Eating Out

 Today  I started late but conquered one of the many tasks I want to complete before I host our upcoming family fest.  There is a chance my wheelchair-bound aunt will need to get up the steps, and it might be easier to get her up the back steps, so I figured I should clean off the back porch, as I have not used it for anything since I moved in.  It was not too bad, sort of; I had to clean off the mess -- moss, leaves, etc -- that was there and put that in the compost.  There was also stuff there -- some metal to be scrapped, an old wheelbarrow (not sure what to do with it), a large ladder that can only be stored there... anyways, all of that was moved and handled.   Then I got rid of the dirt and such on the concrete, or, as best as I could.  It does look bare and nice, and someone could get up it with a ramp.  It took a while but it does look good.  I do need to fix the driveway but also need to clean the house!  Hell, I still need to get the menu down and such.

To reward myself I went to that Bubbakoo Burrito place that opened a while ago on 82.  It was quite good; basically, it's a more complex Chipotle with more interesting burrito options.  I went with the Pineapple Express -- fried chicken, rice, pineapple.  Good, but the sauce was spicier than I expected and also liberally applied, so much so that the burrito fell apart at the end.  It was worth the $16 (with chips and drink) but I was quite full -- it affected me all day -- and my digestive system was... slightly but not terribly awry.  Anyways, I was in sort of a malaise the rest of the day.  Might be tired, too.

Yesterday I went to buy a new phone charger -- not even a year old and has to be replaced! -- and I walked by Mission BBQ and saw the shrimp dinner.  I thought that looked good and after my workout I walked over had that and a couple of sides.  It was good -- shrimp was spicy, sauce fine -- and the sides are good but I do not think it was $24 good.  They do have unlimited Diet Dew, and I am glad I tried it, but... anyways, I took some salmon out of the freezer tonight and will have some healthy dinners the next couple of days (at least).  I was tempted to hit the Greek Fest in North Royalton, or the Serb Fest -- and I still might tomorrow -- but there is something to be said for eating light.

How Lord of the Rings Shaped JD Vance’s Politics - POLITICO
I seem to recall these articles first around 9/11, when we were truly confronted with the good vs. evil paradigm, and they have never really gone away, especially on the right.  Nor am I surprised; we are the party of morals, values, and ethics, and I think in most cases we see things in this way.  And, of course, that is what these books are about; at most, the characters are trying to keep the evil and barbaric away, and that is what being a Republican (still) is...