Day 249 - Sept. 22
Listening to: Another One Bites the Dust
Thought for the day: Food is our common ground, a universal experience. ~James Beard

CITY HOUSE

Remember when I said that I can always tell a restaurant is going to be good if there are cookbooks on a shelf? Let’s recap. So far I’ve spied cookbooks at The Yellow Porch, Eastland Café, AND NOW…………..City House! These are City House’s cookbooks. The cookbooks………. they do not lie.

City House was the destination of our Wednesday night dinner group………well, half of us. The half I ended up with? They are all full blooded Italians. City House is an Italian eatery. If you have never eaten real Italian food with real Italians, you really need to try it. FO REAL. Their appreciation for City House’s exceptional Italian food was so intense it seeped into the food itself. In other words, my Italian friends LOVED City House which intensified my appreciation.

The dishes sampled at my table included eggplant caponata, pizza with house-made belly ham, mozzarella, grana padano, oregano, and chilies, a pasta dish with conchiglie, crowder peas, potato, side meat, tomato, grana padano, and linguini with tomato, garlic, chilies, olives, parsley, and bottarga. You will not go wrong with ANY ...OF.... THESE!

To top off the meal we ordered two desserts and shared. Typically, the Wednesday group does not do dessert, but after hearing that City House’s pastry chef was recently featured in Bon Appetit…………well DUUUUH…………..we had to try it. Sharing the desserts was the icing on the Wednesday night dinner group cake experience!

On the Shelf:
The River Cottage Meat Book
Sweet Myrtle and Bitter Honey
Naples and Campana
Cornbread Nation
Pork and Sons
Cooking By Hand
And some book with a spoon on it

http://cityhousenashville.com/menu/

Day 250 - Sept. 21
Listening to: September
Thought for the day: I don’t really remember what I’ve done on any specific 21st of September.

I feel like my life derailed a while back…………..not necessarily a bad thing mind you. I’m sure I’ve done my fair share of derailing other’s lives as well…………….also not necessarily a bad thing. Guess what? That makes me a derailed derailer just like the derailed derailer in this photo.

Speaking of derailing……….. I am going to derail this photo blog………………………………..right………………………..now.

Last week I learned that when you cut a finger or toe off, it is referred to as a derailed digit (thank you Tracy P). I also learned what to do if I ever derail a finger or toe. I thought I knew what to do, but I would have been wrong had there been a need to retrieve a chopped member prior to reading this article. So get some popcorn, pull up a chair, get comfy, and read what to do if a body part falls off. http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/09/16/things.fall.off/index.html?hpt=T2

Okay……….time to get my life back on track.

Day 251-Sept. 20
Listening to: I Wear My Sunglasses at Night
Thought for the day: Hello, my name is Kris and I am a board-aholic.

In this photo you basically see what my view was tonight from 6:30 until 9. I am the recording secretary for the McGavock Band Boosters. Prior to this lovely Mcsecretarial assignment, I was vice president, then president for two years, and now am on my second year as recording secretary.

As I sat listening to various questions, plans, blah, blah, blahs tonight, I thought………….. ………..on top of my Mcboard activities, I’m also the president of the Veterans of Old Hickory Memorial Park and have served in the capacity of secretary at some point in time for the DuPont Hadley Middle School PTO, Lakewood Dixie Youth Baseball, Old Hickory Youth Football League, Old Hickory Chamber of Commerce, HUMC Communications Committee, and the union at work. I HAVE A PROBLEM!!!! It’s board mania!!!! They’re all volunteer positions. Hmmm……..the former CEO of DuPont makes major coin serving on various boards. Why can’t I be that kind of board-aholic? I’m thinking the make-bank board positions require horns, a tail, and a pitchfork. I’m only in possession of a very tainted halo. DURN.

Day 252 - Sept 19
Listening to: Bad Mama Jama
Thought for the day: A small key opens big doors.

If you don’t know already, I live in Old Hickory Village. The Village was built in 1918 under the supervision of DuPont (my employer) to house the workers employed by the powder plant. I’ll spare you the history, but here is an article describing the village’s construction that is absolutely fascinating. http://www.dupontalumni.org/articles/article28.htm

I have lived in the village for 14 years now and something has been bothering me. Not many of the houses still wear their original front door. I have counted four houses displaying the original entryway. One of the four is featured in my photo today. My observation is based on the documentation and photos relating to the village houses that I have access to via DuPont.

Where did all of those doors go? Door heaven? Door dump? ...........and.....Why would so many people swap out the door? It’s an attractive design. It has been said these houses would survive a nuclear blast because they were built so well, so I can’t imagine the front door being faulty on so many houses. The houses these days have doors that are solid, have big heavy lead window designs, or look like the door featured in Bewitched…………..why I noticed that door as a child is beyond me. The Bewitched door has a half-circle window at the top with the spokes in it. My front door was not only replaced but moved to the other side of the house.

This is one of those mysteries that I will never have an answer to, but I can always wonder.......

Day 253 - Sept 18
Listening to: Thriller
Thought for the day: Gatorade. H2O. Gatorade. H2OHHHHHHH.

Nic Passomato, Tsar of Gatorade brewing, has been mixing up this electrolyte elixir for the McGavock High School marching band for over 20 years now. He spends one week every year (during band camp) hydrating parched kids. He helped me make Gatorade today during the band’s day-long rehearsal.

I have been making Gatorade for the band during regular rehearsals AFTER band camp for five years now. Naturally, me being a young ‘Rade renegade, I started talkin' schmack at Nic during band camp this past summer claiming to make better Gatorade than him. This schmack has resulted in the birth of the 2011 “Gatorade Off” which will occur during next year’s band camp.

I’ve have started preparing for the competition by mixing flavors, strengths, and other liquid ingredients. The kids know about our Gatorade rivalry and are beginning to get involved in the process. It is becoming a game for them to guess what is in the mixtures I serve.

The photo is of one of today’s mixtures. It is comprised of mostly orange Gatorade with a splash of grape Kool-Aide and a splash of lemon-lime Gatorade. Tsar Nic and I decided it looked like poo water or sewer water. The kids decided it was “orange tootsie roll” flavor. Hmmm………..poo water vs. orange tootsie roll…………I think the kids need to be in charge of marketing the 2011 Gatorade-a-rama.

Day 254 - Sept 17
Listening to: a fly trying to escape
Thought for the day: For every love there is a heart somewhere to receive it...............even if it doesn't beat very fast.

I performed my stress test today to see if the prognosis of my next-to-death-low-heart rate is indeed Grinchitis.

Before the test began, the nurse asked me to raise my shirt so she could hook me up like Frankenstein. When I lifted my shirt, she said, “You must work out.” I could feel my Mcdonald’s Happy Meal-sized flab hanging over my shorts, so I’m not sure what she saw that said “this person works out.” What kind of people does she see on a regular basis?

She took my resting heart rate and ooohed and aaaahed over how low it was.

Then, I got on the beastmill. At first, I was like, “I got this….I got this…..this is easy.” I did fine reaching 85% of my max heart rate, but when we started to move to 100% I knew I was in trouble. I never made it to 100%. I plateaued around 90%. I could have stayed on longer if she would have let me run. Why is it so hard to walk fast on a big incline? Telling me not to run was like telling a woman in labor not to push. I lasted 11 minutes. She said most people only last 4. I’d like to say I felt superior, but I didn’t. I felt sick. I stopped and bought a box of chocolate covered raisins on my way back to work.............. for medicinal reasons……………it helped.

WHEW………..don’t know the results. The nurse thought everything looked normal. There appears to be no permanent damage from all of the heart stompin’ I’ve endured in my life. I have faith the doc is gonna say the same thing!

Day 260 - Sept. 11
Listening to: Fire and Rain
Thought For the Day: I still remember……..

I spent time today, like the rest of you, lamenting the events that occurred nine years ago. I remember each pivotal moment (there were many). One distinct thing I remember was the eerie quiet the engulfed the skies as the FAA grounded all airline flights.

Americans have tremendous passion about September 11, 2001. I wonder if that passion will persevere. Before you give me an adamant “YES” stop and think. As a country, we still acknowledge the day of infamy that blasted our country into World War II. However, the majority of my generation does not have a passion for it. I know the importance and sadness of Pearl Harbor, but it seems more like a movie to me than a real event. I have no reference points. I can’t share with people where I was standing when Franklin D. Roosevelt declared war against Japan. Over 2,000 Americans perished at the hands of a foreign entity on American soil on December 7, 1941. Yet, most people I know don’t invest themselves emotionally in December 7 like September 11.

Will the generation of 2070 react toward 09/11/2001 like my generation reacts toward 12/7/1941?