Box Wine-O

So the gf and I have become boxed wine junkies. I like the Franzia White Zinfandel, while she prefers their Chillable Red.

We believe the positives are as follows:

• At $13 for five liters, way more alcohol for the money(both are 9% or 10% by volume) than most beers or hard alcohols.
• Less trips to the store for alcohol, thereby saving gas money and decreasing our carbon footprint.
• Less packaging going into landfills.
• Wine is generally healthier than beer.
• Wine lowers your inhibitions, making you (potentially) sexier and funnier.

In addition, we get to drink it out of the sweet ass homemade wineglasses you see above.

“My new homemade redneck wine glasses, for the wine drinker that likes to control how much they drink. Convenient handle and easy pour spout for “pouring some out for the homies” without making a mess. Get yours before the holidays for only $10!”

 

If you liked this post, I invite you to read the previous one or others in the archives. Before you go, please subscribe to this blog through the available RSS options or via email. I’d be thrilled if you took advantage of the sharing buttons located at the bottom of the post, and if you enjoy this blog,please click the “like” button to the right for my Facebook page. I’m sincerely grateful for you taking the time to read and comment on my posts. Special thanks to Amberr Meadows for her graciousness on blog help!

Elves and Shelves and Where We Lost Ourselves

It’s excellent marketing. It really is. I must give credit where credit is due.

Someone saw a hole in the market that they could fill, and they hit it perfect. Simple. Smart. Well priced.

The Elf on a mothafuckin shelf.

A self published book that originally was a run of 300 copies eventually sold millions and became a best seller, playing on the fact that the newest generation(s) of parents aren’t parents at all. They don’t teach or punish their children. They don’t instill in their children the lessons that those of us born before 1980 had instilled in us. They can’t shut their kid up with a look. They can’t quietly say the child’s name in that menacingly calm way and stop them dead in their tracks.

Horrible con artists that strive to sort of control through bribery and time outs. A generation of brats fueled by their parents’ lack of spinal stiffness due to the media and corporations and Oprah and Dr. Fucking Phil and Oz and not enough Dr. Suess and Corporal M.F. Punishment. Sent through everyday protected by helmets and kneepads and hand sanitizer and Clorox wipes and cell phones and prescreened Halloween candy and no pledge of allegiance or using the word god.

God forbid you teach your child at an early age to be decent and respectful. Heaven knows we wouldn’t want to offend a child’s delicate fucking sensibilities by making them not throw themselves down in the middle of the store because they know if they do that their ass will be sore when they get home. Wouldn’t want the other people in Walmart thinking we are mean for telling our kids that if they don’t stop telling us no and get their ass to the car that they will be eating soap for dinner.

No… instead we have decided that in order to not be OUR parents, we just won’t BE parents. We sit them in front of a TV or a video game and let them stay there all day. We hand them a cell phone, an xbox, an iPad, an iPod and never have a meal at our dinner tables, and then wonder why they don’t listen.

You can’t start trying to be a parent when they are 10. It doesn’t work that way. And if you didn’t teach their bratty asses to behave at 2, then your dumb ass elf is just a waste of money. Because at 11, when they find out that Santa isn’t real…. that elf is no longer your “Get Out Of Parenting Free Card”.

Pay attention to your kid. Teach them. Love them. Spoil them. Punish and correct them. But make them smart and polite and respectful and stop expecting everyone else to control your child(but don’t touch them or offend them or I’ll sue!).

Otherwise… clean up that room in the basement. They’ll be needing to live there in 20 years.

 

If you liked this post, I invite you to read the previous one or others in the archives. Before you go, please subscribe to this blog through the available RSS options or via email. I’d be thrilled if you took advantage of the sharing buttons located at the bottom of the post, and if you enjoy this blog,please click the “like” button to the right for my Facebook page. I’m sincerely grateful for you taking the time to read and comment on my posts. Special thanks to Amberr Meadows for her graciousness on blog help!

Life in Taiwan, Diatribes, Bumps And The Young And Curious.

I wanted to pass along some blogs that I think some of you may enjoy. I’m going to try to do this about once a week, just to introduce you to some new bloggers and new perspectives.

Some of these are going to be blogs I’ve been following for quite awhile. Some are ones that have found my writing and then I’ve gone and checked them out and loved them. So by all means… if you have a few minutes, go take a look at some of these writers. I really enjoy what they are doing, and I think you will, too. If your blog isn’t here the first week, keep coming back, it will make it if I see you and can really get into what you are doing. So make sure I see you. lol

Amberr Meadows, creator of “Like a Bump on a Blog”. She blogs on a million topics and seems to do them all well. And she has been a huge help to me in my work here on this site.

If you enjoy the fact that sometimes I rant and other times I do the opposite of that… then you will LOVE “DiatribesAndOvations“. The topic could be anything from STD’s to Pat Sajak, but you will get an honest opinion every time.

Then there is “sarah On The Go“, a self described “Lifestyle blog for the young and curious”. She hits a lot of different topics, from travel to current events, and has even added some shopping opportunities to her blog. Check out Sarah!

And finally(for today)… A man from South Carolina who teaches English in Taiwan. He has the advantage of being able to tell things from the perspective of a visitor, an American, and a resident of Taiwan. He tells personal stories and gives a great viewpoint on the differences we don’t often think about between the culture at home and abroad. Please go check out “unlikelyexpat“.

So there you have it. A few of my favorites, and I hope they become your favorites, too. Enjoy the rest of your afternoon!

If you liked this post, I invite you to read the previous one or others in the archives. Before you go, please subscribe to this blog through the available RSS options or via email. I’d be thrilled if you took advantage of the sharing buttons located at the bottom of the post, and if you enjoy this blog,please click the “like” button to the right for my Facebook page. I’m sincerely grateful for you taking the time to read and comment on my posts. Special thanks to Amberr Meadows for her graciousness on blog help!

The Louis C.K. Drinking Game

So J and I went out for dinner for her birthday last night. We couldn’t really decide what to do afterwards, so we decided to play a variation of the Super Troopers Drinking Game. Kept us from drinking somewhere and then worrying about how to get home drunk and in spotty weather, and it saved some cash. I already had most of a handle of Jim Beam Red Stag here, so we just needed some Coke to go with it.

 

Before I go any further I should say that we went to 8th Street Steak House in Pekin and had one of the best steaks I’ve ever had. My friend Frank runs the place, and I have to say, if you live in the area and don’t go try their steaks, you are doing yourself a huge injustice.

 

Anywho… We stopped off and got some soda on the way home so that we could play the drinking game. The rules are as follows:

1. Get a huge glass of your favorite drink.

2. Put on your favorite crude stand up comedian or crude movie.

3. Drink every time any curse word is uttered.

4. See how far you can make it before you throw up, pass out, or give up.

 

The first time we played we used Super Troopers. 45 minutes into the movie we had to stop. We were done. The room spun and it was a good time.

 

His stand up is awesome!

 

 

Last night we were debating between Lewis Black and Louis C.K. I was positive that Louis would be a better choice because of Lewis’ constant use of the F-bomb. Boy was I wrong.

 

After watching twenty… TWENTY. 20. Twenty minutes of his show. We had both consumed five very well mixed Red Stag and cokes. Each.

 

So yes, Louis C.K. curses way more than Lewis Black. And got us drunk in 20 minutes.

 

I hope all of you have as good of a weekend as we had last night. A very special I love you to J… Happy birthday:) And happy birthday to my Roomy!

 

 

If you liked this post, I invite you to read the previous one or others in the archives. Before you go, please subscribe to this blog through the available RSS options or via email. I’d be thrilled if you took advantage of the sharing buttons located at the bottom of the post, and if you enjoy this blog,please click the “like” button to the right for my Facebook page. I’m sincerely grateful for you taking the time to read and comment on my posts. Special thanks to Amberr Meadows for her graciousness on blog help!

My Fake Salon

So due to circumstances beyond my control, today is a break from the insanity of the last week of school. The unfortunate side is that I am spending it working on my fake salon for the business report i have to complete before I can take the finals. Once that report is done I may post bits and pieces here to show you all the damn work that is causing such a headache.

 

Hold still, dammit!

 

But the first day of practicals went well, and I’m sure the second day will too. Then I just have a day and a half of finals and I’m out of there. It’s stressful and exciting, but I have some great people supporting me. A special thanks to The Boss Lady and to the lovely J, without whom none of this would be possible.

 

 

If you liked this post, I invite you to read the previous one or others in the archives. Before you go, please subscribe to this blog through the available RSS options or via email. I’d be thrilled if you took advantage of the sharing buttons located at the bottom of the post, and if you enjoy this blog,please click the “like” button to the right for my Facebook page. I’m sincerely grateful for you taking the time to read and comment on my posts. Special thanks to Amberr Meadows for her graciousness on blog help!

Teacher Threatens To Quit Over Six Year Old

A while back I talked about how my son was starting at a new school, and alluded to the fact that I was very unhappy with his old school. While I wanted to write a scathing report on them at that moment, I wanted to wait and see if things changed for my son once he was in the new school.

So let me start by filling you in on the old place. It is a large daycare in Peoria that also has a kindergarten program. Brody started there about a year and a half ago in pre-K and then moved to kindergarten.

In pre-K he was pretty well behaved, but also had some crazy days, like all kids that age. His teacher had been in the business for a long time and handled him well and there were no major issues. Everyone in the building loved Brody. He helped out the teacher by reading to the other kids and basically did all he could to please.

Over the summer he was diagnosed with ADHD(I’m not getting into that here) and was of course put on meds. He started Kindergarten with a new teacher. She has only been teaching for a year or two.

Things went downhill. All the sudden Brody’s behavior at school was getting worse by the day. We tried adjusting his medication. Talking to his diabetes team about issues. Took him to a behavioral therapist. Had evaluations done. Nothing seemed to fix the problem at school. We tried anything we could to make things easier for them.

Eventually they started sending him home early if he got “out of control”. Of course this was frustrating for all of us, and we continued to search for solutions and suggestions for the school to try to get the problem solved.

Then my ex called a meeting with the school to talk to them about how things were going and some concerns we were having about everything, because in our mind things just didn’t add up. We felt like there was something we weren’t getting straight information about.

The school director decided to go on the offensive during the meeting and told her that the school was probably going to expel Brody by the first of the year if his behavior didn’t improve, because she “Couldn’t lose a teacher over this”.

His teacher threatened to quit if they didn’t get rid of a six year old student that has type 1 diabetes and ADHD.

I had a talk with her about the issues at one point shortly after that, and the teacher remarked to me, several times, about how she just didn’t have time to deal with all of Brody’s “issues” while she was trying to teach 11 other kids.

So we started talking, quietly, to a lawyer in Chicago about our options. Once the school figured that out, they immediately backed off kicking him out. They suddenly found extra money in the budget to put an assistant in his classroom. Of course that meant that as soon as he looked at someone wrong, he had 2 people all over him. They then started sending him home two to three times a week for “bad behavior”… basically trying to get us to just pull him.

The last straw was ridiculous. They have a green, yellow, red system for how the kids do on a daily and weekly basis. So one day Brody was at school and at naptime asked for a band-aid for a scratch that he had on his wrist. The teacher refused, and he asked again. She knocked him down from green to yellow for that. Then that afternoon he was sitting and writing math problems on scratch paper during free time. She told him he could only have one piece of paper. He made a mistake on one of the problems he was writing and threw the paper away and asked for another one. She changed him to red. Seriously? A bandaid and a second sheet of paper deserves that?

She was an unorganized, weak minded woman that held a grudge against a six year old. Her issue with Brody was that she didn’t want to have to deal with his diabetes, and she picked at him until we pulled him out of school after she threatened the school to quit if they didn’t get rid of him.

So fast forward to the new school. The entire staff loves him. There are no behavior issues. His new teacher(25 years on the job) said he is the most polite kid in class. She said(and has the support of the principal) that although she has never suggested it for one of his students, he probably needs to skip ahead to first grade. They love him, he loves the school, and he is flourishing there. The school also has two other kids his age that are Type 1 diabetics.

If someone is telling you there is an issue and you really try everything with your child and can’t figure out what the problem is, maybe it is the accuser. Maybe it is a horrible teacher, and maybe you should find a new school before that teacher does permanent damage to your child.

If you are looking into a daycare in the Peoria, Illinois area…. and one is named after one of the three hospitals, let me know. I may be able to give you some good information.

If you liked this post, I invite you to read the previous one or others in the archives. Before you go, please subscribe to this blog through the available RSS options or via email. I’d be thrilled if you took advantage of the sharing buttons located at the bottom of the post, and if you enjoy this blog,please click the “like” button to the right for my Facebook page. I’m sincerely grateful for you taking the time to read and comment on my posts. Special thanks to Amberr Meadows for her graciousness on blog help!

Rick Perry In Support Of Four Urinating Marines

Rick Perry, who is barely holding on to his bid for the Presidency has come out in support of the four Marines that are accused of urinating, on video, on Taliban fighters in Afghanistan.

He did agree that what they did was wrong, but said that it shouldn’t be punished as a criminal act.

As a former member of the US military, I can tell you this much. They knew it was wrong. They knew that if they got caught by the right people, they would be in big trouble. They just didn’t care. They didn’t think people at home would care. And Gov. Perry sticking up for them on “Meet The Press” proves they were right about that part.

But for those of you that are actually on their side in this, let me remind you of a few simple things. The movie “Blackhawk Down” was based on a real event overseas. During that real event, one of the American dead soldiers was dragged through the streets of the town behind a vehicle. This country went nuts and wanted revenge.

We see scenes, sometimes on a daily basis, of crowds chanting anti-American sentiments in half the countries of the world. We are seen in most corners of the globe as arrogant and blood thirsty. And quite honestly, with our military and political agenda in many parts of the world, a lot of Americans agree. If you don’t believe that, just look at the support that Ron Paul is generating in HIS Presidential bid. Actions by unintelligent American soldiers like these four are why Americans are targeted in terror attacks. People like that invite hatred and retribution, and more soldiers will die because of actions like theirs.

While we need to be thankful for the job our military members do for us on a daily basis, in places we know and in actions we will never hear about, we need to hold them accountable for actions that degrade HUMANS outside of war.

And if they aired a video on NBC that was of four Taliban soldiers urinating on your son or father or brother, would getting demoted or removed from the military or a little jail time seem like a fair punishment to you?

I didn’t think so.

 

 

If you liked this post, I invite you to read the previous one or others in the archives. Before you go, please subscribe to this blog through the available RSS options or via email. I’d be thrilled if you took advantage of the sharing buttons located at the bottom of the post, and if you enjoy this blog,please click the “like” button to the right for my Facebook page. I’m sincerely grateful for you taking the time to read and comment on my posts. Special thanks to Amberr Meadows for her graciousness on blog help!

The End of School and Other Boring Crap

Well… about two weeks of school left. I feel relief, but there is so much to do before I get out of there. Floor work, finals, practicals. It just doesn’t seem like there is enough time. I just want to get it all done on time and get out and get to the salon. I’m excited to get to work and get to see the old roomy again.

 

The little man is enjoying his new school, which is also a huge relief. We had so many issues with his old school, and so far we arent having any problems with the new one, but I am keeping my fingers crossed. I just want the little man to do well.

 

And it seems that after a ridiculously mild winter, with weather constantly in the fifties, we are finally going to get some true winter weather tonight/tomorrow. And after the weather that we have had, if I hear anyone bitching about a little snow I am going to bitch slap them. The first snowfall of the winter in January, with temps like we have had, there is no reason for crying about this since it has been so great. It hasn’t even hit and already there is a low rumble on facebook about the possibility of crappy weather. You’ve been warned.

 

What else is going on? Been playing my new Xbox a lot lately. It is good to sit down and just lose myself in a game and not have to deal with the stress of school or my son’s school. If anyone wants to add me on Xbox Live, just let me know. I’d be happy to let ya kick my ass online on a couple different games.

 

 

If you liked this post, I invite you to read the previous one or others in the archives. Before you go, please subscribe to this blog through the available RSS options or via email. I’d be thrilled if you took advantage of the sharing buttons located at the bottom of the post, and if you enjoy this blog,please click the “like” button to the right for my Facebook page. I’m sincerely grateful for you taking the time to read and comment on my posts. Special thanks to Amberr Meadows for her graciousness on blog help!

 

 

The Real Story of Tim Tebow’s Success

I’d like to start this post by making a couple points. First off, I’m a Packers fan. Secondly, I’m Buddhist. Third, I don’t judge anyone based on their religion.

Having said all that, I’m having a serious issue with some of the news coverage of Tim Tebow in regards to his religion and the part that it plays in his being a quarterback, and the success he has had so far in his young career.

The media has made it seem that a large portion of the fans of the NFL are having an issue with his religion and his modest displays of tribute to his god and chosen religion. They have spun it that any of us that have different beliefs are somehow at odds with all of it and that we want him to tone it down or fail. I actually saw a blog by a sports reporter that said if he was beaten by the Steelers it would be a banner day for Atheism.

That was possibly one of the most uneducated comments I’ve ever seen. I don’t know of anyone wanting him to fail for any reason other than the fact that they are fans of another team. Certainly not because they are a follower of another religion.

He is a very good player. While he may not be the most technically sound quarterback, he is most certainly an intelligent and talented competitor.

Then the question is often posed: is he successful because of his religion?

Short answer: yes. But not for the reasons the media likes to put out there to stir up controversy and expand readership of their respective news sources.

Yes he is doing well because of belief in a higher power. But more so because he believes in himself, his team, his coaches and his abilities. This calms him, and unlike most other qbs, he is able to play like crap for most of a game and still not get rattled, most times pulling off the big play when it really matters. He is an anomaly because of his absolute imperviousness to pressure. This comes from being centered by his aforementioned beliefs in god and man.

Say what you will about his athletic talent. That he isn’t good enough. Not strong enough. But keep in mind that Joe Montana wasn’t either. Or Broadway Joe. Or Johnny Unitas.

But they kept positive, kept their head and heart in the game…. And won.

The lesson is this. Believe in you even when no one else does. When you are ridiculed and belittled for your actions and deeds. Have a clear mind, a clear heart, and righteous purpose. And remember that it doesn’t matter who you pray to or even if you pray. It just matters that you believe in yourself and your actions.

 

 

If you liked this post, I invite you to read the previous one or others in the archives. Before you go, please subscribe to this blog through the available RSS options or via email. I’d be thrilled if you took advantage of the sharing buttons located at the bottom of the post, and if you enjoy this blog,please click the “like” button to the right for my Facebook page. I’m sincerely grateful for you taking the time to read and comment on my posts. Special thanks to Amberr Meadows for her graciousness on blog help!

One Fish, Two Fish, Dead Fish, New Fish

Well, where to begin? Lots going on this past week, so I guess I’ll just start somewhere and see if I get to all of it.

Brody starts a new school on Monday. I was going to write a scathing report on his old school, and discrimination, and the audacity of a teacher and faculty to put the wants of a bad teacher ahead of the needs of a six year old child, but I’m not going to do that at the moment. I’m just going to tell you that if you are thinking about enrolling your child in the Methodist Family Daycare in Peoria, Illinois… please contact me first.

His new school is amazing. They already have two other diabetic children there, so they are very organized and prepared for that. Every aspect of the school has been impressive, and I really haven’t seen a school that seems as well organized and geared toward children and actual learning. He said he is super excited and can’t wait until Monday. What we haven’t told him is that the school is probably going to move him ahead a grade in a couple weeks, once he gets in and comfortable. They want to make sure that he is socially comfortable on a higher level, as they believe he is academically ready for the next grade. So that’s really exciting to us. Also a little depressing to me. I wasn’t prepared for the reality of being the parent of a kid going into second grade in a few more months. lol

Yesterday we cleaned the fish tank. Again. It was coated in algae. And I mean everything. The rocks, decorations, filter(inside and out), some on the glass. It was disgusting. So we took everything out and scrubbed it all. Replaced the rock and filter. New water(complete with all the crap to cancel out water impurities, etc.). Got that all done yesterday afternoon… After I bought two new filters, since I bought the wrong kind the first time. So, after 2 hours of cleaning and scrubbing(no soap or chemicals, just scrubbing to remove the algae), got it all clean, filled, put back together and re-setup. Yay!

Two dead fish this morning. Fuck. So back to Petsmart for a couple more new fish today. I hate this fucking fishtank.

I got an Xbox 360 this week. The Roomy got one last week. I haven’t had this much fun with video games in a long time. Playing a racing game and a war game right now. I probably wouldn’t have gotten one for a couple more weeks, but I found a deal that was entirely too good to pass up. So if any of you out there are on Xbox Live, send me your info and I’ll add you.

So I’m going to take the midget and get him gym shoes and a lunchbox. And two new fucking fish. Hope you all have a swell Sunday:)

 

 

If you liked this post, I invite you to read the previous one or others in the archives. Before you go, please subscribe to this blog through the available RSS options or via email. I’d be thrilled if you took advantage of the sharing buttons located at the bottom of the post, and if you enjoy this blog,please click the “like” button to the right for my Facebook page. I’m sincerely grateful for you taking the time to read and comment on my posts. Special thanks to Amberr Meadows for her graciousness on blog help!