Weekend Review # 3 – “Decoration Day”

Posted in Good Times with tags , , , on June 4, 2010 by Verge

After three years living in a town house it Atco, I had more than outgrown my garage/shed space.  I used to have a two car garage.  I turned 3/4ths of it into my recording studio two years ago, leaving not even a cars worth of space for my workbench, all my tools, my refrigerator and all my extra supplies (like paper towels, toilet paper, and a various multitude of kitchen gadgets that surely do not fit into the limited space of a town home set aside for culinary expertise).

The garage as it looked the week before I owned it!

This is how it looks now ( a bit messy)

This is why I needed a shed...

I also had a small outdoor storage shed.  This was actually just a small closet attached to my house and not really a shed at all but more of an outhouse.   This is where I’ve managed to stuff every bit of lawn furniture cushions, lawn and garden chemicals (yes, some of them organic, but not all), seeds, a rather large ceramic kiln, a lawnmower, weed whacker, blower, gas for all three (and some gas for I don’t even know what), and all kinds of various outdoor things that really don’t fit in a 4’X6′ closet.

So, I ordered a storage shed from here, and had it delivered last Thursday morning.  I had made some preparation in my backyard by removing the stones in my front yard and making a stone foundation in an appropriate place in the deep backyard.  In their place, I decided to plant corn with Monika.  It just started to come up by the time this weekend came to a close.

Having expanded my vegetable garden into my front yard is not only an intelligent use of my obviously limited space in a town home, but a hilarious trick to play on my neighbors.  I plan to make it up to them in the Fall by giving them all dried corn stalks for their Halloween and Autumn decorations.

Okay, in this photo, the corn is barely discernible, but it's there, I assure you.

In any case, I had an unbelievably long, 5 day weekend ahead of me without actually having to burn any vacation days.  I had intentionally left it completely free because I wanted enough time to build the shed I had ordered.  I arrived Thursday around noon, and that’s when I started building.  It took me that afternoon and evening, with some help from friends, and then I finished by the next afternoon.  It came out damn nice and I’m completely happy with the money I spent on it.

Now with the big project out of the way, and three entire days of vacation left, me and Monika headed to my parents house in Forked River for an evening of relaxation.  Obviously, we had some delicious cocktails on Friday night with my family.  the next morning, after a nice breakfast, we took my brother’s boat out for a swim.  There were seven of us, and we raced around with no destination, a cooler of beer and tunes blaring.  We really didn’t want to end up anywhere.  We just wanted to enjoy the crystal clear day, the calm bay and the calming ride.

Alas, after the ride was over, there was some obligatory work to do back at the house.  Working on the boat lift and fuel filter for a few hours is a decent exchange for hours of fun on the boat I’m sure I’ll cash in on later in the Summer.  Nevertheless, I crouched over the bay, balancing on a metal beam only four inches wide, trying with all my strength to loosen bolts that have partially corroded due to the salt water.  It was nerve racking and I enjoyed a much needed martini when we were finished.

We enjoyed the rest of the afternoon on the top deck, in the sun, with our family.

And, I’d like to take a moment to point out that Decoration Day, otherwise known by its modern name of Memorial Day, is about paying homage and respect to those people who have served our country’s military in all facets of defense.  Originally, Decoration Day was a day of remembrance for those soldiers that died in the Civil War, and was celebrated on the anniversary of the armistice.  Much later, it was expanded first to the first World War, and then again, much later, for all fallen American service people.

Modern celebrations have drifted to the edge of meaningfulness.  The “bank holidays” of the United States have lost much of their potency to the coveted “three-day weekend” that we all treasure so much.  And, I certainly understand that it’s not always the best time to bring up the fact that our country was not only bitterly divided, but at war with itself, and many people were killed.   In fact, the tactics of the North versus the South near the end of the American Civil War were undoubtedly insane.

call me a patriot, but this alone sometimes can bring tears to my eyes...

Admittedly, we really did nothing more that fly a flag, which in reality, is the same thing we do every day.  Of course, we should have flown it at half staff.  Next year, I’d like to remember to do more.  Better still, I’ll try to do something today, or next week, or all year.  Personally, I’m not a fan of leaving carnations of grave sites, but sending letters, or supplies to entertain soldiers overseas suits me just fine.

That night was game one of the Stanley Cup Finals.  It was a crazy, high-scoring game that I watched with my Dad on the couch.  They Flyers lost, but it really doesn’t matter all that much to me since I’m a New Jersey fan.  However, if I’m at a bar watching the rest of the finals (game 4 tonight), I’d like to see Philadelphia win so everyone isn’t pissed off and upset.

Perhaps this'll be your year, Philly fans.

Sunday we planned to go home, so we didn’t get into anything too time consuming.  Monika drove home while I tried to convince my friend to go sky diving with us the next day.  I’ve wanted to for a few years now, and after talking to a friend of ours who had just done, she convinced me I needed to go sooner rather than later.  But, alas, the request was turned down due to lack of funds.

However, he did have a pretty damn fine idea that required no money at all.  I’ve been wanting to learn how to sail, and he has a sail boat!  He invited us both to meet him and his wife to the yacht club where he stores his boat for my first lesson and an afternoon on the Delaware River.

Getting in and out was a bit more adventure than I expected, but we got it done.  Once out in the water, my friend showed us some of the more important things, like how to not capsize by “hiking.” When the wind failed us, we broke out a bottle of champagne and some PBRs and took a break.  It was a perfect day for beginners:  sunny, not too crowded and light wind.  Hell of an adventure.

We wrapped up later that evening hanging out with Kreg and Kat and their families for memorial day BBQ at his house.  It was a great weekend.  I got a lot done, and had a ton of fun with my friends and family as well.  Can’t beat that.  I hope everyone else had a great deal of outdoor, familial, friendly, somewhat drunken fun at some point, too.

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Paper Gifts

Posted in Good Times, Reflections, Vegan and Vegetarian Lifestyle with tags , , on May 21, 2010 by Verge

So, May 17th was the first anniversary of my marriage to Monika.  This year, our actual anniversary fell on Monday, which isn’t the best of days to celebrate or go out to dinner.  Instead, we decided to revisit the beautiful place we got married for our anniversary dinner, the Valley Green Inn.

The VGI has great vegan and vegetarian food, but you wouldn’t exactly know it at first glance.  They don’t really have regular vegetarian choices on their menu.  However, I knew that they had tons of choices, so I emailed them to ask if it was possible if they could prepare us something special.

With better restaurants, this is a must.  As an email exchange I had with one of the managers of VGI confirmed, chef’s often enjoy the opportunity to cook something new.  Specifically, he said that their head chef was going to go to the local market to buy items that were fresh and in season for our dinner.

We arrived in the Wissahickon Valley around 530 for our 6 PM reservation.  It was a mild night and the park was teeming, so we hiked in from the upper lot.  When we checked in at the hostess desk, she wished us a happy anniversary, and we got to sit outside on the porch just 50 feet away from where we were married last year.

Of course, we order a bottle of Champagne.  The waitress handed us menus, but then quickly realized we were “the vegetarians.”  I told her we were eating whatever the cook wanted to serve us and that’s exactly how it went down.  We started with two fresh salads, and our entree was a mix of vegetables and sauces, all of which were teeming with flavor and quite satisfying.  I also had a martini and Monika stuck to the champagne.

We almost never order dessert.  Most of the time, it’s too full of fat, and neither of us like cake at all.  But, we decided we should try some and ordered a sorbet  with fruit “leather.”  When it arrived, the chef had carefulyl written in chocolate, on the rim of the plate, “Happy 1st Anniversary.”  Really, above and beyond our expectations by far.

I really didn’t care what the meal cost.  I had told the chef originally that I would be happy to pay whatever price he thought was fair for the off-the-menu entrees he was serving us.  Well, I have no idea what that price might have been.  Our entrees weren’t on the bill at all.

The waitress informed us that our entire meal, drinks and all, was on the house.  I can’t explain how floored we were at the level of graciousness The Valley Green Inn showed in helping us make our first anniversary dinner a special one.  The waitress got a pretty damn nice tip from us.

Then, we took some pictures at the exact spot we were married.  I really can’t believe it’s been a year already.  As time goes on, there may never again be such a collection of wonderful people at one of our parties.  I hope, at least, a party of two will return here every year for the rest of our lives.

Oh, and the title of this blog…that refers to the type gift one is to give your wife on your first anniversary.  So, this is what she got from me this year.

a beautiful writing journal...

...our first blotter art piece; it is the start of a new collection...

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Tiki Torches That Aren’t a Ripoff.

Posted in Good Times on May 13, 2010 by Verge

Seriously, Tiki torches are awesome.  Real flame burning in your backyard is truly manly.  There is nothing better in my backyard when I light a campfire (illegally) and then spread the flames all around the perimeter.

Who doesn’t really buy the regular, 3 bucks a pop, bamboo shit tiki torches every summer to plant around their backyard?  They suck to drive into the ground, they rot in months, and they’re generally worth even less that the shockingly low price they’re sold for in the first place.

So, as previously mentioned here, I found a site with stumbleupon that had these awesome, home made, recycled bottle tiki torches that I fell in love with.  This past weekend, I went to Home Depot, admittedly a bit intoxicated, and bought all the items needed to make one of these spectacular backyard torches.

you'll need an old bottle, a tiki torch wick, and all the rest of the stuff here. I'm not giving specifics. It's DIY. That means, figure it out for yourself. I was half drunk when I made these, and nothing's burned down yet. Look in the plumbing or gas section of your hardware store to get most of this stuff.

Give the bottle a heavy coat or two of varnish. If the whole bottle is painted labels, then it's optional. If the bottle labels are paper and you want to see them in a few months, you'll have to seal them with something.

you'll need a threaded bar to screw into a base plate on one end and a pipe clamp on the other. I bought a 3' bar and cut it with a hacksaw into 1 foot sections. You should also screw stop bolts onto the rod first so you can lock the position in place later.

The brass fitting should fit into the mouth of the bottle you are using, but not fall into the bottle. Then, I sliced into the narrow side in order to bend it....

...with pliers, so that it's narrow enough to grip the wick...

...like this. Make sure it's tight enough. Fishing the fuel-soaked wick out of the bottle later really sucks, trust me.

While waiting for the bottle to finish drying, I nailed the post to my fence. The original prototypes used a lot of copper components. I thought that was cute and all, but since I was looking for longevity, I switched to galvanized. You can certainly screw them in with drywall screws, but the galvanized will last longer without rusting.

When the bottle is sufficiently dry, fill that vessel with tiki torch fuel

drop in the wick and attach it to the mount. Technically, I should have used plumber's tape to seal the wick holder into the bottle neck, but I didn't have any. It will keep water out of the oil, though, so I will go back later and seal all the wicks into the bottle necks.

And that's it. Light the torch. I got little copper caps to put on the tops when they're not in use, so water doesn't contaminate. Here are some pix of the first few I made...

UPDATE:  BTW, these cost about 10 dollars a piece to make.  That includes all the parts, the finishing, the tiki fluid and all.  Also, I decided to only use Gin bottles in my backyard, but you could use anything.  I’m thinking of using craft brew 1 liter bottles of beer in the future.  But, be aware that all necks are not the same size, so you may need to try a few different cuffs to find the one that actually will fit around the neck of a particular bottle.  Buy a bunch at Depot, then return what you don’t use later.

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Two Fires and a Matinee (Weekend Review # 2)

Posted in Good Times with tags , , , on May 12, 2010 by Verge

There were a lot of circumstances that prevented the backpacking trip I had planned this weekend.  We were supposed to be partying Friday night, then waking up early Saturday and driving to Atsion.  Four to six of us were then going to take a five mile hike with all of our camping gear on our backs to the Mullica River campground.

It is a vehicle inaccessible site and so once we were in, we were in for good.  The plan was to set up our tents, gather firewood, make lunch and dinner, and generally enjoy the outdoors.  This campground has no water, toilets, of other luxuries at all.  We were all looking forward to roughing  it for a month and a half.

Then, as we made some preparations  on Thursday night for the exciting weekend ahead, Kreg got a horrible call.  His shop was on fire and those were about the only details he got.  He rushed off with Kat to Hainseport to see what the hell was going on.  It wasn’t good.

I didn’t see them again for the rest of the night, but several calls from them confirmed the worst.  It was indeed his shop that burned.  It was no small fire.  All his work inside was destroyed.  His tools were about the only thing that made it out still usable, and only after several days of cleaning.

At noon on Friday, as I enjoyed a beer at a local bar, I got the news from Kreg that he was bailing.  I should have expected that he would.  I would have in his shoes.  He had way too much to take care of at that point.  I was just hoping he was going to blow off things for a day or two and let things settle.  Within and hour or so, I decided to call off the trip.  It was probably smart that I did.

That afternoon I got to plant my garden and all my annuals.  Pictures to follow soon.  I originally was planning on feverishly planting so that I could pack our backpacks and head out in the morning.  Due to our postponed camping trip, I was able to take my time, and Monika and I had a leisurely afternoon instead of a hectic one.  Later, we had a small camp fire at our house, and then another one over some drinks at Rob’s.

The weather was supposed to be windy and rainy.  We had originally decided that we were going to go for it anyway and hike through the rain and have a hell of an adventure on Saturday.  Well, in the end, it never rained.  But, there was a hell of a windstorm that not only would have scared the hell out of us had we slept in our meager tents surrounded by trees that night, but also spread a forest fire through the Pines.

Instead of gathering firewood Saturday afternoon, Monika, Schmoo and I went to Philly to see Julia Nunes, who I was originally pissed I was going to miss due to the camping trip.  It was a 4 pm show at North Star Bar in Fairmount because it was all ages and only ten bucks.  We got there in time for the opening act, a guy from Philly name Lucas Carpenter, who you can also check out here (all the loops were made on the spot, not pre-programmed).

I was glad we made it for him because I thoroughly enjoyed his show and got to meet him after his set.  We also got to meet Julia afterward along with the other 60 or so teenagers that were at the show.  We picked up a few of her CDs…

Monika, Julia and Maya on a Saturday afternoon.

and got some photos, too.  It was a great afternoon in the city and at least softened the blow of missing our hiking trip considerably.

Later that night we hung out with Marla and Rob and Kreg and Kat over a campfire and some cigars.  At least we got outside for another night and had some more outdoor time.  The next morning, neither me nor Monika had to work, which was why we were originally going camping in the first place.  But, even though we didn’t have to work formally, I had tons of stuff to do around the house and yard.

I worked in my garden, did laundry and dishes and the normal boring crap. But, I did finally finish and mount the huge wooden gear above my garage.  And, after discovering some directions online, I made some of my own recycled bottle tiki torches.  The details of how to make these is in a coming blog post.

I had a great weekend after all, but at the expense of my best friend’s shop and a potential epic weekend that could have been.  Hopefully both will be resurrected in the future, better than the original, and everything will work out in the end.

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The Birth of Rising Sun Lodge

Posted in Masonic Insights with tags on May 5, 2010 by Verge

Tonight was the inaugural communication (first meeting) of the largest masonic lodge in the state of New Jersey.  It was formed from three former Lodges who surrendered their charters last week at the Grand Lodge communication in Atlantic City.  Its first gathering was held, and will continue to be held at the masonic building near the speedline in downtown Haddonfield.

There are a handful of elected officers in the “line,” the hierarchy of the Master, Wardens and Deacons.  Then there are appointed offices, of which I have been appointed Chaplain.  I’ve served as Chaplain in my former Lodge, and now have the honor of being in the officers’ line in the very first year of the new Lodge.

My old Lodge was 100 years old.  The other two that merged with ours were nearly as old as well.  It really is an amazing honor to be part of the foundation of a new Lodge, the newest, the largest and hopefully the longest lasting fraternity of masonic brothers currently in this state.

I am especially delighted that I’m the Chaplain.  People who know me may wonder how the hell I became the spiritual direction of my fraternity.  But I see my appointment as a testament to how masonry works.  I’ve always explored different disciplines, theologies, philosophies…and though I’ve never completely settled on a single one, I can always find some facet of each that has value.  Masonry doesn’t care what you believe, only that you are in awe of something.  I certainly am, and think I can express that in as much a universal way as anyone can.

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Vegan Chicken in Wine Sauce (or, How I Managed to Steal My Mother’s Recipe)

Posted in Recipes, Vegan and Vegetarian Lifestyle with tags , , on May 4, 2010 by Verge

When we were kids, my mom would let my brother, sister, and me choose whatever we wanted to eat for dinner for our birthdays.   However outlandish, it was our day, and we got to choose whatever we wanted.  For several years, my choice was Burger King Bacon Double Cheeseburgers.  Not one of them.  Not two, either.  As many as I could eat.  I remember my dad actually CALLING IN orders to Burger King because we were coming to pick up as many as thirty cheeseburgers and tons of fries!

Eventually, as with many other things in my life, I took after my older brother and starting requesting our favorite childhood dish, Chicken in Wine Sauce.  It really became a comfort food for me and the taste was so distinct, it always reminded me of home, my parents, and my birthday dinners.

It’s not a very difficult recipe if you’re not a vegetarian.  It’s actually shockingly simple thanks to the good folks at Campbell’s Foods.  But, as a non-meat eater, It’s been a decade and a half quest to replace the succulence and sheer, simple deliciousness of that dish.  Tonight, I attempted once again.

The chicken is the first obstacle, and the sauce is the second.  I was so satisfied with the new faux-chicken, vegan, seven grain crispy tenders I reviewed here, that it was enough to take a go at re-creating the second obstacle– the sauce.  The problem with Campbell’s is that the original recipe calls for Golden Mushroom soup.  First ingredient–Beef Stock.  Unnecessarily, it also contains beef lard, albeit in a such a small amount, it begs the question, “why use it at all?”

Conveniently, Golden Mushroom soup lists its ingredients right on the label thanks to the FDA.  It’s little more than water, salt, MSG, mushrooms and a bit of wine.  So, that’s how I made it, pretty much.

1 Package of Gardein Seven Grain Crispy Strips

1 Large Onion

1  10 oz pack of Baby Bella Mushrooms (you can use any mushrooms, but these are particularly tender and succulent.)

24 oz white wine

8 oz vegetable stock (I use vegetable bouillon cubes.  directions say one cube for each 8 oz, but I use 2 in this recipe.That seems like double the amount, but the total liquid volume is 32 oz, or four cups, so it’s actually HALF the bouillon they recommend on the box which means half the sodium.)

Some salt and Pepper and a bit of dried Basil

1-2 Tbsp Vegan Butter Substitute

1/2 cup Nutritional Yeast

Bake chicken strips @ 425 for ~30 minutes on a Pam'd sheet. Flip half waythrough cooking.

Peel and dice the onion into tiny pieces...

We like to use our Genius Chopper, but any kind will do, even a good old knife.

At the same time, boil two bouillon cubes with 8 oz of water (or 8 oz of vegetable stock and no cubes)

Fry the onion on high heat in the butter...stir occasionally...add some salt, pepper and dried basil...

While the stock is boiling and the onions are caramelizing, slice the mushrooms. Sometimes I remove the stems, but keep 'em on in this recipe. Cut off any hard tips, though, and wash thoroughly.

Add 24 oz of the white wine to the stock and bring to a slow simmer...

when you buy the big bottle, there's enough left over for yourselves!

Don't forget to flip that faux chicken when the bottoms are browned.

when the onions look like this...

...do this.

cook until the mushrooms are soft on the outside but uncooked on the inside. This is an art. Mushy mushrooms are overcooked, and raw ones aren't what you're going for either. 2-4 minutes is about right. Be gently when stirring so you don't break the mushrooms.

Fully cooked chicken goes into a casserole dish. You can layer them if you need to, but I suggest one layer, like this.

when the mushrooms are softened, dump the stock into the onion, mushroom, spice mixture and simmer for about a minute or two to mix the flavors...

then add the half cup nutritional yeast, a quarter cup at a time, to thicken the final Golden Mushroom rip-off recipe.

Now, pour the soup over the chicken in the casserole dish, cover, and bake on 350 for about an hour or an hour and a half, until the soup is more like a sauce than a liquid.  While that’s happening, cook yourself some long grain rice.  We mixed it with some basmatti rice and seasoning packet,  and Monika sliced some broccoli and carrots to steam in our rice cooker.

This vegan chicken in wine sauce recipe was so damn delicious, that as I was loading the licked-clean dishes from our dinner into the dishwasher, I turned around and Monika had fallen asleep!  I packed the leftovers into lunch sized containers and brought two over to Kreg and Kat for them to try the next day.  They both loved it as well.  When I cook something so delicious, there’s nothing I like more that to share it with friends.

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New Link — Gardein Foods

Posted in New Links, Vegan and Vegetarian Lifestyle with tags , on April 30, 2010 by Verge

We love to shop at wholesale clubs, but it can be frustrating as well.  We cook almost every meal for ourselves, so it’s quite cost effective to buy raw ingredients in bulk.  Sometimes it’s difficult to find vegetarian, much less vegan foods at the wholesale clubs.  Don’t even ask about low sodium in there, either.  It doesn’t exist.

We know BJ’s  so well that we no longer need to read the labels.  We’ve read every label in the store, and they rarely change up the variety of their stock very much.  I was very surprised to see Monika had brought home a vegan chicken nugget pouch after visiting BJ’s yesterday.  As with other vegetarian products they’ve stocked in the past, this one may be short lived as well.  But I hope not.

The brand is Gardein.  It’s supposed to be a clever combination of “garden” and “protein.”  The actual name of the food they now stock at BJ’s is “seven grain crispy tenders.”  We baked them in the oven frozen last night with some sweet potato fries for about half an hour.  The directions said less, but I wanted them to actually be “crispy.”

nom nom nom

Well, needless to say, they were delicious.  I’m sending Monika back today to pick up four more pouches.  They were awesome.  We just had them as chicken nuggets with some organic ketchup to dip, but you could really use these things for all kinds of recipes.  Definitely could make a burger with them.  Could crumble them up in a big salad.  Even make them up in any baked chicken dish with perhaps a mushroom wine sauce, which is what I may try next.

I don’t expect to see any of their other all vegan foods in BJ’s, but I’ll be sure to look for them at my next health store or Whole Foods visit.  It looks like most of their products are made with wheat gluten, which is honestly delicious.  If you try any of their foods, please comment and let me know how you liked them.

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Weekend Review #1 — Samantha’s Week

Posted in Good Times with tags , , , , , , on April 29, 2010 by Verge

Sam was in town for the weekend.  She arrived Friday evening; That’s when the debauchery began.

Friday evening I wasn’t sure if and when Sam would show up.  We played it low key and hung out  at Plunge, a swanky little joint located two doors down and run by my best friend.  Shorty later, Lorie and Sam showed up with Clint, and libations were plentiful.  All three ended up spending the night and Clint was gone when I woke up.

HIKING IN ATSION

As promised, I phoned my friend Mike in the morning and planned to meet up with him at Atsion for an excursion in the Pine Barrens.  I wasn’t sure if he was going to show up with his daughter or not.  We planned to meet in at noon, and we met at the old Mansion there, among other hikers.  We set off on the abandoned rail line that once ran from Atco to Atsion, along what is now Raritan Ave in Atco, and a simple dirt road called Railroad Ave in the middle of the woods nearest Atsion.

Mike showed up with John, one of his good friends, but also, one of our work peers.  He is also a seasoned outdoorsman and knows the area well.  The six of us found the trailhead easily.  I was looking specifically for some concrete evidence that this was the path of the old rail line.  Mike and I had also loaded around 25 goecache locations into his GPS the day before over lunch.

The planned path was ambitious — around 8 miles.  If you know the area, the hike was this:  Atsion on Railroad/Raritan Ave. to the first intersection, which is Railroad Ave and Sandy Causeway, then left onto Sandy Causeway until meeting the abandoned rail lines which run nearly parallel with Fleming Pike back towards Atsion.

We had a beautiful day for a hike.   We tracked down a handful of goecaches.  Best of all, the hike was not carefree.  We had to navigate huge puddles, thorns and thickets and a seriouss lack of bourbon after the first half.

Here are some Geocache finds….

and another one…

crossing the washed away bridge…

…

…

…

DRINKING IN PHILLY

Sam’s friend is about to move to Germany and she was having a sort of going away party at some of her favorite spots in Center City.  We met with her and some of our friends after taking the Speedline.

First stop was the Rum Bar.  I had only been here once before for Dave’s bachelor party.  It was pretty crowded but the music was good and we got to the drinkin’ pretty quick.  The bartender was kind of a freak and I think it may have been his first time at a real bar or something.

Perhaps it was my tips, or his inexperience, or my sharp suit, but he was making ’em strong and I got pretty tore up there. So much so that the bouncer at the bar next door nearly didn’t let me in the place.

I wasn’t surprised that our friend Don and his crew were in the city, but I was definitely drunkenly confused when they showed up at the bar unexpectedly.  But, the bar had gotten crowded and it wasn’t our scene so much.  We poured into the busy streets and hailed a cab to Ulana’s near South Street, a bar I know well and like well enough.

I can’t possibly say that I was completely sober when I took a spill in the club and banged up my arm, thumb and face, but I was soberish.  Monika had cut me off back at Rum Bar, so I was certainly in better shape than earlier.  No matter, though, I was fine and the scrape on my cheek  was gone within days.

We spent some time at Ulana’s until everyone was drunk, tired, or broke.  We found our way back to the train.  It was after 2 and the train was packed.  We didn’t even get to sit down the entire ride from 8th and Market to Lindenwold.

Sam got in an argument with two losers somewhere in Jersey and had a bit of a shouting match with them.  Sam was obviously drunk and they were obviously one of only a few people on the train who weren’t at least buzzing.  She kicked one of them as they slipped through the doors and I tried to hold her back.

This is me the next morning.  That’s a breathalzyer in my hand.  I didn’t feel right.

Monika and I had to work all week, and Sam had plenty of things she wanted to do and plenty of people she wanted to see, so we mostly didn’t see her during the week.  But on Thursday night, we all went to Manny Brown’s for

DIRTY ROBOTS

That’s my cover band.  Anyone who hadn’t gotten a chance to visit Sam while she was in town had their last opportunity Thursday night.  A lot of people showed up and most of the people in the bar were there to see her.  Some friends who had never seen me play before finally got to check out the band.  This includes some people who had never seen me play a bass even though I was their manager for years at Sam Ash.

It was also the farewell show for Faith, a girl I only knew from our shows.  She was there almost every week and was always a sweetheart.  Her husband was serving in Iraq when I met her, and is coming home to be stationed in Washington State.  Faith and Sam both got leid and received their Hawaiian names.  I hope to see her and her husband walk into one of our shows one day when they’re back visiting old friends.

SATURDAY IN NEW HOPE

Our last adventure of the week was a day trip to New Hope, PA.  Out of the four of us, I ws the only one who had been there before, and I’ve been there a lot.  I got to play tour guide for the day, which I enjoy.  Let’s face it, I like being the one in charge.  I also like leisurely roaming around with three beautiful women.

three blind mice

We wandered around pretty aimlessly for a while, checked into the kitch antique store and spent a good deal of time there.  I was looking for a good fedora, and the girls tried on numerous things.  We crossed Bridge Street into Lambertville, NJ where the annual Shad Festival was taking place.  Since it’s pretty family oriented, we bailed rather quickly and headed back to New hope for Lunch.

We headed towards Sprig and Vine, a new vegan restaurant that was very recently opened.  The head chef was a former chef at Horizon’s, one of Philly’s finest vegetarian spots.  It was a beautiful day, the sun was out, and we dined on the patio in a peaceful, outdoor setting.  We all ordered something different, and were all satisfied.  Admittedly, their menu was small, but in comparison to regular restaurants, I could eat everything, and so the menu was hugely awesome!

Since Sprig and Vine was a BYOB, and we didn’t bring any with us, immediately following lunch, we headed to Triumph Brewing Company.  A mere 200 ft away, it is  a craft brew pub that has live music, the freshest craft brew on tap, and a great, glass-walled atmosphere.  Here, we had many libations…

Okay, so craft brews are kinda’ my thing, so I (not so) reluctantly agreed to visit my favorite restaurant in New Hope, Wildflowers.  Right on the water in the center of downtown, this place is everything awesome about this town:  great people watching, super nice staff, very quaint, on the water, full service bar, and most of all, amazing home made sangria.  We ordered a nice liter carafe of half white-half red sangria, and I let myself get talked into one of their signature Margaritas.

We wound down here over light conversation and reflections of the week behind us.  Eventually we made it home.  The next night, we drove Sam to the airport so she could finally get back to the one she loves.  But, like an emotional see-saw, I know that she must have immediately missed us as much as we miss her.  On her final night here, she said something to Monika and me that assured us that for the rest of our lives, we’ll all remain together.

--~verge

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Obama’s Gay Rights Policies

Posted in Grinds My Gears with tags , , on April 16, 2010 by Verge

Okay, I know what you’re thinking.  That I’m going to be all over praising Obama and his initiatives on equal rights for gays.  I am a liberal, right?  Well, his recent demand that hospitals treat gay partners as family members is such a bunch of shit and I’ll tell you why.  If any of my gay friends out there have anything to add to this discussion, I highly encourage you to make comments as well.

On the surface, it sounds like a great idea.  Obama now says that gay partners should have the same rights as married spouses and family members at the hospital when critical decisions need to be made.  This means that when someone is rushed to the emergency room, their partner can see them right away, or find out their status from a doctor, or even help make life or death decisions if their partner can’t make them for themselves.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/16/us/politics/16webhosp.html

These are the kinds of things immediate family and spouses already have the right to do.  What Obama has done is mere gesturing.  He’s put a band aid on the bleeding wound instead of treating the injury.  Gays don’t want special treatment at the hospitals or anywhere else.  What they want is equal treatment.  What that means it that they want the right to marry their spouses in the first place, thereby alleviating the special exception for them at the hospitals in the first place.

Some of you may not understand the difference.  Or, some people you debate with over gay rights may not fully grasp the major difference between “marriage” and “civil union.”  Let me explain, however simplified it may be.  Have you ever filled out an application for anything?  A doctors office form?  A census?  A credit card application?  A mortgage application?  A W-4 or I-9?  A 401K or pension beneficiary form?  If so, let me know how many times the option of “civilly unionized” was a choice when you listed your spouse.  Sure, you cane be “Married, Single, Divorced, Widowed…,” but never “Partnered!”

That’s just the tip of the iceberg of the bias against gays.  Obama mandates that hospitals observe gays as valid partners.  BUT, only ones that receive federal monies for Medicare and Medicaid.  Private hospitals are still free to make their own policies.  And on top of that, the mandates put the responsibility of actually following the policy on the shoulders of staff members.  More often than not, regardless of the Federal Policy, hospital workers, among others, are told immediate family are to be admitted only.  They do not, and will not, recognize a “partner” as immediate family.  They sure as shit won’t let a “significant other” decide whether or not to keep someone on life support, donate their organs, or amputate rather than operate.

Obama should have gone further and outlawed the prevention of gays from being married.  It is sickening that we must live in an era where gays are considered “not one of us.”  He has still to repeal the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy in the military, and that even gets the support of the Republican Right!!  With his latest ruling in hospitals, he is merely “allowing” homo-sexuals what should be their god-given “right.”

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The Verge of Tears??

Posted in Reflections with tags , on April 16, 2010 by Verge

Okay, so I’ve changed to name of my blog for several reasons.   I originally thought that this was going to be a joint venture between me and Monika, but soon realized that I have much too large of an opinion and angle on any subject to imagine me and anyone else, including my wife, always seeing eye to eye.

The old name, Vegan Robot, was cute and all, but was really a nod to Monika, because after all, she is vegan…and a robot.  Well, she beeps a lot, and tries to reprogram me from time to time.  That’s all the evidence I need.

The truth is that as sarcastic a bastard as I usually try to be, I’m actually a pretty emotional guy.  If you’ve been reading my blog from the beginning, then I think you’ll know what I talking about.

Being on the verge of tears isn’t a bad thing at all. You can be on the verge of tears because you’re insanely happy as well as sad.  Perhaps you’re watching your loved one touch down on the tarmac after a tour in Afghanistan.  Maybe you’ve just found your kid in the basement closet after frantically calling the police because you thought he was kidnapped.  Maybe it’s just been a long week and you’re getting a massage from someone who loves you.

Of course, there’s just as many reasons to be on the verge of tears from sadness.  Not too long ago, I tried to learn a song on guitar so Monika and I could play it together.  It’s something we like to do for fun and to pass the time on our couch when we don’t feel like watching TV.  For two weeks I tried to learn all the lyrics and chords to Regina Spektor’s “Laughing With.”  I finally gave up when I couldn’t make it through the second verse without welling up.  Watch the video and listen to the lyrics and you’ll know what I mean.  Good Luck!

Letting your emotions get the best of you can be rather cathartic.  Sometimes it’s necessary to let things go and finally stop holding back.  And sometimes being on the verge of doing just that can be filled with such emotional struggle that it’s a feeling that is unmistakable.

Not every day can be filled with such importance or  such heavy meaning.  But even little things, every day, can bear deep layers of relevance when you scratch the surface.  Looking beneath and behind everyday normalness is where we can find connections we take for granted or overlook.  That can bring us closer to a more inner connected meaning in our lives.

Finding that place is what I try to do.  And, in part, is why I started this blog in the first place.  Even the smallest of things can be looked at from many different angles.  Some of them are mundane or typical.  Some of them, at the right time, in a unique light, can bring us to the verge of tears.

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