Today is Columbus Day observed across the United States.
Not even a partial government shutdown can stop the day set aside to honor the 15th Century explorer.
I am sure most of us recall from the story how Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492 and “discovered” the new world.
Of course there were already people living in the new world when Columbus arrived and scholars often debate the timing of the arrival of vikings in terms of who really arrived from Europe first, but for our purposes here let us just agree that it was old C.C.
Now, in addition to learning about the year of the arrival of Columbus students are also taught from an early age the names of his three ships that accomplished the journey.
A few weeks ago the fast food chain Jack in the Box introduced Munchie Meals.
The Munchie Meals are only served from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. and cater to a certain demographic that is awake and hungry during those hours.
Fast food chain Jack in the Box recently unveiled the Munchie Meal for those people who prefer to get all of their daily calories between the hours of 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. Photo R. Anderson
This follows the trend set by Taco Bell’s Fourth Meal campaign and other restaurants as a way to drum up business during non traditional hours.
In the same way, certain restaurants such as Sonic offer a Happy Hour of sorts from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. where they have a menu of items at a reduced price to entice people to spend money during normally slow hours between the lunch and dinner crowds.
As for the trend to entice people to eat during the overnight hours one can assume that the demographic is mainly college students and shift workers.
When I worked for newspapers I often worked until 1 a.m. or later and found the selection of places to grab a bite after work to be rather limited.
Were the option of Munchie Meals available back then I most likely would have made it part of my driving home routine.
An interior view of the Munchie Meal reveals assorted fries, tacos and one of five special entrees. Photo R. Anderson
It should be noted that one Munchie Meal includes more calories than the total daily recommended amount. So they are certainly not intended for the healthy eater and those watching what they eat.
Instead the Munchie Meals offer a smorgasbord of tasty but bad for you selections that are covered in various cheeses and/or deep fried to a golden tasty perfection.
For convenience and portability sake the Munchie Meal comes self contained in a box.
Right about now some of you are probably craving a Munchie Meal while there are others who are wondering if the prize inside the box is an automatic defibrillator.
Having looked inside the Munchie Meal box strictly for research for this column I can assure you that the automatic defibrillator is not included but could probably be ordered as an add on.
As if thousands of calories was not enough entertainment to keep one occupied the Munchie Meal teaches the ancient art of napkin folding as well. Photo R. Anderson
With the introduction of the Munchie Meal Jack in the Box, like Carl’s Jr. before it, is giving consumers what they want in the form of thousands of calories in a convenient carrying case.
It is not necessarily giving consumers what they need however since very few people could argue that anyone needs that large of a calorie hit during the overnight hours.
So while the battle rages over wants and needs and whether the Munchie Meal is good or bad for the nation as a whole one thing is certain Denny’s, Waffle House and IHOP have been put on notice as there are now more choices vying for those late night diners.
Now if you’ll excuse me I need to take a nap so I can be awake in time to get my Munchie Meal later.
For the most part I try to steer clear of discussing politics.
It is not that I do not follow the political system. Quite the opposite, I am rather informed and involved in the government process and try to stay on top of current events as much as possible.
I am also a big history buff and believe that one must learn from history in order to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past.
The government is a lot like a puzzle. It takes a lot of pieces going together to work but it only takes a single piece to be missing to make the whole thing fall apart. Photo R. Anderson
The reason for steering clear of political writing is simple. Were I to write about conservative topics that appeal to the right side, I am leaving out the left side. In the same manner if I write about liberal
The Grand Prix of Houston was held over the past weekend. I know this because I was there.
But more on how I was able to be there in a bit. First it is important to mention the lasting visual that made its way across the sports media yesterday afternoon.
Will Power (front) and Scott Dixon (back) each won a race during the Grand Prix of Houston doubleheader with Dixon leaving as the points leader with one race left in the season. Photo R. Anderson
The race ended with a terrible last lap crash that sent Dario Franchitti to the hospital with a concussion, fractured vertebrae and a fractured ankle. The crash also injured a baker’s dozen of fans and a race official.
The fencing put in place did its job and prevented more injuries from occurring but it is once again a reminder that racing is a dangerous sport and even races on a flat parking lot can cause cars to become airborne with the right set of circumstances.
Despite the crash, the weekend started with the promise of two races in the parking lot of Reliant Center.
That’s right boys and girls they were racing in a parking lot around a football stadium and a concert hall.
When I first learned that the Indy Racing League was coming to Houston I was excited since I had missed out on covering the Champ Car Grand Prix back in 2007 when they were last here.
Dario Franchitti was injured in a last lap crash on Sunday at the Grand Prix of Houston. Photo R. Anderson
I have a picture that was taken of me when I was a freshmen in high school in front of the pace car for the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. I would often look at that picture and think how cool it would be to cover the race some time.
A few years ago I was in St. Petersburg for some Spring Training baseball and had the opportunity to drive on a portion of the track. Granted I was going under 50 miles an hour but I can still say that I drove on an IRL course.
So that brings us back to the Grand Prix of Houston and my thoughts that the race would occur in downtown Houston as it had previously been.
But, imagine my surprise when I learned that instead of a race course around Minute Maid Park and other downtown destinations the race would be held in a parking lot around the Astrodome and Reliant Stadium.
To my knowledge this is the first parking lot Grand Prix that has ever been run.
And it was not without its share of bumps along the way.
A temporary tire barrier had to be installed after a large bump was discovered in the parking lot road course Friday afternoon. Photo R. Anderson
For starters during practice on Friday a large bump on the track was discovered. After leading to a few wrecks a temporary solution of a tire barrier was added to the track to help slow cars down to avoid the bump in the road.
Friday night there was some grinding on the bump and the temporary tires were removed once the course was deemed smooth enough once more.
I spent most of Friday watching the practice from the grandstand and touring the grounds since I was “on staff” for the event. Unfortunately one thing that I forgot to do Friday was apply sunscreen.
As a result of my lapse in sunscreen application I burned to a little crisp and will soon be greeted by the post burn peeling.
Drivers Ryan Hunter-Reay (left) and Marco Andretti (right) get an update on the tire barrier construction that pushed qualifying back from Friday to Saturday for the Grand Prix of Houston. Photo R. Anderson
But with two days left in the weekend I was not about to let some sunburn get the better of me.
Saturday included an early arrival to the track and an all day marathon of walking through the Paddock and garage area as well as watching the first race.
As part of working the event as a volunteer, I was given an all access pass for the weekend. Aside from spending some time on pit road on Friday I really did not test the boundaries of all of the areas I could access Saturday and mostly stuck to the areas with the general public.
And might I add it was a very well behaved general public compared to some of the other large sporting events that I have attended.
I can’t say for sure what it was that made this particular crowd so well behaved but I can see that after three days in their midst I did not see a single drunk or unruly fan nor did I see anyone taken away by security for any reason.
Will Power (center) held off Scott Dixon (left) and James Hinchcliffe (right) in Sunday’s Grand Prix of Houston finale. Photo R. Anderson
Make of that what you will, but if you want to see a well behaved crowd I suggest you try an Indy Racing League event.
Sunday was the final day of the Grand Prix weekend, and as noted earlier it ended with hospital trips for a driver and some fans.
But before all of that happened Sunday was the day that I finally tested what exactly my “all access” pass could do.
Now, I knew that the pass would not allow me to say drive an Indy car, but I figured that there were some cool things that it would allow me to do.
The first of those things was to walk onto pit lane while the track was “hot.”
I spent around 20 laps walking through the pits and was close enough to the action to feel the heat from the cars as they passed.
James Hinchcliffe gives victory circle a champagne bath following Sunday’s Grand Prix of Houston Indy Racing League race. Photo R. Anderson
I saw the pit crews in action and watched the members of the radio and television broadcast teams run from pit to pit to get their stories.
After wandering the pits for awhile I finally settled near the start/finish line and victory circle.
Yesterday was the first day of fall, or autumn if you prefer.
Fall is the time when temperatures and leaves both start to drop.
Fall is also the time when pumpkins and nutmeg make their yearly appearance in everything from pies to beverages at various restaurants.
Fall is also a time when the summer clothes get put away and the sweaters and jackets come out.
Of course despite the calendar saying that fall is here and temperatures should be falling it tends to arrive in different parts of the country at different times.
I was recently reminded of this fact over the weekend while watching some college football games.
While the fans in the stadiums of many of the games were wearing their fall best as temperatures were likely in the 60’s I was sitting in shorts and a t-shirt and experiencing 80 degrees outside.
Despite fall’s arrival throughout much of the country for Gulf Coast residents fall does not arrive until late October or early November most years.
As much as I would love to be enjoying the flavors of fall such as soups and pumpkin flavored coffees it is still way to hot to even think about any of that here. With temperatures still forecast to hit the 90’s this week the calendar telling me it is the first day of fall does not really mean anything to me.
So while I still need to wait a bit for the fall temperatures to arrive there is no lack of excitement on the baseball schedule to keep me entertained while I wait for the autumn chill.
Time will tell if DJ Kitty and the Tampa Bay Rays make it back to the postseason for the fourth time in five years. Photo R. Anderson
Starting today there are only seven days left in the regular season of Major League Baseball as teams jockey for position to be included in the Fall Classic known as the World Series.
Some teams have already clinched a spot in the postseason while others are still battling for their ticket to the postseason.
Perhaps no where is that neck and neck race more intense than in the American League Wildcard race.
The Tampa Bay Rays hold a half game lead over the Cleveland Indians for the top spot in the Wildcard race. So, if the season ended today the Rays would host the Indians in a one-game winner takes all wildcard showdown at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg.
Of course, the season does not end today and the Rays have seven games left to play in the regular season. After finishing the series with the Baltimore Orioles today the Rays have three games against the Yankees in New York and three games north of the border against the Toronto Blue Jays.
The Indians have six games left in the season with a home set against the Chicago White Sox and a road series against the Minnesota Twins.
The Tampa Bay Rays are seven games away from getting to add to their banner collection. Photo R. Anderson
On paper the Rays have a more difficult schedule remaining over the Indians who were able to pad their push to the Wildcard with a sweep over the Houston “yes, we really are still a Major League team” Astros.
Photo R. Anderson
The Texas Rangers who were the second Wildcard team until a few days ago will hope that a series against the Astros helps restore their postseason hopes as they have been in a tailspin in Kansas City falling to the Royals on consecutive days.
While the Wildcard round certainly allows more teams to make the postseason it certainly makes for some long fall nights watching the games and pulling for teams to win and others to lose.
So while the rest of the country takes out those fall sweaters and windbreakers I will be rolling out the Tampa Bay Rays rally t-shirts and polo shirts and watching a lot of games on television.
Once the dust is settled and the playoff teams have been identified there will be time to think about all of those fall scents and flavors. Until then it is still time for the Boys of Summer to play a little longer.
Now if you’ll excuse me all of this talk about the flavors of fall has me craving a pumpkin flavored beverage.
Over this past weekend I watched a lot of football.
I watched the South Carolina Gamecocks play the Vanderbilt Commodores.
I watched the Texas A&M Aggies play the Alabama Crimson Tide.
I watched the New Orleans Saints battle the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
I watched the Seattle Seahawks take on the San Francisco 49ers.
I watched a lot of football games this past weekend. One of those games involved the Saints and the Buccaneers. Photo R. Anderson
But the best football game I watched over the weekend was not televised. The stands were not full of screaming fans waving rally towels. There weren’t bands belting out fight songs and show tunes. Instead, the best game of the weekend was football at its purest and simplest.
The game I am referring to happened right outside of my back porch in a public courtyard
For the past several years or so a group of Native Americans has been trying to get the name of a certain football franchise changed since they find it offensive.
Time after time their efforts have fallen short as the courts have sided with the franchise over the Native American plaintiffs.
Recently several high profile football writers have joined the campaign to have the Washington Redskins change the
If you happen to be reading this right now, it means that you have arrived at the 100th column entry here at Triple B.
Now, 100 columns is certainly a milestone worth noting and as it got closer there were increased thoughts at the Triple B Gigaplex regarding the best way to celebrate it.
The first thought of how to celebrate the occasion was actually to not celebrate it at all.
For as long as I can remember I have been fascinated with the idea of visiting Cuba.
Of course, with all of the travel restrictions and trade embargoes in place traveling to Cuba is not really an option for me at the moment.
The closest I ever came to visiting Cuba was on a cruise ship in the late 80’s when the ship was heading back towards Miami from the U.S. Virgin Islands. As we approached the island the captain made an announcement along the lines of if you look out to our starboard side you will see Cuba.
I recall that the island was covered in a sort of rainy haze which made it both intriguing and beckoning at the same time. I also remember briefly thinking that I hoped the captain did not drift into Cuban waters by mistake and lead to an international incident.
In the end we passed without incident and as Cuba got smaller and smaller on the horizon behind us I was even more convinced than ever that I wanted to one day step foot on that mysterious rock.
Stories of the pre Cuban Missile Crisis and Bay of Pigs Cuba have always fascinated me. I was not alive during the tense days when the U.S. Naval blockade was in place to keep Russian ships from supplying missiles to the island so it is likely that my opinion towards Cuba may be different if I had lived through those tense days that almost led to World War III.
Earnest Hemingway’s home in Cuba is where he wrote For Whom the Bell Tolls and The Old Man and the Sea. Photo R. Anderson
Instead, to me Cuba represents a land where Earnest Hemingway and other figures spent their days fishing and their nights in smokey rooms, or crowded ballparks enjoying the freshest of Cuban cuisine and culture while getting from point A to point B in various cars from Detroit.
I guess one could say I want to experience the vision of Cuba that I have in my head. I want to sit and watch a baseball game played in a ballpark where the air and the accents are both thick and rich with history.
I want to sit in a road side cafe and eat my weight in Cuban pork and plantains while watching the hustle and bustle along the street.
I want to visit Finca Vigia, Earnest Hemingway’s home in Cuba where he wrote For Whom the Bell Tolls and The Old Man and the Sea.
I want to see those old cars that were on the road when Hemingway walked the streets and are still being driven today due to the ingenuity of the Cuban people to keep those cars roadworthy for all these years.
I want to tour a cigar factory and see people using the same hand rolling techniques that their great great great grandfathers used.
I want to do all of these things and more in Cuba but sadly under the current rules of travel that is not an option for me at the moment.
Our friends north of the border in Canada can come and go as they please to Havana but for those with America stamped on the cover page of their passports it is a different story.
Of course, I certainly hope to get to visit Cuba without having to become a Canadian citizen first and feel that I will get a chance in my lifetime to do so.
While I have many things on my list to see when I do get to Cuba, there was another item that I heard about that also seems worth checking out on the island 90 miles away from Florida.
I recently learned that there is a family in Cuba with a pet pelican named Pancho. When I saw the pelican above in St. Petersburg a few years back it never occurred to me that pelicans would make a good pet. Photo R. Anderson
I am of course talking about Pancho the pet pelican.
There was a story in USA Today about Pancho, a pelican that wanders the streets of Havana with his owner who nursed him back to health.
Now, before I saw the story I had never even considered the idea of having a pelican as a pet.
I am a huge fan of pelicans and I love to watch them fly and do their pelican thing but never once in my wildest dreams would I have thought that a pelican would follow me around without me having to carry a fish to lure him.
So while conditions in Cuba and the surrounding political system may not be the best for individual freedoms I think that a country that allows its citizens to have pet pelicans cannot be all bad.
Okay, let me clarify before I get angry cards and letters that I am in no way endorsing communism as a preferred form of government over democracy. I am merely stating that I think it is pretty cool that there are people in Cuba with pet pelicans regardless of what form of government they live under.
When I lived in Florida I had many friends from Cuba who told me first hand of the atrocities that they had witnessed under Fidel Castro so I know that it is not all pet pelicans and sunshine.
Last Night the Baltimore Ravens and the Denver Broncos played the first it really counts game of the NFL season in the shadow of the Rockies.
The game was originally going to be in the home stadium of the Super Bowl winning Ravens but, as they share a few parking lots with the also playing at home Baltimore Orioles, it was determined that having the game in Colorado would be best to avoid hoards of roaming Orioles and Ravens fans battling for the same parking real estate.
Having been born in Maryland the Ravens are a team that I follow very closely so the idea of seeing them play the first game of the NFL season as they begin their quest to repeat as Super Bowl Champions had me rather excited.
Now, it should be noted that while I have been a fan of the Baltimore Ravens for as long as there have been Baltimore Ravens, I am also a fan of the Denver Broncos.
While I follow both the Baltimore Ravens and the Denver Broncos whenever they play each other I cheer for the Ravens. Photo R. Anderson
While it is easy to understand my fandom for most of the NFL teams that I follow based on having lived in the areas near the teams (Washington Redskins, Baltimore Ravens, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Jacksonville Jaguars) it is a mystery as to why I first started following the Broncos.
Even though I have never lived in Colorado I have followed the Broncos since the late 80
Observations from the cheap seats, the beach seats and everywhere in between
