Don't Count on Those 6-Pack ABS

It was thirty-three months ago today that I had my second stroke.  Right about this time of day (16:00), come to think of it.  The first one was exactly thirty-three months prior to that one.  I figure if I make it through the rest of the day, I’m probably good.

I have a hospital follow-up for next Tuesday, at which time I will discuss the farce which was my hospital stay at the beginning of the week.  It will be interesting to hear my PCP’s side of things.

If I have managed to do this correctly, somewhere near this paragraph there should be a video clip recorded at Abbey Road studios of a McCartney tune called Oh, Darling.  This originally appeared on the Abbey Road album with Paul singing lead and most of the background vocals.  You will be hearing a young woman who is new, to me, any way, called Sara Bareilles.

 

It’s kind of how I imagine Janis Joplin would have sung this, minus Joplin’s raw throatiness.  But this cover is pure blues, and does the song justice.

I’m wandering around a bit, if you don’t mind following along for the journey.  I need to type every day to try and re-teach the nerve branches in my hands to ‘remember’ how they are supposed to work.  As I don’t have a real plan for this, but still need to do it, I’m just sort of going on a verbal hike.

I got my wife and I both signed up at a gym today.  The trainer says that while losing fifty pounds and getting rid of my keg were realistic goals, at 58 and counting, I can probably forget about ever growing my six-pack abs back.  Oh well.

Tonight I’m trying something I’ve never cooked.  We’re having a nice romaine salad, steamed veggies, oven baked sweet potato fries, and the main event – Alligator tail!  Linda’s ex-step aunt brought it over, and I’m going to cook it.  I had ‘gator once before – at a restaurant called the Golden Rose, in Okemos, Michigan about 12 years ago.  My ex-wife and I had dinner there.  For appetizers, I ordered portabella mushroom soup, and my ex ordered batter-dipped, deep fried gator tail strips.  We shared.  That was the last time I had gator meat.

[insert dinner break here]

OK.  So I rinsed the gator meat, soaked it a little while in salt water and Jamaican rum, dried it on paper towels, dredged it in bread crumbs seasoned with sea salt, pepper, parsley and paprika.  Fried them in peanut oil for about two minutes a side, blotted them on paper towel.

Tastes like chicken.

The smaller pieces were a little chewy, but overall, like chicken.  Not gamey at all.  Linda’s aunt says she has a source if we want more, and can get some ground and seasoned like Italian sausage, but somehow I can’t quite see my spaghetti sauce with Italian gator sausage, you know?

I’m editing the Adventures of the Magnificent Seven for e-book publishing.  Jesse Coffey and her Edin Road press are going to publish a Kindle version of it.  So far, I’m the bottleneck.  I’m working on it.  A chapter a day and I can have it ready for her in less than two weeks.  Then on to finishing the editing of my new book, Legends of Greenbrook Park.  Hopefully by time I finish that, Edin Road will do all the publishing of that book.

One month from tomorrow – Friday, February 18^th, 2011 at 6:30 PM, I will be the featured author on Author Night at the Progress Energy Art Gallery in New Port Richey, Florida.  Just up the road a bit.  I’ll be reading from Mag-Seven, and signing copies.  If you’re in the neighborhood, stop by.  It’s in the book.

Told you I was rambling a bit.

I’ll stop now.