Notes On A Weekend

Note 1: GRUNTS!

So, on Friday, I had a tour with my little jobby-job that tested my patience to the very end. And I know...I can hear you saying HOW can a tour on a people transporter really test your patience? And here is what I have to say to you.....if YOU had the lady from California who went twice as slow as everyone else on the tour AND who grunted...LOUD, like Monica-Seles-grunting from days gone by...everytime she went up or down a sidewalk handicap ramp, you would ALSO probably have been stressed out. PLUS - the other 3 people who were on the tour with her pretty much abandoned her because they were embarassed by her riding and grunting style, so I had to try and keep our group moving along AND single handedly make sure that Madam Grunter was with the group. It was a challenge....but we made it through. Plus, everyone else in the group was awesome and very good sports about it all. But seriously...if you come to take a ride, please leave your grunting habits at home. Thanks.

Note 2: CHEESECAKE!

So its been awhile since a MAnderson blog had a chance to make an entry in the Cheesecake Tour....but that time has come NOW! Today, Sunday, I took a trip out to Steve and Kate Keifer's place for a goodbye party for our friend, Sharon Smith who is moving to Florida. Rough life. Anyway - when I was getting ready to leave, Kate smiled slyly and said she had something for me. She then proceeded to go to the fridge and cut me a piece of a Pumpkin Cheesecake that she had made yesterday for a baking club or something like that. To be honest with you, the minute I saw the cheesecake, I pretty much zoned out. She could've said she made it for Kim Jong-Il of North Korea and it wouldn't have phased me....because in t-minus 4 seconds, I was going to have a piece of pumpkin cheesecake in my hand.

Here is Kate, showing off the pumpkin goodness!

Here it is...up close and personal.

So I got it wrapped, took a fork, went to the car and headed into the city. My plan to save it for after my tour tonight was blown away when I got it in the car and I smelled it. A smell led to a taste....the taste led to another...and by the time I was at 9th and G in downtown DC, I was throwing an empty plate away. The pumpkin cheesecake that Kate gave me today is coming in on the MASE at a whopping, solid 9. The pumpkin-to-cheesecake ratio as nearly flawless. It was a subtle pumpkin that didn't overpower the cheesecake...and I loved how light it all was. The thing that threw me was the crust...and it's not that it was bad....at all. It was delicious...but I still can't figure out what it was. I thought it was gingersnap...and then I thought maybe graham cracker...and then I thought maybe a molasses cookie...man. I don't know. But my inability to pinpoint it frustrated me and my MASE. BUT - it was a near flawless attempt at a cheesecake. So if anyone knows Kate, you might want to ask her to make you one. And Kate...I'd love the recipe if you're sharing it! Thanks SO MUCH for the treat....it made my drive so much more rewarding!

Note 3: 69-67 Should NOT Be A Football Score

Tonight, I got home from my tour in time to see the entire second half of the Boise State vs. Nevada football game live on ESPN from the blue turf of Bronco Stadium in beautiful Boise, Idaho. And when I say 'entire', I mean the 3rd and 4th quarters plus all the overtimes. Now, I love my Boise State Broncos....and I'm ALWAYS happy to have a "W" in the books when it comes down to it. But in the future, what I don't think we need ever again is a 4 overtime barn-burner football games that end in score that looks more like a basketball score than anything else. I had just gotten over being stressed out from Madam Grunter 2 days earlier, and the next thing I know, the Wolf Pack is coming at my Broncos with everything they've got and giving them a run for their money. Man....it stressed me out all over again. But, in the end, we got the "W" and that's what it comes down to.

OH - and as a side note....Nevada played a new redshirt freshman quarterback tonight named Colin Kaepernick...and he was STELLAR. The kid can run, throw, hit....you name it, he did it. Hell, he RAN for 2 touchdowns and passed for 3 more. And he was impressive while he was doing it all. So they scored 67 points and still lost...that's not that point. This kid was amazing - and even as a Bronco fan, I had to give props where props were due. Good luck with the rest of your season and career, Colin.