A Nice Omelet

I rarely make an omelet any more.  Probably the perception of eggs being unhealthy with the high cholesterol.  Back when I was a young man though, omelets were somewhat exotic.  In our home kitchen my Mother never made omelets.  Eggs were scrambled or fried.  If fried, they were over-easy or rarely sunny-side-up.  The food was pretty simple, but done well and always consistent.  So, when I discovered omelets out in the big world, I thought they were very special.  I learned to make a few varieties and went through a phase where I felt I was great at making omelets.  Much like the phase many of us go through when we think we're great lovers, it was short lived.  

For Thanksgiving we brought a Caesar salad as part of the meal and we got it from our local grocery.  The salad came with many sides.  We had much of these left over and I thought I'd make an omelet before they were all thrown out.  I used bacon, chicken, onions, banana peppers, ripe olives and cheese(not part of salad).  I think that was it.  It was a nice omelet.  I also like tomato, bell pepper and mushrooms.
  A nice omelet to me these days is comfort food. One of my favorite Diner meals is an omelet.  Served with hash-browns and toast, you've got a large meal.  Good luck with your omelet preparations and Merry Christmas.

The Case of the Missing Bicycle

Before it gets away from me, I thought I should tell you about a theft in Fenton.  I had returned from voting and noticed that one of the three bicycles that I have parked in the driveway for the summer months was missing.  In it's place, lying on the cement was a gazing globe (like you find decorating a garden).

I was shocked at the spectacle.  Did someone actually steal a bike?  My son wasn't home at the time so I thought he may have taken it for a ride, but that would be a first for that.  And that also wouldn't explain the gazing globe.  Was there a "Pack-rat thief" at large in Fenton?  Another question (or observation) why did they take the worst bike of the three?

Later on I quizzed J-man.  He was out running.  I wondered if anything else had been taken.  It looked to me like everything was where it belonged.  I called the police department just to let them know what had happened.  I said they didn't have to send anyone up to the house.  The lady said there had been some recent things going on.  She said it would be a good idea to keep my cars locked.  

About a half hour later a police SUV pulled in the drive and I showed the officer the globe.  He took it so they could photograph it and put it on line where victims can identify and claim their stolen goods.  As I thought about it I think I saw that globe in my neighbor's back yard.  Anyway, now the cops have it.

About three hours later,  the cop is back with my bike.  Someone had left it leaning against Police Headquarters that morning.  It made for an interesting day and I interacted with the department. 

A Familiar Situation

Wow.  I've been playing some online scrabble for a couple of days.  So as I wrote the word familiar I thought, Wow.  Family is in there and also liar.  These have much to do with what I was going to write about.  You might have to read between the lines though because family members read this blog and there are certain sensitivities that must be maintained.  
Every now and then circumstances arise and I make a decision on my own.  Usually it is minor in the estimation of almost anyone who would hear of it.  I am a man after all.  It's not something that would put my family in jeopardy.  Nothing illegal or immoral.  The fact that there is or could be disapproval of my decisions kinda hurts.  I recall when Brooke's grandfather was showing signs of Alzheimers and everyone was upset when he would do something like start cutting floor-boards in the attic.  They were right to worry, but am I perceived to be heading in that direction?   I request some respect and confidence in my decisions.  I don't make them lightly.

A friend of mine came across a good deal on an airplane.  He knew the value, he had the knowledge and he made the decision.  His wife was unhappy.  That is a pretty big decision, but those are the very times when It's most important to stand by your man.  When someone tells me they did something and I can tell they are thinking maybe they went too far on their own cognizance,  I say I think it was a great and brave decision.  If it's an airplane, I want to see it-I want to fly in it.  If it's a new car etc.,

You bought a What? 

Michigan Football

I got on Twitter last Friday because I had quit Facebook and thought I'd at least give it a try.
I had been watching a lot of the press conferences leading up to the Michigan Iowa game that was coming up on Saturday.  I thought I could use Twitter to follow some of the Michigan fans and writers to get a little insight into the behind the scenes.  There were two Detroit News writers (Wojnowski and Chengelis) and the announcer Jim Brandstatter.  Please forgive me not looking up the spelling.  It was kinda interesting as things unfolded.  Brandstatter tweets quite a bit and that's what's fun to me.  He tweeted a little about traveling on a chartered plane out to Iowa.  

Wojo keeps his tweets pretty much on message regarding Detroit area sports.  Chengelis only became active at game-time.  I think her tweets are job/career related.

Well, I watched the entire game and was very disappointed in Michigan's performance.  Not in the players' efforts nor their desire.  I think the problem lies in the coaching approach.  Look, these coaches have been at this game for many years so maybe my opinion is worthless.  None the less, that's what sports is all about and I'm so happy I can express my opinion on my Blog.  


I felt the same way I did when Michigan was Playing Michigan State.  Didn't we prepare for them to have some strategy to use against us?  They had a bye week to prepare for us!  Did we really think we could just adjust to what they were doing "On the fly"?  Well Iowa didn't have a bye week, but if they just listened to the pregame press conferences they would have known we were expecting them to be pretty one dimentional in their approach.  It was going to be a slugging contest.  To some degree that was right but I think they had a plan on defense that we never did catch on to.  I think our approach needs to be more aggressive.  We need to go out on the field and make things happen.  Make them adjust to us.  Take the initiative.  Our defense played well enough to win.  Our offense was just too predictable.  I believe the offensive team is not being motivated properly.  We need to get our lead early in the game Execute, Execute, Execute.  Take the fight out of them and their fans.  We need to Blitzkrieg these people. 
Bo was a great motivator and I would bet all of the great coaches were great motivators.  If that's missing at Michigan, someone needs to step up.  If nothing else, have the team watch the movie,"Patton" before each game.

What not to wear

For a while now, it has come to mind that I should change my style of dress.  I want to look presentable and age appropriate.  I found a blog on which someone had laid out how a man should dress. How To Dress Like a Man by Jeffrey A. Tucker I assume he is a fashion expert of some kind and the ideas he expressed are sensible and struck me well.  Of course I may be easily led.  

One thing he said is that there are only two brands of shoes that are worth buying, Allen Edwards or Aldens.  I am relying on memory so those may be off a little.  He said all others are junk.  When it comes to socks, you just go with solid colors.  Green, blue, brown etc. no argyle or multicolor patterns.  Also,  don't choose a color that is lighter than the jacket you'll be wearing.
Old men should wear suits at all times and always with a tie.  That's the only thing an old man looks good in.  

Advice for finding acceptable suits?  You can get good buys on Ebay or thrift stores(difficult) but if you have to go retail you need to spend at least $450 for a suit.  

An entire man's wardrobe need only take up 12 to 18 inches in a closet.  It was nice to find this information.  It is certainly a good place to start.  The idea is to dress in a way that makes you feel good about yourself, doesn't draw attention and is consistent.  You are a man, you are dependable and you don't change.   I might try some of these ideas and see how I like it.  You may have to get used to seeing me in a suit.

I'm going clothes shopping!