Fall Closing In

Fifty degrees and windy on a Sunday in mid October. It's feeling like fall today in coastal Virginia... and I neglected to bring a jacket.

One of the biggest changes I've made in my life over the last couple of weeks, no it actually is the biggest, is I am following a financial budget. I knew who Dave Ramsey is, I've even heard him speak once.  But I decided to start watching some of his videos and it gave me the urgency to get rid of my student loan. Now granted, it's not a whole lot at this point, but it would be very nice to have that burden off my shoulders. It's on a ten year plan, but if I could get rid of it in 5 or 6 years total, why not?

So I downloaded everydollar.com,  And now I'm recording literally every purchase that I make and every dollar that comes in.  I feel much more accountable and also I feel like I have a lot more purpose because I know where each dollar is going and what I have to work with. And I'm sure I'll adjust the numbers as different months go by, but I think this is a really valuable tool.

I saw Michael Jr's film, More Than Funny, last Thursday. It was pretty fantastic, especially the bit where he talks about how white people tend to give their dogs human names and black people tend to give their dogs non human names. But there were also several human stories that demonstrated the power of doing something for somebody else.  From the artist, to the man helping homeless people, to the Nissan NV for the family of 16. And that's why it was more than funny.

With Friday off, I went to Williamsburg for a few hours.  Besides getting my hair cut, I went to Amber Ox for the 2nd time. It's a public house and brewery, but with a little bit of Southern flair. I had a BLT with seared pork belly. The pork belly works better than bacon because it's so thick and it doesn't get overwhelmed by the other ingredients. From there, I made a stop at Whitley's for some peanuts. I got their health fusion mix, the barbecue bourbon, a party mix for small group, and a gift pack for my father. I really wanted to get the salt and pepper cashews,  if only they were available to sample.

A few other things I want to say. It amazes me that I have social media "friends" who only contact me when they're annoyed or upset with me. Constructive criticism can be very beneficial. But I'm absolutely tired of people who only talk to me with the intention of expressing their displeasure. If that's all they're going to do, then don't waste my time. Because that's not a friendship.

Can't wait for Creed 2. At this rate, that may be the highlight of my Thanksgiving.

Handsome Biscuit may be the best eatery in all of Norfolk, Virginia. I came in the middle of a Saturday afternoon and the line was out the door. Of course, this isn't the biggest building in the world, so the line is going to find its way out the door quite quickly. I ordered two sandwiches, the Stevie and the AC Slawter.

The Slawtwer has their pulled pork (which had a tangy, almost apple flavor to it), Lupo hot sauce, and apple slaw on the sweet potato biscuit. Fantastic combo and a delicious mess. The biscuit almost held up even though there was a pile of meat and slaw on it. The hot sauce had a lot of flavor, it wasn't overly spicy. The cider vinegar and honey kept it from overwhelming the other ingredients.

The Stevie was crazy good. Their fried chicken is big, crispy, juicy, and well seasoned...all necessary requirements. The house pickles were great. I'm not usually a fan of really grainy mustard, but the honey helped keep the sandwich balanced.

The lemon bar brulee was a really good dessert. The crust is made of shortbread and it even has a little bit of thyme, which adds an earthy, almost nutty flavor to the bar. And big props for the iced teas. They have flavored sweeteners in house. I opted for the lemon ginger and it made one of the best Arnold Palmers I've drank in a long time.

Oh and their most expensive sandwich is around $7. There's no legit reason to not check this place out. It's tremendous.