Saturday, April 26, 2008

Catfish Queen


Well it's Fish Fry weekend in the city of the World's Biggest Fish Fry. I was going through some old books today and found a "book" we put together in my senior English class with the fabulous Ms. Rhea. I laughed when I read my entry - it was about Fish Fry, and was dated April 28, 1989. I figure with timing like that, I should share:
The sun beat down, setting the pavement on fire. The hot, moist air coupled
with the large crowd made for difficult breathing. People lined both sides of
the street, sprawled on chairs, quilts, or on the ground. Some sat in the backs
of trucks, on cars, and some stood. Others walked up and down the street calling
to friends as they passed. Some people wore shorts, some were in bathing suits,
and some were in jeans. Toddlers ran around on the grassy lawns in their
diapers, their little tan feet hopping back and forth. Dogs tied to lawn chairs
sat with their tongues out, trying to find shade. The air smelled of hot dogs,
cotton candy, and hot asphalt. Men pushed carts loaded with novelty items like
balloons, snap-n-pops, whistles and stuffed animals. Small cramped trailers were
hosts to long lines of people wanting hot dogs, snow cones, and Cokes.
Clowns roamed in and of the crowds selling balloons and making little
children laugh. Beauty queens on flowery floats rolled by. Little girls twirling
batons almost as big as them strutted by in their leotards. Girl Scouts and Boy
Scouts rode proudly by, throwing candy to the crowd. Bands marched, following their ever-moving directors. Music filled the air. The big horses with heads held high marched proudly, bringing up the end. Slowly people began to collect their belongings and leave. Paper littered the streets, the sidewalks, the yards, everywhere. Another
Fish Fry parade was over.

Monday, April 14, 2008

Hello again

I'm really not sure what has been keeping me so busy lately, but it hasn't been blogging. I've had pretty poor posting habits lately. Must be spring fever. So, let's catch up:

Running: Had some knee pain that scared me, so I took a week off. Maybe I'm too old to run!
Soccer: Thankfully, someone else stepped up and saved those kids from me and me from them. And to think I almost agreed to that lunacy....what is wrong with me?
Meat and diet: I had chicken twice today. So sue me. But overall, my meat consumption is way way down. I crave veggie burritos from Blue Coast Burrito. MMMM MMMM My soda consumption is almost non-existent. I have slipped a bit on the coffee here and there (once even at Starbucks -oopsy.) I have to say that I can tell a real difference in my energy levels lately. I think I was getting more caffeine that I realized, and it was affecting my energy.
Home improvements: Painter will be here next week. There is now no wallpaper anywhere in my house. It's all gone! And after many agonizing attempts to choose just the right shades, all of the paint colors have been finalized. Who knew there could be so many shades of brown? It's ridiculous, really. Terra Brun (Sherwin Williams) is my current favorite brown. It's an earthy, reddish brown, but very dark. If you visit my bonus room (that is slowly but surely going to become a media room) you can see it for yourself!
Transportation: Last week I rode my bike to work. How's that for some alternate transportation? It was the most awesome thing. When I got this new job and I realized that it was possible for me to ride my bike, or even to walk if I had to, I could not wait to do either one. After driving 50+ miles a day for 8 years or so, the thought of riding my bike to work sounded so ridiculous and wonderful that I could not wait to do it. So, last Tuesday, I put on my little bike helmet, (some girl at work pointed out it was not very fashionable, and I pointed out neither are brain injuries) put my work clothes in a gym bag in my basket, bagged up some dog treats to fend off ravenous canines (like that would work, but it made me feel better), and headed out. It was glorious. The weather was perfect. No one honked or tried to run me off the road. I got to work on time. Life was good. I turned into a chicken, though, when I thought about how much traffic there would be on the way home after work, so I rode it home at lunch and drove my car back. I can't wait to do it again!

Hope you have enjoyed my little update, and hope everything is well with you.

Wednesday, April 09, 2008