Starbucks at SR-725 and Lyons Road

Currently under construction, this new Starbucks, which used to be a bank, will save a mile and a half off my morning commute and put a second cup within walking distance. This will be the area's largest, with plenty of indoor and outdoor seating.  No word yet on an opening date.

http://www.dayton.com/news/just-this-new-starbucks-will-one-the-region-largest/CEcXLRb8Bq7KD233mrtFjL

Uber Freight

Uber's not just into disrupting the taxi business, they've jumped into the trucking business as well.  Same basic principle applies as drivers select the loads they want based on their preferences, making real-time trade-offs on making money, distance to travel or being home tonight or by their kid's next sporting event.  More driving and fewer hassles sounds like a winner.

https://freight.uber.com

German Pasta Salad

When you're looking for something different for a picnic or family gathering, this German version of the venerable pasta salad is my suggestion.  Don't scrimp on the paprika and I suggest bringing a can along so people at the bottom of the bowl don't get left out.

Ingredients

• 4 Eggs
• 1 Pound Elbow Macaroni
• 1 Large Dill Pickle
• 1 Ring of Bologna or Sausage
• 3 Large Tomatoes
• 3 Sweet Apples (e.g. Gala or Janagold)
• 1 Cup Natural, Plain Yogurt (not fat free)
• ½ Cup Mayonnaise
• Lemon Juice (about ½ a lemon)
• Salt
• Pepper
• Paprika

Preparation

• Place eggs in a small saucepan, add water to cover the eggs, bring to a boil, turn off the heat, cover for 10 minutes, then rinse and cool.
• Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil, add salt to taste, add the elbow macaroni and cook per its instructions. Strain in a colander, let cool and transfer to a large serving dish.
• Cut up pickles, bologna, eggs, tomatoes and apples into size bite pieces and add to pasta.
• Whisk together the yogurt and the mayonnaise, add lemon juice (a little at a time to prevent it from getting too bitter), flavor with salt, pepper and paprika.
• Pour over pasta and stir it until well mixed together.

Specify Outlook Font For Plain Text Emails

I get various reports by email but Outlook, by default, uses a proportional font to display them, resulting in "crooked columns".  But since just these reports come in as "plain text", I found I can change Outlook to use a non-proportional font, Courier New in the example below, to straighten up the reports and make them much more readable.

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/office/forum/office_2010-outlook/how-to-show-fixed-width-font-for-plain-text-e/6015c0da-2cf3-4e2c-997b-5fa8b1796fb9

Pixel 2

It's been 3 1/2 years and the time has come to retire the HTC M8 and go for the native Google experience with their new Pixel 2.  Popped the Verizon SIM card out of the M8 and into the Pixel 2, cabled them together and followed the migration instructions.  When that was complete my 160 apps came flying down from the App Store. Besides the great camera, my favorite feature is the fingerprint reader located on the back of the phone, much more convenient than an iPhone's.

https://store.google.com/us/product/pixel_2

Keeneland

Keeneland was my first trip to watch the horses run live and I learned a lot about betting on the ponies.  When I placed a "win" bet, paying only of the horse won, my horse finished second.  Playing a "show" bet, paying for finishing anywhere in the top 3, my horse finished fourth.  But I've never had so much fun losing so little money.

http://www.keeneland.com

Flyer Red

Warped Wing scores another hit with their recently introduced Flyer Red, another locally themed, (Trotwood, Ermal's) easy to drink red lager, sure to please University of Dayton fans.  Along with their collection of heartier IPA's, Porters, Stouts, etc. and non-alcoholic root and ginger beers, it's the most complete lineup around.

http://www.warpedwing.com/now-on-tap

Gnocchi Pesto Pasta Salad

Super simple recipe combining green beans and peas with gnocchi and pesto.  Fresh gnocchi is best, frozen will do, or for the adventurous make your own by combining leftover mashed potatoes with  flour, egg and salt, as shown at the second link.  Careful with the amount of pesto you add to this recipe.  It will change depending on its strength and your taste preference.  Easy to over do.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/katie-lee/gnocchi-pesto-pasta-salad-3857459

https://www.theartofdoingstuff.com/homemade-gnocchimade-with-leftover-mashed-potatoes

Tennessee Titans

This NFL team came to Tennessee from Houston in 1997 and were still called the Oilers for two more years before adopting the Titans name. The Titans are from Greek mythology, the twelve children of Uranus (Heaven) and Gaea (Earth) who were eventually defeated by their grandson Zeus to rule Olympus. Nashville, home to this franchise, is known as the "Athens of the South" for its history of higher education institutions and the first American southern city to establish a public school system. Now it all fits together.

https://www.tripsavvy.com/athens-of-the-south-2476869

Edley's Barbeque

When in Nashville, barbeque is a must and it doesn't get any better than a pork sandwich and pork tacos at Edley's.

http://www.edleysbbq.com

Bulleit Tour At Stitzel-Weller

Stitzel-Weller didn't survive the downtrend of bourbon consumption that started in 1972, eventually closing its doors and selling off its brands.  When Tom Bulleit wanted consolidate a number of places he rented to bottle and age his namesake bourbon, he bought this site in Louisville, Kentucky.  His bourbon uses more rye than others, imparting a unique, sharp flavor, and his rye whiskey is 95% from that grain.  Fun tour!

https://www.bulleit.com/tours

Green Lentil Spaghetti

Made from green lentil and organic quinoa flours, this spaghetti alternative packs a major protein punch and it's also gluten-free.  When you can't live without some noodles, this make a good choice.

http://shop.ancientharvest.com/POW-Green-Lentil-Spaghetti/p/ACH-250408&c=AncientHarvest@Pow@Pasta

Grilled Cod And Summer Squash Packets

We're always looking for new recipes for fish and this "less mess" combination was easy, delicious and very lo-carb.  Careful not to confuse the lemon slices with the squash slices, or suffer a pucker moment.

https://www.dcsappliances.com/us/experience-dcs/recipes/summer/grilled-cod-and-summer-squash-packets.html

WAHL Professional Massager

An MVP post-haircut massage at Sports Clips included some neck time with this really nice massager.  After learning it was only $30, I couldn't click "buy" fast enough.  For those who know me, the scalp attachment is pretty much useless.

https://www.amazon.com/Wahl-Professional-Massager-4120-1701-Lightweight/dp/B009RQF4RM

O.K.

The term "O.K." was popularized because of Martin Van Buren, the eighth President of the United States.  Van Buren was from Kinderhook, New York, sometimes referred to as "Old Kinderhook" in speeches and print. O.K. Clubs soon formed to support Van Buren's campaign. "O.K." later came to mean all right.  A likely beginning is that the term originated as an abbreviation of orl korrekt , a jokey misspelling of 'all correct' which was current in the U.S. in the 1830s, although many opinions as to the origin of"O.K." exist.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OK

Aileron

Aileron was founded by Clay Mathile to raise the quality of life in America by unleashing the potential of private businesses through professional management.  His facility is located north of downtown Dayton, a beautiful setting for individuals or groups to take the time away from their hectic schedules, attend development workshops or host team events.

http://www.aileron.org

Vionic Shoes

My wife is very particular when it comes to sandals, so when she raves about a pair, that's something to check out.  She bought this pair of Vionic at our local Roderer Shoe Center and has had happy toes all summer.

https://www.vionicshoes.com

Coffee Cake

What a way to start a morning tailgate party!  This is a serving dish full of gooey goodness.  The recipes states that it makes "makes 18-24 servings".  Who are they kidding?  10-12 is probably closer to reality, at least if you're serving me.

Kudo's to Sharon N. for this "just had to eat three pieces" recipe!

https://lilluna.com/recipe-tip-deal-and-video-of-the-week-quick-coffee-cake

50 Yard Line

Nothing beats the view of a football game than sitting down low (10th row), at the fifty yard line.  Where better than Chicago's iconic Soldier Field, home of "Da Bears"?  Although a disappointing Steelers loss (sorry sweetie), the home crowd rocked with their overtime win. 

https://soldierfield.net

Draw.io

Draw.io is a free (I love free) online drawing tool for making flowcharts, organizational charts, network diagrams, etc., and can save them to Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive and others. There's even a Chrome web browser extension for offline mode.  This is a nice alternative to Visio for the occasional diagram.

Kudo's to Jon C. for this great find!

https://www.draw.io

Charleston Falls Preserve

Located outside of Tipp City, Ohio, Charleston Falls Preserve offers four miles of trails and a unique thirty-seven foot waterfall, which wasn't doing much last week due to the recent dry weather.  The gravel-covered trails are wide and smoother than most, making this a runner's paradise.

http://www.miamicountyparks.com/Park.aspx?c=CFP

Chicago Lake And River Tour

A 90 degree day is perfect for a tour of the Chicago River and Lake Michigan, including the lock that separates them.  The lock resulted from the changing the flow of the river from into the lake to away from the lake, a dredging story of mass proportion.  Since the lake is a few feet higher than the river, the lock prevents all that extra water from leaving the lake.  This video shows the five minute operation from opening the gates just a little to fill the lock, to them being fully retracted and the boats moving through.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tpgl88WMqAg&t=4s