Horton Hollow

The Final Challenge

2011-11-08T11:44:00.001-06:00

The Final Challenge

Not long ago, my wife and I ran in Warrior Dash and I posted about that here.

I remember when we started the race. We were toward the back of the crowd of hundreds. Everybody started moving forward slowly, walking, then speeding up to a light jog. Thoughts ran through my mind of "this is 3 miles", "you've NEVER ran that far", and "you've never even TRAVELED that far on foot in your adult life".

So I wondered if I'd make it. Would I end up walking the entire way? Or most of it?

See I didn't know what lay ahead of me as far as that challenge went. I'd never done it before and there was doubt. Sure I'd had success up to that point with improving my health. Losing 70lbs while maintaining my muscle isn't anything to sneeze at.

However with that race being so new, I wondered if my previous successes added up to enough punch with which knock this new challenger out.

But as you know we did finish.

We had a blast and if I had it to do over again, I'd sign up in a heartbeat (in fact we're already planning to go again in MO next year and perhaps also in KC).

Fast forward to yesterday. I began a new challenge.

It's one of my 90-Day Challenges, the ones I promote. I promote that because its been a tool to keep myself on track with improving my health and fitness. Having said that, I'm very excited to say that I'm nearing my ultimate goal (of weight-loss anyway) that will put me in line with the BMI charts, standardized weight-charts, etc

These last 90 days, this challenge, this time in my life is the time, the moment to wrestle this old enemy of mine to the ground and make him submit. It's been a long fight .. years .. and there are many deep feeling tied up in this. Heck, things that have haunted me since grade-school.

Well I'm 90-day aways from putting it all behind me, instead of it always walking beside me.

Now up until recently I wasn't a fan of things like those government charts and BMI guidelines. In the back of my mind though I knew I was a fat person, telling myself that those charts were skewed, in order to justify my continued bad lifestyle and poor health choices.

After a lot of research in how to calculate my lean-body-mass, etc though I found my goal weight and body fat.

Danged if those freakin' charts weren't right in my case. Sigh.

So the goal over this last 90-days is 28.8 lbs to go. I'm on the backside of losing the last of my larger-than-should-be backside.

Another excuse I used to use is .. "well I should just love ME like I am and live my life, fat or not".

Let me share how I was lying to myself there.

Listen up.

I was right in thinking it shouldn't be about me "looking good" and that I should accept myself where how I am.

However I realized that it can't end there or one of these two things would happen:
1) I would have a lesser quality of life than I deserve.
2) I would not not live as long as I could otherwise.

See how easy and straightforward that is?

For a LONG time I convinced myself I couldn't afford to eat healthier.

Bullcrap.

See I realized that I had the choice of either paying more for healthy food now or I could continue to eat garbage and then pay for high medical bills later in life.

More easy, straightforward logic there.

The thing is, if you're in a boat similar to the one I was in, I encourage you to climb out of it. Get HONEST with yourself about the two issues above that I numbered. Be honest with yourself about how you feel each day in your own skin.

If you have kids, can you keep up with them? If not, why not? Don't give me that bull about being old. That's hooey and an internal script we read to ourselves to give us an excuse to sit on the couch.
When was the last time you tried to "play", really play in the yard .. .like tag? Or just sprint around a little bit?
When was the last time you looked at exercise as fun (like you did when you were a kid) instead of a chore? I challenge you to NOT go to a gym, stay away from those silly gym machines and start to master exercising with your bodyweight .. learn to MOVE again.

Over these next 90 days, I'm going to be writing often and be VERY upfront about health. I've found there is a whole new world out there (queue the Alladdin theme music) and I want to share my experience with it.

That's another thing that has happened to me is that I want to help others that felt the way I did ... that there was no more hope. There IS hope. Chances are that your body is not so broken-down and fat that you can't get your health back. Your body was designed to fix itself; you just have to give it an environment in which to thrive.

So as I keep writing new posts, feel free to comment, email, whatever you like. Or if you just want to read my story as I open up and share more, then stay tuned.

It's gonna be a brutally honest share-a-thon :)

Go Vibrams

2011-10-17T14:49:00.001-05:00

Some folks make fun of my "toe shoes". They tell me that they have "bad feet" so they need "special shoes". I personally think that's mostly malarkey. Read the book Born to Run, then get back to me. I read it. It changed my approach to, not only whether or not I should be a runner, but how I should run in regards to what I should put on my feet.

So you say .. "You have special shoes because you have plantar fasciitis."

I say, "You have plantar fasciitis because you have special shoes."

Go minimalist. Go Vibrams.

Warrior Dash 2011!

2011-10-17T12:01:00.001-05:00

Warrior Dash 2011

Just finished Warrior Dash, first one ever for me and my wife, and boy it was great! Here is a little back-story on *why* I did this and also the breakdown of our day (complete with pics).

First, a little back-story.

If you're reading this and if you know me at all, you're at least a bit familiar with my personal weight-loss journey. The following is the short version, for those of you who may not know. About a year or so ago, I started taking my health seriously. Weight-loss was a good start, I figured. And so I started. As of right now, I've lost 70lbs but I still have more to go.

So there is that.

Also if you know me, you know that I promote the Body By Vi 90-Day Challenge. I've used the convenient protein shakes for breakfast that have went along with, and helped me stay on track with, my primal nutrition. Changing my mindset about food and it's roll in my life has led to the weight-loss success that I've had. Primal nutrition and lifestyle has been my focus and the Body By Vi Challenge has provided the convenience for me to stay on track.

So there is that too :)

Where does Warrior Dash fit into all this you may ask? Well you may not be asking, but I'm assuming you did otherwise I couldn't continue this post and since I am, it must mean I'm guessing you asked :)

After losing much weight I just wanted to do "something" that kinda puts an exclamation mark in things. My friend Fred, talked to me about Warrior Dash and I was immediately hooked.

Now Warrior Dash isn't really for the timid. Its a 3-mile obstacle course with barriers that include cargo-net climbs, fire, mud-crawls and barbed-wire. GREAT fun! I highly recommend it.

So Rob, did you train for this? Cause it sounds pretty tough.

Er, um ... ah .. yes and no. I started training for it and then shiny things in life happened. Before you know it, the day of the dash was here with me wondering if I was going to even survive this thing or not.

THREE miles? I'd never ran farther than a mile in my life.

But this isn't grade-school gym class I realized. I didn't HAVE to run the entire way and my goal was completing the course, doing every obstacle .. sort of a scouting mission to see how much I liked this type of run. I wasn't worried about winning it because a *win* in my mind was just getting through it. And I have my friend Fred to thank for keeping me on track with that kind of thinking (thanks man).

Plus I got to go with my wife who surprised me by wanting to do this with me.

With my wife joining up, it DID cause us to do some training as a family. Which led to games in our yard, more family and fun. That's always a good thing!

All in all Warrior Dash was amazing-ubr-cool-super-fun with a generous dollup of mud!

For those of you still reading here is a breakdown of the barriers along with what pics we have of before and after shots :)

Barricade Breakdown
What this was:
This was a fairly simple barrier. Four-foot walls that you jump/fall over, followed immediately by barbed wire that you crawl under. Repeat about 5 times.

How we fared:
Pretty good. We'd ran a bit over a mile at this point at had some water. Running through the woods/fields over our first mile was fun and I think we were pretty jazzed up about our first obstacle. I found that a jump-butt-down-spin-move on the wall was effective followed by much grunting as I lumbered under the barb wire trying to keep my butt out of it.

Chaotic Crossover
What this was:
The tension mounts a bit higher as we come up to a horizontal cargo net. Climb up to the net's level, then crawl, roll and somehow get across.

How we fared:
Again really well. Still fairly fresh (though I'm certain our armpits were a testament to the contrary) this wasn't bad. Both my wife and I wear "those toe shoes" .. otherwise known as the coolest shoes on the planet. I felt those gave us a significant advantage in mobility. You could really feel the cargo neat beneath your feet and even hold on with your toes as needed.

Assassin's Escape
What this was:
This was basically run/climb up a set of stairs then slide down the fireman's pole at the other side.

How we fared:
Nailed it. Heather and I both wondered why some folks seemed to struggle with this one. Basically though we just stepped on their bodies and ran to the next obstacle (I'm only kidding, we didn't step on anybody, we just kicked them to the ditch).

Teetering Traverse
What this was:
Narrow ramps, up high. Think ramps to a chicken-coupe but 5 feet off the ground.

How we fared:
Again we nailed this one. I'd seen videos of this on YouTube and clearly too many city-folks have never climbed around on the farm. This was easy and we simply jogged across it.

Great Warrior Wall
What this was:
A vertical rope climb wall with some footholds. We were concerned about this one.

How we fared:
This took some strength out of us but was still doable. The knots on the rope weren't very close together so you had to have some grip strength to get up that wall. The footholds made it much easier. Not being a *huge fan* of heights though, flipping over the wall at the top to grab the ladder rungs on the way down was a tad unnerving.

Storming Normandy
What this was:
Military styled "X" barricades with barbed-wire. Basically barb n' weave is the ticket here.

How we fared:
Starting to feel the course at this point. Basically bear-crawled most of the way through this one. Picture guy at the end, so make that exit from the barbed-wire count!

Giant Cliffhanger
What this was:
Big wall. Climb hard or go home.

How we fared:
We climbed hard. This was a big wall .. just big. Probably 25 feet or so. Again our Vibrams gave us fantastic feel/traction on the ascent. Other regular-shoe-wearing folks were slipping back down. We ambled right up it though, gingerly flipped over the top, and climbed down. Tall obstacle, not for those with serious height-issues.

Satan's Steps
What this was:
Sheets of plywood, centered over 4x4 posts which were loosely set in the ground. You had to jump from post to post, landing as close to center as possible, so you could stay stable. Jumping near the edge of the plywood might make you fall 5 to 6 feet to the ground while being scraped up by the plywood as you pass it.

How we fared:
Not bad. This was a mental thing really. Though if you have short legs like my lovely wife, it can be a challenge to leap that far. The guy who nearly ran her over though (jerk) didn't seem to have a problem with the obstacle.

Deadman's Drop
What this is:
Big ladder on one side, splinter-laden plywood to slide down on the other side.

How we fared:
Not too shabby. The climb up was easy enough. The slide down the other side, well you just had to be careful. I held on with my hands, facing the plywood wall, for as long as I could, bunching my feet up under me. Once I got low enough I just kicked away from the wall, spun in mid-air, and landed. My coolest move of the day so I had to outline it here :)

Cargo Climb
What this was:
Big, big cargo net climb. Up one side and down the other.

How we fared:
This is the first of the last three obstacles. Finish line is in site at this point. So the energy comes rushing back. Once again, the ability to feel things with your feet is awesome with Vibrams. Someone ran past me saluting the Vibrams even and he was wearing some too.

Warrior Roast
What this was:
Fire. Jump high or chestnuts roasting comes early this year.

How we fared:
You're breathing hard and there is a good deal of smoke. Other than that, this was easy to do.

Muddy Mayhem
What this was:
Very large, deep, mud pit. Crawl through it because the barbed-wire over your head give you no other choice.

How we fared:
Not bad really. The mud was deeper than you'd expect. Just kinda crawled/swam through it all. Was COLD though :) Also this is a capped off by a small mud-hill where, for the spectators amusement I'm sure, you can attempt to (unsuccessfully for most) climb the hill without falling on your tookus. :)

Bonus pics of the aftermath!

Conclusion
Warrior Dash is a MUST do. You don't have to be in ubr-shape for this. And if you, like me, want to either kick off the last leg of your weight loss or just start a challenge, then Warrior Dash is a great way to go about it!

Do you hear what I hear?

2011-09-20T13:31:00.000-05:00

It's coming closer.

Colder weather ... sweaters and sweatshirts ... the Holidays ... and my favorite .. snow :) I just love this time of year. At September's close (geez that sounds like a cheap-romance, book title), the door just seems to open to childhood again.

For some, they feel that way about Spring or Summer. But Fall and Winter are my emotional home. When other folks get down in the dumps by what they refer to as the dreariness, I become energized. Does that make me strange? (No Rob, that's not why you're strange) .. ahem, I heard that.

So I just wanted to wave hello to my favorite time of year. You're not quite visible yet, but if I listen close, I can hear your distant footsteps crunching down the gravel pathway, edging too-slowly closer.

Welcome back.

200 Need Our Help

2011-08-02T13:10:00.000-05:00

I wanted to reach out to thank you again for helping to spread the word over the past few months about the Fresh Air Fund's need for host families. With your help, we've been able to find 650 of the 850 host families we need. Right now there is just one week left for us to place the remaining 200 children with a loving host family for a Fresh Air experience that can change lives.

I'm posting the link here again on Horton Hollow to help keep the issue alive in everyone's minds. For those of you who read here, and want to consider getting the word out, even a Tweet or Facebook post could help.

http://freshairfundhost.org

Thanks for taking the time to consider helping these kids in need. Make it a great day!

What is the Fresh Air Fund?

2011-07-06T13:16:00.000-05:00

What is the Fresh Air Fund?

From time to time these folks contact me, asking me to post on my blog and I'm always willing to help out. Small effort indeed to get the word out about a worthy cause. Read on to find out more about the Fresh Air Fund or simply click here to learn about being a host.

"We made s'mores and hot dogs over the fire. I've never cooked outside before!"

Fresh Air children are boys and girls, six to 18 years old, who live in New York City. Children on first-time visits are six to 12 years old and stay for either one or two weeks. Youngsters who are re-invited by the same family may continue with The Fund through age 18, and many enjoy longer summertime visits, year after year. A visit to the home of a warm and loving volunteer host family can make all the difference in the world to an inner-city child. All it takes to create lifelong memories is laughing in the sunshine and making new friends.

The majority of Fresh Air children are from low-income communities. These are often families without the resources to send their children on summer vacations. Most inner-city youngsters grow up in towering apartment buildings without large, open, outdoor play spaces. Concrete playgrounds cannot replace the freedom of running barefoot through the grass or riding bikes down country lanes.

Fresh Air children are registered by more than 90 participating social service and community organizations located in disadvantaged neighborhoods in the five boroughs of New York City. These community-based agencies are in close contact with children in need of summer experiences in rural and suburban areas. Each agency is responsible for registering children for the program.

What do Fresh Air children enjoy?

Playing in the backyard
Laughing in the sunshine
Catching fireflies
Riding bicycles
Learning to swim
Running barefoot through the grass
Gazing at the stars on moonlit nights
Building sandcastles
Making new friends
Simple pleasures of life away from the inner-city

100 Simple Ways to Get Healthier

2011-06-27T12:22:00.001-05:00

100 Simple Ways to Get Healthier

Want to lose weight but think shake-making is boring? Want to build muscle but you're tired of the same old stuff from those store-bought ones where you get to pick from only 3 flavors?

What if I could show you a way to eat healthy, lose weight, or help build muscle, AND not get bored? A way where YOU get to pick what you want a health-shake to taste like. Would you be interested in knowing more?

Well, with the following ONE HUNDRED Body By Vi Shake recipes, you can drink a shake per day for over 90 days and never drink the same shake twice!

Browse the shake recipes below and when you're done drooling, sign up for how to find out more by clicking on the Body By Vi challenge graphic over on the right, or simply click here.

After Glow Smoothie: 4 oz. (1/2 cup) pomegranate juice, 4 oz. (1/2 cup orange juice), 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 1 cup frozen pineapple & 5 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.

All Berry Delight: 8 oz. skim milk, 2 scoops Vi-Shape Vishake mix, 1/4 cup frozen raspberries, 1/4 cup frozen blackberries, 1/4 cup frozen strawberries, ¼ cup frozen dark cherries & 4 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.

Almond Joy: 8 oz. Silk Pure Almond milk, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 1/2 tsp coconut extract, 1 chocolate flavor packet (or 1 Tbsp. cocoa powder) & 6 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.

Amaretto: 8 oz. Silk Pure Almond milk, 2 scoops Vi-Shape Vi-Shake mix, 1 cup frozen dark sweet cherries & 6 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.

Ambrosia: 8 oz. Almond milk, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, ½ tsp. coconut extract, ¼ cup pear slices, ¼ apple slices, ¼ cup frozen strawberries, ¼ cup frozen pineapple chunks, 1 peach flavor packet & 3 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.

Angel Food Cake: 8 oz. Almond milk, 2 scoops Vi-Shape Body By Vi Shake mix, ½ tsp. coconut extract, ½ tsp. vanilla extract & 3 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.

Apple Cider Smoothie: 6 oz. unsweetened apple juice (or cider), 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 1 orange flavor packet, 2 tsp. cinnamon, 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract & 6 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.

Apple Mango Freeze: 8 oz. Almond milk, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 3 Tbsp. unsweetened apple sauce, 1 cup frozen mango chunks & 6 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.

Apple Pie: 8 oz. Almond milk, 2 scoops Vi-Shape bodybyvi shake mix, 3 Tbsp. unsweetened apple sauce, 2 tsp. cinnamon, 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract & 6 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.
Banana Coconut Breeze: 8 oz. Almond milk, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 1/2 small frozen banana, 1 banana flavor packet, ½ tsp. coconut extract, & 4 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.

Banana Kiwi Cooler: 8 oz. Almond milk, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 1/2 small frozen banana, 1 banana flavor packet, ½ cup fresh kiwi slices (peeled), & 6 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.

Banana Cream: 8 oz. water, ¾ cup vanilla low fat yogurt, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 1 small banana (6” inches), 1 tsp. vanilla extract, & 6 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.

Banana Nut Bread: 8 oz. Silk Pure Almond milk, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 1 tsp. butter extract flavoring, 1 banana flavor packet, 1 tsp. cinnamon, ½ tsp. vanilla extract & 6 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.

Banana Spice: 8 oz. Silk Light Vanilla Soy Milk, 2 scoops Vi-Shape body by vi shake mix, 1 small frozen banana (6” inches), 2 Tbsp. ground flax seeds, pinch of cinnamon, pinch of nutmeg & 6 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.

Banana Split: 8 oz. Almond milk, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 1 small banana (6” inches), 1 Chocolate flavor packet, 1 Tbsp. reduced fat peanut butter, & 4 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.

Berry Blast: 8 oz. Almond milk, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, ½ cup frozen blackberries, ½ cup frozen strawberries & 5 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.

Berry Peachy: 8 oz. Almond milk, 2 scoops Vi-Shape bodybyvi shake mix, ½ cup frozen peach slices, ½ cup frozen strawberries, 1 peach flavor packet & 5 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.

Berries & Cream: 8 oz. Almond milk, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, ½ cup frozen raspberries, ½ cup frozen strawberries, 1 strawberry flavor packet, ½ tsp. vanilla extract & 5 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.

Birthday Cake: 8 oz. Almond milk, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 1 chocolate flavor packet, ½ tsp. butter flavoring (or butter buds), ½ tsp. vanilla extract & 6 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.

Blackberry Apple Slush: 6 oz. unsweetened apple juice, 2 scoops Vi-Shape vi-shake mix, 30 frozen blackberries & 7 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.

Blackberry Freeze: 8 oz. Almond milk, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 30 frozen blackberries & 4 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.

Blackberry Pie: 8 oz. Almond milk, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 1 cup frozen blackberries, 1 Tbsp. Graham Cracker Crumbs, 1 tsp. vanilla extract & 6 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.

Black Raspberry Vanilla Cooler: 8 oz. Almond milk, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 15 frozen blackberries, 15 frozen raspberries, 1 tsp. vanilla extract & 4 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.

Blended Coffee: 8 oz. (1 cup) coffee-instant, regular, prepared with water, 1 ½ cup skim milk, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 1 chocolate flavor packet & 4 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.

Blueberry Blaster: 8 oz. Almond milk, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 30 frozen blueberries & 4 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.
Blueberry Cheesecake: 6 oz. Almond milk, 2 scoops Vi-Shape vishake mix, 20 frozen blueberries, 1 tsp. graham cracker crumbs, 2 oz. fat-free cream cheese & 5 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.
Blueberry Lemon Freeze: 8 oz. Almond milk, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 1 cup frozen blueberries, 1 Tbsp. sugar-free instant lemon pudding mix, & 5 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.

Blueberry Mango Smoothie: 8 oz. Almond milk, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 1 cup frozen blueberries, ½ cup frozen mango chunks, & 4 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.

Blueberry Peach Cobbler: 8 oz. Almond milk, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 15 frozen blueberries, 1 cup frozen peach slices, 1 tsp. vanilla extract & 4 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.

Blueberry Pie: 8 oz. Almond milk, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 1 cup frozen blueberries, 2 Tbsp. Graham Cracker Crumbs, 1 tsp. vanilla extract & 6 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.

Blueberry Pomegranate: 6 oz. Almond milk, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 1 cup frozen blueberries, ½ cup pomegranate juice & 5 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.

Blueberry Vanilla Pear: 8 oz. Almond milk, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, ½ cup frozen blueberries, ½ pear (chopped) & 4 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.

Blue Banana: 8 oz. Almond milk, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 15 frozen blueberries, 1 banana flavor packet (or 1/2 frozen banana), & 5 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.
Butterfinger: 8 oz. Almond milk, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 2 Tbsp. sugar free butterscotch pudding mix, 1 Tbsp. reduced-fat peanut butter & 5 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.

Butterscotch Mousse: 8 oz. Almond milk, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 2 Tbsp. sugar free butterscotch pudding mix & 5 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.

Café Latte: 8 oz. Almond milk, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 1 tsp. dry instant coffee powder & 6 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.
Candy Cane: 8 oz. Almond milk, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, ½ cup frozen strawberries, ½ tsp. peppermint extract, 1 strawberry flavor pack & 5 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.

Caramello: 8 oz. Almond milk, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 2 tsp. sugar free caramel flavoring & 5 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.
Cherry Almond Chill: 8 oz. Silk Pure Almond milk, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 1 cup frozen dark sweet cherries & 6 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.

Cherry Banana Breeze: 8 oz. Almond milk, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 1 cup frozen dark sweet cherries, 1 banana flavor packet & 5 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.

Cherry Cheesecake: 6 oz. Almond milk, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 1 cup frozen dark unsweetened cherries, 2 oz. fat-free cream cheese, 2 dashes ground cinnamon & 5 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.
Cherry Lemonade: 6 oz. crystal light lemonade, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 1 cup frozen dark sweet cherries & 8 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.

Cherry Orange Delight: 4 oz. orange juice, 4 oz. water, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 1 cup frozen dark sweet cherries & 8 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.

Cherry Pineapple Slush: 6 oz. water, 2 oz. pineapple juice drained from can, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 1/2 cup pineapple, ½ cup frozen cherries & 8 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.

Cherry Limeade: 8 oz. vanilla soy milk, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 1 Tbsp. frozen limeade concentrate, 4 maraschino cherries & 6 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.

Cherry Pineapple Chill: 8 oz. Almond milk, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 1/2 cup frozen dark sweet cherries, ½ cup frozen pineapple chunks, & 6 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.

Cherry Spice: 8 oz. Almond milk, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 1 cup frozen dark sweet cherries, 2 tsp. cinnamon & 6 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.

Chocolate Almond Delight: 12 oz. Almond milk, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 15 raw almonds, ½ tsp. coconut extract, 1 chocolate flavor packet (or 1 Tbsp. cocoa powder), & 5 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.
Chocolate Cheesecake: 6 oz. Almond milk, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 1 chocolate flavor packet (or 1 Tbsp. cocoa powder), 2 oz. fat-free cream cheese & 5 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.
Chocolate Covered Cherries: 8 oz. Almond milk, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 10 frozen dark sweet cherries, 1 chocolate flavor packet (or 1 Tbsp. cocoa powder), & 5 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.
Chocolate Covered Strawberries: 8 oz. Almond milk, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 5 frozen strawberries, 1 chocolate flavor packet (or 1 Tbsp. cocoa powder), & 4 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup: 8 oz. Almond milk, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 1 Tbsp. reduced fat peanut butter, 1 chocolate flavor packet (or 1 Tbsp. cocoa powder), & 6 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.
Chocolate Peppermint: 8 oz. Almond milk, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 1/2 tsp. peppermint extract, 2 chocolate flavor packets (or 2 Tbsp. cocoa powder), & 6 ice cubes. Blend well in blender. For a hot chocolate treat, heat in microwave.
Chocolate Razzleberry: 8 oz. Almond milk, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 1/3 cup frozen raspberries, 1 chocolate flavor packet (or 1 Tbsp. cocoa powder), & 4 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.
Cinnaberry: 8 oz. Almond milk, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 5 frozen strawberries, 1 strawberry flavor packet, 3 tsp. cinnamon & 5 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.
Cinnamon Almond Cream: 8 oz. Silk Pure Almond milk, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 3 tsp. cinnamon & 6 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.

Cinnamon Bun: 8 oz. vanilla soy milk, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 2 Tbsp. cinnamon, 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract, 1 tsp. butter buds (or butter flavoring) & 6 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.

Citrus Berry: 4 oz. Almond milk, 4 oz. orange juice, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 1 strawberry flavor packet, ½ cup frozen strawberries, 1 tsp. lemon juice & 5 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.
Citrus Spice: 6 oz. orange juice, 2 oz. water, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 1 Tbsp. lemon juice , 3 tsp. cinnamon & 6 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.

Citrus Splash: 6 oz. sprite zero or diet sprite, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 1 orange flavor packet, 1/2 Tbsp. lemon juice, ½ Tbsp. lime juice, & 7 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.

Citrus Delight: 4 oz. water, 2 oz. orange juice, 2 oz. grapefruit juice, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 1 orange flavor packet, 1 tsp. lemon juice & 7 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.

Coco Mango: 8 oz. Almond milk, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 6 chunks frozen mango (1 cup), ½ tsp. coconut extract & 5 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.

Coconut Lime Spritzer: 6 oz. sprite zero or diet sprite, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 2 Tbsp. lime juice, ½ tsp. coconut extract & 7 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.

Cranberry Crush: 8 oz. (1 cup) cranberry juice (no sugar added), 2 scoops shake mix, 4 frozen strawberries, 2 Tbsp. plain nonfat yogurt & 6 ice cubes.

Cranberry Citrus Splash: 4 oz. (1/2 cup) cranberry juice (no sugar added), 4 oz. orange juice (1/2 cup), 2 scoops shake mix, 1 orange flavor packet, 2 Tbsp. plain nonfat yogurt & 6 ice cubes.

Cran-Blueberry: 4 oz. (1/2 cup) cranberry juice (no sugar added), 4 oz. skim milk, 2 scoops shake mix, 1 cup frozen blueberries & 5 ice cubes.

Dreamsicle: 8 oz. Vanilla Almond milk, 2 scoops shake mix, 1 Tbsp. orange juice concentrate or 3 Tbsp. orange juice, & 6 ice cubes.

Frozen Banana: 8 oz. Vanilla Almond milk, 2 scoops shake mix, 1 small frozen banana, 1 chocolate flavor packet & 6 ice cubes.

Fruit Bar: 8 oz. Almond milk, 2 scoops shake mix, 1 strawberry flavor packet, 1 cup frozen raspberries, ½ tsp. coconut extract & 5 ice cubes.
Fruit Loop: 8 oz. water, 4 scoops shake mix, 1 strawberry flavor packet, 1 orange flavor packet & 5 ice cubes

Fruit Smoothie: 4 oz. water, 2 scoops shake mix, ½ small banana 6”, 6 frozen strawberries, ½ cup frozen pineapple & 5 ice cubes.
Fuzzy Navel: 4 oz. skim milk, 4 oz. reduced calorie orange juice, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 1 cup peach slices (frozen or canned) & 6 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.
German Chocolate Cake: 8 oz. skim milk, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 1 chocolate flavor packet, 1 tsp. coconut extract, & 5 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.
Hawaiian Apple: 2 oz. unsweetened apple juice, 4 oz. water, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, ½ cup unsweetened apple juice, 1/2 tsp. coconut extract & 8 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.
Holiday Shake: 4 oz. skim milk, 4 oz. egg nog, ½ tsp. rum extract (optional), 1/8 tsp. cinnamon, 1/8 tsp. nutmeg, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix & 5 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.
Honeydew Melon Dream: 4 oz. water, ¼ cup non-fat vanilla yogurt, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 1 cup (5 large chunks) honeydew melon & 4 ice cubes. Blend ice & water in blender first, then add shake mix & honeydew melon & blend.
Key Lime Pie: 8 oz. skim milk, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 3 tsp. limeade concentrate, 3 tsp. graham cracker crumbs, & 6 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.
Kiwi Melon Freeze: 4 oz. water, ¼ cup non-fat vanilla yogurt, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 1/2 cup (3 large chunks) honeydew melon, 1 kiwi (peeled & cut-up) & 4 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.
Lemon Fizz: 6 oz. water, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 30 frozen raspberries, 1 Neuro lemon packet & 5 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.

Lemon Mango: 4 oz. skim milk, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 1 cup frozen mango, 1 6 oz. fat free lemon yogurt, & 3 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.

Lemon Meringue: 8 oz. skim milk, ¼ cup Simply Natural limeade, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 1 tsp. sugar free lemon pudding mix & 5 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.
Limeade: 8 oz. vanilla soy milk, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 1 Tbsp. frozen limeade concentrate & 6 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.

Mango Peach: 8 oz. skim milk, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 6 chunks frozen mango, 3 slices frozen peaches, 1 peach flavor packet (or 3 additional frozen peaches), & 3 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.
Monkey Shake: 8 oz. skim milk, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 1 small banana (6” inches), 1 Chocolate flavor packet, & 6 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.

Neapolitan: 8 oz. skim milk, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 1 chocolate flavor packet (or 1 Tbsp. cocoa powder), 1 strawberry flavor packet (or 4 frozen strawberries), 1 tsp. vanilla extract & 5 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.
Orange Pomegranate: 8 oz. orange juice, 4 oz. pomegranate juice, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix & 5 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.

Papaya Mango Chiller: 8 oz. skim milk, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 2 slices papaya, 1 cup frozen mango & 5 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.

Peach Cooler: 8 oz. Diet 7-up, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 1 cup peach slices (frozen), 1 tsp. fresh lemon juice & 5 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.

Peach Melon Slush: 6 oz. water, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 4 large chunks frozen watermelon, 1 peach flavor packet & 8 ice cubes. Blend ice & water in blender first, then add shake mix & watermelon & blend.
Peach Dream: 8 oz. water, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, ¾ cup low fat vanilla yogurt, 1 cup peach slices (frozen or canned), 1 tsp. vanilla extract & 5 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.
Peach Raspberry Blast: 8 oz. skim milk, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 1 cup frozen raspberries, 1 peach flavor packet & 6 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.
Peanut Butter & Jelly: 8 oz. skim milk, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 1 Tbsp. reduced fat peanut butter, 1 Tbsp. sugar free preserves/jelly & 6 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.

Pear Berry Blizzard: 8 oz. skim milk, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 1 cup sliced pears, 1 strawberry flavor packet & 6 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.

Pear Glace Cooler: 6 oz. water, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 1 cup sliced pears, 3 chunks frozen watermelon, 1 peach flavor packet & 6 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.

Pina Colada: 8 oz. skim milk, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 5 large chunks frozen pineapple, 1/2 tsp. coconut extract, & 5 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.
Pineapple Crush: 8 oz. skim milk, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 6 chunks frozen pineapple (1/2 cup) & 4 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.

Pineapple Mango Tango: 8 oz. skim milk, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, ½ cup frozen pineapple, ½ cup frozen mango chunks & 5 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.

Pineapple Upside Down Cake: 8 oz. skim milk, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, ½ tsp. butter flavoring (or butter buds), ½ tsp. vanilla extract, ½ cup frozen pineapple, ¼ cup frozen dark sweet cherries & 6 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.

Plum Cooler: 8 oz. skim milk, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 1 plum (pitted), juice of 1 lemon & 4 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.

Pumpkin Spice: 8 oz. skim milk, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 1/3 cup canned pumpkin (without salt), 1/8 tsp. vanilla extract, 1/8 tsp. cinnamon, 1/8 tsp. nutmeg & 2 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.
Purple Cow: 8 oz. Almond milk, 1 Tbsp. frozen grape juice concentrate, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 1 banana flavor packet (or 1/2 banana) & 5 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.
Raspberry Freeze: 8 oz. Almond milk, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 30 frozen raspberries & 5 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.
Raspberry Fizz: 6 oz. water, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 30 frozen raspberries, 1 Neuro raspberry flavor packet & 5 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.
Raspberry Mint Chocolate: 8 oz. Almond milk, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 30 frozen raspberries, ½ tsp. peppermint extract, 1 chocolate flavor pack (or 1 Tbsp. cocoa powder) & 5 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.
Red, White & Blue: 8 oz. Almond milk, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 1 cup frozen blueberries, 1 cup frozen strawberries, 1 strawberry flavor packet. Blend well in blender.
Root Beer Float: 4 oz. Almond milk, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix…mix together in blender first. Add ½ cup ice. Add ½ can diet mug root beer (to taste) and pulse a few time to mix in.

Sex on the Beach: 4 oz. cranberry juice (no sugar added), 4 oz. reduced calorie orange juice, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 1 cup pineapple (frozen or canned) & 8 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.

Snickerdoodle: 8 oz. light vanilla soy milk, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 1 tsp. cinnamon, 1 Tbsp. Honey & 5 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.

Spiced Cranberry: 8 oz. cranberry juice (no sugar added), 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 1 tsp. cinnamon & 8 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.

Spiced Peaches: 8 oz. Almond milk, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 1 peach flavor packet, ½ cup frozen peaches, 1 tsp. cinnamon & 5 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.

Silky Latte: 4 oz. mocha soy milk (Silk Brand), 4 oz. water, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix & 3 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.
Strawberry Almond: 8 oz. Silk Pure Almond milk, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 1 strawberry flavor packet, ½ cup frozen strawberries & 5 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.

Strawberry Banana: 8 oz. Almond milk, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 2/3 cup frozen strawberries, 1 banana flavor packet & 4 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.
Strawberry Blast: 8 oz. Almond milk, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 1 cup frozen strawberries & 4 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.
Strawberry Coco: 8 oz. Almond milk, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 1 cup frozen strawberries (or 1 strawberry flavor packet), ½ tsp. coconut extract & 3 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.
Strawberry Cheesecake: 6 oz. Almond milk, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 1 strawberry flavor packet (or 4 frozen strawberries), 2 oz. fat-free cream cheese & 5 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.
Strawberry Mango Dream: 8 oz. Almond milk, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, ½ cup frozen mango, ½ cup frozen strawberries & 5 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.

Strawberry Melon Slush: 6 oz. water, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 5 large chunks frozen watermelon, 1 strawberry flavor packet. Blend well in blender.
Strawberry Pina Colada: 8 oz. Almond milk, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 4 large chunks frozen pineapple, 4 frozen strawberries, 1/2 tsp. coconut extract, & 3 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.

Strawberry Shortcake: 8 oz. Almond milk, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 1 strawberry flavor packet, ½ tsp. butter flavoring (or butter buds), ½ tsp. vanilla extract & 6 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.

Summer Slim: 8 oz. water, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, ½ peach or 6 frozen peach slices, 6 fresh or frozen strawberries & 4 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.
Thai Coconut Chiller: 8 oz. Almond milk, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 1 Tbsp. lemon juice, ½ tsp. coconut extract & 6 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.

Triple Chocolate Smash: 8 oz. Silk Light Chocolate Soy Milk, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 1 chocolate flavor packet (or 1 Tbsp. cocoa powder), 1 Tbsp. fat-free sugar-free chocolate pudding mix & 4 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.
Tropical Delight: 4 oz. Almond milk, ½ cup reduced calorie orange juice (or 1 Tbsp. orange juice concentrate), 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 1 cup frozen mango chunks, ½ tsp. coconut extract & 4 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.

Tropical Dream: 8 oz. Vanilla Almond milk, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 1 cup frozen pineapple, 1 chocolate flavor packet (or 1 Tbsp. cocoa powder) & 4 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.
Tropical Teaser: 8 oz. Almond milk, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 1/2 cup frozen strawberries, 1 cup sliced mango, ½ cup frozen pineapple & 4 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.
Turtle Cheesecake: 6 oz. Almond milk, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 1 tsp. sugar free caramel flavoring, 2 oz. fat-free cream cheese, 3 pecans & 5 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.
Very Berry: 8 oz. sparkling water, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 10 frozen raspberries, 6 frozen strawberries, & 2 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.
Watermelon Slush: 6 oz. water, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 5 large chunks fresh watermelon & 8 ice cubes. Blend ice & water in blender first, then add shake mix & watermelon & blend.
Wild Berry Blast: 8 oz. water, 2 scoops Vi-Shape shake mix, 8 frozen raspberries, 4 frozen strawberries, 15 frozen blueberries & 6 ice cubes. Blend well in blender.

Losing Weight Is Not the Same as Getting Healthy

2011-06-02T10:17:00.000-05:00

Losing Weight Is Not the Same as Getting Healthy .. it's really true. If you stop and think about this for a minute you'll realize the accuracy of the statement.

I wanted to write a post today on my own health journey, hoping sharing some things that have worked for me so that perhaps, if you need it, they will help you too.

So if "health" and "weight loss" are not the same, then how are they different? Very glad you asked.

Measuring "weight loss" is easy. Step on scale - beat yourself up for not being healthy, do it again the next day. See? Easy!

However, there are various ways to measure "health". In my corner of the world, I agree with what is said on Mark's Daily Apple. Check this out.

"Avoiding blatantly poisonous foods like grains, sugar, and industrial seed oils is the most important thing we can do, followed by getting adequate amounts of exercise, sleep, and sun while reducing or mitigating stress. Once you’ve got the chest freezer full of pastured animals, a good workout regimen dialed in, a source of pastured eggs you can rely on, the perfect sleeping position entrained, and you’re waking up without an alarm clock totally refreshed and energized, then you can think about ... etc, etc, etc "

THAT friends and neighbors is how I now, and for the last 18 months, have measured good health.

It was that very kind of thinking that set me free internally. No I don't ignore the other markers of blood pressure, weight and things like that. But they don't run my life - the quote above is what I strive for .. not a number from the doc or a number popping up on a little machine in the bathroom when I stand on it.

See, so often in today's society we focus SO much on the scale, the doctor's visit and the corresponding numbers .. that we forget to LIVE. The "correct numbers", if you will, are a pleasant side-effect of living healthy. When you have your health priorities straight you're not "trying to lose weight" at all anymore .. I sure don't. It just happens because of how I live.

This makes perfect sense when you think about it.

How do I know this is all true?

Because after years of being fat, uncomfortable in my own clothes, avoiding people because of my weight, dreading seasonal changes because of clothes .. I'm finally free.

And I'm free even though my "weight-loss" isn't complete yet. My thinking about it is right now and because of my approach, weight loss just naturally happens. So I know this is all true because I've measured it out in my own life. It's truly working for me.

It's taken a loooooong time to get here and LOT of mistakes along the way.

I'm wearing clothes again that I wore BEFORE I got married. I even slipped into a pair of shorts (and yes they fit) that I wore in high school. Most folks would be happy to get back to their wedding day size.

So what have I done to change my health? Here are some of the things I do.

I wear my Vibrams everyday. Not only do they strengthen my feet, helping me get healthy from the ground up, they are like a string around my finger, a constant reminder that I'm doing something different ... living healthy, not dieting.
Yes I've changed my diet but that's not the same as dieting. A diet implies a short-term change for a near at hand goal (lose 10lbs by blah-blah-day) ... really? Is THAT how you want to live? How about just going Primal instead?
On this page, to the right over there you'll see that I'm a promoter of the Body By Vi Challenge. Yes I use those supplements. But I wouldn't be if they didn't fit in with my Primal Lifestyle. Ask me about either and I'll talk about them - no pressure.
I take Juice Plus everyday to supplement for fruits and veggies, bridging that gap where I may not eat enough during the day.
I de-stress whenever I can, I play, joke around more.
I educate myself on health, I think about it ALL the time. I consume all I can.
I don't make food lists .. I don't count calories .. I don't worry about what I've eaten. My body regulates my mishaps now.
Most of all though, and what makes ALL of the above work out .. is that I PAY ATTENTION to what I'm doing for my health at all times. (I'll write a separate post on this soon).

But there you have it. Sort of a brain-dump on letting go of the scale, getting your health priorities straight and learning to focus. Clearly you don't have to do what I do .. yes I think it's the answer for you but perhaps your path lies along a different way from mine. I'm ok with that.

But if you do need help with weight-loss, first, find your path. I recommend to start paying attention to your life, not the scale. Stop beating yourself up and take action on education first, then action in your day-to-day life. Take small, consistent steps and they WILL lead to big results.

And if you need to talk about it, give me a shout. If I'm not out in The Forge or Running Wild, I'll talk to you all you like :)

P.S. - More to come on The Forge and Running Wild later!

Is Sitting Killing You?

2011-05-16T13:49:00.000-05:00

I've been on a quest to create a stand-up workstation at my work-office as well as home.

It's a challenge.

We're not exactly encouraged by "conventional wisdom" to avoid sitting at our home computer or work-computers. At home its a real-mindset change and there is a cost-factor to "switch" equipment or modify your work area.

At work, most employers aren't too keen on the idea. Sitting is good enough for everyone else so why be a freak about it Rob?

Well, I've been doing a good deal of research on the negative effects that sitting all day (and night) has on our bodies.

Want some quick facts on the matter? Read on friends ... then continue with some research and decide for yourself ...

Via: Medical Billing And Coding

From Mother's Day weekend ...

2011-05-09T11:39:00.001-05:00

Thought I'd share a few pics from this Mother's Day weekend. I was able to fix a neat little meal on the Big Green Egg for the moms in our household. Below are some photos of the yummy goodness. Enjoy! And try not to drool on my blog would ya?

What ARE these you might ask? Why these are turtles. Or turtle burgers, layered with cheese, and um, wrapped in a weave of bacon, and stuffed with hot dogs. It's GOOD for you, trust me! :)

The basic way to make these is weave the bacon, put down a hand-made burger patty down on it, cover the patty with cheese, then put ANOTHER patty on top of that. Add hot dogs between them to make the legs and head for the "turtle", then wrap the bacon "shell" around it all. Toothpick things into place and you're good to go. Season to taste.

So there are the "turtles" after prepping and on the broiler pan. All ready to hit the Egg.

And there is the mighty Egg, doing it's culinary magic. This thing takes normal food and makes it taste like you're eating a baby angel :) The gauge there is simmering right at 400 degrees F.

HOT off the Egg .. turtles! And I mean these suckers were LAVA-hot!

Turtles are done and resting on the counter. Ready to be put a burger-bun and scarfed! These were still super-duper hot (which is really hot, btw) even after sitting for a bit before finally making to the table.

And there is a last close-up to tantalize you before lunch time :) These were a huge hit at our house. The moms were definitely happy with the way these turned out.

Alabama Relief Efforts - Visalus Giving

2011-05-05T22:02:00.000-05:00

As you have likely seen in recent news, a series tornadoes and storms have devastated several communities throughout Alabama, killing nearly 300 people. 15 of those deaths occurred in the city of Tuscaloosa where 200-mph winds swept homes from foundations, leaving an estimated 75,000 without homes in the area, including members and friends of the ViSalus Community.

ViSalus and its Body by Vi Community Challenge is proud to have an opportunity to help those in need by providing our Meal Replacement Vi-Shape shakes to The West Alabama Food Bank. This food bank services over 315,000 residents in 9 affected counties, including the city of Tuscaloosa and many more. Over fifteen percent of the families they assist are living in poverty. Over the last twenty-one years, the they have distributed over 17,000,000 pounds of food to households in need.

In response to this crisis, ViSalus is donating 18,000 kid-sizes meals (9,000 adult shake meals) to the West Alabama Food Bank, and are making it easy for anyone to help.

All Body by Vi Community Challenge Donations for the month of May, that I collect, will also go to the Alabama Food Bank to support their relief efforts.

If you would like to contribute to the Alabama relief efforts online, you can do so through my personal Distributor Giving Site now.

Simply navigate to:

Horton Visalus Giving

Thanks for helping out!

What Am I Doing (Naturally) to Lower my Blood Pressure Reading

2011-05-04T11:46:00.002-05:00

Well lets start of this blogging-again-thing with a health post update. Not long ago, I went to the doc for a visit and of course blood pressure readings were done. Mine was still high, even after losing all the weight that I have.

To be honest with I'm one of those cats that has "whitecoat issues" too. I get pretty ramped up in the doc's office, worried, etc. So my blood pressure there is, I'm sure, higher than normal.

And this time, when they took it, I didn't feel all light-headed afterwards like I would have nearly 60lbs ago.

But still.

I figure it's higher than it actually should be and I decided to take action in order to lower those numbers.

But I ain't taken no medicine fer it, dagnabit.

In this Primal lifestyle that I'm living, it naturally turns one's mind to all things well, natural. So now when I have an issue with anything, I check my diet, my activitiy, etc before I think about pharmaceuticals.

Don't worry, I'll take medecine if I have too, but believe me when I say that I FIRMLY believe that once we give our body the tools to deal with something it can (and will) reverse many-a-bad-thing that might be plaguing it.

So here is my plan over the next 6 weeks to lower my blood pressure. At the end of that run, I'll share the numbers with you (both starting and ending ones). Pardon the rawness of these notes but I just copied what I'd written for myself in Evernote and simply turned it into the heart of this post.

Continue improving my lean body mass by losing fat - this summer I should be back at high school weight.
Exercise more (Grok-like) to help heart oxygenate the blood better.
Breathe deeply ( I've been thinking about it for some time. So now I START my day this way)
Increase potassium 2000-4000mg daily (look on MDA for primal sources) (Artichokes, Celeriac, Fiddlehead Ferns, Radishes, Pumpkin)
Decrease salt intake. Drop salt from cooking altogether (see if anybody even notices, lol).
Dark chocolate, 85% cacao powder please, lower % need not apply
Take a supplement? Coenzyme Q10 reduces BP 17/10, 60-100 mg (3 times per day)
Drop coffee AND soda = less caffeine = less restricted blood vessels = lower blood pressure.
Go to tea (should lower systolic - top number - by 7 points in 6 weeks)
Work a little less - think about it less - and focus on peaceful things more.

So there you have it. That's my plan. No prescription meds. Nutritionally based and supplementation.

Just from items 7 and 9, I should see a drop of 24 points of systolic pressure in 6 weeks. That'll be with NO side effects kids. Sound like a plan ANYBODY could follow? Imagine what other benefits I'll see would ya?

I challenge you to take a look at your nutritional life, see what's shaking, what's working .. what's not. One thing I've learned about fitness this past year is that the FIRST thing you have to do is PAY ATTENTION to YOUR body. Listen to it, notice it's reaction to your environment, food, exercise, stress, etc

It'll tell you what it needs if you pay attention. Changing your thinking along those lines WILL lead to REAL improved health.

Trust me, I know. I've an old belt, from last year, that is SOOOooo SIX notches ago. It helps me to remember where things were and where things are now.

Remember that guy from the Dos Equis commercial, the Most Interesting Man in the World? He always says "Stay Thirsty my friends".

I'll add "Pay attention my friends".

Seize the Blog!

2011-05-03T12:25:00.000-05:00

Its been awhile since I've "really" blogged and there is a LOT to tell. I suppose I needed a breather. Life often shifts our priorities for us and for awhile, ye old personal blog needed to take a back seat to other things. The urge to write kinda dwindled in light of life's pressure.

Recently though I tried my hand at writing again and found that mucho-much of the stress I'd been feeling was released as fingers crafted words of virtual ink and letters flowed onto the screen. Good times that.

So what in the world has been going on with me? Rots and rots raggy! - Scooby Doo

I'll give you the bullet-point list of things I'll be writing about over the next few weeks/months.

Primal eating ( many of you know I was already doing this but it's hit a new high; more on that later)
Hit the 55lbs weight loss mark. More to go before I'm completely done but I feel SO much better.
We went "poo-less" at home. Nope, not crossing our legs or sitting down hard on our chairs. We gave up shampoo by finding something better.
CSA - we joined a local CSA and should start getting fresh produce from now till Summer's End.
Speaking of veggies, we can never really get enough and so enter ... Juice Plus. One reason Izzy is with us now, we believe, is due to this.
Clutter. We are waging war and winning against this. New thinking and unified mom/dad front it really making a difference.
New job. I found a new place to work, much closer to home, cutting my commute in half.
Marketing job. Yes I'm still working with the company Visalus and that's taking on a whole new life this year. More on this later too.
Design work. I've officially started freelancing as a graphic designer. I have a website and everything. Soon to be announced.
Josh is driving. Nuff said there :)
Izzy is 1 and 1/2 years old. I'm going to design her a t-shirt saying, "This one goes to 11."
Storm our puppy is officially grown. She turned 3 years old.
And I've learned many tech tips over this long hiatus - much to share with you all I do have.
More and more I'm sure as I think of it. I always miss something when I just brainstorm a list like this :)

There you have it. That's what has happened with me and what's coming up here on Horton Hollow.

Carpe Blogum! I'm writing again! :)

5 miles and 4 pictures ...

2010-11-11T09:50:00.001-06:00

A couple of weeks back I got to sneak away for a bike ride. It'd been a LONG time since I'd really ridden. So I dusted off the old Aquaduck, packed a book for the break I knew I'd take, loaded ye old bike in the truck and headed out.

The Katy Trail in Missouri, whether you're running, walking, or riding, is a really great place to unwind, get quiet and relax. I needed it.

Here are some pics I snapped with the old phone while out and about. I only rode about 5 miles round trip and at the halfway point, I found a park bench tucked away in the middle of nowhere. It was semi-sunny in the spot I'd found with just enough light peeking through the trees to take the edge off the fall weather.

I hunkered down there for a bit while soaking in the silence and reading a chapter of my book before saddling up for the ride back.

Twas a good day, that day!

A little bridge I crossed not long after I started ...

And here is a view from the same bridge, looking down on the creek below. I like creeks ...

Here is yet another bridge I found not far from the spot I chose to stop and read ...

And cause I'm a sucker for a quiet expanse of open field, perhaps that stems from my never ending quest for more elbow room, here is a shot of a field where I found myself envying the little critters that have all that room to roam :) ...

Baby steps

2010-11-11T08:31:00.000-06:00

Slowly, so slowly, I'm dipping my tootsies back into the wide, wide world of blogging. Things have been so busy for so long it seems that my creativity seemed a bit stifled. Kinda like being wrapped in plastic wrap, dipped into a pressure cooker, given a straw to breathe through and then still expecting myself to be able to inflate a balloon while leaving enough air for life. Something had to give and it ended up being ye old blog.

But here I be, still standing. Still writing and perhaps I may have some left in me :)

Took a really great bike ride on a crisp fall day a couple of weeks back. I'll get pics of that up later today! Honest :)

Happy Halloween

2010-10-30T09:56:00.004-05:00

Happy Halloween to my bloggin buddies out there! Tis the start of the holiday season!

What is a vampire's favorite holiday?
Fangsgiving...

Why did the vampire go to the orthodontist?
To improve his bite...

What do you get when you cross a vampire and a snowman?
Frostbite...

What does a ghost get when he falls and scrapes his knee?
A boo boo...

Why do witches use brooms to fly on?
Because vacuum cleaners are too heavy...

What is Dracula's favorite kind of coffee?
Decoffinated...

What would a monster's psychiatrist be called?
Shrinkenstein...

What is a baby ghost's favorite game?
Peekaboo...

What did one ghost say to the other ghost?
"Do you believe in people?"

What do you call someone who puts poison in a person's corn flakes?
A cereal killer...

Total awesomeness for my tootsies!

2010-08-08T18:08:00.000-05:00

I recently discovered through other health blogs, the awesomeness that is "barefooting". Runners call it barefoot running, non-runners like me, call it barefooting .. er .. well that's what "I" just called but darn it I matter! :)

In my quest to improve my health I figured I'd start with my foundations. Your leg muscles are the biggest in your body. Working them, developing those muscles is your best bet to burn fat while you sleep. In my quest to redevelop my legs, I thought, what about my ankes, my feet, even my toes?

Why not right? A foundation is a foundation after all. Dig those foundations deep I say and the house will stand (no pun intended) much longer!

Enter the shoes called Vibram Five Fingers.

I will pause whilst your unaccustomed brainy-brain adjusts to the upcoming images of awesomeness.

Pause ...

Paws ...

Healthier paws ...

I LOVE THESE SHOES! :)

See these suckers improve your paw strength. They are ultra-comfortable! Yes they look a bit odd but you'll never have a more comfy set of shoes in your life, I'd wager. I strongly suggest you get thyself to your local REI, Alpine Shop or other authorized retailer and at least try these on.

You won't regret it.

How do they feel? It feels EXACTLY like being barefoot only you don't have to worry about hurting your tootsies. It's as if the bottom of your foot, and each toe, were coated in a protective barrier that sits between your tender skin and the ground. That barrier moves, flexes, and works with your natural foot positions. It's completely amazing.

I'm no runner but I've started sprinting again in the yard with the dog. Short bursts of intense exercise you know. Much good for you it is.

Running is different with these. Regular shoes train our bodies to move and step differently than we would barefoot. We "heel toe it" when we run. Ever seen a barefoot kid run though? A kid who hasn't yet become concerned about how cool they look when they run? They don't heel toe it. Its not natural for ye old bod. Try trotting or short sprints on your lawn barefoot. You'll find you won't heel toe it either ... you'll naturally run on the balls of your foot.

That's what happens too with Vibrams. Just like barefoot only protected.

I've noticed an improvement in my ankle strength, my balance and stabilty, just when walking.

They even make socks for em if you're so inclined. I've taken to wearing my Vibrams to work everyday. Folks tease me to be sure. But I love my new shoes.

And I'm putting out the word that getting back to basics, back to natural movement and posture leads to better health. Start with a good foundation. Start with the old dogs and treat them better. The rest of you will thank you for it.

Help out a kiddo today!

2010-08-05T20:32:00.004-05:00

Hey all! I've been thinking about the Christmas season coming up. And that means doing some giving. What can I say but that the holiday season hits me about this time of year, to where I feel it coming on.

And speaking of giving .. see the segway I did there? :)

As some of you know, I've been working with a great company called Visalus Sciences helping folks improve their life, health and prosperity. Not a bad gig, no?

ViSalus is also big on giving back to the community and to those less fortunate. It's one of many reasons I'm continually amazed by their integrity and drive to truly improve folk's lives. And they are doing it again with the Body By Vi COMMUNITY Challenge.

Check out the promotional video linked here as well as the promo-blurb below. Then if you have some friends that might be interested in helping some kids out, pass this info on to them please. You'd be doing some hungry kids a huge favor.

Thanks for considering!

Click here to see a quick video overview of the Body By Vi Community Challenge.

ViSalus is best known for The Body by Vi™ Challenge, which rewards people who use the company’s nutritional products to transform their bodies and achieve their health goals over 90 days.

For those with a goal of giving back to those less fortunate, The Body by Vi Community Challenge gives anybody the unique opportunity to donate the company’s protein and nutrient–rich Vi-Shape® mix to children and families who don’t have the means to get the nutrition they need each day.

Have a Local Adventure!

2010-07-20T09:59:00.000-05:00

We live near the St. Louis area and for those that may be geographically challenged, that's in Missouri :) Only teasing ya!

Being in St Louis, we have several landmarks around here that are well-known. The Arch, our city museum, the St Louis Zoo (one of the best in the WORLD), Meramec Caverns is not far away, we have several stadiums for sports teams in town, etc etc. I've seen some of these things and some I've not. All of them, I've driven by at some point and thought to myself "man, I really need to check that out".

But often we end up going somewhere else for our adventures. I'm guessing that's pretty typical of most folks. Too often we live near some pretty cool stuff guys .. but we leave that behind and go see something else, somewhere else. I wonder what makes us do that? Just a little oddity I've noticed in me and perhaps you've got the same bug.

So.

How many mini adventures are in and around where you are living right now that have been on your “bucket list” but you just haven’t made time for yet?

What little things do you take for granted everyday that if suddenly gone would be dramatically missed?

I think as people the more familiar we become with things, the less we really stop to appreciate them. Same applies to the people closest to us. For me, I'm making a committment to work on bringing out the emotion of genuine gratitude as often as possible. I find it one of the best emotions we have. People really notice genuine gratitude because nowadays its very rare!

I encourage you to try it out in your personal life as well as showing it to others to make their day even better!

Quick Tip for a Happier Day:
When you wake up in the morning, before you even move from bed, asked yourself this question: What am I grateful for? Do this as soon as the alarm goes off every morning. Starting tomorrow, your alarm is now a reminder (not only to wake up!) but to cause you to reflect on what you are grateful for. Watch how much better your days become!

Quick Tip for a More Fulfilling Life:
Go out and do something NEW at least once a month. Be adventurous! As people we LOVE new experiences. The older we get, the more dependant on our own routines we become. Take at least one day a month and go do something you’ve never done before. Don’t wait for something to be at risk of going away for you to reach out and create an experience around it!

An update, a post, what next!?!?!?! :)

2010-07-12T15:58:00.000-05:00

Though you may not have realized it, the heartbeat of Horton Hollow is still strong. That is to say, I'm still kicking. My posts have been sporadic I realize but my heart remains, to write for those that will read my virtualized scrawlings. I'm still getting my feet under me, not being one that adapts quickly to large, sweeping changes in the schedule.

I am ramping up to start back on this blog as well as starting on a business blog of my own. Additionally, I'm beginning a joint-venture business blog wherein some partners and I will be sharing some things about business-building, investing, technology, etc.

It's an exciting time for me! But busy too. Horton Hollow is where my heart is, where I can be "me" and let my (remaining) hair down and write about whatever we like. Before I sign off, let me share some updates:

Weight loss: still a struggle but I've plenty of fight in me and I'm far too stubborn to quit.
Business: well see above you silly-head! :) I've lots to share there and things are going well.
Our out-building: honestly I tried to break this deal and not get it after all. Turns out though, even though I "could" get out of it, I think it's prudent to go through with it. So things are moving there. We have some plans
Isabella and Josh: well I'm sure you'd not recognize either of them. Josh has quickly become a young man, no longer a child to be sure. And our little Isabella is crawling and trying her darndest to say something we can all understand. She turned 10 months yesterday. The times, they do be a flyin!

You guys are all awesome! Thanks for reading! Keep up the CPR with comments, it helps the writing heartbeat stronger!

The Dad Life ...

2010-07-07T12:32:00.002-05:00

Best thing I've seen online in some time .. very great! :)

Warning Warning! This blog is not intended to be used as a flotation device!

2010-06-28T12:41:00.000-05:00

Good people, it is to this our world has come. Behold the product warnings we feel compelled to place upon our consumables. Whether motivated by legal needs or the desire to help those who will not take the time to think, and since we feel these things are necessary, I believe the warning is clear ...

We may have reached the end of humanity. Basically, I give us a week to ten days before Jesus comes back :)

Product Warnings:

"Do not use if you cannot see clearly to read the information in the information booklet." -- In the information booklet.
"Caution: The contents of this bottle should not be fed to fish." -- On a bottle of shampoo for dogs.
"For external use only!" -- On a curling iron.
"Warning: This product can burn eyes." -- On a curling iron.
"Do not use in shower." -- On a hair dryer.
"Do not use while sleeping." -- On a hair dryer.
"Do not use while sleeping or unconscious." -- On a hand-held massaging device.
"Do not place this product into any electronic equipment." -- On the case of a chocolate CD in a gift basket.
"Recycled flush water unsafe for drinking." -- On a toilet at a public sports facility in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
"Shin pads cannot protect any part of the body they do not cover." -- On a pair of shin guards made for bicyclists.
"This product not intended for use as a dental drill." -- On an electric rotary tool.
"Caution: Do not spray in eyes." -- On a container of underarm deodorant.
"Do not drive with sunshield in place." -- On a cardboard sunshield that keeps the sun off the dashboard.
"Caution: This is not a safety protective device." -- On a plastic toy helmet used as a container for popcorn.
"Do not use near fire, flame, or sparks." -- On an "Aim-n-Flame" fireplace lighter.
"Battery may explore or leak." -- On a battery.
"Do not eat toner." -- On a toner cartridge for a laser printer.
"Not intended for highway use." -- On a 13-inch wheel on a wheelbarrow.
"This product is not to be used in bathrooms." -- On a Holmes bathroom heater.
"May irritate eyes." -- On a can of self-defense pepper spray.
"Eating rocks may lead to broken teeth." -- On a novelty rock garden set called "Popcorn Rock."
"Caution! Contents hot!" -- On a Domino's Pizza box.
"Caution: Hot beverages are hot!" -- On a coffee cup.
"Caution: Shoots rubber bands." -- On a product called "Rubber Band Shooter."
"Warning: May contain small parts." -- On a frisbee.
"Do not use orally." -- On a toilet bowl cleaning brush.
"Please keep out of children." -- On a butcher knife.
"Not suitable for children aged 36 months or less." -- On a birthday card for a 1 year old.
"Do not recharge, put in backwards, or use." -- On a battery.
"Warning: Do not use on eyes." -- In the manual for a heated seat cushion.
"Do not look into laser with remaining eye." -- On a laser pointer.
"Do not use for drying pets." -- In the manual for a microwave oven.
"For use on animals only." -- On an electric cattle prod.
"For use by trained personnel only." -- On a can of air freshener.
"Keep out of reach of children and teenagers." -- On a can of air freshener.
"Remember, objects in the mirror are actually behind you." -- On a motorcycle helmet-mounted rear-view mirror.
"Warning: Riders of personal watercraft may suffer injury due to the forceful injection of water into body cavities either by falling into the water or while mounting the craft." -- In the manual for a jetski.
"Warning: Do not climb inside this bag and zip it up. Doing so will cause injury and death." -- A label inside a protective bag (for fragile objects), which measures 15cm by 15cm by 12cm.
"Do not use as ear plugs." -- On a package of silly putty.
"Please store in the cold section of the refrigerator." -- On a bag of fresh grapes in Australia.
"Warning: knives are sharp!" -- On the packaging of a sharpening stone.
"Not for weight control." -- On a pack of Breath Savers.
"Twist top off with hands. Throw top away. Do not put top in mouth." -- On the label of a bottled drink.
"Theft of this container is a crime." -- On a milk crate.
"Do not use intimately." -- On a tube of deodorant.
"Warning: has been found to cause cancer in laboratory mice." -- On a box of rat poison.
"Fragile. Do not drop." -- Posted on a Boeing 757.
"Cannot be made non-poisonous." -- On the back of a can of de-icing windshield fluid.
"Caution: Remove infant before folding for storage." -- On a portable stroller.
"Excessive dust may be irritating to shin and eyes." -- On a tube of agarose powder, used to make gels.
"Look before driving." -- On the dash board of a mail truck.
"Do not iron clothes on body." -- On packaging for a Rowenta iron.
"Do not drive car or operate machinery." -- On Boot's children's cough medicine.
"For indoor or outdoor use only." -- On a string of Christmas lights.
"Wearing of this garment does not enable you to fly." -- On a child sized Superman costume.
"This door is alarmed from 7:00pm - 7:00am." -- On a hospital's outside access door.
"Beware! To touch these wires is instant death. Anyone found doing so will be prosecuted." -- On a sign at a railroad station.
"Warning: do not use if you have prostate problems." -- On a box of Midol PMS relief tablets.
"Product will be hot after heating." -- On a supermarket dessert box.
"Do not turn upside down." -- On the bottom of a supermarket dessert box.
"Do not light in face. Do not expose to flame." -- On a lighter.
"Choking hazard: This toy is a small ball." -- On the label for a cheap rubber ball toy.
"Not for human consumption." -- On a package of dice.
"May be harmful if swallowed." -- On a shipment of hammers.
"Using Ingenio cookware to destroy your old pots may void your warranty." -- A printed message that appears in a television advertisement when the presenter demonstrates how strong the cookware is by using it to beat up and destroy a regular frying pan.
"Do not attempt to stop the blade with your hand." -- In the manual for a Swedish chainsaw.
"Do not dangle the mouse by its cable or throw the mouse at co-workers." -- From a manual for an SGI computer.
"Warning: May contain nuts." -- On a package of peanuts.
"Do not eat." -- On a slip of paper in a stereo box, referring to the styrofoam packing.
"Do not eat if seal is missing." -- On said seal.
"Remove occupants from the stroller before folding it."
"Access hole only -- not intended for use in lifting box." -- On the sides of a shipping carton, just above cut-out openings which one would assume were handholds.
"Warning: May cause drowsiness." -- On a bottle of Nytol, a brand of sleeping pills.
"Warning: Misuse may cause injury or death." -- Stamped on the metal barrel of a .22 calibre rifle.
"Do not use orally after using rectally." -- In the instructions for an electric thermometer.
"Turn off motor before using this product." -- On the packaging for a chain saw file, used to sharpen the cutting teeth on the chain.
"Not to be used as a personal flotation device." -- On a 6x10 inch inflatable picture frame.
"Do not put in mouth." -- On a box of bottle rockets.
"Remove plastic before eating." -- On the wrapper of a Fruit Roll-Up snack.
"Not dishwasher safe." -- On a remote control for a TV.
"For lifting purposes only." -- On the box for a car jack.
"Do not put lit candles on phone." -- On the instructions for a cordless phone.
"Warning! This is not underwear! Do not attempt to put in pants." -- On the packaging for a wristwatch.
"Do not wear for sumo wrestling." -- From a set of washing instructions

Sleep I don't need it ... OR ... Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!

2010-06-01T15:02:00.000-05:00

Yes it's a shameless repost of a link from my wife's blog .. so sue me :) You'll forgive me though since it contains baby-cuteness.

November already ... OR .. Vote early, vote often! :)

2010-05-14T19:27:00.000-05:00

Vote for our kiddo here :)

Vote for me in this contest!

Contest details

Mic check ... OR .. Is this thing on?

2010-05-12T20:46:00.000-05:00

[Insert post here that reminds readers I ain't dead yet, just been swamped] :)

Rob

Clean house ... OR ... What You Want; Baby I Got It!

2010-03-15T10:27:00.000-05:00

If you are one of those "super-neat-orderly-households-where-all-things-have-a-place-and-they-are-always-in-it" ...

... you need read no further.

Actually if you're one of THOSE people we probably can't be friends anyway cause my house would drive you nuts. And in all liklihood you would pester me about cleaning up to the Nth degree, forcing me to do away with you and hide your carcass in one of the neverending places of clutter, either in my garage or basement. Or perhaps in a nice pile of books in the corner somewhere, eh? Which would you prefer? I want you to be cozy in the afterlife you sick-twisted-neat-freak-you.

Ah, but I kid.

Actually I AM that neat freak. However I have a strong procrastination streak and a long daily commute which most days talks me out of doing much else besides going home and being available to the family.

So at war within me are two sides. One light and one dark. One of Good, one of Evil. The Freak of Neat is in a constant and epic struggle with the Proprietor of Procrastination. Irresistible object, meet immoveable force. Sound familiar?

We are however in the process of reducing our clutter at home. And that leads me to my next point which is exactly what I wanted to talk about. How convenient, right?

In case you've been smelling smoke, I've been thinking. Perhaps we should do a blog-giveway thingy like I've seen more popular bloggers do to ~~unload their junk~~ share their wealth with their readers. Just think of it! I give stuff away to you. You end up having too much stuff, then you eventually, either explode from the stress of having too much clutter .. OR .. you end up ranting like an old bag lady on your blog and start doing giveways of your own. What a racket!

Actually when I weigh the options, those all sound like risks I'm willing to take. Because if I can get rid of a moose-lamp or a genuine-imitation-Naugahyde jogging suit, its worth it to me to risk adding to your collection of paraphernalia. Because I'm sure you'll survive the ordeal of some clutter in your life. What doesn't kill us ~~usually succeeds on the second try~~ makes us stronger right?

So you as my reader, not only benefit from my brute-force-and-ignorance-style wit but BONUS, you strengthen your character by dealing with some additional clutter in your life. It's all good stuff, honest. The naugahyde jogging suit is gently used and won't even be wet with sweat by the time you receive it.

So just let me know if you'd like some free stuff! I'll send it your way!

And now I'll quietly sit by my email box, ready for those electronic letters to start pouring in :)

Some news .. OR ... When we last left our hero

2010-02-28T17:56:00.000-06:00

Okay if anybody is out there still reading this virtual rag of my writing, here is an update on where I've been, what I've been doing and what is new in my little corner of the world here in Missouri. When I last blogged, I was a computer programmer at a company called American Railcar Industries. Good place to work and I'll miss it.

Miss it you say Rob? Does that mean you're no longer there?

Correctamundo.

Let me bullet-point the happenings at Castle Horton since last we shared a blog post dear friends.

I've quit my normal 9-5 and started my own full-time business with a long-time friend of mine. More on the company name and our website to come.
Our company is busy yes .. we are finishing up our first contract and starting a new one as of tomorrow.
Needless to say I've not had much time to blog due to all this, since I was working at ARI and my new company too, but I will be back blogging now since I now officially have just one job.
For our family life here, we are planning the construction of new out-building on our property. We were blessed with an incredible deal which we could NOT pass up and will be constructing the new 25'x30' building in May/June. Twil be a great place for extra storage, parking my truck, and moving my woodshop eventually out to it instead our basement. Very pumped about that.
Yes there are more things to announce but I'm a little tired of typing already (gonna have to work back up to my famously long posts I see).

But I am back dear readers. Things are cooler than ever and this year promises many fun things to come for my family and my career. Times they are exciting right now!

Walk this way .. OR .. T-minus 10 Minutes until leg failure

2010-01-25T13:05:00.002-06:00

Today at lunch I went for a walk. Snap decision. Had intended to do what I normally do, sit and read, but instead I leapt to my feet (ok perhaps I got up slowly and wondered what I was thinking) and I took off outside.

My intention was to get some exercise, clear my head for the afternoon ahead of me, and generally try something new at lunch for a change.

It's a brisk mid 30's here today with snow flying in the air, just spitting, not really snowing good. Nice day for a quick walk really. Plus I work in what we call Old St Charles, MO. Very historic area. Lots of little interesting shops to look at, and I love to sight see and check out all the little nooks and crannies as I pass by.

So I just took off walking in this wonderful little area, enjoying the shops, taking interest in what they sold, all while keeping a good pace, one where I could feel it in my legs "just right". I had a goal to walk for 10 minutes in one direction. Kind of like swimming out away from shore, knowing I'd HAVE to "swim back" in order to get back to work on time.

Mid-way through my legs were burning nicely in the baby-cow areas. They were beginning to wake up, mooing in confusing as to what in the world was going on. What was up with all this unusual effort? They are not from California and today even if they were, they weren't happy cows.

Being an old area like this part of town is, the streets and much of the sidewalks are cobblestone or brick. In places they are extremely uneven. This made me use lot of little stabilizer muscles to walk, keeping my pace over this brisk terrain. Needless to say that about 3/4 of the way back I could feel my legs/calves getting very tired and I had to start concentrating to keep my balance really. Just being careful though to make sure each step was sure. Couldn't depend on auto-pilot anymore.

But I made it. Twenty minutes of brisk walking gets logged on my iPhone today. That plus eating much better today, following my new plan, will garner me a wildly successful day on my first day of battle.

It feels good to be trying and focusing instead of on auto-pilot and drifting.

Wandering away .. OR .. Leaving the Reservations to Others

2010-01-24T16:29:00.002-06:00

I'm leaving for good and not coming back. I've had enough of this. I've had enough of living under the weight of other's perceptions. I'm tired. Too tired for my age and I can't keep up with this any longer.

To what am I referring?

Not blogging. Never fear. Though my writing of late has been sporadic to be sure, I'd keep serving up medium-rare ramblings even if there weren't readers to consume them. And I'm truly thankful for those that do.

So dear readers you won't be abandoned .. or well .. you shall have to put up with me a bit longer - depending on your viewpoint there.

No I'm referring to eating, quite actually.

What is this Rob? You're no longer going to eat? Ah but that would be the ultimate weight-loss plan eh? However, I think I'll continue to eat - and it's step one of my plan! Brilliant yes? I mean so much more promises to be accomplished if my plan doesn't involved self-starvation.

Given that encouraging first step, I think I'll add another to it and see where it goes.

I'm leaving the reservation of dieters, etc. For far too long I've been enamored by the "next great thing". I've been so caught up in the "tools" of losing weight that I end up studying them too much and not accomplishing my goals. They end up as a mental crutch while the physical suffers.

In 2009, I didn't meet my weight loss goals. I made strides but not nearly close enough for my critical self to call it a successfull year. I wasn't faithful to myself. The ultimate form of betrayal.

See I had a good plan. But I just didn't execute it well. I didn't keep my focus unwaveringly until total success was achieved.

No more.

What shall I be doing in 2010?

Well I mentioned leaving the reservation as mentioned. What does that mean? Simply this. I'm done with powders, pills, magic concoctions, thinking that some ultimate secret weapon made by someone else will help me hobble over the finish line.

Let me ask you something.

What was the last time you ever saw a champion hobble across the finish line to win a race? A winner, someone who completes what they set out to perform doesn't depend on something else to carry them there.

They get up and do it themselves.

Yes they use tools to help them train and accomplish their goals. But those tools don't help unless the champion has a burning desire to succeed. The champion never looks at the tools as a crutch. Thus they never get carried across the goal line by their tools.

So there is no magic pill.

There is no secret way.

The belief that I can do this "while I sleep" is a lie.

The reality?

It will hurt. I will sacrifice. There will be times I want to quit. There will be temptations. And on some days, I will fail.

But ...

The hurt will turn into strength. The sacrifice will birth success. I will go on. When I have failures I will get up again, and again ... and again. I will keep getting up until, sometime during this year, I will look at myself and say, "You did this. You did it without a crutch. Nobody carried you through this."

How will I do this?

Can't tell ya. The last thing anybody needs is someone else telling them "another cool thing". It just breeds what the diet industry is getting rich from. I'm done with that. I won't propogate that type of thinking anymore.

I've found what I know will work for me. It's based by large amount on instincts I've had since childhood. Yes I did stumble across a plan and happens to line up with those instincts exactly. It's given me the final sprout of confidence I needed in order to move forward with this.

But Rob how do you know it will work? Actually, I've seen it work in my life before but I didn't stick with it because honestly I caved to outside pressures. I let negative external things influence my thinking. I should have trusted my instincts.

This time I will.

Just like you've seen in the movies, where someone finally has had enough, they cut off all their ties to popular thinking and just wander off to find a new life, because they are driven by instinct to change for the better.

That's how this feels.

Here I go.

P.S. - Big news coming soon on Horton Hollow. Stay tuned for several exciting things coming up. Hey, things aren't exciting for me that often .. so I thought I'd milk that fact a bit by some pre-excitement tease. :)

Never forget the 80's ... OR ... Always Something There To Remind Me

2010-01-20T08:09:00.000-06:00

A friend of mine and me are pretty big into 80's music.

Sometimes ... just sometimes mind you ... we exchange little zingers back and forth with each other using lines from 80's songs or song titles. Here is a recent back and forth. These always make me laugh and they are the kinds of things that make a boring day go a little faster ... plus it's a blog post just waiting to happen :)

From: Rob Sent: Tuesday, January 19, 2010 3:15 PM
I’m not sure if you’re aware or not but I just heard on my iPod that “the heart of rock n’ roll is still beatin’”

From: Friend Sent: Tuesday, January 19, 2010 3:24 PM
NICE.
Maybe next you can be "hungry like the wolf"?

From: Rob Sent: Tuesday, January 19, 2010 3:28 PM
I can’t stop to eat.
I’m too busy "shootin at the walls of heartache".

From: Friend Sent: Tuesday, January 19, 2010 3:30 PM
Do you have good aim with those "Bette Davis Eyes"?

From: Rob Sent: Tuesday, January 19, 2010 3:37 PM
I do. Great eyesight, but I’m a little sad cause I’ve had a "Total Eclipse of the Heart"

From: Friend Sent: Tuesday, January 19, 2010 4:02 PM
Oh man im sorry to hear your sad, why don’t you call your friends and go out?
I heard, "Girls just wanna have fun".

From: Rob Sent: Tuesday, January 19, 2010 4:06 PM
That sounds like a great idea!
Now if we just had a "Little Red Corvette" …

From: Friend Sent: Tuesday, January 19, 2010 4:24 PM
If only we did,
Take it "straight to funkytown".

From: Rob Sent: Tuesday, January 19, 2010 4:28 PM
Well dude I gotta run home but
"Don’t You Forget About Me" ….

From: Friend Sent: Tuesday, January 19, 2010 4:36 PM
Ah crap, I think I missed you before you left. Next time "Wake me up before you Go Go"

Ah I miss the 80's dear readers.

What in the world has happened .. OR .. The top 30 of my 40.

2010-01-12T08:19:00.000-06:00

In a mini-blogging celebration of having turned 40 this past December I've been kicking around the idea of cranking out a blog post that highlights some of our nation's accomplishments/inventions/happenings of the last 40 years.

I discovered that I'm older than Post-It-Notes, The Smoke Detector and wait for it ... Human Powered Flight.

I think I need a nap. And apparently at my age, those may come more frequently. I mean soon I'll start having dinner at like 2 in the afternoon and breakfast the night before, right?

Well I hope you enjoy this little trip down memory lane. Some of these are geeky and inline with my profession and others are more common knowledge. But I found them all interesting and I hope you do as well.

Have fun!

1969--SMOKE DETECTOR
Randolph Smith and Kenneth House patent a battery-powered smoke detector for home use. Later models rely on perhaps the cheapest nuclear technology you can own: a chunk of americium-241. The element's radioactive particles generate a small electric current. If smoke enters the chamber it disrupts the current, triggering an alarm.

1969--MOUSEPAD
A mousepad is a hard surface, square-shaped and rubberized mat for enhancing the usability of a computer mouse. Jack Kelley invented the mousepad in 1969

1970--DIGITAL MUSIC
James Russell, a scientist with the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, invents the first digital-to-optical recording and playback system, in which sounds are represented by a string of 0s and 1s and a laser reads the binary patterns etched on a photosensitive platter. Russell isn't able to convince the music industry to adopt his invention, but 20 years later, Time Warner and other CD manufacturers pay a $30 million patent infringement settlement to Russell's former employer, the Optical Recording Co.

1970--PERSONAL COMPUTER
The personal computer (PC) is any computer whose original sales price, size, and capabilities make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end user, with no intervening computer operator. The Kenbak-1 is considered by the Computer History Museum and the American Computer Museum to be the world's first personal computer which was invented by John Blankenbaker in 1970

1971--FLOPPY DISK
A floppy disk is a data storage medium that is composed of a disk of thin, flexible "floppy" magnetic storage medium encased in a square or rectangular plastic shell. In 1971 while working at IBM, David L. Noble invented the 8-inch floppy disk. Floppy disks in 8-inch, 5¼-inch, and 3½-inch formats enjoyed many years as a popular and ubiquitous form of data storage and exchange, from the mid-1970s to the late 1990s.

1971--WAFFLE-SOLE RUNNING SHOES
Bill Bowerman, the track coach at the University of Oregon, sacrifices breakfast for peak performance when he pours rubber into his wife's waffle iron, forming lightweight soles for his athletes' running shoes. Three years later, Bowerman's company, Nike, introduces the Waffle Trainer, which is an instant hit.

1971--EMAIL
Electronic mail, often abbreviated to e-mail, is any method of creating, transmitting, or storing primarily text-based human communications with digital communications systems. Ray Tomlinson as a programmer while working on the United States Department of Defense's ARPANET, invented electronic mail and sent the first message on a time-sharing computer in 1971.[471] Tomlinson is also credited for inventing the "@" sign the mainstream of e-mail communications.

1972--ELECTRONIC IGNITION
Chrysler paves the way for the era of electronic--rather than mechanical--advances in automobiles with the electronic ignition. It leads to electronic control of ignition timing and fuel metering, harbingers of more sophisticated systems to come. Today, these include electronic control transmission shift points, antilock brakes, traction control systems, steering and airbag deployment.

1972--The Space Shuttle.
The space shuttle program was initiated on January 5, 1972 with President Nixon's announcement that NASA would begin development on a manned reusable space shuttle system. The first complete orbiter, Enterprise, was completed on September 17, 1976. The first fully functional space shuttle, Columbia, was delivered to the Kennedy Space Center on March 25, 1979. Columbia's first launch was on April 12, 1981.

1973--CATALYTIC CONVERTER
A catalytic converter provides an environment for a chemical reaction wherein toxic combustion by-products are converted to less-toxic substances. First used on cars in 1975 to lower emission standards, catalytic converters are also used on generator sets, forklifts, mining equipment, trucks, buses, trains, and other engine-equipped machines. The catalytic converter was invented by John J. Mooney and Carl D. Keith at the Engelhard Corporation, creating the first production catalytic converter in 1973

1973--MRI
Everyone agrees that magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a brilliant invention--but no one agrees on who invented it. The physical effect that MRIs rely on--nuclear magnetic resonance--earns various scientists Nobel Prizes for physics in 1944 and 1952. Many believe that Raymond Damadian establishes the machine's medical merit in 1973, when he first uses magnetic resonance to discern healthy tissue from cancer. Yet, in 2003, the Nobel Prize for medicine goes to Peter Lauterbur and Peter Mansfield for their "seminal discoveries." The topic of who is the worthiest candidate remains hotly debated.

1974--HEIMICH MANEUVER
Performing abdominal thrusts, better known as the Heimlich Maneuver, involves a rescuer standing behind a patient and using their hands to exert pressure on the bottom of the diaphragm. This compresses the lungs and exerts pressure on any object lodged in the trachea, hopefully expelling it. This amounts to an artificial cough. Henry Heimlich, as the inventor of his abdominal thrust technique,[481] first published his findings about the maneuver in a June 1974 informal article in Emergency Medicine entitled, "Pop Goes the Cafe Coronary". On June 19, 1974, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported that retired restaurant-owner Isaac Piha used the procedure to rescue choking victim Irene Bogachus in Bellevue, Washington.

1974--POST IT NOTE
The Post-it note is a piece of stationery with a re-adherable strip of adhesive on the back, designed for temporarily attaching notes to documents and to other surfaces such as walls, desks and table-tops, computer displays, and so forth. Post-it notes were invented by 3M employees Arthur Fry and Spencer Silver in 1974.

1974--UNIVERSAL PRODUCT CODE
The Universal Product Code (UPC) is a barcode symbology that scans 12-digits numbers along the bar in order to track trade items and to encode information such as pricing to a product on a store's shelf. The Universal Product Code, invented by George Laurer at IBM, was used on a marked item scanned at a retail checkout, Marsh's supermarket in Troy, Ohio, at 8:01 a.m. on June 26, 1974.

1975--DIGITAL CAMERA
The digital camera is a camera that takes video or still photographs, digitally by recording images via an electronic image sensor. Steven Sasson as an engineer at Eastman Kodak invented and built the first digital camera using a CCD image sensor in 1975.

1978--GPS
The first satellite in the modern Navstar Global Positioning System (GPS) is launched. (The GPS's precursor, TRANSIT, was developed in the early 1960s to guide nuclear subs.) It is not until the year 2000, though, that President Clinton grants nonmilitary users access to an unscrambled GPS signal. Now, cheap, handheld GPS units can determine a person's location to within 3 yards.

1979--HUMAN POWERED FLIGHT
Cyclist Byron Allen crosses the English Channel in a pedal-powered aircraft called the Gossamer Albatross. The flight takes 2 hours, 49 minutes, and wins a £100,000 prize for its crew, headed by designer Dr. Paul MacCready.[499] Constructed of Mylar, polystyrene, and carbon-fiber rods, the Albatross has a wingspan of 93 feet 10 inches (28.60 m) and weighs about 70 pounds.

1979--POLAR FLEECE
Polar fleece, or "fleece", is a soft napped insulating synthetic wool fabric made from polyethylene terephthalate or other synthetic fibers. The first form of polar fleece was invented in 1979 by Malden Mills, now Polartec LLC., which was a new, light, and strong pile fabric meant to mimic and in some ways surpass wool.[500] Found in jackets, hoodies, and casual wear, fleece has some of wool's finest qualities but weighs a fraction of the lightest available woolens.

1981--CONTROL-ALT-DELETE
Control-Alt-Delete, often abbreviated as Ctrl-Alt-Del, is a computer keyboard command on PC compatible systems that can be used to reboot a computer, and summon the task manager or operating system. It is invoked by pressing the Delete key while holding the Control and Alt keys: Ctrl+Alt+Delete. Thus, it forces a soft reboot, brings up the task manager (on Windows and BeOS) or a jump to ROM monitor. Control-Alt-Delete was invented in 1981 by David Bradley while working at IBM.

1981--FETAL SURGERY
Fetal surgical techniques using animal models were first developed at the University of California, San Francisco in 1980. In 1981, the first human open fetal surgery in the world was performed at University of California, San Francisco under the direction of Dr. Michael Harrison.

1981--PAINTBALL
Paintball is a game in which players eliminate opponents by hitting them with pellets containing paint usually shot from a carbon dioxide or compressed-gas, HPA or N20, in a powered paintball gun. The idea of the game was first conceived in 1976 by Hayes Noel, Bob Gurnsey, and Charles Gaines and first played on June 27, 1981.

1983--VOICEMAIL
Voicemail messages are stored on hard disk drives, media generally used by computers to store other forms of data. Messages are recorded in digitized natural human voice similar to how music is stored on a CD. To retrieve messages, a user calls the system from any phone, and his messages can be retrieved immediately. In 1979, Gordon Matthews formed a new company, VMX (Voice Message Exchange) and filed a patent, which was granted on February 1, 1983. Matthews invented what was called "Voice Message Exchange," which is the pioneer patent for what later evolved into today's voicemail. Matthews eventually held over thirty-five patents relating to his invention.

1984--DNA FINGERPRINTING
Molecular biologist Alec Jeffreys devises a way to make the analysis of more than 3 billion units in the human DNA sequence much more manageable by comparing only the parts of the sequence that show the greatest variation among people. His method quickly finds its way into the courts, where it is used to exonerate people wrongly accused of crimes and to finger the true culprits.

1987--PROZAC
Prozac becomes the first in a new class of FDA-approved antidepressants called "selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors," which block the reabsorption of the mood-elevating neurotransmitter serotonin, thereby prolonging its effects. Though at times controversial, Prozac helps patients cope with clinical depression, reshaping our understanding of how personality and emotion can be chemically controlled. Within five years, 4.5 million Americans are taking Prozac--making it the most widely accepted psychiatric drug ever.

1990--OPTICAL SPACE TELESCOPE (THE HUBBLE)
The space shuttle Discovery deployed the Hubble Space Telescope, the world's first optical space telescope[529][530][531], approximately 350 miles (560 km) above the Earth. Although initial flaws limited its capabilities, the Hubble Space Telescope has been responsible for numerous discoveries and advances in the understanding of outer space. From 1946 onward, Lyman Spitzer at NASA was the driving force behind the Hubble Space Telescope and overseeing its design.[532] As the United States raced to the moon in the 1960s, Spitzer worked to tie in research components. Finally, in 1975, NASA began work on the Hubble Space Telescope which was launched in 1990.

1993--BLOGGING
A blog is a type of website, usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse-chronological order. "Blog" can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog. In 1993, Dr. Glen Barry invented the phenomenon known as blogging.

1995--JAVASCRIPT
JavaScript is a scripting language widely used for client-side web development. It was the originating dialect of the ECMAScript standard. It is a dynamic, weakly typed, prototype-based language with first-class functions. JavaScript was influenced by many languages and was designed to look like Java, but be easier for non-programmers to work with. In 1995, JavaScript was invented by Brendan Eich under the name Mocha, which was later renamed to LiveScript, and finally to JavaScript.

1995--SCROLL WHEEL
A scroll wheel, or mouse wheel, is a hard plastic or rubbery disc on a computer mouse that is used for scrolling up or down on a web page. It is perpendicular to the mouse surface and is normally located between the left and right mouse buttons. The scroll wheel was invented by Eric Michelman in 1995.

1997--TIVO
TiVo DVRs provide an electronic television programming schedule. TiVo Inc. was incorporated on August 4, 1997 as "Teleworld, INC." by Jim Barton and Mike Ramsay,[549] veterans of Silicon Graphics and Time Warner's Full Service Network digital video system. Originally intending to create a home network device, they later developed their idea to record digitized video on a hard disk.

1998--MP3 PLAYER
Depending on who you ask, the MP3 is either the end of civilization (record companies) or the dawn of a new world (everyone else). The Korean company Saehan introduces its MPMan in 1998, long before Apple asks, "Which iPod are you?" When the Diamond Rio hits the shelves a few months later, the Recording Industry Association of America sues--providing massive publicity and a boost to digital technology.

Nothing has really happened since 1998. I mean honestly, the world was supposed to end in 2000 so I guess the significant accomplishments took a nosedive. Takes time to get back on your game after dodging a bullet like that :)

Resources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_United_States_inventions
http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/upgrade/2078467.html?page=3

Mint.com ... OR ... Easy peezy lemon squeezy money tracking

2009-12-27T13:03:00.001-06:00

Alright friends and neighbors, I've done found a new website ... well it's new to me ... for doing budgeting.

I know I know. Not a fantastically interesting subject and I heartily agree. Doing the budget sucks eggs. But what if you didn't really "do the budget" anymore but rather just watched where the money is spent?

What if rather than balancing numbers and running your personal finances like it's You, Inc you just watched trends, etc? What if you could just set a monthly spending amount and then monitor it online to see how your spending matches up to what you budgeted?

I was looking for something like this. Something simple and fresh with good reporting so I could see where money was going. Something with which I could get detailed if I needed to or if things were percolating along all hunky-dory, I could just watch stuff from ye old 30,000 ft view.

AND I didn't want to pay a lot for this muffler ... remember that old commercial? Or am I just old? Regardless ... and ahem ...

Behold, Mint.com.

This FREE online software does everything we need it to do for tracking our finances. Plus it even has an iPhone app so I can access my budget remotely. Too cool!

See you simply hook this software up to you bank info .. Mint reads your transactions and pulls them into a list. You assign your overall budget and categories.

Done.

Mint starts tracking your finances.

It learns how you spend money and makes very, very good guesses on which category each transaction should be assigned. If it gets it wrong, it's super easy to correct.

Then the cool part starts. You can see where your big expenditures are. Where you can trim some fat from your budget.

Basically, you can quickly see where you blew it and where you done did good :)

And did I mention it's free?

Give this a shot if you're in the market for simplifying your finances. We did and we're not regretting it.

Mint.com gets a long term badge on my site cause it's darn good! I highly recommend it.

Ode to a dude ... OR ... A post for my son

2009-12-22T07:46:00.007-06:00

Son I want to dedicate this post to you. The following is a description of "a boy" by Alan Beck. It made me think of you when I read it today.

Between the innocence of babyhood and the dignity of manhood, we find a delightful creature called a boy. Boys come in assorted sizes, weights and colors, but all boys have the same creed: to enjoy every second of every minute of every hour of every day and to protest with noise (their only weapon) when their last minute is finished and the adult males pack them off to bed at night.

Boys are found everywhere—on top of, underneath, inside of, climbing on, swinging from, running around or jumping to. Mothers love them, little girls hate them, older sisters and brothers tolerate them, adults ignore them and Heaven protects them. A boy is Truth with dirt on its face, Beauty with a cut on its finger, Wisdom with bubble gum in its hair and the Hope of the future with a frog in its pocket.

When you are busy a boy is an inconsiderate, bothersome, intruding jangle of noise. When you want him to make a good impression, his brain turns to jelly or else he becomes a savage, sadistic, jungle creature bent on destroying the world and himself with it.

A boy is a composite—he has the appetite of a horse, the digestion of a sword swallower, the energy of a pocket-size atomic bomb, the curiosity of a cat, the lungs of a dictator, the imagination of a Paul Bunyan, the shyness of a violet, the audacity of a steel trap, the enthusiasm of a fire cracker, and when he makes something he has five thumbs on each hand.

He likes ice cream, knives, saws, Christmas, comic books, the boy across the street, woods, water (in its natural habitat), large animals, Dad, trains, Saturday mornings and fire engines.

He is not much for Sunday school, company, schools, books without pictures, music lessons, neckties, barbers, girls, overcoats, adults, or bedtime.

Nobody else is so early to rise or so late to supper. Nobody else gets so much fun out of trees, dogs and breezes. Nobody else can cram into one pocket-a rusty knife, a half eaten apple, three feet of string, an empty Bull Durham sack, two gum drops, six cents, a sling shot, a chunk of unknown substance and a genuine supersonic code ring with a secret compartment.

A boy is a magical creature—you can lock him out of your workshop, but you can’t lock him out of your heart. You can get him out of your study, but you can’t get him out of your mind.

Might as well give up—he is your captor, your jailer, your boss and your master–a freckled-faced, pint-sized, cat-chasing, bundle of noise.

But when you come home at night with only the shattered pieces of your hopes and dreams—he can mend them like new with the two magic words—”Hi Dad!

Well man, I'm not the wordsmith that Mr Beck is and probably can't say things as well.

But let me start by saying ... I'm so proud of you.

When I look at you, I don't see just a kid who likes video games. I see a young man who is passionate, and good at things that other folks aren't. I see someone who is a bit like his Dad and hard-headed at times. But you'll find that hard-hardheadedness will get you through more trouble in life than it causes. :)

I see a guy who is sensitive and will someday treat a woman with the respect she deserves and, if you end up having kids, I have complete confidence you'll be a good father.

How do I know that? Simple. You have a great big heart that is full of love.

When I look at you, I also see a guy who is shy sometimes but that's not all bad either. I know it seems like it at times though. But being shy just sometimes makes you cautious. That's a good thing. It all gets better as you grow.

So give yourself time to grow and for my sake, don't grow up too fast huh? I like having you around. :)

One last thing before I end this post.

Everybody has their passion. Find yours and never let it go. Sometimes folks around you will criticize you for following your dreams, especially if they don't benefit from it.

But never be ashamed to be who you are. And always remember, no matter what ...

I believe in you. I always have. I always will.

Forgive an old man for being sentimental around the holidays will ya? I love you son :) Sure I'm your Dad but, know too that I'll be here for you as a friend when you need it.

Always.
Love Dad

Happy Birthday Jenn!

2009-12-19T05:40:00.001-06:00

A tradition was begun last year at this time. And that time has come again. :) It's time to put aside the normal blogging of the day and dedicate my meager site to my good friend Jenn for the day.

Happy Birthday Jenn!

I've known you for a good little while now and I hope to continue pestering you for years to come :) You're the coolest Jennifer ever and I hope you have a great day! Thanks very much for being my friend! I hope your birthday today is filled with awesomeness :)

Three Photos Thursday: The 40th Birthday and Shhhtuff

2009-12-17T10:49:00.000-06:00

My family made me a tie-dyed shirt for ye old Birthday. It is awesome!

Of course the awesomeness of my favorite gamer always outshines a birthday :)

We simply MUST teach this little one to stop eating puppies .. she's a vicious little thing I tell you!

WPF? ... OR .. How to neatly print your blog

2009-12-14T08:22:00.000-06:00

Impress your friends!

Wow your neighbors!

Fun at parties!!!!

Ok, maybe not fun at parties. And admittedly this may not impress your friends (unless they are geeky). Ok honestly your neighbors probably don't even know about your blog - lord knows mine don't.

BUT!

All that aside ... (pushes all that aside ... grunt!)

Let's pretend for a moment you might want to print one of your posts.

Hey could be an ice-breaker with your neighbors right? Perhaps at some party, a game of "who can print their blog the fastest" might break out. Never know! But lord help you if you're at party like that .. you might need to get a life :)

So for whatever the reason, if you have the hankering to print (or save) neat little copies of your blog post .. here is how to get er done.

PrintFriendly Blog posts

Try it out from right here at Horton Hollow to see if you like it .. ~~before you screw up your blog template~~ before you try it out and it works really really well for your non-geeky self.. The link is right below each of my blog posts.

Cause hey, I'm fun at parties. :)

Three Photos Thursday

2009-12-10T13:29:00.002-06:00

Josh just turned 14 on the 5th of this month. Here is a pic of the kiddo at his b-day party, showing off his new iPod touch loot. I love this kid a lot and I'm so proud of him! :) Happy birthday again my man!

When Isabella was born the doc mentioned that one of the reasons the labor took so long is that her cheeks were stuck. This is a recent pic of Ms Izzy ... who've I've taken to calling Isabelly ... and I tend to agree with the doc. Those cheeks are hard to miss.

This one is a recent photo of my mom and our puppy Storm, who just turned 2 years old yesterday. As you can see, Storm is a big girl. My mom is 5 foot 3 so that gives you an idea of how big our doggie is. But Storm is a sweetie (once she gets to know you that is .. ahem .. until then though, well she's a good watchdog let's say).

Switch? ... Or ... Is a buffet of babbling better than a bag full of bent

2009-12-09T08:35:00.000-06:00

This post I wanted to quickly get out that I’m thinking of changing my blog to a single theme. I have noticed that the “big bloggers” seem to do this – they don’t skip around like I do. Their blog has a single purpose. But as you can see from my menu selection above, I have a hard time picking “just one thing”.

So dear lurkers/blogophiles, I ask you … should I switch to one topic? If so, what is your favorite? What keeps you coming back here from time to time? I needs me some input. Thanks!

Last talk about the new look ... OR .. How did you do that thing you done did?

2009-12-01T11:39:00.000-06:00

Before I start I'd like to thank Blogger personally for losing this entire post from last night. Good on ya Blogger! I just love retyping an entire post from memory after my brain has already flushed. Sheesh.

So moving on.

As I mentioned the other day, my blog has underwent a little makeover. I love to do layout and design for user interfaces. It's kind of a big part of what I do as a computer programmer in my day-to-day job. So I had to take a shot at blog design. The idea had been rattling around in me noggin for a long time, I had scrawled ideas on bits of paper, listed ideas on Google docs, written in my notebook, etc

Then I found this little number for doing mockups of software. It's called Balsamiq Mockups. It allowed me t to get those ideas from paper into something more usable. A mockup.

If you're interested in a little review of Balsamiq Mockups and how it helped me with my site design, read on true believers ...

After the easy-peezy download and install process I dove right in. The software came up very quickly and I was off and running. I'm more of a tinkerer than a "follow the steps kinda guy" when it comes to stuff like this so I just played with the sofware until I figured it out.

It didn't take long.

After very little noodling on my part, I was able to come up with the mockup you see below in way less than an hour of tinkering.

This was really easy. I just took different parts from their easy to use library and dropped them onto design area.

Mockups even let me use my own graphics and insert them right into the design. Then as a bonus it even let me squigglify them so they match the "penciled look" it has built in. Very cool.

Balsamiq if you're reading this, the term "squigglify" is all mine. I want royalties if you use that one :) haha

The user-interface for Mockups is very well done. You simply point and click, dragging and dropping everything into place.

It's like you have a way to take your mental jig-saw puzzle and just put it right down on the screen, no issues.

I found Mockups very powerful yet simple to use. Since the symbols of each part are so easy to identify it really felt like I was using building blocks to make my site design. And that was important to me for one big reason.

The tool I was using to create with didn't get in the way of my creativity.

Nuff said?

If you've ever scrawled on paper, or God help you, used Visio to layout a site ... give those up right now and try this. Why? It's simple.

Mockups is better than paper. Changes are way easier to make than on paper. I mean you're pulling parts from a big parts bin, essentially just snapping the pieces together.

Also Mockups is MUCH simpler but still MORE powerful than tools like Visio. And yes even Visual Studio doesn't compare to this tool. I've designed quite a few interfaces in VS and the biggest risk you run there is that most folks end up using their "mockup" and turning it into an application. Those apps usually turn out pretty bad too for usability when that happens.

Plus VS is big, slow and expensive. Mockups is powerful, agile, and easy on the pocket book.

Lastly, with Mockups you can separate the design process easily. You can make your designs, and if you're in the corporate world, you can even use the software's presentation mode to show your clients your design. Very slick.

I highly recommend this to everybody who is doing design work. If you're a blogger, designer, or programmer ... or like me, you're all three .. you need to get this tool in your game. Check out some examples of what others have done with Mockups.

This made design fun for me again. And that's what it's all about.

Beyond Busy … OR … WTF is up with all the activities, huh?

2009-11-30T11:00:00.002-06:00

“Write a short essay comparing and contrasting the differences between childhood now and the childhood you remember, particularly in how they relate or do not relate along the lines of social activities and/or group projects.”

Don’t you HATE those kinds of assignments? Remember that type of essay question though from say, World History class in high school, perhaps at Fredericktown, MO? Hmmm?

Well whatever high school YOU attended and whether or not you graduated, it’s not for me to point fingers; most folks were not fans of those essay questions. Oddly enough I always wanted to like them but never had enough time in school to really get into them.

So I sucked at them. Big time.

But that maddening essay assignment bore the inspiration for this blog post.

Let me take you back for a few moments to my childhood. Trust me we won’t stay long. Queue the time travel music …

My mom used to take me to this shoe store when I was a kid. It was owned by this old Jewish couple. Sometimes we’d just drop in to visit because the lady there, Eve, and my mom were friends. That store was one of my favorite places to go in our little town though I never really told my mom. Eve would always offer me a bit of hard candy which was nice of her. Though I was dreadfully shy, she never made me feel like a freak for it. I always felt safe in that store – it was a good place.

I was the kid who dutifully went along quietly with my mom and occasionally asked to run up to the dime store by myself if things were running a bit long at one of mom’s stores.

And we had quite a few stores we visited like this. My mom and always me there by her side while she talked to the other adults at the store.

At times though certainly not often, the owners/friends would look down at me to ask if I were involved in any sports or whatnot. I never was. Very seldom they would mention something that their own child was involved in and suggest to me that I might like it. But I certainly never felt pressured or made to feel weird for not being involved in a bunch of hullabaloo. And I know my mom didn’t either.

I know that because once we got back home she never mentioned it to me or my grandma. She and grandma always talked pretty openly about things that irritated them particularly if they felt someone was “getting pushy” or “getting in their business”.

Flash forward to today.

So in my retrospective there, I’d like to say that in my childhood I never once felt pressured to participate in a lot of activities. My mom just kind of let me be me. And our family didn’t try to keep up with other families or buy into some culture of constant business. I’m not even sure, in the 70’s, the culture of having tons of activities even existed.

I hear parents talking all the time about their, and their childrens, constant involvement in a bahjillion activities.

And when I talk to parents most of them go into this zombie-mode wherein they ask me, “Well what all stuff is your son into? Sports? Football? Basketball? Our kid is 4 and leads his own martial arts class. What about your kid?”

Invariably I have no answer to any of these types of questions other than to politely say, “Nope Josh isn’t into any of those things”. But the attitude bothers me.

The assumption is rampant that everyone is involved in a ton of things at all times, all seasons and all occasions.

I suppose we’re weird.

My family is much like my family growing up. We generally do stuff around our home, taking a few special trips out per year, taking in a concert here and there, stuff like that. That seems normal to me. Well it does until I watch TV or talk to most other parents.

We are snails on the road of life compared to most.

My question is though, when did staying so busy become the norm and doing things a bit more minimalist become ‘weird’? Why do kids have to stay in so many activities nowadays? When did that change? And why are folks who aren’t that busy looked upon as odd?

When I was growing up it really was just the opposite as I pointed out.

Have we become a group of folks that just HAVE to have the distraction? Are we afraid of facing ourselves in the quiet? I wonder. And why raise kids that “always have to be busy”?

Many parents I’ve met are like the directors of cruise ships, constantly entertaining and making sure their kids are “engaged”, as if they are afraid those kids won’t choose that same cruise-line next year and sail with a different boat.

I get that there is much out there to do. But perhaps we don’t have to do it all? Call me crazy.

I know that there is a lot of pressure on parents today to always be doing something. Preferably outside your home too it seems. But what happened to sitting around reading books as entertainment for your family? Or listening to the radio together?

Those last two questions probably sound strange to you if you’re still reading this rant.

I’ll sign off by saying this.

Unplug a tad now and then.

You get your sanity back a bit. You really get to know your kids too when there is nothing between the two of you but air and the opportunity for conversation. Get to know them as people. Not projects.

Unplugging from it all is good in another way. You find out who your real friends are. They are the ones who find a way to still talk to you no matter what.

Unplugging is good. It brings about moments of growth.

The New Look .. OR .. Better Looking Through Digital Plastic Surgery

2009-11-25T19:44:00.001-06:00

Well if you've been coming here for any length of time you may notice the old hollow is looking different as of today. Being the clever little geek I am, I tried my hand at blog design. I've been cooking up this new look for the blog for some time.

I hope you all enjoy the new digs. Feel free to comment if there are changes you'd like to see. You come here to read - I'd like you to be comfy while you do that.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Reclination Machinations ... OR ... Not Big Bucks and good for your Fanny

2009-11-25T07:57:00.001-06:00

Awhile back we embarked on a journey to pick up a “new to her” recliner for Heather. We got the chair, had some dinner, and headed home.

At home, I lowered the tailgate and began to get the sturdy chair out. Heather stepped up to help.

My mom was nearby and asked, “Do you guys want me to go get the dolly to make it easier?”

Heather and I already had it though and we weren’t struggling. So I looked at mom and replied, “Nah that’s ok. Looks like we’ll just be using the dolly-mama”

/rimshot. Try the veal!

Nosey Notions ... OR ... Use your OWN finger to pick YOUR boogers

2009-11-24T09:35:00.002-06:00

As I sit here listening to Shania Twain, I thought I’d pen you all a post. It’s been rattling around in my head for some time now. Tis long overdue. So, if anybody is still listening here you go.

Let me attempt to explain that whacky title.

The thought for the day is simply this “You can’t use someone else’s finger to pick your own boogers”.

It’s true.

C’mon we’ve all picked our nose. Some of us more so than others have even done it while driving.

Now I’m sure you were under the influence of the thought that somehow, while you’re driving, nobody can see through that clear glass to watch you engage in unrestrained pickage. Um, but we can see you and observe you finger buried to the elbow while you bring new meaning to the phrase “going green”.

I’m just sayin. But again I have digressed. Apologies. Back to the tip (no pun intended) for the day.

Having picked my own nose I have observed that my finger is uniquely adapted for the job. The angle, the reach, all of that is just perfect. No complaints.

I’m sure the same is true for you but you’re probably too refined to admit you’ve picked your nose much less face the certainty of how well YOUR finger is made to pick just YOUR nose.

What if you tried to use someone else’s finger to do it though?

Grossness aside, would it work as well? Definitely not. Size would be wrong. Unfamiliar finger nail. All that.

But wouldn’t the steps be the same?

Now in regards to someone else’s finger, think about this. The finger’s owner would probably tell you how well it’s worked for them over the years. They would highly recommend their finger to you. How that time after time, they’ve experienced wild success and totally clear breathing after a pick-session.

And they’d be telling the truth. I mean it’d be coming from not just the president of the company, but a customer right?

So why wouldn’t their finger work for you?

Well because you have a finger too. It’s uniquely suited to your task at .. er .. hand.

Basically what I’m trying to say is that only YOU have the tools to fix whatever situation you face. If it’s a business situation, if it’s relationships, if it’s debt .. whatever.

Chances are there are TONS of folks out there that have had the SAME issue and they can even tell you the exact steps they followed to fix it. Too often though we run out there, get the advice and try to become that OTHER person, stepping outside of who we are in order to address the situation. We forget the most important step.

Make it personal for yourself.

Don’t dodge being who you are.

Because even though the steps may be the same as someone else’s, for the most optimal chance of success, you need to put your own spin on those steps.

Your own finger, see? Their finger can’t pick your nose. Only yours can.

Now get out there and use it.

Happy picking!

100 Words or Less Wednesday: Dad-Sleep-o-matic

2009-11-04T08:41:00.000-06:00

In this new edition of 100 Words or Less, I want to post about sleeping through the baby getting up at night. Heather takes care of all this stuff, particularly since she’s breastfeeding.

With Josh however, I always heard him cry. They say things change with each kid. But I’ve not woke up once hearing Isabella cry.

I feel bad about that cause even if there is nothing for me to do; I still WANT to wake up. Heather isn’t upset with me for it but it’s still a weird feeling to be sure. Perhaps I’m getting old :)

NaNoWriMo: Giving it a go ...

2009-11-01T16:14:00.000-06:00

For those of you who may not be aware, this month is National Write a Novel in a Month. Here is the link to the super-official spectacular website.

NaNoWriMo

The goal is to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days and 30 nights. I with some of my other blog-buddies have taken up the challenge. The idea of writing a novel, of pushing through that process, has always intrigued me. So off I go to write and see what comes of it all.

Though I'm more than slightly certain this won't be the "next big bestseller", for me, this is all about the process and the thrill of finishing what I've set out to do.

I have no plan. Very unlike me. I'm going to write a pure stream of thought and treat this journey as though I'm driving from point A to point B which is only 50,000 words away.

So yeah, it'll probably suck :) But I intend to have fun with it. Wish me luck!

Happy Halloween

2009-10-30T13:08:00.005-05:00

Ok this post is perhaps just an excuse to make everyone look at my cool little header graphic I made, but at least I'm shallow enough to call attention to it right? Er, right :)

I hope this upcoming Halloween finds you all happy, safe and enjoying the holiday that (for me) really kicks off the official holiday season. Let the eats, treats and feasts begin!

I was the only one who dressed up for Halloween at work today, I came as a scarecrow type guy. Inspiration hit me yesterday in the form of Eric, one of my co-workers, who PROMISED me he would dress up today and then left me hanging high and dry.

I kid. I knew he wasn't going to really dress up. But I'm a sucker for this holiday and so I went home last night and made this mask/costume.

It actually freaked out poor Fei here at work though I'm sure that may have something to do with the fact that I'm very sneaky and I surprised the poor woman when she wasn't looking.

Good times!

P.S. - Thanks to Victoria for snapping this pic of me for the ol' blog!

Dream on .. OR .. Jello makes a poor conversationalist

2009-10-12T12:43:00.008-05:00

Let me start this post with a pre-ps .. if I may.

Pre-P.S. - I do apologize for the severity of this post dear readers. I promise to get back on track and bring the funny and whimsical back to the Hollow. Just needed to share. Thanks to those of you who come here to read my ramblings.

Onward.

I had a dream the other night. In it, there were these two guys from high school and we three were playing basketball on the beach.

[I may be the only guy who is nearing forty that still dreams about stuff from high school. I'm odd. Never let it be said that I'm not.]

The reason this was a dream is two-fold. I never hung out with these guys. I wasn't in their crowd or on their radar for a friend.

I certainly wasn't cool enough. Not a lot has changed really in that regard. Just being honest.

Growing up I didn't make a lot of friends. For those of you who don't know, I grew up in the country with not a lot of other folks around.

Sure I went to school and saw kids there. But most times, real friends are made during summer vacation, not on the playground. On the playground, the groups of kids who are ALREADY friends get together and hang out. That's how it was in my school at least. A new friend is a rare thing to be crafted on the playground. Kids choose sides, group up and mingle very quickly. If you aren't already in a group when that happens, well then you are left out.

It's kinda like being picked last for kick-ball but with the lovely option of not being picked at all.

And that was my world. Left out. Cause I'm not a real go-getter at making new friends. I still remember things like going home from school on the last day before summer break.

Everyone else would be making big plans ... talking with their groups of friends ... wallowing in all that companionship. I always wanted to be a part of that scene.

But for me, during that last day of school as I watched those other kids, I was thinking how that I had no big plans. Nothing great to do and no one with whom to hang out. Nobody really asked either. And I was far too shy to offer any talk.

That's how each Summer began for me.

So Summer would come and go. Those kids I wanted to be friends with all lived "in town" and not far from each other at that. So every night, during school, they got to hang out. Play basketball in the street, or baseball at a local field, or soccer or a million other things. And during summer they even vacationed together sometimes.

They literally grew up together.

I had no chance of being part of that. I grew up for the most part, alone. I got used to it. But distance somehow has always been a factor in my life when making friends.

Now kids, listen carefully. Distance blows.

To be fair, I can't entirely blame distance for my lack of friends. A lot of it was me.

So, after I woke up from my dream, I was thinking about that fact and how that in real life, I never would have played basketball with those guys.

I was cripplingly shy as I may have mentioned on here before.

My fear that they would have laughed at me when I missed a shot would have kept me from trying.

And so it went.

Then I realized a way to describe my broken socialization growing up. Well at least how it felt.

It was as if, between me and those other kids, there was this maleable yet tough, crystal clear wall. A clear-jello-wall if you will. But not as though you could just tear it down with your hands.

No that wouldn't do.

At least on my side of the wall it was strong as steel. I felt trapped by it. It frustrated my attempts to scrabble through it. From my perspective I felt as if there were no tools with which I could penetrate the wall. I felt helpless. Oh sure, I know now what would have worked.

Putting myself out there, not being afraid to fail, living large, just stop being shy ... you know all those things that parents tell kids which is a cover-up for "I'm too busy to get involved with your whining, just figure it out on your own".

And I couldn't figure out how to get through that wall. I didn't. It was simply beyond my ken.

But someone could reach through from their side to me. I knew that much was true.

I also knew that they would need some convincing. So there I was. Living the great land of helpless fear, swimming in tormenting hope.

Like that word-picture? Yeah well you shoulda tried it. Easier to read than to live, let me assure you.

Trapped behind my wall, with no way to reach through from my side, other than put on some display in hope of enticing a potential friend to open up a channel in that wall from them to me.

I never really got any takers. None that lasted.

I also thought of this great line this morning but I couldn't think of where to use it in this post. So in an effort to share it, here you go:

"The wind of regret echos in the hollows of my aging bones."

Kinda cool huh?

And perhaps in some ways, I'm still that kid that is putting on a show trying to get friendly-someone to reach through that wall.

That darn wall is tough. In all my talent to make things, I've yet to devise a lasting way through it. Yeah remember the old saying, "if walls could talk" ... there you go. If that wall could talk, we could be pals. Its been my longest companion.

Lambing it up .. OR .. What a crock

2009-10-05T14:20:00.005-05:00

This weekend I made another trip over to the nice lady's website at Year of Crockpotting to look for more yummy ways to fix lamb in the crockpot.

I will come clean and say here that when I look for crockpot recipes, they must meet one primary criteria.

My goal is always to have ZERO preparation other than dice things, unwrap things, etc, and then simply dump into the crockpot.

What I mean by zero prep is that I can't be all cookin stuff in a skillet or some other flippety-doo before I put things in the crock. Hey if I wanted to work, I wouldn't be using a crockpot right? I require it to be easy-peezy-lemon-squeezy or I might as well spend an hour in the kitchen cookin stuff all regular-like.

What can I say? I'm lazy. And a guy. Perhaps those things go hand in hand.

Shush you.

Well here is the recipe.

The veggies I used were just a bag-mixed frozen vegetables. Also I diced up some taters, chopped an onion, and diced some garlic cloves. My dry rub was salt, pepper and rosemary which I mixed up right alongside my other "prep" work.

I hear you whining already. "Well how much did you use of this?" "How did you do that?"

Snap to there Private! Guys don't cook like that. We cook to taste. You do same. Taste good when do that way. Now scratch yourself and read on.

After following my simple lead thus far, next you just throw all the ingredients in the crock and walk away. (Well don't forget to turn on the crock. Not everything magically happens like building a cradle).

So that's it. Done and done.

When you come back in 7 1/2 to 8 hours, you have yummy for the tummy lamby-whammy (should have used that for a post title) that is fall apart fork-tender.

I know some folks that express concern over lamb "smelling" bad as it cooks. I've not ran into this yet. And this one didn't smell anything but "I'm very good but I'm still cooking and you can't have me yet". Yeah, that kind of smell.

Make this soon.

The Great Escape .. OR .. Sleep Takes a Vacation

2009-09-29T03:50:00.001-05:00

Can't sleep. Brain is full I suppose. Thought I'd write a quick haiku to capture my thoughts; perhaps help quiet my mind.

The loom worked by doubt
Soft threads with booming whispers
Uncertainty's cloth.

And now back to bed for another attempt at sleep.

A Fork in the Road ... OR ... Knotted up by knowledge

2009-09-28T12:32:00.005-05:00

I have several decisions with which I've been wrestling with for some time. Though I'm not at liberty to disclose them here, for clearly I'd have to kill your blog were you to know, I am going to jot down a few things for reference.

With the coming of Thing Two, I've begun to re-prioritize pretty much everything it is that I do. When I consider that the clock was just reset on parenthood, it raises many questions in my mind about how to spend that time over the next 18-20 years.

Yes folks sometimes I actually think that far ahead - I realize it's hard to imagine my geekiness extending to such lengths through time. But verily it does.

It has been said to me before that I "think too much" and also that I "over-analyze" things.

I admit to being an over-thinker. Bam you got me. It isn't something that I like about myself if that helps you at all. Can we still be friends? Ah so good to hear.

Of late I've begun to switch my thinking to "how" to make the best decision with what I know at the time. In the past though, I would have waited for the accumulation of ALL knowledge before I did ANYTHING.

See the difference?

Heck, if I continue down this path I might be pert-near normal someday, no?

Um, readers? Normal? Me? I can be normal someday, right? Um, someday I say? Guys? Gals?

[crickets]

Harumph!

Moving on.

I think my biggest decision right now has to do with career. That's about all I can say about that.

There are other things on the plate from personal relationship issues to dog training, to hobbies, chores, to-do lists, home organization ..

Heck most of you have most of those I'm pretty sure.

So I ask you my dear blog-o-philes ...

I implore you my devoted lurk-o-readers ...

How do YOU make major decisions in your life? Lend me your advice won't you please?

And here is the only payment I can offer you in return, a shiny "thankee kindly" :)

The Castle is Back to Normal ... OR ... We Miss our Mamas!

2009-09-26T21:38:00.002-05:00

Well Castle Horton has undergone a recent transformation.

We are once again alone. Tis just us four here now. Well and Storm (the canine), and Mercy and Blue (the felines).

My mom headed back to her own castle today. Thus marks the end of our official help since Bella has been born.

Up until now one of our moms has been staying with us to to help out. Heather has been able to catch up on her rest because of them doing this. And we both appreciate it so, so much and have repeatedly hugged them and told them so.

When each grandma had to go back to her own home, it was a tearful farewell for each one. They love us and we them, and they love in particular this shiny new grand-daughter of theirs.

You see, Isabella represents the last grand-child in the family and the ONLY grand-daughter. Bella is kind of a big deal.

So it was hard for the grandparents to leave her/us.

I will admit there is a dual-feeling here of "its nice to have our Castle back to just us" versus the feeling of "we miss having them around to talk to and hang out with".

They helped us with way more than the cooking/cleaning and Bella changing.

They were HERE. Their presence itself was a comfort. The moral support as we got our baby-parenting legs under us again was priceless.

So as I said it's just us again.

But it has been so much fun. Again thank you moms for helping us, for supporting us, for the gifts for Bella, for cooking, for cleaning, for diaper changing, for doing laundry, for doing dishes, for grocery store trips, for talking to us, and just for listening to us too.

Also, lest I forget ...

Thanks to everybody who has been there for us as we got going with this whole having a baby deal. I have friends that I know read this blog but don't usually leave comments ... so to you all as well, thanks so much for your kind words, your encouragements, the things you got for Bella, and well just for being friends.

We've had a lot of help. None of it we deserve to be sure and we feel so blessed to have you all in our lives.

Whew, there are so many to thank and we appreciate you all!

Well, now that everybody has given us a good push-start, well shoot, I guess the next 18-20 years are up to us.

Ready?
Set?
Go!

No weenies, just beanies ... OR Beans, beans the magical fruit

2009-09-23T12:32:00.003-05:00

I've been looking for a really good bean recipe. Something that is "guy-easy" .. meaning you open things, dump things and heat things. Its how I roll when crockpot cooking.

This recipe, Cowboy Beans, from over at "A Year of Slow Cooking" is really good. It fits the bill for "guy-easy" too. Okay I had to chop and onion and brown ground beef.

I do admit that I was naughty and deviated from the recipe a bit. I had no dried pinto beans. I sub'd canned red kidney beans. Worked for me.

One thing more though.

Next time I make these and oh yeah there will be a next time, I will use less water methinks. I'd like them a bit more "stewie"/thicker. I admit I may have flat-out used more water than I should have though. I measure most stuff by eye.

So, in closing ...

This was easy.
It was good.

If you like beans, make this soon. You will enjoy it. I have spoken.

Getting sleep .. OR .. Have you had your daily allowance of vitamin Z?

2009-09-20T10:29:00.004-05:00

I'm labeling this one under a Fatherhood Friday, yes even though its Sunday, cause well ... cause I can. This blog (and my woodshop) are the last two strongholds of "I can do whatever the heck I want, neener neener" that I have left in this world.

Side note: If Jesus really is building me a mansion, I'm okay with it only having just a bathroom and perhaps a garage. If it's got that much, I'm good.

Now what WAS I going to write about?

Sleep. Ah yes (vigorously shakes head), I remember now.

Bella is a hair over a week old now. Time has flown by so fast. I've been reading up on how to hold onto one of our most precious commodities, the sweet slumber of sleep. I came across what Heather and I believe is the best answer to how to deal with the lack of it that parents experience with a newborn.

It's really easy. You just ship them over to a daycare center and let a stranger breastfeed them.

I kid.

Here is actually what I read and so far I agree with.

Here was a our basic to-do list:
* Heather and I figured out how much sleep we need in a given 24-hour period in order to function normally. 8 hours, 9? We figure out that number and commit to it.
* We then decide to put our rest as one of the highest priorities, right up there next to taking care of Izzy B.
* And then its pretty simple. We go to bed on time and start the sleep-cycle.

Now obviously we will have interrupted sleep during the night. Heather much more so than me since she is doing the feeding (can't help ya there dear). But the goal is not to "lose" sleep in that 24 hour period. If she only get 6 hours of sleep during the night, during her normal sleeping hours, well then instead of getting up at her normal time, it's back to bed for my bride.

If it takes until noon for Heather to get her sleep, say 8 hours in total, then so be it. The rest of the house will adjust. Then if at noon or whenever, she's hit her normal amount needed, she then (and only then) is allowed to get up and start her morning ritual like she would have before Bella arrived.

Gotta keep these folks committed to rest right?

I'm thankful to have a 13 year old here to help her out during the day when I'm away at work. He can take the puppy out to play and feed the cats, and himself (pretty well).

So there is our basic plan. Sleep in intervals until you get what you need for the day. THEN start your official day even if it takes till noon. Done and done.

Even though we are raising the most perfect daughter in the history of the universe she still interrupts sleep ... waking to eat, cause hey, she needs her some boob-food.

Speaking of .. I've taken to calling Heather "lefty" (just in front of Bella). Annnnnd I may have just done it right here on the internet.

See, Heather's right side is making WAY too much milk for Bella to keep up with so Heather has to pump that side into a bottle (after bottle, after bottle, after bottle, ahem). Then Bella eats from the left mostly. And that's why I've been telling Bella that, "you'll have to wait just a few more minutes on old lefty there, she's still emptying the right side before you can eat."

Yeah my wife just love those times but part of my charm is bringing the levity to our lives :)

So it's been a fun week all in all. Good times! Although we are tired, and there have been lots of folks here visiting/helping, its been fun :)

P.S. - This is our last week of having full-time official help too. Heather's parents headed back home this morning. Last night my momma showed up and she's staying with us this week to help out. After that though, it's back to being on our own again, way out here in Castle Horton, nestled deep in Horton Hollow.

BYOB ... OR ... Birth Your Own Baby

2009-09-14T20:40:00.018-05:00

Wow where to begin.

Describe where babies come from? Nah that'll take too long.

Describe Bella's conception? Nah that post would be too short.

Let's just talk about the birth, from my unique point of view shall we? Harumph!

I'm sitting here starting this post, watching my wife nurse/burp Isabella. The good stuff is coming in, big time, to feed our new bundle. In fact Bella just pulled off a bit early and there was a wardrobe malfunction involving milk. Ah good times. There are some things you forget about over the years. But a new kiddo brings them "flooding" back.

But back to the birth.

In the aftermath, after the after birth, we calculated in our very tired brains that Heather labored for a little over 20 hours.

In another post I said Heather is super-woman. I meant it. All moms are ... but I think I'm married to the most amazing, brave, strong and giving woman ever. She daily pours out her life to fill ours with her love, her caring, and her selflessness. I love her very much.

And I'm so glad to have her still here with me.

You see Isabella's birth wasn't like Josh's birth. Pretty much the only thing they have in common is that a kid was born. Other than that things were not the same.

Different hospital.
Different experience. Muchly different.

Heather and I both went into this birth thinking that it would be much like what the birth for Thing One was like. We were surprised.

With Josh there was no particular pain. With this there was a lot. With Josh there were no particular difficulties. With this birth we got scared.

The baby pics are included in this post at the bottom. If you'd like to scroll down to check them out, go ahead. Then come back here and read about our journey to have her.

Taps foot and waits ...
Whistles ...
Checks watch ...

Hey you're back! Cute ain't she? Yep momma done good.

Well in order to get this cuteness Heather really had to go through a bit of hell.

During this time I felt pretty inadequate as a 'coach' too. Guys are "fixers". We see a situation that's broken for our wives and we love to solve the problem for them. Usually this works out pretty well. But when it comes to situations that are beyond our ability to control ... well ... we feel helpless at times.

Well the party all started early Thursday morning. I woke up for work, and began to groan about needing to be up and get ready. Heather hit me with, "I wouldn't worry about going to work. I think I'm going to have this baby today."

Since my work is giving me off 3 days for the baby, I immediately thought, "Score! Five day weekend!"

See how sappy I am sometimes?

So instead of rushing to the hospital, forgetting everything important just like in the movies ... we calmly gathered our neatly organized things, fed the dog, double-checked our things and calmly strolled to the door. We mounted our gold steed .. one Honda Odyssey and rode away into the gleaming morning, leaving Castle Horton in the capable paws of Storm.

Once at the hospital we made our way inside. Heather's mom and dad were with us, thank God, in addition to Thing One. ALL of us had bags to carry too. We looked like some Hollywood star's entourage. Well a Hollywood star in labor.

We hung around the hospital until sometime later that afternoon when the docs talked us into starting the pitocin drip to help the contractions along. This is something we wanted to avoid, wanting to go as natural as possible but it ended up being necessary.

So they started Heather on a very low dose. The nurses even hinted at the dose was so low they may as well not even mess with it. See they were used to women who come in, get knocked out, get jacked up on drugs and basically have the baby shot out of them. It's pretty much how they put it to us.

And no judgment here from us for those that choose that. I mean wear whatcha dig, right? Heather and I wanted to do things as natural as possible. Call us crazy.

So as the night went on the pitocin level was raised until it got to ten. Although contractions were coming stronger and more regular, things still weren't progressing as we wanted.

Thursday turned into Friday. Heather was up pretty much all night. I got a little sleep.

Later on but still very early Friday morning the contractions picked up. And unlike with Josh, they began to hurt her. Heather started making noises which I'd never heard her make before.

Sometime that morning her regular doctor had to go home; Friday was her day off.

Lovely I thought. We get to do this without the doc Heather trusts most. Sigh.

But between 5 and 6 that morning (Friday) we were pretty convinced that Bella was on her way and coming fast. So Doc Lindsey was called back in. I was thankful that she came back on her day off.

Soon after that Heather was feeling as though she could push. The doc wasn't in the room with us at the time but nurse Igor (Martha ... but thats not much better right) was told to ask the doc to see if Heather could push.

The word came back that she could try.

And then the real work began.

I've skipped SO much on this though honestly. By this point we were already both stressed beyond our wildest dreams. Some of the nurses, Igor in particular, seemed to have no respect for our Birth Plan of which we had provided them copies.

Being geeks that we are this ticked us off. This being our last pregnancy and the fact that medical service providers were not giving us much in the way of 'service' it really bothered us.

Igor was a pain the pahtooty. I nearly threw her out. I'm not kidding. The old bat got on my nerves big time.

Heather was soooooo out of it, she could no longer really speak up for herself when Igor decided to unceremoniously shove her hand into Heather to repeatedly and often "check her" ... which ... was something we had requested in our birth plan to NOT be done.

Sigh. Again.

So I've not painted a very good picture of our stress at all. I'm still beat and Heather is beat about 1000 times worse.

But trust me when I say that by the time the pushing began Heather looked and seemed already spent of strength. Her eyes looked tired. Her whole being looked weary. And in her eyes I saw fear. And inside me something began to hurt in a way it never had before. I was worried for her and scared as to how things might turn out.

Heather is going to write more and more details on her blog but for now I will skip ahead to about 6 hours later (maybe more).

Lets just say that Heather pushed a LONG time. Likely 2-3 hours. Her dilation just wasn't changing very much though. Changing positions (other than flat of her back) didn't help things either. You see, her lying flat of her back wasn't part of the birth plan either ... neither was holding her breath to push.

ALL things that Igor thought highly of and continually and LOUDLY expressed her opinions of said items. Like I said I nearly threw her out.

Aaaaaanyway. I got word that Doc Lindsey had to go ... again. I thought ... OMG. We're alone with Igor and docs which we don't know very well.

Why couldn't we have had one of the other umpteen nurses we DID like? They had been to our rooms. There was Jennifer, Sherri, Vicki, even Mercedes would have been better that Martha/Igor. Personally I was rooting for Sherri to come back cause she was funny and respected our wishes but it was not to be.

It wasn't long after noon, maybe 1pm, that Igor noticed (as did I) that Bella's heartbeat was dropping when Heather would have a contraction. Then it would spike way, way up. Heather looked like she wasn't even there anymore. I barely recognized her eyes. And Bella was struggling. Things were getting scary.

Igor went to get the "house doc". Basically what I thought here was that we were getting the lowest common denominator. Know what they call the guy that graduates at the bottom of his class in med-school? Doctor. I was SO sure we were getting THAT guy.

He showed up about the time I was thinking C-section. And he looked worried. Against our birth plan but with perfect presentation he calmly suggested that Heather try lying back and let us lift her legs so she could try pushing from that position.

So Igor took one leg and I took the other. The doc got into the catcher's stance and Heather pushed. Bella was WAY up in the birth canal when this push began. She just wouldn't come down. But as the doc checked after the next three pushes were over, she had come down all the way.

The entire atmosphere of the room suddenly changed.

It went from the depressing one of "we have to tell these folks they have to have a c-section" to "this baby is coming out NOW and the doc isn't ready".

It was quite a mood swing. You could tell another woman was entering the room right Bella? Ahem :) Had to kid you sweetheart.

So the head showed up .. whammo!

And the doc said, "Hold it right there for a minute". Pretty sure Heather was as surprised by those instructions as I was. Cause I was looking at my daughter's head while out of the corner of my eye, I could see the doc with his hand caught in his sleeve while the assistant nurse (Andrea) tried to put a glove on it.

It was right about then I was thinking I'd have to catch my daughter lest she hit the floor. Oh crap.

But Heather held on. And the doc got dressed just in time. He asked for another push. Heather had new reserves of strength since she knew her daughter was so, so close.

She pushed.

And Bella came out ALL at once. It was very fast. When her head cleared the rest of her came sliding out with no hesitation at all.

The doc held her out and put her directly on Heather's belly to let her warm. No warmers for us crazy natural birth folks. When the umbilical cord stopped pulsing I got to cut it.

And then Bella was with us. We ALL cried.

So when I look over like now and I see her hiccuping, while grandma Asher and Heather laugh, it makes me happy inside.

I'm glad my daughter is here. And I'm glad we're all safe back inside Castle Horton.

Yeah Bella that's your very own first sign in this world.

Us geeks don't go to even a birth without our tech. Though cell phones didn't work too hot in this particular room. Crudskie.

Josh and I got to shared this non-comfy couch and chair on which to sorta sleep Friday night after Bella arrived.

Bella in her first cradle ... yes it was totally not as cool as what Daddy made for you dear.

That's Jennifer, Bella and Heather going through a checkup for Bella on Saturday morning.

My two favorite chicks on the planet. The one with the longer hair is pretty much my hero and I kinda love her a lot.

My two dears asleep after all their hard work together.

A quiet little moment with me and my lovely daughter.

That brother of hers loves his little sister.

I love this picture.

I was really happy with how Bella caught the sunshine here. She's pretty than the sunshine though.

This is Doctor Hill. He's the guy who stepped in and saved our bacon.

Heather, Bella and Doc Lindsey. The doc is very cool! I like her a lot!

It's a bouncing baby Bella .. OR .. The Princess has landed ...

2009-09-11T18:21:00.002-05:00

I trust you dear follower-philes that you, in your benevolent readership, will overlook any grammatical errors and/or should I ramble off into parts unknown, I have faith in your patience with me.

I've had three hours (or less) of sleep. But I'm not complaining. Heather has had it far worse and I'm in no position to gripe. Heather is super-woman. Hear her roar.

If you were listening closely, perhaps with you ear turned toward St Peters, MO at around 2:15pm today - you may have heard her roar too.

Ok, I'll stop teasing it.

Bella is here. And Bella is good. So is Heather.

After what I thought was a sure fire trip to the Guinness Book of World Records for labor, Heather managed to overcome her exhaustion, her stress, and general pain to deliver Bella to us.

Bella is 7lbs 6oz and is 20 1/2 inches long. She's perfect of course. She immediately latched on and fed for 45 minutes too. See? Perfect. I mean how fast did YOU latch on right after YOU were born? Right. I rest my case. :)

Ok, we are all pooped. I promise more stuff later. We may be couped up in this hospital till Sunday. We're trying to get a pass on that but we may be stuck here. More to come.

But nothing's wrong. Everything and everybody is all right. First night with Bella is upcoming.

Could You Explain Programming Please - The Daily WTF

2009-09-09T12:08:00.002-05:00

Could You Explain Programming Please - The Daily WTF

Posted using ShareThis

Final touches on the cradle .. OR .. How much Wood could a Rob-chuck chuck?

2009-09-07T20:01:00.002-05:00

Well this three-day weekend has been a blur. That blur could be caused by the air being filled with sawdust; I'm not sure. However the cradle in it's entirety is finally completed.

I designed a frame to hold the cradle suspended so we could use the cradle either in the floor or hang it from the frame at night for rocky-rocky time. Plus I wanted a way to store the removable rocker base when it was not in use. And so this is the result and it's my first time really designing a piece of furniture. I'm pretty happy with how it came out.

Here are a few pics of it which I snapped about an hour ago or so. This frame is made from the same wood (pine) as the rest of the cradle. I wanted a design which was graceful but still strong. The arcs and curves in this do pretty well for gracefulness and for strength, well my son can hang from the crossbar. So I think from a functionality standpoint, it was a success.

There are lots of things I'd do differently if I did this again. When I look at this project I see tons of things I could do better. However, this was a great learning experience plus I got to make something that works well in our home and that is functional - always a big plus.

The wife got a little misty when she saw how it came out. She's happy with it. However it could have been a mild contraction - you never know!

Twas the night before the due date .. OR .. Sweatin with the Oldies

2009-09-06T17:27:00.008-05:00

Well here we are, the night before the due date. Josh was born on his due date. No serious warning signs, just bammo, time for baby. We're expecting this to go the same way.

People keep asking me, "Oh I bet you're so excited" .. "Aren't you nervous?". And I always smile and say "oh sure" or "nah not too nervous". I never know how to respond to those questions really. At times like these I sort of disconnect from extreme emotion.

You see, in situations like this I don't really become excited or nervous. Instead I become intent and focused. It doesn't take away from my enjoyment of the event or anything. Its not that I'm not fun to be around. And I think (for the most part) I seem the same to everyone else.

But on the inside I'm just very intense. Very focused. I'll stay this way until Bella is here. Until everybody heads back home from visiting with us. I won't really relax until I see it's "just us" again and we're all safe and sound. I suppose it's part of my protective instinct as a guy.

And I think that is (at least partially) why I relate to our German Shepherd so much. She and I see the world in much the same way I think. We're watchful, naturally aloof around new folks, but once you get to know us, we're loyal to the end no matter what.

So here we are. Waiting on the kiddo. Waiting is not my thing. With how I've explained that I feel on the inside, waiting makes me tired because I feel like I'm holding up a great weight.

So am I nervous? Am I dreading the sleepless nights? Do I dread the change of pace?

Um no.

I welcome all that actually. I'm looking forward to it all. Cause then, although sure it will change things and be more work, things will be normal again.

I like normal.

I'm weird that way.

Daddy make me a cradle .. OR .. How to lose a $200 bill in 10 Days

2009-09-04T13:46:00.013-05:00

Disclaimer: Yes I'm kidding about griping concerning the cost folks - don't hate-mail me :)

Okay yes I realize there is no such thing as a $200 bill. Old family joke there in that blog title. Enough about old family and jokes right? This here post is all about the cradle, my shop time, and you being forced to read about it all.

You will continue reading. You will think I'm funny. You will enjoy this post. Afterwards, as a reward, you may have many cookies.

And so we begin.

I've spent the last couple of weekends, pretty much full-time, working on a cradle for the new kiddo. And it's finally all done. I've included a few pics/comments of the process for you to peruse. Hope you enjoy it!

Here we have the entire set of cradle plans. I really only draw out the parts which concern me most and sort of work from that. The rest of a project is always built around a central piece, in woodworking. Everything else revolves around that for the dimensions. In this case, the cradle ends determined most everything else.

In this image you can see one of my most favorite tools. The crosscut sled I made for my tablesaw years ago. Very handy. It normally doubles as an additional layout table for me. Notice beneath the cradle-end you can see the cradle-sides peeking out. I forgot to take separate pics of those during construction.

The pattern is all laid-out here. Got a shot of my engineer square that my wifey bought for me. Everybody say "awwwww".

And BAM, cradle is all assembled. Yeah I'm really great at giving the step-by-step process yo.

More gratuitous shots.

Little shot of the cradle side panels after they had received the lighter stain. Later this didn't work out so well as I'd imagined and I had to rely on some craftsmanship to fix things.

Okay somehow I skipped all construction pics on the cradle rocker assembly too. This "play by play" thing is falling apart fast now. I hope the cradle stays together better than this post has so far :)

Another quickie shot of the cradle once the lighter staining was finished.

Here we have a shot of the shop in "work mode". If you look closely you can see a cradle and rocker-base in there. Also that workbench central to the photo, with the yellow extension cord hanging down to it. I built that two a couple of years ago. It's my workshop "baby". I really love having it.

Okay now we're staining things up a bit. At this point I was becoming encouraged that this sucker might actually turn out to be something. Cause hey, you never know how things are really going to go until the finish work is done. Tis truly true that the Devil is in the details.

Oops we fast-forwarded in time again. Okay, when you're staining and such you really REALLY can't run a camera too no matter how much you like your blogophiles.

Here is the final untouched image. If you scrolled through all the rest to see the finished product, shame on you. Scroll back up and read my post darn ya. I'll wait.

[whistles]
[taps foot]
[looks annoyed]
[plasters on smile]

Oh good you're back! Oh yeah, the image ...

Cause I'm all interested in "imagey" stuff and manipulating photos I tried this out on the cradle pic. Supposed to be a "portrait effect". I'm still on the fence about it.

And finally, just like the 4th of July we finish with a flurry of explosive eye-candy!

And done.

See there? Now you know how to build a cradle. Easy peezy lemon squeezy.

You have now read the entire post. You feel good about yourself. When I count to three, you will awaken, feeling refreshed, and you will want a cookie.

One ...
Two ...

Hey is that a bird over there? [shuffles away]

Drummer heart with geek talent

2009-09-02T20:48:00.004-05:00

Tonight I was going through some old memories. I came across these items. This is my old stick bag and accessories from my days as a "drummer". Ok I wasn't very good. As the post title implies I've always been a geek. However it didn't keep me from trying this out for a couple of years. And I only played in church. Hmmm, can I even claim I was a drummer I wonder? Well darn it I had big dreams back then kids.

Every weekend, I'd take the stage with the other members of our little band. And to me, it felt like a concert each time. I loved every minute of it. But as I said I wasn't very good. And it's hard to "break out the rock" in the middle of church too. Mostly I felt outta place, lol

But these old friends here brought back so many memories. The baseball gloves I wore because hey, my favorite drummer of all time wore baseball gloves. I met him. He signed a pair of my drumsticks. I had to have gloves like him right? And these gloves were awesome. Everytime I put them on I felt a link to a larger world. A world of music that somehow made a tiny difference in someone's day. It gave me a sense of identity.

Wow, I even had a can of sticky stuff called "Gator Grip" (which you can still smell on these gloves) that made them adhere to the sticks so I wouldn't drop them easily. My favorite drummer played hard. I needed to be like him in that way too (though I never played that hard, lol).

Its just funny how much this brings back to me. And I thought that I'd quickly write it down. This is something I miss and though I may never be "great" at it, I think I'll pick it back up again. I mean heck, I still have the sticks. Now to see if they still make Gator Grip. Plus I can still do my dual stick spin.

Decisions, decisions

2009-09-01T21:48:00.002-05:00

Sometimes methinks I think too much. And often I get too busy. I don't like being overly busy. At times like those I need to decide what is a priority and what is not. Who and what I have room for and who and what I don't. It's a tough thing thinking about it all. And I think, as I said, I think too much. Confusing right?

Grilled Cheese Pizza Style .. OR .. Too good to be this easy

2009-08-29T19:41:00.003-05:00

Okay someone else out there has probably done this recipe before but I just threw this together in the kitchen and wanted to jot it down. It was a big hit, even with my picky eater, Thing One.

Grilled Cheese - Pizza Style
2 - slices mozzarella
2 - Tbsp pizza sauce
12 (or so) pepperoni slices (we like turkey pepperoni)
2 - slices of bread
pinch of garlic powder
pinch of pizza seasoning (optional)

My method:
First I preheated the pepperoni in the microwave to make sure they flattened out nicely. Just makes for an easier build in my mind. But I suppose this step is optional.

Heat up your cast iron griddle (for cast iron is the bestest thing on which to cook, imo). Melt about 1 Tbsp of butter on the griddle. Apply some butter to your bread and place on griddle. Put the sauce onto the bread and sprinkle on the garlic and pizza seasoning (if you opted for that).

So then the build goes thusly: bread/sauce/cheese/pepperoni/cheese/pepperoni/sauce/bread.

Continue grilling the sandwich just like you would a regular grilled cheese. This is good stuff and very quick snack for the win. :)

Thing One liked this so much he actually STOPPED PLAYING VIDEO GAMES to sit down and eat. That's the only review I needed to let me know this is a keeper!

Workbench Day Bed .. OR .. Where Does your baby sleep when you're a slacker?

2009-08-24T12:36:00.008-05:00

Ok, ok I hear you clamouring at my virtual door for a tidbit of blogging morsels by which you may find sustenance for your hungry minds. Yeah I know, right? Inflated ego much, Rob?

While nobody truly bugs me (but me) about not blogging for awhile, if I do skip ~~a whole freaking week~~ a few days, I find my brain gets all itchy. The only good scratching that can be done is a bit of writing. So today you all get a two-fer. Baby updates and woodshop rambling. What else is new right?

Baby updates
In an effort to share what is likely far too much information about my wife's nether regions, I'd like to say the doc has reported she is dilated to a good solid 3cm. From what my man brain understands, this means that I am 3cm closer to not being able to sleep late on Sundays anymore. I also grasp that far sooner than I'd like to; I will have to consider the purchase of another car for a sweet sixteen birthday party and hopefully LONG after that I get to pay for a wedding. But its all that much closer.

There is a lot that fits in 3cm folks, believe me.

Thing Two is coming along nicely. Previously on Baywatch (no pun intended there) we said that Bella is in the "go" postion. That hasn't changed, which is good. Additionally there is a new development. Apparently, without the influence of hip-hop music in our home, she has begun an early career in breakdancing.

Ever seen the moves where the dancer just does a headstand and then flails their legs in all sorts of interesting directions? Yeah tis been like that very muchly. I can see these moves from across the room folks. Its horror movie entertaining.

I even had a dream the other night about it. The kind where the kid was pressing against Heather's skin all Alien-like, where you can see the kid's features, and things were stretching way out of proportion. (Sorry dear hadn't told you about that one yet, it just came back to me as I was writing). Fun dream though. Yikes. Ahem.

Moving on.

So we are two weeks out. If this were a Space Shuttle launch, and it may feel like it, this is the part where they are slowly moving the Shuttle down the huge track to position it "just so" before launching. Sounds familiar, no?

All kidding aside things are going swimminlgly. Even the heat this year has coorperated. This is so much different than the last pregnancy. We are constantly talking about it. And its funny that I mentioned those differences cause that's the very next thing I wanted to talk about.

Technology is different that n 13 years ago for sure. To go along with that point, let me hit you all with this idea.

I'm considering live-streaming this birth online.

I dropped that little bomb on Heather this weekend.

See I figure we have this webcam. We have long-distance friends. Why not let them attend the birth, as it were? Tremendous idea, no?

Heather was a little suprised but open to it.

I think my wife's main concern was whether I was planning on letting them attend the birth or the birth CANAL. Sheesh, she just doesn't give me due credit sometimes :) I was thinking something over the shoulder and lighthearted, not all National Geographic.

Anyway, I'm still toying with that idea. The tech to do this didn't even exist when Thing One was born. And this is our last hoorah for baby launching. I kinda want to geek it out a bit while still doing my duties as birth partner. But for sure I will be twittering and facebooking as it goes ... at least those ... with mobile uploads from the phone.

I am thankful for a wife that puts up with my geekiness. I'm also careful to truly not cross any lines. I mean at least I didn't want to live-stream the conception right? So see, I have good boundaries. Ahem.

So moving on from the birthing here is a blurb about the cradle.

Woodshop updates
I'm waaaay behind. I procrastinate. Big time.

Sometimes I even put off procrastinating until it becomes an emergency. Then I wait awhile even so, evaluating it to see how serious things really are. See what I mean? You all are probably always on time and under budget. I however struggle with it.

The cradle is coming along well though.

Primarily becuase I'm now motivated by the fear my daughter will have no place to sleep other than my workbench. But Bella its comfy and sturdy hon. Everything you'd want in a bed. I'm sure it'll be fine. No? Prissy little girls, sheesh. She's already making demands on uber-cuteness and she's not even out of the oven yet. Plus nobody is pinking up my workbench. It's mine and I don't share the shop area. But I kid (seriously no pink in the shop though - unless it's watered down blood from a self-inflicted chisel wound).

But back to the cradle.

I should birth the cradle sometime this week.

Birth the cradle is what I meant too. See us creative-type dads suffer labor in our own way. Oh sure everybody wows and ooo's about the pregnancy. But you try shoving 10 board feet of lumber down the birth canal of your brain and make it meet with everyone's approval, both now and in future years. Uh huh. I think I've made my point. And again I kid.

The day is nearly upon us. And so is the spit up.

So the final checklist goes (partially) like this:

one kid percolating, check
one mom, check
one dad, check
one brother, check
room ready, check
supplies bought, check
time off of work arranged, check
hospital toured, check
cradle ready, the check's in the mail (ha-yuck a yuck yuck)

See what I mean with the procrastnating. I should rename this blog right?

... The Chronicles of Slackia
... The Neverending Slacker
... The Lord of the Waits
... Sloth Wars Episode 6, Return of the Slow Guy

Or perhaps I should just finish my lunch hour, then my day, go home and be busy on the cradle?

The Visitation .. OR .. Friends for a Snack

2009-08-17T20:30:00.002-05:00

A rare thing happened here at Castle Horton over the weekend. We got to receive some company at our home. Lord and Lady Herm and their young Prince came out for a visit. And they came bearing gifts for our soon to be born Bella. It was good to see all of them. Mr. Herm and Company didn't get to stay very long but we had a great time visiting and just hanging out in the yard.

Also Fred was willing to work with Storm a bit with me and I very much appreciated that. She isn't the best in the world with visitors, taking awhile to warm up to folks, since we live out in the boonies. So every time we get a chance we ~~try and talk people into becoming human sacrifices~~, ahem, help us socialize our dog. I suppose some folks wouldn't get this or have much patience with it. But Fred came outside with me to ~~offer himself up as a snack~~ meet the puppy.

Things went really well.

Fred may not have thought so when Storm barked at him for awhile. But if only he could have seen how she used to be with folks. Saturday was a huge improvement. Fred and family joined us all in the ~~shepherd containment facility~~ front yard, and we got to watch Fred's son run around while Storm trotted alongside him. Storm saw them all as buddies before the Herms had to leave.

So it was a good visit for sure!

Thanks for coming out Mr Fred. It was good to see you and the fam! Thanks for having patience with us and our dog and thanks again for the cool stuff for Bella! You guys are always welcomed out this way!

Final Baby Pics .. OR .. The Last Tempation of Isabella

2009-08-16T20:30:00.005-05:00

On Friday we went in for the last major ultrasound that Heather will have before the baby makes her way down the birth canal and out into the world of taxes, politics, overtime, and debt. Isabella honey, I'll try for as long as I may to tell you only of bunnies, daisies, hugs, and making silly faces.

I got to meet the lady who'd been doing the ultrasounds for some time. I have to say I wish I'd made it to more of them. Karen is really cool. She made the process fun. Honestly from what I remember, back when Josh was being bombarded with sound waves, seeing an ultrasound wasn't all that exciting. The tech we had back then sucked. But good ol Karen had been at this for 29 years ... not Bella's ultrasound only you understand, that number represents the accumulated experience of Karen.

Ok, enough about Karen right? She was cool. She makes this fun. And if you need scanned go see her. Moving on.

I entitled my post as I did because Bella has forever been camera shy. The techs have never gotten a spot on good picture of her yet really. She's always dodging. I choose to believe that because she's beautiful enough to stun us all, she also is in possession of such grace as to have the compassion to spare us the shock of wondering how we will deal with such an angel. That's daddy's story.

So no more good pics of the kids. She is in the "go" position though. That's good news. This girl is ready for launch. Also she is perfectly average in size and weight. More good news.

The little room we were in was very nice too. They dimmed the lights to see the computer screen better, always a plus for me, and it was just pleasant. Josh was sitting there, we were laughing and talking. Karen got Bella's heartbeat up on the monitor after she had made some other measurements. She cranked up the volume. I'd heard Bella's heart before.

But this time it was different.

Maybe I'm old. Maybe it's because the birth is only 3 weeks out. But I just got to thinking about that little heart.

I thought of many of the good things she'll see and many of the bad. I thought how that little heart which is beating now will at times beat for a little girl who will learn from me. Who will depend on me. At times she won't understand me or me her. We'll have ups and we'll have downs. I will protect her at all costs. Provide for her. Try to teach her as best I know how.

I thought of so many things which that (now tiny) heart will beat through.

And suddenly just like that, it all became real to me. A bond formed.

You might think I'm late to the party here. That my bond should have formed the moment I learned Heather was pregnant. And in a way it did. I loved Bella from that moment too. But on Friday things became more "solidified".

It's perhaps hard to convey. I think everyone has that moment wherein the concept/knowledge of having a child, which you love, becomes the realization of their life. Of their future. Hope for them is born. Plans are birthed before the physical birth even happens. You begin to truly dream for them. Expectations for their life arise. You begin to wonder what they will become someday, what interests they will have.

It all becomes real. All of that and more hit me in a moment.

And in closing, yes the room got a little blurry as I began to be thankful for the bond I now knew was there.

T-minus three weeks and counting.

Custom Geek Baby ... OR .. Early Parenting, How to Geek Out Your Kid Right Outta "The Gate"

2009-08-10T13:41:00.009-05:00

The other day I was browsing through geek t-shirts, a favorite pastime of mine (Mr. Excitement, that's me). While hitting up some of ~~the only sites I knew~~ my favorite ones, I saw that many of them had baby clothes too. With the advent of Thing Two creating a horizon out of Mamma Horton's belly, I knew I just had to get something for the baby that was uniquely "from Dad". Needless to say I was all geeked out and excited.

I began my browsing. Some were good. Some were not. None of them struck me as "you have to have them" funny. I began to lose hope.

Then like the Grinch, when he realized what he must do in order to save Whooville's Christmas .. okay poor example but it's all I had to represent "inspiration" at this point ... an idea occured to me.

I designed my own phrase instead.
Then by crackey I found me a site to package it and slap it on a onesie for me.

Below is the product of my labor which is nothing compared to the impending labor ahead. I also wish the "other" labor was only gonna cost $15 but a guy can't have his onesie and cheap birthing costs too.

Enjoy.

And look closely for the geeky irony.

On a final note ... why can't we wear clothes like this as adults? I ask you. Seriously.

How freaking convenient is this design? I mean c'mon. You could dress it up by attaching simple legs, perhaps something business casual, right? Slap a clip-on tie for a job interview or wedding here and there. And if you're feeling saucy perhaps throw on a kicky beret for those evenings out at Applebee's with the family.

[toddles off to find the patent office]

Talkin' buddies ... OR ... I need somebody with skin on

2009-08-09T17:23:00.002-05:00

I'm not precisely sure where I'm going with this post folks but lets just jump right in anyway, shall we?

So. Have you heard this one?

The story is told of a little boy who was frightened by thunderstorms. The boy called out one dark night, “Daddy, come, I’m scared.” “Son,” the father said, “God loves you and he’ll take care of you.” “I know he loves me,” the boy replied, “but right now I need somebody with skin on.”

The point to this story, for me, has always been that we all need somebody "with skin on" to talk to from time to time. Its is vital to have faith in something larger than yourself. I'm a big fan of the whole God of the Bible thing. I've tossed my hat in that ring and there it shall stay.

But I'm not here to talk about faith really. Cause honestly I don't like to argue about it. Here on the innerwebz it seems to get peoples knickers in a twist.

So over the course of this little Christian's life, although prayer is important, I have learned it is vital to have people to talk with when you get "down". Somebody just to listen and not judge you. Somebody to offer advice if you ask for it. Someone to be a sounding board when you don't. Often the best thing a friend can say to me is either nothing at all and just nod, or toss in the occasional "hmmm" or "uh huh".

I don't know many folks willing to do that honestly.

I'm thankful for the few I have in my life that are that way though (and you know who you are). Over the years I've met a lot of "pretend friends". They start off all great but eventually everyone shows their true colors. It's only a matter of time. The honeymoon as they only lasts for so long.

If that has happened to anybody out there reading this, either at work or in your personal friendships; take this bit of advice. Don't hold it against them. Don't get bitter. Just move on. It's sometimes the best thing to do. And always better than arguing.

Again I'm so thankful for the folks out there in my life who have stuck it out with me, in all my weirdness. And I apologize to you faithful readers for an overly serious post. It's been an awkward weekend in my head.

To satiate your appetite for humor I submit to you these older posts which have garnered a giggle or two ... enjoy:

Time to switch to decaf

On the Seventh Day: Genesis of a Sandwich

Dear Mr Handprint Restroom Guy

Thighs Wide Shut - A Vasectomy Story

Father-son talks .. OR .. One fish, two fish the new one's a pink fish

2009-08-03T15:26:00.002-05:00

There are 35 days or so to go before the genital scales of our home are balanced at Castle Horton.

My wife has sat alone on her side of the scales for 13+ years, enduring the task of being the only female in the house. I’m sure she’s glad she’ll no longer have to listen to my lame excuses that some of our pets are female so that technically “counts” as girl-company.

From my dad-point-of-view this new girl (Thing 2) coming along brings a new set of challenges to the realm of Daddom (new word right, there … THAT just happened, trademarked, copyrighted, I called it, my germs, no take backs, etc).

Ahem.

Some of those challenges are already occurring. Thing 1 has some concerns about not being the only child anymore, not to mention that Thing 2 is a girl, bringing with her parade of things that aren’t manly.

I see where he’s coming from, I really do. And he and I have been talking about it. We’ve been having lots of discussions. From mustache care, to protecting the peas, to driving, to moving, to .. just him getting older. All that stuff. Like any young man, he has some concerns and worries.

There IS a side benefit to worry.

Particularly if you live in an open-communication household as we do. See in our house, you get to talk about it all and everyone’s opinion is valid. Sure you might still get some ribbing and you might get to give some ribbing but I listen to Thing 2’s opinion with equal weight as my wife’s.

Shocker? Well it’s my approach and it’s working out great so far.

A recent conversation of mine and Thing 1’s went just like this …

Me: So with Isabella coming along, I wanted your advice on something. Do you mind?
Thing 1: Nope (but he looks apprehensive as though this might somehow cost him video game time).
Me: Well what I was wondering was this. When you think back about it, are there things that you think me and mom were too strict on with you, or areas in which we need to lighten up when it comes Isabellas’s turn?
Thing 1: [he pauses for thought and just for that alone I’m proud] I think you should get her out to see as many people as possible by the time she’s 2 years old. You should have done that with me. It’s why I’m so shy.

Well don’t ask if you don’t want an answer right?

I have to say, he’s totally dead-on-balls-accurate with his assessment of the situation. And I dig that kind of directness. I respect that. Oddly enough, Heather and I had been talking about that very thing, socialization, when she and I took our trip to Iowa. We had some alone time to talk then and that had come up.

So I really dug his advice. Told him so.

And we are going to put that into play. It was a brilliant call on his part to recognize that. Of all the things, both mature and immature that he could have said, I’m so glad he chose that one.

Thing 1 is a very bright lad. He’s typical in a lot of ways and not so typical in others. I’m sure some folks would look down their noses at us on the “not so typical” things. I won’t get into all of what that means here. That’s for another post.

But lately as it comes closer to baby-time, he and I are having more and more of these types of conversations. I asked him also over the weekend, if I could come to him from time to time to get another guys’ perspective on things. He solemnly nodded and said “I totally understand; that makes perfect sense to do that”.

I love that guy. He’s getting cooler every day.

I had this thought earlier this morning too. As he’s hitting puberty square in the face .. or rather as it hits him square in the hormones .. we’ll be going through the 2 year old phase with Thing 2. This should be quite a ride. But I view it differently than some may. I view it as a time to strengthen the foundations of our relationship as we work through stuff.

If you’re out there laughing about that last part, then clearly you don’t know how tenacious I can be about making sure things are ok in a relationship.

Thing 1 is growing up fast. He’s becoming more and more help around the house. It’s gonna be just me and him as the men of the house. Soon he’ll be even more help on yardwork, lifting things, etc – and he’s taking an interest in it. I’m glad we didn’t force that stuff down his throat. He’s coming along at his own pace and as I write this I get a little misty thinking about it.

But more importantly than the physical help over these next years, I’m going to have just another dude to talk to from time to time. These are the years coming up for which I’ve been in extreme anticipation.

I’m excited. :)

A Friend in Need

2009-08-02T20:16:00.003-05:00

I received a message earlier today from a person in my blog-guild to which I belong. I don't personally know either the blogger who notified me of this or the lady who is in need of help. But I don't have to. Getting the word out about her situation is the right thing to do. Your thoughts and prayers are appreciated for her.

And now, I'll let Michelle's words speak for themselves ...

Fellow bloggers,

I have a neighbor who is fighting for her life after delivering triplets 3 weeks ago. (And things are not looking good). I wrote about it here and here. If any of you are so inclined, we would very much appreciate you posting this information on your blogs, as well. We also have a Facebook page here.

Obviously, it is our hope that word about Debbie Goff and her triplets will "go viral." Please accept my thanks for any help you can give toward that end!

!Feliz Verano!

2009-07-27T12:29:00.002-05:00

Today, I have felt the first draw of the holiday season. The scales of the year have now tipped in Winter’s favor. Summer though still strong, knows it’s time is short. It remembers the cooling breath of Fall which is the inhale of Winter that, as it passes over the vibrant grass reminds Nature that it is time to soon sleep. That single drawn breath represents Nature’s one chance to order its house before the shivering, long exhale that is Winter’s bite.

Today, perhaps Winter turned in its slumber, snorting and stretching letting the other seasons know that though distant, colder weather and the holidays brought with them should not be forgotten.

As that distant rumble happened today, I felt as though I'd heard the faint echoes of its groan.

I also groaned.

My woodshop is in disrepair.

It currently represents a project in and of itself which must be done before other projects begin. This Santa’s little helper has a cradle to make for our new arrival, gifts to make for distant friends, and perhaps even some furniture to make for the home here. The latter will have to depend on how far we can stretch our budget; however we are in need of some storage/organizational items around the house.

The list for us parents is never done.

The list for parents that are handy, or crafty if you prefer, is usually far longer.

If one catches themselves thinking of completing said list, well it is to laugh. Projects, when you have a skill that is “not the norm” like woodworking – are never ever done. But that is no bad thing and not to be taken as complaining. Far from it. It is a blessing to give and even, to be needed.

When one is crafty or the creative sort, one is always thinking of something new to build, listening to your friends talk so you can secretly add a project to your list of things to give them someday. Some gifts never happen, or lag behind, but it’s not for lack of there being room for desire to create them ... rather life doesn’t always allow intent to become reality.

Therein lays the only regret of being someone who likes to give. There is never enough time to empty one’s heart of its filling of feelings.

And so, in closing, the season of giving has begun. For my part, let the thrum of the table saw be heard, let the whisper of a finely tuned plane making shavings be a salve to my busy, itchy mind.

Slow quiet reflection and a piece of my soul go into each thing I make.

That is the secret ingredient to every project we crafty-types create and the reason things given bring a smile to a loved-one’s face when they see them.

Happy holidays (a little early).

Cool way to check on the munchkin ...

2009-07-23T13:02:00.010-05:00

I found this little diddy on the innerwebz and thought it was cool! Sure I had to impersonate my wife over at the social networking site Bellyhood.com but since they excluded guys, I was ok with that.

What? Dads can't be allowed to log in, download a widget for their blog? P'shaw I say! And so here is the little widget for our little gidget.

I bet when you first saw this, knowing me for the geek I am, that you all thought I'd hooked up a sonogram machine (purchased from Ebay for cheap) to our wireless network at home, then strapped the contraption to my wife .. JUST so I could add this feed to my blog .. now would *I* do that? Although ... hey! Come back here honey, this'll just take a minute!

A Review of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

2009-07-21T12:56:00.003-05:00

With this review, let me point out that I’m not a Harry Potter expert here. Some folks reading this will know as much about this book/movie as I do Star Wars and Lord of the Rings. So rather than compare and contrast the book vs. movie, I’m gonna play it safe a bit by just writing from the perspective of a movie-goer.

First off, as movies go, all of the Harry Potter movies have done several things which are very rare indeed.

They have gotten progressively better.
The young actors who play Harry, Hermione and Ron have gotten nothing but better as they’ve grown up in front of us.
The cast in its entirety has stayed the same minus the loss of Richard Harris who played Dumbledore in the first two films.

When I saw this movie last Friday, it was in a packed theater. In our small town this series is a bigger deal than I would have expected. But as part of the movie experience I first have to say we had a good crowd that night.

The movie-crowd can really affect the enjoyment of the movie playing, for me. And for Half Blood Prince, it was one of those times in a theater where you nearly felt like you were sitting in a large living room, catching the show with some friends. Good times. So the crowd really helped set this up to be fun.

Speaking of fun ... for the first time in the Harry Potter films, I can say that I laughed a LOT in this movie. And quite hard. Since the characters are older now there is much ado about love interests and that awkward time of being a teenager, learning and misreading the signals of the opposite sex, and determining who likes who. There is a lot of that in this movie. They keep it all at a kid-friendly level. But it’s so funny! You could nearly feel the heads nodding in agreement, the folks elbowing one another at the humor of ‘first love’.

Also, I’ve heard actual movie critics say that Michael Gambon as Dumbledore really steals the show, portraying a more tender-hearted, caring Dumbledore, much more akin to the character which Richard Harris brought to life. And I tend to agree.

Dumbledore and Harry’s relationship really does take on the representation of Commander and Right-Hand-Man rather than teacher and student. Harry has grown up more and so has Dumbledore’s respect for him. You can see Dumbledore letting him more and more into his inner circle. Though you also can tell there is a bittersweet part to that as well. Dumbledore cares for Harry much like a father would and it really comes out that he is protective of him. But there is still a greater mission and goal to be fulfilled. Dumbledore knows that and so must ask “too much” of Harry once again.

Between that relationship and the comedy of first loves, the film really takes you on a ride of emotion. Something I didn’t really get from the others as much as this one. Additionally you have all the standard stuff we've come to expect from the films, strange places, the differences between wizard folk and the Muggles, the great day-to-day school life that is always so well done, etc.

In addition to this emotional realism, the “world” in which we view Harry and his friends seems more solid than ever before. Everything seems more fleshed out. These fantastic places seem as though they might well exist at times. It’s a beautiful movie from the standpoint of just appearance alone.

In regards to pure special effects, which can really kill an otherwise great film, these movies have gotten better with that over time too. And this one represents the new pinnacle. I expect that when this series began the budgets were less and the tech was less-advanced. But like the actors, the budget and tech has obviously grown up through the years. The special effects are spot on.

I highly recommend this movie. Even if you’re not a fan of the books or not a big reader, you can watch all these films and really enjoy them. They are a great ride!

And this one is certainly sitting atop them all in my opinion.

Footnote: With this particular movie review I have to out myself as not having been on the Harry Potter super-happy-fun train for very long. Um, maybe two months or so ? Now, before my fellow book-friends tar and feather me, let me just say I love the Harry Potter books. I was just late to the party. So I ended up reading the books all together and when you think about it you long-time-fans – don’t you wish you could have had that experience with your first time through them? See, you had to wait on the next book but not moi! And that's how I sleep at night - by turning my procrastination of epic proportions into other folks shortcomings :)

PSA: Great Movie Review site "Max On Movies"

2009-07-18T17:44:00.006-05:00

I listen to Max Foizey *nearly* every Saturday whilst I mow the lawn. I say "nearly" cause hey sometimes life just gets in the way, preventing me from getting my movie review fix.

But listening to Max's show is a great way to make any mundane task, like lawn mowing, WAY more enjoyable! If you're not a local St. Louis listener and can't tune in to 97.1 FM talk, you can stream the show over the internet.

Max does a great job reviewing movies, interviewing folks from the industry, and puts on a very funny, family friendly show. His movie reviews are always spot-on, plus he's able to see both sides of a differing opinion on movie-talks. I think that last part is what keeps me listening to him. He's a movie critic for the regular folks.

Check it all out at:

Max On Movies

One Night Inn Baymont OR The Hills Are Alive with the Sound of Hortons

2009-07-14T20:13:00.007-05:00

So this past weekend I got to spend some time with my lovely wife; just me and her. After 14 years of marriage we spent our first night away from our son Josh.

More on that in a moment.

Heather had a class reunion of sorts, in Iowa, to attend ~~and dragged me along~~ and kindly asked me if I would go with her saying we needed to ~~get our freak on in a major way during our night away~~ spend some quality time together. I happily agreed being the adorable husband that I am.

As stated, Iowa is where we were headed. This is a 5 ½ hour trip, 6 ½ hours (or more) with a pregnant woman. I made the trip in 5 hours flat. Hey we had “plans” right? [waggles eyebrows]

So we arrived at the Baymont Hotel. Very nice place we found online. We are not exactly globetrotters we Hortons, preferring mainly to stay in our hollow with our cats, our weapons, our food stores, and our giant, human-consuming-canine.

So seeing as how we found a deal on a really nice hotel, we were quite proud.

So after we arrived at the hotel we scouted the place for amenities cause everything is always different in real life than it sounds when you read about it online. The place was nice though. Very good rooms, free high-speed internet, the works. And no I’m not tossing out the innuendos here but omg the beds were amazing .. I told Heather I wanted to take one of them home. Super comfy beds. Baymont, my well-rested backside salutes your choice in sleep furnishings!

So after we unpacked, we didn’t immediately get ready to leave the room again, we didn’t watch TV, we didn’t do crossword puzzles, we didn’t catch up on the news or anything of that nature. Ahem, THERE was your innuendo.

Soon however it was time for the other festivities and we did get ready and left for the restaurant. It was just a short drive from the hotel. And it was Mexican food, which is all I knew we were having. I was very much looking forward to some traditional Mexican vittles. Just the names, the sounds of the words made me hungry.

So we pulled up to a little place called Carlos O’Kelly’s??!?! HUH?

I immediately nearly fell down laughing in the parking lot. Making all kinds of jokes about “they’re always after me lucky burrito” whilst at the same time likely causing my bride to wonder at how the evening was really going to go. I mean here I am, her trophy husband, and I’ve essentially collapsed into hysterics upon seeing the sign of the restaurant. She had to be nervous.

I pulled it together though. Until we reached the gigantic entry doors which were painted shamrock green .. laughing I turned to Heather and said, “if the servers in here are wee folk, you’re on your own, I’ll wait in the truck”. You don’t get a husband much ~~more quirky~~ more understanding and supportive than me.

So we get in there, do the meet-n-greet. Friends and neighbors, I’m not very good with strangers. Don’t expect me to hold the conversation together k? I’m THAT guy. I can talk and be cordial, no problems there but I’m not the go-to-guy when you’re looking for someone keep things rolling.

So I was nervous. Always am in a situation where I don’t know anybody. How very unmanly of me you say? Bite me I retort.

Without dragging you through the entire evening, let me just say it went quite well. I found, as I always do, someone where I can attach my sense of humor to theirs and relate to them. So I had a good time. Was it the most awesome of all times to be had or that I’d ever had? Um, heck no. But you do things for your spouse that you normally would not do for most others. That’s part of marriage. The important part to me was that my wife got the support she needed so she wouldn’t be there alone, that she got to reminisce with old friends, reconnect and generally have a great evening.

And she did. So I did good – and that folks is what being a husband is all about. Learn it, live it, love it.

So our evening ended, we said our goodbyes .. I nearly left our new camera behind but someone there saved me from being a total dork and pointed it out to me. (Thanks Shawn).

On our short drive back to the hotel we stopped to pick up Tylenol. I had a stress headache from “keeping up the shields” for 3 hours or so. Maybe that sounds odd to you all but its how I am. I’m very watchful. And a sustained effort at social interaction of which I’m not accustomed takes its toll. I’m a nerd what can I say?

We decided we cap off our frivolity by taking in one of those new fangled moving pictures you hear so much about these days. “The Proposal” was playing. So we zipped in to the parking lot, hopped out of the truck and I promptly locked my keys in it.

Sigh.

Movie plans cancelled.

Now we had to contact a towing service to come rescue me, The Duke of Dorkshire.

About 40 mins later, what appeared to be a tiny, under-aged driver shows up. Fantastic. I was to be rescued by someone who made Doogie Howser look like Moses. I’m getting old. After about 5-10 minutes Tom Thumb jimmies the lock on my truck ~~and forces me to pay~~ politely ~~robs me~~ charges me $53 for the indignity of having a school-boy rescue my old arse. Good times. When can we get together again Tiny Tim?

So by now it’s getting late. We skipped the movie having no real desire to spend even more money at this point. Besides, I had my laptop back in our room and we could stream movies from Netflix for free. Back to the hotel it was for us then.

So we stayed up talking, eating some late-night (overpriced) pizza, and talking. Soon it was time to turn in. And there was an odd feeling to that. It was, as stated, our first night away from Josh. We called him on our webcam to talk for a bit. And that made things easier. But it still wasn’t the same.

It’s weird being away from your kid for the first time. Possibly harder when they are older and it’s the first time. We are rarely apart.

Yeah laugh if you like, about this being our first night apart, but we’re sort of that way about family. We do everything as a group and rarely do we part ways. Some may view that as unhealthy or whatnot but it’s worked out very well for us.

We’re an “I love you” kind of family. Often we reinforce it by saying “I love you” even when someone is just leaving the room. Not all the time mind you but it’s not uncommon. Reminding folks around you that you love them isn’t a bad thing after all.

So I have to admit it was odd to be going to bed without two cats, a dog and a 13 year old son about the house, making racket. The normal bedtime noises were gone. The beds were super-comfy though and it was good to know, having talked to Josh and saw his face that things were ok. It’s not like we sat there and wrung our hands with worry.

So all in all, it was a good time. We had fun. It was great to have some adults-only time. Talk about everything on a 5 hour drive (each way). We got to stop to do some shopping on the way home for Thing Two even.

So. Good trip.

A good time was had by all.

Successful mission, family.

Next time though, we won’t wait so long to try this.

Top 15 Star Wars Quotes That Are Funny In the Bathoom

2009-07-13T12:37:00.005-05:00

Being the diligent nerd I am, I compiled this list this morning. I had this idea on the way to work and it made me chuckle. So I began thinking up quotes. I also searched for a list like this on the innerwebz but I couldn't find one. So here they are.

The Top 15 Star Wars Quotes That Are Funny in the Bathroom

15. "The Force is strong with this one."
14. "No reward is worth this."
13. "I sense something; a presence I've not felt since..."
12. Gold Five: Stay on target! Gold Leader: [shouts] Loosen up!
11. "Boy, it's lucky you have these compartments."
10. "Escape is not his plan. I must face him. Alone."
09. "This little one's not worth the effort."
08. "They're coming in! Three marks at 2-10!"
07. "Sorry about the mess!"
06. "Red Six: I got a problem here. Biggs: Eject! Red Six: I can hold it."
05. "Well looks like you've got something jammed in here pretty good."
04. "What an incredible smell you've discovered!"
03. "He can go about his business."
02. "I have a very bad feeling about this."

And finally, the quote I thought of this morning. The one that made me laugh cause although it's #1 it's really about #2 ...

01. Yoda (grunting) "There. Is. Another!"

And here are some more that didn't make the cut but are still pretty good :) Enjoy!

"Continue with the operation. You may fire when ready."
"I don't think the Empire had Wookies in mind when they designed her Chewie."
"They're coming in too fast!"
"Open the blast doors! Open the blast doors!"
"She may not look like much but she's got it where it counts kid."
"One thing's for sure, we're all gonna be a lot thinner. "
"It's not as clumsy or random as a blaster."

Baby update: 8 weeks to go

2009-07-07T20:05:00.002-05:00

Heather has given me permission to blog in full disclosure about our experiences through the rest of this pregnancy. I’m pretty excited!

I mean who can't turn down built in blog-content right? :)

In the interest of full disclosure, I have to say that I honestly got this idea from another dad-blog that I follow called Pacing the Panic Room. It’s a great read and the guy who writes over there is really funny. And I suppose that’s part of what blogging is all about. The writing done sometimes inspired others to get more creative.

Well here I are. Being creative. And don’t worry fearless readers. I will put my own brand of warped-lens-outlook on this baby stuff as I do ~~all other~~ most other things.

Currently as I sit here in my recliner, wondering why a certain friend of mine is ignoring me on chat – had to give you crap Jenn – I’m listening to my son sitting in the dining room, playing his games and practicing his belching.

Yeah it’s a good to be a guy.

And it’s good to be a Dad again.

And it’s good to be helping with another pregnancy though I don’t feel as involved in this one – which is my fault – as I think I should be. Blogging about it here will not only get me thinking about everything but it will be a good record of how things went when we look back on this. I even have permissions to take belly pictures! Whoo hoo!

This week marks Heather’s 32nd week, so 8 weeks to go, more or less. Things are good.

Early on in the pregnancy Heather was really very sick for a good long while. The morning sickness was killer. But that is a distant memory it seems – though I’m sure she doesn’t feel that way about it.

Heather is doing really well other than the general tiredness that goes with having your body stretched out of shape in preparation for another human being to be pulled from one’s nether regions. She’s currently sitting here on the couch eating an ice-cream – when I read her that last part – she laughed. She has the cutest laugh and I love her so much!

Everybody say “awwww”, right?

So next Wednesday Heather starts on her weekly visits to the doc. Well the visits could be 10 days apart but who’s counting right? Anyway as it gets closer to “the time” the doc just wants to watch things closer since this pregnancy is a single-artery umbilical-cord set up instead of the “normal” two artery kind. It’s not a huge deal; folks have healthy kids in this kind of situation all the time. The only bummer about it is that it kind of knocked us out of being able to do a home-birth as we'd planned.

But we’re not concerned about the single artery thing.

And I can say that in all honesty because I’ve met our doc. Dr Lindsey. She’s very cool and won me over on the first (and only) visit I’ve gotten to attend. Doc L is laid back but I can tell she takes this all very very seriously. She put me immediately at ease and that’s no small order with this nerd.

So Isabella is percolating nicely. She’s kicking and moving lots, though she has somehow still avoided me being able to feel it.

Things are well. And we are making lists, checking them twice – all that jazz. The "what we need lists" are beginning to tug at our minds, prompting us to some serious planning. Also, we have painting and stuff to do in the nursery still. Plus, I get to make the cradle in my woodshop. That will be my first major project to design. There is much to do.

So there will be pics of all this thrown up on the blog under a new label.

Isabella.

We’re waiting on you sweetheart. Get your restin done in there kiddo cause there is a whole life full of experiences we want to share with you.

P.S - Sorry about the jump-aroundy-ness of this post. I'll get more organized for the next one I promise and we'll have belly pics too!

Some quick writing ...

2009-07-06T10:25:00.001-05:00

Repeat Performance

The antics of the clown, bring the crowd joy
create feelings to entertain and forget their hurts.

The storm of intentional mistakes made for all
rains happy moments on the worried souls.

Each stumble of the clown, creates a giggle
jars away all else save the spectacle of silliness.

Slices of dignity are peeled away, offered for approval
traded to see others guffawing, wiping away laughing tears.

For hours the music of humor plays on, for an orchestra of applause
hitting each practiced note for seats full of critical composers.

Finally the waiting night, descends when the lights go down
rushing in to make up for the time lost while humor held sway.

Throngs of people, rush to leave, flee back to their havens
abadon the clown they loved only moments ago.

The entertainer, swipes away the makeup with each practiced movement,
removes the folly and reveals the would-be friend.

The colorless face, sits alone at the mirror and stares
seeing now, only another visage from the crowd.

The laughter is gone, like the lights,
shut down until someone else needs it.

The humor, is packed away like floppy shoes
unable to be worn until someone else needs a laugh.

The sight gags, are stored away, neatly stacked
not to be taken down until another's applause calls for them.

The dreams of sharing a true laugh, of being understood, are locked away
inside the lonely heart of a misfit.

The clown's tired face, rests on supporting hands
looks for answers in an empty, silent, endless mirror.

Cooking: Have a Chile Burger

2009-07-04T10:45:00.002-05:00

Burgers are my very favorite meal. What can I say, I’m easy alright?

I watch the show Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives now and then. Its basically a show where this guy (named Guy) travels around the country, finding THE very coolest and bestest places to eat. They are usually the classic ‘mom and pop shops’. That’s the part I dig about it. The food ain’t fancy but rather the kind that keeps folks coming to the same diner for 25 years.

I love that kind of tradition.

A few shows ago, they did a special on burgers. I refrained from drooling too much long enough to jot down this basic recipe for this particular kind of burger. I say "basic recipe" because clearly they didn’t give away all of their secrets so this is my interpretation of it. It’s currently my favorite way for a burger to be done right now. If you like spicy food, and if you like burgers, try this, you’ll like it.

Grilled Burgers with Chiles

1lb of ground beef
Chopped green chile peppers
American cheese
Buns
Pickles
Mustard
Salt
Pepper
Garlic powder
Bacon

Prep and Cook
I like to mix the spices in with the ground beef. That way you get flavor through and through. Salt, pepper and a bit of garlic powder – all to taste - is really all this needs.

Make out the patties and grill them. While the patties are grilling, grill the bacon too, top shelf if you have one - otherwise just watch it closely. After the first flip of the burgers, add the buns to the grill (also on the top shelf). Let them grill while the 2nd side of the burger cooks.

At this point, also add about 1sp of chiles to each burger, spreading the chiles out until the cover well. Let the burgers finish cooking. As soon as they are done remove them from the grill and immediately add cheese over the chiles so it can melt.

The Stack
Everybody who is a true fan of burgers is particular about how they are stacked. This is the order in which I do it from top bun to bottom:

Top bun
Bacon
American Cheese
Chiles
Yummy burger patty
2-3 pickles
Mustard, spread thinly (to hold the pickles in place)
Bottom bun

The picture above is how a couple of these beauties turned out. I regularly write down burger recipes as I come across them. I'll be sharing more of them here throughout the summer.

What are "you" looking at .. OR ..The Lounging Linguist

2009-07-03T20:07:00.004-05:00

My son comes up with great words now and again.

He’s really coming into his own with the sarcasm.

I couldn’t be prouder.

Much like me, he’s shy around new people but man once he gets comfortable, watch out. I can totally relate. He has this raw talent to be a real smart-alec.

Ever see those trick shooters? The ones that can shoot a playing card and split it in half? Or they can light a match, firing a bullet from their gun?

His talent with sarcasm is just like that, only he’s using a shotgun to light the match. Oh he hits the target all right. But um, precision and control will take some practice.

But I for one am so excited that things are turning out this way. Though raw in form right now, this opens up a whole new channel of “guy communication” that over the coming years will allow us to develop a closeness that may not have otherwise been possible.

It’s a big deal.

I’m a huge fan of this type of getting along too. If I can’t joke around with someone well then I usually don’t have much time for them in my life and I tend to drift away from them. He seems to be that way as well.

His sarcasm, as I alluded to when this post began, really allows him to come off with some zingers. Today was no exception and worth writing down.

My wife is very pregnant right now. She and I were swimming/lounging in the pool today, talking about life in general and the impending birth of Thing Two. Josh walks out on our little dock and is talking to us. Heather my wife, slipped off her raft and begins to swim a bit.

She struggled at first to get her balance cause hey, she’s preggers. There are a lot of adjustments to be made, with nearly every movement she makes during the day. I can’t begin to imagine. But she righted the ship … ahem … and was swimming nicely.

Josh, ever the diplomat, says “Wow, I didn’t think you’d be able to swim that well. Looks like being pregnant has made you more FLOATACIOUS”.

I immediately lost it and snorted pool water, laughing as a new word at Castle Horton was born. And yes we were all laughing about it, not just me :)

P.S. – I asked Josh for a pic today to post with this. He immediately broke into a polite smile, ready to be immortalized on Dad’s blog. Instead of taking the polite pic, I asked him for the teenager look of "what are you doing bothering me again you big dork”.

I love this kid!

It's Burgertime ... Can't Touch This!

2009-07-02T08:05:00.008-05:00

Apologies to M.C. Hammer for my post title. And now on with the show.

Last weekend, Storm (our dog) and I were alone here at the house.

It was a good time, filled with too much TV, too much eating, video games with friends and playing ball outside. Every time that the family is away it’s generally on a family night – aka Friday – so I get Storm a special treat to enjoy while I take in a movie on DVD.

On more rare occasions, I will take Storm out for a cheeseburger sometime while the family is away. No she’s not spoiled at all and if she is it my wife’s fault, not mine … ahem.

So last weekend we jumped in the van to head to McDonald’s – land-of-all-things-you-shouldn’t-eat-but-you-want-to-so-badly.

The drive-thru line was packed.

That was odd for the middle of a Saturday afternoon. Particularly here in the small town in which I live. Oddly enough for a town of 5000, we have one of those double-lane drive thrus. Apparently the folks here really, really like their Micky Ds.

So Storm, during the drive-thru experience was ogled by passersby cause hey she’s a pretty dog. People like to throw some love her way. She barked at a few .. one of those barks that says, “Hey I’m not serious here, just letting you know I’m around and that the distance you’ve got between you and my van, it’s like McDonald’s ... I’m lovin it.”

Eveybody knows that particular German Shepherd bark right?

Now that bark, for the uneducated, generally makes folks begin gathering their undergarments between their hindquarters at a geometric pace but to those of us who know the breed, we’re all just like “Oh you silly thing keep a lid on it”.

So we order our food and pull up to the window. I was driving – just so we’re clear.

There is a cute young lady there to take our money in exchange for food. Now I’ve been talking to Storm the whole time through our wait in line. I talk to her a lot. We have great one-sided conversations. Actually she does kinda talk back sometimes – GSDs have very expressive faces. One of my favorites is when they cock their head to one side while giving you that laughing look they have. It’s so, so great.

While we are waiting on our food Storm is watching this girl. The girl says something to me though I can’t remember what now. Storm gives her the same ‘woof’ that she gave the person that had walked by the van earlier.

The girl lied and said, “Aw, how cuuuuuute!” while managing a strangled smile. I just smiled back while putting a hand on Storm's chest to calm her and said thanks.

The girl left to get the rest of our order. I turned to Storm and said, “Well nice job with that. Now she’s NEVER gonna run away with me. Sheesh”.

Storm just cocked her head and smiled at me.

Exactly.

Billy Mays: A Final Broadcast

2009-06-30T15:20:00.001-05:00

Billy Mays here, from the afterlife, to announce something earth-shaking, something so exciting
You simply must hear this to believe it!

Due to the recent death of mega-stars such as Farrah Fawcett we're overstocked on things like, flashlights.

So we are passing these savings along to you!

Flashlights previously used to look at Farrah's poster under the covers are now sitting in our inventory.

These flashlights are perfect for security ..
(cut to scene of the hamburglar getting caught stealing hamburgers from the kitchen)
For driving nails ..
(cut to scene of flashlight driving spikes into boards and then some dude hangs from them)
And yes all Farrah Flashlights are naturally resistant to moisture!
(show flashlight being dropped into a pool, hitting a nail on the way down, driving it in while the erratic beam exposes the hamburglar .. again)

Billy yells even louder.

Yes folks if you act now this fantastic Farrah Flashlight can be yours for the low-low price of $19.95.

But wait there's more! Billy's voice reaches an uncomfortable crescendo, prompting that internal reaction to reach for the remote .. but you can't .. because you KNOW YOU HAVE to see what's next.

Michael Jackson also passed away last week leaving us overstocked on yes you know it ..

Big Wheels!

We have Big Wheels filling our warehouse to the ceiling! If you call now, we will add in a Big Wheel with your Farrah Flashlight order .. ABSOLUTELY FREE!

That's right! But act now! These won't last and quantities ARE limited!

Folks, Big Wheels are GREAT for:
.. going to the market (shows Big Wheel with bike basket)
.. for exercise (shows ultra skinny model frantically learning to ride the Big Wheel while the camera rolls)
.. and MUCH, much more (prompting you to think that Big Wheels are more useful than just for riding around on)

So that's right folks!

A Farrah Flashlight
(screen swirls to show all it's amazing uses at once),
PLUS a Big Wheel
(image of Big Wheel is rubber stamped over the flashlight)

ALL for ONLY $19.95!

CALL NOW FOLKS! I'M BILLY MAYS for the FARRAH FLASHLIGHT and THE MJ BIG WHEEL!

The Dog Singer .. OR .. Possessed by Dr Seuss

2009-06-28T09:46:00.004-05:00

This blog post is being written mainly in an attempt, and a wildly successful one I might add, to avoid cleaning the kitchen just a bit longer.

I do silly things. It’s kind of what makes me, me. Everybody that knows me knows that about me. If you didn’t know that well, now you do.

I blame Dr Seuss and ~~my inability to socialize as a kid~~ the fact that my mom has a very odd sense of humor too. Dr Seuss books were huge with me when I was growing up. I read them voraciously as I was learning to dance the spears through the syllables of the rhythm of the words. Honestly I had no chance at being normal; so if you found that last sentence a tad odd, this is not my fault people.

Being a huge Dr Seuss fan, naturally I think that led to me liking Jim Varney as a I grew up. I mean clearly you can see the connection there right? Let me just say too, that the fact we now live in a world where there is no Ernest P. Worrell character anymore just flat out suck eggs.

Which brings me to the whole point of my post this morning.

Spending time with my dog.

No really. I’ll make it all make sense, promise. Keep riding the ride, the rollercoaster is fun honest.

See I talk to our puppy all the time. And sometimes I make up little sing-song stuff. Like I said this isnt’t my fault. Clearly I’m a victim here of Dr Seuss weirdness.

So this morning I was out playing ball with the dog as is our morning ritual on the weekends. And the song that Ernest sang in Ernest Saves Christmas suddenly came to me. What was funny about the song, still making me laugh to this day, is that Ernest didn’t know all the words to the song Oh Tannenbaum. So he just sang the words "oh Christmas tree" over and over but to the tune of the song. And it fits! I remember laughing till I cried.

To wrap this up, I started singing that song while flinging the ball for the dog. Absurd right? I mean it’s hot, muggy, summertime in the mid-west and I’m throwing a ball for a German Shepherd Dog while singing Christmas songs.

And suddenly while singing “Oh Christmas Tree” and laughing my butt off, I realized that “Oh Puppy Dog” fits too. So the words changed. Plus it got funnier for me too.

Yeah sometimes its a hoot to ride the roller coaster see?

Ok you might think this post is going nowhere fast but let me use my odd powers of viewing reality to make this make some sense.

They say that God gives gifts to each of us to help others out and sometimes those gifts are to help ourselves out with life’s issues. More than once, my odd view of things has helped me through difficult situations.

Now I’m not sure it’s ever contributed to the betterment of anyone else’s life. I hope it has. However, I’m glad I have it even if it's only meant to help me get through the day. I’d lost my quirkiness there for awhile honestly, and I posted about how a friend of mine helped me find it again. The post is here if you'd like to read it. I’m glad for that person and glad to have my oddness back.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a kitchen to clean and an itty-bitty 95lb dog to sing to …

“Oh puppy dog, oh puppy dog, oh puppy dog, oh puppy dog ….”

Fatherhood Fridays: Form of a Techno Whiz, Shape of a Geeky Dad

2009-06-26T21:59:00.004-05:00

It’s been quite some time since I’ve done a Fatherhood Friday post. This is one I’ve been considering for some while. Though I doubt it will break any new ground, I expect there are tens of blogs out there, covering the topic; today I want to write about bringing up kids in such a technological world.

I’m kind of a technical person. I’m a computer programmer. That means I have pasty white skin and can set the clock on your microwave without using the manual. If you are still unfortunate enough to have a VCR I can set that clock too. And your digital watch. My powers are extreme.

This year I’m turning 40 and I’ve been involved with computers, in some form or other, since I was a teenager. I’m comfy with the geek-toys.

However when I was a young kid, none of these techno gadgets existed at all. Atari didn’t really take off until I was a teenager. The explosion of gadgetry was only gathering it’s pieces together, mixing and bubbling, before the Computerized Big Bang of the 80’s and 90’s.

And so as a Dad I have no frame of reference by which to raise kids around the onslaught of products there are today. I have no instinctive feel of how to balance “what is too much game time” .. or .. “how come my kid is only interested in computers”.

I suppose each generation has a thing like this with which to deal. Back, back, way on back, it was probably comic books. In the 50’s it was rock music. Prior to that, cave-kids were probably checking out dad’s porn carvings he kept under the bed/slab of granite. Cause it kind of went from the cave people straight to the 50’s from what I understand.

Anyway.

I have this knee-jerk reaction in which I want my kid (Thing One) to go outside and play, run, jump off of things, stay out in the woods all day – the stuff I did when I was a kid. You know?

But then I realize that back in the 70’s, dudes and dudettes, that’s pretty much all there was to do. Either you stayed inside with the adults, watching TV with grandma and grandpa in my case .. or .. you went outside and made some kind of world for yourself.

Through the ingenuity of a child’s imagination is their world made. It will be that world they will remember when they are older, and they will long for those simpler times, when they write down their thoughts for others to read. So poetic right?

So now look at today.

Today we live in a world where sure, getting out and exercising is still great. I expect it always will be. However, there is a HUGE amount of things to do indoors .. heck even the Wii Fit let’s you exercise as a video game in front of the TV .. and it is with things like this that I find it hard to say “go outside and play” … sometimes.

Back in the 70’s you had Hot Wheels, Monopoly, Aggravation, and ultimately Star Wars action figures. There were also the The Micronauts but I think I'm of the last remaining humans left who remembers those. But that’s about as fancy as it got. Today you have all those same board games but now they are called “classic” games and you can play them on your cell phone. And you can be a Jedi on your computer and cut down Storm Troopers all day long – all the stuff you imagined as a child is darn near possible to see, at some point, somewhere today.

It’s quite a switch.

And so I have become my grandfather in some regards. I pull out the phrase of “back when I was a kid we didn’t have …”.

Oh yeah I do that big time. Which is odd since my career thrives on technology. And that only adds to the feeling of I’m just not sure how to balance it all out at times. It feels like a double-standard.

In closing ... all kids are different I know. A very smart friend of mine recently said, maybe it doesn't have to be either/or. Too true. So I guess a guy just has to listen to his gut, and his kid, build on the relationship, and stay active in it. Be willing to make small corrections along the way, in a loving and gentle manner.

I suppose that’s about all a person can do. But darn it – it’s no fair that we all lived through the techno-boom but somehow missed having the example of how to raise kids in it.

Thus ends my ramblings for the night. Now I’ll grab my remote, switch back on the big screen TV while I browse the innerwebz on my laptop – yep life sure is different nowadays.

TILT!

2009-06-24T20:00:00.004-05:00

I have suddenly reached the end of my ability to keep up with all the blogs I currently read. Since I've begun blogging, I've also found myself reading other's blogs more and more. I feel obligated to read, comment, and keep up with nearly all the blogs I follow.

And much like Legion - they are many. Though decidely less evil, I grant you that.

I can't just stop reading either. That's not even an option. I *lurve* to read! Reading blogs is like a daily glance at random novels which never, ever end. It's amazing - plus I'm cheap. But it's a lot to keep up with as well.

My best pal has a blog, other friends of mine have blogs, there are local blogs from radio talent I read, then there are general dad-blogs, work-from-home blogs, simplified living blogs (yes I see the irony in that one), and so many other types that I read.

Then there is Facebook and Twitter (I highly recommend TweetDeck) for keeping up with highlights on these btw.

Anyway, I've not been doing this blog/social networking thing long. I'm also not complaining about so much to keep up with either. But for those of you who have been blogging, reading, writing longer - do you have any tips for keeping up with it all?

Perhaps there is a blog about that. :)

PSA: Hungry?

2009-06-24T12:33:00.004-05:00

You have to love photos like this one.

Each day on the way into work I am greeted by this wonderful billboard.

For some time now, I've been meaning to stop and snap a pic of this sucker with my phone. However, I don't see this billboard facing me on the way home each evening and it kept slipping my mind. But I finally remembered.

So.

If you're ever on Highway 70 in Missouri, out near exit 217 .. and you find yourself hankering for a mouthful of Hot Tasty Butt ... well apparently this is *the* place to go. Keep this public service announcement handy in case of sudden uncontrollable Hot Tasty Butt Hankerings.

By the way. Don't bothering googling for their website - pretty sure they don't have one - and the ones I found were not restaurants. Or at least don't search for Hot Tasty Butts. Nuff said.

You're welcome.

Quick Riddle: What Am I?

2009-06-23T19:23:00.002-05:00

Here is a little riddle for you - a quick funny even.

This thing is mine.
This thing of mine is long.
This thing of mine is above average in width.
Sometimes it gets wet but normally it is dry.
It can get hot to the touch - so much that I can feel it through my clothes.
It can be hard or soft and malleable.
I use it nearly everyday.
Sometimes though I take a day off cause I get worn out if I use it too much.
Other people have seen it but my wife is the only one that sees it with me now.

Clearly I'm talking about my commute to work each day. It's made up of 45 miles of hot, summer asphalt road.

What did you think I was talking about?

Pervert.

Happy Father's Day to all

2009-06-21T10:06:00.003-05:00

First off, Happy Father's Day to all you Dads out there!

Today, for many of us lucky enough to wear the title "Dad" is a very cool day. Enjoy yourself today Dads and enjoy the blessing (and the best gift) that your family is to you.

This morning I was ~~shocked to consciousness after staying up too late~~ awakened by the Greatest Family in the World, promptly at 9am. I'm only teasing, I certainly didn't mind them waking me. Sunday is my day to sleep in and it worked out extra cool with today being Father's Day.

There was my wife and son with breakfast in bed for me. They used my favorite plates of all time, the cafeteria-style lunch trays from back in school. I ~~demanded we buy these~~ talked our family into trying these years ago. I still maintain they are the most perfect plate ever created by mankind.

Ahem. Where was I? Did I black out? Oh. Yeah. Father's Day breakfast.

They had fixed me eggs, toast, sausage and milk. And God bless them they brought an itinerary for the day. These folks know me. And so I present to you our Father's Day plans for today.

Thanks family - I love you guys!

9:20 Breakfast
9:30 Gifts
10:00-1:30 Free time/nap time
1:30 Lunch (Cheeseburgers, fries, choc chip cookies = heaven)
2:00-3:45 Free time
3:50 Head to Theater to see Land of the Lost
6:00 Dinner at Applebee's
7:30-? Free Time

For one of the things they gave me was a custom t-shirt, complete with Josh-drawings and he'd even put Isabella's name on one sleeve and his on the other. Nice touch Thing One! You rock!

And they didn't even rate me 4F!

2009-06-18T19:04:00.008-05:00

A few weeks back, perhaps more like a month - I did something that I've wanted to do for a long, long time

Have you ever had one of those somethings where maybe years ago, you wanted to go through with a potential hobby, just give it a try and see what happens? Then whammo, years go by with you forgetting about it - life just gets busy - and you put it off. Then BAM! Something happens out of the blue making you remember that old desire and you say heck, I'll give it a go.

That's what happened to me.

And so I signed up for my first flight lesson to become a private pilot.

It was mucho amazing!! I even talked my wife and son into coming out to view what in retrospect could have been a horrible experience might something have gone wrong. Thankfully though, since I'm here gushing about flight school, I did indeed make it. And my family got to see dear old dad/hubby fly for the first time.

As previously stated in other posts, I'm not a small person. I'm a big burger eating kinda guy. I'm made for comfort, not speed. So when my instructor came out, looking half my age, eating a healthy snack, drinking water, being half my size and all Brad Pittish - I tried not to instantly hate him.

Seriously though, he was a good chap. And I'll never forget what's-his-name either.

First time flyers like myself get a TON of education thrown at them in an introductory lesson like this. I'm fairly sure this is in an attempt to "bring the noise" and show the noobs how hard this is gonna be. Weed out the weak ones, all that. So Brad Pitt rattled on about safety schmafety until I was nearly ready to scream ... I was thinking ... OMG lets get in the plane dude!

We spent about 20-25 mins on our pre-flight check. There is a lot to check. And I'm certain as one gets more proficient with it, you can ~~skip over~~ go faster through those checks. Finally, after much ado about everything, having examined every nut, this one got to open the door of the plane and get in.

Not so fast lumpy.

First we stopped and talked about the entire INSIDE of the plane whilst we just looked at it. I sighed on the inside. I was ready to get in the air. When I'm ready for something to get happening, I'm not very patient with getting things in gear. Some of you *cough .. Jenn ... *cough ... you're just like me there and you know what I'm talking about. We can't help it that we're so smart we know exactly what we want to do though, right?

I was ready to light that candle and be on the way.

So Mr Twelve Inch Waist leaps nimbly into the craft like some tiny elf. I dragged my ogre-like posterior into the cockpit (I DO wonder why they call it that) and strapped myself ~~down~~ in for the ride.

It wasn't long after this that I was informed I'd be flying. Right after that I rememberd I had somewhere to be. Clearly this pilot had a death wish. What he wanted to die young? With a chubby computer programmer at his side?

While he was explaining the controls I contemplated asking him where the laser turrets were and if the Empire had had Wookies in mind when they designed her .. but he didn't look like the type to get that joke. Kids today, right?

So he showed me how to steer. You steer a plane with your feet alone. Well that and your butt-cheeks grip the seat quite nicely - I'm fairly certain I could have navigated with tush-grip-power alone were my feet to lose feeling.

Nearly instantly I proved to Brad Pitt my complete ineptitude at steering a plane and he decided he'd um "take care of the taxing down the runway and the takeoff". I quietly thanked God for my non-coordination at that moment.

Well we launched her down the runway.

As soon as the dang wheels left the pavement Pretty Boy let go of the yoke and said, "she's all yours". Never had I wanted her less. Had it not been that I could see in his eyes he intended to let me fly I might have throttled him rather than the aircraft. So I saved his life and mine by taking the yoke and kept us pointed in the general "up-ish" direction.

I'm huge with official aviation language.

But seriously it was all mine from there until the actual landing. And it was so cool I can't even say. The plane by the way was small, a 4-seater Cessna 172. The doors were paper-thin. I saw the ridiculous little latch that held it shut when I got in. No WAY was it gonna keep me inside. And we were wearing just normal seat belts. My god. No airbags. No chutes. It was awesome!

There was a time when Brad Pitt was teaching me to bank the plane at about 2200 feet. He wanted me to tilt her over to about a 30 degree angle. That felt like death. My testicles beat a hasty retreat to somewhere behind my navel. But I did it. And to prove to me that the angle wasn't all that bad, Mr Too Cool For Flight School took the yoke and nearly stopped my heart by taking the plane over to 45 degrees just to illustrate how 30 "wasn't so bad after all".

Super funny stuff.

So we flew around for about 20 mins maybe more. Felt like years at times. But again, it was awesome! He taught me how to steer, how to bank, how to steer without the yoke or the rudder pedals - instead just making adjustments to the planes attitude with other controls (of which I don't remember their names).

So he let me steer it all back and begin our descent and then he took over. We buzzed some powerlines that are close the runway - a huge design flaw in my opinion. And we came in for a landing. My rear end remembered it was starving for seat cushion and took another chunk out of that sucker - I wondered if I'd have to pay for damages after this ride.

But we landed safely. We talked about future costs and how long it would take to become a private pilot. I got some paperwork, paid for my intro lesson and looked up at the sky.

Yeah I wanna do this. I'll keep you all posted on my progress :)

Thank ye, thank ye

2009-06-11T20:09:00.004-05:00

Today I officially - for I have the graphic to the right proving it - have joined a larger community here on the innerwebz.

Clicky here to find out more about The St. Louis Blogger's Guild. They like me, they reeeeally like me!

Clearly, due to my eloquent turns of the written word, in acknowledgment of life-changing and inspirational writing, AND in recognition of contributions far beyond those of the average contributor ... I have been eagerly and with much ado, invited to join this prestigious society of bloggers here in the Mid-West.

Ok .... actually I found out about them via Dana's blog, having heard her on the radio. I listen to her every Mon, Wed and Fri on Allman in the Morning and you should too. If you're not local, then L2stream people. Follow her blog too. She is mucho intelligentioso.

Additionally, I begged and pleaded with the Blogger's Guild until they lowered the heavy gate of the guild's stronghold, behind which dwelt real bloggers (pretty much if you're not me I consider you a real blogger) - folks who know how to write. And after much groveling they.. heaved a deep sigh ... and let me in.

Well yes, I also paid membership dues. I'm not too proud to admit it :) However, my blog did have to get "looked at" before they'd approve me and pass muster it must've for here I am - shamelessly using their graphics without fear of lawsuits.

Plus I have my membership dues receipt from PayPal. :)

So thanks all - for letting me in the Guild. I'm looking forward to doing some more networking and being a part of these other fine bloggers which have made me laugh, cry and think deep thoughts.

I raise this virtual tankard of ale to you all.

Here's to the Guild!