Two Hours Before Turning 47 and...

I’m starting to feel too old to be a question mark, but just about old enough to be an exclamation point… finally. I'm still young enough (or is it "old enough"?) to fight clichés (and often lose like I just did). My earlobes are droopy. My nose is longer and more visibly crooked. My eyebrows are thinning. [Just my eyebrows!] I almost have more grey hair than brown hair on my head. I have strange and floating white patches in my beard. My eyes are hooded (especially my right eye). I’m creaky in the morning. I’m creaky in the afternoon. I’m creaky at night. I’m creaky. I’m up to 1.75 magnifiers and I buy reading glasses by the ½ dozen because I lose or break a pair weekly. I’m starting to feel too old to wear my Bad Brains t-shirt but finally old enough to wear my Iron Maiden raglan. I like heavy metal more than ever… especially growling death metal like Dying Fetus, Decapitated, and Arch Enemy,… but I also like Abba and the Bee Gees more than ever. EVER! I go full Dancing Queen when Barry Gibb pours his disco on me. After 47 years, I’m finally comfortable in a comic book store and even more comfortable at a convention – this I can’t explain. I just now forgot the point of this post… but I’m still young enough to rack (or is it “wrack”?) my brain(s) and eventually remember.

Chile Season Begins

First venom-blooded chile to (almost completely) ripen: Trinidad Moruga Scorpion Chocolate Chile... And yes, as suggestive as this reads, I just ate (or, rather, munched) the tip. Not a sneaky little devil -- an immediate expansion of fire on the front of my tongue followed by that familiar habanero kick with a fruity peppercorn aftertaste. Not as acidic as other Scorpions I've grown/eaten and with a bursting sensation (like weak Pop Rocks) that tickles the palate. Burn lasts only minutes; definitely not an extreme heater. [I would consider the spice of this pod to be like a sarcastic, witty teenager -- sharp but clearly not mature.] I just now followed with a gulp of Umbian Rosso and my mouth is happy... which means that I am happy. Bring it on!