If I could only eat one sandwich for the rest of my life, it would be the hoagie club sandwich from Nancy's Blue Plate.
I stumbled across this sublime sandwich a few weeks ago. Jen and I were having lunch there when I spotted it on that day's specials. Being a fan of the club sandwich (meat, good; lettuce, good; tomato, good), figured I'd try it.
I still remember that first bite. Suddenly, the world stopped. Birds began singing the "Hallelujah" chorus. A ray of sunlight came through the window, lighting up the sandwich. All that is good, right and wonderful in the world was encapsulated in that bite of sandwich. A single, solitary tear of happiness rolled down my cheek.
Now I don't know the particulars of this sandwich because I'm not a gourmet like Jen. It's on a hoagie roll, instead of toasted wheat bread. It's got some sort of sauce or dressing slathered on it, instead of mayo or mustard.
The problem was it was one of Nancy's specials, not on the regular fulltime menu. This is a major problem.
Last week, I asked one of the waitresses when it would be back. She said she'd mention it to Nancy and put it on the menu for this week.
Monday, I had a dentist appointment and they served it. But since I didn't show up, they kept it on the menu for Tuesday ... when I did show up. It was back today, and yes, we ate there again.
The last bite was just as good as I remembered that first bite being. I could eat that sandwich every day of the week and twice on Sunday.
If the Good Lord made me choose between giving up pizza and Mexican food or giving up that one sandwich, I'm taking that glorious creation. Heck, I'd be willing to give up chips and salsa (and you know how I love chips and salsa) to get that sandwich twice a week.
My friends, heaven is a sandwich.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
NCAA - Day 2
After a lazy Saturday of lunching with Peppas, shopping and then dinner with Danyelle (Jen's college roomie) and David. It was time for more basketball.
Another Walnut Ridgian (Ridger?) came down to our seats during the Texas-Miami game. Jay is the youth pastor at the big rich folks Methodist church in Little Rock. On Thursday, he was sitting in the Rockefeller skybox. Yes, those Rockefellers. They go to his church and had extra tickets, so he was living the high life. On Sunday, he told us nobody was in the skybox. He was up there all alone, so we joined him.
Since none of the Rockefellers were there for the first game, there wasn't any food. Being uninvited guests, we weren't going to order any through the skybox staff because it would be billed to the Rockefellers. So I went over to the McAlister's Deli concession stand for nachos and iced tea. And this leads me to a rant ...
Alltel Arena has 18,000-plus seats. Little Rock is in the South. So who is the moron who decided there would only be two (2) locations in the entire building serving iced tea!?! With fans from Memphis, Mississippi State, Texas and us Arkies just there for basketball, you had an entire building filled with iced tea drinkers. Which is why the lines for tea were always 50 people deep. I stood in line for 20 minutes to get nachos and sweet tea. Ten feet over, you could walk right up to the counter to get a Coke. This is the South damn it, there should be as many tea stands as Coke stands.
Just before the Memphis-Mississippi State game started, some Rockefellers showed up. The teenaged ones. Odd being in a room with a scion of one of the most famous families in the nation. Especially since his allowance is probably more than any of us make per year. Jay, who was leaving for NYC on a mission trip on Monday, was planning to leave at halftime of the Memphis game. So we went back down to our seats. Honestly, while the skybox was nice. We had a better view from our normal seats.
After the game, we drove back to the Fort. Stopping in Russellville to eat at a Ruby Tuesday. Try the mini-burgers, they were good.
Another Walnut Ridgian (Ridger?) came down to our seats during the Texas-Miami game. Jay is the youth pastor at the big rich folks Methodist church in Little Rock. On Thursday, he was sitting in the Rockefeller skybox. Yes, those Rockefellers. They go to his church and had extra tickets, so he was living the high life. On Sunday, he told us nobody was in the skybox. He was up there all alone, so we joined him.
Since none of the Rockefellers were there for the first game, there wasn't any food. Being uninvited guests, we weren't going to order any through the skybox staff because it would be billed to the Rockefellers. So I went over to the McAlister's Deli concession stand for nachos and iced tea. And this leads me to a rant ...
Alltel Arena has 18,000-plus seats. Little Rock is in the South. So who is the moron who decided there would only be two (2) locations in the entire building serving iced tea!?! With fans from Memphis, Mississippi State, Texas and us Arkies just there for basketball, you had an entire building filled with iced tea drinkers. Which is why the lines for tea were always 50 people deep. I stood in line for 20 minutes to get nachos and sweet tea. Ten feet over, you could walk right up to the counter to get a Coke. This is the South damn it, there should be as many tea stands as Coke stands.
Just before the Memphis-Mississippi State game started, some Rockefellers showed up. The teenaged ones. Odd being in a room with a scion of one of the most famous families in the nation. Especially since his allowance is probably more than any of us make per year. Jay, who was leaving for NYC on a mission trip on Monday, was planning to leave at halftime of the Memphis game. So we went back down to our seats. Honestly, while the skybox was nice. We had a better view from our normal seats.
After the game, we drove back to the Fort. Stopping in Russellville to eat at a Ruby Tuesday. Try the mini-burgers, they were good.
Monday, March 24, 2008
A quick quiz
Photos from day two at the NCAA Tournament will be coming up later. In the meantime ...
Friday, March 21, 2008
NCAA in NLR - Day 1
What a long day. Woke up before 7 a.m. to get down here in time for the first tip.
Luckily, our hotel is two blocks from Alltel Arena. So we were able to check in before 11 a.m., bring our bags up to our room and then walk over for the first two games.
Both were blowouts. Miami roughed up poor St. Mary's in the first game. Then Texas whipped Austin Peay, which I always thought was Austin Pee-ay. Not true. It's Austin P, which is odd sounding when the fans chant "Let's go P! Let's go P!"
Mississippi State slipped past Oregon in a game that was interesting for 3/4 of the time. Memphis toyed with Texas - Arlington. UTA had a Mesquite native in the starting five. But he must have gone to that other school - instead of Brownie's alma mater - because he stunk. A Skeeter would have scored at least 10 points against Memphis.
Photos will be added later. Hope your bracket is doing well.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Avoid Stubhub.com
As many, if not all, of you know, Jennifer is a nut for March Madness. She'll go months without watching college basketball, but when March gets here she's suddenly glued to the TV.
So when it was announced the first and second rounds were going to be in North Little Rock, I knew we were going. Luckily, my name was selected in the ticket lottery and we paid $300 for two tickets in the upper deck.
All was right with Jen's March Madness world (though if she never had to hear Bill Raftery say "with the kiss!" or "Onions!" it would be even better).
Then a friend of mine in central Arkansas tells me he's got two tickets with my name on them ... in the lower deck. I naturally accept his offer.
Our paid tickets are suddenly not needed, so I list them on StubHub.com. StubHub is a very reputable and expansive online ticket broker. No scalping tickets outside the stadium, instead you do it via the Internet and the buyer and seller never meet, speak, e-mail nor even know each other's names.
Our tickets get bid up to $450 on Monday. We've just made a profit on them. That's when the trouble starts.
I log in to my StubHub account and try to confirm the transaction. I get an error message. I call customer service and am told there's no record of the sale at all. They check my account and whoops, there was a transaction. I'm bumped from customer service to a supervisor who tells me in all the years the site has been running, they've never had this happen. And they'll fix it within 24 hours.
In the meantime, I'm getting an e-mail from StubHub on my .Mac account on the average of once every 10 minutes. Sometimes I'll get two in a one-minute span. But I'm averaging six an hour, 144 per day. Each one is exactly the same, telling me to confirm the order ASAP.
I call customer service again, ask them to please make the e-mails stop. At this point, I realize we aren't going to turn a profit (much to Jen's chagrin) because it's too late to do an online sale and ship the tickets to somebody. And since I don't want a "Sports Editor Arrested For Scalping" headline to be in Saturday's paper, I'm not about to work a corner outside of Alltel.
Luckily, Dad's extensive contacts came through. I just unloaded the tickets for what we paid for them (including shipping and handling) to one of Dad's buddies.
The StubHub e-mails haven't stopped yet. I got two while typing this post.
So when it was announced the first and second rounds were going to be in North Little Rock, I knew we were going. Luckily, my name was selected in the ticket lottery and we paid $300 for two tickets in the upper deck.
All was right with Jen's March Madness world (though if she never had to hear Bill Raftery say "with the kiss!" or "Onions!" it would be even better).
Then a friend of mine in central Arkansas tells me he's got two tickets with my name on them ... in the lower deck. I naturally accept his offer.
Our paid tickets are suddenly not needed, so I list them on StubHub.com. StubHub is a very reputable and expansive online ticket broker. No scalping tickets outside the stadium, instead you do it via the Internet and the buyer and seller never meet, speak, e-mail nor even know each other's names.
Our tickets get bid up to $450 on Monday. We've just made a profit on them. That's when the trouble starts.
I log in to my StubHub account and try to confirm the transaction. I get an error message. I call customer service and am told there's no record of the sale at all. They check my account and whoops, there was a transaction. I'm bumped from customer service to a supervisor who tells me in all the years the site has been running, they've never had this happen. And they'll fix it within 24 hours.
In the meantime, I'm getting an e-mail from StubHub on my .Mac account on the average of once every 10 minutes. Sometimes I'll get two in a one-minute span. But I'm averaging six an hour, 144 per day. Each one is exactly the same, telling me to confirm the order ASAP.
I call customer service again, ask them to please make the e-mails stop. At this point, I realize we aren't going to turn a profit (much to Jen's chagrin) because it's too late to do an online sale and ship the tickets to somebody. And since I don't want a "Sports Editor Arrested For Scalping" headline to be in Saturday's paper, I'm not about to work a corner outside of Alltel.
Luckily, Dad's extensive contacts came through. I just unloaded the tickets for what we paid for them (including shipping and handling) to one of Dad's buddies.
The StubHub e-mails haven't stopped yet. I got two while typing this post.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
A real reason to celebrate St. Patrick's Day
Yesterday, my brother and Sarah got married.
Months ago, they announced they were going on a cruise this week. Not long after, I started getting suspicious they were going to get hitched on the ship.
I asked Mark about it, and he denied it. I asked if they were going to get married during a port of call in the Caribbean, he denied it. Finally, just before they left for New Orleans, he admitted they were getting married. He said "You never asked if we were getting married in New Orleans before we get on the ship."
Sneaky, that brother of mine.
So now we have yet another reason 2008 is a very memorable year.
Months ago, they announced they were going on a cruise this week. Not long after, I started getting suspicious they were going to get hitched on the ship.
I asked Mark about it, and he denied it. I asked if they were going to get married during a port of call in the Caribbean, he denied it. Finally, just before they left for New Orleans, he admitted they were getting married. He said "You never asked if we were getting married in New Orleans before we get on the ship."
Sneaky, that brother of mine.
So now we have yet another reason 2008 is a very memorable year.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Another Saturday night
Avoiding the pub crawl, we went to the Crooks' house on Saturday night to celebrate my birthday, Steve's birthday and eat burgers and brats hot off the grill.
The burgers were absolutely spectacular. Perfectly cooked to me, a little rare and juicy, even though some of the women said they were undercooked. I was in heaven.
The Colleys got me gag gifts, including a pair of old man Blueblocker style sunglasses. Brownie will be jealous, since he'd wear those (sorry that it's sideways, I'm kind of new at this photo stuff) ...
Mmmm, cake. Wish Jen had let me bring some home. I could use a slice right now ...
My wish was to win the Powerball on Saturday night. Didn't happen ...
The burgers were absolutely spectacular. Perfectly cooked to me, a little rare and juicy, even though some of the women said they were undercooked. I was in heaven.
The Colleys got me gag gifts, including a pair of old man Blueblocker style sunglasses. Brownie will be jealous, since he'd wear those (sorry that it's sideways, I'm kind of new at this photo stuff) ...
Mmmm, cake. Wish Jen had let me bring some home. I could use a slice right now ...
My wish was to win the Powerball on Saturday night. Didn't happen ...
Queen of the castle
Jen keeps telling me I should blog about our cat, Alexis. Instead, here are some photos of the cat enjoying a sunny afternoon ...
Friday, March 14, 2008
The day after
It was a grand birthday, even though the bulk of it was spent covering a baseball game and then waiting for copy from the other guys until after 10 p.m.
Jen then had 40 gifts waiting for me at home. They increased from a single elk-hair caddis fly to a pair of Sanuks and a Patagonia sweatshirt to an iPhone. In between those extremes, there were lots of goofy, inexpensive gifts that only somebody who lives with me could have ever thought of getting.
The stuff from the Browns, Martins and Livingstons was all great too. (Though I wish the Browns would have shipped the entire six-pack of Yuengling instead of one bottle!)
Everything is still piled up in the middle of the living room floor. I might have to build an additional wing on the house to store it all. And yes, I am using the iPhone today. It rocks.
I do not deserve a wife this beautiful and thoughtful nor friends as great as y'all, I must have been a saint in a prior life.
So now the birthday is over. Yet the Year of Scott continues. We have weddings, new jobs and babies to celebrate in 2008.
Jen then had 40 gifts waiting for me at home. They increased from a single elk-hair caddis fly to a pair of Sanuks and a Patagonia sweatshirt to an iPhone. In between those extremes, there were lots of goofy, inexpensive gifts that only somebody who lives with me could have ever thought of getting.
The stuff from the Browns, Martins and Livingstons was all great too. (Though I wish the Browns would have shipped the entire six-pack of Yuengling instead of one bottle!)
Everything is still piled up in the middle of the living room floor. I might have to build an additional wing on the house to store it all. And yes, I am using the iPhone today. It rocks.
I do not deserve a wife this beautiful and thoughtful nor friends as great as y'all, I must have been a saint in a prior life.
So now the birthday is over. Yet the Year of Scott continues. We have weddings, new jobs and babies to celebrate in 2008.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Birthday lunch
I could explain it, but instead here is Jen's account of what happened to me today ...
I met Scott & his mother for lunch today, for his birthday.
We had lunch at Goodson's at Cornerstone, which is near where Scott's mom works.
Scott & I eat at Goodson's pretty regularly, and Scott has become friends with the owner, Mark. Mark is a very talkative, fun-loving, jovial type of person -- always fun.
When we got to Goodson's today, it was PACKED. Every table was filled, and people were waiting for tables to open up.
When we took our seats, Mark soon comes over and says "I hear it's your birthday. Happy Birthday."
Scott: "Yes, yes, it is. Thanks."
Mark: "Well, we're going to sing for you in a minute."
Scott: "Oh no, no you're not."
Mark then loudly says "Can I have everyone's attention please?"
The entire restaurant falls silent.
Mark: "We have a great sports editor here at (our newspaper), and he's a regular customer here. Well, it's his birthday, and I want everyone to sing 'Happy Birthday' to him. Scott, stand up. Come on now, don't act like a little kid, Stand up."
So Scott stands, and the entire restaurant sings "Happy Birthday" to him.
Scott's face was so flushed with embarrassment, I don't think I've EVER seen it that red.
I wish now I'd used the video function on my phone to capture it for you guys!! HILARIOUS.
Yes, I'm 40 (kind of)
It's March 13.
But under our house rules, your birthday (or Christmas or whatever) doesn't start until you wake up on that day. So while I'm technically now 40, I won't officially be 40 until I wake up in a few hours.
In the meantime, how many 5-year-olds could you beat up in a fight?
28
But under our house rules, your birthday (or Christmas or whatever) doesn't start until you wake up on that day. So while I'm technically now 40, I won't officially be 40 until I wake up in a few hours.
In the meantime, how many 5-year-olds could you beat up in a fight?
28
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Zappos.com is awesome
Skipped out of work a little early and came home to two packages on the front steps. One of them was from Zappos, the site where Jen ordered the tie-dyed Chuck Taylors.
Seems she got a free upgrade to priority overnight as a thank you for making an order.
So, yeah, I'm wearing them right now ...
Seems she got a free upgrade to priority overnight as a thank you for making an order.
So, yeah, I'm wearing them right now ...
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Sweet
How awesome are these?
UPDATE
My dear bride surprised me with an early birthday gift tonight. Yes, she ordered these today. (Thanks for the tip, Angie.)
When I got home from work, she asked if I wanted an early birthday gift. I'd been joking about how I should be getting one gift each day leading up to my birthday. I figured she'd bought me some Swiss Cake Rolls (nom, nom, nom) since she'd just come from the grocery store.
Instead, she shocked me with the printed-out receipt for these super-sweet, totally-groovy sneakers!
UPDATE
My dear bride surprised me with an early birthday gift tonight. Yes, she ordered these today. (Thanks for the tip, Angie.)
When I got home from work, she asked if I wanted an early birthday gift. I'd been joking about how I should be getting one gift each day leading up to my birthday. I figured she'd bought me some Swiss Cake Rolls (nom, nom, nom) since she'd just come from the grocery store.
Instead, she shocked me with the printed-out receipt for these super-sweet, totally-groovy sneakers!
Sunday, March 9, 2008
The celebrations begin
Birthday lunch at mom's today.
I got some help from my niece Erin in blowing out the candles.
Sarah's birthday was celebrated too.
See the resemblance?
I got some help from my niece Erin in blowing out the candles.
Sarah's birthday was celebrated too.
See the resemblance?
Friday, March 7, 2008
It's that time
As of today, I've worked 12 consecutive days and 17 of the last 18. I will work Saturday, and maybe Sunday. My next definite day off is the 15th.
But it's less than one week to my birthday. So you know what I need?
But it's less than one week to my birthday. So you know what I need?
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Snowpocalypse!
So it snowed in the Fort today. A couple of inches, though more is expected overnight. And that leads me to wonder ... why do supermarkets run out of bread and milk before winter storms in the South?
Milk I can understand. You got kids, you need milk. You make hot chocolate with milk. Some people use it in their coffee. Some of us drink it like water. But bread!?!
Are these people expecting to get snowed in for four days or something? Do they think bread will be used as currency in case our society collapses due to two inches of snow?
While I mock the Southern "Oh no, it's snowing" mindset, we did have some damage from the storm.
Yes, Nash, that's the tree we trimmed up last summer that Jennifer wanted save.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Wabbit season! Duck season!
Why don't they show Bugs Bunny cartoons any longer?
I can't imagine growing up without Bugs, Daffy, Wile E. Coyote (Super Genius) and Foghorn Leghorn. I feel sorry for today's kids.
I can't imagine growing up without Bugs, Daffy, Wile E. Coyote (Super Genius) and Foghorn Leghorn. I feel sorry for today's kids.
Winter Storm Team assemble again
Low 60s today. Forecast for Thursday?
Yes, that's right. Anywhere from seven to 12 inches of snow for Fort Smith is predicted.
We'll see.
Thursday
Chance of rain in the morning...then rain or snow likely in the afternoon. Snow accumulation up to 3 inches. Highs in the lower 40s. Northeast winds 10 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation 70 percent.
Thursday Night
Occasional rain or snow in the evening...then occasional snow after midnight. Snow accumulation of 4 to 9 inches. Lows in the lower 30s. Northeast winds 10 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation near 100 percent.
Yes, that's right. Anywhere from seven to 12 inches of snow for Fort Smith is predicted.
We'll see.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Am I crazy for liking these pants?
From the new Orvis catalog ...
Tell me I wouldn't be stylin' and profilin' in those. Sean Brown could never top a pair of shamrock pants.
Obviously, I'm not paying $129 for them, which is the current price. How low should the price drop before I order a pair? $50?
UPDATE
Angie mentioned it in the comments, so i checked. Yes, these glorious pants are also available as shorts ... for $79.
Tell me I wouldn't be stylin' and profilin' in those. Sean Brown could never top a pair of shamrock pants.
Obviously, I'm not paying $129 for them, which is the current price. How low should the price drop before I order a pair? $50?
UPDATE
Angie mentioned it in the comments, so i checked. Yes, these glorious pants are also available as shorts ... for $79.
"Aww, I ain't gonna lie — I was hung over."
As predicted, we got a light dusting of snow in Fort Smith last night. And by "light dusting," I mean "By 9:30 in the morning it had completely melted off our lawn."
The shocking part of the day came at lunch. When Jen and I ran by the house, the painters were there working.
I rolled down the window to talk to the main guy. (By the way, I have no clue how old he is. He might be 45, but looks 60. Longish hair, fu-man-chu moustache, missing a few teeth. He's lived a rough life. I've seen homeless people look better.) He comes over to the window and this exchange happens.
Me: "I'm surprised y'all are working today."
Him: "Yeah, we probably shoulda come out on Saturday or Sunday, since it was so nice compared to today. But ... aww, I ain't gonna lie — I was hung over."
Me: "Oh, nothing wrong with that. Sure was a lot warmer over the weekend."
Him: "Yeah, it was her (his girlfriend/helper) birthday on Monday and we got started celebratin' a little early on Friday night."
No word on if she has a blog to celebrate her birthday.
The shocking part of the day came at lunch. When Jen and I ran by the house, the painters were there working.
I rolled down the window to talk to the main guy. (By the way, I have no clue how old he is. He might be 45, but looks 60. Longish hair, fu-man-chu moustache, missing a few teeth. He's lived a rough life. I've seen homeless people look better.) He comes over to the window and this exchange happens.
Me: "I'm surprised y'all are working today."
Him: "Yeah, we probably shoulda come out on Saturday or Sunday, since it was so nice compared to today. But ... aww, I ain't gonna lie — I was hung over."
Me: "Oh, nothing wrong with that. Sure was a lot warmer over the weekend."
Him: "Yeah, it was her (his girlfriend/helper) birthday on Monday and we got started celebratin' a little early on Friday night."
No word on if she has a blog to celebrate her birthday.
Monday, March 3, 2008
Winter Storm Team assemble!!!
Sleet falling in Fort Smith right now. The weather guessers on TV say we might get 2-4 inches of snow overnight. Of course, yesterday they were saying 4-8 inches. So I won't be shocked to wake up and see a light dusting ... or a foot of snow.
The worst part? It was 76 on Sunday. Seventy-freakin-six degrees and now it's 29 and sleeting. I was all excited to be wearing shorts as we began the Fortnight of Scott. Now I'm looking at slipping and sliding to the office on Tuesday.
On top of that, the painters haven't finished yet. Our storm windows are all stacked in the side yard. Two freakin days of 70 degree weather on Saturday and Sunday, they aren't here working. It rained all day today, snow on Tuesday. @#$%&*!!!
The worst part? It was 76 on Sunday. Seventy-freakin-six degrees and now it's 29 and sleeting. I was all excited to be wearing shorts as we began the Fortnight of Scott. Now I'm looking at slipping and sliding to the office on Tuesday.
On top of that, the painters haven't finished yet. Our storm windows are all stacked in the side yard. Two freakin days of 70 degree weather on Saturday and Sunday, they aren't here working. It rained all day today, snow on Tuesday. @#$%&*!!!
Saturday, March 1, 2008
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