Thursday, May 31, 2012

I'm With the Band

This Kat has gone country, ya’all.


Since Colin moved to Nashville last July,
I’ve been riding Highway 59...SiriusLY.
(Not to be confused with riding Highway 95
which is definitely not as pleasant...SeriousLY)

I made the big change from
popKat to countryKat
because I want to be able to “talk” country music with Colin. 


Which means I should know the difference between
Jason Aldean and Jason Mraz,
Justin Timberlake and Justin Moore,
Miranda Lambert and Adam Lambert.

I don't want to be a dead beet mom
who just fell off a turnip truck...
(I think I just mixed my idioms and vegetables.)


So now I

Talk the Talk...

Walk the Walk...
and

Walk the Line.

I’m all in...
 
And ever since then,
I’ve been an itchin’....to git my boots on,
sit shotgun with PaulA in a Ford 150 and
head down to the lake with a cooler full of beer. 

Yep.  I’m fixin to do it...
right after I finish this here sweet tea.
Git 'er done.

Anywhooo......

“I am with the band”...ya'all

the newly signed country artist, Dustin Lynch...
and his band of talented musicians....
namely my favorite bass player, Colin. 

"Play it guys."

The new single release: "Cowboys and Angels"

The band of all things was on their way from South Carolina to Foxboro, Mass...
and stopped in for a beach visit
on their travel day between shows.

I was sooo happy to have them visit. 
I was looking forward to showing them some of that

southern hospitality up north...
but I had a few worries...

And when I say worry..I mean I WORRY.
(note the caps.)

 Sometimes I can put the "worry" in worrywart.

“Where will the driver park the
45 feet long/13 feet tall tour bus?" 

A rig bigger than my past 3 minivans end-to-end.
(Thank God there was an end to those.)
And will he be able to get it through the small neighborhood streets
under power lines, and branches?


 No worries, Kat....
no sweat..we're talking professional tour bus driver.

So with a little northern hospitality...

the country band found out that
we do things a little different in this here...
neck of the woods....

Here we.....
eat chowda,
drink Sam Adams,
watch the Red Sox, 
pahk the cah  in Hahvad yahd.


and.........


pahk the bus in Kat’s yahd.


Stay Country, ya’all.





Monday, May 28, 2012

All American Memorial Day


Memorial Day


the Start to an All-American Day...

an All-American breakfast at iHop...After all,

iBlog and iHop.

  

At breakfast I couldn’t help notice the couple seated in a booth directly across from PaulA and me.


A young man and a young lady

who apparently was a waitress on her “break.”

(Her iHop apron was an iHop give-away

or maybe she, too, was an iHop fan?)

 

 They sat across the table from each other

on the edge of their seats,

tightly holding hands

staring adoringly into each other's eyes...

awwwww...young love.



Call me nosey...but I couldn’t help from watching them...
even though...
PaulA reminded me that it was impolite to stare.


But I couldn’t help myself....
especially when later her face turned red and she was reduced to tears.

It was time to say good-bye...break over.
They stood up in the middle of the room
embraced each other...holding on ever so tightly,
while she buried her head in his neck, sobbing.

And I was reduced to tears.  I tried to hold them back...
First the lump...then the contorted face,
but there was no stopping them..
waterworks falling...
...flooding my short stack of pancakes.


Our waitress confirmed our probing questions...

the couple was recently engaged

and he was leaving

for active duty

at 11 am...

today, Memorial Day.



Paul (knowing me) tried to get me to think of something else.

Anything else.

As nothing ...pushes my emotional pedal harder than

young military men and women having to leave

their loved ones behind.



A Ferrari goes from 0 to 60 ...in 3 seconds

And this Kat goes from

a smile to a full--out cry...in the same amount of time.



Anywhooo.......



Today we honor and show gratitude to

the men and women

who have served, protected, and given their lives

for our country and our freedom.




Freedom is not free.



Our freedom comes at a high cost...

and

We can’t say THANKS enough.



In honor of those who have protected our freedoms

attend a parade,

fly the American flag,

 wear red, white, and blue.


 It’s the American Way.



iHOPe

you have a wonderful

Memorial Day.


 

And iHOPe

 that the young man I saw this morning at iHop

comes home safe and sound

 to his sweetheart.


Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Slurpee Light




With our national obsession with diet and exercise...

Everything has gone
Light.


You name it...
Light Beer,
 Light Potato chips,
Light Ice Cream
We even have Spam Light and Light Twinkies.
(What a beautiful world we live in.)

But there is news today that
TAKES the CAKE
and is
LIGHTs out.

7-Eleven now offers 


"Slurpee Light"
A Slurpee sugar-free drink with 50 % fewer calories
(Tag line: All Flavor. No sugar.)

As contrasted with the regular "Slurpee"
(Tag line:  No Flavor.  All Sugar.)

And to honor the new drink,
7-Eleven is offering...

 Slurpee Light
Free
Today
from 11am to 7pm

Anywhooooo......

 
I have jumped on the Light wagon.

I am  now offering my blog customers....
a trimmer version of my full bodied,
badass blog.

 
Presenting.....
Kat’s Blog Light
(Tag line: A watered down version-containing 50% less absurdity of the original.)

 
When you find yourself full of the original...
try the
lighter,
less sweet version
Kat’s Blog Light

same great taste in blogging....
with a slightly sour slant.



Disclaimer:  As with other Light versions of products..
There are No real benefits associated with
"Kat's Blog Light."

Monday, May 21, 2012

No Longer Blue


 I've never been a fan of grocery shopping...
although I'm not sure why...
especially when eating is my favorite activity.

Since I've become an empty nester,
my mantra for planning dinner in advance is:



No Schedule
No Hurry
No Worries

I like to wait until the frig begs for food...

or PaulA begs...
or whichever comes first.




But this past Sunday,
 PaulA had this wild idea about eating Sunday dinner...
so I made an overdue trip to our local Stop and Shop...
which could be your Wegmans, Schnucks, or
this little "Piggly Wiggly."


I was dreading the errand more than usual...
as over the past few weeks they
rennovated and rearranged their store.
Or as I think of it...
they threw everything up in the air...
and said,
"Go find it."  



Apparently there is rhyme and reason for their new setup.  
Their reason probably has something to do with keeping up
with the newer chichi markets such as
"Whole Foods."

My rhyme for Stop and Shop during their painful renovation:

"Stick to the basics,
keep the cost low,
we don't expect you to be "Whole Foods Pretty",
you ain't Rob Lowe."




Throughout the years, I have been a loyal Stop and Shop customer...
mainly because I'm lazy.
The idea of relearning where everything is located
comes with a learning curve
 that  is too steep. 
 I prefer my grocery shopping to be a coast...
downhill. 

Anywhooo

As  I walked through our newly renovated Stop and Shop...
on a scavenger hunt for dinner
(which admittedly is easier than when I have to shoot dinner for our table)
 I noticed they kept the beer in the same place. 

But  something, this particular Sunday, looked very different about it. 
The beer was actually visible
and not covered by a curtain as it has been
for a million Sundays ...
because of old Blue Laws
"prohibiting thee sale of alcohol on thee Sabbath day."

Connecticut is no longer singing the Blue Laws.
woot woot



This Sunday, we raised a glass...

in honor of Governor Dan Malloy for
taking a pretty old law off the books

and in honor of Stop and Shop
for trying its darndest
to make itself look pretty...
ala Rob Lowe.