menu plan Monday

Concerts, poor decisions and wildlife. And a menu plan.

We saw a lot of strange stuff this weekend.

Stuff like Wayne Coyne of The Flaming Lips.

And then after the show we saw a guy laying on the side of the road, barefoot and flanked by EMTs. He was weeping and shouting “Please, thank you, please, thank you.” He grew belligerent when the EMTs tried to strap him to the gurney, insisting that he was not, in fact, drunk. Maybe not, but he was something. He bit one of the EMTs just as the traffic started moving again. This is how the zombie apocalypse begins, if you believe Rockford.

On Saturday I walked around the front of the car and nearly stepped on a little bird in the driveway. I screamed and leapt away. We thought he was injured, so Rockford put on some gloves and put him in a box. But he jumped out of the box and ran under the car and then disappeared. I hope he’s alright.

These weren’t so strange, but they were delicious enough to mention: Last night we had Taco Cups for dinner. They’re a little fussy, but they’re worth the effort. And here’s what we’re having for the rest of the week:

Monday: Beef & Broccoli Stir-Fry

Tuesday: Out

Wednesday: Thai curried beef

Thursday: Honey Garlic Chicken

Friday: Pizza

partner campaign, Sports

Bumper bowling is my jam

photo by Jonathon Keelty
Disclosure: Nichole participated in this campaign as a member of One2One Network and is eligible for a prize drawing. All opinions stated in this post are her own.

Most of my nights during elementary school were pretty predictable: Dinner, homework, reading and then lights-out at 9pm sharp. Thursdays, though, were a shoe of a different sole.

My mom was a single mom, and she didn’t get out much. On Thursdays, though, she bowled. So on Thursday nights Perry Mason and I spent hours playing video games, watching pool sharks, eating nachos (or begging our parents for nacho money) and gazing into the fancy bowling balls in the pro shop. We usually got home around midnight, so I was always tired at school on Friday mornings.

Weird, maybe, but it got us out of the house and out of Mom’s hair for a few hours.

Despite all that time spent at the lanes, I never really did any bowling myself until I was quite a bit older. And I certainly never became what you might call passably skilled in the sport. (My sister-in-law, on the other hand …) It shouldn’t have surprised me when Poppy bested me the first time I bowled against her. Nor should it have surprised me that she has beaten me every time sense. That child isn’t about to waste her bowling hours on pinball.

The kids and I have actually done quite a bit of bowling this summer, thanks to the AMF Lanes’ free Summer Unplugged program. I signed the kids up last month so Poppy can hone her game on two free games every day. (As can Pete, but he’s more Dude than Walter when it comes to the competitive arts.) I wanted in on the action, too — because who doesn’t love getting your pins handed to you by a 7-year-old? — so I bought their $35 summer pass, which gets me and three other adults two daily games as well. It’s a pretty good deal, and while I probably won’t be staying at a bowling alley ’til the wee hours again anytime soon, it’s a fine way to spend a hot summer’s afternoon.