Here's what's been happening since my last posting back on the 11th:
- Finished my tour of Central/Eastern TN; met a lot of great folks & ate a lot of great food. Highlights were Bobby Q's BBQ (Cookeville, TN), House of Kabob in Nashville (who'd of thunk...good, authentic kabob in Music City, USA) & Kalamata Cafe (& Sushi) in Knoxville. If it wasn't for my iPhone w/Urban Spoon, Google app & Yelp! I'd be sunk on the road.
- Attended the Girl Scout's 'Me & My Guy' dance with my lovely daughter's. This was our 3rd year going, and while Myranda may be getting a bit too old & 'cool' to dance with her old man we still had fun. Of course Mellie & I danced to a few songs (yes I WILL dance, but only under threats of violence or the extreme duress that only a daughter can wrought upon a father.)
- Put my true smoker (ok, it's a vertical smoker, but it was a steal on Amazon & I can't rationalize to Lisa why I really need a true smoker with a side smokebox) to the test. Results/verdict: EXCELLENT food! I made a great Boston Butt, but next time will go with a shoulder so the meat falls apart better. Forget the port...the real star were the smoked chicken wings. Freaking awesome! Anyone from North Jersey/Rockland Cnty NY remember the old Mtn. Valley Brewing Co. & their smoked buffalo wings? Pretty damned close...
- I had a meeting with our parent company's VP of Operations....let me tell you, it was a bit nerve wracking getting the phone call that "He'd like to meet with you while he's down in Charlotte to talk about your territory, the marketplace and how you think the business is succeeding." I thought I'd have to pack up my stuff & bring it with me to get my pink slip considering our current economic downturn. In actuality, it was a very good meeting. It's refreshing to work for a company that (1) is committed to seeing our business (classified as a "new initiative") succeed, (2) values the input of all of it's employees with regard to the strengths & perceived weaknesses of the business & company (and doesn't just provide lip service), and (3) is committed, both financially and other resource-wise, to see a business grow & succeed.
- We celebrated St Patty's day with Nana & Pop-Pop. It's nice having them down near us now, and to be able & enjoy a nice corned beef & cabbage dinner (my baby's the BEST cook, especially where comfort food's concerned) with family. What made it even better for them was that it was the night before they were leaving for NJ to visit family. That way they didn't have to worry about cooking & having to clean up before leaving, nor did they have to worry about having food in the fridge go bad (donated to us, of course!)
- Lastly, I got on the scale this morning and lo & behold...it only read 202lbs! That means I've now officially lost over 20lbs (22 to be exact) since mid-December! Woo hoo! Who knew that eating sensibly sized portions, cutting out crap (bye bye sweet tea & fat back!) and not eating after dinner could have such an impact. Now I'm only dreading when the weight loss plateaus & I have to actually start exercising...yech!
As for this weekend, probably post-free. We'll be getting our living & dining rooms ready for the installers to come Monday & do our laminate flooring (hooray! no more cat pee smell!) Am I crazy to drop $$ considering the economy now?
TTYL...& don't forget to watch Attack of the Show (AOTS for those cooler cats) weeknights @ 7PM Eastern on G4. Follow me on Twitter
