Nov
19
2009
Twenty years ago I quit smoking. That was a great milestone. I also quit 21, 22, 24, 25, 26, 30, 34 years ago. And 35, 36, 36 1/2, 37, 38, 40 and 42. In fact, the first time I quit smoking was 1963. Age 16. My Father put me up against the wall and told me he would nail me there if I didn’t stop smoking. That lasted a couple of years.
I started again in Navy boot camp. Didn’t we all? “Smoke’em if you got’em” Every time we took a ten-minute break in boot camp, we all lit up. Even after working out! It was called PT then. Physical Training. And we smoked before jumping jacks and we smoked after pushups.
I remember running my very first two-mile race, in 1986. When we finished we lit up our cigarettes and had a beer. What idiots.
All I can say is that quitting cigarettes was the most difficult thing I ever did. And I did it over and over and over again. It was like re-gaining all the weight I lost during a diet. Start all over again.
This is the Great Smokeout Day, but few people who stop today will be successful for very long. It is the most addictive habit there is. I think people on drugs have an easier time breaking their habit than tobacco smokers.
People in Alcoholics Anonymous take outside breaks in order to smoke.
People in prison head outside to the exercise yard in order to smoke.
Good Luck to you. 
Note: The “Possibly-related Articles” below are links to other posts on Today.com blogs, and may or may not include other posts on Grugger’s Way.
Sep
16
2009
Few stories have so moved the American public during the past year than Patrick Swayze’s determined struggle for survival.
Most people recognized that his battle was futile in the long run; but his fight for life inspired us all. When faced with a terminal illness, his powerful, “never give up” attitude showed his mettle. His wife stood by him. To be strong and patient for another person during a lengthy battle with cancer takes a lot of mettle as well. She inspires me too. I wish her strength as she grieves in the months ahead.
At age 57, Patrick Swayze was just five years younger than I am. To realize our mortality is to come to terms with life itself. Our value system comes into question as we acknowledge that we must live our lives to the fullest extent possible; for, in the end, what we leave behind are the memories of ourselves that other people carry with them. Fond memories of our lives together, of times shared, of moments treasured; these are the best gifts that we leave to others.
I enjoyed Patrick Swayze’s movies. Point Break and Roadhouse are still fun to watch. Dirty Dancing was pretty cheezy but we still liked it. The concept behind Ghost was endearing. The pottery wheel scene with Demi Moore and Patrick tore my heart out and watered my eyes. I may have to buy a DVD of Ghost just to honor him.
Note: The “Possibly-related Articles” below are links to other posts on Today.com blogs, and may or may not include other posts on Grugger’s Way.
Sep
03
2009
If you have traveled to The Republic of The Philippines and been introduced to the local cuisine you may have enjoyed pancit, chicken adobo, lumpia, and other fine foods.
There is one item that usually tests the mettle of even the most experienced World Traveler. If you think you have “global” taste buds, try BALUT, the Filipino treat that they present to tourists with great fanfare and much drinking and laughter.
Balut is a “not quite ready to hatch” embryo of duck (or chicken) that is hard-boiled in the egg shell casing and then consumed WITH BEER! (I just threw in the beer part.)
U.S. Marines and U.S. Navy sailors have long tested each other with initiation ceremonies that included eating balut, as though it were a rite of passage into the mysteries of the Far East.
(If you click on the photo at left it will open a much larger view of the balut.)
What does it really taste like? Someone once described it as tasting like the way air smells after a big fireworks demonstration. The duck embryo contains phosphorus. But to describe it thus is not doing it justice; one has to try it.
There are Filipino restaurants in the U.S.A. that serve balut. Some Asian food stores also sell balut.
Yes, there are bones and yes, there are wet little feathers. A beak. Two feet. Just poke a hole in one end of the egg and suck out the “amniotic fluid.” If that doesn’t get you, you might enjoy balut with a dip of chile sauce and vinegar, then sprinkle on a little salt….wash it all down with San Miguel Beer!!
(Note: the links to the “Possibly-related Articles” below this entry do not necessarily refer to other posts on my blog. They do link to other today.com blogs with similar subjects, including my own blog. It will be interesting to see how many other articles relate to BALUT!
Jul
20
2009
I found a knowledgeable, honest and responsive auto mechanic.
That is a significant find when your truck breaks down, as mine did, with a broken Timing Belt. If you don’t know what this means, become informed. The motor just suddenly stops. No warning, no sputtering, no coughing. You can’t fix it yourself. You are stranded.
The replacement belt costs about $40. It takes professional equipment to properly install and re-set the timing.
I broke down at 1:45 in the afternoon, in Missoula, Montana. By 3:15, AAA had dispatched a tow truck and we were sitting at my mechanic’s shop. Within two hours he had called me to let me know he was getting started on it and would have it ready “tonight.” Two hours later he called and said it was ready to pick up. My wife and I were having dinner in town so she drove me to the shop, I paid, and was home by 8 pm.
“My” mechanic is Patrick Jensen, with an “e”
I will say it again: knowledgeable, honest and responsive.
And a real savior, if you know what I mean.
