Ribs and Flowers

My boss stayed home to take his younger son to the doctor and found out he had strep throat. He also received a hysterical call from his wife that she had been sideswiped by a truck who had not estimated her distance on a turn. The car she was driving was only two days old. His wife was okay and the car still drivable. This man is a good man and deserves a break. Bridget and I are his break. We took care of the fort while he got everything sorted out.

Bridget and I worked out again at the gym at 11:30am. Today seemed tougher than yesterday. With her left knee/leg and my right knee hurting, we were quite the pair. Getting old sucks. My knee smarting is a haunting ghost from last year's UK trip where I stumbled off the sidewalk. Breathed through it because I wanted to give Rob a good report. It wasn't good, but not bad either. On the other hand, the eye candy was great! No, I didn't report on that bit.

Spent time in the afternoon getting a vendor to work with me on tuning a process with a company-wide program while grilling another employee on something he was convinced happened. It was amazing to find out that he had more concrete information counter to what he was telling me only after I involved my boss. Grrr.

Left work to meander around Tampa streets during rush hour to meet Myrna and Kristey at a South Tampa institution, Kojak's. I had heard rave reviews about it, but had never been. The service was very quick and the food reasonable cost. The ribs were cooked in a dry rub and was passably good to me. I could see the broad appeal though. I just prefer my ribs finger-licking sloppy. My ideal are smoked ribs basted in a robust sauce with a sweet and spicy tang. I also need extra sauce on the side. (Did I mention rice, too? I know -- that maybe stretching my fantasy a bit.) My sour taste came in the form of authentic Key Lime Pie. I love that pie flavor! It is unapologetic about being sharply sour with enough sweetness to be forgiving.

I was mesmerized by these lights and neon "chicken" sign reflecting against the awning.


Gas lamps! Cool.


Kristey shared her Hawaii pics, stories and gave us gifts.


This is on Gandy near Bayshore Blvd in South Tampa.



I received a bottle of macadamia nut oil infused with garlic and an orchid pin that reminded Kristey of the sugarpaste flowers I made a few years ago. I was trying to further my cake decorating skills at the time.

Orchid in Enamel Pin and Sugarpaste


Before I forget, besides the fun workout yesterday with Bridget, I received an advance preview of my boss' commentary on my performance appraisal. It was great! I felt like I received a very professional assessment. We get to talk on Friday about it. I just want the review to be backed up with an admirable raise. The only hindrance is that our group is not a revenue generating group and a case is difficult to plead even if you report up the chain to the SVP of Finance. Sometimes that is how the cookie crumbles.

For fun: Visit FARK for news. Florida has their own image tag. Yes, our state is that worthy...or was that exceedingly stupid, weird and horrific?
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Ribs and Flowers