substitutions

I substituted this picture for this one.


Let me tell you why.

Yes - at first glance, it's kind of funny, Har har. But then I put some thought into it and realized that there's a lot of ego and pride and arrogance behind the joke.

Let me tell you why, after a few minutes of thinking about it, I don't think it's funny anymore. Ashanta probably loves her Mom, and probably wants to spend more time with her. And hey - her Mom has a job, and one that's good enough for her kid to want to emulate. Her Mom's job is providing for her family, too, so Ashanta probably has a place to sleep and a roof over her head and food to eat because of her Mom's job, and Ashanta knows it. And guess what? All kids haven't developed the cynical "I'm too cool for this" attitude that infects so many adults, and God love Ashanta for still being able to find the value in her relationship with her Mom and acknowledging her admiration for her Mom instead of making fun of her Mom for working at Taco Bell.

Let's face it - the whole joke is a shot at anybody that's not working a white collar job, isn't it? I think it speaks volumes for the folks that find it hilarious - unfortunately, it said a lot about me for a while, too.

I'll confess that I've worked many a "Taco Bell" job, even very recently, and yeah - sometimes it's hard on the ego and the pride. But there's still value to be found in honest work, and I salute all you folks across the country who are doing it. You're braver than I am sometimes, and I have more respect for the guy working behind the counter at McDonalds than I do for the ass that laughs at him for doing it.

-> off my soapbox.

I substituted a pound of Earl Campbell's smoked sausage (cooked in mesquite BBQ sauce) for the brown rice. I regret nothing about this particular decision.

I substituted my own tastes and proclivities for black pepper for my wife's preference for food that's not as spicy as *I* like it, resulting in pinto beans that are hard for her to eat. I repent that decision, and I feel really badly about it. I know I've always had a tendency to liberally apply a layer of black pepper to everything I eat, regardless of who cooked it or how good it already is, but I need to respect that not everybody likes that.

I traded my current low-carb diet for several pieces of white bread to go with my BBQ sausage and pinto beans. I may regret that one tomorrow.

Oh - go Rangers, huh? Nice job on Game 5. Please throttle the Yankees accordingly.

Ok - that's it.

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