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Saturday, November 14, 2015

Miscellany: 11/14/15

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The world is good-natured to people who are good natured.
William Makepeace Thackeray

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Protect Internet Freedom's photo.

Eat 'Em Up, Coogs!

Of course, I'm not responsible for the success or lack thereof of my alma maters on the athletic field. (My BA was at OLLU, which did not have athletic teams; I knew from an email list they have a men's basketball team now (and other sports, including female teams); it apparently resurrected 3 years ago. It took a bit of digging on the OLLU website, but it turns out that they did have a basketball team roughly during the period I worked and studied for my 2 graduate degrees at UH.) But I've mostly followed baseball, basketball, and football at UT and basketball and football at UH. UT did win the College World Series shortly after my arrival in Austin and won the football championship several years back against USC in one of the best football games I've ever seen.

Houston, on the other hand, blew the NCAA basketball finals in one of the hugest coaching blunders I've ever seen against NC State. With the Cougars running away with the game, Lewis for some insane reason decided to go conservative and slow down the game to put it on ice--which took the Cougars out of their rhythm. Unfortunately, the Cougars couldn't hit foul shots, and NC State hacked and clawed their way back to the win--on an improbable last-second layup. Houston's football team has been inconsistent--I can still remember Houston snapping a long home winning streak while I was at UT. After I left UH, they had a phenomenal run and shoot offense under then Coach Pardee, in one notable game beating SMU 95-21 on over 1000 yards of offense, an NCAA record. But the Cougars have been inconsistent since then.

This season has been different; I'm writing this after Houston just extended its unbeaten streak to 10 games. I was fortunate to see the last 2 on cable as they stood back a furious Cincinnati comeback and won by a field goal last week, and this week as they, led by the backup quarterback came from 20 points behind Memphis in the fourth quarter to grab a 1-point lead (despite the officials taking back a wide open touchdown catch in the process) with just over a minute left. They then staved off a long field goal attempt by Memphis to regain the lead. It just doesn't get better. Houston has another game against 50/50 UConn, before meeting their undefeated division rivals, Navy. Their biggest problem in the bowl system is they haven't played top-ranked teams--but the last two teams were very credible.

Fascism in Contemporary Academia



Chefs and Waffle House

No lie, when I moved earlier this year to South Carolina, after 10 hours on the road, the first thing I did after checking into a motel was head to the open Waffle House (I ordered a combination platter with eggs). (I know McDonald's has made a splash recently by starting to serve breakfast all day long, but I remember years ago commuting to a suburb of Milwaukee from California before moving back to Illinois, I hadn't had eggs for about 2 weeks, and I went to a diner near the Best Western and ordered an egg platter (the waitress seemed annoyed; she probably thought she wasn't going to get a good tip but I've always been a good tipper).) I believe I ordered my hash browns at the Waffle House with jalapenos--I can't get my fill of jalapenos--Mexican food, omelets, salads, burgers: you name it. I buy several jars yearly.

It was good, filling food. I haven't been to one since, although there was one less than 100 yards away from a former employer's parking lot in a business park (it had more to do with my ongoing diet, not the food). It's odd where you can find surprisingly tasty food. When I worked as an EPA contractor in downtown Chicago, there was this hole in the wall restaurant within walking distance where for a bargain price you could order a decent burger with caramelized/sauteed onions (nice touch), excellent fresh french fries and a can of soda. But the best breakfast egg sandwich ever I had at an airport during a redeye flight connection home. It was basically overflowing, with perfectly prepared bacon--not just a skimpy one or 2 slices, but generous portions of egg and bacon in every single bite.

Familiar readers know that I would rather eat in a diner than any exclusive restaurant. It probably dates back to UIL competitions during my high school days. We would travel to meets and we typically stopped at a diner; my perennial favorite was chicken-fried steak or Mexican food. I would later discover, I think on an Oklahoma project, the comfort food chain Grandy's; that location had an all-you-care-to-eat breakfast bar with its famous biscuits/rolls, which were delightful with the application of small tubs of butter and honey--as irresistible as the Olive Garden's famous breadsticks. And when I go home to Texas, I'll always visit Bill Miller's for iced tea, BBQ, and perhaps a slice of pecan pie. I haven't had a Whataburger (heavy on the mustard) in ages, and one of Dad's favorites was takeout breakfast tacos (I hesitate to list a particular chain; I think he used to frequent a mom and pop place for a few years which has since moved or shutdown).

Of course, I'm still partial to my Mom's cretons, although she hasn't made it in years due to dietary restrictions. (It's a ground pork spread seasoned with spices like cinnamon and bay leaf--unbelievably tasty. I'm also partial to Mom's tourtière, a similarly savory pork pie. If you've never tasted these, you're missing out.) But I've always loved eggs, and a simple boiled egg sandwich, with mustard, mayonnaise, and salt to taste, has been a personal favorite; Mom used to pack a breakfast for me at a Catholic elementary school. The Church used to have strict dietary restrictions before receiving communion, and we would start the school day with going to Mass and ate our boxed breakfasts in homeroom. Except for fast food buns (because I'm not given a choice), I haven't touched white bread in years, but I used to inhale cretons or boiled egg sandwiches on white.  I suspect they would also taste spectacular on sprouted grains or whole wheat.



Choose Life: Daddies Are Heroes (With Great Reflexes)



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Courtesy of Ken Catalino via Townhall
Musical Interlude: My Favorite Vocalists

Aretha Franklin, "You're All I Need To Get By"