skills

just got back from a dinner at "logan roadhouse." that's right. ate peanuts and threw the shells on the ground (i used to think this was something profound and wonderful. now i don't really get too moved by the whole experience). a few thoughts while i digest my steak and sweet potatoes:

+ heidi loves to cook and bake. i mean she just loves it. right now she is making bread pudding. she's never made bread pudding, but we just got home and there is a loaf of day old bread, and her mind thinks "hey, i'll make bread pudding." i've never even had bread pudding, and can honestly say i have never thought of it. not my wife. and i'm sure it's going to be really good. last night she made some baked apple thing for dessert that was pretty great. baked apples? i never would have thought of putting an apple in the oven (on second thought, i guess apple pie fits in here). she's amazing. and like i said, she is passionate about this stuff. ask anybody who knows her - she's famous for her cooking. do you know what i'm famous for? being tall. that's right. she has some great skill and love that benefits mankind. when you think of me, don't tell me the first thing that comes to your mind isn't "tall." this is just great.

+ fleet foxes new album (self titled) is grand. i don't know who these guys are where they came from, but their music makes me really happy (thanks to nate downey for the recommendation in the first place). also been feasting on bon iver (for emma, forever ago)

+ lakers over celtics in 6. i know it's the safe pick, but it's what i'm feeling. the lakers are really good.

+ one of these days i am going to open up a diner and it's going to be awesome. heidi will be responsibel mostly for the food, but i will make some mean breakfasts, and grill some meat. i grilled some kabobs last night, and you wouldn't believe the quality of these things. i have skills too. it isn't just heidi.

+ mystery vacation for the wife and i this weekend. tell you about it next week, as i am sure our destination will provide plenty to comment on.

+ i played 20 rounds of tic-tac-toe with a client today. he beat me 8-6. he's 13. i feel embarrassed about this. i thought every game of tic-tac-toe ended in a "cat's game" (whatever 'cat's game' means)

+ yesterday i lost a chess match to a 13 year old. things aren't going to well for me. i will honestly tell the readership of this blog that i have never won a game of chess. i don't do well with strategy and thinking ahead. i start to plan my moves 3-4 moves out, and come up with some brilliant plan, but forget the first move i was going to make, so i get frustrated and try to kill people with my queen, which usually ends pretty quickly for me. yesterday i thought i was going to win, but then i made two ridiculously bone-headed moves in a row to totally throw the game. would you think less of me if i told you that i was getting really excited, and then was immediately really pissed off because i thought i was going to finally win a game of chess? this was a 13 year old mind you. at one point in my life i swore i would never play chess again. this was because my friend duane beat me approximately 74 times in a row in graduate school. i hate chess. the ban is back on. i'm never playing again.

+ tic-tac-toe for that matter as well. never again.

+ (...this is getting ridiculous...) i just remembered that i got destroyed by a 15 year old in a best of 7 series of gin rummy yesterday. he beat me 4-2 and it wasn't even that close. gin rummy: you're done.

+ tomorrow is the day for my redemption. i am going to challenge some nine year olds to games of uno and war, and we will see who's the game master.

+ no more games for justin. you just go back to being tall, because, after all, that is what you're the best at.