Author Archives: Str8ness

The BLT That About Ruined Me

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The wife had something come up within the last few weeks, so I was on my own for lunch. A few times a year I get a craving for a BLT, and knowing we had the stuff to make one, I decided to treat myself.

First, here is my ingredient list:
Indiana Kitchen Bacon (Regular Cut)
Stan’s San Francisco Sour Dough Bread
Duke’s Mayo
Sliced Tomato
Red Leaf Lettuce

I cooked the whole package of bacon in the oven – aluminum foil lined baking sheet at 400F for around 20 minutes. Easiest way to do it. Bread in the Ninja air fryer/oven/toaster just enough to get it lightly toasted. I still like it pliable. I assembled the sandwich using about 2/3rd (ten pieces) of the bacon with mayo on each side of the bread as a binder. Here is the end result.

I added a few Lays plain chips (yellow bag) for the side.

It was very good, but too rich. A little heavy on the mayo, as you can see it oozing through the hole in the bread above. And overall, just too much food. The quality of the bacon, the mayo, and the bread just amounted in a sandwich that kicked my ass. While I was finishing it off (I rarely waste food), I was thinking, yeah, I don’t need a BLT for a while.

The aftermath. Let me start this by saying I felt great that day. It’s why I decided to make a full lunch as opposed to just a salad or some soup (ramen). I ate this slightly before noon, and by about 1:30 pm I was practically knocked out – woozy and swaying in my office chair. At this point I really expected someone to yell “FINISH HIM!” I mean I felt terrible. Not sure if it was the sodium, the bulk (picture don’t do it justice), the carbs from the chips and bread. I have no idea, but I was not being productive. I could barely keep my eyes open, so I took a break to get the sauna going, and did some yoga while I waited for it to steam up. Yes I do yoga, and yes it makes me feel better.

During all this grogginess, I kept thinking – what the hell happened? Long gone are my younger days of hitting the Chicago’s pizza buffet with my old coworkers. Taking down a large salad followed by about 4-5 pieces of pizza and breadsticks with cheese sauce. Going back to work and still being productive followed by class sometimes at night. No adverse effects! Sigh. Getting old hits you sometimes in different ways – realizing you can no longer eat like you’re going to get rewarded with a championship belt from Nathan’s Famous just happened to be how it hit on this particular day. The days of Five Brat Nate* are long gone.

*One Carb Day during my early twenties at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway I ate five bratwursts in buns in about two hours. They were just going down so good with the beer I couldn’t help it.

The BLT did me in, so it was a salad for dinner, and I skipped lunch the next day.

TLDR: Heavy lunch (BLT) made me sick; younger me used to love gorging on pizza and bratwurst; salad for dinner.

The Bone Broth Fast

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A number of online personalities have been doing a fast based on bone broth. Typically three days of no food other than water (sometimes with electrolytes) and bone broth. The idea is to give your body a reset and to feel better.

I decided I was going to do this as a way to give my body a reset, retrain my mind that it is ok to be hungry, and a little bit to reduce bloat. I was not doing this to induce autophagy, as that would require a longer strictly water fast. I’m also not ruling out that type of fast out in the future. My longest previous fast was roughly two weeks of having a glass or two of chocolate milk a day when I was in the hospital for chemo and stem cell. I couldn’t stomach anything else; and hunger went away within a few days.

I had my last solid meal this passed Thursday around 6:30 pm, and finish my last bourbon later that evening. Friday morning I got started.

Here were my provisions:
Fire & Kettle Bone Broth (Chicken & Beef)
Ultima Replenisher Electrolyte (Blue Rasberry – a favorite flavor of DQ Mr. Misty of mine growing up)

Other consumables included morning coffee with half & half, multivitamin, turmeric, elderberry, and apple cider vinegar gummies (daily supplements)

My daily routine:
Friday – 1 cup of morning coffee, 4 cups of bone broth (2 of beef, 2 of chicken – roughly 6 to 8 ounces each) throughout the day as I felt hungry – nothing after dinner time, 2 (16 ounces) of electrolyte water – 1 in the afternoon, and 1 in the evening, and various filtered water throughout the day

Saturday – 2 cups of morning coffee, 2 cups of bone broth (1 of beef 1 of chicken – roughly 6 to 8 ounces each), beef at lunch & chicken at dinner, 1 (16 ounces) of electrolyte water in the afternoon, and various filtered water throughout the day

Sunday – 2 cups of morning coffee, 1 cup of chicken bone broth (roughly 6 to 8 ounces each), 1 (16 ounces) of electrolyte water in the afternoon, and various filtered water throughout the day

I only did light cardio such as walking because any resistance training really fucks with my hunger. It makes it so much worse.

The Outcome:
My fast was roughly 84 hours.

Hunger started in everyday around lunch. Broth did very little to stop the hunger pangs. That’s where I had to say to myself, no, you’re not eating. A few days isn’t that long, but from lunch to bedtime I was in a varying state of hunger. This confirmed to me that I should really skip any breakfast in the morning, since I’m not really eating due to hunger. I’m thinking some kind of intermittent fast schedule.

I didn’t have a solid stool from Friday evening on, with mostly the production of neon yellow/green to brown liquid. Gross, I know, but I’m being honest about my experience. I expected this due to my liver numbers being on the high end of normal and the occasional pain from the gallbladder region. Also, I was drinking a blue electrolyte mixture. It got worse (or more voluminous) as the weekend went along including Monday morning before I cooked breakfast. Thank god I installed a bidet type toilet seat.

I noticed as the weekend went along I got colder in my environment. I am naturally warm to hot all the time (fan on in my office and blower on in the car), but it was 71 in my house Sunday night, and I had to put on a hoodie. That’s very unusual for me. System/metabolism definitely altered, perhaps slowed down?

About the bloat, Sunday evening I was able to take my class ring off. This was the first time in a couple of years. The last time I attempted a few months ago I failed, but not without taking a few layers of skin in the attempt that did scab over. I consider this a win! I want to get to the point where it easily spins again, so I can take it off when playing golf – my rings really fuck with my grip. Also, I plan on playing more golf next year.

I didn’t measure weight or take any other measurements. It was not about that… yet.

The Reward:
Monday morning I got up and made Sarah and I breakfast. I LOVE BREAKFAST FOOD! Eggs mixed with Pancetta and smothered with cheese, bacon, sausage, strawberry greek yogurt, and ripe grapes. See below.

I went to town a little having roughly 3 eggs, 3 sausages, 5-6 pieces of bacon, a full serving of yogurt, and about 10 grapes. Here is the bizarre part. I was not having hunger pangs before, nor did I feel full after all that. My stomach had apparently not shrunk at all. It would take almost a couple hours until the full feeling kicked in – causing me to skip lunch.

I paid attention to several online personalities who said this was a great experience, and they feel great. Honestly, my win was removing that ring. I did not wake up Monday feeling like a million bucks, so don’t necessarily believe that hype. I felt fine. I felt less bloated. I was proud that I did it. I am more confident I can control my hunger again.

I hope this provides some of you with useful information

Music for Myeloma / Miles for Myeloma

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As you may know, I was diagnosed with Stage 3 multiple myeloma, a rare blood cancer, in 2020. For the last 19 years, the myeloma team at the Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center has really gone the extra mile for patients like me.

Dr. Rafat Abonour (my doctor), members of the IU research and care team, and even some patients have raised awareness about this rare cancer by logging miles – cycling, running, counting steps or laps. This initiative is meant to raise awareness about this rare cancer and generate funding for research and enhanced patient care.

That being said, I’ve never been much of an athlete, but the good folks at the Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center nursed be back from Stage 3 multiple myeloma and treated me, a patient who was no summer breeze, with care, dignity, and respect at a time (pandemic era) when it wasn’t easy. And they did it without bankrupting my family. I need to do something to honor and repay that experience. Hence, September 8th, I am taking the day off work and going live all day on radio-n8.com and the associated apps to play requests, and to speak candidly about my battle with multiple myeloma (expect some tears). I’m going straight through, so I’ll have to figure out bathroom breaks. 🙂

For a minimum $10 donation you can request a song, and I will play it (see guidelines below), and if I can, give a story or memory associated with that song. My goal is to raise $500 for the cause with my matching up to $500. Due to time constraints I will have only time to play a maximum of 50 songs.

DONATE HERE

After you donate, wait until you get the email receipt then forward it to my email address: n8@radio-n8.com. Make sure to include the name of the song.

Song Guidelines
– Must be Safe For Work (Friends could be listening at work)
– Must be easily findable or somewhat mainstream at least
– If I don’t already have it I will be buying it from Amazon at my expense

Maybe you feel I have wronged you in a past life or you would like to hear me rant, then here is your chance. See Song and Band / Individual Artist Exceptions below.

Song Exceptions (Require a minimum of $25 Donation)
– Don’t Worry, Be Happy – Bobby McFerrin
– Summertime Blues – as covered by Rush
– Tiny Dancer – as covered by Tim McGraw
– Closer – Nine Inch Nails
– Day In the Sun – Peter Frampton
– All I Wanna Do – Sheryl Crow

Band / Individual Artist Exceptions (Require a minimum of $25 Donation)
– Steely Dan
– Rage Against the Machine
– The Black Crowes
– Blessid Unions of Souls
– Paula Cole

I can’t see this happening, but I reserve the right to not play certain requests.

Thank you so much for your support for the Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center, This should be an emotional but fun day. I look forward to playing your requests.

Collective Soul – Run

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I was up having a bourbon one night youtubing songs, and I came across this. Full disclosure, I am not necessarily a Collective Soul fan, but I did see them live at the Vogue in Indianapolis – 2009ish, and they were incredible. Considering I only love two of their songs, that amazed me. Great live band! I thought some of might appreciate a very thoughtful version of their song “Run.”

Natey Want Wingy… A Visit to the Ale Emporium

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In local Indy Foodie groups, a debate that often comes up is who has the best wings. One name often mentioned is the Ale Emporium. To be honest, I had tried them years before, like two decades before, and I remembered thinking highly of the place, but I just hadn’t been back. Just like everything on the internet, opinions vary on the Ale Emporium’s wings, but I was persuaded enough to give them a go.

Now Indy has two locations – Castleton (the original) and Greenwood (the addition). Greenwood being where I lived when the wife and I got together, so we decided to head south.

First, great sports bar type atmosphere and plenty of beer on tap, so no complaints there. Second, service was great, e.g., the server prepared us for long wait times due to a lot of carryout orders, but it didn’t seem like any longer for a bar/pub type place. I like when the servers under promise and over deliver.

Now onto the food. We started out with the stuffed breadsticks and cheesy bacon skins.

Ale Emporium – Appetizers

Stuffed Breadsticks – Three handmade breadsticks stuffed with pepperoni and melted mozzarella served with your choice of warm pizza sauce, nacho cheese or white queso.

Cheesy Bacon Skins – Six potato skins topped with cheddar jack cheese, chives and bacon.

The stuffed breadsticks were our favorite. Those little fuckers were the bomb. The cheesy bacon skins were very good, but not a skin. I think the cook just cut potatoes in half, took a minor scrape out of each one then topped them. Those were very thick and very filling. We brought four of them home. Devouring all the stuffed breadsticks wasn’t ever in doubt. Fucking delicious, and I’m pretty sure the nacho cheese they serve them with is Ortega Que Bueno! YUM!

Onto the wings. I got the Hermazian.

Ale Emporium – Hermazian Wings

My wife got the Herman-Style, and we split some fries.

Ale Emporium – Herman-Style Wings

Hermazian Wings – Secret blend of peppers and spices, the Ale’s secret sauce, and Asian sweet and sour sauce.

Herman-Style Wings – Secret blend of peppers and spices, mixed with the Ale’s secret sauce.

Ale Fries – Idaho potatoes lightly sprinkled with Ale’s own special blend of seasoning.

I was very impressed and my wife was just impressed. To be honest, I tried one of hers and I think the Hermazian is the superior sauce, so that helped. Hers was more of a traditional buffalo. Mine were more robust than that. More unique. Fries were good, good flavor, and a decent side. Next time I’ll go tots though.

The wings were crispy yet tender on the inside without being dry. The sauce was fantastic and unique – Asian Zing from B-Dubs kind of gets you close, maybe.

Long story short, Natey got delectable wingy! We both agreed we would be back, and generally I can thank the local foodie groups for steering us in the right direction again. Highly recommend!

My Kits

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So as I have mentioned before, I am a drummer. A hobbyist really who has played for a number of years, but it is something I do for myself. Not in a band, don’t care to perform for others, and just love the instrument. I figured I would post my kits.

Kit #1

My first kit is an based on an Alesis DM10, but over the years many drums and cymbals have been added. Its not in its permanent home, so I need to permanently upgrade th cable snakes to the module (DM10) that feeds the laptop (Addictive Drums 2). This is old technology, but I have upgraded the heads to a measure and rubberized the striking surface, so they have a close to real drum feel. The problem is the multiple cable snakes it takes.

Alesis Kit – Cable Snakes

As you can see this is a lot of cables. Before, when it wasn’t in its permanent home, I just used standard length cables and fed the slack into the black range back (bottom left corner). That’s not longer acceptable, so I start soon on customizing the cables (wire cutter, stripper, and soldering iron) and individually adding each one, then programming each piece with the module and software. I did an all at once approach before, and that was a mistake. It needs to be on a piece by piece basis.

Here is the new setup.

Alesis Kit – Final Drum Positions

You’ll notice I raised on of my toms (upper left). I sometimes play traditional (think drummer’s left hand flipping you off), so I noticed while I was playing the original setup was not very ergonomic (my left hand kept hitting the hi-hat), so I adjusted for it. To note, if I could zoom in on the snare (drum with red and black) you’ll notice a take on the symbol from the kit that inspired me. Anyway, I start the custom cable snake / wiring harness for this kit soon. I can’t wait to play it again. It has been missed, and having hundreds if not thousands of kits at your disposal is a plus. Thanks Addictive Drums 2!

Kit #2

I actually don’t have any current pictures, but it is an old acoustic Borg kit I purchased on Reverb. I totally plan on stripping it down to wood, refinishing it, and converting it to electric. This will take a lot, but I am very much looking forward to it. This will help me accomplish my goal of becoming an expert in electronic drum technology. I’m going to pull and read all the patents, so I know how to properly build based in what is known in the art. I’m looking so forward to this project!

Kit #3

This is one I bought not too long ago, and honestly when i play it, it feels like a toy. This is my Roland.

Roland Kit

It just feels like it need to be bigger. It feels so small. I don’t known anyway else to put it. However, it is a true mesh head kit, and the feel and sound module is awesome. I love it for that. I try to play it daily, but have been slacking with a lot of things pulling me away from my hobbies – hence the lack of blog updates.

Anyway, a lot of what was distracting me is gone, so expect more content! Hope you enjoyed this post, and also, expect more on drums, drumming, my progress, and my progress on my kits!

Kuma’s Corner… Hell Yes!

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Not too long ago the wife and I ventured out to a new place to try, Kuma‘s Corner in Fountain Square, Indy. This came through recommendations of a local foodie group. We were greeted at the inner door with this sign.

Kuma’s – Malort Sign

I turned to my wife and said, “well I can already tell I’m going to love this place.” The hard rock and metal atmosphere as well as the music pumping over the sound system assured I would love it. What came next was just as fitting.

This place is known for its burgers, but we started out with some appetizers. Feast your eyes on the fried pickles and jalapeno poppers.

Kuma’s – Appetizers

Jalapeno Poppers – Deep Fried Cream Cheese and Chorizo Stuffed Jalapenos, Raspberry Jalapeno Jam

Fried Pickles – Deep Fried Panko Breaded Dill Chips, Chipotle Mayo

The poppers are good, but not typical in nature, think hot lava on the inside with a heavy heavy breading. The cream cheese balances out the heat of the chorizo and pepper and the sweet raspberry jams brings a sweetness that is fantastic. These were good, and I would recommend giving them a try.

The pickles really took us by surprise. I am not a fried pickle guy. Typically there are too salty, over breaded, and greasy (not in a good way). My wife tends to love them. These fried pickles we both really liked. It’s as if they debrined them, and the breading ratio to the long pickle slices was on point. And you know I’m down with chipotle mayo.

This is where we have to give a shout out to our server/bartender. My wife asked for ranch – you’ll notice it in the picture. Our server told us they do not do that, so no big deal. A few minutes before we got our apps, one of the gentlemen from the kitchen brought us out some ranch, and said they are working on a homemade one due to many requests (hello, it’s the fuckin’ Midwest), and asks us to try one his first batches. Under promise over deliver score for service! Needless to say, the ranch was very very good.

Knowing we had some burgers coming, we didn’t even eat half. Also, we have the great deep fried leftover equalizer (Ninja countertop oven and air fryer) at home, so we knew these would reheat ok – and they did!

That brings us to our burgers. I knew what I wanted almost immediately and ordered the Neurosis Burger with fries.

Kuma’s – Neurosis Burger

Neurosis Burger – Horseradish Mayo, Cheddar, Swiss, Carmelized Onion, Sauteed Mushrooms, LTO

My wife was undecided and ask our server for a recommendation between the Goatsnake Burger and the YOB Burger. The server without hesitation said get the Goatsnake Burger, and she was not wrong.

Kuma’s – Goatsnake Burger

Goatsnake Burger – Herbed Goat Cheese, Poblano Sweet Corn Relish, Cholula Lemon Vinaigrette, Buttermilk Breaded Deep Fried Red Onions

As her side she got the Mac & Cheese with her two add-ons being Prosciutto and Sundried Tomato.

Kuma’s – Mac & Cheese

Mac & Cheese – House Blend of Cheese Topped with Breadcrumbs and Scallions with added Prosciutto and Sundried Tomato

Now if I am being honest, her burger was straight up better than mine, and mine was excellent, but her being more adventurous paid off. Don’t get me wrong, I loved mine, and it was very well prepared (cooked medium, pink throughout), but hers was just more flavorful and robust.

When it comes to the fries, think Five Guys, both in flavor and in fuckload-ishness. That was a lot of fries, and she had a lot of Mac & Cheese. Our strategy was finish the burgers, and bring everything else home. Mainly because we did not have a clue how to successfully reheat the burgers.

The Aftermath. Mac & Cheese, Poppers, Fried Pickles, and Fries.

Kuma’s – Left Overs

All of this stuff warmed up fairly well the next day, with the exception being the Mac & Cheese lost some of its creaminess, but that was to be expected. It was still fairly tasty served day old and warmed over.

I did not drink, but my wife had a couple drinks, so after tip it was over $100, but worth it since it was new, very good, provided two meals, and prompted us to want to return and try other items.

One thing to note, if you’re a messy eater such as I, wear a shirt you don’t mind getting destroyed. My sweatshirt put up a valiant but losing effort as it had splatters and drips all down it. I don’t mind getting messy down in the trenches if the meal is worth it, and this one was.

However, sometimes that backfires such as it did that day. I walked out took about ten steps and immediately ran into a buddy from high school and his new girlfriend whom I had never met. I apologized for shit being all down my shirt, but explained I had just ate at Kuma’s for the first time. He gave me the “I am familiar.”

Would have loved to join them at Upland for a couple beers, but we had errands to run before getting home to the dog. We really do have to time these things. We’ll save that trip for another day and another blog.

For the Love of Drums

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Growing up it was very important to my grandmother (adopted mother) that I play a musical instrument. Now, it was her dream for me to play the guitar, seeing how she purchased me an acoustic one in fourth grade and signed me up for lessons that I didn’t really care about. It just didn’t grab me. I was done after a few months. Also, she supported my playing of the violin in elementary school, fifth and sixth grade, which was a good excuse to get out of an hour or so of classwork a day and perform, terribly, at the couple of parents concerts a year.

During all that, in the fifth grade, I discovered the drums. I don’t remember exactly how it went down, but I do remember being absolutely mesmerized by Eric Carr’s kit, the drummer from Kiss. A couple pics of his set-up are below.

Eric Carr – Kit Front
Eric Carr – Kit Back

Now being from Terre Haute, the home of the Kiss Army, I should be a bigger Kiss fan, but I’m just not. I do like some of their songs, and some are featured on Radio-N8, but I’m just not a huge Kiss guy. That being said I fell in love with that kit when I first saw it in the Kiss – Reason To Live video. A song I actually dig. The symbol on the drums is a Japanese symbol (Chikara) which stands for power. That symbol is now printed in the design of one of my e(lectronic)-snares as a homage to the kit that drew me in. You’ll see my kits in a subsequent post in the next few days.

For whatever reason I was just drawn to drums. In my household we got cable and MTV late as compared to my friends. A few years past everyone. However, one of my favorite memories is when my grandfather would let me commandeer the TV on the day they would do the top 100 videos of all time countdowns – think later ’80s versions of that countdown. A song that would always come up in the countdown was Simple Minds – Don’t You (Forget About Me), originally released in 1985, and forever aligned with the movie The Breakfast Club. I’ve embedded it below for ease of view.

I’ve never really figured it out, but something about this song made me want to be a drummer. I’m not sure why, but maybe its because the 16th note pattern or maybe there is some syncopation going on? I’ve never sat down to analyze or think about it. I just enjoy it for what it is, and every time it comes up on my playlist I have the same sense of reverie as when it first grabbed me. Sometimes the best analysis is just saying “this is it” and enjoying it.

In subsequent posts I’ll talk about drums, my kits, abilities, influences, etc… But for now just know the kit and the song that helped get me hooked.

A Good Prognosis & A Great Lunch

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Last week I had a quarterly medical appointment downtown. The news was decent, so no immediate worries there. However, due the time of the appointment I reached out to some old friends to see if they wanted to meet us a Shapiro’s (Foodie Hall of Famer). That worked out, so we worked it in, and bah gawd, Shapiro’s did it again! I love this place, and every time I am there I hear Thornton Melon’s voice in my head repeating the line “I hate small food.”

Now going in you have to understand I skip breakfast the day of lunch here, and generally eat a small dinner or skip it too. That being said, I present you with the Reuben, matzo ball soup with noodles, chips, and a pickle.

Shapiro’s Lunch

The Reuben: Corned beef (has to be over a half pound?), sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and Russian Dressing all stacked on our house-baked, hand cut rye, then grilled to a golden brown. I love this sammy. And if you’re not a rye fan (I wasn’t for years), try this rye. It’s very mild.

The Soup: Hand-rolled matzo balls cooked in chicken broth with added carrots, peas and thin egg noodles. This soup is good for my soul.

They claim the sandwich has won awards nationally, and I for one fucking believe them. Fantastic lunch. If you’re in downtown Indy and don’t mind dropping $25ish-$30ish for lunch, I highly recommend it. If you can, meet up with friends. I don’t get to do that much anymore, and I’m sure glad we did! Thank you guys.