We Need a Boy

One of the joys of springtime is grilling outdoors. The smell of meat cooking on the grill can make my mouth water. Ribs, chicken, burgers, it doesn’t matter all smell great to me.

This past Friday I invited a friend over to grill out with me at my apartment. It was a beautiful night. Perfect for grilling out. She brought the burgers and I supplied the salad. We each had our drink of choice in hand; red wine for me and beer for her.

Shortly after she arrived I headed out onto my balcony to start up the gas grill. I opened the propane tank, turned the knob on the grill to the on position and clicked the igniter button. Nothing happened. I tried again. Nothing happened. I checked the connection from the grill to the tank. It was tight. I tried again and nothing happened. I closed the valve on the tank and opened it again. I pushed the igniter one more time. Nothing happened.

At this point my friend stepped in, she tried a few times and was also unsuccessful. She asked “Are you sure you have gas in the tank?” “Yes,” I replied “or at least I think I do.” I wondered to myself, wasn’t I hearing or smelling something coming out of the tank?

I tried to pick up the tank. It was heavy – perhaps it wasn’t empty. I recalled that when I first bought it the tank had seemed heavy to me. Hmmm. I tried to lessen my frustration and lighten the mood by joking that I wished a boy were around to help. I explained that a male friend had put the grill together last summer for me and that I wished he were there to help.

I undid the tank and dragged it from the balcony through my third floor apartment to the elevator and out to my friend’s truck. She and I hopped in and headed to the Petro Station.

I paid for my tank to be refilled and a male cashier came out to fill it up. He placed it on the scale and immediately called out to me. “Uh, ma’am it appears that you tank is almost completely full.” Ugh, I thought to myself. With laughter in my voice I explained our escapade. As he refunded my money he suggested that I buy a lighter, as perhaps the igniter was simply broken.

Pulling into my apartment complex my friend and I noticed a young man working in a garage and I joked that we could ask him to help us carry the tank back up and get it on the grill. As I walked to the back of the truck she asked “Do you think we should go ask him for help?” “Sure, but you get to do the flirting and the asking,” I answered.

My neighbor was kind enough to help us out. He carried it up to my balcony and even connected it back to the grill. After the tank was reconnected I turned the know and placed the lighter down into the grill. This time something happened. The grill started up without a problem. Yeah! I thanked my neighbor for his help and my friend handed him two beers for the road.

Lesson Learned: I guess sometimes you just need to have a boy around.

Rhetorical Questions?

I wonder....

...if I have iced my knee 3x today and it still hurts should I be concerned?

...if I have taken advil and my knee still hurts should I be worried?

...if after drinking 1/2 a bottle of wine my knee still hurts should I be seeking an alternative remedy?

Guess its a good thing I have a doctor appointment set for early May.

Although, I have my fingers crossed that in the meantime my home remedies will work.

I mean if red wine helps the heart shouldn't it be able to also help my knee?

I’m Not in Kansas (I mean North Dakota) Anymore

Today at work a co-worker jokingly asked me if I could say a few words to see if my accent changed. A smile quickly came to my face and I reassured him that there was nothing to worry about. I only spent 5 days in Boston and it would take many more days to change my midwest accent.

The 5 days I spent in Boston were great. I enjoyed getting out of Fargo for a much needed break.

I headed out to of town not just for vacation but to also to cheer on two friends (Pat and Bill) that qualified to run the Boston marathon.

I arrived on Thursday and was greeted by my friend Jerry at Logan International's baggage claim. As we put my bags in the trunk of his car Jerry asked if I was ready to get dinner. I was actually more interested in enjoying my first drink of my vacation but I also agreed to get dinner. Jerry brought me to RF O’Sullivans to have what he described as a “Great Fucking Burger.” I can confirm that his description was very apt. The beer I drank was equally as good!

Pat and Bill and their respective family members all arrived in town on Friday. The next 48 hours was full of activity. Including a tour of the Sam Adams Brewery, visiting the Race Expo, a trip to scope out the start line and some of the race route, a bbq at the Residence Inn, and a TON of laughs!

In the midst of the activity I also learned that my cousin Cheryl was in town to run the marathon.

On Sunday evening Jerry and his wife Michelle opened up their home to my strange grouping of friends and relatives and prepared for us a great pre-race Pasta dinner. I had a blast helping put the dinner together. I learned how to make Chicken Marsala and Alfredo. Butter is definitely the most important ingredient in both dishes.

The night was made complete with great conversation, amazing wine and a wonderful Tiramisu cake (YUM!).

Race day brought clear skies, cool temps and a bit of wind; great weather for a race. I drove our runners to the starting line and wished them luck. From there those of thus in town to cheer on the runners headed to downtown Boston to stake out a spot near the finish line.

At 10:00 on Monday Morning (Patriots Day) the race began. At 10:30 the second wave of runners took off. This wave included Bill, Pat and Cheryl. Roughly 3 hrs 49 minutes later Bill and Pat crossed the finish line. 10 minutes after that Cheryl crossed the line.

I joined Pat and his family for a post-race meal to celebrate his accomplishment. Along with celebrating I got to enjoy another great burger but this time from the Boston Burger Company.

On Monday evening I spent my last few hours in Boston with Jerry and his family. We laughed over both old memories and newly created memories. It was a great way to end my vacation.

(Special Note: I was reminded by both friends and family over this past weekend that I have to do better at maintaining my blog. Thanks for the reminders. I promise to try my best at updating on a more regular basis.)