As many different topics as possible.

I'm going to violate a cardinal rule of my comp classes and squeeze in as many different topics in this post as I can and under-develop them all.

The birthday dinner went over well. Even though I needed potato-baking tips and, in the case of the steaks, cooking assistance from the young lady, it was still 85% my effort. The roasted red pepper and artichoke relish was superb--that shit'd be good on regular ol' bread. Don't think I'm not thinking ahead. The recipe will be saved if only to replicate that. The potatoes were done nicely, and the asparagus turned out well too. Asparagus is the simplest fresh veg to prep. I roasted them in the oven; a little olive oil, a little salt and pepper, a little toss, and what do you know, I'm Tyler Florence. Top 'er off with a bottle of red, and you got some tasty goodness.

I've been to two Braves games this week--both losses, sadly--and now have enough hastily scribbled notes from which I will fashion the remaining pieces for my little freelance thingie. I need to have them done by the end of the week but probably will have them done before then, knowing how I work. Turner Field is in some ways a hard place to write about. My goal is, through these short one-page pieces, to capture some of the flavor of the place--but it's hard to say what's unique about the place. It's really like a big, loud Disney World; it's a place for the kids and the families, and I don't think I mean that disparagingly.

One of the pieces will be on the in-park food options, and that will be tough. Not that it lacks in food options, but they're overfamiliar and replicated on every level of the park: hot dog, burger, pretzel, popcorn, nachos, etc. I guess one strategy is to mention these and then briefly mention one or two standouts. That seems workable, and I have to remember these are 250-word pieces. I think my favorite semi-off-the-path food experience, nothing mind-blowing, was a bag of cinnamon-glazed roasted almonds that the young lady bought at this unassuming stand called The Nutty Bavarian. And yesterday's Chicago Dog was tasty--I have no idea how authentic it was, but it was piled with the onions, the spicy peppers, the celery salt, the sweet relish. Normally I'm not one for sweet relish but it was delightful.

So I'll get something together, and it won't even be what I intend, probably.

Still no word on whether my two summer classes will go. Enrollment in both hasn't budged in at least two weeks--still eight in one and four in the other. But like a good foot soldier, I'm prepping my syllabi anyway.

And it's hot! It's too early to be this hot, even in metro Atlanta in early June. Yesterday's game was a scorcher. I paid for a cheap upper pavilion seat and only sat there two innings; the rest of the time I wandered around, ate, and took notes. Tried to stay out of the sun. Left at the bottom of the sixth to catch the shuttle. I didn't much care we were tied; the game was plodding along and I had all the notes I wanted.

There--what grade would you give this post?