A Post With Ramblings and Randomness? I Would Never Do Such a Thing. at 11:42 PM

What is it about this time of year that makes me want to go to Lowe’s and spend all my money?  Tools, gardening supplies, decorations, light fixtures…it doesn’t matter.  I melted the head on my old weed eater (the one I got for free last year), so I had to buy a new one, and while I was there I had to buy other things.  Nothing drastic, but that doesn’t mean I wasn’t tempted.  And then the other day I was mowing my lawn, and after I filled up the mower with gas for the second time (it takes a little more than a full tank to do my back yard) and tried to start it, it wouldn’t start.  And when I pulled the cord, gas came shooting out of the holes in the cap.  I have no idea why, but my best guess is that it’s not supposed to do that.  Maybe the engine’s just flooded or something.  I have no idea how one floods an engine on a push mower, but whatever.  So today I tried to start it again, and while there was no gas coming out of the cap, it still wouldn’t start.  Baby steps, perhaps?  Hopefully so, because buying new lawn equipment every year will get old very quickly.

I’m reasonably sure that there’s been something wrong with the flow of time this month.  I’m pretty sure it’s been May for about three years, and yet in terms of blogging, a week goes by before I even know it.  Oh well.  

So here’s the thing: I’ve had this post saved on my computer for like a week, and every time I’ve opened it, I’ve thought about something to write, and then gotten pulled away for some reason or another.  So basically, I’ve been working on this post since last Wednesday and all I have is the first paragraph.  That’s just sad.  But now that I think about it, I do have a theory to share with you.  Since there are numerous geographical regions represented here, I’d like to see what you guys think.

Anyone who’s spent enough time with me knows that I don’t order “Philly Cheesesteaks”.  I don’t order them at chain restaurants or at independent places.  Not franchises, not mom and pop stores, nothing.  This is because you can’t get a good cheesesteak (in my experience) outside that part of the country.  Actually (and I’ve mentioned this numerous times as well), the best cheesesteaks I’ve had aren’t even in Philly.  I’ve had steaks from Geno’s and Pat’s (the two most well-known steak shops in Philadelphia), but neither of them are as good as a lot of steaks that you can get in Delaware.  I don’t even know the names of a lot of the shops where I’ve gotten the sandwiches.  Some of them are just corner places in downtown Wilmington.  But a few minutes from my parents’ house you can find four or five places that have better cheesesteaks than anything I’ve had in Philly.  Did you know they put Cheez Whiz on the cheesesteaks up there?  I’m serious.  You don’t have to get it “wit whiz”, but it’s certainly the default choice for a lot of people.  I’ve had it, and I still say it’s gross.  But on to my theory.

The theory is that if you’re from a place that’s known for a certain kind of food, you can’t order that food anywhere else.  It’s almost like blasphemy.  Off the top of my head, I know I can’t order cheesesteaks or crab cakes unless I’m visiting Delaware (Maryland is known for the crab cakes, but it’s all pretty close to the Chesapeake, you know?).  If I see either item on a menu anywhere else, I completely ignore it.  I can’t even order the cheesesteak Thickburger from Hardee’s, and I love Hardee’s (reason #42 that I’m fat).  It’s not that the food isn’t as good (although that’s certainly true), it’s just something I can’t bring myself to do.  The theory doesn’t apply to places that you visit, either.  For example, I’ve had Chicago-style pizza in Chicago, but I’ll still order it from Papa Murphy’s (I like that better anyway).  But would someone from Chicago do that?  Or am I alone in my food-related neuroses?  I’d like to know.  Clue me in here, people.

Up next on the other blogs:  I’ll be reviewing the Pearl Jam concert soon enough over on Eight Cents, and I’ll give my thoughts on UFC 60 and the state of the Phillies over on the Diary.  Check it out this week (hopefully…although it seems that whenever I give a timeline for posting, I never meet it).  

Song of the day:  “Can’t Stand It”, by Wilco.  Wilco is good stuff.  There are better songs, but that’s been stuck in my head for the last little while.