Lemony Zest :: Kim Lewandowski

Archive for August, 2005

I forgot to mention that last Wednesday, at the No Frill Bar & Grill, we had the chocolate bourbon cake for dessert. It was wonderful – intense chocolate flavor, chocolate syrup, and whipped cream. Definitely worth the calories.

We have a pretty cool Black-and-yellow Garden Spider (Argiope aurantia) in the back yard. I broke some of the web the other day when I was weeding, but the next day, it was all fixed and looking beautifully spiral.

Came across this site today, also courtesy of the Umbrella. These always crack me up, too

The Darwin Awards

The Darwin Awards salute the improvement of the human genome
by honoring those who accidentally kill themselves in really stupid ways. Of necessity, this honor is generally bestowed posthumously.

This was on the Web site for the Umbrella, which used to be a group of local computer user groups. I’m glad to see Ann Harney is still doing the newsletter.

After every flight, Qantas Airways [Australia] pilots fill out a form, called a “gripe sheet,” which tells mechanics about problems with the aircraft. The mechanics correct the problems, document their repairs on the form, and then pilots review the gripe sheets before the next flight.

Never let it be said that ground crews lack a sense of humor. Here are some actual maintenance complaints submitted by Qantas’ pilots (marked with a P) and the solutions recorded (marked with an S) by maintenance engineers. By the way, Qantas is the only major airline that has never had an accident. … Enjoy!

P: Left inside main tire almost needs replacement.
S: Almost replaced left inside main tire.

P: Test flight OK, except auto-land very rough.
S: Auto-land not installed on this aircraft.

P: Something loose in cockpit.
S: Something tightened in cockpit.

P: Dead bugs on windshield.
S: Live bugs on back-order.

P: Autopilot in altitude-hold mode produces a 200 feet per minute
descent.
S: Cannot reproduce problem on ground.

P: Evidence of leak on right main landing gear.
S: Evidence removed.

P: DME volume unbelievably loud.
S: DME volume set to more believable level.

P: Friction locks cause throttle levers to stick.
S: That’s what they’re for.

P: IFF inoperative.
S: IFF always inoperative in OFF mode.

P: Suspected crack in windshield.
S: Suspect you’re right.

P: Number 3 engine missing.
S: Engine found on right wing after brief search.

P: Aircraft handles funny. (I love this one!)
S: Aircraft warned to straighten up, fly right, and be serious.

P: Target radar hums.
S: Reprogrammed target radar with lyrics.

P: Mouse in cockpit.
S: Cat installed.

And the best one for last………………
P: Noise coming from under instrument panel. Sounds like a midget
pounding on something with a hammer.
S: Took hammer away from midget!

I’m writing this from a classroom at Tidewater Community College – the monthly meeting of SHRUG (South Hampton Roads User Group), a local computer user group of which I’ve been a member for over 10 years – to demonstrate how the blog works.

On Wednesday, Aug. 10, my TNT weekly dinner group went to the No Frill Bar & Grill for dinner. Everyone liked what they ordered. The No Frill has been there for several years – I’ve been there many times, and always enjoyed the food. We are all glad they installed the noise-diminishing panels on the walls – it helps a lot when you want to actually talk to each other.

So here’s what we had:

• I had a pork BBQ sandwich with cole slaw on top and corn and black bean salsa on the side – yummy
• Barbara had fried catfish with pasta salad and potato salad. She ate it all, so it must have been good. Barbara has tried catfish everywhere around here, so if you’re looking for some good catfish, she’s the one to ask.
• Susan had the pita quesadilla with a side of spinach. She really liked the quesadilla but was disappointed in the spinach – she thought it was overcooked.
• Keith had, I believe, the smoked turkey and pastrami sandwich on sourdough bread, also with a side of spinach. He enjoyed it thoroughly and thought the spinach was just right. So you might like it, or you might not.
• Karen had a small salad and the portabello mushroom appetizer. The appetizer was huge – the two together were more than enough for her. They looked great and tasted just as good, according to Karen.

So there you have it – except for one side, we all enjoyed everything. They do it right, which is why they’re always busy.