I just received these pictures from my good friend Jill, who received them from a third party. They were taken here in Houston two days ago on Highway 59 northbound around W. Airport Blvd. Out here, the lanes are very wide. A couple of miles up the road, however, our friend is in for a very nasty surprise as the lanes get narrower (or at least there are a lot more cars). Perhaps he is using one of these devices which has made him forgetful. I hope he makes it to the Darwin Awards Finals! Click on the image to get a higher resolution picture. Enjoy!

Ok, I feel I need to do drivers and humanity at large a service. Allow me to translate the meaning of the ubiquitous “Exit Only” phraseology present everywhere on highway signage to soccer moms, people yapping on the phone, or perhaps using this reading device whilst driving an 8 ton Cataract Escapade or your weapon-of-mass-planet-and-brain-cell-destruction of choice.

The phrase “Exit Only” apparently is transmogrified in many clueless drivers’ minds as “Only Exit.” I don’t know why dyslexic interpretation of street signs is so pervasive; perhaps that’s another topic of research entirely (maybe I’ll apply for a research grant to research stupidity on roadways).

Anyway, “Exit Only,” much to the dismay of many, actually means just that, Exit Only. That means the lane designated thusly is, you guessed it, an exit only!! Wow! It does not mean, to the consternation of many drivers, the only exit. So if you see a two lane exit and the right lane is designated “Exit Only,” it is not necessary to panic, drop your phone, beer, bluetooth headgear or hairdryer, and move your big ass vehicle into my lane to exit. You can stay right where you are, please.

I hope I’ve cleared that up for good.

Today I had the pleasure of getting together with my oldest brother (who is a grandfather and has officially entered his fifties - a sobering thought if it weren’t for the fact that he plays in two bands three nights a week and parades around like he’s in his thirties and still looks it; I have more gray and more of a receded hairline than him) for lunch at P.F. Chang’s to use up a couple of gift certificates from the winter solstice (that holiday many people call kriss-mess or something . . .) holidays. So we went full court press and hodgered some serious groceries, as we like to say in my family.

So we had some hot tea in a lead-encased pot that weighed about 62 lbs and of course the waiter whipped up their dipping sauce which is essentially a mixture of chile oil, rice vinegar, chinese mustard, and soy sauce. Of course to kick that up (as is it could be thinned out with a little stock and eaten as a soup) we added sambal oelek (I love wikipedia) and more chile oil. Then our server told us he would bring out some more spice to kick it up. Scot (my brother) and I dig in with a couple of teaspoons and slurped up the mystery sauce (it was hard to tell with the lighting and the small ramekins) and noted it was simply Sriracha.

Anyway, there was plenty of banter whilst we scarfed on the first two choices for appetizer: salt and pepper calamari and Chang’s chicken wraps. Most of our discussion was BS and catch up since we hadn’t seen each other since the holidays. Some of it was light ranting about dumb-ass drivers in Houston (quick question: why is the speed of a vehicle over rough pavement/rail road tracks, etc., inversely proportional to the size of the vehicle? Why do Ford Ex-screw-me-sions and Cataract Escapades slow to a stop before driving over pebbles? Why? There will be a blog entry about that sometime soon . . . ) including people driving slow while on the phone in the fast lane and other things that perplex me no end.

Anywho . . . . back to the vittles. We had decided upon a couple of dishes we hadn’t had before: Sichuan (i.e., Szech(w/u)an) Beef and Chengdu spiced lamb. The beef was good, but the Chengdu was kick ass. I will definitely be getting that again and urge everyone to try it. It is described on the menu as “Richly spiced marinated lamb, wok-caramelized then tossed with cumin, mint, tomatoes and yellow onions.” It is seriously yummy is what it is. According to the restaurant’s website, we each ingested about 1,760 kcal. With that I should be running, not driving, home . . .

Anyway, I’ve got to get back to wrapping up here at the office (while I’m listening to one of my favorite Internet radio stations: GrooveSalad at SomaFM) so I can get home and get back to cooking for this Friday!