The Holy Trinity - or my Crusade Has Ended

Today I was at the grocery store stocking up on stuff for home cooked meals (we made a pact that next week is our healthy week - no junk food and we go to the gym every day) and I ran across the most amazing find - the Trifecta of Halloween Cereals......

....ladies and Gentlemen...I humbly bring you Count Chocula, Frankenberry, and Boo Berry.

It's been about 30 years since I've seen these three fellows together. I remember the urban legend that said Boo Berry and Frankenberry were carcinogenic and that they were pulled from the market. In reality, I believe the company couldn't in good conscience continue to sell these kiddie crack cereals (remember, there was a cereal literally called "Sugar Smacks"). The B-F-CC cereals have been seasonal as far as I can tell, but I have not had the pleasure of seeing this most fortunate reunion until today.

I abandoned my cart in the middle of the aisle and began the agonizing process of choosing which of these fine rakes to bring home. I can always get Count Chocula. He has a place on the shelf reserved for him 365 days a year. The other two, however, were a different story. Pink berries or blue? Artifical weapons grade chemical berry, or well....different weapons grade berry?

I did what any devoted follower would do...I purchased them all. They were a steal at $1.88 each. Do you know what a box of Kashi costs these days? It's all cereal, people.

I have to confess, over the past few years I all but gave up my quest, resigned to the sad realization that my boys were gone for good. While I could remain hopeful, I feared in the darkest hours my memory of the three ghouls of the grain were to be just that - a faded memory formed in a 6 year old's mind.

This Halloween is going to be the best....ever.

H1 to the N1

So I've been doing a lot of thinking about this whole swine flu thing since I have a morbid fascination with pandemics. I think at one point I had polished off 4 books consecutively on either the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic or the Black Death. This is the guy who was giddy the day he saw that google had a map application plotting all the known cases of H1N1.

Most of my most vocal opinions on the subject of widespread infection have been, for the most part, downplayed by friends and family. However, I had a pretty in-depth discussion last night with a friend who is a biologist and works in the infectious disease field (and on this issue directly). Turns out, she's, in her words "a little freaked out." This in turn, freaks me out even more.

My plans at this moment are to continue to keep my apartment well stocked and connected in case our offices and stores start closing down or a significant part of the population falls ill at the same time.

...and really, the plan is not much different than preparing for a widespread zombie uprising, is it?

Finally joining the egotistical world of blogging

I've finally decided to begin blogging since I know you have all been saying "why doesn't Top share with us everything in his life?" You may sense an air of sarcasm in this post as I've always had a slight contempt for blogs, but since I'm never going to actually finish my book, this may be the closest I get to publishing anything. I envision this to be part life musings, part food porn since I have a love affair with cooking and have been doing a ton of it lately (including fresh pasta and all things pork).

For those of you that know me from back in NJ, a lot has changed after I left. I went to college in VA and stayed down here ever since. I am a single father of two incredible kids aged 5 and 8. Their mom and I remain committed to raising them together despite our differences. I'm a Director in the DC office for a large biopharmaceutical company and when not working or parenting, enjoy cooking, SCUBA, and a lot of outdoor activities. I'm currently living in Arlington, VA but hope to buy a house closer to my kids in the next year. I'm also dating a really great woman who enjoys a lot of the same things I do.

So with that background, keep checking back for more random thoughts and food postings. I plan on updating at least twice a week. For those of you on Facebook, I'll post there when I update.