Time? Is It Really On My Side?

Summer has come and gone.  Autumn is upon us.  I wouldn't say that the weeks are flying by but I don't know where the time is going.  Ronen is almost 6 months old and we have been in Minnesota for over two months.  That's crazy. 

I've been reading the same book,  One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, since the beginning of May.  Now I am not the fastest reader but to spend over 4 months on a 400 page book is just ridiculous.  It shows you how busy I've have been.  Between packing, moving, unpacking, working and raising two wonderful, time-consuming daughter I have not been able to get through this book.  I like it but I've been reading it so long that I often don't remember details when the author references earlier incidences.  I am getting closer to the end and the stubborn reader in me will not not simply quit reading the book but I often find myself vegging out in front of the television instead of reading. 

Speaking of television, Sara and I have started watching the TV show Breaking Bad.   This highly acclaimed television show is every bit as good as we have been told.  We often discover shows after they've been out for a while and we watch free dvds from the library to catch up.  We're a couple seasons in already.  This show is so good that I often forget I haven't finished my book yet.  I've also been mildly obsessed with classic samurai movies recently.  In the past month I have watched Seven Samurai, Yojimbo and Sanjuro and I have already put in a request for the Hidden Fortress at our local library. 

Football Season has started and while I don't have much hope for the Redskins I also don't have much hope for my fantasy football squad.  This year marks the 9th year I have played fantasy football in a league of friends and family.  I have had mixed success over the years; finishing either in the middle of the pack or at bottom in most years.  It's a fun little hobby that I try not to obsess too much over,  and also I try not to take too seriously when I have a crap week.  (My book reading time just keeps shrinking, doesn't it?) 

This past weekend the Cobbs took in the local Renaissance Festival.  It's an annual tradition we started in Maryland, always including my father in the trip if possible.  This year was  a little different, we obviously missed my dad.  The Minnesota Festival is just as big maybe even a bit bigger but less wooded than the Maryland one, with large open fields covering much of the grounds.  This year also centered around a lot of what Evie Sue wanted to do.  We started the day with a princess tea party event, toured Mermaid Cove, got her face-painted and even met Cinderella face to face.  There were no oyster shooters like I'm used to but the food selection was mostly the same with the addition of cheese curds!  Schell beer was on tap, and we pushed a stroller with Ronen lounging all over the medieval realm.  It was fun outing. 

The family is good.  Ronen is almost 6 months old and sleeps through the night more than she used to but not every night.  Evie has started a preschool program two days a week, and is super excited about her Tuesday night dance class in which she learns Tap, Ballet and other dance forms!  Sara is semi-actively looking at real estate listings, and trying to move the us in the direction of finding our own place.   She also has been hired by the White Bear School District for a part time job working in their Before Care program 5 mornings a week.  It would not be an understatement to say that Sara was snatched up by the hiring managers at her job.  The woman who 1st called Sara could not even disguise her eagerness to interview someone with 'all sorts of wonderful qualifications'.  Sara applied, interviewed and started all within a few days time.

In a completely unrelated side note, this maybe the land of 10,000 Lakes but I am more aware of all of the water towers I see poking up above the trees everywhere you look.  I pass by 5 on my way to work everyday.  It seems that every other neighborhood has to have it's own water tower, and even some of the businesses.  It's just a funny little thing I noticed since moving here. 

Top Left To Bottom Left: Vadnais Heights, Shoreview, Arden Hills, Woodbury, White Bear Lake, & Minnesota State Fair

 Let's take a moment to discuss some local cuisine before I wrap up the post.  Minnesota is known for certain foods such as the lutefiske, 'hot dishes', wild rice and Walleye but have you ever heard of the 'Juicy Lucy'?   A local favorite, a 'Juicy Lucy' is a cheeseburger wherein the cheese has been cooked in the middle of two patties.  So basically a larger burger with a molten cheese center.  Sounds good to me.  In all of my years of visiting Minnesota I have never found the time to try this delicacy.  Well, that's gonna change.  We recently visited the Blue Door Pub in St. Paul; our 1st stop on our Juicy Lucy tour of the Twin Cities.  The 'Blucy' is created with a garlic and blue cheese center to the burger and is the Blue Door's twist on the idea.  They serve other variations such as the 'Merriam Park Blucy', which I had, with bacon and red currant jelly added to the 'Blucy'.  I chickened out when it came to 'Jiffy Burger' which adds bacon and peanut butter.  In the weeks to come we will seek out more burger joints on our Juicy Lucy Tour.  I can't wait.   

PS.  At the time of this posting, I have finally finished the book, and started a memoir by Gene Wilder entitled Kiss Me Like A Stranger.

PPS.  Happy Birthday, Pops.