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Take my advice, wait until spring or fall to take a motorcycle training class. Even with the adrenaline rush and velocity induced breeze, 102 degrees and a helmet, long-sleeved shirt and boots don’t mix. I took the Jump Start class in June, and got my license yesterday after the 3 day Basic Rider Course. You might wanna stay off the streets for a while.
*Instructor’s Advice during BRC
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K: you know like Jesus and…uh
K: uh, Jesus and the, uh guys, the 3 dudes
K: The Pips!
Me: Jesus and the Pips?
Me: Somewhere Gladys Knight is wondering who those three old white guys are that keep following her around….
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Cooking class last week was hilarious. It must have been the wine. I was making a main dish when one of the guys in the class offered to help me out. I knew I was in trouble when he asked if the eggs had to be cracked before he put them in the food processor. Um, yeah. But I gave him points for trying. I will not however, eat whatever he’s cooking. I made the meatloaf but my favorite dish was the white gazpacho or maybe it was the grilled london broil (above) or maybe it was the ….hell, it was all good.
Here’s another saucy shot of me in my apron and favorite UVA t-shirt (since the last strip-tease-esque shot got so much feedback). I finally received my graduation certificate, cookbook and CAP apron. Now I just need to get my bartending certificate, buy a little palapa roof beach bar on a tourist island where the locals wear as little as possible and the sunsets are magic, and I will have accomplished my goal! Anyone want to invest in this pipe dream guaranteed money-maker?
Y’all have a great weekend. I’m off to Atlanta (for the 3rd time this summer) for work (and play) so stay cool and don’t do anything that I wouldn’t do (twice).
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Wow. We went to the Mary J. Blige concert in Virginia Beach last night and it was one of the top 3 performances I’ve ever seen. I own every MJB record, every version of every song. To see her live has been on my Mondo Beyond list for a while and it was worth the wait. I was 19 the year her first album dropped (What’s the 411? 1992) and it is to this day one of the top 5 albums of my lifetime. Me and my 3 roommates listened to this CD for literally the entire first semester of our 2nd year at UVA. Picture us: a black, a white, a philipino and a 1/2 mexican chick all coming of age to one of the most influencial records in hip-hop/soul history with the CD on permanent “repeat” mode. Yeah, it was that good.
It was quite simply an experience. She sang with all of her heart, you could tell she loves to perform and that her work is so obviously the story of her life (heartbreaking, inspiring, soul mending). The closest performance I’ve seen in recent years is Erykah Badu at the Sugarwater Festival in Charlotte last summer. It was the kind of night you don’t want to end (and its 2am so that is saying something).
So tell us…what is the best/most memorable concert/performance you’ve ever seen? and what made it so special?
*photo by Michael Kurman
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A regular commenter on this here blog recommended this book to me about a month ago (Thanks S!). I picked it up and couldn’t put it down, it is one of the best books I’ve read this year. It was the perfect band-aid for my return to reality blues-a mix of travelogue and Oprah-esque self-discovery (from a male perspective). The premise is that one of the brothers gets dumped literally days before his wedding, but since everything is paid for, the jilted groom and family have a party anyway. The groom-not-to-be takes his brother with him on the already paid for two-week honeymoon, and it takes them on a two-year journey around the world. He falls in love with himself, his brother and la pura vida (the pure life) and you probably will too.