BELLYDANCING, BEER, AND GOODNESS

This is a ridiculously overdue update on life but I needed to tell you about the weekend's activities foremost:
I called-in to work on Friday because I woke up on the wrong side of the bed. -not joking- But that enabled me to take G'ma to Sandia Casino before lunch. I couldn't break $40 on the roulette table and decided to throw it away on the slots out of disgust for myself. After a butter-grilled ham‘n’cheese, I hit Puerto Del Sol Golf Course for nine holes in some shitty weather. I had some great shots though my score reflected my inconsistency rather than my luck. For dinner Adam (the neighbor) and I went down to the Asian Noodle Bar downtown. Being that I couldn't decide what to eat I left the biggest decision of my evening to a fortune cookie. Shortly later my status update on Facebook read:

cracked a fortune cookie to decide what to eat for dinner. it said "Love is as necessary to human beings as food and shelter". that means #18 the Viet Pho.

Adam was laughing at my logic but ended up following his fortune cookie shortly after. Seriously though, I read my fortune and instantly knew it was screaming my need for some soul food... And being that Pho is to Vietnamese what frijoles are to Norteños it wasn't a question what I was eating. … In the end I almost wanted to toast the bowl of broth to the heavens but decided that it’s lack of mint and with the lack of heat from the jalapeños it would have been half hearted at best.

After our bellies were swollen I had an invite to Marble Brewery for a belly dancing show. Adam and I rolled in thankful to see friends of his with a table. We stayed for a few pints; I drank the Maibock and the D-IPA which were both great. -Maibock>IPA- The belly dancing show was great and I think the entire bar really enjoyed the love the show brings. Hell, I don't think most of the people knew what they were in for. When half our table stood up to leave they invited a few girls to sit with us... "you should sit with these guys, their nice don't worry about it". LOL. We were and it worked out well for them since we left the table when the beer killed our attention span.

Saturday I was supposed to have breakfast with some family but after a cancellation I rested till dinner… I felt I needed some BWs BUT there was a WEC fight and a $5 cover and wasn’t in the mood for gente. Cruising down Wyoming in the previous location of the Range Café lays the Rodeo Grill. Adam saw the flame painted façade while we roared by in the Blazer and suggested the stop = BEST IDEA EVER. With the suggestion of the barkeep to start with the Steak Nachos –a quality cut of beef perfectly cooked and cubed on a bed of nachos- I couldn’t help but try the Rodeo Taco Skillet with the Yucatan-styled pulled pork after the nachos disappeared. And when I say the nachos disappeared they did! Other words to describe the nachos include awesome, money, great, tasty, bang-for-your-buck… The pork that came with the tacos was solid; of course I’ve had better but this pork was real: the same stuff my mom and Dan would cook up or that I’ve found wondering in Baja California. I chose Deschutes Obsidian Stout to accompany my meal with has to be the easiest and tastiest stout I’ve found in recent history. Adam chose the Lemon Basil Blueberry

-“Tart lemon, sweet blueberry and aromatic basil rimmed with a lemon-basil sugar for the finishing touch”- which, as if we needed any more goodness from this place made us both savor ever second of flavor this shake presented. No f-ing joke we smiled our way through it vowing to come back.

I walked out of the Rodeo Grill wondering what the hell else we’ve been missing spending our time and money in sNob Hill.

Adam’s friend Mike was celebrating at Hotel Andaluz’s new bar Ibiza so we rolled to visit that crazy bastard. I enjoyed the live band in the lobby and DJ Eldon in the patio. The bar staff was slammed so getting a drink was impossible BUT I think that kept everyone sober enough to chill out and enjoy this new spot. Tips: dress well, tip better, and hope they recognize your swag. -HA!-

This morning I started my morning at Arroyo de Oso GC on the Dam Nine. Had some more great shots and ended with another shitty score. –what the F ever…- halfway through the round we caught up to the guy playing solo in front of us. After a few holes he asked our ages muttering “must be nice” with a smile after. But the reason I mention this guy was the conversation he started after putting out on the 9^th green: Are you guys married? –no- Don’t do it till your 30 at least. Do you have any kids? –no- Good, have them a few years later. Travel. Enjoy life. And travel. –for sure, I still have toys to buy- I’m serious, she wont let you even if you have the money… and once the kids come…

Conversations like these are icing on weekends like these cake… -if that makes sense- but back to the food: GO EAT @ THE RODEO GRILL!!! or visit the Asian Noodle Bar downtown. And try the Maibock at Marble. Well, that's if you want to die happy... if not, meh, keep suffering without knowing how good this gets.

And don't forget to check in at Old World imports and ask about the next Belly Dancing Show.

the newest and my 1970 Blazer

The following is my -abbreviated- first post to a forum on 69-72 Chevy Blazers.

“So I’ve been reading reply after reply about the importance of a properly ground electrical system and NEED some pointers. I bought a Blazer with some wiring issues (nothing but the headlights worked) but after 4hrs in the truck I got all the lights to work... kinda.
Here is where I’m at:
1. The gauges work but not the backlights or indicators
2. Headlights, Hazards, Markers, Parking and Brake lights work at times
3. Only the passenger tail (light) turn signal works. (nothing else blinks)
4. All fuses and bulbs are good. And flashers too.

I guess I’m cleaning house on bad wiring and looking for some tips on grounding. And if anyone knows of a better set of wiring diagrams (all I have is the generic Haynes manual) I’d really appreciate the help.”

It’s been a long week trying to figure out the Blazer as my own project and I’m ridiculously motivated to make this happen. There is such a huge risk of a future automotive headache with anything that you drive out of warranty not to mention when you’re no mechanic. But really, since Thursday the 25th (when I bought the 1970 Blazer) I’ve been putting all my attention to getting the wiring figured out. I’ve dedicated at least 4hrs in the truck and probably another 4hrs on my computer scouring the internet for information on the newest mess I’ve gotten myself into. So far no buyers remorse, mostly thanks to my friends’ comments on Facebook but the possibility is still there. If I get everything electrically figured out by the middle of the week I’ll replace some gaskets and make a trip North in it this weekend… IF. (big if) ... I know i can figure this out.

In other news I started reading a new book called Blue Highways. I saw this book at the Boston Museum of Fine Art during a show of Ralph Lauren’s car collection. –here is a link to a photo blog on the experience: -CLICK THIS- Since the show I have thought about the book and even tried to locate it a few times not remembering anything but the names of the chapters to no avail. But now that all I can think about is driving and thanks to a thrift store’s book section I’m sure the golf gods are watching over me.

Now how am I going to afford my weekly mission to find Albuquerque’s Best Burger or for that matter get my Range Café's Green Chile Chicken Fried Steak fix with my new purchase!?! And with Kai’s now serving processed pork… Guess I might have to go New Mexican/Mexican all week… (as if I’d mind it) thank doG i have a fridge full of beer and a few bottles of bourbon in stock...

Critic's Log

The Standard Diner - Ceviche and the Bourbon Burger: The ceviche was nothing to crave though it wasn't bad. Good luck noticing the seafood in your mouth with the onions, citrus, and tomato. And as an appetizer, if there is more than one person eating you might want to pick something that will fill a larger vessel than a quarter cup. Seriously four healthy tablespoons of appetizer... The burger was at first bite a stoner's dream. Half pound of angus topped with a healthy dollop of maple syrup and bourbon infused butter. I loved it till I started hating myself for skipping the house (side) salad that came with it. So overwhelming with artery clogging goodness I started the salad before the last three bites of which I removed the bun since it was the sponge of the goodness. (guess i got self-conscious) Note that moving to the salad was a bittersweet idea since the salad was limp and was mostly greens that tasted like dirt. And for you traditionalists there are no chips of potato involved in the meal… And I'm not fond of burgers that are shaped, in this case round with squares edges like they were pulled out of the freezer... All in all, if you’re looking for a calorie packed tasty burger and aren’t craving a salty meal show up and blow up.

on a side note: NOT all Range Cafes are equal. the one on Wyoming sucks in comparison to the Menual location. Dish of Comparison: The Chicken Fried Steak with green chile gravy. The cooks at the Wyoming location don't know how to fry potatoes and serve cold food... (and it wasn't the first time) So... yeah, oh well. FYI: the Menaul location is where the good stuff is located.