Fat Tuesdays: Guess Who!

Hey hey! So, I don't have any food for today's Fat Tuesday because, in case you didn't notice, I've been MIA for a couple of weeks. All I can say is... oops. Sorry! Basically, I was lazy and didn't feel like writing. So there.

But, America (and by that I mean dear family, Jay, Josie, and Jessica) I am back. And I'm ready to do some writing.

Let's start with today. I woke up this morning full of energy, relaxed by the evening thunderstorm and ready to conquer the day. I even had a good breakfast and was ready earlier than usual. I jumped into my car and noticed immediately that something was off. As I titled my body weight to one side, I poked my head out the window to see a lovely flat tire.

Dramatization

I jumped into Boy Scout mode with my Auto Mechanic merit badge and set to work changing my tire. Meanwhile, thoughts were running through my head: 

• cars suck
• did someone slash my tires? 
• who would be mad at me to slash my tires?
• why did they only slash one?
• why is this jack stuck in my trunk?
• I think I'm selling my car
• WHO put these LUGnuts on last? Holy cow!
• Okay, I think we're good. 
• Great, the spare is soft
• DAAAADD!

Yes, I called my Pops for some help. It always seems a bit silly doesn't it? My dad lives two hours away, I have a flat tire, and here I am calling for assistance. I think it must be the simple assurance through a familiar voice that things would work out okay. 

I went to work, stressed for about 15 minutes, and then got caught up in the day-to-day. I had found the local Belle Tire and got prepped for how to take the slowest, least trafficked route there. 

Basically, I was prepped to pay a bunch for a new tire. I had no idea that they can do repairs there at Belle Tire and no idea that they did them for free. Thankfully, my dad checked in on me to see how things were going, and made sure I asked for a repair and not a new tire.

Artist Rendering of my Dad

Anyway, the point of all this is that I was really stressed this morning. As the sun was rising (and the humidity was causing me to sweat profusely) I silently muttered numerous four letter words and thought about how this day was going to be miserable with such an awful start. 

In actuality, it wasn't much different from any other day, except I got sweaty before 9, my car tilted slightly to the left, and I had a pit stop to make before I went home. And when you think about, that's usually how most stressful things go. One minute its a crisis and the next minute its just another day. 

Oh, and on an unrelated topic, I really like this shirt.

Fat Tuesdays: Because One Isn't Enough- Grilled Cheese

I know what you're thinking. Grilled cheese? David, Mom taught me how to make grilled cheese when I was 7 because she was tired of making the second easiest kid approved meal in the world (the first being Kraft Macaroni and Cheese.)

But, wait. This grilled cheese was amazing. And for adults. Or something like that.

Oh. My. God. This is so good. 

I'm so serious. I can't believe I made it, that's how good it was. So what did I do differently? I added a few ingredients. First off, pesto. While one side is coated in butter for golden crispiness, the other side is slathered in pesto for a nice tasty base. Then, add your cheese. I chose cheddar and colby jack. You really can choose any cheese you like, but yellow cheeses seem to be staples. Also, I didn't use any Kraft singles. Those things aren't really cheese and are not allowed on grilled cheese sandwiches. 

Next, add tomato. I did a slice and a half on each sandwich. It depends on your liking, but I enjoyed it. And finally, the real secret ingredient and the one that made this sandwich sooo good, goat's cheese. I went to the store looking for feta and found that goat's cheese was on sale for cheaper than feta. 

Word to the wise, a little goat's cheese goes a long way. There is not even a full 'slice' on each sandwich, just a small smattering of goat's cheese that when mixed with pesto and other delicious flavors, makes this a grilled cheese worth having again. 

Recap:

Italian Bread- Really any kind works here, but something that you have to slice yourself tastes better

Cheddar Cheese- A slice or two for each sandwich

Colby Jack Cheese- A slice or two for each sandwich

Pesto- To slather on each piece

Butter- To grill the exterior of the sandwich

Tomato- A slice on each sandwich would suffice

Goat's Cheese- Just a dab will do ya

I use a frying pan on medium heat and let the bread grill until it is toasty brown. Then I put it on my plate and devour it. 

I also have a new Oregano plant named Octavius.  

Octavius really likes the camera.

Thoughtful Thursdays: Detroit's Image

I get a lot of funny looks when I tell people I live in Detroit. Especially back in my small, Anywhere, USA hometown where people think of Detroit as a nuclear wasteland. I'm also not able to be one of those people from the burbs who can say, well, "I'm from _________ (fill in the blank), but its very near Detroit," because I'm from Dearborn, and that often gets as many funny looks as it does when I say I'm live in Detroit.

On the one hand, people from my hometown ask if I live near a lot of 'blacks.' I do. In fact, I work mostly with people of a darker skin complexion. In fact I'm the only one on our recruitment team that has straight heritage from Europe, and I find that pretty cool.

If people hear I'm from Dearborn they ask how Sharia Law is and if I can hear the prayer bells each morning. I respond by letting them know that Dearborn's mayor is Irish and yes, I do live next to the Islamic Center of America, but a large majority of Arab-Americans practice a form of Christianity.

Their sickening grin often fades quickly.

I bring this up today to talk about Detroit's image. Mainly, I don't think its fair to say that Detroit's image problems are completely due to the people who live here. While there needs to be some self-love and some true work on the problems, I also think we get a bit of a bad rap. Like playing Detroit in Apples to Apples when 'Worthless' is the green card. That sucks.

I won't say that Detroit isn't all sunshine and roses. This is a true story that is downright terrifying. And yes, I found this house on Google maps and no, the image isn't photoshopped.

Its that sort of thing that really puts a damper on any kind of good news coming from the city. Like this.  Okay, maybe the news is more bizarre than good, but still... wouldn't that be freaking awesome?

However, I still see Detroit get a lot of bad rap that isn't always due. Mostly, I see it as preconceived notions that are solidified through the experience you get on the internet. Let's try an experiment.

Open a new browser. Go ahead, make a new tab, a new window, a new page on your mobile device, whatever... just get a web browser up. Got it? Okay. Now, Google image the following: New York City, Chicago, LA, Baltimore, Detroit. It has to be the images.

Spend some time on each city. Look at the first several pages of pictures. None have to be too detailed of a search, but notice what you see. Look at the related searches for each city- this will come up later.

You should have noticed that when you Google any of the first four cities listed, you get some beautiful pictures of the skyline during the day, at night, some famous sites, and beautiful cityscapes. You'll also notice that Google gives some other options on what to search for like: (city) at night, (city) skyline, (city) professional sports team.

Pretty right? What happens when you Google image Detroit? You see a few skyline shots, but you also get several crumbling buildings, vacant lots, a photo of the 1967 riot, and a shot that is actually Manilla in the Philippines that has been tagged as Detroit. And, oh yes, related searches include: Detroit skyline, Detroit lions, and DETROIT SLUMS and DETROIT GHETTO.

Awesome. Thanks for taking the time to optimize people's searches Google.

Well David, you say, Chicago and New York are a little bit different than Detroit. I think you should calm down.

Okay fine. Google Cleveland. Do you see 'Cleveland slums?' How about any crumbling buildings? Try out Newark. Anything yet?

Oh, I've got it. At the expense of my personal freedoms and liberties surfing the internet, let's Google Baghdad, Kabul, any city in Syria, and see how badly the war has ravaged these towns. Ah, I see. There's a freaking WAR going on in these places, but we don't have any pictures of crumbling buildings to be shown. And good luck finding related searches with slum or ghetto.

I don't deny that Detroit has problems. I don't deny that the photos shown aren't real. I do deny that Detroit gets treated just as fair as every other city and I do deny that it is only due to the people's attitudes that we get treated this way.

If the people from my hometown believed that Detroit was crumbling in all corners, filled with slums and dilapidated lots, Google would certainly confirm their thoughts. And no matter what I tell them, until they actually come to see the city, these preconceived notions will stick with people forever.

Fat Tuesdays: Because One Isn't Enough- Fish Tacos

As my friends from this weekend know, I have had a strange affinity for fish tacos lately. There's something in the air that is making me crave delicious fish inside a flour shell with whatever that tasty sauce is dripping all down my hand. I feel like I'm five again with the mess I made. Then again I almost always make a mess eating.

So, nothing better than trying to recreate the dish that made my fingers tingle with excitement.

Unfortunately, I didn't have all the supplies to make a true fish taco, so I opted for the old empty-the-fridge tactic to create a scrumptious dinner.

That's tilapia, cilantro, green onions, and green peppers. And it smells as good as it looks. 

I had wine. I've heard it prevents cancer.... or something. 

I also put some BBQ sauce on in lieu of the actual sauce you're supposed to use. 

Mmmm....

It was a bit unconventional, but it sure tasted delicious. I threw in a little tomato and a little cheese too and voila, a fish taco! 

Ingredients:

Tilapia Fillet- frozen food section at Meijer

Small pile of green onions

One side of a green pepper

Small handful of fresh cilantro

A few grates of cheddar cheese

3 flour tortillas

Tomato to taste

BBQ Sauce to taste

Cook em all up and put em in the tortilla! 

Marvelous Mondays: 5 Things You Can Do When Its Really Flippin Hot.

I'm not a huge fan of the heat. I like it to be about 75 degrees and then stop. This 90 degree stuff is just not boding well for a sweaty guy like me. Here are 5 things you can do when it gets really flippin hot.

1). Tell everybody you can about how hot it is.
This is a great thing to do. It really doesn't matter who it is, you really should tell them about the heat. Tell your friends, tell your co-workers, text some people you haven't talked to in a while, call up some others, and tell everyone that it is hot. They could even live in the same city as you, but there is a good chance that your neighborhood is a few degrees warmer than theirs. So you should tell them about the heat.

2). Go for a run.
There's nothing like running in 90 degree heat to make you feel like an athlete. As you stand on the corner panting, waiting for the stop light to change, the disgusted looks from fatties in their cars are usually the best confirmation for how athletic you are. Those looks alone often give me an extra mile.

Sadly, the heat can often take a lot out of you and when you return home you usually look like this:

At least I have my health. 

3). Go to any source of water and use it. 

This applies to friends' pools, fountains, sprinklers in people's yards, rivers, taps, and any other water source not mentioned. Jump in them, wade in them, drink the water, and generally do whatever you can to not be hot. 

                                                           

4). Sit in front of sixty-three fans and don't move. 

Okay, so actually I only have three fans, but you get the idea here. 

5). Go do everything you would normally do anyway. 

When it gets to be this hot there is a general understanding that people are gonna sweat. So get out there and do the things you planned on doing. Get real sweaty on a walk, buy those groceries in style, slather on some extra deodorant (and bring a spare stick) and enjoy being human! 

So there you have it! 5 great things to do in this heat! Hope you had a marvelous Monday!