Back In The Old Town

Well, it was an incredible weekend back in the old stomping grounds. I saw Six Days From Sunday and Officer Flossie in concert this weekend. Officer Flossie played at 1982, a club at Common Grounds' old site. 1982 was out of half of their beers, that is, out of all their best beers. I drank Yuengling Light. Alas. Seems like the place is on the verge of closing.

Spent all day on Saturday shopping for books, then met Nahum Beard (a newly-minted Anglican priest) and Paul Benschoter at a Cuban sandwich shop, where we put away some pressed cubans and a little Boston Lager.

Sunday I ran into Patrick Kee at Saint Andrew's Episcopal Church, where he was sporting his new deacon's collar an a fantastalicious trucker's fu manchu, as seen below. Now that's ministry Anglican style.



I hope to get the link to a beatiful online slide show of the confirmation and ordination service at Saint Andrew's a couple of weeks back. Over two dozen folks were confirmed in the faith, and Nahum and Patrick were ordained into their respective offices.

The Cordovas, Paul, and I went over to Nahum and Melissa's home and enjoyed a huge and amazing meal, including garlic-seasoned yuca, a fantastic cucumber and tomato salad made with rice vinegar, sausage and cheese meatballs, roast chicken, fresh pineapple and mango, plenty of free-flowing wine, dessert martinis, and a little conversation.

That night we hit the Bococks' for smoked brisket and smoking bones.

Monday I stopped by the English Language Institute at UF and saw some old co-workers, and I grabbed lunch with Yllien Verdes at that bistro by Leonardo's Pizza.

Monday night some of the boys and I got together at The Salty Dog for some more of that old-school Texas 42.

Finally, on Tuesday, I spent the afternoon and evening with my brother Jon, smoked a cigar, had a little gin and tonic. His Saudi roommate, Achmed, made us some chicken kabsah, which was fantastic. The chicken was boiled with nutmeg, tons of cumin, and black lime, then rice was thrown into the boiling broth to cook. Achmed piled our plates incredibly high with the stuff, then we topped it with a mixture of chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, and cilantro. H'mmm, good. And the effect the black lime had on the whole dish was fantastic, I enjoyed discovering this new food. Oddly enough, Jon's roommate and his roommate's friend Ibrahim were both ELI students, so it ended up being an ELI-themed kind of last couple of days.

And of course, the book-shopping didn't shop. And the Greenville friends of the library sale is this weekend. Back just in time!

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