too bad so many others are getting dragged along.
Tom
I bought an over the door towel rack yesterday and this was the first sentence in the instructions: "CONGRATULATIONS- You've purchased a fine tubular item from Target."
I'm using it as a bookmark now because it makes me laugh every time.
I like pomegranate martinis. You could have seasonal ones. Now could be apple spice (apple martini mix with cinnamon schnapps and vodka). In the winter do something with peppermint. I'm working all weekend at the Des Moines Food Festival. I'll be spending my break time in the international beer tent with Joe and Andy. If we see any interesting flavor mixes, we'll let you now.
*know
Here's some Martuni recipes...I could use a couple right now.
www.drinksmixer.com/cat/3315/
Tom
Randy is the martini meister. He puts on swanky music, infuses his pitcher with flavor then adds the ingredients. He has had all kinds of flavored martinis. All of which made me gag.
Maybe you could have a theme night to kick off your new martini menu. Music, 50's garb on the staff (not rock around the clock garb, but cocktail garb), door prizes where you give away recipies, olives, etc. and maybe a set of martini glasses.
Lisa
Perky Parrot is just advertising for kithen and coffee help...no mention of a martini bar, yet.
Doug had a Bloody Mary bar saturday afternoon at Pep's...Mike and I popped in (while working on the house) to watch Notre Dame...we couldn't resist...he had many different mixes, etc.
does Randy break out the smoking jacket and ascot on martini night?
I stopped in to Crate and Barrel because it's close to Jude's school. I saw these glasses and thought they were neat. I picked some up for Tom and Nance. If they don't like them they can easily be returned, but lots of swanky places use the stemless galsses.
Tom, the one thing I agree with you on is Social Security. Someone has to have the nerve to say we either have to raise the retirement age, or raise the withdrawals. Social Security was meant to make sure our elders didn't slowly starve to death, it wasn't meant to pay for a 30-year retirement. If you are lucky enough to have saved enough to retire at 65, good for you. Otherwise I really believe it should be set at 75, excepting cases of true disability. Not very Democratic, I know, but maybe truly liberal. Bob Kerrey is the only guy I know who ever had the guts to say this, on a commission set up by Clinton to look at the issue. I think their recommendations were quietly shelved.
I love Crate and Barrel...I know people like the stemless, I just don't.
Emily, this saturday, sunday and monday breakfast is free at IKEA untill 10:30 (eggs and everything!)
The Creighton men's soccer team is #3 in the nation!! Go Jays!!
I also agree about the providing of work for people who need it. It doesn't have to be as meaningless as digging a ditch and filling it up either - it can be rebuilding infrastructure, upgrading parks, catching up on immigration paperwork backlogs, etc., but you realize this will also cost lots of money - tax money. I'm all for it. Where's the WPA when you need it? Also, innocent children should not have to suffer for their parents' laziness, so how do you fix that?
So, good thing they didn't privatize Social Security...huh?
P
No kidding.
Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes: “I like paying taxes. With them I buy civilization.”
Of course it doesn't necessarily follow that paying more taxes buys more civilization. Certainly not more civility. (Highly prized by us old-fashioned liberals)
We're coming to the Garrigan game tomorrow! Yay. Nance has again agreed to babysit Sam. THANK YOU!!! Mom and Dad, can we stay with you? WE'll be heading back to MN Saturday afternoon.
Hooray...it's senior night, so Joe3 and Kelly will walk out onto the field with Joe4, as they introduce the seniors...have free breakfast at IKEA first!
RE: Superpower....who's the other Something Else, and what did you choose?
p
does IKEA make you assemble your omelet yourself?
I'm the other something else. What did you choose?
Whuh?
Mmmmm....Stevo's gone and I was just deciding what fast-food option to indulge in tonight when I remembered the Knights of Columbus Mostaccioli Dinner tonight (here they pronounce it muskacholli) with Carlo Salvo's homemade sausage. You can get it to go and they like me so they'll load it up.
Yummy....where's Stevo?
I knew a guy at Creighton named Carlo Salvo, he tranferred to some school in DC. He was from Harlan, as I recall. Nice guy.In Ed's frat. Do you think the sausage guy is his dad?
Here's a stock that was up 47% today and it's only $2/share...someone buy some so we can watch..."TONS" it's Novamerican Steel.
Our Carlo Salvo lives in Council Bluffs and has for years. Yours could be a nephew or something, I guess.
Any score on the Garrigan game? So far I can't get it on the computer.
Cathy, it was Thursday.
Today is Friday.
p
Hey Smokers:
A study just came out saying that current and former smokers who drink at least 1 glass of red wine a day reduce their risk of lung cancer by almost 60%. Only red wine, white does nothing. The study included 84170 men and was conducted by Kaiser Permamente.
p
just think what a whole bottle would do for you!
I understand the attraction to the stem on a martini glass. I don't like drinking wine outta a water glass. Hopefully, we won't have any protesters. The stemless glass is good from our perspective because they don't break as easily when washing them behind the bar. Also, if we went with a stem we would have to buy a bar quality glass which would be four times the cost. We'll see how it goes. If people complain and refuse them...we could always wrap 'em up and give them to someone on our gift list. Does Bob drink martinis? :-)
I was telling Tom that we should box up all our old martini glasses and he said we only had like 5 left...the rest have all broken.
We gotta figure out which flavors we're gonna feature. Hmm.
Thanks again, Emily...we're excited to get them tonight. ;-)
Another good thing about the stemless is that they can be chilled in our beer glass chiller. The ones with stems would tip over 'cuz the chiller is constructed of "grates." Tom...do we have room?
Are martini's supposed to be cold?
Yes...most.
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