On Thursday morning, the helium finally dried up and life was able to slow down ever so slightly. I got some samples in on Wednesday morning when I knew it was going to be the last day for measurements so I worked on them for 14 hours. Finally, at 11:00 pm I started an overnight measurement that I calculated would run to about 9:00 or 9:30 in the morning and then I crashed. I slept in two hours late on Thursday, skipping my walk and strolling in to work at 10:00, an hour later than usual. At 9:00 I'm usually the only person there. At 10:00 on Thursday the lab was abuzz with excitement. Dr. Hari pinned me before I could even set my computer down and put my lunch in the fridge. "Have you looked at the data from overnight?! It's beautiful! I think this could be big." He pointed to several places on the graph and he was right. It looked pretty amazing. I spent most of Thursday and Friday analyzing the data I collected all day Wednesday and sent Dr. Hari a powerpoint presentation of the major results. It's now up to him to talk to our collaborators about the next move.
To celebrate the end of this epic, record-setting helium run and potentially exciting last day of the run, Dean took me to Chili's Thursday night. Let me just detour for a moment and say that I am not a big drinker. In my college days I drank as much as any other typical coed but in the last couple of years I have slowed down considerably. As a result my tolerance has plummeted. So at Chili's when I decided to let loose a little and order an El Presidente margarita, I should have known it would be trouble. It made me completely loopy. After finishing my buffalo chicken sandwich that I had been craving intensely I talked Dean into walking across the parking lot to Cold Stone Creamery. In short, Thursday night I got drunk and ate ice cream. It was everything I thought it could be and more. I had the Mint Mint Chocolate Chocolate Chip combo which consisted of mint ice cream with a brownie, chocolate chips and fudge mixed in with it. Since I am not the young chick I used to be, my tummy suffered greatly on Friday from the buffalo chicken-tequila-ice cream combination I had subjected it to the night before.
So what did I learn from that experience? Apparently nothing. Because I did it again last night. Dean took me to the Devil Rays game for Carl Crawford figurine night. We got there right when the gates opened so to kill time we went to the restaurant inside Tropicana Field for something to eat. Again, since I'm on a buffalo chicken kick right now, I ordered the "Buffalo Caesar" which is a Caesar salad with buffalo chicken strips on top. Why haven't more restaurants offered this delectable combination? The spicy chicken mixed with the cool dressing and crunchy lettuce was fantastic. And as far as I know it is only offered at the Budweiser Brewhouse at Tropicana field. I'm sure that's not true, so keep your eyes open for it. Since we were at the Brewhouse, I couldn't not have a Budweiser, so I did. It was one of the stadium cups. Then I had another at the pub in left field. And another during the game. I was wrecked. Dean had to pour me into the car after the sixth inning because he wanted to get home to watch the rest of the Twins game. I made him stop at Wendy's for a Frosty and French fries first. Again, the buffalo-beer-dairy combo didn't work out so well for me and I am a sickly lump of hungover laziness today.
Moral of the story: try a buffalo Caesar if you see one offered. Don't try it with too much liquor and ice cream. Go to Cold Stone Creamery. It's yummy. But only go if you are sober.
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24 comments:
The Club House will allow any of the "chicken salads" to be tossed in buffalo sauce!! YUM!! If they don't have a Cesar(HAIL!) then that wouldn't be quiet the same but sorta kinda and closer than the Trop!!
Don't feel bad. My mom and I wolfed down a bloomin' onion at the game today. I think that was my fat food allotment for the next month!!
And I have a very pink D-Rays visor for you.
beware of anything labeled "el presidente"
Buffalo Wild Wings and or Bennigan's might have something similar to a buffalo chicken caesar. And in my opinion all dairy is evil, so you won't catch me making those combinations any time soon. Love ya though and hope you are feeling better today.
rgfl and anon~
Thanks for the tips! Buffalo Wild Wings and the Clubhouse are both good ideas.
Feeling better tummywise, fighting off a cold or some other such ailment today. Ack, Mondays.
Ma~ point taken, mi madre bonita.
I loooove buffalo chicken, so I will definitely keep my eyes peeled. I can't handle my soda anymore either. One beer and I'm passed out on the couch.
lefty~
That may be the single grossest thing I have ever heard of. LSD must be one hell of a drug!
scott~
It's good to hear you're a cheap date too. And try the salad!
I hope your results are revolutionary. When and where do I get to read about them?
Good to hear you enjoying the sins of the flesh. But stop drinking.
bh~
Hopefully Nature, which is what most scientists strive for. If you are really interested (and not just being a nice guy) I can email you a copy of the manuscript when I'm done.
I have to say I'm a little surprised to read about your lack of tolerance in the alcoholic world. MB was hardcore back in the day. A good friend named Jack Daniels would visit almost every weekend. While the rest of the girls would drink the fluffy drinks of orange juice and run, MB would mix up a drink that could have killed small creatures. The smell alone put me over the edge. Oh the stories I could tell …. Memories, misty water colored memories…
Being a complete wine snot now, I’m all about quality instead of quantity. I guess we have to grow up sometime. The 2 glasses of wine makes me a cheap date and I’m totally secure in that.
Glad to hear you celebrated the end of the helium with good times. Don’t you have White Castle down there? Fries and shakes at 2:00 am was awesome. But throw in a few sliders and you are out for the count. Well, spending the next day in the bathroom.
dangingo4~
MB would mix up a drink that could have killed small creatures
Ha! Those were the days. Part of me thinks if we still lived together, we'd both still have a high tolerance ;)
Unfortunately though I am much too busy to be hardcore, when I work long hours and have a glass or two of wine I am down for the count as well.
The lack of White Castles down here is a serious problem. We have Krystal Burger, which claims to be the same thing, but as Dean says, "Anyone can make a little burger. Only White Castle can make a White Castle Burger." How tue.
Those of us native to the great sunshine state (all like 3 of us) really don't understand all the fuss about this white castle place. Mostly they are all kinda gross. (Sorry)
Don't get us wrong. White Castle is completely disgusting but there is nothing better than those nasty treats when you have been drinking for 8 hours..
MB - I think you are so right. We'd be drinking up a storm after we both worked 15 hour days. Because that is healthy, right? Although I'm not sure the boys are a much better influence on either of us.
> ...I can email you a copy of the manuscript when I'm done.
Yes PLEASE! I may not understannd it, but I'll try!
Oh, I just remembered another one. I have 6 words for you:
House-of-Hanson-Ben-and-Jerry's
Backstory: Another UofM staple, House of Hanson, was kind of a general store in Dinkytown. Sold all the basics and of course, Ben & Jerry's ice cream. And they were open until like 3:00 in the morning. It was 3 blocks from our first house. You can make the connection from there. I think our house of 4 girls kept them in business for 2 years. Seriously.
The ice cream is the key element in all of these stories. I think there is a conspiracy beween the liquor companies and ice cream companies. I think there is something in the drinks that makes girls want ice cream. Can we prove this some how? Get to work you scientists in FL! I'm sure you can find a way to use helium in testing for that.
Carl Crawford figurine night? Wow! If the Devil Dogs — I mean, Rays — weren't so mean to the Red Sox all the time, I'd be tempted to check out one of their games next time I'm in Florida.
Oh! Oh! Don't forget Erberts and Gerbert's with McDonald's fries!
And G-Y-ros (not the food, the spectacle)!
God, House of Hanson was so freaking expensive but we'd pull money out of our pockets by the fistful to get some of that sweet sweet ice cream.
Come to think of it, if we still lived together we'd each be 300 pounds with serious drinking problems. I guess living with boys isn't so bad after all.
You totally made my day, sweetie.
Schprock~
Come when they have a giveaway. On opening night this year they gave away Joe Maddon glasses. And there's always more giveaways than fans unless they're playing the pesky Bosox or Yanks. Their fans take up all the seats.
rgf - you don't understand all this fuss about "this white castle place"? fly your southern ass up to minnesota and i'll personally buy you all the "sliders" you can eat! (and the pepto bismol)
I once shipped a relative a case of white castles via federal express (frozen of course) because they didn't have sliders in Kansas. If you are without them for a time, you tend to start dreaming of them! I have woke up in the middle of the night, realizing it had been six months since my last and had to get dressed and go to the nearest castle!!!
Ok Mom, You're on!! I'm In!! But then I also have to eat at this Erbert's and Gerbert's I hear so much about...Doncha Knoooow
Hi Nat - I just read your comment on my blog from yesterday. I reorganized my links when I changed my blog template over, and moved all links of writers, and people who want to become writers, into a group. That forced me to move some of my favorite bloggers down into the lower group, and I moved yours to the top of that lower group. I have been afraid of how that would look to some, and I'm hoping you didn't take that the wrong way. It's silly I know, but as you pointed out, my blog has always been about improving as a writer. Truth be told, you are as good a writer as they get, and one of the first people I got to know. So I just wanted to let you know that I value our correspondance, and hope you didn't read into my reorg negatively in any way.
Congratulations on the success of your overnight tests! I think I need to go through those pictures Dean left here from college and look for familiar loopy faces other than his!! Mom- I loved the "El Predisente" warning.
sylvia~
I'm sure there are some loopy faces in those pictures. Fortunately for me, my photo collection is much larger than Deano's!
scott~
Gosh, no! I did notice, completely understood your reasoning and was honored you put me at the top of your "blog buddy" list. What prompted my [rather touchy feely] comment yesterday was that I noticed how you collected your stories on your sidebar, and I was thinking how nicely your collection is coming along, how I read all of them as soon as they came out and how much I've enjoyed watching you grow as a writer. Thanks for the compliment, but truth be told I do not have the patience or drive to ever be a writer, and I truly admire that you do. I was also thinking about what a neat idea it is that you use your readers as guinea pigs for your stories because we are all so different, from professional writers to blog writers to passionate readers, etc. I just think it's cool and I value your correspondence as well.
That's what I thought you meant, but I had to be sure. Thanks for all your support.
I, too, recall House of Hanson. But do you remember when I thought it said "7th House of Hanson," not, "The House of Hanson"? How did you tolerate me?
I abstained from White Castle runs, but remember you guys coming back, triumphantly clutching a case o' sliders and mow-ing down a few cheese sticks. Ahh, the smell alone conjures memories of drinking out of chip bags and huggin' porcelain.
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