Chrismakwanzika

It's Monday.  If you're not currently celebrating holiday/s then you're about to be.  Keep in mind what this time of year is all about.  Smile to everyone...and I mean everyone, as you push through crowds at the supermarket, mall, stores, etc.  It's busy...but then again, it's always busy, and they're just trying to get done what you are...a little merrymaking.  And make eye contact.  Recognize that they're people and treat them that way.

Cherish what you have, be it your dog, sister, cat, bird, 'rents, kids.  Smile at those folks too.  We don't get to choose our family, we just have to love them.  Lavish them with praise.  Be thankful.  Teach your kids to be so too. 

In addition to our families...think of others who are having a hard time.  Pledge to help when you can.  Toys for Tots drops are all over the place, and you're already arm wrestling in line at Target/Kohl's/Walmart (god forbid) so grab something for $15 and do your part to share.  It's also a great time for non-monetary gifts like time.  Donate blood.  Find a soup kitchen.  The internet will empower you. 

Be reverent.  You don't need to hit the church or temple or mosque.  Just be wary that it's a spiritual time.  If you need an eternal being to justify your actions, then please that being to the utmost.  If you believe in nothing, then it's up to you to do the heavy lifting...so, lift.

Most of all, understand that you are only in control of your thoughts and actions.  You have views that nobody else does.  And, what you do with your time is your own.  This holiday season, lead by example and rise above expectations and have fun.  Have a healthy and safe end of 2014, and we'll see you again in 2015.


Just for fun, a conversation between Jude and I after a recent Legos and Latkes event at the local synagogue:

Me: What did you think of Rabbi Abraham?

Jude:  He was nice.  That's his name?

M:  Yep.



J:  Like Abraham Lincoln?

M: Uh huh.

J: Is he?

M: No, Jude.  Abraham Lincoln lived a long time ago.

J:  That's good, because if this was him, then he'd be dead.

M: Definitely.

J: Did Abraham Lincoln really have a rocket chair? [ref: Lego Movie]

M: I think so.

J:  He probably had missiles on it because he was very scientific.

M: He was definitely a wise man, Jude. 

J: I bet he blew up a lot of bag guys. 

M:  So many, Jude, you have no idea.


HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Nashville

I will say that my trip last weekend to Nashville was mostly great.  From the lens of a tourist, the city itself was fairly walkable, contained sufficient amount of history and music, and had, generally, really good food (and drink).  The Giants won…and apparently, there are no real Tennessee professional football fans or hockey fans.  The 40-something degrees must have been too cold for them, and the night before the game, the city was overrun by happy Blackhawks people.  But, let's get to the important stuff.  Some eating highlights included:

Monelle’s – Brunch was $15/head and the food was amazing and plentiful, starting with biscuits and gravy and ending with homemade peach preserves and cinnamon rolls.  Rules are that you have to pass to the left once a food item is introduced to the table.  Once it goes full way around, you can pass it to whomever needs it.  Tables are family style and conversation with the other Giants fans, and folks from St. Louis was great.  Come for the country ham but stay for the fried chicken.

Peg-Leg Porkers – This was both a function of convenience, due to its proximity to our hotel, and because it was highly rated.  On the outskirts of the downtown, in the Gulch section of Nashville, there are a couple of micro-breweries…and this BBQ place…which was great.  Order the pulled pork.  Not only was the sauce sweet and tangy, but the pork also contained just the right amount of “bark” to provide the occasional crunch as you dig through it.  The Mac & Cheese was so creamy that it had to contain cream cheese in addition to whatever produces the unnatural yellow color.  Oh, and deep-fried peach pie…a la mode?  Yeah, that happened.

Edley’s BBQ – This was an unanticipated stop, where the other two were more planned.  After a failed attempt to get BBQ on a Sunday night at Hog Heaven (you know, the white shack behind McDonalds?), we were redirected to Edley’s where the BBQ was outrageous.  A zesty, sweet sauce that should be poured heavily over the dry-rubbed ribs.  Collard greens were tossed with bacon.  Is there another way?  Coleslaw was creamy and crisp and dinner was topped off with a small banana pudding.  I’m sure a thimble of it contained about a stick of butter and a cup of sugar.  Heart, don’t fail me now!

Sky Blue Café – A small café with hipster leanings, even if you don’t have plugs in your ears it was worth the visit for breakfast.  The Pancake-stuffed French toast with bananas and Nutella was less of a “stuff” and more of a “stack.”  Still delicious.  However, Em’s Bowl, a bowl of biscuits and gravy and potatoes and eggs with cheese topped with jalapenos and sour cream…that came as advertised.  Like Thanksgiving, you’re not done when your plate is clean, you’re done when you hate yourself (thank you Louis C.K.).

Puckett's Grocery & Restaurant - You can't imagine how many apologies they gave us when they served the tea which had not yet been sweetened.  They quickly took all the glasses away and then refilled them with tooth-shattering sweet tea.  As it happened, it was good to have something quench my thirst because their patented hot chicken-fried chicken had a bit of a zing.  This was our last meal in Music City, and its effects were already working against us...meaning, this was the first time someone in our group ordered a salad all weekend, a weekend where the coleslaw and jalapenos were our excuse for "veggies."   Oh, yeah, we had celery and carrots in our bloody marys.  Practically a salad.

All that said, the city itself is still contending with outdated racial issues, as one might expect in the Deep South.  Being from the Greater New York Metropolitan area it was obvious to me that minorities were grossly underrepresented, both as visitors to Nashville and employed in some of the many tourism-fed businesses.  Several comments were made to my friends and I as we navigated through the Country Music Hall of Fame and Opryland.  One, which was outright racist, was followed by the individual saying “but, I’m not being racist about it.”  The fact that you believe you have to qualify your clearly racist comment probably means that it was.  People have issues.  And, it makes you clearly understand how white/black tensions can escalate so quickly in places like Ferguson, MO and Miami Gardens, FL…and how, in both situations, the killers were absolved of any wrong-doing. 

However, that’s a fairly crappy paragraph to end on.  And, to be honest, I liked Nashville for 2 ½ days.  I can clearly see how being there any longer might bore a person.  Of the two Tennessee cities I’ve visited, I prefer Memphis.  Similar food but I’ll take Graceland, Sun Records and B.B. King any day of the week over Taylor Swift, Alan Jackson and Opryland. 

Gaming

I wasn’t a huge video game head when I was a kid.  Sure, our family had access to both the Atari 2600 and Atari 7800 (with keyboard), and then, in the late 80s our parents broke down and got us the Cadillac of consoles, the Nintendo Entertainment System.  But, that all happened in middle and high school. 

It’s 2014, and last holiday season, I bought a copy of Lego Marvel Superheroes to share with my son, who, at that point, was 4 1/2.  In the last year, we’ve made it our time to play together.  If he’s playing, I’m next to him, helping him with some of the puzzles…teaming with him where two players are absolutely necessary, and just having a great time. He’s into it.  What kid wouldn’t be?  Since then, we’ve completed well over 80% of the game (because it tells us we did).  Say what you want about kids and video games, this one has lent itself to positive time with my son and I that neither my wife or daughter (yet) can participate in.

Oh, and I love it.  I’ve been a big fan of the Lego computer games since they released Lego Star Wars years ago (finished 100% of that one).  So, as the holidays grow closer, I thought I’d share that most of the Lego series is available on Steam for $5 a game. 

Yes…$5 for a game.

What’s Steam?  Steam is a clearinghouse of videogames where, with a username, password and credit card, you can bypass Toys R Us, Amazon, Target or anyplace else where computer games are sold, and buy a download of a game, direct to your computer.  It’s available for both Mac and PC.  I know Macs already have their App store in OSX, but this makes it possible for PC Users to get in on the direct download action.  Also, if the game supports it, multiplayer is handled through Steam’s servers so that you can interact with other players online. 

How to start?  First, download Steam and create your account, much like you would any online retailer.  Note that this is actually software that sits on your desktop (task bar) and, when you’re connected to the internet, you’re good to go. 

Back to Lego for a minute: the $5 seems done, but the game is still available for $10 less than rival brick & mortar stores.  And, even if you purchase it through Amazon, it only provides you with an activation key, which you then have to use with Steam anyway.

Regardless, I think the games are worth it, and after a little troubleshooting, they work just as well as the console versions.