eat the money

Fancy eating takes fancy money. The Eleven seems to rip through the old food budget on a very routine basis. In fact, it’s the rule not the exception. I decided on Saturday to actually attempt to plan meals for the week (or half-week) like they do across the abyss in #1 and, mysteriously, elsewhere in America. An ingredient or shopping list, and I know this will be obvious to those of you reading, saves you a bunch of moolah. I hit the commissary and came home a little surprised at how cheap the basics can be when the gub’ment doesn’t charge you tax and subsidizes the joint (again, obvious…) But, that’s not the only failing. I confess that I find it pretty easy to shoot down to Whole Foods and pick up a few bags of goods on short notice; note to all, a bag of goods at Whole Foods runs a minimum of $50 – don’t be fooled. Now I’m on a mission to clampdown on the WF visits and use them only for the things they’re really good for – fresher produce and a bakery. What’s that? Oh, X say they're also good for the bad things aisle that has all the necessary salts, potions, rubs, scrubs, little pygmies who warm your bath water by peddling little peddle boats, strange globes that apparently break up ions in said bath water, mystic faeries that cast away demons, dream spices that temper the night, and the good smelling stuff. I think another failing might have to do with this commentary passed along by WonderTwin2 upon her return from Florida last week…

“I keeping telling everyone that I’m not a picky eater, and I’m not. Then I realized that I’m only not a picky eater when I’m eating at home with my two personal chefs working the kitchens.”

True that. Them tasty ingredients don’t grow on trees!

Shortly after that little realization I think she turned and bellowed thusly at the waitress “THESE AREN’T MIXED BABY GREENS! I ORDERED MIXED BABY GREENS!” You see with what we have to deal (I tried not to dangle a participle.)

and now for sports…

Here’s a list of the golfers who’ve won 18 or fewer times in their careers on the PGA tour: Nick Price, Curtis Strange, Ernie Els, Tom Weiskopf, Fred Couples, Hal Sutton, Jim Furyk, Craig Stadler, Fuzzy Zoeller, Seve Ballesteros, Nick Faldo. If you bump it up to 20 career wins you are into the likes of Davis Love III, Tom Kite, Ben Crenshaw, Greg Norman, and Hale Irwin. Impressive names all. I watched the end of the PGA event at the USO yesterday and enjoyed seeing Tiger roll in the 25-footer on 18 to win. It reminded me of the endless commentary about his number of wins – and how he wins. He has, at the age of 32, won 64 career PGA titles (plus 22 elsewhere in the World). A lot of deranged golf fans have pointed out that he’s often leading the events when teeing off on Sunday so one would expect him to win. True enough. And he does. I’ve always found that a “‘playing from the lead and winning, so what” a crazy argument as a measurement in golf (particularly for him) since I’m sure his number of wins (43) when leading or tied going into the final round (46 times on Sunday) is far superior to any other golfer, possibly ever. In fact, through 11 tournaments in 2008, and excluding Tiger’s two wins, the remaining third-rounds leaders have won only 4 times and lost 5…that’s two more lead loses than his entire career. He can play from the front better than others – the fairways are littered with those players that collapsed under the pressure on Sunday. The second half of the disingenuous argument is that it’s really the coming from behind that is the surer sign of a true great - hence, it’s easy to throw out his 43-3 Sunday record. Okay, I’ll play along. Woods has won his other 18 PGA events coming from behind on Sunday. Those 18 come-from-behind wins represent the entire career victory total of the golfers listed above – and I think that’s enough to put the argument to rest. I thought I’d get that out in the open.

tune in next time.

t