Am I really as neurotic as I feel?

Death by apple

It seems that in my almost 30 years (hush/gasp/cringe) on this Earth, I have yet to master the art of eating an apple.  Which is unfortunate, obviously, as well as a little sad.  I generally have an apple a day, and almost every time, I somehow manage to choke on the apple/juice combination.  Perhaps I'm so excited to be having my apple that I can't control myself and end up swallowing before everything is satisfactorily masticated.  Perhaps I have some sort of physical or genetic defect.  Perhaps I'm distracted by work, since I'm always working while enjoying my apple.  Or perhaps it's a fruit/vegetable conspiracy, because a carrot almost got me today.

Regardless of the cause, it's a problem, because almost every day, I choke on the darn delicious, crisp, juicy apple (usually of the Gala variety, sometimes Braeburn).  Just last week, I actually managed to choke on an actual piece of apple, as opposed to some of the juice like I usually do.  I was actually nervous for a moment...would somebody have to do the Heimlich?  Would this be the end of greeneyes?

No and no.  But I think I'm going to stick to eating my apples when there are other people around, on the off chance I'm not so lucky next time.  And in the meantime, everybody be aware of suspicious looking fruits and vegetables, just in case they're in on the conspiracy.

I'm looking at you, Asparagus.

Posted by: greeneyes at 17:57 | link | comments (3)

Yummy deliciousness in non-cake form

Non-cake because the traditional American cheesecake is actually a custard. 

My mom's cheesecake

Posted by: greeneyes at 13:07 | link | comments (2)
food

My dearest DJ Groovy Slug,

Once, long ago, you raved about the Cheesecake Factory.  I made a comment, something to the effect of how my mom's cheesecake is better than Cheesecake Factory's.  However, I couldn't confirm that since I'd never dined at CF.

Well, I can now confidently say that my mom's cheesecake is far superior to CF's original cheesecake.  Without a doubt.

Yours,
Greeneyes

Posted by: greeneyes at 18:36 | link | comments (3)

Why do peanut butter (and jelly, if you're so inclined) sandwiches taste better when they're cut in half, preferably on the diagonal?  Is this the sandwich version of the Tootsie Pop riddle?

Posted by: greeneyes at 13:33 | link | comments (7)

RAGBRAI

The Register's Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa started in 1973.  Two writers for the Des Moines Register, to make a brief story even more brief, decided to invite the public and ride their bikes across Iowa, west to east, in the last week of August (!!), and write about their experiences along the way.  About 300 people showed up.

Their columns were such a hit with Register readers, and the riders had such a good time, that they did it again the next year, this time in the first week of August.  Now, RAGBRAI is held during the last full week of July.  It is the largest, longest, and oldest touring bike ride in the world.  Thousands of people (10,000 registered riders, countless non-registered riders) from every state and dozens of countries descend upon Iowa every July to dip their back tires in the Missouri River, sweat, drink, eat, and party their way to the east, and dip their front tires in the Mississippi River.

Thousands of Iowa families open their homes and welcome strangers to sleep in their beds, on their couches, in their yards, use their bathrooms, and eat their food.  There are beer slides, bikers who stop at nearly ever bar along the way, wet t-shirt contests, and various other shenanigans that is not appropriate for public knowledge, but it's rarely if ever in-your-face and despite the stories you will hear, the event is very family friendly.

There's the pancake guy, the pork chop guy, the guy who has a blender on the back of his bike (so he can make margaritas).  Homemade pies, bars, BBQ, and mountains of other goodies.  There's the roller blader, the unicyclist, and the guy who doesn't use a seat (and therefore stands while riding the entire way).  A lot of riders are in teams, and many of those teams have been around for years and years, so you see some of the same faces every year.  Lance Armstrong has ridden for a couple of years (and I got to see him from about 20 feet away two summers ago!).

I've been on both sides of the RAGBRAI experience, and it's safe to say that there's nothing quite like RAGBRAI.  You get to ride with dozens or hundreds of other bikers around you (depending on where you are and what time it is).  The scenery is beautiful, as Iowa is multiple beautiful shades of green in July.  The corn is tall.  The temperature and humidity is usually high.  But there's always a kid (sometimes a grown up kid) standing at the edge of the yard with a hose in their hands, spraying the bikers as they ride by.  It's all of the good things in Iowa, wrapped up in bicycle pumps, helmets, and Gatorade.

Posted by: greeneyes at 13:28 | link | comments (1)
iowa