Easter Treats, or How to Smoke a Bunny

With apologies to all those Rocky and Bullwinkle fans out there. If you are one, the title will make sense. If you aren't, Check out Hulu for some great old-fashioned fun.

And no, I am not smoking rabbit for Easter dinner. It's game hens for tonight. Just keep thinking about the chicken coming after the egg.

It would be nice to smoke when it isn't raining. The weather is definitely not agreeing with my outdoor activity for today. It's warmish (high of 50), but pouring like crazy. Poultry wants to dry out in the smoker, especially after being brined. A high relative humidity does not help in the least.

A List of Treats

Much more adult than what is in Caelyn and Jonah's baskets, I get to enjoy my own Easter treats this year. That's right, folks, Lent is officially over! And so, bring on the coffee, the beer, the scotch, the dinner wines!

• Coffee - Already have a cup in me, and it's not yet 6:00 AM. I had to get up early to brine the birds, and you wouldn't expect me to start the day off on the wrong foot.
• Beer - First church, then a little pick-me-up to start off the afternoon. After all, I haven't yet had a beer while anything has been in the Bradley! Recent weeks have seen me almost crying when I see a Sam Adams commercial. I can't hear "Who do you Love" without getting excited.
• Scotch - A glass before dinner, because it has been a while. Erik and Christy got me a very nice bottle for my birthday. I had one glass, before the lockout.
• Wine - Mom and dad are over for dinner, which means that I must impress with the selection. Denise has been wanting me to partake in a bottle over the past couple of weeks, so I will definitely indulge all of them tonight. Must remember to find the perfect wine and start preparing it before church.

Excuse me while I refresh my coffee.

Sports, sports, sports!

The Sounders are now 3-1, with only one goal against. A shut out loss last night, as Keller got a red card about thirty minutes in, but it was still a great game. I'm seriously getting into soccer, and will be happy to have it as my summer sport to fill the hockey gap.

Speaking of hockey, the Oil ended their season by splitting a back-to-back Battle of Alberta weekend. They are done for the next six months, and I'm happy. They have some bright spots that could be the future, but the team needs a retooling.

For me, hockey is pretty much done. I'll watch the Cup, because I don't have any choice, but with the Oilers out, I don't have any particular leanings. The Canucks did beat out the Flames to win the northwest, thanks to the Oilers and Avalanche. Neither NW team will make it out of the second round, so who really cares. Just another banner for GM Place.

Happy Easter, everyone! Enjoy your treats, no matter what they are, and stay tuned for our next episode entitled "One in the Hand, or How to Cure a Hangover."

What's this pain?

Growing up I did a bunch of crazy things, considering I was a blind kid. Riding my own bike down back woods trails, jumping off of tall snowpiles, you get the idea. I am still astounded that I never broke anything. Sure, I cracked ribs once, bloodied my nose several times, suffered numerous bruises and scrapes, and even knocked loose the strip of cartilage that covers the collar bone. I twisted ankles, pulled muscles, and still have pencil lead somewhere in my right hamstring. Nothing majorly serious.

Until this morning! Thirty-two sucks! I step onto the bus, heading to work. Big day, dressed nice, thinking about everything that awaits me in the next ten hours. Unfortunately, the bus driver hadn't pulled into the curb as closely as usual, I miss the step, and sprain my ankle.

Sure, it feels fine until I get to work. I walked up a hill with no problems. A few hours later and I can't stand on it. Walking is pure pain, but I'm not swelling, and the color is still good. A couple of hours more and every step is pure agony. I can take pain, but this is just stupid!

So here I am, writing a blog entry, laying in bed with my foot elevated. Pain killers are setting in, I just finished a simply fantastic soup*, and the Oil are deciding that the playoffs aren't really worth it. If only I had some homework to pass the time...

A Change of Subject

I haven't mentioned my Lenten fast yet, mainly because I didn't think I could pull it off. Now, with Holy Week to go, I am the little engine cresting the mountain. "I knew I could."

For this year, with the thought to improving spirit and body, I decided to get rid of chemicals. So I dropped coffee, soda, and alcohol. It hasn't been easy. I've essentially missed the last twenty games of the hockey season because it just isn't the same to sit down and watch a game without a beer.

Easter cometh!

And while I'm catching up on my writing:

Jonah's communication is getting much better! He is saying some words consistently, pointing and gesturing, and engaging us when he wants something. I see the light at the end of the tunnel, though it's still far away.

We continue to separate from VeriSign. Hopefully we'll be closing this month, and I'll start a new chapter. To say that I am excited about the work prospects over the next couple of months would be wildly understating things.

The grades are in for my first quarter of graduate school. I achieved one-hundred percent in two classes, and ninety-six percent in the third. Not bad, not bad! This next quarter has only two classes, which will be good, considering the work situation. I've announced to Denise that I won't be seeing her much until June.
I've stalled in my exercise regiment, and will probably be switching it up once my ankle heals. I finished with the following:

• Squat - 145 5x5, stalled


• Bench - 110 5x5, stalled


• Overhead - 80 5x5, stalled


• Deadlift - 175 2x5, rising

Alright, this entry is getting long enough, and I haven't qualified my asterisk above. So I'll sign off.

* The soup Denise made was based on the remains of the brisket that I smoked on Sunday. Veggies, tomato base, and smoked brisket. Fantastic!