[The American Years]

Monday, February 25, 2008

Zane's Birthday Snowboarding

Happy Birthday Zane!


Saturday, February 23, 2008

My Brother Appears in Men's Vogue

And even as I write it and read the article, I can't believe it.... There's a Men's Vogue! Impossible!

Follow the link

Saturday, February 16, 2008

Paczkek, Paczki

Prior to lent is the festival, carnival or mardi gras season. Girls Gone Wild is a fairly recent component of this tradition. Paczki have been around much longer.

The carnival season was not invented just to get all your good sinning in prior to lent. It was almost a forced party, as people had to use up the fruit, sugar and lard around the house before the season of fasting began.


Cook decadent food. Share with friends and neighbors. Repeat.


Enter the Paczkek. (Plural, pazki. But to most English speakers it's pazki in singular and paczkis in plural. Potyato potahto.


The Polish people are largely Catholics. Remember Pope John Paul II? He's the former Karol Józef Wojtyła, of Krakow. How many Polaks does it take to become pope? Turns out just one.


Cincinnati has some of those Polish Catholics. And they like their Paczki.




So, they're just jelly doughnuts, you say.

Maybe so, but they're more special. The fruit filling is actually contains fruit, and the dough is more like yellow cake. It's all pretty yummy.

Below is what one looks like as you eat it on the way to the bakery to get more Paczki!

Saturday, February 09, 2008

Catholic Cincinnati

This area has a large catholic tradition.

Evidence? It is the birthplace of the Filet O' Fish. That holy sacramental.

Area Catholics grew weary of not being able to enjoy McDonald's along with their friends on Friday night. Or more likely McDonalds franchisees grew weary of seeing their sales drop on Friday. Either way, here it is.

More evidence? Our kids go to Catholic schools. The local school district bus system also serves all the Catholic schools in the area. Our kids don't take the bus, but they certainly could. It sorta makes sense, in that parents pay for the transportation same as everyone else, right?

More evidence? There was a newspaper story here about how the bishop in Columbus Ohio (2 hour's drive away) had recommended against celebrating St. Patrick's Day this year, as it falls within Holy Week (the week leading up to Easter).

St. Patrick's always fall during lent, as a sign that God likes to play jokes on the Irish, or at least the Irish Americans.

But this year, due to an early Easter, maybe the earliest in 70 years, St. Patty's is the Monday of Holy week.

The newspaper story here said that "There's no word yet from the Bishop of Cincinnati yet."
Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that this story was on A1. Front page. Above the fold.

**********

Great quote from today.

I had the occasion to use the line :"I'm not as dumb as I look."

Veronica said,"Daddy, you used to be a teacher, so I know you're not as dumb as you look."

Hmm. Thanks, I guess.

Sunday, February 03, 2008

Las Vegas

Which literally translates as "The Vegas"


I went there for Skippy's 40th birthday party.


"Keep you eyes closed... no peeking. Big birthday gift is coming... Reach up you can almost touch it...."

When you enter Vegas, there are subtle signs of warning.



The view from Skippy's room at Mandalay Bay.




My own accomodations were a bit less stately.


But at least the interior was accomodating.