Rib Burn-Off in Cleveland

My first blog with pictures since I returned home for the summer. I still have my trusty camera. No dropping it in the toilet like I did before I returned home my freshman year. I decided to go downtown for the first time in awhile and enjoy the day... at the Rib Burn-Off. This was the first time for me at the Rib Burn-Off and the first time in about three years (since the fall of my senior year of high school) since I went to a food event in Tower City Amphitheater in downtown Cleveland and I had a grand time. I am happy to be back in the "Land"- for now. Once again, I cannot see the pictures through the HTML code so I will just tell my version of the story and the pictures will match up to my story.
My sister and I went downtown looking for a good time. The Rib Burn-Off is always the weekend of Memorial Day. We decided to go on a Friday since the entrance was free. Now, I am a big barbecue eater so I was definitely looking for those perfect slabs of ribs. One slight problem- I did not have a ton of money with me. The deal was $20 for 16 tickets. This means that if I only had $20 with me, I would be able to purchase a full slab of ribs as the full slab is 20 tickets or $25. To say the least, the food (even the side food) was expensive. This is probably the main reason I did not go- because I wanted to save my money. My sister bailed me out and I was able to eat a lot of ribs because of that.
Aesthetically, it was colorful with various advertisements of the vendors' successes in the past. You walk in the venue and you are bombarded by deals by radio stations and other local vendors that are not food vendors. Usually, I keep walking unless the deal is really appealing for me, which is never. A cruise is not in my near future so I don't ever bother. Once you are in the vicinity of good smelling food, you see concession stands of side foods such as funnel cakes and fries. Unfortunately, I did not have enough money to splurge with side foods so I kept walking.
To the ribs: I believe there were ten or so rib vendors from different parts of the Mid-West. I tried ribs from six of them. All of the ribs had different flavors to them. Some were more smoked than others. Some were dry while others were slippery to begin with.
The sauces were the best thing about the Rib Burn-Off. The sauces practically make the event worthwhile. The sauces ranged from very sweet- Applelicious to downright deadly for your health- Johnson's Thermo-Nuclear Sauce from Virginia. I just had to try the 600,000 Scoville level sauce (this is 2X hotter than the Habanero sauce, by the way). The effects were immediately felt and stayed that way long after the Rib Burn-Off. I only had three ribs and I had to stop and catch my breath after the second one! The sauce had actual seeds in it (no other sauce had seeds in it). The sauce affected my entire digestive as you can feel the heat going down. My sinuses were brutalized the rest of the day. I want to challenge myself and I guess I felt the need for displeasure and pain.
Other than that, I wondered around Williard Park overseeing the Browns Stadium for a little while to recuperate. I have a picture or two down below so check it out. For those of you who know to know where the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, it is right in the vicinity to the right of the Browns Stadium (from the perspective of the picture). I had a wonderful time at the Rib Burn-Off and I hope to attend next year's if I am in the vicinity. I will post pictures from the next event downtown in late June- the Wine festival (as I am finally of age to enter now).






Enjoying my final official summer break of undergrad,
Hasani Wheat
Class of '10

Three Down, One Year Left...

I am back in Cleveland, looking back at everything that has happened within the past academic year. Wow. I accomplished a lot and I will actually miss this year. Overall, it was good. I achieved my first Dean's List and did things that were out of my comfort zone. I made many acquaintances and close friends and I did not manage to anger or frustrate too many people (even though I am human and I have made my share of slip-ups as well). I have surpassed many of my expectations and challenged myself along the way. I am hoping that this year of achievements will continue into the summer into my job search (particularly something related in my field) and into what I hope will be my final semester (if not, I can suffice with a full academic year). Senior year, here I come.
However, I am not exactly sure how I feel about this. As I saw many of my friends cross that stage, I feel nervous- for them and myself. I do not have much time left as an undergraduate and I have to make many important decisions for myself that could be life-altering for the people around me. Should I try to attend grad school? Should I look for a job near my home and tend to my family? Should I move to another city or country if there is an open job offering that I could comfortably start the beginning of the rest of my life? I don't know these things yet? I will have to start searching... and very soon.
I know that this upcoming semester will be busy and expensive. Dues, dues, and more dues. Tuition and books. Senior meetings. On top of all of the regular stuff I do. Work and an internship at City Hall. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Currently, I am thinking about grad schools for GIS and Urban Planning. The application process will probably be just like that of high school- maybe more extensive. I also would like to relocate soon after I graduate into my own apartment. Of course, I need a job to pay for it but that is what networking is all about. A lot of planning, searching, and saving is in store for me in the near future.
I am going through the motions right now. While I may be enjoying the time off, I know that this is not the time for procrastination especially while planning off the next steps after OWU. I am worrying about little things which eventually equals the big picture as to where I want to go. This is the first time at OWU where I feel uncertain about the decision I will make for my future. Whatever that decision is, it will not be an easy one. Pray for me on that.
Well, I am sure that I will have updates in the near future- many before I matriculate back to school for the fall semester. I will keep you updated for sure (my class load is not as heavy and my internet connection was restored in April at my home- no going back to the library five times a day just to check my email). All of these emotions are inside of me right now and I am just waiting to see what happens. Enough of my talk for now.





Nervously but moving forward nevertheless,
Hasani Wheat
Class of '10