the soupmenu

it’s way to late for how early i have to get up, but after a dull night of poker i have tons of energy. I always find it quite interesting how the most motivating thing in the world can simply be not moving for a few hours. I think that happened to bob the other night….halfway through the night he just snapped and turned into a 5 year old…complete with stomping his feet, wooo-ing out the window, and asking twenty questions at once. But that’s another story. i feel i need to finish telling my illinois tales…

to wrap up my illinois trip in a word…..fantasmagorical. I have said it many times before, but there is always that’s just so calming and comforting about being home. the instant i stepped off of the plane I was back to the old smells, sounds, and feelings of home(ish). I got picked up at the airport…went and had some decent food with chuck at uchicago. Later we met up with adam’s lady friend and had drinks and played some pool. we left about an hour late to head back downstate. we were making great time, but then hit a traffic jam. we ended up sitting in traffic for a good 45 minutes…then….

adam – ‘wow…i smell someone’s coolant bad’

me – ‘oh yah’

adam – ‘must suck to be them!’

me – ‘hahaha….hmm…is that smoke coming from the car infront of us?’

adam – ‘yaaa……oh wait’

me – ‘yup…that’s us’

we deposited a nice puddle of car pee on I-294. we only had to wait 30 mins for the tow truck. when the tow truck arrives, a young arabic guy in a leather jacket and who i assume was his big burly white haired father get out. after the car is ready to go, it’s time to get into the truck. having superior insight, i immediately jump into the crammed backseat of the truck leaving adam to sit in between the two tow-ers. this pays off. all is quiet in the tow truck. the radio is off and everyone is plum out of chit chat. I am staring of into the distance. all of a sudden, just as if adam and the young tow truck driver went to a sunday matinee, the driver yawns and stretches his arm up, back, and right behind adam.

he was smooooooooooth. i had left my notebook in the car….otherwise i could have taken notes. i’m in the back viewing the action and laughing my ass off. I tried to take a picture, but i think i would have gotten a tire iron to the head.

after 15 minutes of heaven, the driver finally pulls his arm back. i can see adam give out a sigh of relief. another five minutes pass. papa bear does the same exact thing!!!! it was a wondrous 45 miles home for adam. it was quite convenient because he didn’t even have to ask them for their number….it was right on the truck!

the rest of the weekend was filled with toys, food, and friends. we did wonderful at the auction and we’ll hopefully see the results of that in a week of two. I was able to not only eat a horseshoe (mine), but i was also able to go to my favorite burger place….grossburgers. i final momentous occasion for the weekend was that we were able to get the group of me, adam, adam, and josh together. in some way/shape/form we’ve all been friends for over 10 years, yet we all have not been together in one place for about 4 years. luckily we didn’t break anything too expensive or have to bail anyone out. it’s great how we can go on for hours making fun of anything. a wonderfull night of sarcasm and jokes was had. after my trip home i really feel recharged and happy.

Last weekend I traveled back up to the cornfields to help a friend in purchasing a crapton of antique toys.  I had a flight early Friday morning.  I figured that the airport wouldn’t be busy.  (sometimes I try too hard to forget that I live in the tourism capital of the US)  I get to the airport and wiz through ticketing with the automated machine.  I come bouncing around the corner in excitement for a fun weekend, and then I see it.  The line for security had somehow taken on tape-worm characteristics and was now coiled all around the airport.  It’s quite confusing, so I made a map:

S means Start, G means Gate, and the turtle shows the speed.  Of course after finally getting up to security they wanted to run my bag through a few more times.  (my underwear glows under x-ray)  I make it to my plane just in time.  I find my row…and somehow there’s no one there.  I knew not to get excited, because seeing empty seats next to you usually means that a strung out family with kids who wish to join the musical Cats are just around the corner.  Well this time I lucked out.  The door to the plane shut and I immediately pulled up the arm rests and stretched out my legs on the seats.  I wish there was a way to have everyone reading this feel the evil glares that I received.  There I was one of the skinniest people on a full plane…and I had a whole row.  The flight went well and I really didn’t even notice when we were almost ready to land.  I looked out of the window to watch the landing.  Right when were only about 50ft up in the air….the plane started to rise.  You could hear the classic phobic muttering of everyone on the plane.  ‘what’s going on…..this isn’t down..this is up!  I thought we needed to go down to land?!!’  Flights are generally hilarious to me for stuff like this.  Most people have seen Airplane! more times than they have flew.  Whenever anything is different than what is expected….chaos erupts.  Well after the fearful chatter of the people subsides, the pilot chimes in to calm us down….

‘this is your pilot from the flight deck.  As you may of noticed, we have to go around.  A Southwest plane was on the runway and taking too much time, then they gave a northwest plane our spot and gar blar flar balr….well…..it happens ’

I bust up in laughter…as usual…no one else is laughing.

hope you like the new layout…I do.  I will post more Illinois stories later.

For those of you who check my flog daily (I like to call you flogstalkers) might have noticed that I posted new pics from the strawberry festival. I really didn’t think I’d be able to go, but somehow through some devine work by the strawberry gods I was able to have enough energy to round up some friends and make the hour and a half drive down there. So here’s my list of loves….

1. music
2. food
3. food festivals
…cars, balloons, hats, yuengling and candy might be thrown in there somewhere too. The point is, when a bunch of people get together with a shitton of one particular food item and they all try to out eat and out cook each other…..i want to be there.

The festival is held in plant city. (they used to make warships and spikes in the 50’s). It’s not just any normal small town food festival. This thing is huge! With acts like Big Rich and Jimmy Sturr you better tell the factory that you won’t be in this month. Our day went splendidly. We arrived and parked in someone’s yard. Since they are not parking professionals, they forgot to charge us the $5 for smushing some grass. After a long line of mullets and overalls, we were inside the gate. We immediately got some greesy wonderful fair food and tried to get seats for the pig races. Believe it or not, it was a sold out show. Now I’ve been turned away from events before, but to be turned away from pig races…that was an experience. We continued our adventure by taking in some local artwork, strawberry cookies, and photo ops……..

Me and Marcel are now official mini-cops.

Midget drug dealers beware.

We also went swimming in a strawberry shortcake pool.

who said crafts aren’t hard

I wonder if they have to pay royalties

All in all it was a wonderful day filled with food, friends, and sunshine. I ended up buying a jar of strawberry jam and a full flat of strawberries. If in a week I start to grow seeds on my arms…you’ll know why