This should be an official work holiday, if only because I need one. We’re not really celebrating anyway though, except for a small party at the neighbor girls house tomorrow. But then that’s not really a “Cinco de Mayo” party if it’s tomorrow, now is it.

My weekend was entirely consumed by the first BBQ competition of the year for the Triple Fat Back team. We headed way north to scenic St. Joseph MO, to participate in the second annual Apple Blossom BBQ. To tell you the truth, I am still a little out of sorts by the lack of sleep and bad weather, so I will likely be brief in my summary. Martin and I headed up there Friday afternoon, and met up with Zim and Chad who had already laid down the “base camp.” From there, well, we did BBQ stuff. It also marked the first appearance of our new “Gold Level Sponsor,” Weston Brewing Company. They were nice enough to provide us with several kegs of beer to give away to all the hordes of visitors wandering around the festival. Only one problem… It was about 35 degrees and rainy, so nobody showed up. Not just at our booth, at the whole festival. I’d say the whole thing was probably a bust for the city, but we had our fun. (That is, if you call sitting in a lawn chair half-frozen for 12 hours “fun.”)

Oh, come on now, surely there are more details to delve into from nine guys getting together and partying all night? None that you’d want to hear about, no. Kevin brought some new “swag” for the group, including new TFB tee-shirts, trucker hats, and notebooks. He even brought a monogrammed chef’s jacket for the newest honorary Fat Back, Cubby. (We couldn’t get him to put it on though.) As far as results, we performed to our standard satisfactory level, with the exception of Bob & Joe, who turned in another astonishing 3rd place finish in pork. I’d say after the last few competitions, they seem to have their recipe honed to perfection. As for me, well, I guess I can say I’ve achieved consistency if nothing else. Unfortunately, while Team Pork has reached consistent top three product, the brisket has just managed to reach consistent mediocrity. Not good, not bad, right smack in the middle every time. So, something has to change, hopefully for the better. I have several tweaks in mind, ranging from subtle to shocking. No longer will I be able to contribute to any of the housework or otherwise be a participant in society; I must focus solely on brisket improvement. At this point I plan to keep my employment, but only because I need to fund more briskets. Practice makes ribbons, people.

That sort of wraps up the weekend. Donette was in St. Louis visiting her sister all weekend, and Gabe stayed up north with Ronda while I slaved away in St. Joe. I picked him up late Saturday afternoon, went home, and wiped out on the couch until this morning. Them BBQ’s is hard on an old man.