What Sarah Said - Death Cab for Cutie

Listening to my iPod, and caught these lyrics from the song "What Sarah Said" by Death Cab for Cutie...and realized how terribly true it is. Not exactly uplifting.

It stung like a violent wind
That our memories depend
On a faulty camera in our minds.

Of course, the song's about hanging out in the ICU waiting room, so it's not expected to be uplifting. Thought provoking, yes. And that's what it's done - made me think a little.

The whole song is about losing someone you love. I know that feeling - been there, done that, wear the badge. Neither proudly nor visibly, but it's there, and those who know me know where to look. I want to say I admire those who, like the songwriter here, can take their grief and make it public, but I wonder, by the same token, does that diminish it or just re-open the wound each time you hear/play it? Like I'm sure many others I know do, when I'm feeling low, I listen to sad songs over and over again, or pick a slew of them and listen to them one after the other and it's like a purge. Like somehow, with the music flowing in, the pain flows out.

But it's not something you do once and it's done, you know? Or maybe for some it is. For me, it's not. Occasionally, even hearing one song that reminds me of someone I've lost can bring on the blues. I won't say it's painful every time, but it can be. But I welcome that pain. Because most of the memories are beautiful, and I need that beauty in my life.

But I also think the memories are like a salve - or your favorite blanket. You cover or wrap yourself in them, and it's good. Even though that person's gone, memories of them keep them part of your life. Not that they ever wouldn't be...but it brings them to the front every once and again, and I can't help but think that's a good thing. People who touch your life profoundly should never be forgotten, and music is just one of the ways I find to hold onto them.

And so there's my deep thought for the day...no idea where it came from. But there it is.

When did Buffalo Grow Wings?

I don't know, and I'm sure if you really WANT to know, you could look it up on what my son fondly refers to as the "interwebs". I do know that the Anchor Bar in Buffalo is credited with the "invention" of the Buffalo Wing, and the rest, as they say, is history.

In case you've been living under a rock (or just don't care), the largest (only?) Chicken Wing Festival EVER is held in Buffalo New York. As the fiancee of a competitive eater, of course, that's one event that's on our calendar beginning in June or so, when the signups go up on the website (http://www.buffalowing.com/).

Short history of the Buffalo Wing Festival (stolen directly from the website listed above): The idea for the festival came from a movie called Osmosis Jones. Bill Murray starred as a compulsive eater with a goal of attending the Super Bowl of junk food, The National Buffalo Wing Festival. Ironically, there wasn't one.

That is when native Buffalonian Drew Cerza, now affectionately known as the Wing King decided to make it happen back in 2002. This is a case of Real Life knocking off Hollywood!

Official attendance for the two day event totaled some 92,000, which compares to 78,000 last year. In addition, Saturday set a single day attendance record of 52,000 attendees. Yes, we were 4 of those. It seemed a good idea at the time to take everyone to Buffalo, and then drop the boy-child off at school in Boston on the way home. Which isn't really "on the way home" from Buffalo. It wasn't our best idea ever, but that's a story for another venue.

The Wing Festival is always loads of fun, honestly. There's a ton of stuff for kids to do in their own pavilion and there are vendors from all over, competing for top honors in sauce taste, creativity and who-all knows what else. We, of course, are there for the wing-eating contest held on Saturday and the Buffet Bowl, held on Sunday. Long story short, Sonya Thomas won both events. No surprise there. Bill didn't come in last for either event, which is always a good thing. There were some surprises, like Sean Gordon hitting third place, beating Pat Bertoletti.

So here's how our merry little band spent our food dollars this weekend...

Wing Festival: Food is available by ticket only, and you get three wings per 2 tickets. Other types of food cost more tickets, but if you're there for the wings, you can eat pretty well on $10 or $20. Our picks:

Barber's Buffalo Chicken Fingers (3 tickets), which were tender and moist, breaded and baked in a spicy bread crumb mixture. Best thing I tasted all day!

O'Connell's Buffalo Mac and Cheese (3 tickets), which was creamy and tasty. Not too spicy, and contained all the traditional "buffalo wing" ingedients, from celery to shredded carrot. I'm not a huge fan of cooked celery, but it didn't flavor the dish *too* much and was cut large enough to pick it out.

Falletta's Buffalo Chicken Rice Ball (3 tickets), was an AMAZINGLY good combination of rice, chicken and buffalo seasonings, molded into a ball the size of your fist. TOTALLY worth the tickets, filling and really a taste treat. My son's choice, and a damn fine one, too!

Wing Zone's lemon pepper wings (3 wings for 2 tickets) were to DIE for! Not to spicy, not too bland, coated in a lemon glaze sauce and cracked pepper. Their teriyaki and mild sauce were also amazing!!

Outside the Festival
The Anchor Bar (http://www.anchorbar.com/)
OK, ok, so it's a bit of a tourist trap, and the last time we were up there, we walked in, looked around and walked out. There was a line out the door, and since we'd just spent the day eating wings, we didn't see a reason to eat more. This time, we had tables reserved, and didn't have to wait in line. Good idea. Eaters present included US Male Dave Goldstein, Buffalo Jim Reeves, Pat Deep Dish Bertoletti, Eric Badlands Booker, Tim Gravy Brown, Russ the Black Hole Keeler, Wild Bill Myers, Big Brian Subich and I'm sure I'm forgetting SOMEONE....I should have written it down when I was there.

BUT...we were also graced with the presence of the bass player from the GooGoo Dolls, Robby Takac!!! From what I understand, he's a competitive eating uber-fan, and he lives in Buffalo. He runs a charity called Music is Art (http://www.musicisart.org/) which fosters music in the community, and amongst young people. From their website - Music is Art is based on the basic belief that everyone should have the opportunity to find their musical voice. MiA is dedicated to connecting music and the community to ensure all types of music are recognized as an important part of our culture. He is SUCH a nice guy, gracious and down-to-earth. He was kind enough to pose for pictures with my kids, separately, after the event on Sunday.

ANYHOW - on to the food. I caved and ate the Anchor Bar wings - an order of 10 was $10.00. They came with loads of celery and the Anchor Bar's blue cheese, which is awesome. The sauce has a hint of garlic, and the wings were plenty covered in it - nice and tender, just enough sauce (they weren't drowning and they weren't dry).

Bill chose the Roast Beef on Weck, which while good, wasn't as good as the one from Charlie the Butcher. I liked the flavor, but not having the Charlie's sandwich to compare to, couldn't say one way or the other. $9 for the sandwich, which wasn't a bad price - it was thickly piled with beef and the roll was soft and tasty.

My son chose the appetizer sampler platter, which he thoroughly enjoyed. A mix of items -
2 potato skins, 2 pizza logs, 2 jalapeno poppers and 2 mozarella sticks. $12 for the platter, and more than enough for a meal for one, if you're not up for wings or another of the entree choices.
My daughter had an order of the pizza logs. Pepperoni pizza wrapped into a taquito-style presentation. A little greasy, but that's the nature of the beast. She enjoyed them, but wished she had been able to order the children's portion. The adult portion contained a few too many for her delicate appetite. $11.00 for 6.

Onion Rings - YUM!! All I'm going to say is thick cut, beer battered and fried to perfection.

Ted's Hot Dogs (http://www.tedsonline.com/history.php)
Stopped here for lunch on Sunday before the Buffet Bowl. If you like hot dogs, THIS is the place to get them! Foot longs with foot long buns, grilled over charcoal, just like your family barbecue master makes them! Have it with chili and cheese, add some onions, and for the adventurous, the Ted's Sauce, which is a little sweet, but comes back with a spicy kick. They call it hot sauce, and it is, but it's stealthy. Sneaks up on you. A single, regular hot dog is $2.15 and you can add relish, onions, mustard, ketchup and pickles (dill spears...awesome!). A foot long costs $3.45, and chili and cheese are a little extra, but WELL worth it. Fries are natural and shoesting cut, crisp and really flavorful. A great addition. Natural casing hotdogs from Sahlen's. Nice snap and fabulous flavor. I'm not a HUGE hot dog lover, but I like a good one, and these are good ones!

Last stop - on the way home from Boston - Rein's Deli in Vernon, CT (http://www.reinsdeli.com/). Along the lines of Harold's NY Deli, the sandwiches are stuffed and the atmosphere is New York. Plenty of half-sour pickles set on the table (1 per person when you sit down, but as many as you like when you ask for more), and a great selection of NY Deli style food. Ruebens and Rachels, corned beef, pastrami, roast beef, chopped liver, Nova lox, you name it, it's on the menu. Find the menu here: http://vernon.reinsdeli.com/ordereze/SMenu/5/MenuDetails.aspx

Any sandwich can be ordered regular style or "Fresser", which is overstuffed. Prices are very reasonable for the size and quality of the meal.

I had a pastrami rachel. Meat was amazing, cheese grilled to perfection, and the cole slaw is NOT your run-of-the mill slaw. Nice and flavorful, with a little hint of onion, I think. Russian dressing is served on the side, and it's just enough to slather it on and enjoy a great taste treat!

Bill chose the corned beef and chopped liver. Now - I am NOT a liver lover. Wouldn't ever order it out ANYWHERE. Couldn't PAY me enough to eat it! But, by the same token, I like the liver spread at Charlie Browns, I like liverwurst, and, well - I liked the spread here at Rein's, too. It was a *tinch* heavy on the liver, but hey...that's what it is, right? I wouldn't have chosen it, but I could have eaten it.

And finally, the girly chose a chicken breast sandwich that you customize with your choice of cheese and veggie condiments (all a la carte, though). Served on a soft roll. She ate the whole thing, and that's a feat for her, so it MUST have been good! Lunch for 3 (one regular sandwich, one fresser, the chicken, a double order of pickles and 3 drinks) was about $35 before tip. They also have a huge deli counter from which you can order lunch meats and other Jewish deliciacies. A neat experience, even if there wasn't a pickle bar.

SO - it was a whirlwind weekend. Two contests, 21 hours in the car, move a young man into his dorm room and still get everyone home in time to go back to work and school. Gotta love it.

Teal Toes!

I realize it's a month away, but September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month! Help spread awareness of this silent killer by painting your toenails teal, the ovarian cancer awareness color. When people ask you about it, spread the word!

For more information, see http://www.tealtoes.org/.

I can't wait to go out and find one of the gorgeous polishes listed on the website! MY toes will be Teal for September!

More fun than a barrel of...hot dogs?

I have to be honest and tell you all that I was NOT looking forward to the 4th of July weekend this year.

Bill's competitive eating has taken him across the country in search of entry into the ONE BIG CONTEST - the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, held on the 4th of July at Nathan's Famous in Coney Island, NY. Now Bill doesn't do well enough in qualifiers to get into the contest. He hasn't broken 20 yet, and the lowest number that won a qualifier this year was 22, I think.

As a background, each eater can compete in 3 qualifying contests, and if they win one (first place only), they get to go to the BIG SHOW at Coney Island. HOWEVER, Bill has competed in about 15 or so contests this year, which included his 3 Nathan's qualifiers, and other contests such as pork rinds, oysters, clams, asparagus, ice cream and crawfish. He drove to most of them - he's been to Metropolis, IL, somewhere near Toledo, OH, to Stockton, CA, New Orleans, LA, Detroit MI and a slew of local contests in New York and New Jersey. He's logged about 8,000 miles this year and still has the Krystal circuit coming up.

All that to say that the organization to which he belongs (IFOCE) decided to honor him and asked us to come to Coney Island so they could make the presentation at the contest. All they told us was that he was being honored - no mention of what for. Knowing the Sheas as we do, in case it was something terribly embarrassing, he asked what the honor was for, and they called it recognition of all the time and miles he'd put in toward contests.

So off to Coney Island we went.

Being the showman he is, George Shea brought Bill onto the Nathan's stage and introduced him as the eater who had traveled to all 15 Nathan's qualifiers, logging 21,000 miles and 385 hours "for the fans". The award? "Biggest Carbon Footprint". The trophy stands almost 3' tall and has a gas pump handle attached to the top. It's the FUNNIEST thing I've ever seen and it was SO much fun to see Bill get the award!! The eaters were all very supportive and loved that he finally has been recognized for his dedication to the "sport".

The entire weekend was a load of fun - moreso than I expected! We had 2 lovely nights at the W Hotel at 49th St. and Lexington Avenue in Manhattan, he had unlimited access to the eaters' area of the contest venue, and as "Friends and Family", I had access to a special viewing area reserved for us. I could actually SEE most of the contest and was shoulder to shoulder with people I knew and who understand that it's a show! Most considerate bunch of fans I've ever watched a contest with.

But, as the new Dos Equis ad says regarding the 2-party system, it's the AFTER party you want to go to. And what a party it was! The eaters, including #1 and #2, are the NICEST bunch of people you'd ever want to meet, and they can drink nearly as much as they eat!! Funny, funny, funny! Lots of comraderie and knuckle-bumping, trash talking, hugging, and alcohol consumption. So worth every minute we spent there. I hope we get the chance to do it again, either as Friends and Family, or when Bill finally breaks the 20 and gets into the BIG ONE.

Places of note: The W Hotel. Just DON'T touch the minibar unless you intend to eat/drink what you touched! It's on sensors, and you move it, you pay for it. Imagine the horror of one of our friends when his 3-year old son stripped the top of the mininar in one tantrum. Oops! (The management understood and didn't charge.) Make sure to take a shower (the shower head is AMAZING and the water pressure is incredible!!!), but don't drink at the hotel. Average price for a drink - $16.

Eat a burger and fries at the Emery Bar in the Benjamin Hotel on Lexington (I think...about two blocks away from the W) - $11 for the burger and $4 for the fries, but spend the $4 and GET THE FRIES!!! I've never had a better burger and fries in my LIFE! Same goes for the mojito, but that was pricey - $14 - and not as large as I would have liked. But what it lacked in size, it made up for in flavor and kick.

Get wings and sliders (I recommend the lamb ones) at Redemption Grill at 53rd and 2nd. The wings were TO DIE FOR!!! Big, huge wings, beautiful bleu cheese and plenty of celery and carrot sticks. YUM!! Drinks are OK there, but again - liquor is really pricey out.

So here we are, home again, and back to the grind - with my Friends and Family Pass hanging on the wall to remind me what a great time it was.

What I've Learned this Summer (So Far)

Admittedly, I am a fat diabetic. I know that. My “take this to the counter” sheet after every nutritionist’s appointment reminds me of it. “Morbidly obese” it states. “Diabetes (under control)” it says. But that’s only because of my medication, and lately, the doc’s on the verge of marking it “uncontrolled,” and here’s why.

Every three months, I have a blood test to chart my long-range blood sugar, or HbA1C levels (or HgA1C, I can never get that second letter straight). For non-diabetics, it should be a number under 6. It’s the percentage of your blood that has glucose attached to it. For diabetics, it should be under 7.

For 6 months (2 blood tests), mine was 7.1. So I got summoned to the doctor’s office.

“What’s going on?” she says. Um…you tell ME – you’re the one who called me here.

I’ll cut to the chase. If I don’t have my weight and A1C down with this next test (which is in July), I will be put on insulin. Now THERE’s a prospect that does NOT thrill me at all. I’ve had diabetics tell me it’s no big deal. If you’re afraid of the injections, you get over that fear pretty fast.

Well guess what? I don’t WANT to find out how fast you get over that fear. So I walk. Eight-tenths of a mile 3-5 days a week. That’s how long it is to the end of the street I work on and back.

There are a group of women here who walk every day at noon. “You’ll LOVE it!” they tell me. “You’ll feel SO much better!” they gush. And I've been asked "How come you don't walk with the ladies?!?" Here's why.

They lie. These women can get almost 3 miles done in 40 minutes, if not more (miles, not minutes). They walk faster than the speed limit on my street. And if you can’t keep up, too bad, so sad. Considering they walk the grounds of the State Hospital where the crazies and the criminals are incarcerated, and have left someone behind before, this is a problem for me. So I have never walked with them, and I never will. EVER.

I start out with another girl at the office. While we start out together, that lasts about 50 paces before I’m behind. It increases as we go on, but that’s OK, because I’m still moving and not facedown on the sidewalk, twitching. Although she's said she'll pick me up and call 9-1-1 if she passed me prone on the road. I like her.

Here’s what I’ve learned in the past month.

I don’t like doing this. It’s not fun. Not even remotely. It’s painful. Don’t tell me it will get better – it’s been a month and it has NOT gotten better. It hurts every day, just not as badly some days as others.

Shoes that are specifically sold for walking DO make a difference as to how your muscles work. LOVE them.

My calves hate me. Despite the shoes. If they were animate, independent beings, they’d be walking behind me with a lash, smacking me in the legs with every step after the first 50. TRUST me. I do stretch. Specifically my calves. Every time I walk. And I’ve tried the potassium trick. Orange juice (but only 4 oz. – diabetic, remember?), tomato juice, almonds, bananas. None of it works for me.

Nothing smells like summer. Freshly cut grass, white and purple clover (yes, they smell different from each other), crown vetch, daisies (OK, they stink a little), hot tar on the street, wild primroses, and my all-time favorite – honeysuckle. There’s not a perfumer in the world can duplicate the scent of real, live honeysuckle. And MANY have tried.

Nothing sounds like summer. The summer breeze can’t be called wind unless it’s associated with a wicked thunderstorm. The grass rustles, the leaves on the tree turn over, the birds chirp and sing and call and even on occasion holler because their nest is in the tree under which I’m walking. If I walk at home at night, the toads sing, too. And there are crickets and cicadas (although not until July here) and katydids.

A good salad after a miserable walk is small consolation.

Raspberry Vinaigrette stains. Badly.

I’ve also learned walking has made SOME kind of difference because I went out for some retail therapy last night, and guess what? My pants size doesn’t start with a 2 anymore.

It’s the little things.

Amigu-WHO Now??

It's called Amigurumi, and it's adborable! Making little (up to about 8") stuffed animals out of crochet. I couldn't WAIT to make my first one, thinking it would be a blast and a breeze and just sickly cute. I had a pattern book of dinosaurs and some neat yarn colors and I was set.

OH

MY

GOD

What a pain.

Not that I won't ever do it again, but DANG!! It's a lot of work for such a lil thing, and it's hard to count. I made this stegosauraus for Megs, and a pterodactyl for her boyfriend. And truthfully, I am NOT sure I want to do anymore! They turned out cute, and both the kids love them, but holy crow.

I guess if you practice at it, it gets easier. They are "little" projects, and they should go quickly ("should" being the operative word in that sentence). Not that I won't do another if asked...truly.

Just not my preference right now.

Completion!

Here are the bonnet and booties that go with the gown - the set is GORGEOUS, and all I want from the mom is a photo of her little girl wearing it.

Gianna was born on Friday, May 29 at 9 pounds, so what I thought was going to be ENORMOUS on the child will likely fit perfectly!

If you had told me a couple years ago that I would spend the majority of my free time threading a piece of yarn over, around and through until I came out with a finished sweater, blanket, pair of socks, christening gown, I'd have told you that you needed a straightjacket.

But as you can see...that's what I've been doing! Over the past 6-10 months or so, I've taken up crocheting, and the sweater over there is one I made for my girlfriend's daughter. She LOVES purple. And trust me, no one was more surprised than me when it actually FIT her!! This one took a couple weeks (2, maybe?) of crocheting at night after dinner and maybe a couple hours on the weekend. Relatively speaking, it was easy and went quickly.

Now THIS beauty...this is a Christening gown for my next-door neighbor's daughter, who'shaving her first child. This one took months. Many hours of looking at fine thread and using a hook with a head that I could barely see! Although...it went easier than I expected. I only had to tear out about 2 rows at different times, and those because I wasn't paying attention to what I was doing and lost count. There's a bonnet and booties that go with this, and I'm in the middle of the bonnet. I can't wait to give it to Lauren - her mom already loves it!

I have a couple more projects in the works. Only one for myself, as it seems that the only ones I can finish are the ones that I give away! I haven't sold anything (a combination of copyright issues for the patterns and not enough finished projects), but in time, I'm hoping to attend a craft fair with my work. We'll see how that goes. Meanwhile, I'm hooking away, and having the time of my life!