Friday, December 5, 2008

Light lunch, big game


Shane and I had a great lunch! We went to Panera, and I had never been there before. Yummy soups and sammitches! We ended up talking for over two hours, if you can believe that. (You probably can.) It was great to just get caught up on stuff, chat about things both serious and fun, and of course there was talk of Route 66. He said that about the only part he hasn't driven is between Vinita and Oklahoma City, and I think that's the stretch where Laurel's Afton Station is--how ironic that he hasn't done that part! We had a good talk and some great laughs!

When we were talking about Route 66, he mentioned Devil's Elbow in Missouri. That's a spot that I haven't explored yet, so I'm looking forward to that in the future. Shane said it's probably his favorite stretch of Route 66 in Missouri, and it has one of the old truss bridges. He also talked about the stretch in California that is probably a good 200 miles or so, one of the longest he's driven. Oooo, talking with him about it gave me Road fever! We also talked about our trip in June of 2001, and I told him that on our recent trip to Missouri, the radio station mentioned the McKinley Bridge which is apparently still open. That's one of our more memorable adventures from our trip, because it's a pretty old bridge, and we drove on this outer lane that looked like an addition to the actual bridge, like it was hanging by a thread. There wasn't even a guard rail, just a small curb between us and the Mississippi River. We both felt like we were going to drop into the river at any moment! Considering my fear of drowning, that was very creepy!

I was excited to see that my Ball State Cardinals are playing on ESPN2 tonight. This is the conference championship, and if they win this (they're still undefeated, 12-0), they could be going to a BCS bowl. Wow! And yes, our big cheer at games really was "Ball U!" It's not quite as bad as at Indiana's basketball games, when they were cheering for the IU defense and yelled, "IUD! IUD!" but I supposed "Ball U!" is close.

Back to my lunch with Shane...of course we talked a bit about the election. I mentioned my previous entry about the Emanuel [emanuel, whispered] brothers. He doesn't quite get the appeal, but I have to say that some of the comments on that entry were interesting! I'm also pondering the appeal, and I think it's a combination of power and intelligence. Is this a big difference between men and women? While I can't say that I'm a total sucker for power (maybe just a little bit), extreme intellect is definitely a draw, and that seemed to intensify as I got older. I've had relationships with those who were the direct opposite of intellectual, and believe me, it wears very thin very quickly. (One of my favorite phrases from one particular guy was when he was talking about someone being in danger, and how they were "in arms way." [snort] It always made me think of Robbie the Robot yelling, "Danger Will Robinson! Danger!" and waving his robot arms!) How much better is it to find someone who is intellectually stimulating? Oh yeah, babe. "I luuuuuuv your mind..." Grrr, baby, grrrrr!

But I wonder--and I hope some of my testosterone-laden readers will weigh in on this--is power and intelligence in women as attractive to men as power and intelligence in men is to women? I'm curious. I think there are some men that are intimidated by that in women, but I would guess that most of my readers of the male persuasion are much more enlightened, and into a broad who knows her stuff and can give as good as she gets. (Yes, I'm laughing, and yes, that was tongue-in-cheek! And even "tongue-in-cheek" made me laugh!)

As Mr. Spock would say, "Fascinating."

20 comments:

  1. Hello Beth, Love Panera! Me and my mom and my daughter went there today. I love the SmokedTurkey sandwich. My mom loves the soups, and little Riley had grilled cheese. We go there quite a bit.
    I'd be interested in what the male readers say about powerful and intelligent!
    Well have a great weekend, we are suppose to have a few flurries on Sunday here in CT.
    Take care
    Lynne

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  2. I'm actually watching that game. Of course cheering for UB (sorry) what a good game and surprise..... not sure if Ball State can come back at this point or not... time is running out. UB never been to a bowl game.. they were invited 50 years ago but turned it down because the field they were playing at would not allow the two black players on the team to be there.

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  3. Beth, you're talking about men here. There is a country song called "The Truth About Men". I'll send you the lyrics. LOL
    Hugs, Joyce

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  4. I think men want their women to be intelligent enough to have a conversation with at the very least. In some ways, I'm smarter than my husband and in others, he's smarter than me. For me, that's what works. If it's a science issue, it goes to me, if it's a math issue, definitely off to him. ;) By the way, Ken says you ruined his xmas. I think you'll have to return all the dvd's, cd's and books.
    Love,
    Jamie

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  5. I LOVE Panera!!! A portion of Route 66 goes right through my city... just about a five minute drive from me.... I think that's the ONLY part of Route 66 I done!!! Sad, huh!!! ONE DAY!!!

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  6. Actually, my Afton Station is 15 miles east of Vinita, so Shane would have been past it, but just barely. The main thing is that you don't miss it when you do your 2010 trip! Bring Shane along.

    Glad you had a good time with Shane. He has good roadie taste. Devil's Elbow is awesome!

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  7. First, do you have single sisters? I have found that my being able to add intimidates some folks ... but it does depend on where you fish, too.

    Turner Gill ... coach of the year. Played his ball at ... wait for it ... NEBRASKA!

    But I do hate that the Cardinal lost. Talking about Route 66 gets me all 'Dieter-like'! I would love to ride that ride. Couldn't help with the driving, but can sing as many volley's of 'beer on the wall' as needed!

    Just now discovering Panera's? Oh, poor girl! Love the place, but it too is a big ride away. Maybe I will go on Monday and think about you, if it doesn't snow too much.

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  8. Could depend on the age & maturity of the man. I mean some men don't care whats on your on your mind, they only see the exterior...but who wants that type of man?? When we are smart, we're labeled as bitches. Unfortunately, its still very much a man's world, and maybe that is the problem!

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  9. First, do you have single sisters? I have found that my being able to add intimidates some folks ... but it does depend on where you fish, too.

    Turner Gill ... coach of the year. Played his ball at ... wait for it ... NEBRASKA!

    But I do hate that the Cardinal lost. Talking about Route 66 gets me all 'Dieter-like'! I would love to ride that ride. Couldn't help with the driving, but can sing as many volley's of 'beer on the wall' as needed!

    Just now discovering Panera's? Oh, poor girl! Love the place, but it too is a big ride away. Maybe I will go on Monday and think about you, if it doesn't snow too much.

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  10. No; I like them with no opinion, no sense of humor, quiet spoken, and with blond intellect...Just like the one I am married to. ROTFL :o)

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  11. I'm glad that you both enjoyed your lunch together. LOL about Danger, Danger WIll Robinson....I watched that show when I was a kid & loved it....

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  12. Ah, answers to that question should prove interesting. Glad you enjoyed Panera. Their broccoli and cheese soup in a bread bowl is one of my favorites.

    Thanks for stopping by my blog and leaving words of condolence. I appreciate it.
    (if this message shows up more than once, i'm getting a message saying the request could not be processed, please try again)

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  13. Freud would have had a blast with that last paragraph my dear. ;)

    I've never been to Panera, we have one in the next town but it is always sooooo crowded we never go in. Sounds like a good time with Shane.

    I'm still not seeing it with Emanuel though.

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  14. Hi Lynne,
    Interesting question. I value intelligence and have little patients for stupidity (well, OK, it depends on the circumstances ... everyone does stupid things once in a while). This is going to sound sexist, but I'll say it anyway: I work with loads of highly intelligent, highly driven women here in Hollywood and -- while I respect a lot of them quite a bit -- some strike me as "bitchy." Sometimes it seems like they have to work that much harder, be that much more "difficult/demanding" to get ahead. Conversely, their male counterparts in similar jobs -- while equally driven or cut-throat -- don't seem as "tightly wound." So, I'm attracted by intelligence but, in my opinion, the smartest of the smart are the women who manage to rise to the top while remaining comfortable in their own skin.
    Best,
    Marty

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  15. oops .. I called you Lynne instead of Beth ... goes to show that I'm hardly one to talk about intelligence. I had just commented on someone else's blog whose name is Lynne.

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  16. Funny how many of your female readers responded to your question about men's opinion of powerful women, and how few male readers seponded!. I feel I have sort of a unique perspective (lol!)
    My experience is that men like their women flirty, cute, silly, sexy, and a little risque. I have been to many, many, MANY, happy hours and cocktail parties where the men and women are discussing stimulating, intellectual, throught provoking topics with interest and respect from both sides. But as soon as "little miss bimbo" shows up rattling the cubes in her empty glass, then men all scrape their knuckles on the floor running to get her a new one, and by the time they get back the conversation has deteriorated to brain rot. And the men are all grinning like village idiots!

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  17. well, for some men, all they want is a breathing female who will put out and cook. Caveman!!!!

    you make me want to get out and travel your Rt. 66 too. I like to go to Panera and sit for hours. XO

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  18. You know what'll happen Beth? The men who DO blog won't answer that question anyway, for the same reason they think powerful women are castrating bioches. What they'll say out loud however is, "I love women who know what they want, can support themselves, speak their minds" etc, ad nauseum. Men don't want equals, they want a saint as a wife and mother, and a whore in bed. Same ole story.

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  19. I don't think that power and intelligence necessarily have to go together. A truly intelligent person would not be involved in struggles involving power. However knowledge is power, but power does not incur knowledge.

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  20. I love going to Panera for lunch!

    Enjoy your Sunday.

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I'm funny how, I mean funny like I'm a clown, I amuse you?