The Grill Next Door

Today was a significant day on the annual man calendar. Time to prove the timeless equation still holds true: Fire + Meat = Oh, so very good. I must admit I was spurred on by a man that is still a stranger. While washing the dishes and gazing out of our kitchen window I spotted the neighbor across the street and down a few houses prepping his grill for the season. He might have been simply moving it out of the garage to get to something else but I saw it as an immediate challenge to get on my game. I decided at that very moment that there would be flames in my grill this weekend. I was also very excited to see a string of 60 degree temperatures in the forecast in what later proved to be completely false weather forecasting. There’s a local weather report graphic on one of our satellite channels that must be set to a location further south because the local temperature was 42 today and the graphic suggested it to be in the 60’s yet again. I was not to be deterred, in my head it was 60…until I stepped outside and realized it was most definitely 40. Ultimately we’re going to call this one a trial run. Had it been a full fledged, ring in the grilling season affair there would have been an adult beverage in my hand and a call home to dad to let him know that there was a fire in front of me. Instead, due to chilly temperatures and treacherous winds (complicating things with uneven flames) I decided the call could happen later in the evening and the frosty drink would wait for warmer days. So let’s dub this spring training on the doorstep of full tilt summer eating. Of course now that it’s in my system I may be grilling in the snow next weekend if I have to.

I’m also handing out an award this week. The Super Cool Friend of the Week award goes to Scotty B, one of my closest friends from college. Scott was in Minneapolis Thursday and Friday interviewing for a new position with his company that could soon put him and his family in the area. This excites me a great deal because Scott and I can instantly slip back to our college days playing video games and acting slightly less sophisticated than everyone knows us to be and our wives are cool enough to let it happen. We are also both dads now and I’m hopeful that we can enjoy some quality time with each other and our boys (the wives of course are welcome as well). So back to the award…Scott’s interview related schedule got busy and though time was running out he drove 40 minutes to see me and the boys for four minutes (quite literally) before heading back 40 minutes to the airport to catch his flight back to Cincinnati. He got to see the outside of our new house, the boys bundled up beyond full recognition (that was our Highwoods Park day) and we exchanged a few quick stories, a handshake and a hug. I think that’s most deserving of some love in the blog!