Like Merlin Mann I too am interested in Perfect Pitch. Do you care about Perfect Pitch? If you do I think you might want to look into Perfect Pitch.

Spoiler ahead.

The middle link is where Merlin found it.

Different Applebee’s totally different kind of pro. Marty is a slight of hand magician. Norm who still believes in ‘real’ magic would be impressed. I have the nagging questions. “how long did it take to get that good?” “Could you show me how to …?” and so on. I think I’ll just close my trap and let him entertain me. And I will tip a little better for the effort.

I’ve been here before, R. suggested I try it and when I couldn’t find it he brought me here himself. I liked it so well I came back on my own.
It’s the kind of place where Immigration is a serious threat. This time I got the Enchilada combo dinner one each Beef Chicken Bean and Cheese. The Enchiladas were berfect but the platter had way too much lettuce and none of the extra cheese I ordered. It was a fine meal regardless. The resturante is attached to a bowling alley and I was sat in a tiny room off the main room. The expected Mexican music was blaring. There have never been packed but the food is amazing.
The odd thing is I have yet to see el baño.

I LOVED “Infected”. of all the stuff I have listened to by Scott Sigler Infected is my favorite. I held off listening to Contagious until after the whole thing was finished. I had high expectations from the book. I was a little let down. Don’t get me wrong I like the book. The problem is I’m not in love with it like I was with Infected. I think it might have to do with Perry Dawsey. He is a hunter killer role due to the mesh that is still in his head. His character carried Infected but seems to drag on Contagious. In Infected Dew Phillips and Dr. Montoya were one side of the story and Perry the other. In Contagoius they are all on the same side of the storytelling frame while a new character takes the role Perry did in the other novel. What I liked was the pacing, Scott had something to ration out for every episode. The later episodes were a little long to contain all the action of the climax. Since I was listening all at once that didn’t really effect me. What I didn’t like was Perry’s plot arc. Not that it didn’t ring true, the scary thing just wasn’t there for me. It was there for the other characters, and he was quite screwy before he came around. But I wasn’t frightened of Perry. Mostly because I don’t have an alien infection in me. If I continue to itch I might be more inclined to be frightened of him. Some of the other supporting characters in the last book get a bigger treatment in this book. I’m thinking in particular the soldiers tasked with fighting the hatchings.

Is there a a real Scram jet airplane? I know the science Scott put in to it is real enough and I saw the laser plane on the news. The really cool things about the book I will not disclose. But the gadgets and “Less Lethals” are worth listening for.

If I were a vampire I’m sure I would be bad at it. Casual bar conversation is not something I could ever do.
I’m also sure I carry the right look of ridiculous to be totally unnoticeable. I’m trying to eavesdrop on conversation while writing and am picking up nothing.
My server tonight is a pro, college aged dirty blonde in a toss up knot, pale slightly freckled skin blue green eyes slight New Yorker accent. Her perfume is sharp and strong. Another couple just got seated in the “I’m trying to close this section”. I think our pro is trying to go home, considering the economics of staying after the dinner rush, the tips per hour go way down after 8. That cackle from across the bar can only mean one thing some one else is going to be driving her home.
The couple on the other side of the half wall divider, you know in the ‘Lounge’ section, is an odd pair. He looks like a second string baseball player and she looks like an old school science geek with a too hi hairline and fish lips over braces. They are texting other people while discussing the fidelity of their friends. The n comes this gem from her “He’s a kept man, it’s true! After he got out then they had those kids and now he has to do whatever she says. They are living off her family and as long as he behaves those kids will want for nothing.” Wow that’s a NaNo plot bunny right there. The older couple in front of me just left. They paid dutch at the last minute, he with cash her with a card. They split the check after the server came over, “Oh no it’s nooo bother at all.”
The manager is over there having his free nightly meal. I wonder if he told the cooks or snuck it in as a customer order to trick the cooks. You can tell alot about a manager by that one little bit of privilege. He’s too old to be just an assistant manager.

Two wines for the table behind me, they must be married because there is very little said. All the bar patron are paired up except that one guy drinking martinis. men are there with their buds or their better half. There are 2 shrews in the crowd, not that anybody but me notices. and over there is a female trio in a full on bitch session.

There’s something about the Denny’s here that rubs me the wrong way. I think it is the attitude of the employees, there’s a sort of “I’ll get to it when I feel like it.” on both sides of the counter. Here at Applebee’s my veggies are a little too crisp, but the rest of my meal is just perfect. And thanks to my Holiday Inn Keycard I got 10% off. Is that TMI? Do you know where I am? Didn’t think so.

So how is a grown man alone supposed to act when he goes out for dinner. I always feel awkward but do whatever I feel like. When I ate dinner last night I ate with a laptop listening to Contagious by Scott Sigler and played Lux Delux. Tonight I have barely stopped writing to eat. and when I first got into town I had Personal Effects Dark Arts by J.C. Hutchins. I don’t think the average diner does this. I don’t seem to be drawing attention to myself and my index cards are hidden by my hand, not that people can read my hurried scribbles in a casual way.

I filled 4 sides of 3by5’s and filled in a little editing to make it a little more coherent.

World of Warcraft,
Well as predicted CRSE is totally obsessed. Max is playing on my account. I am of course I have to catch up to CRSE, proving yet once again CRSE has more free time than I.

But, there are a number of things I do enjoy and some I don’t. I keep finding my inventory over full. That I think is ultra suckish. The 2 trillion people that pop in and out without talking to each other I find entertaining.

So’s I said to her, “you can’t let an awful meal at Denny’s be my only dining this trip”

She replied, “Well mi novio (boyfriend) misses La Guitarra”

“Ok what does he like there?”

“Fritas Carne y mofongos”

“I’ll try it and let you know.”

Be careful if you’re coming from the north, there’s a couple of strong jungle turns then there it is. Like most local restaurants, it’s a bar and most of the locals were drinking Medallas and bullshitting. Pictures covered the walls everything from painted portraits to wooden machettes with designs from the Machttedores (Independence fighters) and 2 posters for Grito de Lares (Peurto Rician independence movement from the town Lares), if there’s a documentary I wanna see it. It isn’t air conditioned but the high ceilings and ample breeze made it seem cooler than it was. The smells from the kitchen were wonderful full of spice and sizzles. The drinks came in bottles and cans with a cup of ice so no refils. While I was there nobody else stayed to eat but there were a couple of to go orders and I really wonder what they got.

Mofongos are boiled mashed plantains I asked and it is supposed to be the consistency of lumpy mashed potatoes, and garlicky and the sauce over it was quite delicate. The lettuce and tomato looked like they belonged on a sandwich and needed to be eaten while they were still cool for by the end of my meal the remaining lettuce was wilted on my plate. There were 2 thimble sized sauce cups one was catchup and the other was what I assume to be a seasoned mayonnaise, they were for the fried pork and onion. If that’s the way it is supposed to taste I don’t want it cooked wrong. It was very salty and slightly sweet. the onions were perfectly cook but left oily snail trails across my 70’s beige Tupperware plate. I’m glad I ordered what I did but I probably should of had the Churasco (skirt steak).

I wrote this at Ponderosa having the bad meal I was supposed to have, the Highlights include metallic mac and cheez, dried out fried products, including two new on me corn nuggets (battered creamed corn) and sorullitos (I think heart of palm) that tasted corny too. The only soup choice was beans. One trip to the side bar and soft serve better left, so I did. Hey don’t push me out now I still have a couple of things to write to my only fan. Hey, where’s my computer cord? Damn it! Not again.

Well here’s the story on that. I got up extra early to get to the airport early enough to get through the security line. Pittsburgh Monday Morning plan on two hours just to get through security. My flight was 7:25 I was at the airport at 6:00 good but not great. Oh my flight was delayed till 8am. OK. I got bumped to first class on my new connecting flight, cool. I ended up passing out on the short flight to Charlotte and again the long flight to PR. I have a headache but I figure that’s just from no caffeine, but it makes it so I’m not at all that hungry. when I pick up my car it has GPS, cool San Juan to Ponce please and let’s get there by the shortest route. Ouch, I never get motion sickness. I got about half way on the constant switchbacks and had to pull over to puke. But wait I haven’t eaten so it’s just water and bile. I stop a couple more times to keep from puking and when I get to Coamo (hey there’s the plant) I stop at the Walgreens to get some Pepto and a fruit punch to wash away the bile and down the bismuth. by the time I got to the hotel it’s 8pm and all I want is to get some sleep.

I oversleep and the plant is about an hour from the hotel I’m at, it’s hot and muggy and I’m not hungry. The thought occurs to me, “It’s not a fast until three days.” I forget where I got that little gem at but since I’m not hungry and I’m on my way let’s see if we can. When I got back to the hotel that night I looked for places to eat and nothing seemed appealing. So today I said, “3 days that’s a fast, I need to eat. I should eat. I better eat.” I asked for a place that was open late who suggested Ponderosa which was closed and ended up at Denny’s which was open. Enough said I’ve already told that story.

The lady I’m working with said today as we were leaving, “You making me feel bad. the cafeteria is over there, across the street is ice cream and there’s coffee around the corner, and Burger King is up the road.” Don’t feel bad Ms. Rivera Reyes my wife can tell you I just get like that sometimes, stubborn and strange. but maybe we can do lunch tomorrow.

I’ve had an Idea for a review site for a while. Something anonymous where people could send me a review. I edit it or just approve it and onto the site it goes. This is a review of the kind I would want to receive.

Hey Denny’s in Ponce PR, I know the ugly gringo tried to order in Ingles but that’s no reason to burn my food. The picture held such promise, but my Sizzling Chicken Platter was a charred pile of burnt Fail. What makes it most insulting was it was my first meal in three days. (I think that story is the next post.) My meal was awful but I ate it anyway, partly because I don’t know how to complain in Espanol, but mostly because I kept figuring I had to eat something, 3 days makes a fast, before that you’re just stalling. And by the way even the coffee was burnt. I rate this one of the worst dinners in my adult life. It’s up there with the “American Style” Restaurant in China, which is best summarized as, “Whoa buddy that wasn’t a cow steak that was shoe leather or dog and I’d rather not know which”.

Screnzy is a wash this year. the sooner I face facts the sooner CRSE will pat my head and say, “I told you so.” In addition to that I have got to finish my JAVA class, I’m feeling like a total loser for not getting that done (14 class hours my ass). My brain is percolating thoughts and Ideas but I can’t seem to get them meaningful enough to write them down.

Oh look a segue.
Boss: Have you heard from these customers?
Me: No, Nobody wants to talk to me.
Boss: You noticed that.
Me: Yeah, I’m a jerk. But I am a friendly jerk.
Boss: I see.

So to all of those I have rubbed the wrong way. I am sorry I am such a jerk. I will endeavor to make that better. As CRSE describes it “Stop being so … Rraa” (shakes hands in a trembling way). Point taken