Johnny Rockstar

As my good friend Casey once pointed out, people will do a lot for a free sandwich. I think an interesting show would be to stand on the street and see just exactly what people would do for a free sandwich. Sort of like what would you do for a Klondike bar, but with sound effects and giant robots. It couldn’t be just any sandwich though; it would have to be something good like a foot long meatball sub, or a killer Dagwood.

Speaking of big sandwiches, Kathryn made a mean big sandwich this weekend. Picture this: Hollow out a round loaf of sourdough, then layer salami, roast beef, spinach, onions, mushrooms and mozzarella cheese. Repeat until the loaf is filled to the brim. Slap the top back on and put the whole thing in the oven at low heat for a long-ass (it’s metric) time. It’s kind of pain to eat, but it’s damn tasty and looks pretty.

Here’s my own big sandwich recipe. Cut a loaf of French bread in half lengthwise. Pile on a pound of cooked Italian sausage, a pound of shredded pepper jack cheese, roasted red peppers, green onion, Dijon mustard and a little mayo. Put the top on and bake until toasted and melty.

I know 5K has a good big sandwich recipe too, but I can’t remember what it is. But those are the kinds of sandwiches that people would their wear pants on their heads for.

Posted by Johnny Rockstar at 01:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Every other Monday morning at exactly 4:45 a.m., I think to myself, “What the hell am I doing?” But once I’m a little more awake and Memphis is 20 or so miles behind me, I remember that I actually like the morning drive, and it’s definitely worth the painfully-early wakeup to spend all of Sunday evening with Kathryn. Today was actually the first Memphis to Batesville morning drive I’ve had in some time. It was nineteen degrees outside and the sun didn’t rise until I was nearly three-quarters of the way home. The heater was on, the radio was on and my gloves were on. I was actually cozy and comfortable for most of the drive, which gave me plenty of alone time with my thoughts. This is what I came up with – I should have bought that cheese. Almost three hours alone in the car and the best my brain could do was lament about the fact I didn’t buy the block of Bread Cheese I found at the grocery store Sunday afternoon. Way to go me.

Posted by Johnny Rockstar at 11:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I’m already excited about Valentines Day, but probably for all the wrong reasons. Just one reason actually, dinner. Right now, we’re planning on going to a restaurant that only has something like 5 or 6 entrees on the menu. Wait! Before you judge, listen to this: There are nearly 50 appetizers! More I think if you count all the cheeses separately. And, these aren’t just any appetizers either—they’re from all over the world. French appetizers and Mediterranean appetizers and Spanish appetizers and probably super-secret alien appetizers from Mars, though I haven’t had that one confirmed yet. It’s a good thing it’s almost five because I’m getting hungry.

Posted by Johnny Rockstar at 04:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

After Blockbuster Online limited my in-store exchanges and raised my rates, I recently switched back to Netflix, and I am loving their unlimited streaming movie. Since I only have one tv channel, and it doesn’t have many good shows I like having instant access to mind numbing entertainment. Netflix boasts a catalog of over 6,000 movies and tv shows to download. And while it is true that there are quite a few to choose from on the site, you sometimes have to sort through a number of bombs like Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter before you come to the real gems, ala The Usual Suspects or Heroes: Season 1. This weekend alone I watched three or four episodes of Heros, one episode of 30 Rock, two documentaries, one full-length movie and about 5 minutes of a foreign film that didn’t appear to be going anywhere. Before you ask, yes it was a very lazy weekend. What I like best, if it doesn’t work out, I just hit the back button and choose something else. Seriously though, one of these days I will have to rent Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter just to see what it’s like.

Posted by Johnny Rockstar at 10:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

I do most of my non-grocery shopping online these days since the selection of stores in Batesville is rather limited. Last night I was buying something for someone and I noticed something strange. I'm glad I'm not living in Massachusetts or my total would have been... exactly the same.

Posted by Johnny Rockstar at 09:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Eugene C. Perkins: Accidental Lord of Darkness

Eugene is a lonely architect hanging on to the bottom rung of the ladder at his firm. He handles the projects that the other architects don’t want, which means most of his days are spent designing gaudy doghouses for ultra-rich animal lovers. Trapped in a lonely and meaningless life, Eugene copes by hanging on to the thought that his life can’t get any more miserable. But when he is given a ring for his birthday, that grants him the power to summon a horde of impish demons all too willing to do their new master’s bidding, whether he wants them to or not, will his life make a turn for better or worse?

Posted by Johnny Rockstar at 02:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I know it’s been way too long since I’ve put anything up, especially with all of the stuff that’s been happening in my life, but I haven’t had the time, energy or drive lately. One of my many New Year’s Resolutions is to write here more regularly, along with regular exercise and possibly giving up pop. Before I start the regular postings, let me catch you up. Sadly, Uncle Don passed away late Christmas Eve. I was in Corpus Christi for Christmas with the Parkers (Kathryn’s family) when it happened. To get home we couldn’t find plane tickets even remotely reasonably priced even with a bereavement discount so we ended up on a massive day and a half travel marathon, starting at five in the morning on our way to the airport and ending with three hours of driving 40 mph through the snow. It’s a unique experience to be on the beach in shorts and a t-shirt one day then in Michigan winter the next.

The funeral was nice and I got some much-needed closure acting as a pallbearer. The act of placing Don’s casket into the hearse was surprisingly hard for me, yet offered exactly what I needed. I would/should write more about Don and his life, but I feel like there is nothing I can say here that won’t come off sounding melodramatic. However, I will say this: Don did a lot of good things with his life and touched many people; I will miss him.

Aside from the sad reason for coming home, the trip was actually quite nice as I got to see my family and friends. Not to mention all of the glorious snow and obligatory trip to Joe’s, or hearing any of the many, many good stories told over the long weekend. Kathryn is still teasing me about a certain story she heard in which yours truly making a peanut butter and ketchup sandwich.

Coming home we experienced snow in various amounts all the way into Kentucky. The thing about driving in snow is that it requires heightened concentration. I’m not afraid to do it, I don’t mind doing it, but after hours of snow driving, you tend to be quite worn out. I’m not saying this to complain, just to clarify; even though I had half a day of recovery time yesterday, I’m still exhausted and look forward to the weekend. I also woke up this morning with a headache behind my right eye. It’s finally fading after a couple of pills and half a cup of coffee, but it wasn’t a fun way to get back to work. This is my first at work after a twelve-day Christmas vacation and I’m ready for the weekend. Such is life.

Like I said, I plan on writing here more often this year, so stay tuned and good luck with your resolutions.

Posted by Johnny Rockstar at 08:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)