Random Thoughts XII - This Thread Delivers

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I am actively trying to grow the Peri-Peri Pepper which is the pepper that is in the sauce that Nando's uses. I've recreated the sauce 50 times plus. I've even signed up to be notified if they look for franchisees in Dallas/Texas. I'm pretty obsessed :D

They have some in the DC and Chicago area now though! So I sometimes get to enjoy them in the states
I tried making my own peri peri sauce but it just wasn't the same.
 
Couple of thoughts on this Wednesday morning:

1.) It's the biggest internal conference of the year for my company and it's in Vegas, so work is 50% dead and looking at all the photos on Instagram and Snapchat have me with major FOMO. I've presented at this one before but my session wasn't accepted this year and it wasn't my rotation so I am stuck in Dallas. Bruno Mars private concert tonight too :(

1a.) Lots of the sessions are in the Mandalay Bay for the first time ever, so I wonder what kind of deal we got because of you know... the thing.

2.) I don't think I told you all but they canceled my workshop while I was already in Minneapolis a couple weeks back and I am about to head to London. If they cancel that workshop after I am already there, I am gonna go ballistic.

2a.) I can't wait for some Nandos either way though

3.) It's hot as ****!!!! I am quite worried about my plants while I am gone in London.
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Maybe @GTO could water a couple of times in exchange for a babysitting night?

Husband spent a year abroad in London. All I remember is him talking about the firkin pubs, Frog & Firkin, Goose & Firkin, Fox & Firkin, etc. Sadly I don’t think they exist anymore so there goes my London pub info.
 
Maybe @GTO could water a couple of times in exchange for a babysitting night?

Husband spent a year abroad in London. All I remember is him talking about the firkin pubs, Frog & Firkin, Goose & Firkin, Fox & Firkin, etc. Sadly I don’t think they exist anymore so there goes my London pub info.


In England firkin is another name for........well....... f bomb. Basically a whoar house. You say DH went to them quite often?
 
On Thursday of next week my dad and I leave for an annual hiking trip in Colorado. The highlight of this trip is hiking a 14'er and yesterday we found out which mountain we will be climbing: Mt. Belford. Copied and pasted from the email: "A few stattics in Mount Belford - Class 2 trail, Summit is at 14,197 feet. Ranks as #18 on the Colorado 14ers. There is 4,500 feet of elevation gain and she looks to be a straight up trip with a bunch of small switchbacks. Looks like the highlight of the trek is a 2,300 foot elevation gain from 11,600 to 13,900. At 13,900 you get a break before the last 200 feet to the top. Looks like fun!! Get those steps in!!!" One of the hiking websites also says it is 8 miles round trip. This will be my 3rd 14'er but it looks like this one will probably be the hardest one I've done so far. The view at the top always makes it worth it, though.

Which website or trek company do you use? My friends and I were talking about doing something like this. Probably not a 14'er but would like to see which place you recommend.

I tried making my own peri peri sauce but it just wasn't the same.

If you're trying to recreate Nandos, you gotta up the vinegar and lemon juice probably triple to whatever recipe you found. Or at least that's been my experience trying new recipes.

Maybe @GTO could water a couple of times in exchange for a babysitting night?

Husband spent a year abroad in London. All I remember is him talking about the firkin pubs, Frog & Firkin, Goose & Firkin, Fox & Firkin, etc. Sadly I don’t think they exist anymore so there goes my London pub info.

Can I just water the kid? It works the same way right?

London Pubs are kinda weird. I noticed it the first time I went with a friend and we sat down at a pub with a menu and it was the exact same menu from a pub earlier in the week just a different logo. Apparently it was a Wetherspoons Pub and the equivalent I could compare it to is like if Applebee's owned the same 2000 restaurants but each one was named differently and branded differently by the franchisee. Same food for the most part too.

When did Dollars, Texas turn into Phoenix? I know it's supposed to be hot but, damn.

Yesterday was probably the best weather day of the year here in Mpls. Absolutely perfect, sunny, high of 80 with low humidity. Today may come close again.

Send some of that weather down here! We hit 100 back pretty early this year. I want to say early May for a day.
 
The only reason we were swinging up there was to see youngest son. However, it's supposed to be too windy for him to fly his winged lawnmower, so he's not making the drive from Delaware.

I saw them from the Canadian side, about 30 years ago. My best friend from HS was living in Toronto with her Canadian husband and I flew up to visit her for a few days. We drove down around the south end of Lake Erie in her convertible. BTW, that's not recommended for people with long hair - even with a scarf my hair was hopelessly tangled.
The funniest part was the border crossing from Canada to the US (didn't need passports back then, just an ID like your driver's license). The convo between the guards & Millie went something like this:
"Are you both Canadian citizens?"
Nope - I'm an American ex-pat, landed immigrant status in Canada. My friend is an American.
"What is the purpose of your visit?"
To be in New York, because my friend has never been there.
How far do you intend to travel in the US?
Oh, just as far as the parking lot.
"How long do you intend to stay in the US?"
About five minutes.

The convo on the way back into Canada was much the same, only reversed. We left behind some VERY confused border guards from BOTH countries, but I got to add New York to my "states visited" list. :D

I spent a little more time there years later when PapaLew & I went to see youngest son's graduation from OCS at Quantico. Son headed straight to SC after graduation, and we put DIL & their two daughters on the plane back to Iowa, but we had several days left on our trip. PapaLew had never seen the Liberty Bell, so we took off driving. Got there just after the site closed for the day. :(
So we decided to drive to Manhattan (because it was "just this far" on the map). We drove into Manhattan, got stuck in a traffic jam downtown in a van with Illinois plates and me hanging out the window with a video cam and everyone honking at everyone else. We were laughing our asses off. Paid in the neighborhood of $50 for one hour of parking, walked to Battery Park, and walked back past the big hole in the ground (the remains of the two towers :( ) - they had not yet built the memorial.
All in all, those three days driving across MD, DE, PA, NY and NJ (and getting lost for a while in NJ) were extremely entertaining, and made us VERY glad we live in Iowa. :D

I spent some time in Manhattan and Long Island back in 2000. Our company was consolidating the datacenters (such a grand term for what were essentially air-conditioned broom closets with computers in them!) of their two NY sites. We were moving everything out of the expensive Times Square location, to the much-cheaper Long Island office.

The day we drove into Manhattan was a gorgeous late fall day, Indian Summer really, with nary a cloud in the sky. Sunlight specks gleaming off the skyscrapers, foam of a gentle breeze upon the waters... it was just beautiful. And then we were in the city, with hordes of people everywhere. Times Square was something else. That place truly is a wonder of the world, even if it's a compete tourist trap. For some reason, I remember looking specifically for the TRL studio. I guess back then, MTV was still mildly relevant? I'm just really happy that I got to see, with my own eyeballs, the WTC towers before they fell.

Only disappointment was I really was hoping to see McDowell's. :D
 
.........he get mad cow (Jacobs something for humans) while there?

No. But you would know if you ever gave blood that living in Britain a cumulative time of three months between 1980 and 1996 is a question they ask that disqualifies a donor.
 
Managed my diet and energy levels like a boss.
Peaking now, enjoying my favorite "pump up to get awesome" song.



Holy Hell. Upon first glance at that video thumbnail, i thought it was Freddy Krueger. Must be the hat. I'm sure Freddy is on my mind because one of the cable channels has been marathoning the movies for a few days now. The first Nightmare scared me spitless.
 
No. But you would know if you ever gave blood that living in Britain a cumulative time of three months between 1980 and 1996 is a question they ask that disqualifies a donor.


I haven’t give blood in a couple years but used to every 8 weeks from college until a few years ago and I honestly don’t remember that question. I know they ask about Africa and Haiti but don’t remember these. The last couple years I had to read my own and just fill out so maybe I just skipped over
 
I haven’t give blood in a couple years but used to every 8 weeks from college until a few years ago and I honestly don’t remember that question. I know they ask about Africa and Haiti but don’t remember these. The last couple years I had to read my own and just fill out so maybe I just skipped over
Well, that's confidence-inspiring!
 
I haven’t give blood in a couple years but used to every 8 weeks from college until a few years ago and I honestly don’t remember that question. I know they ask about Africa and Haiti but don’t remember these. The last couple years I had to read my own and just fill out so maybe I just skipped over

They just have you answer questions on a computer at the drive at our church. I have to coordinate it and everyone I signed up so far is over 50. It goes into evening hours too. HIgh school kids sign up to get out of class but not for a few minutes in summer when donations are low and need high. And my own kids gave less than 8 weeks prior.
 
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