The Thing About Britt's Kitchen

 I had a chance this week to observe the kitchen of Senator Britt (at the family home in Montgomery)....via a couple of photos taken of the house in 2018 when it was placed on the market.

The highlight?  "48" subzero matching cabinet face refrigerator, custom corian countertops with seamless flow into sink, and a color of taupe for the room".

It was what they used for her GOP speech after President Biden's SotU talk.

I'd take a guess....whoever owned it prior to Britt.....probably spent in the neighborhood of $50,000 just for the kitchen alone.

So my personal Bama comment?  Well....to be honest, I've seen a few Bama residences in my life (66 years old).  

I think if you asked around....fewer than .01-percent of folks in the state have something like this kitchen.

My brother, the engineer, probably would say that he'd view the kitchen as unusable....because it looks like TV studio or store model kitchen (not meant for real cooking/baking).  

I'm not saying it was a bad thing....but the longer I looked at the background....I just kept thinking....what idiot would go out and spend $50,000 just on a kitchen?  You could have gone to Biloxi's casino 'front' on 25 weekends.  You could have bought a fine fishing cruiser-boat and a new motorcycle for that.  You could have spent two months at some Aruba hotel on a 4-star 'binge'.  

Added Nutritional Element

 Early Feb, I went and added an odd 'fruit' to my diet....freeze-dried barberries.  Shot-glass at breakfast and dinner.

So after five weeks, I can say a couple of things:

- My digestive system slowed down in a major way.  After breakfast, I still feel full eight hours later. Snacking has dissolved away.  

- My bowel movement schedule?  Well...oddly, it went from 24-to-30 hours....to around 72 hours.  I'm not constipated...just processing at a slower rate. 

- Sugar 'lows'?  Now, near zero.

- Weight loss after 5 weeks?  I figure around half-a-point a week, without really increasing exercise....just mostly cutting snacks out.  Mostly by still feeling 'full'.

I'm not saying barberries are some miracle element....just that it does affect the digestive system to run in a different manner.   

Bitter taste?  Yeah, that is the one odd factor when eating the berries. 

Wrestling Chatter

 I hold a strong fascination with fake wrestling.  

One of my favorite routines?  A win-or-lose script where the big 'draws' agree....whoever loses the match....has to leave the state (meaning they can only return if they put on a mask and pretend to be someone else).

It ought to be that way in politics....some big faked-up match, and you can only return if you put on a mask to be pretend to be someone else.

Smell Story

 I saw this image today, and it's been on my mind.

First, what do they mean by 'strong odor'?  

Second, personally, I can think of forty-odd after-shave smells/scents....that I can't stand (you know....old-lady type perfumes, or that stupid Old Spice smell).

Then I'm wondering....who is the judge of this?

I used to work with a contractor associate who had gas problems....especially in the 20 foot by 20 foot office that we worked in.  I'd actually have to get up and leave for 10 minutes when his 'attack' occurred.  Would a guy like that....be allowed to stay as a 'guest'?

Finally, I'm wondering with generally homeless folks....who only bathe once a month.....if they might be included in this seating arrangement. 

My 'Irish Spring' Essay

 When I went off to basic training (August 1977)....I ended up buying a bar of Irish Spring at the BX, and got 'stuck' on the scent.  For about 35 years, I was addicted to the I-S 'smell'. 

One day, after retirement.....my wife (German in nature) had some stock-holder meeting that we could attend.  That means food, Champaign, and 4 hours in a overly-heated arena.

I started to sweat a fair amount and the aroma of Irish Spring got into the air.  Yeah, I may have overly used the Irish Spring that morning.

Around the third hour....she attempted to move us back two rows....thinking the smell came from the couple in front of us.  About 10 minutes later....she started to sniff on me....now realizing this smell was the after-affects of Irish Spring mixed with sweat from the hot arena.

To put it mildly, I was lectured on the whole return trip home....how I would have stop using Irish Spring.  

It's been a tough six years since then....with only one or two sneak-purchases on my part to get Irish Spring.  What I've learned...to simply buy the liquid stuff, and refill some other non-Irish Spring container with the real Irish Spring.  

So far....it's worked.  But I'm having to be careful not to sit in hot places and sweat openly.   

'Gifted Downnfall' Essay

 After I retired from the Air Force, I did contractor work.  I worked in an office with one logistics lady.  She was married to an Air Force NCO, and had two daughters.

Prior to Ramstein, she'd been in Guam.  As the older daughter entered the 5th grade, the mother went 'turbo' and pushed to an extreme on education.  She spent at least ten hours a week with the kid on advanced stuff.  

At the end of the 5th grade, the school staff did some testing and finally came to the conclusion....the kid was way too smart for the 6th grade....so they advanced her to the 7th grade.  The kid was a A-plus student for the next couple of years.

At the end of the 8th grade...dad got a new assignment....going to Ramstein.  The kid arrived and did great in the 9th and 10th grade.  The school went and put on some special program.  11th grade?  That was a breeze.

So there scholarship interest going on.  The kid has every single block filled-in.  

Georgetown University has a 1-year scholarship deal offered up in the 12th grade. 

But there is an interesting change of pace in the 12th grade.  Early on....the kid takes to partying, and quietly boozing up.  It would appear that the teachers are on some agenda to ensure her grades don't slip.

The university scholarship is finalized.  Mom takes the kid off to Georgetown and gets her plugged into a dorm room.  Life for about a week....is about to peak.

The kid takes to partying and boozing.  At Christmas break....the kid has two failed classes....two marginal-passing classes, and only class with decent grades.  There's a warning note from the college....if something doesn't happen....the scholarship deal ends in June.

Well...2nd semester goes with four marginal-passing classes and one decent grade class.  Scholarship ends.

Mom goes and picks up the kid.  They return to dad's new base area.....where the family has a nice middle-class home with a fairly large basement 'bedroom'.  The kid designates that as her room.

I got an email about 90 days after this 'return' from my former co-worker.  The kid had adjusted to the failure, and simply was 'camping-out' in her room after breakfast....watching TV all day, and barely being seen.  

About 9 months passed after that email.  The next one came.  The daughter was mentioned.....they had convinced her to get therapy, and the therapist had convinced her to get a part-time job....at some coffee shop.  

Six months would pass, and I'd get one final update email....the daughter had agreed to take one class per semester at the local community college.  She still spent the bulk of each day hidden.  

It's been around 18 years since that email.  About once a year, this will pop up in my mind.  I would imagine now.....the daughter being mid-30s.  She's probably still living in dad's house, and working at the coffee-shop.  

The younger sister (by 4 years)?  The 'ungifted' kid (a comment that mom will utter in the office on occasion)?  I would imagine she went on to a normal college and graduated around 2013.  

Life is not a paved road, or designed to be easy.  Sometimes....you just need to focus and keep yourself in some form of moderation.