Thursday, December 29, 2011

New Years

Well good morning everybody.  Been a couple of weeks now, so I figured I give you a few words to take you into the New Year.  My Christmas was spent in the great state of Alabama.  I got to see family and friends, get some gifts, give some gifts, drank a few cocktails, and I ate real bar-b-que.  Now I say real bar-b-que because if you live above the Mason Dixon line then you have only had imitation “Southern style” bbq.  I don’t know what it is but it seems if someone up here in the north decides to open a bbq joint they can’t get it right. For some reason they don’t have the ability to make it correctly.  It just doesn’t taste the same.  Well I guess all you can do is give them yanks an A for effort. Another thing the north can’t seem to grasp is sweet tea.  Sure you can go to McDonalds and get a big ol’ sweet tea and it might taste good until you get in the south and drink the real thing. Again, I am baffled why the north can’t get it right. Oh well, I'm sure there is things in the north that the south can’t get right.  Anyway, I love Alabama; it is a beautiful state that has mountains in north Alabama and a beach on the south end.  My sister lives on top of a mountain down yonder and there is nothing like waking up in the early morning and walking onto the front porch and seeing valleys and mountains in front of you.  Here in Ohio when I get up all I see is houses and buildings, ain’t no mountains off my front porch.
If you are not familiar with some of the words above then you are not from the south so here are a few definitions to help you better understand the above paragraph;
  1. yonder- somewhere other than where you are;
  2. yank or yankee- someone who lives above the mason Dixon line
  3. ain’t- if “isn’t” and “aren’t” had a baby you would get the word ain’t

I have been thinking about New Years resolutions and how everyone comes up with them but hardly anyone actually follows through, so this year I decided on trying a different approach.  My new approach is to claim the opposite that way if I don’t do it I go in the right direction.  For example; if my new years resolution was to loose weight I’m going to make it to gain weight, that way if when I don’t keep to my new plan I actually loose weight.  Or I could just not make a resolution that way I wouldn’t be disappointed in myself for not keeping up with a plan.
Speaking of plans, my fruit cake challenge was a bust.  I didn’t realize it takes weeks to actually make a good fruit cake.  Apparently to make a good cake they fruit has to soak in alcohol for days or even weeks and around my house alcohol is lucky to be there for more than 24 hours.  No sense on wasting alcohol on fruit or cake for that matter, so I didn’t bake or mail a fruit cake.  However, I did try some fruit cake, well fruit cake cookies, and they were delicious.  I need to research my challenge a little better before making them. 
Moving on, my blog has a stats page that allows me to see how many page views I get per day, where they are viewing them and what device they view them on or through.  I mostly enjoy seeing where people are viewing my blog from. I get occasional views from the UK, Germany, Singapore, China, Turkey, Russia, Canada (eh), India, and my favorite Denmark.  Now I don’t know if these are real people viewing them or spammers or the company that I do my blog through or what but I like to say thanks for taking a peak, and to the people in Denmark, how am I doing when I talk about Denmark?
Well I think that’s about enough for this week, I don’t really have a challenge for myself right now but I’m open to suggestions.  So until next time, happy New Year.   

“New Year's is a harmless annual institution, of no particular use to anybody save as a scapegoat for promiscuous drunks, and friendly calls and humbug resolutions.”
                                                                                    -Mark Twain

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Penny Lane

            Well, we got a dog.  Well, actually a puppy that will grow into a dog, a cute 8 week old Australian cattle dog or blue heeler.  She is a little chunky and fuzzy soft, she looks at you with a pitiful look as though you don’t show her enough attention.  When she sleeps she has little puppy dreams and she grunts the cutest little grunts. I mean, come on it’s a puppy, how could anyone not love the thing. 
            She is a bitch.  And I don’t mean Webster’s definition of a female dog, I mean, a bitch, like the woman in the coffee shop that yells at the clerk for not telling her that her hot cup of coffee that she always gets is hot and she found out by dripping a little onto her hand while putting creamer in it with her hands full and talking on the phone.  I’ve never witnessed that but I bet it has happened.  Anyway,
Penny Lane
, our new bitch puppy, has decided that it is time to terrorize the house.  She yelps, barks, bites, hides under the couch, poops and peas inside, and doesn’t listen when you say no. Ugh, she is a pain.  But she is our pup and we love her and will fight her until she learns who the boss is.  The good news is she is good when she sleeps which is about 20 hours of the day.
            So since I have my work cut out for me for the next few weeks then my challenge is to train a pup.  So until next week…Penny! No! Damn it.  

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Post-Thanksgiving post

                Three pounds heavier and one week later… 
            Yes I gained three pounds, actually two and three quarters but who’s counting.  I did exactly like I said I would do, ate too much and drank too much, then try to eat some more and drink some more.  Got to spend time with some of the family, which is always an adventure.  We watched old home movies, looked at yearbooks, played games, and made fun of each other.  Good times. 
            And since Christmas or Hanukkah or Kwanzaa or whatever it is you celebrate is coming up I didn’t want to give the traditional where and why the holiday came about.  So instead I chose the mighty fruit cake to talk about this week.  Also because I mentioned it last post. 
            The fruit cake has been around literally for centuries and the recipes range from candied fruit, dried fruits, nuts, spices, spirits, basically whatever you want mixed together into cake.   The recipes have changed over the years and are different from country to country and family to family.  In 1913, mail order fruitcakes took off in the US and even though mass produced cakes are alcohol free, traditional recipes include brandy or wine and covered with powdered sugar.  I can’t say that I have ever tried fruit cake, so I guess I don’t understand the joke of the fruit cake, well I didn’t until I looked it up.  Apparently Johnny Carson started the joke of there only being one fruit cake in the world being passed from one family to the next.  The joke was carried on by “the Fruitcake Lady” that appeared on the tonight show after Johnny passed.  Since then the cake was a ridiculed dessert.   Aside from there only being one fruit cake in the world, there could actually be a cake passed from one fam to the next for years.  If a cake is made with our dear friend alcohol, then it can remain edible for years.  In Michigan there is a cake that was baked in 1878 that a family has kept as an heirloom and was tasted by jay leno in 2003. 
            So, fruit cake, my holiday challenge, I will taste, bake, and mail a fruit cake.  I wonder who will be the lucky one that gets the cake, and if they will send it on to someone else. Until next time, shake it out.
“Great things happen when men and mountains meet.”         -William Blake

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Pre-Thanksgiving

                I recently have been made aware of a few things; one, stop writing about politics, it’s boring.  Second, I am starting to slack, again, it’s been almost three weeks since my last post.  And third, it’s the holiday season.  Ugh, it’s that time again to eat way too much, drink a little (or a lot) and spend time with the family. Not to mention the traveling, weaving in and out of traffic just to make it on time, the shopping, fighting hoards of people just to get the last fruit cake (just wanted to be the first person ever to use that phrase),  and throw cold and nasty weather on top of it all, I love it.  Well, maybe not the traffic, shopping, or nasty weather but the food, drink, and family.   The cold weather, surprisingly, I like.  I like waking up in the morning getting my hot coffee and walking out into the briskness of that crisp morning air with the sun slightly topping the trees.  And at lunch time walking outside and immediately getting blinded by the bright sun and hit by a cold breeze at the same time.  It seems the air is clearer during the fall and winter time, like the earth went from standard definition to HD.  I don’t know if it’s from the lack of humidity in the air or what, but I enjoy it. 
                Enough, about weather, I’m trying to keep it short today because I have decided to do a pre- and post-thanksgiving blog, don’t worry no cheesy “what am I thankful for” post is coming or recipes for food.   No, no I’m going to keep it simple.  I’m at 183 lbs now (weighed this morning); I plan to see how much weight I gain over the next few days.  I’m guessing over 5lbs.  I also will add some highlights, thoughts, ideas, and maybe my plan on how to lose those extra pounds in the post blog, maybe even add some photos.  So, until next week, eat, drink, and be merry… or crabby, your call.     

“Gobble, gobble.”         -turkey

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Politics. Keystone, and Fracing

            I would consider myself an environmentalist (yes this is going to be a political post), so when I heard the stories about the Keystone Pipeline and the ban on hydraulic fracturing, in New York, being lifted I was a little disturbed.  If you don’t know what the Keystone pipeline or fracturing is, then don’t fret kiddies I’m going to go into detail about them.  Now I realize there are two sides, maybe more, to every argument, especially in politics, so I am going to attempt to look at each side and the pros and cons of both.
            So, the Keystone pipeline is an oil pipeline that will go from Canada all the way to the US Gulf Coast.  Now there is already an existing pipeline from Canada down to Oklahoma but that’s not enough, they want to expand it down to a port in Texas for distribution. They also want to run a new line from the same area in Canada and down into Montana then meet back up with the existing one in Nebraska. The oil comes from oil sands in northeastern Alberta, make a few stops at refineries in Illinois and ends in Oklahoma and if the expansion is approved, it’s off the Gulf.  Now, when I first heard about this I jetted off into internet space looking for facts.  Needless to say the resources were endless so I attempted to set my opinions aside and reason with facts and tried to prepare an unbiased post.  If the pipeline were approved, pro side first, then that would create jobs for quite a few unemployed Americans.  It would also provide oil, thanks Captain Obvious, which would alleviate some reliance on oversea oil, which in turn will help us in our time of debt and lower gas prices.  Anti side, let us start with the destruction of hundreds of thousands of acres of wildlife habitat (this phrase will be used again later on).  As an environmentalist this is always our number one concern. With oil there is always fear of a spill, thanks BP and Exxon Valdese.  I’m not sure if the plans call for it to be above or below ground, not sure if they even know yet, either way they would have to take or buy land from land owners to “lay the pipe” (ha-ha) which would cause problems with the landowners who don’t want the pipe in their back yard. If it is above ground, how hideous would that be, driving across America and have to see this massive snake of metal cut across your path.   On the top of the anti list is the fact that this crude oil is some of the dirtiest burning transportation oils, which is what it’s going to be used for, so much for America for cleaner energy. 
            Speaking of cleaner energy, let us talk about fracing.  “What the hell is fracing,” you may be asking yourself.  Well hydraulic fracturing or fracing is the technical term used for drilling natural gas where they fracture rock to obtain natural gas.   Same as above with the pros and cons on both sides are jobs, more fuels, destroyed environment, land take-over, etc.  However, the main differences are there won’t be a pipeline but massive oil rig type pumps every so often across the land and transported by tankers from one location to the next. Another key ingredient to the pro side though, is it is a clean burning fuel and is readily available, but do you destroy the land?
            Aside from these issues, Greece is struggling to stay with the euro and may get bailed out by France and Germany, President Obama is fed up with the republicans against his jobs act to rebuild bridges and roads in the US which will give us jobs, and the 99% took over Oakland.
            With the elections coming up in the next year I have obviously been looking at politics lately.  Now as far as Herman Cain goes (possible republican candidate and possibly sexual harassment accused) or other republican candidate, vs. the reigning democrat champ “Big O” Obama in the election race not sure which way I would lean.  So, considering that I would claim myself as an independent because I'm unsure which way to lean in politics,   I came across a site called americansellect.org which is a political site that apparently is going to let America chose their possible candidate in the 2012 election as an independent.  On the site you can rate your priorities to help you chose which candidate to vote for to run in the 2012 election.  So if you already know which way you are going to lean next year then good for you, if not then check out the site.

         

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Halloween

We dressed up for Halloween and went out with friends.  We drank, we danced and we drank some more.  By the end of the night our costumes and make up looked a mess and we had a great time.  Here are a few of the pics from the evening.  Mine and my wife's makeup were done by her.   We were dressed in celebration for Día de los Muertos (day of the dead).





Really like this pic.  Took and edited with my phone. 

Thursday, October 27, 2011

new phone pic



This is actually looking out my window at work.  It is a picture i took using only my phone and editing with only my phone.

Monday, October 24, 2011

So, it's been awhile...

Holy shit, Batman!  It has been forever since I last wrote anything.  I believe about two months.  Let me just start off by saying, “wow, a lot has happened.” 
            Let’s see, where to start?  I took a second job, carved some pumpkins, went to Key West, won a photo contest… is there something else… uhm… oh yea, I got married.  Before the wedding I took a second job just to have a little extra cash flow before and after the wedding.  So at nights I clean office buildings.  Fast forward a few weeks, the day before the wedding we met up with the fam and wedding party had a rehearsal dinner, said may goodbyes to the future misses, and headed to the house for the evening.  While sitting with the best man at the house, we decided to get some food.  We also got a couple of pumpkins to carve (we had been drinking and it was a good idea at the time).  Little did we know we would carve the most amazing jack-o-lanterns.  I did the silhouette of beer bottle and he did Raphael from the ninja turtles.  I can’t explain in words how awesome they looked.  So I will post some photos.  The next day was a scramble to finish getting everything perfect for the wedding hanging lights, putting up signs, buying a bottle of Jameson for the musician; it was a hectic morning and early afternoon.  I finish getting all décor up with an hour to spare before it was go time.  Trucked it back to the house with the best man and a photographer where my brother and sister were waiting.  We got ready in no time flat and were back out the door and on our way back to the wedding site.  It’s funny because for the few weeks before people kept asking me if I was nervous even day of people asked, but I wasn’t until I realized that I would be reading my vows, that I wrote, out loud.  I jokingly said to my brother, sister and best man on the way to the wedding that I was just going to cry like a baby so I wouldn’t have to read them.  We arrived, ran in, got our buttoner placed on our chest, and put into position. The music started and the bridesmaids came down. Then it was her.  The pastor motioned everyone to stand. I couldn’t see her until she turned the corner of the wall of people that blocked my view.  The world stopped.  Have you ever seen a movie where there is a lot of chaos going on then everything just freezes except for one or two things? It was like that.  The lights dimmed except one spotlight that came from somewhere and beamed on her walking towards me.  it seemed days before she got to the end end of her thirty foot walk but when she arrived everything seemed to fastforward and went into a blur, not sure if it was because it was like a dream, or the excitement and anticipation was that overwhelming or the fact that I was literally crying like a baby, but it was over in a flash and we were married.  The reception was amazing and everything went off without a hitch.  Thank God.  But it all wouldn’t have been possible if it wasn’t for everyone that helped.  So a big thanks to her parents and mine and everyone else that was there for us.
            One week later we set off to Key West where it was eighty five and sunny all week long, the drinks where cold and refreshing, the water was crystal clear, and the food was fresh and delightful. 
            When we got back I found out that I won a photo contest at Ohio State that I had entered a month earlier, my new wife and I carved some more pumpkins, and life couldn’t be any better.
            Side note; I recently got a new phone, a smart phone, I guess my old phone was to dumb for this day and age.  So with my new phone it comes with apps to add on so you can do anything with a phone now.  Well one of the apps is a photo editing app, so I plan to post a random photo at least weekly taken and edited with just my phone and nothing else.  Prepare your self.
           
first random phone pic

So until next time, don’t worry, be happy.

“A successful man is one who makes more money than his wife can spend. A successful woman is one who can find such a man.                          -Lana Turner

Sunday, August 28, 2011

soup and baseball...

  Recently went to the store to pick up a few things when I came across this in the soup aisle;


Now why in the world would you have a vegetarian vegetable soup?  I mean shouldn’t a vegetable soup be vegetarian to begin with?  I don’t get it.
                 Also last weekend went to the Columbus Clippers game( minor league baseball) with the fiancée and some friends and I took this photo.  I did edit it up a little but I still like it.  Try to give it kind of an old school photo feel with it being black and white.  However, the Clippers who are the defending champs did lose, but I still had fun.
    Speaking of photos my friend and I are having a Photoshop contest.  We both sent each other a photo of ourselves and have two weeks to edit the photos anyway we please and will be judged by another friend of ours. Winning photo will then be posted on my blog.
    Keeping up with the countdown for the big day, 19 days left.  I have lost 8 pounds so I’m a little skinnier, but I wouldn’t say im have gotten in any better shape.  At this point I can just hope I keep the pounds off.
    Well that’s all I have for now, until next time, some days you don’t make it to the top but you can always try again tomorrow.

“Assuming the right wing or left wing gained control of the whole country, it would probably fly around in circles.”                -Pat Paulsen

Sunday, August 14, 2011

Coffee

    Another week and a few gallons of coffee later… no not really but I did drink coffee every day this week.  Starting last Sunday with only one cup that had about a pound of sugar and creamer with a few drops of coffee and ended this morning with two cups with little sugar and creamer.  I did find that I like hazelnut flavor coffee, especially the hazelnut Northern Lite Latte (not misspelled that’s just how they spell Lite) from Caribou Coffee.  I didn’t feel any different then when I drink coke or any other caffeinated beverage.  I didn’t get jittery or antsy like I thought I was going too.  I tried drinking early in the morning, late in the morning, and in the afternoon.  I chose not to try it at night in fear of staying awake all night.  I must say I don’t mind it so much now.  I have always enjoyed the aroma of coffee but could never get past the bitterness.  Don’t know that I will drink it every day, but at least I know how to make it so I can tolerate it. 
    Well that’s all I have for this week, not much going on.  I’m sticking to trying to track my food, whether its online, on paper, or just making a mental note.  Coffee may stick around for a few but probably not every day.  I can’t think of any good challenges this week, any suggestions?  So until next week, lead, follow, or get out of the way.


  “Silly things do cease to be silly if they are done by sensible people in an impudent way.”
                                                                                    -Jane Austen

Monday, August 8, 2011

funny story...

    So its been a few weeks since I actually wrote something, so I have a funny story for you.  What happens when a chin meets the front fender of a Honda Civic?  Four stitches and a head ache.  That’s right kiddies I was working on my brakes when I decided that it would be a good idea to accidentally hit my chin on the fender after I bounced the back of my head off the underside of the hood.  Yea, it was funny at the time and it did hurt my head a bit but I chose to press on with my work without even a worry about my chin.  Well until I went to wipe the sweat off of it and realized, no that’s not sweat dripping from my chin but blood.  Despite the blood dripping out and the stinging from the sweat seeping into the large gaping wound on my hair (I have a beard if you didn’t know) and grease covered chin, I pushed on with my brakes.  2 hours, 4 brake pads, an oil change, and a shower later I hitched a ride with my dad to the nearest emergency room.  As I told the story to four different people my dad just chuckled in the corner.  The lady came in to sew me up and before she started asked me to lay nice and still, then proceeded to ask me questions while she was doing the stitching.  And that was the second time I had someone tell me to lay still and then asked me questions that Saturday.  The first being my visit to the dentist earlier for my 8 year check up.  Yes eight years since my last visit to the tooth doctor and not one single cavity.  Thanks for the cleaning doc, see you in eight more.
    As for my challenge I talked about two weeks ago, tracking my eating on live strong.com, I lost 2lbs.  And according to my first grade math that’s a pound a week.  I met my goal.  As for this weeks challenge, I tackle coffee, which is something I never drink.  I will attempt to drink a cup o’ Joe a day,  not really for any health benefits but just to see what happens, if anything.  However, a WebMD article states;
“A growing body of research shows that coffee drinkers, compared to nondrinkers, are: less likely to have type 2 diabetes, Parkinson’s, and dementia, also, have fewer cases of cancers, hearth rhythm problems, and strokes.”
So bottoms up with that bitter nectar, I guess. That’s it for this week and until next time, swing high, swing low, but always keep your eye on the ball.

"Those who stand for nothing, fall for anything."              
-Alexander Hamilton

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Just supporting my sponsorship...




I'm disappointed in myself for not mentioning that living the high life is not expensive.  As a matter of fact a six pack of 16oz'ers only cost me $5.30.  Sorry i denied you of that fact in the post "Free and Cheap."  

Monday, July 18, 2011

waterparks and bicycles

            Well it has been a couple of weeks, but in my defense, I have been busy.  Went mountain biking last weekend and hung out at Zoombezi Bay with amber this weekend.  For those who don’t know, Zoombezi Bay is a water park connected to the zoo here in Columbus.  There are massive waterslides, wave pools, expensive mediocre food, kids everywhere and lazy rivers.  It was definitely packed.  Not only was it a hot Saturday afternoon but it was kid’s fest.  We didn’t know until we got there.  On the plus side, there is the lazy river for adults only.  That’s right no one under 21 aloud in.  No screaming kids rough housing and splashing around.  Just me and amber floating around peacefully with a handful of other kid less refugees escaping the horror of being parents in a water park.  Not only does it offer cool water and a relaxing float away from the main park, but it circles around a bar.  Awe a refreshing beer to cool us off from lying in the sun.  We stayed for a few hours then headed home to enjoy the rest of the evening in air condition, eat steak, and drink more beer. 
            For the past few weeks a annual event has been taking place in France.  That’s right “le Tour De France,” 2200 miles through France and nearby countries in 21 stages on a bicycle.  Not even a comfortable bike with a big padded seat, but a tiny little piece of carbon fiber.  Now I have been watching the tour for about 5 years now and have learned a few things and become familiar with a few riders.  Like every sport I have my favorite riders.  Lance of course was my number 1 mainly because the first year I watched it he was the only one I knew, he was American so I could pronounce his name, and he was good.  Well since he isn’t racing this year I have to root for my number 2, Alberto Contador from Spain.  He is a good rider and was on Lance’s team last year and has won the tour a couple of times.  Other riders include Cadel Evans (Australian), the Schleck bros (Andy and frank, Luxembourg riders), Christian Vande Velde (American rider) and about 145 other riders I can’t pronounce their names.  The tour first made its debut in 1903 and was only five stages long.  The first American to win was Greg lemond in 1986 then again in ’89 and ’90.  So if you find yourself a little interested you can go online and check it out or watch a little on TV. 
            Since in the past I have talked about diet and fitness and now i'm talking about a long bike race in France, I have come across a website for everyone who wants to get a little in shape or watch what they eat.  Livestrong.com is a fantastic site that offers a plethora of information and tools to help you live a little healthier life.  It offers recipes, workout plans, you can track your calories and exercise hours, and it will help you build your own exercise plan.  Best part about it is that it’s free to sign up.  It’s really a good way to help me keep an idea of what I need not to do like eat a payday after lunch and eat an apple instead.  You can build a goal like mine which is losing 1lb each week until the wedding.  So on “my plate” it tells me how many calories I’m allowed each day and if I do some exercise it will show it on my calorie counter.  So if you’re thinking about doing a little something for your health then try it out. 
            So my challenge for the week is to keep up with my tracking on Livestrong.com and see the end results in a week.  If you decide to sign up my user name is kakanoe, you can send me a message to let me know your going to try it out.  So until next week, keep your wheels straight and pedal hard.


“Fools look to tomorrow. Wise men use tonight.”                   -Scottish proverb

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

free and cheap...and short

            Ok, ok, I promise not to talk about Denmark this week.  So my week of free and cheap planning has been going well.  For groceries the little lady and I spent only $58 for a week’s worth of groceries.  At the grocery store we took advantage of coupons and sales like “10 for $10,” although we never got ten of the same thing.   As far as doing something for free or on the cheap we watched some fireworks and visited with family at a cookout.  During the week is real easy lounge around after work and take it easy, or bike ride.  This weekend I’m heading out to Illinois with some friends to do some mountain biking.  Aside from the gas to get out there it’s free to ride in the park and cheap to stay in the campground.   So needless to say there is plenty to do if your living life on a budget, saving money, or saving for a wedding and honeymoon (73 days left).
            I’ve decided to keep it short this week since its already Wednesday so here are the topics I’m not going to talk about are New York approves gay marriage, Casey Anthony is innocent, and yes the ATF gave guns to Mexican drug cartels.  That’s right I’m not going to bore you with the details of these topics.  
So, I’m actually going to challenge you this week with planning your own “cheap week” and post me a comment on what you did.  Until next week, live life until you’re full, and then pass the desert.  

In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on.                                                                      -Robert Frost

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Danish and free...

Hei mit navn er PJ.  Hvor er pubben?  Til Bat mobile!  Jeg vil ride min cykel jer.  Jeg kan drikke sig fald.  Jeg er beruset. 

Translation:
Hello, my name is PJ.  Where is the pub?  To the Bat mobile! I’m going to ride my bike there.  I may get drunk. I am drunk.

            Well that’s what I learned of the Danish language and if you are Danish and read that I apologize if it was incorrect.  I know it isn’t much but a few stupid comments and if you see me on the street don’t ask me how to say them because learning Danish from Google Translate isn’t as easy as it sounds.  Good thing I don’t have the money to get to Denmark because when I got there I couldn’t talk to anyone. 
            Speaking of no money, I came up with a topic this week to write about. Free things to do maybe even a few free objects you can get.  What brought me to this?  Well this past Friday I spent the day with my dad at the National Air force Museum in Dayton, Ohio.  Let me just say, it was awesome!  The museum was comprised of three huge hangers with hundreds of planes. Some were reproductions; some were restored planes, out of service planes, even prototype planes.  They had planes from 1909 up until the most recent F-22 Raptor (fighter jet).  Big planes, small planes, planes from Germany, Japan, USA, even two from Canada. There was a B-52 and a B-36 that were both almost the size of a football field.  Dad’s favorite the P-38 Lightening.  One of the first planes you see when you walk in is the Buckscar, the plane that dropped the bomb on Hiroshima.  Needless to say there were a ton of planes and I can’t wait to go again.  Oh and why does that make me think of free stuff, because admission is free.  That’s right a free museum.  After visiting the museum, we went to the Freedom’s Pride Military Tattoo.   The original meaning of military tattoo is a military drum performance, but nowadays it sometimes means army displays more generally.  Since it was next to the air force museum it was an military display of planes.  Oh and it was free.  So we got to sit and watch military planes fly over, with a beer (not free) in hand.
            So, even if you don’t live close to Dayton, Ohio and can’t make it to that museum there are other free things to do out there. I went to Columbus, Ohio’s city website and clicked on the event calendar.  There I sorted the events out by free admission and it came up with 342 events for music, film, festivals, art, and other events.  Like this Friday is RED, White, and Boom, Columbus’ fire work show.  Its free as long as you can find a park.  I’m sure your city website will have the same. 
            Outdoor activities are almost always free such as hiking, climbing, and biking.  I mean aside from the gear you have to buy, it’s free.  Going to the park and walking around or sitting on a bench and watch the people.  Some state parks have lakes that offer a beach, if you don’t mind a bit of a crowd on the weekend you can get a swim in. 
            Also, for you star gazers, check out any local observatories.  Perkins Observatory in Delaware, Ohio, which is on Ohio Wesleyan university campus, has some free nights that you can go and enjoy learning a little about the cosmos.   Some colleges have free admission to there own museums so you can get an idea of that colleges’ history.
            As far as free stuff goes, simple, type in free stuff on the internet and you will get millions of links to get a free sample here and a free sample there.  Giant eagle market place in upper Arlington Ohio has what’s called Foodie Fridays where they have countless free sample booths.  You could actually get full just walking around trying all the samples.    So needless to say, there are freebies out there you just have to look for them. 
My challenge this week is have free night, even though I did it last Friday.  Even if something un-free comes up I will still plan out a free night to save for a later date. Just to add a little more to that challenge I am going to plan a week as cheaply as possible.  That will include not just activities but groceries too.  Just to see how cheap one could live.   So until next week, keep your stick on the ice.


“Owl you need is love.”     -Kelly’s necklace

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Denmark...again

   
            Aww the Danish.  Good ‘ol Denmark, always there to surprise you. A year ago if someone mentioned Denmark I wouldn’t have thought twice about it.  Now, on the other hand, I am completely fascinated by the small country. As you know from my previous blogs it is officially the Kingdom of Denmark, the happiest place on earth (Denmark and baking soda post), and one of the best photos ever has was taken over there(April Fools post), but recently, I have stumbled upon new highlights of Denmark
Did you know they have one of the worlds largest off shore wind farms?  A wind, farm per, wiki is “a group of wind turbines (massive wind mills) in the same location used to produce electric power.”  Horns Rev II (off the western coast of Denmark) is the second largest off shore wind farm in the world, second to Thanet Offshore Wind Project off the coast of UK.  Who knew that the Danish where so eco friendly. 
            Not only does Denmark produce super wind farms but they also produce super cars.  The Zenvo ST1 has a 7.0 liter V8 producing over 1100 horsepower.  What!?! You can’t be the happiest place on earth and have slow cars. Hell no.  You have to have a car that, because of safety and legal reasons, is electronically restricted to only go 232mph.  Why not produce such a car in a country that is just over 16,600 square miles (slightly larger than the state of Maryland).  I know what your thinking, “where can I get one and how much?”  Well unfortunately only 15 are being made and as for price a measly $1.2 million will get you in this steel cage wrapped in carbon fiber.  Better yet you won’t even have to go to Denmark to pick it up. It will be sold in the U.S. by Red Sea Distribution.  Better sign up on the waiting list.
            Aside from massive wind farms and super cars the country is beautiful.  There are massive castles, green rolling hills, beaches, and Copenhagen.  The capital and largest city of Denmark it is consider one of the most environmentally friendly cities in the world.  Of the 1.9 million people living in Copenhagen 36% commute to work on a bicycle.  Even the water in the inner harbor is so clean you can swim in it.  Considered a boom town it is ranked 10th most expensive city thanks to the wave of successful designers, architects and chefs.  Way to go Denmark.  Way to be an example of an awesome country. 
             On top of all these recent dicoveries, my blog page allows me to see where people are viewing my blog around the world, and yes I have one viewer in Denmark.  Awesome.  
            Needless to say, Denmark is by far one of my favorite places even though I have never been.  I will go someday and I will celebrate their awesomeness with them at a pub with a local brew. Until then I will marvel in their glory or until I am distracted by something else. 
           So, all this talk of Denmark got me thinking, “What’s a good challenge for me this week that has to do with Denmark? Got it!”  My challenge this week, learn some Danish.  I’m not talking the whole vocabulary, just a few common and simple phrases.  Oh, and for my challenge this past week, I spent time outside everyday walking, riding, and sitting on the porch.  So, until next week, være fremragende til hinanden (Danish for "be excellent to each other”, from Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure). 

“To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk.” 
-Thomas Edison

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Walking

    Well the past two weeks didn’t amount to much as far as exercise goes or eating healthy for that matter either. I did try to eat a little less at mealtime so hopefully that helps some.  I also rode my bike on the bike path, not to work because it was Sunday, but I did ride it to my office building, well I was a block short but almost.  It was blazing hot and I was dripping with sweat when I got done. There and back was a total of about 8 miles.  Let me just say that I am out of shape.  I was passed by everyone on the path and they weren’t breathing hard or look like they were even trying. I kept hearing from behind me, “on your left” then I would be passed.  Most of the people weren’t young people either.  At one point I’m pretty sure there was an eighty year old that passed me. 
    Aside from not getting much exercise I did spend some time outside, walking mostly.  Yesterday I walked down to the local bike shop to pick up a part and on the way there I realized something, I hardly look straight ahead when I walk. I look at trees, buildings, cars, and people.  I notice that a lot of people don’t look around.  They look straight with a look on their face of determination of getting where they need to go.  I just want to tell them to look around.  Take it all in, enjoy your surroundings. It was a beautiful day no need to stare at nothing but a distant finish line.  Makes me wonder how terrible I would be as a marathon runner.  Always getting side tracked I would probably miss a turn and get lost, never finishing the race.
    Multiple men’s magazines  come out each month with articles giving advice on what it takes to be a man or things every man should know one even has an add for a cookbook called “How to Eat Like a Man,” and with Father’s Day around the bend I figured I would talk about being man.  What better person to represent being a man than my dad.  He is a stern, strong tempered man at times and loving and caring the other times.  He never tells me, “men eat this” or “every man should know that,” but he did teach me how to be a man without me ever knowing that he was teaching me. He taught me baseball and how work on cars.  He taught me that you do whatever it takes to support your family and give them the life they deserve.  He worked countless hours to provide for the fam.  He never pushes me one way or the other but nudges me the way he knows I want to go then supports me the rest of the way.  He gave me the opportunity to be the person I wanted to be.  He is strong, courageous and compassionate all at the same time.  He never cries or shows weakness even though those emotions did exist in him.   He is the greatest man I have or will ever know, he is my dad, he is my hero,  he is a man.  I hope some day I am as great of a man as him.  Thank you dad.
     This week my challenge is to spend an hour outside every day.  Hopefully I will be getting some exercise.  So until next week, look around, take it all in and enjoy your surroundings.


“Never knock on death’s door: ring the bell and run away Death really hates that.”                                                           -Matt Frewer
      

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

I am a slacker...

            Sorry kids, I have been slacking on my blog updates.  In my defense, the weather has been awesome, so I had to go outside.  If you read my last blog I said that I was getting back to my challenges starting with baking soda uses. Let me just say that brushing your teeth with baking soda(which my teeth didn’t get much whiter) tastes like brushing your teeth with ocean water and a bit abrasive to use every day as a face wash or soap but good in a pinch.  I didn’t need it for a tummy ache, an acne spot, or a deodorant and as for a shampoo, again not every day, mostly just because it is a pain to wash out.  I did learn that you can use it on your carpet as an odor remover, especially after a pet has used the area as their personal bathroom.  A couple of other uses include sprinkling a little down your drain to help with odors along with in the bottom of trash cans.  So, baking soda is a cheap and natural product to keep in your house at all times.
            I recently moved to an area that has a bike path that passes right in front of my office building so everyone in the area rides bikes and with the hike in gas prices makes me feel even more lazy and shitty for driving my car to work.  S o, back to my original idea of getting my mind and body in shape for the big day(T-minus 108 days) and since I have slacked off for the past month, I am going to have to work even harder.  I am going to keep it simple, no fancy diets or outrageous workout plans. Stick to 30-90 minutes of exercise a day, watch what I eat (and drink), ride my bike at least twice a week either to work or after as an exercise.  I also plan on spending as much time outside as possible whether it is riding, hiking, fishing, kayaking, or just sitting on the patio. 
            I have to talk a little about Memorial Day, because it seems I have talked about all the holidays that have passed already.   I’ll keep it short.  Really no need to talk about what it is for so thank you veterans for all you have done.  What did I do this weekend?  I drank too much, ate shitty food, hung out with some friends, and was lazy until Monday when I kayaked 12 miles and got completely burnt  and now I am in pain.  Oh and I went fishing with my dad and didn’t catch a damn thing.  Good weekend.
            So for next time challenge is to start getting my ass into shape and spend time outside.  Oh and finish the book that I started 2 weeks ago.   Until next week, walk away from the computer or TV and go outside.

“Man’s heart away from nature becomes hard.”   
                                                            -Standing Bear

Monday, May 16, 2011

Denmark and Baking soda

          I finally got my book, titled "Travels in Alaska" by John Muir, in which I am excited to read and bore you with the details in the weeks to come.  The book itself only cost me $0.99, which I bought from a place called Half Price Books(http://www.hpb.com/).  Unfortunately the three locations that are around me didn’t have it available so they had to ship it to me from Washington, the state, which cost me more then the book.  However, I still didn’t spend more than five bucks.  Just thought I would share that because not only when you buy a secondhand book are you paying less for a book that was probably read once then tossed to the side, but you are saving trees and the planet.  Actually that really isn’t true because they probably already chopped down the tree to make the paper.  But you still pay less for it, still an upside.
          Last week the weather was good from Tuesday on, but my car, which has multiple issues, decided it was time to have the radio stop working.  The fact of getting into a blazing hot car with no air and the drivers side window has issues rolling down isn’t enough for the fifteen minute ride home, but now I have to deal with all that while listening to the sound of the road.  Sigh.  When I bought the car for 500 clams I knew it had issues but I didn’t care because the motor ran great and it gets 30+ miles to the gallon and the radio worked then.  Now that there is no radio I realized how many bad noises it makes.  It almost scares me to drive the thing now. 
          So Denmark is becoming my new favorite country.  As you remember I did a ramble on a picture that was taken in Denmark (April Fools post) which is one of my favorite pictures.  Well the other day I read an article stating that Denmark is “the happiest place on Earth.”  Take that Disney world.  A recent poll/study showed that despite the high taxes and dreary weather the people are among the happiest in the world.   Who’d thought when I was looking at the pissed off youth in front of the fake subway car, cursing his mom with some Danish words, that they are the happiest people.  Shows how little you can tell about a country just by looking at a picture.   
          I also have to add my new favorite state to this post, New Hampshire, and only for this reason;


What says American like "live free or die." 
             My challenges seem to have fallen by the waist side so I decide to come up with something good.  So after searching I stumbled on “Seven Surprising Uses for Baking Soda”.  Yes that’s right, baking soda. The article gives seven ways to use baking soda which include brushing teeth, washing hair, face, and body with, use on acne, use as a deoderant, and mixing with water then drinking for an upset stomach, I may not do that one, unless i get an upset stomach. So by next week my teeth should be whiter, skin softer and acne free, stomach calm, hair cleaned, and fridge be odorless.    
          Well I am on my way to fix a car, read a book, and buy some baking soda.  So until next week, don’t hold someone back, they may honor you the same respect someday.

“Outside of a dog, a book is man’s best friend. Inside of a dog, it’s too dark to read.”                                                                 -Groucho Marx

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Dracula

    well im dry.   Yes it rained, but it seems to be raining less, around 4 out of the 7 days a week now, and when its not raining it is sunny and beautiful.  Now I can finally start talking about something other than the weather. I have talked about food, arts, fitness, politics, and the weather, so enough with the small talk.
      For those that don’t know I work in the medical field and I have for almost ten years now.  I have worked on a squad, at a family doctor’s office, a general ophthalmologist, and now I work as an ophthalmic photographer and teach CPR.  I have had the chance, nay, a privelege to meet the most intriguing people with the most interesting stories.  One of my favorites was a woman who was born in Transylvania.  Yes the home of Dracula. Naturally I asked about draculas castle, she simply replied, “Scary.”  All the documentaries you see and the ghost stories you here, the over played acting of Dracula is all commercialized anymore. But for someone who grew up just over fifty miles from the real home of Dracula still has fear in hear voice when she talks about it.  Though not overbearing fear, now that she is well into her seventies and has lived in the states for quite sometime, but stil a slight hint of fear.  I could only imagine what is was like as a kid, hearing the stories from the old town folk.  I asked if she had ever been to the castle and without hesitation, “no,” it wasn’t a tourist trap then but a real place where death and carnage took place. At the time primary mode of transportation was still horse and buggy even though cars had been around for over forty years they still lived the old style and told the horrifying stories. Even though she’d never gone I could tell it was not because of lack of transportation but fear.
    Dracula, whose real name was Vlad Tepes or Vlad the Impaler, ruled  in years 1448, again from 1456 to 1462, and again in 1476.  He was considered the impaler due to his revenge against the Ottoman Empire(they killed his father and brother) where he impaled his enemies.  Not only did he just impale his enemies but their families too.  Now Wiki doesn’t refer to him drinking blood or biting his victims, but he did torture those in his way.
    Doesn’t seem to scary when you hear the true story unless of course you lived then and was part of the Ottoman Empire but to a young girl in Transylvania in the time of World War II I could only imagine the ghost stories she was told.
    Well this week I was planning on reading another book but since it still hasn’t come in the mail I’ll just have to put it off until next week.  You may suggest I should just go to the library, but as slow as I read I would go broke from late fees.  So until next week, learn something new like I did, the truth might surprise you. 


“ To draw you must close your eyes and sing.”    -Pablo Picasso

Monday, May 2, 2011

Rain

Well it has certainly been a long week.  So much to talk about that has gone on in the past week but I promise to keep my rant short.  I could talk about the devastation of my home state Alabama, my prayers and thoughts got out to my southern friends and family, or I could talk about Donald Trump being put in his place about President Obama being born in Hawaii, but I wont bore you with that one either.  I’m not even going to talk about the death of Bin Laden(finally). No, no, I’ll keep it simple.
    Yes I have mentioned that it has rained here for the past month but I wasn’t sure how much it had really rained until today. Curious until I couldn’t stand it anymore I decided to dig up some numbers and this is what I came up with. Let me first touch on the subject the major cities with the most rainy days versus the cities with the most rainfall. Obviously most rainy days is just that.  Out of the year how many days is there precipitation(rain and snow). Out of the major cities in the USA  the top of the list is Buffalo, New York raining an average of 166 days out of the year.  I assumed it would have been a west coast city like Seattle which ranked number four with 154 days, still a lot.  Columbus, Ohio ranked a little lower at number seven averaging 138 days out of the year.  In the month of April, Columbus sees an average of 14-15 days of rain. But for 2011 it brought much more raining a total of 25 days out of 30.  Needless to say, I didn’t get out much.
    Now what major cities see the most precipitation.  Well, New Orleans toped that list with 64.2 inches averaged yearly and Birmingham, Alabama see an average of 54 inches yearly, ranked at number four, Miami, Florida and Memphis, Tennessee in the second and third spot of major cities.  Again, I was surprised a west cost city wasn’t at number one.  With Columbus averaging at 38.5 inches yearly and only 3.3 inches in April, we totaled 7.14 inches this April, double the average and a new record.  The previous being set in 1893 at 7.08 inches.  That’s a lot of rain in one month.
    Again this is data from major cities alone, but what is truly the wettest area in the United States. MT. Washington, New Hampshire takes the cake averaging 101.9 inches yearly and 209 days of rain/snow. They also averaged the most cloudy days at 244 days with thick cloud cover. Wow, still surprised not a west coaster took that one.  A little more weather records;  Prospect, Alaska dipped down to a brisk -80 degrees Fahrenheit in 1971 to take the coldest and Greenland Ranch, California took the hottest at 134 degrees in 1913.  Driest is Las Vegas with 4.5 inches of rainfall a year and sunniest is Yuma, Arizona with 90% of sunshine a year.  Georgetown, Colorado takes the snowiest  with 63 inches.  A bit of information that is both useless and interesting(at least to me) at the same time. So, for my challenge this week, stay dry.
    People say that weather affects the mood, I hope it gets sunny and warm in the south soon because they need it more than I do.  Until next week, whether your in the south, north, east, or west, keep your hope strong because there are sunnier skies yet to come, literally and figuratively.
  

“Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it.”                                                           -Helen Keller

Monday, April 25, 2011

Easter, Trump, and pink toenails

         Well it’s been another week and again it was filled with rain and very little sunshine. Can’t say I did much. And as a kicker it is suppose to rain all this week. Yoo-hoo. I feel like I need to build an arc and gather two of every animal.
On a dryer note, with Easter being this past weekend I definitely got my sugar buzz, actually it was more like a drunken stupor after ingesting all the Reese’s pieces, skittles, gummy bears, and sour patch kids. Mmmmmmm, there’s nothing like a pound of candy and a cold beer to get your heart racing. Another fine holiday that gives us a chance to spend time with family and become diabetic for a day. Walking into a store you are overloaded with thousands of bags of candy, little plastic eggs, giant chocolate bunnies, and premade baskets filled with candy and little toys. You feel moved to spend a little money to help someone’s sweet tooth get that extra cavity and of course helping yourself to a little at the same time. I just hope everyone had an Easter as enjoyable as mine. I know the dentist love this time of year.
Now with everything going on in the world, I’m just glad there are people out there that are concerned with the smaller things in life, like where the president was born. I mean why not spend $3 million to reveal something that someone spent $2 million covering up. Awe, Donald trump you are a figure of never-ending marvel. Even Sarah Palin calls his efforts, to find out where Obama was born, “a distraction from the bigger issues.” Nothing like a real estate mogul to run for presidency( I think he will run). Why not have a trump tower with the address 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Trump who has been in and out of bankruptcy three times is definitely some one who could bring this country out of debt. Well, let’s look at the big picture. A guy who has over twenty properties world wide with his name on it plus multiple other properties with out his name and on top of that developers pay him to market their properties. A man who has been married three times, a loving grandfather, and has successfully had the same come-over style for thirty plus years. Nothing says American like Donald trump. Making promises like “America will be respected again” and “ending the health care law,” he has his eyes on the major issues. Not everyone is as optimistic about him as me though. David Plouffe, senior advisor to President Obama, says, “Mainstream Americans thinks it’s a side show and they want our leaders to focus on the issues right in front of us like how we keep the economy growing.” If anyone knows how to get out of debt I think it would be trump. In five years from 1989 to 1994 he went from having over $900 million in personal debt and $3.5 billion in business debt to having over three-quarters of that paid off and he is now valued over $2.7 billion personally. I think if you can go from being $900 million in the hole to being $2.7 billion over, he knows a little about getting out of debt and economic growth.
Trump isn’t the only one concerned about small affairs though. Apparently there was an email sent out from J. Crew to customers with a picture ad that showed the president and creative director, Jenna Lyons, with her son, who is 5, painting his toe nails pink, innocent enough. Well per Erin brown, from the media research center, “its blatant propaganda celebrating transgendered children.” Really? And she isn’t the only one voicing out against the picture; comments have come from FOX, ABC, NBC, and CNN, stating basically the same thing. Dr. Keith Ablow, a psychiatrist, said, “It may be fun and games now, Jenna, but at least put some money aside for psychotherapy for the kid.” He then went on to state, “the message she was sending was that this was an attack on masculinity.” And he proudly attacked her while wearing a pink tie. What a man. Mrs. Lyons simply took the high road and said, “It is his favorite color which changes daily.” The truth about kids, yes they have short attention spans when they are five. They enjoy time with their mother. They don’t know what having their toenails painted means to the rest of society and better yet they don’t care. They just want to have fun. A reader of the Erin brown’s statement wrote back, “A small child, with no secondary sexual characteristics, cannot be considered transgendered. On the other hand, a fully grown person as yourself can definitely be considered a small minded asshole.” Thank you, now I don’t have to say it.
What a world. Usually I have a weekly challenge that helps strengthen my mind or body but recently I have been a little lax blaming it on the rain and work. So this week I’m just going to be honest and tell you I have no plans to challenge my self but if I get a little exercise, read a little, or eat a little healthier then I’m happy, and if I don’t, I’m still happy. So until next week, do what ever makes you happy.


If women ran the world we wouldn't have wars, just intense negotiations every 28 days.” -Robin Williams

Monday, April 18, 2011

Livin' the High Life...

    Well, it was another dull week filled with rain and cold weather except for Wednesday and Thursday, which was a spring teaser with its sunshine and warm weather.  Saturday was another dreary day but exciting with our engagement photos.  Yes!  Nothing more awkward then being told to act natural when you are molded into a pose in the middle of Newark so a guy can take pictures of you while people walk by and stare at you.  On top of that it was cold and windy.  Hope the photographer  can edit my awkward expressions off my face and replace it with a better one.
    Although wasn’t much going on this week, I did receive my sponsorship contract from Miller High Life. That’s right kids I am officially sponsored by Miller High Life.  Leave it to the “Champaign of beers” to sponsor someone like me.  No, no, I don’t get free beer(damn it), but I do get a check for one dollar and an official sponsorship.  It was as easy as becoming an internet minister, just go online and sign up. A few weeks later they send you a contract stating that you will live the high life, use common sense, and don’t embarrass other high lifers.  Let me just read(or type) some of the high life rules I must abide by per my contract;
  1. 1.Do not embarrass fellow high lifers with non-highlife wardrobe choices.  Examples: footwear designed for weight loss, green denim anything, button-down shirts with detachable hoods.
  2. 2.Never participate in a fishing trip where people are paid to reel the fish in for you.  That’s not fishing that’s poling. Never pole. (my favorite)
  3. 3.Camp. But not in a luxury RV.  That’s not camping.  And that’s not living the high life.
 These are just a few but my favorites and I agree with them. It also urges me to convert others to the high life, so go to the website millerhighlife.com  and get your sponsorship and start living the high life.
    Other then a few photos I’m going to post, that is it for this week, (don’t want to bore you like last week).  So whether your high life is being at the park taking pictures, sitting on the patio drinking a cold one, being with loved ones, or camping in the woods don’t forget to live your high life to the fullest.
my sponsorship contract.







beer...plus...





match in make shift candle holder while sitting on the patio drinking beer equals living the high life.



“Don't go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first.”                -Mark Twain