Fanning the flames of .... romance?

I've been officially engaged a year!

Liz and I had a wonderful dinner last night to celebrate. We had steak, wine, salads, dessert & coffee the whole kaboodle, and I made most of it for us. We had originally planned for Beethoven's restaurant in Paola, but they aren't open on Sundays. So we had a romantic dinner at home with nice china, candles and everything.



Following dinner, I opened my present from Liz. My presents to her were the dinner and the roses seen above -- a dozen white, her favorite! As I pulled the tissue paper out of the gift bag, I inadvertently set it near one of the candles and it caught on fire. I tried blowing it out and then stamping it out on the table, neither of which worked. Then as I was scrambling to find some other way to put it out, the flames licked my hand and became too much and so I dropped it on the floor. Liz grabbed a nearby coat to smother the flames. Thus, now we are minus one mass of tissue paper, and plus 3 burn marks on melted carpet!

Fanning the flames of something... fire!

Note to self -- purchase fire extinguisher and place in conspicuous location.

We've sunk to a new low

Advertisers REALLY think we are dumb. In the past week or so, I've noticed two billboards on my way to and from work. One sits at about NB I-35 and Roe Lane. It says something like "Bacardi and Diet Cola: 0 carbs." The other sits at SB I-35 and Metcalf Ave. It's for Michelob Ultra and says something like "It's not a diet, it's a lifestyle", alongside which is a person running in the snow and then again in the foreground visibly showing muscle definition through his shirt. This is obviously a result of the Atkins/Low-Carb craze.

My sister-in-law sells pharmaceuticals to local doctors and has spoken to them about Atkins. She says that it's really only meant for people in late stages of severe cardiac disease. The diet itself puts such a tax on the body, it's meant only as a last resort. For most people, the best diet advice is reduce caloric intake and add exercise. The idea that ALCOHOL can a diet food is ridiculous. Alcohol has 7 calories per gram, almost as much as fat (9 cal/gm) and almost twice as much as carbs (4 cal/gm). Besides, Bacardi and Diet cola? You've got to be kidding me. And honestly who drinks a crappy beer and then goes running through the snow?

Yes, I'm sure you're about to say "but you don't have to diet because you have this insane metabolism." Currently that's the truth, but I have no illusions about my physique. I guarantee I won't be eating the 20-oz porterhouse steak, washing it down with a Michelob Ultra, and finishing dinner with a Bacardi and diet-cola when I go on a diet.