Yesterday was a day to be thankful for. Come along while I share the highlights.
I had a reservation for four at Sit-n-Bull, having invited my driver, domestic helper, and Swan to join me for a traditional Thanksgiving feast.
My driver picked us up at noon for the short drive to Sit-n-Bull, where our table was waiting.
No complaints about the food; it certainly filled me up. I was disappointed there was no pumpkin pie or other dessert offered with the meal. The logistics of eating in a restaurant seem to emphasize that the traditional Thanksgiving feast works best as a family gathering at home. I know I like loading up my own plate with all my preferred favorites. And going back for seconds. I also thought about the side dishes my mama would make–like a green bean casserole and candied yams. Damn, I miss that!
We all enjoyed a heaping helping of my Aunt Pat’s Recipe World Famous Fruit Salad when we returned home after our dinner.
Another Thanksgiving tradition is the post-meal nap. I took a much-needed one after my nearly sleepless night on Wednesday and felt somewhat refreshed when I awoke. Swan was busy with her tutoring gig, and I was craving some San Mig Zero beer, so I headed into town. My first stop was Sloppy Joe’s, and it was about as busy as I’ve ever seen. I was seated in my preferred streetside table area, but the only available chair was near the music speaker. And for whatever reason, they had the volume set at blaring. Troy was there and joined me at my table, but it was hard to carry on a conversation with all the noise. I finished my second beer and departed.
It had been a very long time since I paid a visit to BarCelona (two floors above Sloppy Joe’s), and I remedied that by climbing the stairs and taking a rooftop seat in the nearly deserted bar.
BarCelona has pne of the best bar ambiances in town. Open air inside features a large bar, several big-screen TVs playing music videos (at a reasonable volume), and a pool table. It’s all very clean and comfortable. I enjoy sitting on the rooftop in the late afternoon/evening hours and taking in the views (not so much when the sun is shining overhead or during rainy season). Why don’t I come here more often? I’ve had multiple incidents of lousy service in the past, and with so many other options available, I just stopped coming. That wasn’t a problem last night. My waitress was a gal who used to work at Whiskey Girl (she remembered me by name; I didn’t recognize her at all). We sat and talked and my impression is that she was the head waitress (or at least she was training one of the other girls serving). I shared with her some of my past experiences, and she assured me that it was unlikely to happen again, at least as long as she was working. Fair enough. I can see myself enjoying some beers here more frequently.
I decided to stay in the Maze for barhopping purposes and went downstairs to the Green Room for my next venue. It was also very busy, but I had a coupon good for a free beer and then 50% off the remainder of the night, so I put it to work. I usually enjoy watching the pool games when I’m here, but no one played last night. After my second beer, I was feeling bored, so I moved next door to Wet Spot (my coupon was good there too). As usual, I sat at the manager’s table (popularly called the backslapper’s table) and enjoyed some chat with my fellow tablemates. Two more beers, and I called it a night, arriving back home at 7:30.
I enjoyed a little time with Swan on the patio; then I got ready for bed. And lo and behold, I finally slept long enough for my Fitbit to track my sleep performance.
So, I fell asleep at 8:36 and woke up at 1:09 in the morning. Of course, I wasn’t able to go back to sleep, so that meant spending more time binge-watching Netflix. Almost through with Season 2 of “Shameless” and I’m still enjoying the show. My normal sleep is usually at least five hours, but I guess last night qualifies as progress.
Facebook memories reminded me of a walk I took six years ago:
And today’s dose of humor:
A priest offered a lift to a Nun.
She got in and crossed her legs, forcing her gown to reveal a leg.
The priest nearly had an accident. After controlling the car, he stealthily slid his hand up her leg.
The nun said, “Father, remember Psalm 129?”
The priest removed his hand.
But, changing gears, he let his hand slide up her leg again.
The nun once again said, “Father, remember Psalm 129?”
The priest apologized “Sorry sister but the flesh is weak.”
Arriving at the convent, the nun went on her way.
On his arrival at the church, the priest rushed to look up Psalm 129.
It said, “Go forth and seek, further up, you will find glory.”
Moral of the story: If you are not well informed in your job, you might miss a great opportunity.
And that’s all I’ve got for today. I did my first group hike in too long this morning; look for a full report and pictures here tomorrow.
Nice pic of the Thanksgiving meal. Did you seek, further on, for some good pie somewhere?
As for the Psalm 129 joke, I recall the last time you put the joke up, which was last year (and a search for “Psalm 129” on your blog shows you used the joke in 2005 as well!). Just FYI, the quote is bullshit. The actual psalm:
1 “They have greatly oppressed me from my youth,”
let Israel say;
2 “they have greatly oppressed me from my youth,
but they have not gained the victory over me.
3 Plowmen have plowed my back
and made their furrows long.
4 But the Lord is righteous;
he has cut me free from the cords of the wicked.”
5 May all who hate Zion
be turned back in shame.
6 May they be like grass on the roof,
which withers before it can grow;
7 a reaper cannot fill his hands with it,
nor one who gathers fill his arms.
8 May those who pass by not say to them,
“The blessing of the Lord be on you;
we bless you in the name of the Lord.”
I found someone’s old blog post from 2008 that goes into this apparently famous, nonexistent Bible quote. Some comments appended to the post provide constructive suggestions pointing to existent quotes, and one commenter even offered an improved version of the joke with actual Bible verses from Luke and Proverbs (and to be sure, I looked those suggested verses up: they’re legit).
As an aside: fundamentalist Protestants, a high percentage of whom are very Bible-literate, often joke that Catholics don’t know the Bible that well. In my experience at Catholic U., I found that to be true more of the laity than of the clergy. The priests I met and studied under could easily quote chapter and verse at need.
Hey John, that belly shot looks like you skipped the 6 pack and went straight to a keg.
Terry, yes, my beer belly is insane. No idea where that came from. I do intend to shrink it significantly in the new year. I will use that belly shot as the “before” picture when I reach my goal…
Kev, Sit-n-Bull does have good pies and cakes available. I was just disappointed a slice of something wasn’t included in the meal. Is it really a feast if there is no dessert?
You know, one of the benefits of cognitive decline is that everything old is new again. Yes, that was an old joke, but I hadn’t remembered how recently I had posted it here. I should have used my search function like I do for post titles to avoid repetition.
That said, it led to your in-depth analysis and refutation of the joke’s premise, along with some interesting history from your university days. So, it was worth it. Thanks for your insights and education.
Try a movie called Fair Play on Nflix. I realized I was enjoying it in a kind of throwback fashion after a few minutes and a grim opening sex scene because it is redolent of a 90s mood thriller. Though it has some credulity stretching relationship aspects Eddie Marsen is in it so there’s that.
Thanks, Dan. Read up on “Fair Play” at Wikipedia. Looks interesting. I’ll add it to the queue.