MOOYAH

This Saturday (April 14th) Richard and I had lunch at a new burger joint in town (see picture above): MooYah. It sort of reminds me of "5 Guys" or "Jake's Wayback."

One of its novelties is that you get to choose the makeup of your burger (see menu below).

Their burger is actually two patties. Richard had a M-burger with bacon, lettuce, and mayo. I had a T-burger (single patty) with cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, and mayo. We shared an order of small fries (more than enough). With 2 regular drinks, the bill was ~$18. Pretty steep for lunch but this is a step up from fast food and slightly below the premium burger joints (Plan B, Max Burger).

We just beat the lunch crowd and got a decent spot to watch the big screen TVs. Since the place it new, it got crowded quickly. We'll probably go back a few more times, especially since it's closer than 5 Guys, less expensive than Plan B, and tastier than McDonald's (across the street). Want to try the sweet potato fries, veggie burger, and shakes.

A brilliant scholar

We received Richard's studet report card (i.e., progress report) yesterday for the 3rd quarter. We are all very pleased, delighted, and excited because he earned all As!!!

American Government: A, "A pleasure to have in class. Citizenship - Above Average."

Fundamentals of Algebra II: A+, "A pleasure to have in class."

Issue-Centered English: A+

Marine Science with Lab: A

Physical Education: A-

Stagecraft/Technical Theater: A+. "Work quality is excellent. Participates positively."

That is a 4.000 gpa for the quarter; Maximum Honors. Well done, Richard!!

Moved to (the) Asia

The Asia

I have been absent from my blog for the past several weeks because I have been moving. I "finished" my move on Easter from the apartment that/which (I have yet to master how to decide between those two words) was my residence for 11 years. I relocated about 55 miles north to a place that is about a mile from my son, Richard, and my former wife, Lynn.

My new apartment is in a building called "Asia" (see picture above). It is a couple blocks from the town center. I have "downsized" from a 2-bedroom apartment to one bedroom. Because of all the "stuff" that has accumulated over the years, it will be some time before I am actually "finished" with my move. In reality, I never finished moving into my former residence: I had 4 boxes in my bedroom that I never got around to unpacking until the last day (now they are condensed into 2 boxes); plus I had a whole storage unit in the basement filled with boxes of stuff (my "Fabs" collection and other "treasures"). As I was moving this stuff (funny how it gets heavier as one gets older), I remarked that what was once thought of as gold is now really just lead (weight).

During the move, I got rid of a lot of my "stuff" (see George Carlin's monologue about stuff: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvgN5gCuLac ). But I still have a lot to winnow: books, movies, music, work files, job search records. Lynn says she could solve this dilemma very quickly, that it's my choice to drag this out. And she's right (of course!).  But such drastic action confronts the issue of identity: if I dispose of all my stuff, then who am I (because one is a reflection of one's stuff)? This is the gist of one of life's eternal conundrums: who am I? what does my life mean? where am I headed?

Jesus addresses this issue in the well known pericope about the rich [young] man (Mt 19:16-26; Mk 10:17-27; Lk 18:18-27). His answer is similar to Lynn's: "Sell all that you have and distribute it to the poor."

Back to my move. I am still employed, still have my same job as a fire and life safety engineer. But now the office is 85 miles away. Obviously, a new job closer to home would be better.

The contact info I emailed on March 12th is (still) valid. If you lost it or can't find it, contact me (ha ha).

A New Beginning

Richard started a new session of roller hockey. He's on a new team, the Warthogs. They have purple and white jerseys. The coach was a coach on Richard's ice hockey team a few years past. The coach's son, Jimmy, also played ice hockey with Richard and was on one of Richard's roller hockey teams a few sessions ago.

Although the Warthogs are still looking for their first win, they are getting better. Yesterday, Jimmy scored a dramatic goal with 2 seconds left that/which tied the score and forced the game into overtime. While they did not prevail this time, their improvement bodes well. Hopefully, they will win enough going forward in order to qualify for the playoffs.