Rain Rain, don't go away....Thoughts from Cleveland.

Motivation:

"How many a man has thrown up his hands at a time when a little more effort, a little more patience would have achieved success?" ~Elbert Hubbard

Notes:

Well, my prediction was right. I had a feeling about the KSTP - Minnesota Twins deal, and sure enough, starting next season, the Twins will be broadcasted on the Hubbard Network (and of course, hundreds of other stations all around the country as Twins affiliates.) That is good, I think, becuase WCCO (aka CBS) had a lot of rules about the broadcast, too many advertisements, and too much non-baseball stuff going on. I will be interested to see how KSTP handles the pre and post game stuff. I think they have a lot of knowledgable baseball folks at that station, so it will be interesting to see what happens with this.

It rained from about 6pm yesterday - and is still raining right now. (Ironically, right now, I am listening to "It's a Hard Rain Gonna Fall" by Bob Dylan, on my MP3 player). I am so happy that it is raining, as the dry humid heat has been somewhat unbearable for the fat man. The rain has lowered the temp several degrees and the ground is going to be less 'crinkly' when we walk. I really missed a good rainstorm. I remember nice storms during the summer as a child, and this year it was pretty boring, hot weather. This is a nice interruption.

Looking through my notes of the Cleveland Trip, two things stand out. 1) I get stressed out just thinking about driving in or around Chicago. I don't think I could handle living in Chicago or New York. I can blame my youth for this somewhat, as growing up on a farm gives you the feeling that people should be spread out by nature, and not live and breathe right on top of each other. I really didn't like that part of the trip, driving through traffic in Chicago and the feeling that I can't breathe. 2) The Concert for Bangladesh at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was life-changing. I am not sure I know why, but I was mezmorized. George Harrison was larger than life on screen, perfect teeth, perfect face. His face was kind, concerned, and yet full of life and music. Billy Preston was full of vigor and energy and watching him play the organ was like a dizzy roller coaster. Two drummers completely in time with each other and everyone seemed to konw exactly what was happening musically during the entire concert. It was like watching a relay team that was completely synchopated. Bob Dylan sang the aforementioned "I'ts a Hard Rain Gonna Fall" and I got lost in the words. I couldn't walk away. To me this was the ultimate Rock and Roll Hall of Fame exhibit. It featured an interactive audience, and you could participate with the performers at the time of the event. Seeing the guitar that Eric Clapton used during the concert is nice, but doesn't give me a sense of the event. However, watching Billy Preston getting swept away during "That's the way God planned it." and seeing the rest of the artists all joining in with a true sense of love for music, now THAT is Rock and Roll. Rock and Roll is entertaining, emotional, makes you want to move your body and soul - physical and intellectual. The hooks in R&R are pronounced, and you want to mimic them on your own.

Rock and Roll is not dead as long as the people who do it are moved and want to move others.


Cleveland itself was nice. Everyone we met was super friendly, and the girl (teenager) who ran the hotel gift shop was awesome. I just wanted to buy a Cleveland mug, some gum and get some quarters in change for the toll-booths on the way home. Since I had only a credit-card, she said she would work out a deal that would make everyone happy. During the transaction, the damn credit card machine that prints out the tape kept having problems and jamming. Not her fault, this infernal machine would not work. She called the bank to see what could be done, and this whole event took over 30 minutes. While she was doing this, she continued to help other customers (2 of them) with cash-only transactions. A nice kid came in looking for a toothbrush and toothpaste, and she helped him pick out the right one. During this, I snooped at her papers, sitting on the counter. She had papers of poems and drawings that she was making while waiting for customers. A beautiful poem "these hands" caught my attention, and this was great. She had a drawing of a flower that was blooming that was made with pencil. This girl was talented, and I took time to tell her so. She was shy and didn't quite accept my praise, but I was being genuine. I hope that she does well in life. I look forward to seeing her again in some form.

Jacob's Field was nice. Just nice. It was missing something unique. If not for the Cleveland skyline, I might have thought I was in any other town. There was nothing about the park that made you think "CLEVELAND". At Kansas City, the fountains and shape of the stadium makes you know you are in KC. The Boston Green Monster is unique, and Miller Park in Millwakee also has many unique items and statues outside that are fun and added flair. I hope Minneapolis finds a way to make the new ballpark unique with some flair that shows off Minnesota or the Twins history.

I am now listening to "It's allright ma, I'm only bleeding" by Bob Dylan. This song is hard to listen to because there is so much stuff going on in the song. It is dizzing to listen to the song and try to type at the same time.


On the training side, I have signed up for SnapFitness and met the manager there. He seems very nice, although somewhat scatter-brained. I am going to try to find a Men's Health Magazine that I was saving for a while, with a specific weight-loss program to be used specifically at a place like this.


Here is some more stuff that has been waiting to get into the blog... here we go:

How to Cutback on carbs without going crazy

Hash-Browns
Substitute: Squash for potatoes
Summer squash (the football-shaped yellow kind) tastes similar to potatoes when cooked--but has just a fraction of the carbs. Grate the squash, mix in an egg as binder, make patties, and fry them in olive oil.

Mashed Potatoes
Substitute: Cauliflower for potatoes
Steam some fresh or frozen cauliflower in the microwave. Then spray the cauliflower with butter substitute and puree in a food processor or blender. Salt and pepper to taste. To make it even better, try adding roasted garlic, cheese, or sour cream to the mixture.

Lasagna
Substitute: Zucchini slices for noodles
Slice four to five medium-size zukes lengthwise into three-quarter-inch-thick strips. Sprinkle Italian seasoning on the strips, place them in a single layer on a nonstick cookie sheet, and bake at 425 degrees F for 20 minutes. You want them firm, not crisp.

Spaghetti
Substitute: Spaghetti squash for spaghetti
Cut the squash in half and remove the seeds. Then place each half--cut side down--on a plate with a quarter cup of water. Nuke the squash for 10 minutes or until it's soft to the touch. Let it cool, then scrape out the "spaghetti" strands and top with pasta sauce and cheese.

Pizza
Substitute: Portobello mushrooms for pizza crust
Cut the gills out of the inside of the mushroom then place the mushroom on an oiled cookie sheet and bake for 5 to 10 minutes so it dries out slightly. Add tomato sauce, mozzarella, and other toppings and broil until the cheese begins to melt.

Hamburger Helper
Substitute: Eggplant for pasta
Soften the eggplant. Cut it in half, brush it with olive oil, and then broil for 10 to 20 minutes. Let it cool, dice it up, and mix with hamburger, tomato sauce, and spices.




more later,

Chazz