A couple of friends of mine threw a Thanksgiving dinner on Saturday. A great time was had by all, and it lead me to the thought that there are many holidays that are not located in the best times of the year. I mean, its just over 3 months from November 11th (Veterans day) to February 15 (Washington's birthday), and yet there are six holidays during that time. The whole rest of the year only has four. That's 60% of our national days off where a cookout at the park is out of the question.

I offer no real solution for this problem, but it deserves further study.

Spring is finally here in Seattle, and with it comes allergies. I never had any problem with pollen and such ilk when I was young, but I am now subject to their evil machinations. It used to be that I could get effective medication at the store, but due to some damn meth-heads the good stuff is locked away behind the counter at the pharmacy. Every time I buy a box, they check my id and put my name on a list. I'm not sure I like being on the "suspected drug kingpin" list.

I've been reading about classic mixed drinks, and I'm ashamed at how many I've never tasted. I'm going to make a list of drinks that I've never tried, and every time I'm at a bar I'm going to order at least one drink from that list.

Man, cooks in the 60's had the right idea! I've been experimenting with casseroles the last few weeks; nothing can be easier. Throw a vegetable in a dish with some cream of whatever soup, some onions or peppers, maybe some noodles or chicken, and bake. I've yet to come up with a combination that doesn't work. Next up, cream of shrimp and kale!