Go To Your Room, Richard Blais

So many of you were horrified by what I ate in New Orleans a week ago. I am surprised. I thought y'all would have embraced the adventure of trying new things.

I think you should go to your room and think about what you said. If you want to be an adult and learn that life has more to offer than cheeseburgers and tacos, the you need to be willing to try new things. Don't come out of your room until your attitude changes, Little Mr/Miss thing.

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To complete the culinary escapade through New Orleans, Claire's Mom, J in L-Towne, and I went and saw the Top Chef Road Show. It was a lot of fun.

We got to meet Richard Blais (who has been my favorite chef on the two seasons I have watched) and Radhika (who was not so much my favorite) and we got to try some food:

Black Sesame Cake with Fois Gras Ice Cream. You can read a review here.

It was interesting. Something I am glad I tried. Savory Ice Cream is a unique treat.

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I am going to see Bruce Springsteen this weekend. It will be my first time seeing the Boss.

I don't consider myself a big fan, but I had the opportunity to see him and I figured why not!?!

If You Can't Beat'em, Eat'em

When I was in New Orleans, I had some time to hang out with Claire's family...more specifically, I got to spend a lot of time with Claire's Pam and their mom. We had such a great time! I love hanging out with her family and the time I spent with them on this trip was no different.


We started with a great day going downtown. We ate lunch at Mother's (it was good, but WAY overpriced!)











We toured around the city, tried a pineapple mojito (really good) and then went to the Insectarium. Now, I am not a fan of bugs. Really don't like them much. Spiders in particular are, well, difficult for me. But I pushed through, learning all about the creepy crawly things that populate the world.


To add a topper to this afternoon, we had the opportunity to enact a little revenge on the insects. It was time to eat them.











The Insectarium provided a place for us to taste a number of different kinds and flavors. We actually enjoyed it and I even bought some bugs to take home for Claire to sample.

Dachshund Poop and Hot Chicks!

I am in Charlotte, NC today visiting a good friend.

I had some free time this afternoon while he was at work, so I went in search of the "Best Lunch in Charlotte".

The Internet did not let me down.

It directed me to Price's Chicken Coop, which, while not fancy, was greasy, messy and oh so tasty!

I ordered a dark meat sandwich...which consisted of a bun with a fried chicken leg and thigh, bones and all tossed on them. For good measure, I also ordered a side of fried gizzard...one of my favorite things since I was a kid.

Those Doxie Turd looking things were glorious!

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Heading back to VA on Friday for date night with my wife. We are going to see that Disney movie Earth.

Nothing like date night with a Hot Chick!

Was it a State Fair?

Last weekend, Claire and I went to New Orleans for the Southeast Louisiana Edition of our wedding...it was the final stop in our wedding tour.

Claire's mom arranged a great party, including a chocolate fountain, a snowball machine and a cotton candy machine.

It was great seeing all of our NoLa Friends!

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During the party, some of the young boys brought out remote controlled helicopters. While nobody was particularly adept at flying them, it was a lot of fun.

When the party started to die down and the RC Helo's disappeared, my brother-in-law Kyle, a friend Nick and I were looking for a toy to play with...we found them. At Wal-Mart.

We bought RC Airplanes.

We flew them in the day.

We flew them in the night.

We flew them up and down.

Flying them was tight!

Kickball is Rough

I was ready to post wonderful prose about my great weekend in New Orleans...eating bugs, both the mud type and the crawly type, flying airplanes and other assorted good things...

Instead, I am hopping (literally) off to the hospital trying to figure out why I can't walk.

Apparently this kickball thing is not good for me or Claire.

***UPDATE 12:03pm***

Okay, so I hit up the Doc-in-a-Box and he said I tore a muscle in the arch of my foot...Hydrocodone and Ibuprofen as needed, wrapping up my arch and as much rest as possible.

This sucks...I am out for at least 2 weeks...the kickball team is down their Sensei and the Softball season will start without me. Stupid feet.

She Needs A Break

While I was getting my haircut today, a beautician across the walk-way said:

"I am looking forward to my surgery in June. It will be a good vacation."

The First Excuse

It was a valid excuse. The headache. It passed muster last week.




On Thursday night we played kickball...it was our first team practice.



Claire was on first base and playing like a champ. She caught anything and everything that came her way. A stud. Surefire MVP candidate for 2009 Young Ninja Krew (YNK Kickball team). But late in the practice, the unthinkable happened...our budding star got into a collision with another player. A new teammate. We will call her the executioner.



She looked like Scotty Pippen. Not the Executioner, Claire.


She never cried. Never fell down. Never blacked out.


It just looked like the top of her head was smuggling a golf ball.


If it did not hurt so bad, it would have been funny.


My wife is a champ.

Military ID's

I got a cool gift this last visit to SoCal...my Gramps old military ID.

We were passing it around, the family looking at it. My niece, Reagan got a hold of it. Her mom (my sister) asked her who it was...

"Yo-Yo", she said.

Yo-Yo is her nick name for me. She thought it was a picture of Bogart.

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I pulled out my spank'n new military ID (Thanks Claire) and did a little comparison...I don't see it as much as others do. What do you think?

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I look like I am the one in the military rather than Claire. I need to get a new haircut or something.

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Claire also got a cool little gift from my mom this week...an outfit that I wore when I was first born...complete with little baseball shoes.



I don't think I have ever seen Claire so happy about a gift...it was definitely on par with the engagement ring.

Wedding...West Coast Edition

On March 28, Claire and I had our Wedding, West Coast Edition...this was wedding #2 of 3.

It was a glorious day and we were blessed with the presence of our wonderful friends and family.

We snapped some shots with our "Flower Girls"...

The Ceremony was nice and short. We read our vows again, so as to make sure each of our friends knew that we want to be kept accountable to what was promised to one another...

Then we partied...it was wonderful. We even got some time in the Pool/Spa.

Tango?

While on our Honeymoon, Claire and I had dinner next door to a Tango Restaurant. As a matter of fact, the place was called "Tango".

The video shows the band that was playing at "Tango". I have a decent idea of what Tango Music is. Clearly, something that is not translating well.