I grew up listening to Jackson Browne lament in The Load Out:
But the band’s on the bus
And they’re waiting to go
We’ve got to drive all night and do a show in Chicago
Or Detroit, I don’t know
We do so many shows in a row
And these towns all look the same
On our trip to Florida we stayed in a few hotels. This was a first for my children. They were excited. I commented at some point that the hotel rooms were the same as the ones I stayed in when I was on the road with my parents.
Identity appears to be missing from towns these days. All have the Walmarts, Targets, Walgreens, etc. Don’t get me wrong, I have no issue with corporate America, it is just that a town’s identity is harder to find.
That is why it is interesting to note Jewel’s June tour. Jewel is a singer-songwriter who burst on the scene in 1995 with her You Were Meant for Me song. If you hadn’t kept up with her, you may have thought she was a one-hit wonder. But she is still touring, apparently.
It seems like she has countered the road blues that Jackson Browne sung about. From what I see on You Tube, Jewel writes a song for each town she plays in. She researches the town and incorporates her research into her song. What a great way to connect with the audience!
I am a simple man. Tonight’s dinner summed that up.
I don’t usually opt for strip steaks favoring T-bones and ribeyes, but when I was at the butcher, NY strips were on sale. I selected a nice one. Being under the weather, it took two days before I worked up an appetite.
I marinated some asparagus in Italian dressing. As I did, I sliced a sweet potato thinly, drizzled some EVOO and sprinkled with salt and pepper. I then tossed them on the grill. After they got some good marks, on went the asparagus. I slightly overcooked it. No biggy.
Then came the strip. Just a bit of EVOO, salt and pepper. This was cooked to a perfect medium-rare. A properly seasoned steak is wonderful. I have become better at seasoning my meats. This was just so pleasantly delicious. Each bite was a treat. Here is the live feed from cooking the steak.
Salt and pepper is all I put on most of my steaks. Good meat doesn’t require anything else.
Chalky wrote a piece for The Daily Journal recently questioning the need for the school lunch program. I could not agree more . . . Shipping prices have skyrocketed of late. I was going to order $9 worth of (lightweight) product from Amazon until I saw the $12 shipping charge. I’ll wait to get free shipping . . . Proud of Gert! She took a few time slots for the Relay for Life walk at CCC . . . Finally got a Google Voice invitation. We’ll see how good the transcription is . . . Did anyone know stromuhr before last evening? The Scripps Spelling Bee is compelling television . . . A class act, John Wooden, has a special place in heaven. This man exuded character . . . I don’t care for Yo Gabba Gabba!, but The Boy does. I saw there is a show at the Mann this summer. I balked at the $250 price tag for our family to go to this. Is this really what family entertainment costs these days? . . . I want one of these T-shirts . . . Armando Galarraga displayed great sportsmanship this week. Very impressive from such a young man. Jim Joyce handled his shortcoming well. This proves that not everything has to degrade . . . Speaking of character, Miles Jackson is back on the scene. I agree with him on this issue, although I do not respect his character much . . . Paul McCartney took a severe character hit this week too. Band on the Run was my first or second album purchased. I am a fan of his music, not his politics . . . Speaking of music, I am going to see The Manhattan Transfer again in December . . .
