Raising Two Americans

Yesterday, New Year’s Eve, before Brooke went to work in the morning, she told me there were four pork chops in the refrigerator thawing.

“Cook them anyway you want to,” she said, “and eat one for lunch. You can take another to work for dinner and leave two for us.”

So, after feeding Ella lunch, I took my pork chops, which I had lovingly marinated in Italian dressing, outside to toss them on the grill.

I reached down to crank on the gas … and there was none. I mean none as in someone had stolen the entire tank right off my grill that sits right next to my house.

I think I was a little too shocked to even be angry. I was just flabergasted.

Brooke was more surprised than me when I told her about it. I grilled on Christlas Eve, so someone took the tank in the last week.

I’d like to think someone needed it really badly. For heat. Or money. Or because they had no electricity and needed to cook. But I doubt it. Likely some no good loser (like maybe my neighbor’s adult slacker son … can I say that?) who wants to save the money of buying his or her own tank.

So I guess we’ll refrain from grilling for a while, untile we get a new tank.

By the way, the pork chops were excellent baked.

Thank you, Mr. Pell

Former Democratic Rhode Island senator Claiborne Pell died New Year’s Day at the age of 90 after a long bout with Parkinson’s Disease.

Among Pell’s accomplishments was the Basic Educational Opportunity Grant program, which passed in 1972 and provided direct aid to college students … better known to you and I as Pell Grants.

Millions of low- and middle-income Americans (including this one) were assisted in attending college because of Pell’s grants.

I, for one, would like to say thanks to Mr. Pell and say a prayer for him and his family.

Sharing gas (and other bodily functions) with the ones you love

I came across this story today about how different couples/families are open … or not so open … with each other when it comes to normally private bodily functions.

Enjoy.

“You and me, babe, how about it?”

The radio station I got hooked on this past summer in Reno, Nev., — KTHX 100.1 FM, The X — just played the Indigo Girls’ version of Dire Straits’ “Romeo and Juliet.”

That never happens.

Never.

First time I’ve ever heard it on the radio anywhere.

Remember they said it

MSNBC.com has put together a wrap-up of the five dumbest things said about the economy in the past two years by political and financial leaders.

Interesting.

This entry was posted on January 2, 2009 at 3:20 am and is filed under History, Humor, Music, Odd, Politics with tags Claiborne Pell, Cooking, Dire Straits, Economics, Indigo Girls, Parkinson's Disease, Pell Grant, Rhode Island, Romeo and Juliet. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.