Memoirs of a Soon-to-Be Former Fat Guy

Warmest greetings!

As you know, we spent yesterday at a family gathering in the Reading, PA area. For those of you who think they live in a bad place, Reading takes the cake. Recently named the most dangerous city in Pennsylvania, Reading is pretty much a complete garbage pit filled with gangbangers, druggies and corrupt politicians. It’s like a smaller version of Washington, DC, but without the museums.

I might mention at the same time, Phoenix was only 106.

Might I also mention it was hot yesterday? I mean really stinkin crazy hot?

That’s kind of beside the point, though. The nice part of the day was seeing a lot of family members who we don’t see nearly enough of and getting a chance to catch up. My cousin Kurt, an avid baseball fan and blogger, was telling me of his newest venture where he talks about all things Wildwood. It sounded pretty interesting, but then I realized that I really don’t like the beach all that much.

I checked out the blog, though, and Kurt’s got some great stuff… useful reviews and such on restaurants, attractions and amusements, and he also covers a lot of the restaurants with gluten-free dining in mind, as he lovely wife is afflicted with celiac disease.

I mentioned I’m not a huge fan of the beach. It’s not that I don’t like the ocean breeze or the water, it’s that I hate sand. Not really sand, but the fact that sand gets everywhere, including some very uncomfortable places. It’s a pain in the ass to get rid of, and well, it kind of stopped being fun the older I got. I also have no interest in being a sun worshipper… I once got a sunburn in Vegas that was so bad I couldn’t sleep on my back for over a week. Ever since that time, I keep a lot covered. Well, that and the last time I attempted to go shirtless on the beach, Greenpeace showed up and was trying to push me back into the ocean.

I realize, though, that a lot of people like going to the beach and many people go to the same beach for the same week every year. I also find it ironic that these are the same people who look askance at me for going to Disney as much as we do. It actually cracks me up… they will say, “Why do you always go there? It never changes!” They don’t seem to understand that for The Management and I, it’s a chance to see many of our friends from all over the country, and the world as well. I also wonder what gives people the right to ask that? I don’t say, “Why are you going to the beach again? It never changes!” All I’m asking for is the same courtesy.

Enough venting about this. I’ll leave the topic by saying that people’s vacations are their business. Now, if someone feels the need to venture to a tropical wonderland like Myanmar, well, maybe that’s worth a raised eyebrow. Otherwise, just say, “Enjoy!”

It’s tiny, but it’s a tomato!

Today was a landmark in our lives, too. Today we picked our first produce of the season. A very cute little tomato. I mean little. Also noticed that there’s a little pepper growing on one of the plants and both the zucchini and cucumber plants have blossoms. I give credit to The Management… I might water them, but she plants them. I don’t have a green thumb. I have more of a black thumb. I could kill kudzu. As a result, I try to never touch the plants themselves. Seems the only thing I can’t kill is crabgrass. Sigh.

Dinner

Tonight’s dinner consisted of sautéed sea scallop pieces with steamed broccoli and fresh corn on the cob. We tend to buy the scallop pieces. It’s nice to get them for $4.99/pound rather than $18.99/pound for the whole ones. I like seafood… you can eat a lot without a heavy caloric penalty. Granted, there’s cholesterol and mercury and all that fun stuff, but it’s tasty and very adaptable to any kind of cooking.

On that note, I’m calling it a day. Morning appointment with the exercise physiologists followed by work and all that. I’ll be posting a review of the upcoming Roger Waters show on Saturday at Citizen’s Bank Park. I’m really psyched to see it after viewing some video clips.

Until next time!

P.S. If you’re going to Wildwood, NJ, check out my cousin’s blog: Beaches And Boards. Also, if you’re not doing the beach but are headed to the ballpark,  check out his other site… Ballpark E-guides.