I’m not much of a sports guy. However, statisticians have revealed that today marks the day that I’m batting 300… this is the 300th column Kdog has produced for Mountain Reporter. And just as Mountain Reporter has reached 10,000 followers, too!
Okay, short break from the partying… we still got bidness to take care of. Roads are extremely, EXTREMELY well-plowed today… not a trace of snow, ice, rocks, or even moisture. Wind isn’t in the cards, and there are no cards in the wind, in case that was a question you might have pondered. The lower elevations in our area, i.e. in the IE, are still sort of morning-overcastish, but today’s low clouds don’t even offer a fog effect, so go like hell. You don’t even need to really bother with brakes today, until you see a red light in front of you… or, behind you. You’ll want to stop for either one of those situations, should they arise.
Today is National Veggie Burger day. Now, I’m just as carnivorous as the next guy but I’m also a huge fan of veggie burgers. Sort of. I’m not talking about a burger that simply lacks a patty… that’s as pointless as near beer or a bad toupee. What I like are the imitation meat patties… but even among those, there are vast differences among the many types. Some are basically a blended mash of vegetables, held together in a puck shape… those are not for me. If I can see the orange of a carrot or the green of… greens… poking out of the side, then I’ll probably just skip it and go all QP w/cheese. The ones that I like are “imitation meat” and replicate meat patties in texture, appearance, and often, flavor. Morningstar makes a great “Original Griller,” but the very best veggie burger anywhere, is found in a place considered unconventional for amazing cuisine: The Loma Linda University Medical Center Cafeteria. Indeed, I have been known to drive there for no other reason than to eat there and enjoy one of those amazing burgers. In fact, on the fortunately rare occasions when I have had loved ones at that medical center, I’ve always figured that the one silver lining is that those veggie burgers are on the agenda.
Today is National Moonshine day, and is also National Running day. Coincidence? I think not. What do you think NASCAR is borne of? Really. NASCAR’s roots sprouted during Prohibition when bootleggers souped up their cars in order to better outrun the police while delivering moonshine. They’d modify and improve their cars, and soon natural competitions arose among those in the biz. Eventually: NASCAR.
Even the bootlegger’s cars weren’t FAST, though, especially compared to today’s vehicles. However, they didn’t really need to be FAST…. they only needed to be faster than the cops’ cars.
Which reminds me, a true story—’cause it was on the Internet. These two guys were running from a lion. One guy suddenly stops, grabs some running shoes out of his day pack and begins to quickly put them on. His buddy looks back in astonishment and says, “Shoes are going to help you outrun a LION!” The shoe-donning dude replies, “I don’t need to outrun the lion… I just need to outrun YOU!”
I have a chip on my shoulder today. That’s because I have a chip on my windshield today. A couple of days ago, the car ahead of me on Highway 18 took an inexplicable hard drift into the center of the road as the thrie-beam ended at the bottom of the hill. There was a resulting gravelstorm that peppered my car, with one missilestone cracking my windshield.
Recently, though, I saw a windshield repair done on my brother’s vehicle. It was a hit with about a dozen “spiderweb” tendrils emanating from pound zero. Amazingly, modern repair techniques made this thing turn invisible. Not like the repairs of old, which leave a big ol’ glop of resin, which looks as bad as the crack did… nope, this thing went away, leaving no visible trace. Utterly amazing. And, the cost was about $30. I’m feeling pretty confident that my repair will go as well, given that my chip/crack is smaller than the one my brother had.
So much to see in the sky… our Galaxy, for starters. There are Novas and Coronas. You might even see a Comet. During the Equinox, or even the Solstice, you could witness a Pulsar. If you know where to look, you can find Mercury, Saturn, or even Vega. On certain occasions, an Eclipse might be viewed.
On the other hand… you can see all of those on the freeway, too.
So, celebrate 300 with me today! Maybe with 300 veggie burgers from the hospital, or by driving 300 MPH. Gitcherself some 300-proof moonshine, or watch that weird-colored movie “300” again. Spend $300 on running shoes (in case you ever need to outrun a buddy). Go shoot with a 300mm lens… or a Winchester .300. Go for a ride in a Chrysler 300, or a 300ZX, or a Lexus IS 300. Or not. Whatever. Maybe just get through Wednesday, which, incidentally, happens to be almost nearly exactly precisely 300 days from my birthday.