Food For Thought

This is Day 19 of the 20 Days of Chill writing challenge hosted by P. J. at A ‘lil HooHaa. Today's prompt is Your favorite meal. Please visit the other participants for more stories.

Wow, I think this is the hardest prompt yet. I can't write about my favorite meal because I can't pick just one. So I'll try and categorize some of my favorites - in no particular order.

Most Anticipated: Pizza. I make homemade pizza about every other weekend.

Biggest Yum Factor: Grilled Skirt or Flatiron steak with a simple sauce of olive oil, garlic, parsley and anchovies, always served with potatoes.

Comfort Food: Macaroni and Cheese with Hatch chile peppers.

Favorite Vegetarian dish: White beans and rice with caramelized onions.

Favorite Seafood (at home): Grilled Salmon tied with Maple Soy Salmon, always served with potatoes.

Favorite Meal Out: Crab Legs or really any seafood meal along the coast.

I realize these aren't all complete meals, but the "with-its" vary depending on what I have on hand, and as always, potatoes make everything better.


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It's a Toss-Up

This is Day 18 of the 20 Days of Chill writing challenge hosted by P. J. at A ‘lil HooHaa. Today's prompt is Coin. Please visit the other participants for more stories.

What do you think of when you hear the word coin? Money, more specifically change. However, that simple word has more meanings than the quarters, dimes, nickels and pennies rattling around in your pocket.

The process of making coins by stamping them in metal is called coining. Dimes were once coined from 90% silver.

New words or phrases are said to be coined, as in "to coin a phrase". While no one knows who actually started, or coined this phrase, it may have come about by the aforementioned making of coins. As the freshly-minted coins were new, the phrase "to coin" took on the meaning of something new, and by the sixteenth century coining new words was popular. It appears that has not changed, and new words are added to the dictionary regularly.

Coin can also refer to your fortune, or lack thereof. One who has much coin is considered rich.

Coins have two sides. First the opposite, or flip side of the coin. For example, the great news is it's raining, the bad news is game is canceled.  

And then where a thing is seen as having two sides that are closely related even though they don't seem so. Light and dark are two sides of the same coin - darkness is the absence of light and therefore light and dark are related.

The coin is also used to make a decision by tossing a coin and seeing how it lands. Heads we go out, tails we stay in. 

Finally, if two options are of equal interest or value and you can't decide, you may say it's a toss-up, in which case you may want to employ a coin toss.


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Homes Runs From A Different Era

This is Day 17 of the 20 Days of Chill writing challenge hosted by P. J. at A ‘lil HooHaa. Today's prompt is Home Run. Please visit the other participants for more stories.

I will admit that I have never been to a baseball game, and I haven't watched a game on TV in years. As mentioned in Baseball and Hotdogs, I used to watch or listen to the Red Sox back in the 70s, and while there are a number of ways to score a run in baseball, there is nothing more exciting than a home run, unless it is a grand slam home run.

When you recall the names of some of the heavy hitters, you think of Babe Ruth (714), Hank Aaron (755), Barry Bonds (762), and for the Red Sox fans, Carl Yastrzemski (452), some of whom have been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of fame.

These are just some of a much longer list of players who's talent for hitting homes is well known.

However, there is a name that is not on that list, only because he played in the days before blacks were allowed in the major league. That name is Josh Gibson. One source states he supposedly hit around 962 home runs during his career, but statistics in the negro league were not accurately kept, so the world will never know how great some of those players really were.

Some statistics from Gibson's career:

In 1933, he hit .457 with 55 homers in 137 games against all competition (They commonly played outside their league).

In 1934, he hit 69 home runs against all competition and 11 homers in 52 league games.

His Hall of Fame plaque states he hit 'almost 800 home runs' during his career.

Statistics vary and his career batting average was reportedly anywhere from .350 to.384, the highest in the negro leagues.

He was born in 1911 and began playing in 1930 at age 18, and continued until 1946.

He died from a stroke in 1947 at the age of 35. His death came just three months before Jackie Robinson became the first black player in the major league.


Sources: List of Major League Baseball career home run leaders and Josh Gibson


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Not Just Another Vacation

This is Day 16 of the 20 Days of Chill writing challenge hosted by P. J. at A ‘lil HooHaa. Today's prompt is Vacation. Please visit the other participants for more stories. 

Be an explorer. The universe is filled with wonder and magical things. - Flavia


Whether it is across the globe or in your own back yard, the world is a fascinating and wonderful place. Go check it out!

Photo credit: Ashley Morris

This was indeed a wonderful and magical experience. You can see the video and read about my experience in Linda Meets the Manatee. 



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Murder in the Warehouse

This is Day 15 of the 20 Days of Chill writing challenge hosted by P. J. at A ‘lil HooHaa. Today's prompt is Can you hear me? Please visit the other participants for more stories. 

The investigation into Jenna's kidnapping continues.

After being briefed by the local PD, Charlie and Alex checked into the hotel, and even though it was 1 a.m., their minds were thoroughly engaged in the case. Alex got some sodas, chips and candy bars from the vending machine. 

"How's that going to look on the expense report?" chortled Charlie. "Eating junk food in New York."

"Well I'm hungry and it's a little late for room service. Besides it's better than the bar for case work, although maybe I could get some wings to go. What'd ya think?"

"Whatever cranks your tractor" cracked Charlie. "But seriously, let's lay out our plan and then get some sleep so we can hit the streets first thing." 

"According to her cell phone records, her last phone call was made from here," said Alex, pointing to the map laid out across the table. "The security camera showed her heading South along 8th Avenue. I suspect he grabbed her as she was coming out of one of the theaters. It looks like the bulk of the theaters are from 40th and 54th streets between 8th Avenue, and the Avenue of the Americas. That's a lot of ground to cover." 

"The local PD will be helping canvas, and I gave them a stack of photos of Jenna, with our hotline number on them to pass out. Actually the night shift is already on this, asking around in bars and clubs, and basically anyone who might have seen or heard anything." Charlie stretched "That's it for now, let's hit the sack."

"Great!" said Alex, suppressing a yawn. "A few zzz's and I'll be ready to go." His head hit the pillow and two minutes later the snoring started. Charlie sighed. "I hope for Jenna's sake and mine that this case is solved quickly." he muttered, as he pulled a pillow over his head.

A few hours later Charlie's cell phone rang. "Yes, we'll meet you there in 30. C'mon Alex, we just have time to clean up and grab some coffee and danish and get to the precinct."

The sergeant in charge led them to a conference room where he had a map on the wall and the case file open. "We got a tip from one of our CIs who frequents places where the mafia hang out. He hasn't seen Jenna, but he heard someone named Donato talking about locating a 'piece of scum with the brains of a cockroach'. They think he may be holed up in an old warehouse near the generating plant on the other side of the East River between 38th and 40th Avenues. Why is it always a warehouse?" questioned the sergeant rhetorically.

"Okay," said Charlie, "We need to move now. I need two officers with me. "Alex, you and the Sergeant take a couple men and move in from the North, we'll go in from the South. Listen everyone, no sirens or lights. We need to keep a low profile."

At the warehouse they work in pairs to quietly clear the perimeter and check the entrances. There is a broken out window and Alex climbs through, gun drawn and flashlight beaming around the room. Charlie and his crew are working the other side. Alex spots a storage closet and on a gut feeling, tries the knob. Locked. He radios for Charlie and looks around for something to pry the door open. 

"Alex, what's with the closet?" inquired Charlie. "Did you see any signs of our perp?" 

"Nope, I just have a hunch," as he pries the door open. There on the floor on an old blanket was Jenna. She was drugged, but she appeared to be otherwise unharmed. "Call for an ambulance," Alex requested as he tried to wake her.

"Jenna, can you hear me? It's Alex."

They searched the rest of the warehouse and found the kidnapper with a single gunshot wound to the head, execution style. 

"I guess Jenna was fortunate this time. Her kidnapper actually saved her life by knocking her out and locking her in the closet." Charlie grinned. "We all got lucky with that CI's tip. 

"Now do we investigate the murder?"

"Nope, it's a local thing" said Charlie. "The NYPD will be working that case. Let's go home."

For more adventures of Charlie and Alex:

Risky Business

Aliens, Really?
The Colombians
The Key
Stranded
The Last Laugh
The Morning After

Bears, Beans and Beer

Kidnapped

Jenna's Misfortune

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