A very sophisticated new Harlem couple clued Cheryl and I in to a local meat truck when we were talking about neighborhood finds. It sounded pretty cool.

Not only does the truck, which drives up from down South, offer Virginia ham, sausages, and vegetables straight from a farm, but the two guys running the truck at 132nd and Lenox have the kind of neighborhood gossip that makes this corner of Manhattan feel like a small town.

Being a huge fan of eating food, I sought it out.

Cheryl's enthusiasm for the truck died when seeing it. It is just a regular pickup truck; no refrigeration or similarly functioning unit on it at all. Getting her to cross the street and 'at least take a look' was a laborious affair.

Anyway, despite Cheryl's advice, I bought some ham and sausage, and despite her protests, I tried to bake the ham this evening. It didn't take long until I understood what she was concerned about.

I threw in the ham, ran across the street for BBQ sauce, came back to the apartment, and for a fraction of a second wondered when we started raising swine in our home. I was hit by a stench so undeniable and strong that it unearthed Midwestern childhood memories of animal barns I thought long gone and buried. The place literally smelled like shit.

Cheryl wept for our furniture and anything else with a porous surface that may absorb odor.

Posted by Chris at 11:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)

As an addendum to the last post, I ran the New York Road Runner's Midnight Run by myself. I didn't do that by choice.

Cheryl was not really up for it, but wished me luck. However, nearly every guy that I asked to come along had the idea shot down by his girlfriend / fiancee / wife.

I assumed that the race, whose full title is the Emerald Nuts Midnight Run, took its name from the company sponsoring the event, but it may have more to do with one needing gem-hard genitalia to get permission to go.

I would like to think that I am in that category, but in reality, it is probably the case that Cheryl is one of the most understanding girlfriends on earth.

Posted by Chris at 11:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Many of us make New Year's resolutions as fleeting as the stroke of midnight itself, such as 'oh I'll brush the cat every other day,' 'seriously, I'll post on Harlem Fur again,' or the perennial classic 'I'll exercise more.'

Thanks to the gallant efforts of the New York Road Runners, I was able to put that last resolution into effect at 12:00am on the dot with the 4 mile Midnight Run in Central Park. Actually, due to the throngs of people also seeking the earliest fulfillment of soon-to-be-discarded New Year's resolutions, it was closer to 12:15am when I finally crossed the start line.

I'm proud to say it was only a half hour later when I crossed the finish line, which I feel is a good time when navigating scores of runners, walkers, some dude dressed as Winnie the Pooh, and everyone else who knew how to celebrate the arrival of 2007 in one of the best ways possible.

Posted by Chris at 10:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)