I remember writing about a trip to Mexico while serving in the Marines. It was but a short journey of harrowing roads and fearless and seemingly senseless drivers to any given destination to the South. As I think back on a trip to the Las Playas bull arena one day, I still can’t be sure… Read more »

I am reminiscing on the New Year’s article on breaking down the beef tenderloin and despite the spotty weather I am determined to grill something.  Wiping the pollen off of the grill lid and scraping down the bars, shamefully left soiled since last winter, I prepare my fiery flame thrower for the first session of… Read more »

There an old saying to the effect that the tools don’t make the cook.  And while for the most part I agree with this, it is simply too obvious that the proper tools can make anyone’s job much easier. Nowhere is this truer than in the kitchen.  As I have been rambling about for seven… Read more »

I’m training for a 12-mile mud run in mid-November in New Jersey, The Tough Mudder. Our team, Team Rickshaw, is raising money for the Wounded Warrior Project.  The run includes mud pits (very cold), icy cold water and mild electrocution, but it’s all in the name of helping those who serve us best but come… Read more »

Intimidation in the kitchen could very well be the primary reason that many people shy away from cooking from scratch. I can’t blame anyone for that. As a culture, we have shied away from what used to be the central nervous system of a home. After many studies from top universities, the prevalent thought is… Read more »

Recently I was breezing through some old ramblings and I ran across a piece I wrote in which I quipped on my first job. In 1983, the Chart House changed my young life. I learned things I probably shouldn’t have at 15, and yet still managed to hone skills I was lucky to have at… Read more »

At school, we are in the middle of a USDA-sponsored grant which emphasizes the importance of healthy food choices by the up and coming generations.  Hardly a boring task, it is an exciting challenge to be a part of. As many of us already know, our country is in poor health statistically.  I won’t stay… Read more »

I don’t exactly ‘have’ a football team, but I sure do like acting as if I did. You see, I grew up a Redskins fan (which gives me one more thing to work out for the rest of my life) and I lived in downtown and uptown Baltimore for eight years. Mired in conflict, I… Read more »

One of the greatest challenges we face in our technical program is the short class times.  Following the county schedule, we have to make do with what we have. Recently, we entertained a local chapter of the Red Hat Ladies with my mother as the gracious hostess and it was time to break out one… Read more »

A nice short trip to the mountains always seems to put things back in place for us.  Sometimes I think that I should get a couple of jobs in the summertime so that we can save enough for nice winter vacations.  I imagine that a typical predicament for those of us who live at the… Read more »