BIG Money Lottery UPDATE

 Well, I had my challenge during the 2 Billion Powerball rush last week. I went multiple times had help with the forms and on Wednesday played my numbers again. Or so I thought. Turns out I had a couple numbers right and thought I won a couple bucks. I went in Friday morning and the Circle K lady said...you have the Mississippi Mega Millions tickets for tonight. What? Not even the right lottery. I finally sort the Powerball deal out but NOT?

All's well that ends well. I had the same winnings from the Mega Millions and now can finally move on to tonight's Powerball. Yes it's only paying 150 million or so but that should be enough for me to get by on.

WINTER FOOD for a CHILLY SATURDAY

Meanwhile I got my instantpot out to make something warm and tasty. The cold front is coming in. It's snowing in Indiana so I feel fortunate. I put peas, cannelloni beans fire roasted tomatoes and seasoned it with garlic powder, sea salt, white pepper and onion flakes. Cooked for 35 minutes the peas and tomatoes turned into a soup consistency and the beans were all dente. I served in on crusty sourdough bread drenched with olive oil. Very nice. No pictures as I ate it as I made it. lol Not much of a blogger am I Next time for sure. Bon Appetit.  

Scientific Experiments Wa Ha Ha

 So soon after Halloween and still using ghostly voiceovers, my usual Virgo self is staying busy doing experiments and being creative. With the Powerball over 2 Billion and a winner Tuesday morning (delayed due to technical difficulties) I stopped in the Circle K to check it out last week. I've never been in the store and we've lived here 2.5 years so I needed help filling out the forms and understanding the rules. Last Wednesday I got the quick pick and Monday after 3 trips to the kiosk got my form correct picking my own numbers. Monday night skipped and Wednesday night I used my VERY scientific  formula. I watched a you tube video of a guy offering to sell me his system. Hmmm. It sounded pretty easy to do and I got my clipboard out and crunched the numbers from last year. Low and behold I got the powerball number right. $4 cash out and now am excited and thinking I may be able to make Carmen rich. Dangerous right?

I'm still doing Dr Gundry's nutrition program and on my restocking trip to Walmart met the bread guy who does my Rustik brand Sourdough. It's very good and I told him I suspected that a small local restaurant may be buying up his bi weekly stock. He had a loaf on the truck for me and that made me happy. I also got a dozen Wild caught Atlantic Scallops and sauteed them in Braggs Olive Oil and 365 Organic garlic powder. My treat for the day was a chunk of the bread soaked in the finished juices. Wow. Delicious and I still have a dozen scallops reserved for my protein this weekend. I used a few pieces of Sourdough from Wholefoods which was perfect sponge. 

Todays tip...Never throw the pan juices out. Have a great weekend, hopefully by next week I'll be rich. 

Wow it's Halloween already.

 I know, I know I promised I would write weekly. Well I was doing a great job and then got sidetracked by health and fitness concerns. Having turned 69 in early September I've always tried to stay ahead of the health curve. I'm fortunate to have VA and service related medical coverage. 

Basically I've felt my life was like a speedometer and my fitness and nutrition has followed than line. So my early years I spent with Grandfather most Summers and weekends. I was the oldest grandchild.

He had a dump truck and tractor and leased property that would become Southlake Mall in Merrillville Indiana. We raised cantaloupe and tomatoes for Libbey Company. I loved taking them to the Alsip Illinois plant to be made into ketchup. We mostly ate what would be considered organic and healthy today, mostly vegetables and grass fed beef and chicken. We would stop at the farmers stalls in the Merrillville and Crown Point areas for our food. The chain grocery stores were just starting to open in the Gary area. This was around 1965 and I was lean and energetic. I was a catcher in little league.

The next phase was phase was middle school through college. I was in the middle of the conversion of "real" sugar drinks to fructose. I was a fry man at the local fast food restaurant, a Hotel school major at Michigan State and spent 4 years in the Army in Germany. So by my late 20's I weighed 310 (think 85 Bears lineman). We took KFC to our family reunions.

About that time fitness became a thing and after reading a book by Bob Haas who trained famous tennis players and my cardiologist warning me of future arterial bypasses I started my own fitness and nutrition routine. Eventually eating from Whole Foods and the like and running 6 miles a day. I was 215 and had some muscle going...lol sadly the running wasn't good for my hips. But as this life is a learning experience, I'm still learning. Sometimes less is more.

Yeah so here I am at 69. I've had AFIB Atrial Fibrillation (funky heartbeat) for about 15 years and treated the symptoms with acupuncture and herbs. I've always said if I had an event I would see the cardiologist immediately. I tell people I have a disco heartbeat in a jazz world...maybe a little rock too.

So that's where I've been this Summer. On June 9th I went to the ER ( my event) with RVR...a more serious AFIB related heart rhythm disorder. My herbs and fitness routine changed out for American drugs and therapy. The drugs while slowing my heart packed on 22 pounds of fluid and made me tired and gave me nightmares. I was scheduled for an Angioplasty. I aced the Angioplasty no plaque and no stents. I feel my plant based diet was the reason for that. Also my basic fitness level. I ride my bike, swim and lift moderate weights. 

We then scheduled the Ablation. My heart was shocked 7 times and regained my original 1980's heart rhythm for an hour. The following week I had the shock again and the rhythm remained 5 days. So that's where were at now I have one drug for the heart rate, one for thinning the blood (stroke risk) and the last for the fluid...I've gotten back to my original starting weight of 200. My eighth grade weight.

So that's catch up...I see the cardiologist next week. There is a chance my rhythm will revert to the  correct beat as my heart heals. I'm cleared to bike swim and lift my moderate weights. My main goal is to get off the drugs and back to herbs. I had my first acupuncture visit Saturday. That was beneficial.

I've added Trace Mineral drops and Vitamin C power pack each once a day. While taking the fluid retention drug they will keep my body healthy with minerals and core vitamins. I'm still doing the Dr Gundry diet with a little more calories. My thoughts are...the RVR may have been hormone related or weight loss as 200 is 32 pounds below my Army weight. Either way the Trace minerals have helped make my routine easier to administer while taking the American drugs. 

We'll see how long it takes me to get off the drugs and back to herbs. Here's to your health. Finding new ways to live longer and having fun doing it.  Thanks for stopping by.

Hamburger, French Fries and Coke

 I had a couple funny conversations this week that tied together, inspiring this short prose. First, on Wednesday we commemorated the 53rd anniversary of Man's Walk On The Moon. 53 years really...wow that's about one food service career. If you asked me what I wanted to eat the first 25 years of my life it was Hamburger, French fries and Coke. Ironically my career started at the McDonalds on 175th and Indianapolis Blvd in Hammond Indiana. Graduating MSU Hotel school and eventually working in the industry as my career. 

The "store" as we called it had a huge stockroom in back with shirts and hats we put on everyday. Most times they were clean sometimes you got the last shifts. On Saturday mornings Lou Nazzaro (owner of all the Region stores) would come in and make himself a double cheeseburger. Wow...the owner. Lou had a Caddy convertible with leather interior and 4 stores. We wanted to be Lou back then.

Well I wasn't Lou. I was the fryman ...after working all the stations I fit best there and flourished. In the old days we cut our own fries. We soaked them in the 3 compartment sink and peeled them in the Hobart peeler above. Cut them, blanched them (pre cook) in beef tallow (fat) and hung them in rack baskets waiting to finish them when you ordered. They were the best...eventually they became frozen consistent potato sticks from Idaho. They were cooked in a Proctor and Gamble styled liquid fat (think Fry Max). They were supposed to be healthier...the jury is still out on that one. I made 95 cents an hour and all I could eat on my two breaks. I would work open to close Saturday and Sunday. Leaving Sunday night after the Sherwood Club Wild Goose concerts... the patrons would storm us for their late night munchies. 

I worked the Saturday Ronald McDonald came to visit we went through all 3 racks bagging fries for 4 hours. What a party that was.

You're fired!

That day (moonwalk) was not without drama at the store. The management choose to cross train me on the grill and I was buried deep in burgers while everyone was listening to the moonwalk on the office radio. Yep portable radio. I asked for help and they shusssed me. I made a snide remark and suddenly it was about me. You're fired I was told. First time being fired but not too scary. 17 year olds firing a 15 year old. I used the office phone to call my Mom to come get me. I was unemployed one day. They forgot I was their best fryman and they had no one to cover the Tuesday night shift. The rest is the career. 53 years...smiling.

Cars, Cars and more Cars

 I know I know where have I been? Doing nothing really and the Tao says "do nothing and nothing remains undone". I did have a New York Strip from Stonnington Farms. Very nice... today I sauteed 2 dozen Wild Caught Gulf Shrimp for my weeks protein. I'm developing more recipes too.

BUT...this last few days the Cruisin the Coast buzz has been growing. My BEMA (Big Easy Mopar Assn) guys are prepping their cars. One of my FB groups asked what the most scary car following you was...the consensus was a Dodge Charger cop car lights blazing. I posted our twin 2011 Dodge Father/Daughter Nitros with the Scatpack tags. I did get the "not really very scary" comments which made me want to challenge with my car history. I did. I am.

Since Chrysler acquired AMC in 1987 they are a part of the MOPAR Group too. So my 1969 AMX two seater 390 cu 4 speed Hurst with Drag Pack qualifies. Very fast and I did get to race it in Cincinnati. It was my first restoration. That was in college. It was my last "hi po vintage machine"

Speaking of drag racing my track was US 30 Dragstrip (https://lostindiana.net/2001/08/01/us-30-drag-strip-hobart/)      4 miles east of Gary (IN) on highway US30. Where the "great ones run" on

SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY!

The Cuda below is pictured on a different track. This is actually the landing strip at the old US ARMY airbase Fliegerhorst Caserne Hanau West Germany. The car was shipped over and raced by one of the NCOS. I had a 1971 340 CUDA myself in orange. It was fun going to the Army drags. One Sunday afternoon the races were stopped to land a plane.

Topics come up hourly on the FB groups asking all sorts of questions. One was "What wheels were the best?" The Cragar S/S Mag wheel has always been the number one wheel in my book. Shown below off their website, Ironically I owned the Gold Supertricks shown on the AMX above.

But the question I responded too I answered "Fenton mags". I bought a set of Fenton Slotted mags for my 1968 Dodge Charger. They were popular and I paid about $25 a piece for them used. I should have bought the car they were on too...a 1968 Ford Galaxy Convertible. 

I've had a few cars and all of them have stories. We're not finished driving yet...unless I get money, a limo and a driver then it's like the Rock and Roll Express Disney ride. Taylor and my favorite.

See ya in my rear view mirror...the lights green.

Busey Bank Shout Out

 

Just want to shout out to my banking team. Years ago when we moved to Florida we opened an account in Punta Gorda's Busey Bank. Eventually Emerson came as assistant manager was promoted to manager and then manager of Punta Gorda and Pt Charlotte branches. The kids grew up our family moved to Tampa then Long Beach (no the other Long Beach MS). We sold our house and and had some unfriendly interaction with a big city bank. I asked Emerson to keep our money. It's not much but it's all mine.

The pandemic came and Emerson helped get the PPL worked out for my business and now my contact is Merica and Meryca and their manager Jackie. When ever there's a need they jump in and follow-up. Today we had a minor issue with a debit card. We don't use them enough it seems. Althea jumped in and even the Regional Jenni called me to pitch in. Who gives service like that. They do. 

It looks like they may have a shot at my retirement account as well. All they did was ask. Meanwhile locally I couldn't get change for 6 hundred dollar bills...I didn't have an account. Could I open an account...go home and apply online. Thankfully Busey Bank has been there for me. 

Lunch ready to go

Lunch ready to go. The Nuts.com organic pinto beans were down to the last serving in their own juices...mmmm pressure cooked in my Instant Pot to get rid of pesky lectins. Well, that became the soup base for my lunch...integrate 6- 8 tablespoons of my Weekly vege stack...organic celery, carrots, brussel sprouts and vidalia onions baked at 350 d for 40 minutes. Heat garnish with reggiano/ parm mix cheese shred and a nice sourdough bread slice covered in A2 casein Irish butter. I'll mention the cheese later but it is shredded with out the added chemical melamine. Great consistency holds well in the fridge. As usual all was prepped and in the fridge. As most of you know I do my prep on Sunday morning. A nice mental health break. Chopping!