July 4, 2023 - Weenies, Darts, Walking, Grimace
Happy Birthday America! You don't look a day over 246.
Nuggets of Information: Frankly, My Dear I Do Give a Damn
Nothing says “Happy Birthday America” like Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest. Starting back on July 4th, 1916, this combination of athletic achievement and sheer gluttony has captivated generations. I first became hooked back in 2001 when Japan's Takeru Kobayashi almost doubled the previous year’s total by consuming 50 hot dogs/buns in 12 minutes. His reign lasted until 2007 when the United States’ Joey Chestnut hit a new world record with 66 hot dogs. The following year the contest was shortened to 10 minutes, where Chestnut and Kobayashi tied at the end of regulation and went on to an “eat-off” with Chestnut winning by eating 5 hot dogs in 50 seconds – 7 seconds faster than Kobayashi. Chestnut has ruled ever since, with the exception of 2015 when Matt Stonie edged him 62-60. Joey holds the current world record of 76 hot dogs and buns.
In 2011 a separate Women’s Division contest started, with Sonja “The Black Widow” Thomas winning the first of her three consecutive victories. Since then, Miki Sudo has dominated every year except 2021, when she skipped the contest due to her pregnancy.
I would also like to help you elevate your wiener game by sharing with you one of my favorite hot dog related products. The Slot Dog cuts your dogs with a diamond/criss-cross pattern, which leads to more crispy edges and natural grooves for your condiments.
Enrichment: The First Rule of Flight Club...
Last week Lisa and I went to Flight Club in the West Midtown area. Flight Club is a cool concept – an upscale club environment focused on “Social Darts” - various dart games that you can choose from. There are similarities to Topgolf – friends of any skill level, variety of games, quality food and drinks. Our group had two “oches” (rhymes with hockey) - like Topgolf’s bay areas – where we chose from different competitive games. The process involves entering your name in the computer, having your picture taken, picking who will play, and selecting the game you want to play. There is small camera in the wall next to the dart board, which takes a video of you if you win or make a notable throw.
We played three different games, and I won all three. Two were solo victories, the third was a partner victory. I know – you thought writing awesome newsletters was my only skill but apparently, I am really good at random dart games. In the words of Will Sonnett, “No brag, just fact.”
The food we had was great – Mini Beef Barbacoa Tacos, Kung Pao Cauliflower, Tandoori Chicken Skewers, and a selection of flatbread pizzas. They have an impressive bar, and I was delighted to find my favorite non-alcoholic beer, Athletic Brewing’s Run Wild IPA.
In addition to Atlanta, Flight Club has locations in Denver, Houston, Las Vegas, Boston and Chicago.
Workshop: I’m Walkin’, Yes Indeed..
I love walking. Every morning, I roll out of bed and go right out and walk for about 50 minutes. Great way to start the day. I also enjoy walking with our dog KP, although he has more of a “Stop and smell the roses” approach, with “roses” to him being “signs, lamp posts, mailboxes, fences, and every other object on the route.”
I am inspired by my close friend Tom (pictured above, lower right), who walks way farther than I do – 6.5 miles a day just to/from work, plus he does epic long walks regularly. He has walked to the Braves stadium, Atlanta Beltline and to Roswell – all over 10 miles from his home.
To encourage others to share in the fun of walking, Tom started a perfectly-named Facebook group – Heal to Toe Express. In trying to support his mission to support “people that enjoy walking,” I am working with Tom to plan a local walk/meet-up in Atlanta for members of Heal-to-Toe Express, readers of Boo’s N.E.W.S., and fans of my website.
My initial thoughts are it will be a relatively easy 2-mile walk along Chamblee’s Rail Trail – finishing at a local brewery where we are working to have live music. I'm in the planning stages now but promise more details to come soon. Until then – join Heal to Toe Express on Facebook and go out there and walk!
Selected Content: Purple Haze All in My Brain
Now that June is over, we can start to breathe a little easier. That’s right – Grimace's birthday month is over. Initially introduced as “Evil Grimace,” this large purple … whatever he is … was known for stealing people’s shakes. McDonald’s tried to clean up his image, figuring the Hamburglar was the only criminal they needed to help frighten children that their Happy Meals would be stolen. But the Purple Menace still has a dark side.
This was evident this year, when McDonald’s launched "Grimace’s Birthday Meal” featuring your choice of a Big Mac or Chicken Nuggets, fries and a purple berry-flavored shake. Soon after, teenagers, the future of our society, started sharing TikToks of them drinking the aforementioned shake and then having a gruesome, purple-hued death. While authorities have yet to formally charge Grimace, legal experts say this criminal enterprise may go all the way up to Mayor McCheese.