The wife and I got a sitter last night and decided to stroll the Music Row honky-tonks, tourist-style.

The downpour began just as we'd parked in an outdoor lot, a few blocks over from Broadway.

Our first attempt to escape the precipitation netted us Printer's Alley and the Bourbon Street Blues and Boogie Bar.

Just past the nude karaoke sign of the Brass Stables, we encountered our first raging drunk, stumbling his way toward a dumpster, which he attempted to lean against and pan-handle us, but his tongue couldn't get a handle on his pitch.

The Boogie Bar was dead and the $10 cover charge act wasn't going to be on for two hours, so we made our way over to Music Row proper.

A short-ish stroll to Layla's Bluegrass Inn later we arrived for the last 45 seconds of an energetic hillbilly act, and got our drinks to mind us over for the 20 minute changeover.

I've caught the last seconds of that band twice now, and really should go a smidge earlier sometime.

We were discussing a move to another venue when the rain went from downpour to apeshit.

We ordered another round and a real fire-cracker, Jerry Lee Lewis style, piano-man began a barrage.

Brandon Giles and the Tricky Two had some good originals and tasteful, spirited covers that played true.

The rain ended, our drinks were empty, and it was time to pick up the kids all too soon.

Just not soon enough to save a ringing in my ears.

I'm getting to aged for this honky-tonk business.

Easiest fall-off-the-bone pork baby-back rib prep ever.

Place 2-6 rib racks on foil-lined baking sheet with at least a small lip.

Pour a cup of BBQ sauce on the ribs.

Optional: pour additional 1/4 cup of Worcestershire sauce on ribs.

Cover ribs with another sheet of foil and seal edges with the lower sheet.

Bake on middle rack of 250 degree (F) oven for 2 hours 30 minutes.

Optional: after removing ribs from oven place meat-side up on charcoal grill (small amount of low-heat embers), baste with additional BBQ sauce, then close lid for 5 minutes.

No pics of this one yet, as ribs were reduced to bones within minutes.

My 4 and 2 year-olds can now navigate youtube to go from video to video... of BUCKETHEAD!

He is their absolute favorite and they run around in a circle screeching, "It's buckethead!  He's silly cuz he has a bucket on his head!  He's playing guitar really fast!" the whole time.

They now want me to wear a bucket on my head while I play.

Sorry to disappoint them, but re-purposed KFC hat or not, I can just not make my fingers move that fast.

I only discovered him for myself recently.

I'd heard, during the wait for Chinese Democracy, that there was a guy who replaced Slash who wore a bucket on his head while he played, and that's as far as I got.

I'm liking the stuff he does on his own, but not so much his G'n'R era stuff and his versions of their old material.

He's technically competent doing Slash's solos, it's just not... you know... he didn't write it.

But doing his own stuff... well... shit.  He may wear a bucket, but he's got some soul; when he's not doing the overly technical speed-shredding.

So I'm glad I found him, and glad that he's out of GnR now, so that I can like him.

 

Her hair reminds me of the last time my fingers hurt this bad trying to play this song.

The first song back I attempted, over and over today:

I pulled out the guitar from the closet today.

Fingertips are now very red, tender, and slightly swollen.

Takes me right back to high school.

I want to get my callus' back.

My wife's reaction to this was, "Boy, you could get all the ladies with this drink."

The base is either lemonade or lemon-lime soda (I've used both.)

Then two or four shots of vodka depending on the quality of the day.

Add cranberry-strawberry juice cocktail until the color is about right.

A squirt of concentrated lime juice.

Then squeeze an orange into the drink, reserving one slice for garnish.

Grabbed the personality test from Writebrained

My results:

Independent Thinker (IT)

Independent Thinkers are analytical and witty persons. They are normally self-confident and do not let themselves get worked up by conflicts and criticism. They are very much aware of their own strengths and have no doubts about their abilities. People of this personality type are often very successful in their career as they have both competence and purposefulness. Independent Thinkers are excellent strategists; logic, systematics and theoretical considerations are their world. They are eager for knowledge and always endeavour to expand and perfect their knowledge in any area which is interesting for them. Abstract thinking comes naturally to them; scientists and computer specialists are often of this type.

Independent Thinkers are specialists in their area. The development of their ideas and visions is important to them; they love being as flexible as possible and, ideally, of being able to work alone because they often find it a strain having to make their complex trains of thought understandable to other people. Independent Thinkers cannot stand routine. Once they consider an idea to be good it is difficult to make them give it up; they pursue the implementation of that idea obstinately and persistently, also in the face of external opposition.

Independent Thinkers are not the type who easily comes out of his shell. Speaking about their emotional life is also not one of their strong points. Anyway, social relationships are not particularly important to them; they are happy with just a few, close friends who find it easy to share their intellectual world. They find it difficult to establish new ties. In love, they need a lot of space and independence but this does not mean that their partner is not important to them. Independent Thinkers often make a cool and reserved impression on others; but this impression is deceptive: they can hardly bear it if people close to them should reject them. They prefer a harmonious, balanced relationship with a partner who shares their interests and with whom they can realize their visions.

Adjectives which describe your type

introverted, theoretical, logical, planning, rational, independent, intellectual, self-confident, analytical, structured, dogged, witty, resolute, self-critical, visionary, inventive, independent, unsociable, reserved, nonconformist, quiet, visionary, honest, demanding, hardworking

Diced green chilis, sliced black olives, minced garlic, and sharp cheddar cheese packed inside the burger patty.

I've heard it called an Inside-Out Burger.

To assemble, divide each portion of hamburger into a larger piece (5/8) and smaller piece (3/8). 
Form the large piece into a bowl shape with a lip around the edge.
Fill with anything you find yummy on a burger, then seal the lid of the package with the smaller burger portion.
Place on hot grill until desired color.  I went about 10 minutes on thick side and 5 minutes on thinner lid side.
Remove from heat and let rest for 3-4 minutes.
Slide it between a bun and enjoy.

To make the rub, combine Fryin' Magic powder (or Shake'n'Bake), sugar, black pepper, garlic powder, Italian spices, and a pinch of cayenne in a bowl.

Light charcoal in grill and when covered in white ash, move coals to front half of grill.

Dredge chicken breasts in the mix on both sides, rubbing additional powder gently on.

Place chicken breasts on back half of charcoal grill for indirect heat (and warming rack if you have two levels), close lid, and partially close all dampers to moderate temp and trap smoke.

After 10 minutes-ish, rotate grill positions and flip the chicken breast, applying sauce of choice with a brush.

I used 1/2 Asian Garlic Chili sauce with 1/2 Texas Pete Buffalo Wing sauce.

After 5 minutes, flip chicken breasts and place them directly over the hot coals with the lid off/open, brushing again with sauce.

After one minute, flip chicken breast and rotate grill positions still over the coals with lid off/open.

After one minute, remove from grill and let rest for three minutes before eating.

Dry rub spices,
five pounds of pork spare ribs,
then two and a half hours of indirect heat from charcoal, damped down to keep it smoky and not too hot,
finished by a few minutes on each side directly over the coals with brushed on sauce.