I thought butchers ground meat

Tomorrow is my daughter's 5th birthday, next week she starts kindergarten, and I asked her what she wanted to eat for her birthday.  She chose tortellini, which involves making the pasta fresh and hand folding each tortellino (4 semesters of Italian taught me that tortellini is the plural and saying tortellinis is wrong).  I use the same recipe my grandma used and passed along through my mom and probably originated at least with my great grandma from Bologna and it's always been my favorite food.  I've made it three times now.  The first time turned out decently, but I couldn't get ground veal at the grocery store, so I used their meatball mix which included beef, pork, and veal.  It wasn't quite tender enough.  Last time I bought a piece of veal and ground it up myself in the food processor.  This worked well, except the gristle didn't grind well and left chunks that I incompletely picked out of the mixture as I was folding.  (There was also the side issue of drying them in the oven so the cats wouldn't eat them and forgetting they were there when I heated up the oven for something else.  Baked pasta that has not been boiled yet is disgusting and no amount of sauce or cheese can save it.)  On Monday I went to get ingredients and they had ground veal, but not pork.  I asked the butcher if they had ground pork and she responded that they were out but a truck was coming in on Tuesday.  At this point, many responses flew through my head, all with the common idea that "you are a butcher," "you cut meat for a living," and "don't you have some sort of meat grinder back there?"  Then my thoughts turned to why they had to wait for a truck to bring in ground pork.  With all of that big equipment back there, you have to do more than use the big heated plastic wrap dispenser.  I eventually asked if they could grind some and was met with the reply of, "I guess, but you'll have to wait for it.  How much do you need."  The words themselves weren't so bad, but the total lack of initiative or desire for customer service was.  I asked for my half pound and saw that it was only $1.50/pound.  I don't think they gave me the best quality ground pork; we'll see.  Since I moved here, I've tried avoiding this grocery store because there always seems to be a general atmosphere of inconvenience exuding from the employees whenever they are asked for something.  I refuse to use the deli because they are outright hostile and nobody wants hostility mixed in with their cold cuts.  But this latest episode just confirms my idea that there is something wrong with that store.  Even though it was recently renovated, the only real improvement was the addition of buying beer in six-packs (this state has the weirdest liquor laws).  I'm sticking with Giant.

VH1's Top 100 One Hit Wonders From the 80's

I have to take issue with the final five.

5. Tainted Love
4. 867-5309/Jenny
3. Take On Me
2. I Ran
1. Come On Eileen

I am ok with four of those songs being in the top five, but to say that Come On Eileen is the best one hit wonder from the 80's is going to far. I personally feel that it is overrated and shouldn't be in the top 10. I'll give it top 20, but no better. There I said it. I am not a fan of Come On Eileen. As for the rest, I agree with their presence in the top 5, but the order is wrong. Here is how I would order them.

4. 867-5309/Jenny
3. I Ran
2. Take On Me
1. Tainted Love

Tell me what you think. I agree with this top 5 more than I usually do with the VH1 countdowns (I can't stop watching them, especially when they deal with the 80's). Which song would you put in the #5 slot?

As for the rest of the list, Midnight Oil was not a 1 hit wonder and doesn't belong. There are a few notable songs that were ranked way too low such as: Boom Boom Boom Let's Go Back To My Room - #89, Major Tom - #68, You Spin Me Round (Like A Record) - #19. Those three are all easily top 20 and You Spin Me Round should be at least top 10 if not in that #5 spot.

Those are the ones that stick out the most. Of course I'd put Relax, Whip It, Safety Dance, and a few others higher, but they are close enough. Check out the list, what glaring errors do you see?

Dell Rant

For the first 3 weeks of June, I was without my own computer. I had been using my school laptop, but they needed it for summer maintenance and I couldn't go back to my Windows '98 machine. A quick daily check on my wife's computer was the extent of my usage. For the past week, I have been spoiling myself with my new computer. The problem is, I have been completely unproductive because I have not had any Office applications to use. As I went to use Office 2010 for the first time, I was asked for my product key. After much searching, the key I entered would not work. Upon closer examination, and a bit of humiliation, I realized I was entering the Windows 7 product key.

I sent Dell an email explaining that I did not receive the product key with the computer. The auto-response email stated that they would get back to me within 6 hours. The next day I decided to call Dell. After explaining my situation, I was told that I needed to get the card with the product key on it and enter that. I repeated that I received no such item with my shipments. Anyone who knows me knows that when it comes to technology and its documentation, I don't throw anything away. Finally, the person I was speaking with said that they would send out a copy of Office with a new product key and it should arrive by Tuesday (the day was Monday).

Tuesday came by - nothing. Wednesday came and I got a response to my email saying that I did not need a product key to use the Starter Edition. Thursday came with nothing in the mail, so I responded to the email stating that I purchased, was billed for, and paid for the Home and Student edition and that I was getting a bit cranky. Later that day, I got a response stating that I need to go into the shipping boxes and retrieve the product key. Needless to say (though I'll say it anyway), I was getting a wee might irritated. I checked every box and piece of paper again and then responded that, as I said in the telephone conversation, I never received that card. At that point, I asked that I either get a product key by the end of the week or have my money refunded. I got a response this morning (Friday) saying that they don't send out physical copies, but that a new product key would arrive in 1-3 days.

Arg. At least I have a pretty monitor.

Her first roller coaster

Took the kids and grandparents to Knoebel's yesterday. It was the best day I have ever been there. The forecast called for tortuous heat and humidity, but it turned out to be decent with a good breeze. Being a Wednesday there were virtually no lines for the rides. The girl was very excited because she finally got on the Ferris Wheel. I took the boy on the spiral slide, but I think they remodeled it. It was always a tight fit, but I think they made it a little bit narrower. I'm not sure what that design decision was supposed to do, but what it actually did was create some great, squeaking sounds as we went down and gave me a nice, bright red splotch on my thigh. Had it been on my fingers, I think the fingerprints would have melted.

I think the highlight of the day was the girl's first real roller coaster ride. She passed the 42 inch mark and I got her all hyped up about going on the Phoenix. Before we got going, I put my arm around her. It was a good thing I did. I forgot how much you rise out of the seat and it felt like I was holding her in the car at times. About half way through, she was quietly sobbing, but pulled it together by the time the cars came to a stop. As we were walking away, I asked her how she liked it. This is basically what she said:

"I started to cry a little bit because it was so bumpy and if you weren't holding on to me I would have gone up into the air. I liked it and want to go on it again...someday."

That was possibly one of the most complete answers I will get from her about anything ever. She did, however, tell me that night that it was her favorite ride of the year.

Disconnected to reality

Tomorrow starts the last week of school. Our school has started major renovations (I'll be surprised if they are finished come the beginning of the next year) before the year even ended. Tomorrow is supposed to be field day. The weather forecast calls for an 80% chance of rain. If it rains, I don't know what we will do for the day. They surprised me on Friday while I was at a workshop. I returned to my room to find everything gone, including the bag I brought with me in the morning. I had to climb over stacks of desks and cabinets to retrieve my personal belongings and papers that I would need for the next week. Anyone know an anti-rain dance?

The end of the school year also calls for a return my school laptop for summer maintenance. I don't have my own computer, unless I want to go back to my windows 98 machine that I thought I'd retired this past summer. My only connection to the outside world (ignoring actual, physical interaction of course) will be taken away from me for at least 3 weeks. I got the go ahead from my wife to buy a new computer, but as much as I like that idea, the actual process terrifies me. I want to keep the cost down, but I get so bogged down with the details about which processor to choose and how much RAM I should get that I find it almost impossible to choose. I've gone through most of the plausible permutations the Dell website and my paralysis by analysis is making me consider going to a store like Best Buy and picking one that they have already built. This would be so much easier if I were rich. Donations anyone?

Disappointment and Dragons (not connected)

I finally made it to the new bike shop in town. I swung by on Friday, but they were closed. I walked in today, but it seemed a little dark. I went back to the open door and looked to make sure it said "Open." It did. I figured they were trying to save on energy. I went in and was pointedly ignored until I asked a question. I asked if they sold used bikes. They guy simply said, "No," and that was it. Having worked in a bike shop and knowing other people who have and run bikes shops, I know that the key to a successful shop is service and community. I continued walking around the store to see what they had and never once did the guy try to engage me in any way. Now this is a new branch of a local shop that opened up in anticipation of a rail-to-trail opening within a half block. There is already one shop in town and it's not a large town, so you would think that this shop would be doing everything it could to get customers. As I finished my circuit of the store, the guy was at the formerly open doors and was closing them and turning the open sign around. No longer hidden was the sign showing the hours. I said, "Oh, you guys aren't open yet?" and he barely acknowledged my comment and utterly failed to win me over as a customer...ever. That made me very sad.

Our downtown area puzzles me. There is a good variety of shops, but at very few of them do I actually feel welcome when I walk inside. I don't know how some of them maintain business. As I was walking from the mechanic to the bike shop, I was struck by how pedestrian (and bike) unfriendly our community is. There is now safe/comfortable path to take along the major route through town (separate from the downtown stretch). Sidewalks are in bad disrepair and the pedestrian crossing system is so car-centric that it takes a very long time to get a cross signal and they are some of the shortest signals I've seen. Our community is currently deciding the fate of the high school. Our population is growing and our current schools are going to run out of room. We have the pleasure of a school right in the middle of the community and as I walked past it today I actually realized the benefit of having a school in the heart, rather than on outskirts, of the community. We need to focus on lessening the sprawl and making the community more of a cohesive integrated one. I'm not sure how that will happen, though.

It's been a great spring break so far and we had great weather for a little birthday party on Saturday. Yesterday I took my daughter to see How To Train Your Dragon in 3D. She was almost too small for the glasses. I kept pushing them up her face periodically throughout the movie. It was really good. I mean, given dragons and vikings, it's easy to do well, but this was a very entertaining movie. I have only one minor complaint. Why do the vikings have vaguely Scottish accents? Is it that difficult to do a Scandinavian accent? Vikings get so little screen time as it is that they deserve a more accurate portrayal while they are fighting dragons.

Fast run and test prep

Went for my first run after the Humdinger last week (felt like I needed some time for the bleeding to stop). Knowing there were no killer hills made me feel lighter on my feet than I've velt in a long time. I ran the fastest 5k since I started running again last year. It's anywhere near as fast as I used to run, but it was a step in the right direction (a bunch of them really and they basically led me in a giant circle...) and I didn't feel terrible afterwards. I just signed up to do a 10k trail run on the oldest rail-trail conversion in the country. This is a distance I've never run before. After my fast 5k I sort of wish I were doing that distance instead, but I'm interested to see what I can do with a longer distance without any rock climbing and foot-skiing along the way.

The Humdinger was unbelievable this year. Somehow, they managed to fit more uphills into the course. There was a lot of snow of varying conditions all along the trails, and there were some downhills that were so snowy and steep, that we were actually sliding the whole way down. Gravity still works and was doing its best to take me down. It nearly succeeded once, but I tucked and rolled and came back up in stride. That felt good, considering it was about 5 miles into the race. My brother surprised me with a visit and ran it with me. He was nice enough to stay with me when he probably could have finished 10 minutes faster without much effort. The end of the race was a blast too. They covered a short, steep hill with plastic and snow and turned it into a giant slip-n-slide to the finish. That with beer and chili post-race was a great way to end it. I'm definitely going back next year.

Were' approaching that time of the year again - state testing. This year, in their infinite wisdom, the state has decided that 8th graders don't need to learn during April. Instead, we are having 3 tests in math, 3 tests in reading (concurrent with math), 4 tests in writing and 2 tests in science. That pretty much takes up the entire last 3 weeks of April, with the first week being our very abbreviated spring break. At the end of this week, we have about 2 class weeks left before the math tests start, so we'll be ramping up the test prep. Good times.