Weekend Assignment #264: Environmental Awareness

Since Earth Day was a short time ago, Karen wants to know how well we take care of the world we live in. 

Weekend Assignment #264:A lot has changed since 1970, when the first Earth Day took place and had an unexpectedly large impact. In the current, uh, climate of global warming, eco-friendly marketing and recent attempts to gut environmental protections, how much of an effort do you make in your daily routine to help protect the environment?

Um, not much, is the short answer. 

I mean, we have a recycling bin that we put all our paper products in, but we are not so good at putting cans or bottles in there. It is easy for us to stack the papers on a table and bring them all out at once. If we did that with cans or bottles, it would get too messy. What I should do, is find a way to put a bin next to the garbage can under the sink. Then maybe my laziness won't destroy the environment as much as it does now. 

I try to turn the lights off, but as I look around here, I see we have a few on that we don't need. Oh, and somehow the light switch broke in the powder room. The light won't turn off. How does a light switch even break like that? It physically can't be pushed down. Crazy! Ed Begely Jr. would not be very happy about that. (He's a little too out of control though). 

So, am I going to turn over a new leaf? (Ha!) I don't know, I'll try, but I don't have faith in myself. I know how lazy I can be. I have thought about getting a hybrid car next time around. If they aren't too expensive, that is. I do mostly city driving, it would be perfect! 

Extra Credit: Do you observe Earth Day in any way? If so, how?

Well, my son got a tree from school for us to plant at home. Then Quincy got at it. I don't know if it is salvageable. We'll see. Does that count? 

So, in short, I'm an environmental disaster myself. What about you? 

Music to enjoy with the windows down

It's getting to that time of year, at least here in Chicago, where the weather gets warm and you can drive with the windows open. Now, when you are a guy, you need to decide what kind of music you are going to be playing. Talk radio is fine for the winter, but when you pull up to a red light you need to look cool. You need to have the right kind of music playing to project the image that, yes, you are a cool dude. And, based on my choices, you may not be exactly young any more. 

One of the first summer songs that comes to my mind is Panama by Van Halen. I'm not a huge Van Halen fan, but this song is fun to listen to while cruising down the highway at four miles-an-hour in traffic. 

Van Halen - Panama
Uploaded by Dan_of_the_Land

If Van Halen is not your style, there is always Y&T's Summertime Girls. I know I'm going to get crap from Jenn about this, and I don't even like the band, but I always remember this song when the weather gets warm. Nothing to do with the video, I swear, it reminds me of a college more than anything else. There was one guy in our dorms that loved this band and always played this song in his car. 

If you want to go old school, you always have Alice Cooper's School's out. I remember playing this quite loud on the stereo on the last day of school, which happened to be the last day that school was going to be open, ever. The lyrics worked perfectly! 

How about some Journey? Any Way You Want it works well. It may not be exactly summer related but it is good to play loud with the windows open and some bell bottoms on. Am I right? 

Since Sony won't let me embed the video (they suck the fun out of everything, don't they?), here's a link. 

Last on my list is an old favorite of mine. I believe I have put this video up before, but I don't care. This was on of my favorite bands when I was a teenager. Here is Night Ranger's (You can still) Rock in America. 

I put the live version up since I can't embed the original either. What is wrong with the record companies? 

Anything I missed and you want to add?

Go out an enjoy the weather! 

Pork Panic

So, I guess we are all going to die soon. At least it seems that way based on the news. Do you think we have too many news channels fighting for ratings, thus causing some hysteria? Sure the Swine Flu can be a problem, but so far it is early, the CDC  and WHO are gearing up already, and there have not been a whole lot of cases so far. Yes, 149 people have died in Mexico because of it, and that sucks, but up to 500,000 people die from the flu yearly. Let's not panic just yet. 

I think it would be best if we didn't give these strains names. Sure, this helps identify where the strain came from, but can't we keep that for the medical profession? It's more fun for the TV News people to shout SWINE FLU at the tops of their lungs, versus just saying there is a flu outbreak somewhere. It just gets these guys all jacked up. 

On the other hand, let's be smart, too. Wash your hands (you should anyway, slob), cover your mouth when you sneeze or cough, and keep your eyes open. If you see someone hacking up a lung nearby, give that person a little space, better for you and them. Mostly you. But, don't start digging a shelter in your backyard just yet. I don't think we are to that point just yet. You can follow the trends here, thanks to Google. Hopefully, that won't make the panic worse.  

And remember, take what you see on the 24 hour news stations with a grain of salt. They have a lot of news time to fill. They get excited over stories like this, and not always for the right reasons. 

Besides, how could something so scary come from such a cute little creature? 

Let's hope this is all contained and quiet within the next few weeks. Summer is coming, people want to enjoy the weather. Some of us have been cooped up a long time. 

Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot #34: Earth Day

Since Earth Day was just a few short days ago, Carly wants us to photograph something that goes along with the theme. She wanted us to photograph something we appreciate in particular, but since I don't live near the ocean, or mountains, I did the best I could. Plus, it's been very rainy here the last few days, that didn't help. 

First I got a shot of a squirrel in the tree in the backyard. Now, I'm not particularly fond of squirrels, but it's nice to see nature in the backyard sometimes. 

 It's not the best picture I've taken, but it was through a screen in the kitchen. I knew if I went out the back door, the squirrel would have run away. 

Next, just to show you how rainy it has been, I took a picture of the rain. Well, raindrops in a puddle actually. 

It took a few shots to get the shot just right. I'm glad the photo editing software was able to lighten it up enough to be visible. 

Question of the Week: Is there something you have always wanted to photograph, but just haven't had the chance? If so, tell us about it!

Honestly, I'd like to get a shot of a tornado. I think that would be very cool and a bit scary. 

Now, head over to Carly's site and check out the rest of the pictures. 

Hiding from the rain

Hiding from the rain
Originally uploaded by Mike F.

I happened to see this as I was looking out the window at the rain. I hope he hasn't hidden any food in there. Or chewed through any cables.

Did I ever show you my geeky running shirt?

I think I might have mentioned it before, but I never got a chance to take a picture of it and post it for you all to enjoy. 

It's from the Martian Marathon in Michigan. I've never run it, partly due to it being in Michigan, and because I'll never run a marathon. But, back when Jenn found this race I knew I had to have the shirt. It's too cool. Maybe one day I can run the 10K so I can say I earned the shirt. Not that I really care. 

Before you ask, no, I'm not going running now. I need to get the kids soon. Besides, the shirt is black, I need to wear it on cooler days; it's going to be in the 80's here! 

Happy Friday! 

Weekend Assignment #263: Predict the Future

Karen wants us to use our psychic abilities this week. That shouldn't be too hard, I've been practicing all week. 

Weekend Assignment #263: Predict one, two or three things you expect to happen (or so you claim!) before 2009 is over. It can be a logical extrapolation from current conditions, wish fulfillment, an attempt to show off your psychic ability, if any, or random silliness, or some combination thereof.

Let's see what I can come up with. 

First, in sports the Blackhawks will win the Stanley Cup, The Bulls will win the NBA Championship, the Cubs and White Sox will be in the World Series together and the Cubs will win. Hey, the White Sox won just a few years ago. Then, after all the fires have been put out around the city, the IOC will determine that Chicago can't handle a major sporting event, so they decide to have the 2016 Summer Games in Des Moines, Iowa. That way, it's still close enough for the people living in Illinois to travel to see the games. How nice of them! 

In economic news, things will calm down, and, I hope, most people will get jobs that lost them a short time ago. No joke there, I just hope that it happens. 

On the tech front, a cell phone will come out that can dial the phone number of someone just by thinking of that person. It will work flawlessly, then people start drunk dialing their ex-girlfriends constantly. Lawsuits will be filed, people will get rich, all because the people designing the technology never had girlfriends. 

That's all I can come up with at this point. 

Extra Credit: Have you ever predicted something unlikely, and turned out to be right?

Last summer, when oil was at $150 a barrel and gas was $5 a gallon, I said that oil would be at $50 by the end of the year. I was joking, but I turned out to be right. 

So, since I've proved my psychic abilities, won't you call my psychic line for a free reading? Only $10.99 a minute. Call today! 

Do you have any predictions for this year? 

Blink, and five years go by

Five years ago today I was sitting (maybe standing and pacing) in a hospital delivery room waiting for our daughter to be brought into this world. It's hard to believe it's been that long, it really feels like two weeks ago. Until I look around and see all the toys accumulated, that is. It would be pretty hard to have this many in only a couple of weeks. We tried, believe me.

For our daughter's birth, things were a bit different than our son's. The biggest difference was that it was planned. We knew what day we were going in, and about when she would be born. This was mostly due to the fact that the doctor was going to be out of town when Jenn was due, so he said we could have Jenn induced before he went out of town, as long as everything was fine that is. At least we were more prepared. We didn't have to time contractions, Jenn didn't have to wake me up from a deep sleep on the couch; it's nice to have a plan.

We did get a little lucky though. It turned out that every pregnant woman in a 40 mile radius decided to go into labor that same day. We were lucky that our appointment didn't get canceled. It was funny, it seemed like every 5 minutes the short lullaby music would play to announce another birth. It got kind of old, actually.

After all the drugs were in Jenn, we waited for things to start happening. It took a while, and there was nothing good on TV. That didn't help. Around 3pm the doctor came in to check on things. That's when he mentioned that our daughter was turned wrong. I think she was face-up instead of face-down, so it was slowing everything down. He said it might take awhile. I decided to go out and call all the grandparents and tell them this was going to be awhile, and not to expect a call too soon.

While I was gone the doctor must have gotten a call from his wife or something. He came in and said he was going to try to get the baby to turn over. I don't know what he did exactly, but he was pushing on Jenn's stomach a lot. Then, about ten minutes later, our daughter was born. It was weird. At least he made his dinner appointment.

So now, five years later, she's a big girl who likes to play with dolls, get her nails painted, and pretend like she is selling things. Next year she goes to kindergarten, and before we know it, she'll be in college. And I'll be an old(er) man.

Happy Birthday Sweetie Pie!

In case I want to sleep under my desk

It may be hard to see, but it looks like a camping lantern. I could camp out right here.

Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot #33: Up Close

Time for your close up! Carly says: 

EMPS#33: UP CLOSE!
Easy, easy, easy... grab your cameras and show me something UP CLOSE. It doesn't have to be macro, just something you would like to show off at close range. A couple years 

ago, Elvis's friend Ernst graciously agreed to pose for me, see, that is him pictured there, so I know pets can be very willing subjects! Also good are flowers, candy, nails, fabrics, mixed vegetables, water, dirt, garbage, co

ins, people... the possibilities are endless! So go for it! Show me something UP CLOSE!

I took a couple pictures for this week's assignment. The first was of our dog Quincy. I know I've posted pictures of Quincy for the assignments before, but this one was perfect. He just plopped himself down on the floor in front of me; almost like he knew what the assignment was this week. 

How can you not love that face? 

The next picture is of a present my daughter made for me last Father's Day at school. They painted golf balls for all the dads, and I really liked the way the colors turned out. 

It's like I have the whole world in my hand! 

Question of the Week: What type of camera do you use most often? Is it an SLR or a point and shoot?

I use a point a shoot. It's a Canon PowerShot SX110is. It has a little more flexibility than your standard point and shoot, but it is not as versatile as a digital SLR. I'd like to get one of those some day. I'll need some more practice first. 

You've seen my pictures, now go to Carly's and check out the other pictures. 

You don't have time to be sick when fighting in the Clone Wars

When I picked up my son at school, I could immediately tell he didn't feel good. He's been battling a cold and we all thought he was getting better, but apparently not. He told me he wanted to go home halfway through the day, but he forgot to tell the teacher. I'm not sure how you forget that, but at least he's home and resting. 

It seems he has found one thing to make him feel a little better: 

If you are a clone trooper, you don't have time to be sick. 

Weekend Assignment #262: New Again

I think Karen picked a very appropriate topic for this time of year.

Weekend Assignment #262: Spring, and especially Easter, is a time of renewal, of new life after a time of darkness and decay (think of the long nights, and all those fallen leaves!). What is new - or renewed in your life this spring?

Well now I feel like I'm just getting repetitious after my last post. Yes, we got a new computer. It's new, it's different, and I'm still transferring data over to it. I didn't realize how many photos, songs, and other junk was on the old computer. 

I can't help but be excited about it though. I'm a dork, what do you want? I like gadgets, and a computer is about the biggest gadget I can (kind of) afford. So I've been spending time getting accustomed to the new software. I've used Safari on my iPod, but it is much different when using it on a full-size keyboard. And the mouse, it is very different. I keep feeling for the buttons on top. I know I will get used to it, but, for now, I keep opening new windows when I mean to open a tab. 

That is about all that is new this Spring for me. I promise I'll spare you from further talk about the computer. Okay? 

Extra Credit: Is spring cleaning part of your family's annual routine?

Ha! That is a good joke! Seriously, Karen has me crying over here!  In other words, no. It should though. It really should.

So, what's new with you? 

My, I mean our, new toy

It's a good thing that I have a couple of days off so I can learn how to use our new toy. Here's a picture of it, in case you've never seen a computer before. 

If you look closely, you can see me in the reflection. That is probably about the best picture you are going to get of me here. I look goofy in every shot, I don't want the world to see! 

Now I Understand

I don't like to complain much about working midnights. I don't want to seem like I'm looking for pity and, with the unemployment where it is, I don't want to complain about a job. Period.

I'm brining it up for another reason. See, when I was a young boy, my best friend's dad worked midnights a lot. He worked for the local ABC TV station, which was kind of cool since he always had some kind of giveaways from ABC. He had records, Frisbee's, bags; anything you can think of with the ABC logo on it. But, I digress. What I really remember from my younger years was him being cranky. He yelled a lot. He got kind of mad easily. He was just plum cranky. He didn't stay that way though. He certainly isn't now, but the change happened a long time ago. At the time I thought it was due to his mild heart attack he had since doctors always tell you to reduce stress. Now that I am older, and working midnights sometimes, I realize the change happened when he no longer worked the midnight shift.

For those who have never experienced the shift, it is kind of hard to explain. Your body just doesn't like switching around like that. You never feel rested, you are in a fog, you get cranky. Especially if you have a propensity to be a little on the stressed out side. (Yes, I'm talking about me.) That is the biggest reason I hate this shift. I hate being extra cranky. I know I am. I try not to be, I really do, but it is hard. I hate getting irritated by something stupid. I know I'm being stupid, but I seem to have little control. Something happens to that part of the brain when you flip your sleep schedule around. Well, at least it does to me. And my friend's dad. I'm just glad I don't have to work these all the time. I'm sure my family is too.

Sorry guys.

Oh, and Mr. B, I understand now. I really do.

Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot #32: Spring Holidays

I missed last week due to being on midnights and thus too tired to take any pictures. This week, I'm on midnights again, but I managed to find the energy. I know, the sacrifices I make...

Anyway, Carly wants some pictures of the Easter and/or Passover holidays.

EMPS# 32: Spring Holidays and Observances.
Very simple. Grab your camera, and show me, through your photography, anything related to the upcoming Easter or Passover holidays. A family dinner, an Easter Bunny, an Easter lily. Preparation for the holiday works as well. If it is related to the holidays, it's just fine. If you don't celebrate either of the two holidays I mentioned, you can choose any of the wacky holidays found at the link below, or, if you are just not in the mood for holidays, there is an alternate assignment below.

Well, since the kids just colored some eggs yesterday, we can take a look at those.















Nothing says Easter quite like C-3PO and R2-D2. Am I right?

Here is the full dozen, after coloring. One looks a little cracked.

















This is our dining room table after Jenn packed some little treat bags for the family.















As an alternative to this Carly also posted a secondary assignment:

EMPS #32a. FLOWERS.
Pick a FLOWER... any FLOWER! Real or fake... any FLOWER will do!

I happen to have a couple pictures I took, so I thought I'd add them here as well.

I was playing around a little and wanted to focus on the inside of the flower:

















The focus on the outside. It worked out okay. I'm still learning.















So, there you go, this is Easter in our house. Well, part of it anyway. Go over to Carly's place and check out the rest.

Hope you all have a nice Easter or Passover.

For those who find boiling water difficult

I give you the Egg Genie, because, apparently, putting water on the stove and boiling an egg is too demanding for the average human. Watch the little video on their site. See how hard it is to get those eggs perfect? You have to carry a pot of water ALL THE WAY to the stove, turn it on, and bring it to a boil. Seriously, how did people eat hard-boiled eggs in the days of June Cleaver?

Plus, as the video shows, for some reason they don't taste good if you boil them. But, if you steam them in the Egg Genie, they will turn out perfect! Every time! No guessing when the egg is done, I mean, I guess there is no guessing, Is there a timer? It doesn't really say in the commercial or the website. Do I still need to time them? Why don't they give a free egg timer instead of the baconwave. Think about it, who eats bacon with hard-boiled eggs? Nobody. Oops, never mind, I see where it says there is sound and light indicator. Then the question becomes, how do I make soft-boiled eggs? Are there settings on it? Do I need to time it when I make soft-boiled eggs?

But wait, you can steam vegetables with it. Look! It can hold about three little pieces of broccoli and two mini carrots at one time. I hope you don't have a big, hungry family looking for their veggies.

Why is the measuring cup glowing? Does it contain Holy Water? Speaking of that, this would be good for getting eggs ready to color for Easter; if you only wanted to color seven of them. Who came up with seven? Why not an even six? You know, a half dozen. I imagine a Spinal Tap like meeting for the product, "But you can steam one more than a dozen." Great idea, Bob. You get a 16.7 percent raise!

So, to quote Mike J. from the website, if you like to have the best equipment in you kitchen, you need the Egg Genie. (Yes, he actually says that.)

Weekend Assignment #261: Is Your Homework Done?

Once again, I think Karen picked an assignment that speaks specifically to me. This week she asks:

Weekend Assignment #261: For most of us, school was quite some time ago, but I bet we all remember what it was like to have homework due. Did you start right in on homework when you got home, or put it off until the last minute, or put it off until it was actually late?


Oh yes, I remember it well. I still have nightmares about it. I'm serious. Actually, last week, Mr. Unfocused linked to an awesome cartoon that nailed it perfectly on his Twitter page. That is the exact dream I have! Exact!

So, I guess what I'm trying to say is, I never did my homework early. Oh, it's due on April 25th? Okay, I'll start it on the 23rd. I'll have plenty of time. Of course, when I actually start it on April 24th, well that "plenty of time" turns into: holy crap this is a big project! Why?! Why, didn't I start it sooner? Why?!!!!

No, I'm not exaggerating at all. Sure, when I was younger I did my homework right away. Heck, I used to work ahead some times. Then, sometime in high school, that all went out the window. Some of it had to do with not having as much free time, but a lot of it had to due with laziness. Or a case of, there is some much other better stuff to do now. I was bad.

I can remember a few specific cases from college clearly. Once, a friend and I stayed up all night to prepare for a test on the US Constitution. We both decided not to study at all until the night before. Actually, I think he ended up sleeping through his test since it was a little later in the morning.

Jenn and I also stayed up all night finishing up a magazine layout project. I remember waiting in line at Kinko's at 3 am, or so, to get final copies made. Part of it was waiting too long, part of it was just the work involved. Who am I kidding, it was because we waited too long. I still have that magazine though. Anyone want to see it?

In my senior year I ran into a major time constraint for a final paper in one of my psychology classes. There was no way I was going to finish in time, so I had to call the T.A. and ask her if I could turn it in the following morning. Luckily, she said yes. If I failed that class I would have been going to school for another year. This was year five already.

I guess you could say I am a procrastinator.


Extra Credit: Are your homework habits reflected in the way you handle tasks now at work or at home?


Oh my, yes! I hate to say it, but I haven't changed a bit.

How about you? Did you do your homework on time?

You tell me

Since Easter is upon us, and I was just have some, I thought I'd ask, what is you least favorite jelly bean flavor? Or, if you don't eat them, what is your least favorite Easter candy. Creme Eggs? Marshmallow bunnies? Speckled Eggs?

My least favorite jelly bean are the black licorice ones. Who makes a candy that tastes like that? I'm not very fond of the Cadbury Creme Eggs either, but I did like the commercials.

What about you?

Time for surgery, Mr. Food.

Doesn't this setup make you think of some kind of strange food-type surgery is going to take place soon?















Is it just me?

Ten on Tuesday: 10 least liked foods

Let's see if this Ten on Tuesday is going to be easy or not.

1. Fish. I can't think of one kind of fish I like. Well, except tuna when it is soaked in mayo. I don't think that counts.
   
2. Brussel Sprouts: They are like tiny heads of cabbage, or something. Really, what are they?
3. Buffalo Wings: Not a fan of spicy foods. I don't like to sweat while I eat.
4. Sweet potatoes: I don't know why.
   
5. Sauerkraut: There is not enough Listerine in the world to cover up the stink that it creates.
6. Liver: My mom was nice enough to make us kids something else to eat when she would make it when I was a kid.
   
7. Anchovies: I know I mentioned fish already, but this deserves it's own spot. These are the most disgusting thing consumed by humans. I used to work at a pizza place; we would fight over who had to make the pizza with anchovies on it.
   
8. Rye bread: Can't stand the taste of those little seeds. Or the bread as a whole.
   
9. Blueberry pie: Blueberries are okay, but I can't eat a piece of blueberry pie. It's just too much.
   
10. Cauliflower: It seems so tasteless to me.

There's my list. What are your least liked foods?

I'm a Mac

Well, not yet, but we soon will be a Mac family. This weekend, after many frustrating moments with our current computer, Jenn asked if we could get a new one. We've had some issues with it lately and, frankly, it's about time for a new one anyway. The funny thing is, just the other day I was going to ask Jenn if she would be up for getting a Mac to replace our current compter when the time came. It's like I'm psychic or something. I figure, we have plenty of iPods, an Airport Express to stream iTunes, and I plan on getting an iPhone, so we might as well go all the way. Besides, we get a (small) discount through work, and I had some gift certificates to take the bite out of buying the Apple. (I reached a little for that one.)

So now I ask any of you Mac people: what do I need to get? Oh, I should mention it's an iMac, not a MacBook. Any applications I definitely need? Any software besides what comes with it and iWork. What about virus software?

Anyone? Also, please feel free to tell me I made a good decision. Even if you don't really believe it. Thanks!

The answer to the April Fool's Day post

Remember how I asked you to guess which was true on April Fool's Day? Well, now you'll get your answer. If you haven't read that post yet, go, do it now. You don't want to ruin the big surprise, do you? I'll wait...











Ready? First I should say that Jenn brought up a good point, I should have stated how many were true. Sorry about that, only one was true. See how much one little word can change the whole meaning of a sentence? Do you want to change your answer now? Do you want to phone a friend, or ask the audience? No? Are you sure?

Number three was true: I was in a movie with Charlie Sheen. Yep. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't starring in the movie or anything, I was an extra in Lucas. I didn't even know who Charlie Sheen was at the time. This was filmed in '84 or '85, so he wasn't a big name then. The star of the movie was Corey Haim. This was before he hooked up with the other Corey. I knew who Corey Haim was, I had seen him in Firstborn a short time before this movie was filmed, but he was the only one I knew.

It was an interesting couple of days. I think I missed two days of school to do it. I'm not sure why my mom let me, or how I talked her into it. I did make about $200 dollars for two days work. That wasn't too bad for a 15 year-old! Well, 25 years ago. Man, I feel a little old now.

Basically my two days consisted of me, and a friend of mine, hanging out in a locker room wearing a towel and a flesh colored Speedo. Except for the moments when we had to leave the locker room because they wanted to do some close-ups of Charlie and Corey. At those times, we had to sit in the gym of Glenbard West while the students at that school tried to peek in the windows to see what we were doing. It was weird, to say the least. Oh yes, you can see me, kind of. You have to watch the original version, not on regular TV, and pay very close attention to the locker room scene where Corey is pinned to a table while the big kids put liquid heat on his crotch. For a split second you can see me in the background cheering the guys on. Sure, I'm blurry, but I know it is me.

I tried to be an extra a couple of other times in high school. Neither worked out, but I still would get calls to the house when I was away at college. It was fun. I think everyone should do it one time to see how boring and monotonous it can be. We yelled out the same phrase many,many times. I want to say we shouted, "Screw Rockford!" I could be wrong. It was 25 years ago. My memory is not so good any more.

Well, I hope that was fun. Have a good weekend.

Who cares?

I'm really tired of John Mayer. Am I the only one? Well, besides Jennifer Aniston that is?

Sorry, I'm tired an cranky. I just had to let it out.

Question of the day; April 2, 2009

Does the Queen Elizabeth II need an iPod. Sure, said iPod has footage from her last visit to the US. But, wouldn't she have access to that footage? I mean, she is the Queen,  I'm sure it's on a DVD or VHS tape (I picture her still using a VCR. With the clock blinking12:00). Of course, she doesn't have a 12 year-old son to transfer that to an iPod, so maybe it's not such a bad gift. Does she know how to use an iPod?

Okay, maybe I had a few questions. But, they needed to be asked.

Weekend Assignment #260: It's a Wonderful Job

This week the the Weekend Assignment from Karen's blog comes from Florinda.

Weekend Assignment #260: Maybe it wasn't the "best" job by objective standards, but of all the jobs you've ever had, which was your favorite, and why did you like it so much?

This may be a little harder than I thought when I first read this. I've had plenty of jobs I've liked, and a few that I definitely did not, but a favorite is hard to choose. At least it is for me.

I've worked at a few restaurants  over  the years, and I think I've had the most fun at those.  I think a lot of that had to due with the lack of responsibility I had when working at them. I wasn't in charge of anything, and the biggest thing I could screw up was accidentally ordering someone's stake rare instead of medium. On top of that, anytime I was working in a restaurant I was in school, so I was younger, had less stress due to less bills, or kids health and welfare to worry about. Each restaurant job had it's own unique high points. Let me tell you about them.

My first restaurant job, or any job, was at a Bill Knapp's. You may not have heard of them; they weren't nationwide, or anything. Let me tell you though, they had the best au gratin potatoes. Back in high school you either worked at Bill Knapp's or Jewel. Well, not really, but it seemed that way.

I started out as a busboy and worked my way 'up' to waiter. It wasn't bad money for a 16 year-old kid. I always had plenty of change and singles for the candy and pop machine at school. The best part of the job was when the managers left. For some silly reason they thought it was okay to leave a teenager in charge of the restaurant and close it up. Sure, nothing will go wrong with that idea at all! Let me tell you, my friends and I ate like kings and queens after 9:30pm. I wonder why that place went out of business? It was fun for other reasons, too. Since it was everyone from high school, we knew everyone, we were all about the same age, and we got along. A lot of jokes and pranks constantly, for the most part.

When I went away to college, and Bill Knapp's closed, I worked for a shot time at a Wag's restaurant. These were Denny's style restaurants owned by the Walgreen's company. I didn't work there all that long, so not as many good stories, but it had it's moments. The most interesting times were when the people would come in, still in costume, after watching the Rocky Horror Picture Show. Those were interesting people. Let me tell you. There were plenty of parties to go to after work as well.

My most recent experience in the restaurant business was working at an Applebee's. I was a waiter and bartender there when I went back to school. I probably had almost as much fun there as I did at Bill Knapp's. I think one of the big reasons is that I came into that job after I left my most hated job, and I was so happy to be out of there. But, the people were a lot of fun, too. We would go out after work sometimes. Once in a while the manager would let us had a beer after work, we had to pay for them though. Jenn would come in a lot after work and sit at the bar and have dinner when I was working on the weekends. The manager's would buy her dinner a lot of times, which helped us a lot since we didn't have a whole lot of money then. One year I dressed up as Data from Star Trek on Halloween. Yes, I am a dork.

So, I guess those were my favorite job(s).

Extra Credit: What was the shortest time you ever held a job? What happened?

I think it was the Wag's Job. I worked there over a Christmas break and that was it. I think it might have closed after I went back to school. But, I could be wrong on that. Maybe I did go back for the summer too, but I don't think so.

Something a little different for April Fool's day

I decided to do April Fool's day a little different than most. At least I like to think it is different. I'm going to list several things below, you tell me which is TRUE. Got it.

1. I was in the Midwest regional finals for the US Air Guitar Championship a couple of years ago.
   
2. I tried to get in the Guinness Book of Worlds Records for longest continuous swinging on a swing set.
3. I was in a movie with Charlie Sheen.
4. I hit a deer on the way home from work once. I kept it and sold the meat for money for school.
5. I met the members of Metallica a few years ago and told them to start playing better music.
6. I was in a fight with the members of Metallica.
7. I met John Cusack and sold him a stereo when I was working at Circuit City.
8. I got Monetzuma's Revenge while on vacation in Mexico.

I hope I didn't make it too easy. And I hope some people actually guess!

I'll be sleeping all day, you kids be good. Don't tease each other too much. And remember, don't believe anything you read on the Internet today. Or, any day, really.

now this is what I call e-mail!

Google has done it again! Check out this new feature from Google called, Gmail Autopilot. Now I don't have to actually type anything out to anybody; it does it for me. Genius, I tell you.

Now, you should know it is probably only available today, April 1st. So act now!













(Shhhh. Don't tell anyone it's a joke.)

It's just a typical Friday night burger for me.

I don't know what all the fuss is about this hamburger? I eat one a week!

I found it extra humorous when one of the ads on the bottom was for colon cleansing. Talk about nailing the target audience!

Also, I find it funny to have an ad for a weight loss challenge on the left side. Again; nailed it!