t 'n t luoma

This is Ethan and Tim standing near the cockpit of an airplane which used to serve as Air Force One. It is not nearly as impressive as the one on The West Wing.

This plane, the SR71, is faster than missles. It can’t be shot down... at least from behind I guess.

This is Ethan totally ignoring the barrier which was supposed to convey a sense of “Hey, stay out!”

One of the coolest things we have done on vacation was this flight simulator which gave you 4 minutes behind the controls of a fighter jet. In 2 minutes 16 seconds I managed to crash 3 times. The controls are more (over-)sensitive than a pubescent teenager. Richard managed to get us into a successful loop (yes we were completely upside down for a few moments).

I can hear Danger Zone playing somewhere in the background (or is it all in my head?)

“Sure I can fix that.”

Have tools, will travel. (Yes we are looking for a toolbelt for him.)

Next on Fox: “When Toddlers’ Attack”

Had a really nice lunch at the The Metropolitan Grill. We did a taste test between there and Ruth’s Chris Steak House which we visited on Sunday. The steak was better at The Met but the service and atmosphere was better at Ruth’s Chris. It was one of the few places where we didn’t tip 20%... in fact we tipped barely 10%. I sat for at least 10 minutes with an empty Diet Pepsi glass sitting on the edge of the table. The bus boy filled my water twice (thankfully). I’m relatively easy to please when it comes to service in a restaurant, so when you get a lousy tip from me, you’ve earned it. Given a choice I’d go back to Ruth’s Chris in a minute, because once you are at such a high level of quality when it comes to food, the real determining factor is service, followed closely by atmosphere. And parking, which was also easier than at The Met.

We came home and played a game of Outburst, husbands versus wives. I won’t say who won, but I will tell you who didn’t lose :-D

Tonight we went to The Mongolian Grill. Pick what you want to eat, put it in a bowl, add some oils, watch them cook it, add sauce. Very good. Very very good. How good? I ate broccoli stems and enjoyed them. Ask my mother, she’ll tell you how good that means... if she has recovered from the shock. Finished the night at Cold Stone Creamery which now offers ice cream made with Splenda. No word on whether the brownie or Reece’s Cup mix-in were low-carb, but I just shared Tracey’s, so clearly no impact carbs there. (Note to self: [re-]induction starts Monday... although my 38" jeans are still plenty loose.)

Came home and packed (Tracey) and realized how early we need to leave. Think good thoughts for us tomorrow as we leave at 6:00 a.m. for an 8:30 a.m. flight (Pacific Time) which will land in Atlanta at 4:03 p.m. (Eastern time) and then to Columbus, arriving 8:14 p.m. followed by baggage claim and a 2/2.5 hour drive home. And yes I am preaching Sunday.

Good night. See you in Ohio.