Isn’t it a bit early to be having a blizzard?

Wings with the bite of the King Cobra, originally posted by @garciasn (http://www.flickr.com/photos/bill_roehl/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

Now this is journalism that matters. From KARE11-TV:

In a down economy the wing business has taken flight. According to the Perishables Group, a Chicago-based market research firm, wing sales have grown by 109 percent over this past year. At the corner of Dale and University, that trend has meant steady sales despite down times. Wings, it seems are a cheap luxury people still afford.

“Yeah, they seem to be holding back on clothes and that stuff, but, food, there’s always room for it,” adds Mann of the steady demand for his wings.

But with all that demand, the price of those flappers has skyrocketed. Local suppliers estimate prices have jumped 15 percent in just the past month. And that after a steady year of price gains. And, they see the price continuing to rise. Some speculate there may even be a shortage of wings come winter.

WTF. A wing shortage? As Job famously asked, why is the lord always messing with me?

This is what I came home to today, after four days of fun and frivolity in Virginia Beach. It was like the opening scene in Fargo…

I updated the Flickr slideshow in the post below to include some more photos I shot at Norfolk Academy, around Norfolk and Va. Beach. Sitting at the airport now waiting on a 7:36 p.m. flight, which will get me home about midnight. Taking tomorrow off to recuperate from my whirlwind tour of the old haunts. Some highlights from the Flickr set below:

This one's for Jesse: PETA world HQ in Norfolk.

The old homestead in Virginia Beach, a little worn around the edges

The bar where my dad bought me my first legal beer. Surprisingly, it is still in the same spot next to the grocery store.

Our beloved Norfolk Academy mascot, with a face only a mother bulldog could love

I spent today driving around Virginia Beach and Norfolk, visiting my old haunts and feeling sentimental and nostalgic. I spent a lot of time at the beach itself, taking in the changes. The Beach has grown a lot in the 30 years since I left, but there are still several old standbys hanging on — The Jewish Mother deli and bar, the saltwater taffy joints and the palm readers. I ate at Lynnhaven Seafood House (fresh local flounder, scallops, stuffed shrimp and oysters rockefeller, accompanied by homemade hushpuppies and a couple of nice India Pale Ales from Dogfish Head brewery).

I also spent a lot of time driving around my old neighborhood. Aragona Village has seen its better days, but there are signs that things are picking up a bit (a BMW dealer and a Land Rover dealer just up the street, for example, plus a couple of high-rise hotels over by Pembroke Mall). I was really missing my mom as I pulled up in front of the old homestead to shoot some photos. I can still remember her painting the house each summer in her bikini top, stopping cars out in the street as drivers tried to get a better look. The trees are almost all gone, including the tree in the side yard where Jimmy and I had our treehouse. The pines along the driveway are also gone. Looks like the Sentmans’ old house next door might be abandoned — the wooden front door is badly damaged and looks almost shredded.

Tomorrow is the all-alumni reunion picnic and tour of the school, then a homecoming pep rally, alumni barbecue and Headmaster’s reception. Sounds like a full day. On Saturday, we have another barbecue, the homecoming football game and my class of ’79 party at a classmate’s house. I have the day free on Sunday, before flying out that evening.

Norfolk, Va., waterfront, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Norfolk from space, courtesy of NASA

I’m sitting in the MSP Airport as I type this, waiting on my flight south, just ahead of the coming snow. I’m going back to Norfolk for my high school reunion and Homecoming (go Bulldogs!) While I’m back at Navy Inc., I’ll also be visiting the old ‘hood in VaBeach. Haven’t been back to Aragona Village and the Beach in 25 years. Looking forward to getting my feet wet and visiting some of the old haunts.

Did a Wikimedia image search for my old high school, Norfolk Academy, which was founded in 1728 on land given to the school by Patrick Henry (yes, that Patrick Henry). All I found was the photo below. Yup, just how I remember the place.

Art and his pals get ready to write with chalk on their slates and read from their primers

Bill Roehl, Danni, Josh and I represented the South Metro in the Ghost Wing Challenge Tournament of Champions at the Girvan Grille on Monday night. Once again, the whole gang at the Grille treated us like royalty (Note to FTC: The Girvan Grille provided me and the other 11 champions all the free ghost wings we could eat in 10 minutes, plus three free beers — Summit EPA in my case. Also got a nifty Vikings T-shirt and a bottle opener, courtesy of Anheuser-Busch).

After the challenge, we stayed to watch the Vikes dismantle the Packers and to drink a few more pints of cold, frosty beer. Check out Bill’s harrowing and hilarious write-up here. And watch the video of all the action below (courtesy of LazyLightning.org):

Girvan Grille Ghost Wing Challenge Tournament of Champions! from Bill Roehl on Vimeo.

The wings were hotter and saucier than the two times we ate them before. I tried to just plow through them with a minimum of pausing and/or breathing. A couple of the competitors whipped through three or four plates by the time I finished my second. So as I began my third plate, thinking I was out of contention, I slowed way down and ate just two wings in the final 3 minutes, bringing me to a final tally of 22. When the head chef counted the bones of each contestant, however, he disqualified half-eaten wings, giving the winner just 28 wings and second place just 27. Had I known I was that close, I would have powered through a few more.Yes, I am that stupid.

Danni and Josh both made it to 10 wings and stopped and Bill bravely met his goal of 20 wings, earning him 5th place. A couple of other competitors dropped out really early (did I mention the wings seemed even hotter this time?) and one of our challengers, who shall remain nameless — mostly because I don’t know his name — ended the contest by losing his wings in the men’s room stall. He probably felt a heckuva lot better than the rest of us later that night and following day. I was still dancing with the devil all day today, probably because I had warmed-up ghosts for dinner last night. The folks at the Grille made Bill and me up to-go boxes with a couple of dozen wings each, as well as a to-go pint of the wing sauce. Satan, get thee behind me. Never mind, you’re already there…

Love this new video by Jack White and Dead Weather:

Someone alert the SAC — there will be some hot warheads winging our way on Oct. 5 (oh, yeah, plus some game between the Vikes and Packers…) Yes, the Ghost Wing Challenge Tournament of Champions at Girvan Grille is just about upon us. I can’t wait to taste them wings and see how many I can shove in my pie hole in 10 minutes. Are you ready, @garcian?