OK, so I guess we ended up going for a little ride today. 288 miles to be exact.
Lake George.
So Earl and I decided to go for a little ride in the Jeep this afternoon. As if we didn’t do enough driving last weekend with our 13 hour ride home from Chicago, we just wanted to get out and do some exploring. We decided to head in the general direction of East.
We are currently stopped for a few moments to enjoy the air conditioning in this very spacious Starbucks just outside of Glens Falls.
After driving through the southern Adirondacks for a little while, we found ourselves in Lake George. Well, actually we were in Lake George Village, because being literally in Lake George would probably be a little rough on the Jeep and on us.
It’s Americade weekend in Lake George, so the village was hopping with lots of bikers and their families. We stopped for a bit and enjoyed a munchie or two and a beer on the deck of Shepard’s.
Earl had Saranac Blueberry Blonde and I enjoyed a Magic Hat No. 9.
After our one beer each and our munchie, we walked along the waterfront and enjoyed the views of the lake and the people milling about.
In one of the shops we ran into a couple of bears. Being in the Adirondacks, there are bears everywhere.
Earl is pictured with George, so named because we met him in Lake George. He is wearing a raccoon hat and has decided to come home and live with us and the rest of the bears.
We are now en route to our next adventure of the day. We have no idea where it will be.
Dreaming.
Barbara Eden joined several other celebrities at “Life Ball” in Vienna. I have to admit, she’s looking good at 78 years old and she can definitely still pull off her ‘Jeannie’ costume.
Photo courtesy of New York Daily News.
TP.
So Earl and I went out on a little date night to the Armory Square area of Syracuse. We had a few cocktails, we enjoyed a nice meal together at the Empire Brewing Company and we had some great conversation. After our little adventure at the brewery, we decided to go for a walk before returning to the Jeep.
That’s when I discovered that I needed to find a restroom. Beer has that effect on me.
I quickly navigated us to a nearby Starbucks, where I hastily ordered an unsweetened green iced tea and asked for the code to gain access to the men’s room. Armed with the code and with Earl installed to pick up my tea, I made my way to the restroom and did what I had to do.
A sigh of relief.
As I started to get myself back together and presentable to the public, I was disheartened to discovered that the one-seat restroom was completely out of toilet paper.
Oh noes!
I looked around and found no place anywhere in the small room where extra toilet paper could be hiding. There was no cabinet under the sink. The public restroom certainly has no need for a medicine cabinet. I guessed I would have to settle for paper towels.
Except I was in Starbucks.
Where every thing is “green” and “environmentally friendly.” (Plastic cups notwithstanding).
No paper towels.
No extra toilet paper.
No tissues.
There wasn’t even a well-read copy of Reader’s Digest.
The only thing available was a hand dryer and I had no idea what I was going to do with that in this situation.
I improvised. How I improvised shall be left to the gentle reader’s imagination, but I will say this, from this day forward I shall always grab a napkin or two before entering a Starbucks restroom. Just in case.
Popularity.
Far and away, the most popular blog entry on “Life Is Such A Sweet Insanity” is an entry about the old WT Grants Department Store chain, as inspired by my spotting of a former GRANTS sign on the side of a barn at a place called Grant’s Farm Market.
Through the original blog entry, I have learned that the pictured sign came from the store at the current Shoppingtown Mall in the Town of DeWitt outside of Syracuse.
The blog entry has given many former Grants employees the opportunity to reconnect. I’m happy that I was able to provide them this opportunity.
There are worse things in the world to be popular about.
Gift.
My friend Tim sent me two clocks for my collection of school clocks made by The Standard Electric Time Company.
This clock is from 1939.
This clock is 29 years newer and ironically, the same age as I am, as evidenced by its date stamp of July 1968.
Despite their difference in age, both clocks are completely compatible and interchangeable with one another. The newer clock is considerably louder than the older one when it advances on the minute, so I’m still considering what room it will be added to.
Both have been refinished to a remarkable level. Tim and his partner Kevin are quite the handymen when it comes to this stuff.
Bread.
We had polished off what was left of the cookies. The box of Reduced Fat Wheat Thins? Yeah, that was history. There wasn’t a bag of Doritos or pretzels or even a vat of Heluva Good French Onion Dip to be found in the house. This is what happens when you skip a week of grocery shopping. However, all of this being said, I was still in the mood for a treat. More specifically, I was in the mood for scent of a treat, I didn’t know if I’d eat it or not, but I needed to be stimulated in a culinary way.
Looking through the cupboards I found a bottle of Beer Bread Mix I had picked up on a whim at a local card shop a while back. Now that I think about it, I don’t know why the Hallmark shop was carrying Beer Bread Mix (maybe the clerks needed an occasional pick me up) but nevertheless it had caught my eye so I had bought it and then stored it for a special occasion.
Last night was that special occasion.
Finding the beer to go into the beer bread was not an issue. I like beer. I swore off alcohol for quite a while a few years ago, mainly because I was getting drunk on some really cheap swill and doing things like making an ass of myself in public (or grabbing ass inappropriately, but that’s a different story), but I have been responsibly trying some better beers for a little while now and we have a good selection to choose from in the fridge.
We may be out of groceries but we are not out of beer.
I decided to go with the Lake Placid IPA (India Pale Ale) as my beer of choice for this little beer bread mix I had. The instructions were simple, mix the beer with the mix and bake it for 60 minutes at 350F.
Done.
The need to smell something cooking was easily satisfied, the bread tasted delicious. I had a small piece before bed last night (and I shared some with my husband, who commented that it was good). I just had a slice with some tunafish for my lunch.
It might not be the healthiest bread in the world, and after all, what bread is really healthy, but I rode the bike this morning and all of my clothes are too big so I feel comfortable risking the beer bread at lunch time.
And who knows, maybe that’ll give my afternoon just a touch of the kick it needs.
Jumpstart.
There’s a vibe at the office today that is kind of hard to describe. I came into work in a really good mood and while I am still in a good mood, there’s a heaviness in the air that is hard to shake off. I’m trying to decide if it’s because of the rain or if it’s just the universe today. The recent announcement of changes to the organization have undoubtedly rattled people, and that’s probably it.
I needed some sort of jumpstart get myself back on the happy track, and this is where YouTube comes into play. I was delighted to see that one of my favorite movies of all time is available on there.
I have always said that my favorite movie of all time is “It’s A Mad Mad Mad Mad World”, but now that I think about it, I think “Bell, Book and Candle” is actually my favorite movie now. I would have loved the opportunity to see the stage production that inspired the 1958 James Stewart/Kim Novak film, but I don’t think anyone is doing that production anymore. Maybe it needs a revival.
If you are unfamiliar with the movie, “Bell, Book and Candle” stars Kim Novak as Gillian Holroyd, a witch who falls in love with Shepard Henderson, played by James Stewart. This complicates life for both of them. The movie co-stars Ernie Kovacks, Hermione Gingold, Elsa Lanchester and Jack Lemmon. There are many similarities to the television show “Bewitched” (Aunt Queenie from the movie could easily be Aunt Clara’s sister), but there are some, well, bewitching differences as well that I find enchanting. As an extra bonus (because I am a geek after all), one of the magical sound effects is recycled nearly 20 years later to accompany “Wonder Twin Powers, Activate!”.
Watching parts of the movie during this lunch hour have gotten my spirits back on track. I guess there’s a bit of magic in that movie after all.
Communication.
So yesterday Earl and I made the trek home from our little adventure in Chicago. It’s a 13-14 hour or so ride and because we’ve done it a couple of times now, the ride was mostly uneventful. With our hectic careers and lives, we sometimes don’t have time to just sit down and talk, but being in the car with the love of your life affords you the opportunity have some great conversation, and that’s what we did.
I think one of the reasons that Earl and I have had such a successful relationship, tailored to our unique dynamic, is because we communicate with one another. We have no secrets, we talk things through and it’s only when communication feels like it’s breaking down is when we start to get irritable and cranky. Communication is that a huge cornerstone in the foundation of our relationship and because of that, we have been able to do some pretty amazing things as one for many years. It’s a wonderful feeling.
One of the things we talked about is our future. It’s kind of weird to think about things like “retirement” and the like, since I still feel like a kid and I know that Earl feels the same way. We made some decisions as we made our way home yesterday. Together we laid out some plans, set some goals and even came up with some contingency plans should we encounter a roadblock along our path together. Such a wonderful feeling.
It’s important to talk about goals and the future with your loved in because if things are going to work, everyone needs to be on the same page. Luckily, Earl and I have come to that same page together with few compromises along the way. I guess it just works when you’re married to your best friend.
I’m such a lucky man.
