Ok - The finale is tomorrow so I figured this write-up is better late than never. The biggest loser finale is finally a fight between the big men of the group!
I also find interesting is how the breakdown of the season went. This year Biggest Loser was broken into three different groups - the kids, the working age and the retirees. Ok, maybe that is overstating it but they did break the contestants into three groups all by age at the beginning and the show goes into the finale with two of the three represented. You would think that the young group would be the group with two BUT the middle group had two. This might be a testament to Bob knowing how to get people to lose weight faster than the other trainers as the other two trainers were new this season. On to the contestants...
John: Age - 40. Height - 6' 4". Starting weight - 445 lbs. Everyone I know who talks to me about the show wants anyone BUT John to win the show. John does come off poorly on tv but in general, I think he has the most work emotionally to do than anyone else. With that being said, I think this game is his to lose. He is already at 263 lbs. If he gets down to 220, he will be at a more than 50% weight loss. I am guessing he ends at 218 which is only 45 more pounds AND gives him a 51.01% weight loss. Wow.
Antone: Age - 44. Height - 6'5". Starting weight - 447 lbs. Look, he is an ex-NFL player (lot of muscle) and he is an inch taller than John. Also, he is at 293 right now. For him to get close to John, he would need to lose another 65 lbs in the next 3 months before the finale. It can be done but with John being at the same starting weight, a tad shorter, and having a BIG lead already, I just do not see it happening.
Ramone: Age - 27. Height - 5'11". Starting weight - 355 lbs. Here is your dark horse. At 5'11" and being 27 years old, he could get down to 180. Now, he is at 239 lbs right now so that means losing 59 more lbs in the next 3 months or however long the break is before the finale. That is a tall order but he is 27 years old. That helps.
I just do not see John losing. At the end of the last show, John was at a 40% weight loss already! Antone was at 34.5% loss and Ramone was at a 32.7% loss. That is a lot of ground to make up by the finale but crazier things have happened.
I guess we will find out tomorrow.
Monday, December 12, 2011
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Random thoughts
Disney on Ice
1. Disney on Ice was decent. There I said it. I thought it was going to be painful but I had no problem sitting there and watching it.
2. Have you EVER heard of free parking at United Center? Yeah, me either. FREE. Disney on Ice was free parking. Crazy!!
3. Nothing else was free...nothing...
Cincinnati
4. I have never had Skyline Chili before. What the hell took me so long???? It was fabulous!
5. Oktoberfest in Kentucky was great. Good rides for the kids and good beer for the Neyer and I. Oh and good people watching for the ladies.
6. I was super impressed by the bar Neyer built in his basement. It is very impressive and very big.
Sports
7. Go Elway!
8. I am in two fantasy football leagues and if it wasn't for the drafts, I would not be in any. Draft is the highlight of the year. Always is.
9. I am excited to watch the baseball playoffs and am really not ready to hear about football all the time.
Upcoming Weekend
10. Michelle is out of town in DC visiting Kathryn. I am a single parent!!!!!!!!
11. Yes, I am running to the suburbs for help...
12. Trying to decide if I am going to pick up Samantha at like 4 pm on Friday and go do something fun as father-daughter. We could go to the zoo, hit up Navy Pier, go bowling, etc.
13. If you have any other ideas on what we could do, let me know.
1. Disney on Ice was decent. There I said it. I thought it was going to be painful but I had no problem sitting there and watching it.
2. Have you EVER heard of free parking at United Center? Yeah, me either. FREE. Disney on Ice was free parking. Crazy!!
3. Nothing else was free...nothing...
Cincinnati
4. I have never had Skyline Chili before. What the hell took me so long???? It was fabulous!
5. Oktoberfest in Kentucky was great. Good rides for the kids and good beer for the Neyer and I. Oh and good people watching for the ladies.
6. I was super impressed by the bar Neyer built in his basement. It is very impressive and very big.
Sports
7. Go Elway!
8. I am in two fantasy football leagues and if it wasn't for the drafts, I would not be in any. Draft is the highlight of the year. Always is.
9. I am excited to watch the baseball playoffs and am really not ready to hear about football all the time.
Upcoming Weekend
10. Michelle is out of town in DC visiting Kathryn. I am a single parent!!!!!!!!
11. Yes, I am running to the suburbs for help...
12. Trying to decide if I am going to pick up Samantha at like 4 pm on Friday and go do something fun as father-daughter. We could go to the zoo, hit up Navy Pier, go bowling, etc.
13. If you have any other ideas on what we could do, let me know.
Thursday, September 1, 2011
College Football
With college football starting, I thought I would share this very funny video. There are some crazy names out there!
Monday, August 15, 2011
A Father's Love...
Not sure I have to say much other than I never thought in my life I would be in this situation...
So 10 minutes before this event, Samantha had her nails painted by her mother. However, after she was done, she wanted to paint my nails. Who am I to say no? It kept her occupied for awhile.
Below are a few pics of the event.
As you can see, her level of concentration was really high for this.
As soon as she went to bed, I removed the polish, drank a beer and watched WWE in an attempt to get my man-card back. Ha!
Just another Sunday...
So 10 minutes before this event, Samantha had her nails painted by her mother. However, after she was done, she wanted to paint my nails. Who am I to say no? It kept her occupied for awhile.
Below are a few pics of the event.
As you can see, her level of concentration was really high for this.
As soon as she went to bed, I removed the polish, drank a beer and watched WWE in an attempt to get my man-card back. Ha!
Just another Sunday...
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Cheers!
I know my Aunt Karen will love this. A couple months ago, Samantha out of no where grabs her milk and hits my glass of juice and says "Cheers!" and proceeds to drink.
I was in shock and also very proud. Not sure where she learned to cheers but I am sure she has seen it a lot. Well, I tried to get it on video. Below is the video.
I was in shock and also very proud. Not sure where she learned to cheers but I am sure she has seen it a lot. Well, I tried to get it on video. Below is the video.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
The Boat FLOATS!
Awhile ago I wrote about Michelle's Dad's boat. Let me share a small story on how big this moment really was or another way, how powerful a granddaughter can be.
Michelle and I are out to dinner in Florida with a good friend of Michelle's. I nonchalantly say that we are going out on the boat and his face falls. He has known Michelle for a long time and he says "I have never seen that boat out of the garage!" and then proceeds to congratulate me on getting Michelle's dad to use the boat. I quickly correct him and say "I deserve none of the credit. This is all an example in the power of the grandchild!"
On a side note, the last time Vic had the boat insured it was 1997 and that was a couple years after the boat was last in the water.
Without further ado (because this blog is WAY overdue), here are some pictures from the big day.
Here is Sam anxiously awaiting the upcoming boat ride...ok I was anxious. She was excited to be playing in the garage.
Here Vic is making sure the brake lights are working. Boats are a Pain in the ARSE...
The boat in its natural space...in the garage...
The boat is LOCKED and LOADED!
Is the boat really ready for the water? Only time would tell!
Off we go and everything is a go!
We have a happy passenger!
And a happy captain!
We did have a couple set backs and docked for a little bit but for the most part everything was good.
It was a very successful trip and I can not wait to go on it again next time we are down there. Nice job Vic!
Oh, I mean Samantha can not wait to go on it again!
Michelle and I are out to dinner in Florida with a good friend of Michelle's. I nonchalantly say that we are going out on the boat and his face falls. He has known Michelle for a long time and he says "I have never seen that boat out of the garage!" and then proceeds to congratulate me on getting Michelle's dad to use the boat. I quickly correct him and say "I deserve none of the credit. This is all an example in the power of the grandchild!"
On a side note, the last time Vic had the boat insured it was 1997 and that was a couple years after the boat was last in the water.
Without further ado (because this blog is WAY overdue), here are some pictures from the big day.
Here is Sam anxiously awaiting the upcoming boat ride...ok I was anxious. She was excited to be playing in the garage.
Here Vic is making sure the brake lights are working. Boats are a Pain in the ARSE...
The boat in its natural space...in the garage...
The boat is LOCKED and LOADED!
Is the boat really ready for the water? Only time would tell!
Off we go and everything is a go!
We have a happy passenger!
And a happy captain!
We did have a couple set backs and docked for a little bit but for the most part everything was good.
It was a very successful trip and I can not wait to go on it again next time we are down there. Nice job Vic!
Oh, I mean Samantha can not wait to go on it again!
Florida - Mini Boats
I know I am behind on this blog but one of my favorite times in Florida is when Michelle and I got away for an hour on the water. We rented these individual mini-boats and hit the lake the surrounded some of Disney World.
We rode from the dock over by Magic Kingdom and then around a few other hotels. These boats were really small and could make some quick turns. It seemed that Michelle's boat was a little faster than mine. Of course I think it has something to do with the engine and not my weight...right?
Well, here are a few pics of Michelle on these mini-boats. Michelle usually has the camera in hand so typically on vacation she is not in many pictures. I made it a point to take a few pics while we were on the water with my blackberry.
We rode from the dock over by Magic Kingdom and then around a few other hotels. These boats were really small and could make some quick turns. It seemed that Michelle's boat was a little faster than mine. Of course I think it has something to do with the engine and not my weight...right?
Well, here are a few pics of Michelle on these mini-boats. Michelle usually has the camera in hand so typically on vacation she is not in many pictures. I made it a point to take a few pics while we were on the water with my blackberry.
Bowling Season
Charles Dickens' novel, A Tale of Two Cities starts "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." This could easily explain my bowling season.
As a team, it was easily the best of times. We finished in first place overall. To be honest, it wasn't even close. Going into the last week, we already had it wrapped up. This league is for fun so there is no prize but Fubar had a trophy made to put at the Purple Otter, our sponsor. Personally for me, it was my 2nd time winning this league and 3rd time winning at Diversey. So that was good.
As an individual, it was easily the worst of times for me. I maybe bowled half of the season. My top knuckle on middle finger on my right hand is jammed badly. I had it x-rayed and it is not broken. That is the good news. In any other sport or any other aspect of my life, this finger/knuckle is not affected. Only in bowling where you put the finger tip into a 16lb bowling ball, is where I feel it. Oh well. Michelle was a ringer for us off the bench and played like 5 or 6 weeks.
With bowling done and me declining to play softball this year, I have nothing filling my nights and I have to admit I like being able to not worry about making games on time. Summer is going to consist of a lot of park time and zoo time with Samantha and Michelle.
As a team, it was easily the best of times. We finished in first place overall. To be honest, it wasn't even close. Going into the last week, we already had it wrapped up. This league is for fun so there is no prize but Fubar had a trophy made to put at the Purple Otter, our sponsor. Personally for me, it was my 2nd time winning this league and 3rd time winning at Diversey. So that was good.
As an individual, it was easily the worst of times for me. I maybe bowled half of the season. My top knuckle on middle finger on my right hand is jammed badly. I had it x-rayed and it is not broken. That is the good news. In any other sport or any other aspect of my life, this finger/knuckle is not affected. Only in bowling where you put the finger tip into a 16lb bowling ball, is where I feel it. Oh well. Michelle was a ringer for us off the bench and played like 5 or 6 weeks.
With bowling done and me declining to play softball this year, I have nothing filling my nights and I have to admit I like being able to not worry about making games on time. Summer is going to consist of a lot of park time and zoo time with Samantha and Michelle.
Friday, May 20, 2011
Biggest Loser Math
Next week is the finale and per usual, I wanted to take a look at who can win. This is a little bitter sweet to me because I DO NOT like the sisters at all. I never did. When they celebrated when Austin didn't have a good weigh-in, that cemented it for me. I really hope they go down in the finals. UGH! Let's mathematically see if it is possible!
Irene - Age 26 - Height 5'4" - The biggest loser on campus is in my mind, the front runner to win it all. I hope she gets voted back on and wins it. She started off at 255 lbs. She is already at 144. If it is an all girl final, 50% loss should be enough to win it. So 127.5 lbs or only another 17 lbs for her could give her title of biggest loser.
Jay - Age 53 - Height 5'11" - I also think Jay has a really good shot at winning it all if he makes it into the finals. My biggest question mark is his age. He weighted 400 lbs at the beginning. At 5'11", he could get easily down to 185 with his height and frame. When he left the ranch he was 242 lbs. Can we lose another 60 lbs before the finale? I am not so sure.
Olivia - Age 35 - Height 5'9" - Ugh, the sisters...So, she started the season at 261 lbs. She left campus at 149. At 5'9", how much more is she going to lose? really???? I think 50% loss is the target here. I am going to be shocked if she gets down to 135.
Hanna - Age 32 - Height 5'8" - She was my least favorite but I will give the sisters credit, they made it to the end. She started at 248 lbs. She is now at 146 lbs. Again, with her height, I have a hard time seeing her end up at 124. She will probably be in the high 130s at the finale.
If Jay makes the finale, it is in his hands if he wins it or not. I think the sisters actually have a better chance against Jay than Irene.
If Irene gets into the finale, I think she wins it. Now excuse me while I go vote for Irene.
Irene - Age 26 - Height 5'4" - The biggest loser on campus is in my mind, the front runner to win it all. I hope she gets voted back on and wins it. She started off at 255 lbs. She is already at 144. If it is an all girl final, 50% loss should be enough to win it. So 127.5 lbs or only another 17 lbs for her could give her title of biggest loser.
Jay - Age 53 - Height 5'11" - I also think Jay has a really good shot at winning it all if he makes it into the finals. My biggest question mark is his age. He weighted 400 lbs at the beginning. At 5'11", he could get easily down to 185 with his height and frame. When he left the ranch he was 242 lbs. Can we lose another 60 lbs before the finale? I am not so sure.
Olivia - Age 35 - Height 5'9" - Ugh, the sisters...So, she started the season at 261 lbs. She left campus at 149. At 5'9", how much more is she going to lose? really???? I think 50% loss is the target here. I am going to be shocked if she gets down to 135.
Hanna - Age 32 - Height 5'8" - She was my least favorite but I will give the sisters credit, they made it to the end. She started at 248 lbs. She is now at 146 lbs. Again, with her height, I have a hard time seeing her end up at 124. She will probably be in the high 130s at the finale.
If Jay makes the finale, it is in his hands if he wins it or not. I think the sisters actually have a better chance against Jay than Irene.
If Irene gets into the finale, I think she wins it. Now excuse me while I go vote for Irene.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Thursday, May 5, 2011
I heart Michael Pollan
This youtube is great. It may seem self explanatory but I bet no one ever thinks about it. He is breaking down how and why supermarkets are set up the way they are.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Nashville!!!
Well, Michelle's golden birthday is this weekend and taking a page out of my playbook, we are celebrating her birthday in Nashville. Not out of my playbook though is that fact that she will be running the Nashville half marathon on her birthday. CRAZY!!!!
I am excited to head down to Nashville. Anyone who knows me knows I love that city. It also helps that Barry lives there.
Well, Samantha before she turned 2 went on 10 round trip flights. Yes, 10 and they were all FREE!
Tomorrow will be her first flight and we printed out her first boarding pass. I really like that her first boarding pass is to Nashville! Seem silly I know but I like it.
What I don't like is paying for three flights...WTF! hahaha.
This weekend should be a great time and I am looking forward to spending time with friends and family.
Run Michelle Run and welcome to the 30s club!
I am excited to head down to Nashville. Anyone who knows me knows I love that city. It also helps that Barry lives there.
Well, Samantha before she turned 2 went on 10 round trip flights. Yes, 10 and they were all FREE!
Tomorrow will be her first flight and we printed out her first boarding pass. I really like that her first boarding pass is to Nashville! Seem silly I know but I like it.
What I don't like is paying for three flights...WTF! hahaha.
This weekend should be a great time and I am looking forward to spending time with friends and family.
Run Michelle Run and welcome to the 30s club!
Forks over Knives
I am glad this is becoming more and more mainstream way of thinking. Consider me fired up about this documentary. I also highly recommend The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollen if you want to read up on the biggest problem in our country. I warn you though that it is not an easy read.
Monday, April 25, 2011
The Girl and The Goat
Kate Cheeseman, a friend and fellow fan of Top Chef, had reservations at the Girl and The Goat for last Friday but could not use them. She sent an email out to a group of us asking if anyone wanted them and I jumped all over it.
The Girl and the Goat is a fairly new restaurant (summer of 2010) that was opened by Top Chef winner from season 4, Stephanie Izard. Honestly, I have heard nothing but good things from everyone who has been there. The reservation was for 4 people so the Ploths decided to go with us and I decided to keep a small running diary of the experience. The italics is exactly what I wrote on Friday night.
Thanks Cheeseman! - A little setup - 6 pm reservation started with a beer at Ploths' house before walking over to the restaurant.
Avery ellie's brown for my cuz! - dog pic on the front. Good tasting beer. Very smooth. - They had a really good beer selection. I was very surprised by the beer selection. This beer is from Boulder, CO and Colorado University has interest in my cousin, Autumn. Soooooo, I decided to order it.
Bridgeport kingpin- oregon oldest craft brewery...who knew? Double red ale - not hoppy... I like it. - The 2nd and last beer of the night for me was a double red ale. I took a gamble and I won! It was not hoppy. Me and hops do not mix! 1st round - Before we get started, here are a few pics.
Alcohol list - Beer list in the middle.
Place setting...
The specials...
Here is the menu. I am bummed this pic ended up blurry. The top is labeled v, f and m for vegetables, fish and meat.
Bread - fat and - liver butter is incredible!!! - I am not a bread guy but I loved this butter!!!
culture club - cheddar sour dough - ok but liver butter blows it away. - We got 2 breads...Yep.
V-
roasted cauliflower - 6th thing to arrive. Really like the jalapeno with it. This is what everyone says to try. Pine nuts good! - Everyone I talked to said try this and it was very good.
Sp gratin- 7th and final is this. Looks like onion rings. Super thin, deep fried sweet potatoe. Yes! Sweet pot casserole underneath with crispy sweet potatoe slices...wow. Blue cheese too, sweet flavor...word pun! - The strange part was we got our veggies last. It was clearly a mistake by someone but it did not matter. The sweet potato gratin was sooo good. Great way to end the meal.
F- escargot ravioli - 3rd out. Like that plates come out 1 at a time - These plates are meant to be shared but instead of 3 or 4 plates coming out and overwhelming you, they came out one at a time (except for dessert). I really like this. The most we ever had was two plates at the table.
Grilled baby octopus - 1st dish out. Really good. Good flavor. Let's be honest. My pallet isn't very good. - Nothing to add.
M - goat pork veal sugo- 2nd - noodle type lasagne with 3 meats. Good as usual. The spice kick is great. - This was my 2nd favorite thing we had.
Roasted pork shank - 5th out- little strange that we didn't get veggies. This looks great. The meat fell off the leg. The sweet sauerkraut with it was really to my liking. - It is always a good sign when you don't need a knife to cut the meat.
2- smoked goat empinadas - 4th out- mmm deep fried spicy yummness! I like! Best dish so far - I would go back for these. We ordered two plates of these since one plate only had two pieces on it. It was a GREAT decision by us.
2nd rd-dessert-
Choc cake and things- The actual dessert was bittersweet chocolate, shiitake gelato, toffee creme fraiche. I really liked it. It was my favorite dessert by far.
Rhubarb-n-lemon - This came in a glass jar. You need to get the spoon down to get a good bite. It was good. Nothing here was bad.
Goat cheese(juliana) - Ploth and I decided to get some goat cheese as well. Why not?
Sidenote: tim burton esque phot is the only art in the place. Creepy. Very creepy. - The only art in the building on our side atleast is a giant pic that looks like a came out of a Tim burton movie (ie Edward Scissor hands). It creeped me out.
In the end, I was glad that we were able to take the reservations (thank you mom and dad for watching Samantha). Dinner was about 2 hours long and I was shocked at how busy the place was even at 6 pm.
I wish I could tell you we went home after dinner but instead we went to the ploths for a chocolate martini, karaoke and Euchre. Good times by all!
The Girl and the Goat is a fairly new restaurant (summer of 2010) that was opened by Top Chef winner from season 4, Stephanie Izard. Honestly, I have heard nothing but good things from everyone who has been there. The reservation was for 4 people so the Ploths decided to go with us and I decided to keep a small running diary of the experience. The italics is exactly what I wrote on Friday night.
Thanks Cheeseman! - A little setup - 6 pm reservation started with a beer at Ploths' house before walking over to the restaurant.
Avery ellie's brown for my cuz! - dog pic on the front. Good tasting beer. Very smooth. - They had a really good beer selection. I was very surprised by the beer selection. This beer is from Boulder, CO and Colorado University has interest in my cousin, Autumn. Soooooo, I decided to order it.
Bridgeport kingpin- oregon oldest craft brewery...who knew? Double red ale - not hoppy... I like it. - The 2nd and last beer of the night for me was a double red ale. I took a gamble and I won! It was not hoppy. Me and hops do not mix! 1st round - Before we get started, here are a few pics.
Alcohol list - Beer list in the middle.
Place setting...
The specials...
Here is the menu. I am bummed this pic ended up blurry. The top is labeled v, f and m for vegetables, fish and meat.
Bread - fat and - liver butter is incredible!!! - I am not a bread guy but I loved this butter!!!
culture club - cheddar sour dough - ok but liver butter blows it away. - We got 2 breads...Yep.
V-
roasted cauliflower - 6th thing to arrive. Really like the jalapeno with it. This is what everyone says to try. Pine nuts good! - Everyone I talked to said try this and it was very good.
Sp gratin- 7th and final is this. Looks like onion rings. Super thin, deep fried sweet potatoe. Yes! Sweet pot casserole underneath with crispy sweet potatoe slices...wow. Blue cheese too, sweet flavor...word pun! - The strange part was we got our veggies last. It was clearly a mistake by someone but it did not matter. The sweet potato gratin was sooo good. Great way to end the meal.
F- escargot ravioli - 3rd out. Like that plates come out 1 at a time - These plates are meant to be shared but instead of 3 or 4 plates coming out and overwhelming you, they came out one at a time (except for dessert). I really like this. The most we ever had was two plates at the table.
Grilled baby octopus - 1st dish out. Really good. Good flavor. Let's be honest. My pallet isn't very good. - Nothing to add.
M - goat pork veal sugo- 2nd - noodle type lasagne with 3 meats. Good as usual. The spice kick is great. - This was my 2nd favorite thing we had.
Roasted pork shank - 5th out- little strange that we didn't get veggies. This looks great. The meat fell off the leg. The sweet sauerkraut with it was really to my liking. - It is always a good sign when you don't need a knife to cut the meat.
2- smoked goat empinadas - 4th out- mmm deep fried spicy yummness! I like! Best dish so far - I would go back for these. We ordered two plates of these since one plate only had two pieces on it. It was a GREAT decision by us.
2nd rd-dessert-
Choc cake and things- The actual dessert was bittersweet chocolate, shiitake gelato, toffee creme fraiche. I really liked it. It was my favorite dessert by far.
Rhubarb-n-lemon - This came in a glass jar. You need to get the spoon down to get a good bite. It was good. Nothing here was bad.
Goat cheese(juliana) - Ploth and I decided to get some goat cheese as well. Why not?
Sidenote: tim burton esque phot is the only art in the place. Creepy. Very creepy. - The only art in the building on our side atleast is a giant pic that looks like a came out of a Tim burton movie (ie Edward Scissor hands). It creeped me out.
In the end, I was glad that we were able to take the reservations (thank you mom and dad for watching Samantha). Dinner was about 2 hours long and I was shocked at how busy the place was even at 6 pm.
I wish I could tell you we went home after dinner but instead we went to the ploths for a chocolate martini, karaoke and Euchre. Good times by all!
Friday, April 22, 2011
Goodbye Edge!
I grew up watching wrestling. I am not talking about amateur wrestling (which I also like) but professional wrestling. The Road Warriors were my favorite as was Hulk Hogan. I could go on and on about how much wrestling has influenced me (good or bad...). As I got older, as expected, I did not watch as much. Although I will give credit where credit is due, Stone Cold and the Rock took the WWE to places I never thought it would go when it comes to popularity. When the Rock retired from wrestling 7 years ago, I did too. Life gets busy and I walked away from it. I always kept an eye on it but I do not watch it religiously like I used to.
As I said earlier, the Road Warriors were my all-time favorite. I love tag team matches. I love the teamwork in those matches and having multiple things going on. Something I remember from the early 2000s were the matches of the Hardys vs Edge and Christian. These two teams pushed each other so much that things got dangerous and crazy. I am talking matches with people falling from 15 foot ladders, falling into the concrete outside the ring, dropping 20-30 feet onto just mats. These matches will always be legendary. These two teams always and I mean always had good to great matches.
Wrestling is scripted but there no way to stop yourself from getting hurt and this brings me to Edge. After talking to doctors, he is retiring abruptly from WWE because of his spinal condition (he has the same problem as Stone Cold). He had a metal plate put into his neck in 2003 and things are worse now. No kidding...those ladder matches were insane!
I have the honor of meeting him in an airport once and he was a nice, down to earth person. Edge was a superstar, one of the very best, always had good matches. Hell, last Wrestlemania, his match was one of the best.
Edge was a different wrestler. WWE is a scary business and doesn't get enough scrutiny for what they put these wrestlers through. These guys travel 300 days a year and end up addicted to pain killers and alcohol. I do not know Edge personally but he seems like a very level headed individual. I mean he has a reputation of being a guy who saved his money over the years and he also listened to his doctors . Sound like a wrestler to you? Nope - me neither.
Edge is one of my favorite wrestlers of all time. Goodbye Edge. Enjoy retirement! Below is tribute I found on youtube.
As I said earlier, the Road Warriors were my all-time favorite. I love tag team matches. I love the teamwork in those matches and having multiple things going on. Something I remember from the early 2000s were the matches of the Hardys vs Edge and Christian. These two teams pushed each other so much that things got dangerous and crazy. I am talking matches with people falling from 15 foot ladders, falling into the concrete outside the ring, dropping 20-30 feet onto just mats. These matches will always be legendary. These two teams always and I mean always had good to great matches.
Wrestling is scripted but there no way to stop yourself from getting hurt and this brings me to Edge. After talking to doctors, he is retiring abruptly from WWE because of his spinal condition (he has the same problem as Stone Cold). He had a metal plate put into his neck in 2003 and things are worse now. No kidding...those ladder matches were insane!
I have the honor of meeting him in an airport once and he was a nice, down to earth person. Edge was a superstar, one of the very best, always had good matches. Hell, last Wrestlemania, his match was one of the best.
Edge was a different wrestler. WWE is a scary business and doesn't get enough scrutiny for what they put these wrestlers through. These guys travel 300 days a year and end up addicted to pain killers and alcohol. I do not know Edge personally but he seems like a very level headed individual. I mean he has a reputation of being a guy who saved his money over the years and he also listened to his doctors . Sound like a wrestler to you? Nope - me neither.
Edge is one of my favorite wrestlers of all time. Goodbye Edge. Enjoy retirement! Below is tribute I found on youtube.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
The Darkside!
I want to thank Funk for finding this. I am posting so I can find it forever (or until google takes my blog down).
I love that she kneels before him! LOVE IT!
I also love that the guy walks her off and says "The Sith academy is this way."
Yes, I love the Star Wars movies.
I love that she kneels before him! LOVE IT!
I also love that the guy walks her off and says "The Sith academy is this way."
Yes, I love the Star Wars movies.
Carebears
So Michelle was out of town AGAIN this week. She went to Indianapolis for a 1.5 day trip.
To keep things fun, I told Samantha that tonight was MOVIE NIGHT! She was pretty excited and I hoped that would keep her from missing her mom too much.
Now movie night is nothing new. I have done it in the past. What I want to talk about are the movies. I tried to talk her into watching Finding Nemo...nope. Then I was hoping I could talk her into Toy Story 3...nope. She even said no to Strawberry Shortcake. She right now is on a Carebear kick. My goodness if I say movie, she say carebear.
Now, there are a bunch of 60 - 80 min movies for them so from the standpoint of seeing a different one each time is good. However, I had a carebear as a kid and I do not remember a few things about them. 1. There is a green one named oopsy that doesnt have any picture on his belly. 2. Those pics on their belly are superpowers and they also make them fly?!? 3. I do not remember them having a bad guy that disliked them.
Anyway, movie night has quickly turned me into a Carebear expert. Hopefully, I can get her into some better animated movies quickly. Movie night is turning a little brutal!
To keep things fun, I told Samantha that tonight was MOVIE NIGHT! She was pretty excited and I hoped that would keep her from missing her mom too much.
Now movie night is nothing new. I have done it in the past. What I want to talk about are the movies. I tried to talk her into watching Finding Nemo...nope. Then I was hoping I could talk her into Toy Story 3...nope. She even said no to Strawberry Shortcake. She right now is on a Carebear kick. My goodness if I say movie, she say carebear.
Now, there are a bunch of 60 - 80 min movies for them so from the standpoint of seeing a different one each time is good. However, I had a carebear as a kid and I do not remember a few things about them. 1. There is a green one named oopsy that doesnt have any picture on his belly. 2. Those pics on their belly are superpowers and they also make them fly?!? 3. I do not remember them having a bad guy that disliked them.
Anyway, movie night has quickly turned me into a Carebear expert. Hopefully, I can get her into some better animated movies quickly. Movie night is turning a little brutal!
Friday, March 25, 2011
2 Year checkup
Michelle was conveniently away for work on the day of Samantha's two year checkup. I armed myself with animal crackers, goldfish and a water bottler. I even consider having some M&Ms in my pocket if things were going to get bad.
I picked Samantha up during snack time at daycare. They packed up some turkey and apple slices for the road for me.
We get to the doctor and check in. They give me a 20 question questionnaire to fill out about Samantha's development. Samantha also hands me a piece of chalk. The doctor's office has a big chalk board, not to mention a ton of toys in the lobby. We do some drawing on the board for maybe three minutes and we are being called in the back. I think 'CRAP! I haven't filled this questionnaire out yet'.
Samantha also was not happy we left the playroom. Luckily from the window, the EL runs every few minutes. She kept waving to trains. During this time, I start answering the questions. I also strip Samantha down to her diaper.
The Nurse comes in and we try to get Samantha to stand on the scale. EPIC FAIL. The nurse scared her and she wanted me to hold her. After a min, she stands on it long enough to get her weight, 26.2 lbs. She is now crying and in my arms. During this time the nurse measures her head circumference. I did not get that number. We then lay her down and measure her from head to foot. She was SCREAMING. She is 35 inches tall. I pick her up and the nurse leaves.
With her in my arms, I finish filling out the questionnaire. We sit down, watch trains, and calm down. The doc comes in next.
This doc has a few kids and is really good with Samantha. He pulls out laminated pictures of his kids that he has in a ring. He works slowly and talks to her the whole time. Samantha holds these pictures while he examines her. She loves them. Genius of the doc to have them.
Bottom line, everything is good. She is progressing very well. We do not have to buy whole milk anymore! WOOHOO! He then tells me we need to do a blood test (finger prick) for lead (because of Chicago water) and two shots.
Nurse comes back in. Samantha does not even flinch with the finger prick or seeing her blood go into a very skinny tube. Now, when the nurse puts the band-aid on I swear she just misses where the finger is cut but it seems to be soaking it up. The shots come next, both in the same leg, and cause Samantha to flip out. Fine. I was expecting this. Nurse leaves.
As the nurse leaves. her finger starts gushing more blood outside of the band-aid. Along with the pain in her leg, the sight of her blood coming out is causing a GIANT meltdown. Where are those M&Ms when I need them! ARGH! While holding her, I grab a paper towel. Blood is getting all over her hands, my shirt, etc. I am trying to calm her down. She wants the band-aid off. I finally get her shirt on and the blood is slowing down. I get her pants, socks and shoes on and tell her we can go play in the lobby.
The paper towel was covered in blood. I blame the nurse but when I examined the band-aid later it was soaked too.
We get to the lobby and she is playing with legos. I wait for the blood work to come back. Everything is good. Her lead count is so low it does not even register in the machine. I tell Samantha that it's time to go but she does not want to leave! I end up having to pick her up and carry her out.
When we get to the car, I take off her band-aid, wipe her hand off and give her the box of animal crackers and the bottle of water. She was excited for the animal crackers. On the ride home, she kept telling me the animals.
In conclusion, her progression and numbers are good and animal crackers make everything better.
I picked Samantha up during snack time at daycare. They packed up some turkey and apple slices for the road for me.
We get to the doctor and check in. They give me a 20 question questionnaire to fill out about Samantha's development. Samantha also hands me a piece of chalk. The doctor's office has a big chalk board, not to mention a ton of toys in the lobby. We do some drawing on the board for maybe three minutes and we are being called in the back. I think 'CRAP! I haven't filled this questionnaire out yet'.
Samantha also was not happy we left the playroom. Luckily from the window, the EL runs every few minutes. She kept waving to trains. During this time, I start answering the questions. I also strip Samantha down to her diaper.
The Nurse comes in and we try to get Samantha to stand on the scale. EPIC FAIL. The nurse scared her and she wanted me to hold her. After a min, she stands on it long enough to get her weight, 26.2 lbs. She is now crying and in my arms. During this time the nurse measures her head circumference. I did not get that number. We then lay her down and measure her from head to foot. She was SCREAMING. She is 35 inches tall. I pick her up and the nurse leaves.
With her in my arms, I finish filling out the questionnaire. We sit down, watch trains, and calm down. The doc comes in next.
This doc has a few kids and is really good with Samantha. He pulls out laminated pictures of his kids that he has in a ring. He works slowly and talks to her the whole time. Samantha holds these pictures while he examines her. She loves them. Genius of the doc to have them.
Bottom line, everything is good. She is progressing very well. We do not have to buy whole milk anymore! WOOHOO! He then tells me we need to do a blood test (finger prick) for lead (because of Chicago water) and two shots.
Nurse comes back in. Samantha does not even flinch with the finger prick or seeing her blood go into a very skinny tube. Now, when the nurse puts the band-aid on I swear she just misses where the finger is cut but it seems to be soaking it up. The shots come next, both in the same leg, and cause Samantha to flip out. Fine. I was expecting this. Nurse leaves.
As the nurse leaves. her finger starts gushing more blood outside of the band-aid. Along with the pain in her leg, the sight of her blood coming out is causing a GIANT meltdown. Where are those M&Ms when I need them! ARGH! While holding her, I grab a paper towel. Blood is getting all over her hands, my shirt, etc. I am trying to calm her down. She wants the band-aid off. I finally get her shirt on and the blood is slowing down. I get her pants, socks and shoes on and tell her we can go play in the lobby.
The paper towel was covered in blood. I blame the nurse but when I examined the band-aid later it was soaked too.
We get to the lobby and she is playing with legos. I wait for the blood work to come back. Everything is good. Her lead count is so low it does not even register in the machine. I tell Samantha that it's time to go but she does not want to leave! I end up having to pick her up and carry her out.
When we get to the car, I take off her band-aid, wipe her hand off and give her the box of animal crackers and the bottle of water. She was excited for the animal crackers. On the ride home, she kept telling me the animals.
In conclusion, her progression and numbers are good and animal crackers make everything better.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Movie Night with Samantha!
I love movies. My love of movies really blossomed in college with the influence of Smitty. Through my 20s, I did a pretty good job of keeping up with movies. Now that I have a family and especially since Samantha was born, the amount of movies I watched has dropped about as fast as the stock market crash of the 20s.
Well, Samantha turned two last weekend and with each passing day, she has shown more interest in TV (good or bad). Last night while Michelle was getting ready to go to bowling (I have a bit of an injury...another blog for another time) , I turned to Samantha and said, "It is movie night. Do you want to watch a movie?" I am pretty sure she has no idea what I mean but she seemed excited. Anastasia was in our instant queue on Netflix so we decided on that. Michelle left for bowling and Samantha and I were on the couch starting our movie night adventure.
Now, did Samantha sit for a whole movie? No. She was fairly good though.
Did she even make it through the whole movie? No. She went to bed about an hour into the movie.
Did she play with stickers and other things during the movie? Sure. No way she going to pay attention the whole way.
Did she have popcorn in a purple bowl? OH, you bet!
Watching on the floor was fun for a while...but....
the couch is the way to go (as she learned VERY quickly).
I think she was taunting me in that last picture.
Anyway, we had a good time and I am looking forward to many more movie nights!
Well, Samantha turned two last weekend and with each passing day, she has shown more interest in TV (good or bad). Last night while Michelle was getting ready to go to bowling (I have a bit of an injury...another blog for another time) , I turned to Samantha and said, "It is movie night. Do you want to watch a movie?" I am pretty sure she has no idea what I mean but she seemed excited. Anastasia was in our instant queue on Netflix so we decided on that. Michelle left for bowling and Samantha and I were on the couch starting our movie night adventure.
Now, did Samantha sit for a whole movie? No. She was fairly good though.
Did she even make it through the whole movie? No. She went to bed about an hour into the movie.
Did she play with stickers and other things during the movie? Sure. No way she going to pay attention the whole way.
Did she have popcorn in a purple bowl? OH, you bet!
Watching on the floor was fun for a while...but....
the couch is the way to go (as she learned VERY quickly).
I think she was taunting me in that last picture.
Anyway, we had a good time and I am looking forward to many more movie nights!
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
We have progress!!!!!
So, earlier in the year, I wrote a blog about the power of the granddaughter.
Let me fast forward to yesterday. Michelle tells me that her father just got an iphone. I found this a little funny because 1 - Vic is not very fond of cell phones in general and 2. He has struggled in the past trying to use them.
Well, yesterday in the middle of the day, I get a call on my cell phone from Vic's phone. I figured he accidentally called me but I still pick up. All I hear is a very loud rumbling noise. I say hello a few times and hang up.
Well, about 10 minutes later I received a video that I can't open on my blackberry. I need quicktime. Did Vic really send me a video from his new phone?
Here is the video.
We have a motor working! Consider me impressed. We are going down there in two months. Looks like the boat might be fully operational by then. The power of the granddaughter!
Let me fast forward to yesterday. Michelle tells me that her father just got an iphone. I found this a little funny because 1 - Vic is not very fond of cell phones in general and 2. He has struggled in the past trying to use them.
Well, yesterday in the middle of the day, I get a call on my cell phone from Vic's phone. I figured he accidentally called me but I still pick up. All I hear is a very loud rumbling noise. I say hello a few times and hang up.
Well, about 10 minutes later I received a video that I can't open on my blackberry. I need quicktime. Did Vic really send me a video from his new phone?
Here is the video.
We have a motor working! Consider me impressed. We are going down there in two months. Looks like the boat might be fully operational by then. The power of the granddaughter!
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
The Life of Stickers!
Here is another story into the life of a father with a toddler...
Samantha, like every other toddler, likes stickers. She loves to put them everywhere. It is quite enjoyable to see her mind wander with these stickers. Sometimes they go on paper. Sometimes they belong on my knees, shoulders, elbows. Sometimes they go on paper for a minute and then belong somewhere else, maybe the table. Anyway, from my side, I do enjoy watching her imagination working with these stickers.
For Valentine's day, Samantha's sticker collection grew immensely and because of this, Samantha and her stickers have led to a couple funny stories involving yours truly.
Story 1- I am pretty sure this story happened when Michelle was out of town. I was getting Samantha ready for school and she was playing Dora stickers. As I was putting her into the car seat, she put two Dora stickers on the collar of my winter jacket. We get to school and she points to them as I get her out of the seat. As she is taking her jacket off by her classroom, one sticker falls off. She stops, picks it up and makes sure it is on my jacket. As soon as I drop her off in the classroom, I take it off.
Problem is I forgot about the second one and it was higher up the jacket so I could not see it. Let me now fast forward to being in the elevator with a co-worker (who happens to be pregnant for the first time). She looks at me and laughs, "You have a Dora sticker on your jacket." Without missing a beat I say, "Tell Chris (her husband) this is what he has to look forward to."
We had a good laugh about it. In the end, it could have been a lot worse.
Story 2 - Last night I was on my way to the gym. I grabbed a random sweatshirt to wear instead of a jacket. I get to the gym and head over to a warm up area. There are a few people in there and as I am walking over, I get a few strange looks. Now, the gym I belong to is not your average commercial gym. There is both an octagon and boxing ring in this gym.
Well, I take my sweatshirt off and all over the top of it are Snoopy Valentine's day stickers. See below.
Now I know why everyone was giving me this strange look!
Lesson of the day: Do a once over in a mirror before leaving the house!
Samantha, like every other toddler, likes stickers. She loves to put them everywhere. It is quite enjoyable to see her mind wander with these stickers. Sometimes they go on paper. Sometimes they belong on my knees, shoulders, elbows. Sometimes they go on paper for a minute and then belong somewhere else, maybe the table. Anyway, from my side, I do enjoy watching her imagination working with these stickers.
For Valentine's day, Samantha's sticker collection grew immensely and because of this, Samantha and her stickers have led to a couple funny stories involving yours truly.
Story 1- I am pretty sure this story happened when Michelle was out of town. I was getting Samantha ready for school and she was playing Dora stickers. As I was putting her into the car seat, she put two Dora stickers on the collar of my winter jacket. We get to school and she points to them as I get her out of the seat. As she is taking her jacket off by her classroom, one sticker falls off. She stops, picks it up and makes sure it is on my jacket. As soon as I drop her off in the classroom, I take it off.
Problem is I forgot about the second one and it was higher up the jacket so I could not see it. Let me now fast forward to being in the elevator with a co-worker (who happens to be pregnant for the first time). She looks at me and laughs, "You have a Dora sticker on your jacket." Without missing a beat I say, "Tell Chris (her husband) this is what he has to look forward to."
We had a good laugh about it. In the end, it could have been a lot worse.
Story 2 - Last night I was on my way to the gym. I grabbed a random sweatshirt to wear instead of a jacket. I get to the gym and head over to a warm up area. There are a few people in there and as I am walking over, I get a few strange looks. Now, the gym I belong to is not your average commercial gym. There is both an octagon and boxing ring in this gym.
Well, I take my sweatshirt off and all over the top of it are Snoopy Valentine's day stickers. See below.
Now I know why everyone was giving me this strange look!
Lesson of the day: Do a once over in a mirror before leaving the house!
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Random Thoughts
1. Time has been flying around these parts. Depsite time flying, the temp has not changed. It is cold and I am TIRED of it. It is March people! No more freezing weather. Annoying.
2. Our place officially went on the market yesterday. Now, will it sell anytime soon? Only time will tell.
3. Last week Murph's campaign came to an end and it was an honor and privilege to be a part of. With that being said, standing outside for hours in 20 degree weather is not a rationale decision...ever.
4. You know what else is not a rational decision...having kids. I love Samantha but kids are not a rationale decision.
5. Bowling has started back up and I am bowling ok despite not bowling for about 9 months. Week one was not good but I have been picking it up. Also, three weeks in the Purple Otter is in 1st place. CANCEL the rest of the league!
6. I am tired of hearing about the NFL lockout/new CBA negotiations. Listen. NBA is great right now. College bball is going into conference tournaments and spring training for baseball is in full swing. Stop talking about football.
7. Lets hope LU can win a couple games in their tournament and end on a high note. I am not holding my breath. In fact, I am considering not renewing my tickets. I might get tickets off the court for the family instead.
8. My bro turned 40 on Saturday and he threw a party at a hotel with a dj/karaoke. It was awesome and having at a hotel was great. Happy birthday bro! Way to kick off your 40s in style!
9. With Michelle's parents in town this weekend, we had an early celebration for Samantha for her 2nd birthday on Sunday. It was a good time but I got teary eyed singing her happy birthday thinking about the first two years. What the hell is wrong with me? What has this child done to me?
10. The ROCK has come back! I think I count on my hand the amount of wrestling episodes (not PPVs) I have seen since the Rock left 7 years ago. I was sooooo excited to hear he made it back. I am DEFINITELY watching Wrestlemania. Consider me excited!
11. Happy Tuesday! Enjoy the week.
2. Our place officially went on the market yesterday. Now, will it sell anytime soon? Only time will tell.
3. Last week Murph's campaign came to an end and it was an honor and privilege to be a part of. With that being said, standing outside for hours in 20 degree weather is not a rationale decision...ever.
4. You know what else is not a rational decision...having kids. I love Samantha but kids are not a rationale decision.
5. Bowling has started back up and I am bowling ok despite not bowling for about 9 months. Week one was not good but I have been picking it up. Also, three weeks in the Purple Otter is in 1st place. CANCEL the rest of the league!
6. I am tired of hearing about the NFL lockout/new CBA negotiations. Listen. NBA is great right now. College bball is going into conference tournaments and spring training for baseball is in full swing. Stop talking about football.
7. Lets hope LU can win a couple games in their tournament and end on a high note. I am not holding my breath. In fact, I am considering not renewing my tickets. I might get tickets off the court for the family instead.
8. My bro turned 40 on Saturday and he threw a party at a hotel with a dj/karaoke. It was awesome and having at a hotel was great. Happy birthday bro! Way to kick off your 40s in style!
9. With Michelle's parents in town this weekend, we had an early celebration for Samantha for her 2nd birthday on Sunday. It was a good time but I got teary eyed singing her happy birthday thinking about the first two years. What the hell is wrong with me? What has this child done to me?
10. The ROCK has come back! I think I count on my hand the amount of wrestling episodes (not PPVs) I have seen since the Rock left 7 years ago. I was sooooo excited to hear he made it back. I am DEFINITELY watching Wrestlemania. Consider me excited!
11. Happy Tuesday! Enjoy the week.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
The Evolution of our $5 Bill Fund
After we got engaged, I was reading an article on saving money. One thing in the article talked about $5 bills. The principle was basic. Anytime you get a $5 bill back, you can not spend it. Now, if we are at a bar, the rule was once we left the place, any $5 bills in your wallet can not be spent.
We thought this would be a great way to say for the honeymoon. We called it the Honeymoon fund.
This trick actually works really really well. We saved over $1,000 the 12-15 months between when we started it and our honeymoon. After we got back from vacation, since it worked so well, we decided to keep doing this but call it our vacation fund.
We were never as good at keeping to the rule as we were for the honeymoon but we always ended up with around $1,000 per year playing this game.
Yes, we are still saving $5 bills and we still have the fund. However, very recently we decided to call use this fund for something else...baby sitter. Now the fund is called the babysitter fund!
Now, when we want to go out without Samantha, the cost of the night does not seem as bad.
So those of you at home keeping track, the evolution goes honeymoon to vacation to babysitter!
I think it will be the babysitter fund for a while...
We thought this would be a great way to say for the honeymoon. We called it the Honeymoon fund.
This trick actually works really really well. We saved over $1,000 the 12-15 months between when we started it and our honeymoon. After we got back from vacation, since it worked so well, we decided to keep doing this but call it our vacation fund.
We were never as good at keeping to the rule as we were for the honeymoon but we always ended up with around $1,000 per year playing this game.
Yes, we are still saving $5 bills and we still have the fund. However, very recently we decided to call use this fund for something else...baby sitter. Now the fund is called the babysitter fund!
Now, when we want to go out without Samantha, the cost of the night does not seem as bad.
So those of you at home keeping track, the evolution goes honeymoon to vacation to babysitter!
I think it will be the babysitter fund for a while...
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Three days as a single parent...
A couple weeks ago Michelle went to Atlanta for work. That made me a single parent for three full days. Lets just say that anytime Michelle is gone for a couple days, it makes me appreciate the single parents of the world.
Nothing terrible happened like the prior time Michelle was gone but Samantha definitely was missing her mother. Usually, if Samantha cries in the middle of the night, Michelle goes into her room and I am the one that usually gets up with her in the morning. The first night Samantha was crying a little, so I went in and rocked her. I tried to put her back down but she cried out, so I took her into the bed with me. The rest of the night was fine. The second night did not go as well.
She woke up around 2 in the morning and did not want to go back to sleep. I tried EVERYTHING! We rocked in her room. She did not want to be in her bed, our bed or the couch. She would sit with me on the couch. I finally got her to do that. Around 4:30 in the morning, we finally both fell asleep on the couch until 6 am.
To say work was a struggle would be an understatement. I was just glad to see Michelle walk back in the door before night three started for many reasons.
Of course, Samantha slept right through the night. Figures...
Nothing terrible happened like the prior time Michelle was gone but Samantha definitely was missing her mother. Usually, if Samantha cries in the middle of the night, Michelle goes into her room and I am the one that usually gets up with her in the morning. The first night Samantha was crying a little, so I went in and rocked her. I tried to put her back down but she cried out, so I took her into the bed with me. The rest of the night was fine. The second night did not go as well.
She woke up around 2 in the morning and did not want to go back to sleep. I tried EVERYTHING! We rocked in her room. She did not want to be in her bed, our bed or the couch. She would sit with me on the couch. I finally got her to do that. Around 4:30 in the morning, we finally both fell asleep on the couch until 6 am.
To say work was a struggle would be an understatement. I was just glad to see Michelle walk back in the door before night three started for many reasons.
Of course, Samantha slept right through the night. Figures...
RIP Jack LaLanne
Recently, Jack LaLanne passed away. His TV show was off the air before I even started watching tv but his inventions and gyms are what made him the godfather of fitness in my eyes.
Have you ever heard of Bally's? Well, Lalanne had over 200 gyms in his name before he eventually licensed all his health clubs to the Bally company, now known as Bally Total Fitness. A lot of those machines in there...his inventions. That is pretty impressive if you ask me.
He never stopped working out or eating right even into his 90s. I have a hard time going a month eating right or working out consistently. He did it for over 70 years!
When he had heart surgery at 95 years old, he said "I can't die. It will hurt my reputation". Lets make one thing clear, nothing could hurt this guy's reputation as the godfather of fitness.
RIP Jack LaLanne.
Have you ever heard of Bally's? Well, Lalanne had over 200 gyms in his name before he eventually licensed all his health clubs to the Bally company, now known as Bally Total Fitness. A lot of those machines in there...his inventions. That is pretty impressive if you ask me.
He never stopped working out or eating right even into his 90s. I have a hard time going a month eating right or working out consistently. He did it for over 70 years!
When he had heart surgery at 95 years old, he said "I can't die. It will hurt my reputation". Lets make one thing clear, nothing could hurt this guy's reputation as the godfather of fitness.
RIP Jack LaLanne.
Wrapped Around
Let me set the scene. It was a couple weeks ago during the 2nd round of the NFL playoffs. It was a Saturday night and on top of the Green Bay-Atlanta game, the Bulls were playing the Heat.
Fedea was a bachelor for the night and decided to spend some of the night at our house watching the games. Well, with our new TV we can not split the screen (insert joke here Ploth). I decided to pull out the tv from our bedroom so we could watch both games at once.
After the games, I was not diligent on putting the bedroom tv back. On Sunday, I still had both TVs functioning. Well, the Bears-Seahawks game was on in the middle of the day (also when Samantha was up and at it). Can you guess which TV Samantha had priority of and which I did?
I am not sure which finger she has me wrapped around but it is one of them!
Fedea was a bachelor for the night and decided to spend some of the night at our house watching the games. Well, with our new TV we can not split the screen (insert joke here Ploth). I decided to pull out the tv from our bedroom so we could watch both games at once.
After the games, I was not diligent on putting the bedroom tv back. On Sunday, I still had both TVs functioning. Well, the Bears-Seahawks game was on in the middle of the day (also when Samantha was up and at it). Can you guess which TV Samantha had priority of and which I did?
I am not sure which finger she has me wrapped around but it is one of them!
Sunday, January 23, 2011
The Infamous Boat!!!!!
Michelle's parents own a boat. It sits in their garage (and has for a long time). Michelle's dad used to go fishing on the weekends with his father back in the day. Now, Vic has taken up golfing. Still the thought of this boat has always stirred up many fun ideas like "should be bring it up to Chicago?" or "we should take it on a lake sometime when we visit".
Michelle always laugh at me. As she says, "The last time the boat was in water was before I was driving". Enter the power of the GRANDDAUGHTER!
Vic has told me there is some work that needs to be done on the engine. Every time we visit, I always ask "how is the boat coming along?" or more specifically, "Samantha sure will love taking boat rides". He is probably thinking "Who the hell is this kid? I always have Yuengling in the fridge when he comes down. What more does he want?". He has a point.
It still doesn't stop me from asking about it. I even tell him that I would rent the truck to tow it, buy the gas to run it. Whatever. Well, I had worn him down and it was on his every changing list of things to do. Then, their bathroom/closet catastrophe happened (a leaking pipe in the wall for years...). So he spent the last year or almost year building a new bathroom. He did an amazing job on it by the way.
Well, randomly I received this picture yesterday.
To say I was excited is an understatement! Although given his sense of humor, I can also see just taking the picture as a joke and sending it to me. I guess I will find out next time we visit.
Either way, it was a very fun picture msg to get in the middle of the day!
Michelle always laugh at me. As she says, "The last time the boat was in water was before I was driving". Enter the power of the GRANDDAUGHTER!
Vic has told me there is some work that needs to be done on the engine. Every time we visit, I always ask "how is the boat coming along?" or more specifically, "Samantha sure will love taking boat rides". He is probably thinking "Who the hell is this kid? I always have Yuengling in the fridge when he comes down. What more does he want?". He has a point.
It still doesn't stop me from asking about it. I even tell him that I would rent the truck to tow it, buy the gas to run it. Whatever. Well, I had worn him down and it was on his every changing list of things to do. Then, their bathroom/closet catastrophe happened (a leaking pipe in the wall for years...). So he spent the last year or almost year building a new bathroom. He did an amazing job on it by the way.
Well, randomly I received this picture yesterday.
To say I was excited is an understatement! Although given his sense of humor, I can also see just taking the picture as a joke and sending it to me. I guess I will find out next time we visit.
Either way, it was a very fun picture msg to get in the middle of the day!
Friday, January 21, 2011
The perfect pour
The people that invented this should get some award. They are heroes to me.
I did get the link from extra mustard at ccnsi.com. So I need to give credit where credit is due.
The whole article is incredible. I can not wait to go to a stadium that has this technology. The ability to pour draft beer 8 times faster and each pour is perfect....wow. SIGN ME UP!
Why do I crave a beer now?
I did get the link from extra mustard at ccnsi.com. So I need to give credit where credit is due.
The whole article is incredible. I can not wait to go to a stadium that has this technology. The ability to pour draft beer 8 times faster and each pour is perfect....wow. SIGN ME UP!
Why do I crave a beer now?
Sunday, January 16, 2011
A Glimpse into my weekend
I think every week I will have one post be a story around my experiences of fatherhood and more specifically around this unusual world of raising a girl. Today, this story, is just about the wonderful world of an everyday parent.
Let me setup the weekend. We had a quiet weekend at home for the most part. Fedea came over Saturday night to watch the football game and the bulls-heat game. He left around 10:30. After that, Michelle went to bed and I stayed on the couch flipping the channels. I saw that Transformers was on TBS and I am easily hooked on movies. It ended on midnight...so at 12 when it ended, I was heading to bed but Samantha was crying.
Typically, Michelle gets up with her in the middle of the night (if needed) and I get up with her in the morning. Since I was already up, I went in her room and she was sitting up. I rocked her in the chair for a few minutes and she fell asleep. No big deal right? Well, I tried to put her down and she woke up and screamed no. So....I stood over her crib holding her calming her down. Once again, she was asleep so I tried to put her down. As soon as she hit the bed, she started crying again. At this point, I am thinking, "How does Michelle do it??? I can't get her to go back to sleep!"
So, I resort to the only way I know how to put her to sleep...THE COUCH! It always works for me. This time though I decided to just sit down on the couch and let her lean against my shoulder. Of course with her was her blanket and Minnie Mouse. Well we were on the couch for about 30 seconds before she pushes back slightly and just blows her lunch and dinner all over me. (why oh why did I try to put her back to sleep...)
Luckily this wasn't my first rodeo with vomit. When Michelle was out of town a couple months ago, Samantha has a 24hr bug that reared its ugly head. Lets just say it was a long night for a single parent...a story for another time. (I have been nailed twice now by Samantha...Michelle -0...WTF!!!!!)
Well, as she was vomiting as much as possible all over me she starts crying. I try to console her but she can't really lean on my shoulder as it is dripping on its own. I stand up with her and her blanket (thank goodness that was there. it caught a lot). I yell for Michelle and run to the bathroom. Michelle was of course in a deep sleep and woke up in a pure PANIC. She comes out of the bathroom to see her daugher standing in the tub crying, with Minnie and her blanket of course swimming in vomit and me running past her with my shirt dripping everywhere I go (I was heading to our shower to take up my shirt and rinse it out).
To speed this up, we calm her down, put news clothes on her and have her come lay in our bed with us (15 min process). Well, the next couple hours we spent with me holding the bucket, Michelle holding the hair and Samantha throwing her face into the bowl. She only threw up a few more times. Poor girl.
Don't be too alarmed. It was bizarre actually. She was fine all day, never had a fever and never showed symptoms. We still don't know what happened. Sunday she definitely was not right and really didn't eat but she drank a lot of fluids and was in good spirits. Luckily both Michelle and Samantha are home tomorrow for MLK day.
A few things I learned from that night...
1. I am NEVER on overnight duty again. I try to put her back down and instead her meals come UP!
2. Throwing up sucks extra for girls or should I say people with long hair. Not only do you have to hold hair back but vomit also gets in there. YUCK!
3. My love for peanut butter runs deeper than I ever thought. Even though I saw it coming flying out, I still had a craving for it on Sunday.
In the end, it was a very sharp reminder that I am no longer a college kid or even a single guy in my 20s. I am a 34 yr old father of a 21 month old daughter. I mean 10 years ago...my Saturday night...lets just say it looked a little different...ok, a LOT different.
Let me setup the weekend. We had a quiet weekend at home for the most part. Fedea came over Saturday night to watch the football game and the bulls-heat game. He left around 10:30. After that, Michelle went to bed and I stayed on the couch flipping the channels. I saw that Transformers was on TBS and I am easily hooked on movies. It ended on midnight...so at 12 when it ended, I was heading to bed but Samantha was crying.
Typically, Michelle gets up with her in the middle of the night (if needed) and I get up with her in the morning. Since I was already up, I went in her room and she was sitting up. I rocked her in the chair for a few minutes and she fell asleep. No big deal right? Well, I tried to put her down and she woke up and screamed no. So....I stood over her crib holding her calming her down. Once again, she was asleep so I tried to put her down. As soon as she hit the bed, she started crying again. At this point, I am thinking, "How does Michelle do it??? I can't get her to go back to sleep!"
So, I resort to the only way I know how to put her to sleep...THE COUCH! It always works for me. This time though I decided to just sit down on the couch and let her lean against my shoulder. Of course with her was her blanket and Minnie Mouse. Well we were on the couch for about 30 seconds before she pushes back slightly and just blows her lunch and dinner all over me. (why oh why did I try to put her back to sleep...)
Luckily this wasn't my first rodeo with vomit. When Michelle was out of town a couple months ago, Samantha has a 24hr bug that reared its ugly head. Lets just say it was a long night for a single parent...a story for another time. (I have been nailed twice now by Samantha...Michelle -0...WTF!!!!!)
Well, as she was vomiting as much as possible all over me she starts crying. I try to console her but she can't really lean on my shoulder as it is dripping on its own. I stand up with her and her blanket (thank goodness that was there. it caught a lot). I yell for Michelle and run to the bathroom. Michelle was of course in a deep sleep and woke up in a pure PANIC. She comes out of the bathroom to see her daugher standing in the tub crying, with Minnie and her blanket of course swimming in vomit and me running past her with my shirt dripping everywhere I go (I was heading to our shower to take up my shirt and rinse it out).
To speed this up, we calm her down, put news clothes on her and have her come lay in our bed with us (15 min process). Well, the next couple hours we spent with me holding the bucket, Michelle holding the hair and Samantha throwing her face into the bowl. She only threw up a few more times. Poor girl.
Don't be too alarmed. It was bizarre actually. She was fine all day, never had a fever and never showed symptoms. We still don't know what happened. Sunday she definitely was not right and really didn't eat but she drank a lot of fluids and was in good spirits. Luckily both Michelle and Samantha are home tomorrow for MLK day.
A few things I learned from that night...
1. I am NEVER on overnight duty again. I try to put her back down and instead her meals come UP!
2. Throwing up sucks extra for girls or should I say people with long hair. Not only do you have to hold hair back but vomit also gets in there. YUCK!
3. My love for peanut butter runs deeper than I ever thought. Even though I saw it coming flying out, I still had a craving for it on Sunday.
In the end, it was a very sharp reminder that I am no longer a college kid or even a single guy in my 20s. I am a 34 yr old father of a 21 month old daughter. I mean 10 years ago...my Saturday night...lets just say it looked a little different...ok, a LOT different.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
New year, new blog
One of my goals for the year is to keep this blog up and running. I want two blogs a week. You might think...well we are already 12 days in. Fine...last week was a bit of a punt on my end. My only excuse is that I was broken from my trip to Cinci and then when I got better, I got sick again. I even called in sick to work two days in a row...I had never done that before.
Brings me to a few thoughts I have...
1. A-Team the movie...I watched it last week. I loved it. Keep in mind that I loved the show as a kid. The movie did a great job of keeping true to the show. It was a fun action movie.
2. I saw my first 3D movie, Chronicles of Naria. I loved those books as a kid. The movie was filmed exclusively in 3D. I really liked it and I was impressed with the new technology. It was a great picture. Since I already wear glasses, wearing some more did not bother me. I dont think I would buy a 3D tv any time soon. Not sure I want to be wearing those glasses all the time at home. Sports in 3D would be pretty sweet though...It would be a fun idea for a bar to have a 3D tv.
3. Even though I was off of work for like 10 days around the new year, it did not feel like a vacation. I mean I had a blast on every turn those 10 days took me but by the end I was exhausted. Strange really. It honestly felt good to get back into a rhythm at home.
4. I am especially angry with Loyola basketball. The start of the season was so good. I should know better but I was dumb enough to have high hopes on our in-conference play. Boy was I wrong! No more expectations...this team is terrible. Is it time to fire Coach Whitesell??? I think so.
5. Gambling makes everything more fun. It is proven time and time again. This season of Top Chef I started an office pool around the show. I have never had more fun watching Top Chef. I need to incorporate gambling into my life more.
"Money won is twice as sweet as money earned." - Fast Eddie (RIP Paul Newman)
Brings me to a few thoughts I have...
1. A-Team the movie...I watched it last week. I loved it. Keep in mind that I loved the show as a kid. The movie did a great job of keeping true to the show. It was a fun action movie.
2. I saw my first 3D movie, Chronicles of Naria. I loved those books as a kid. The movie was filmed exclusively in 3D. I really liked it and I was impressed with the new technology. It was a great picture. Since I already wear glasses, wearing some more did not bother me. I dont think I would buy a 3D tv any time soon. Not sure I want to be wearing those glasses all the time at home. Sports in 3D would be pretty sweet though...It would be a fun idea for a bar to have a 3D tv.
3. Even though I was off of work for like 10 days around the new year, it did not feel like a vacation. I mean I had a blast on every turn those 10 days took me but by the end I was exhausted. Strange really. It honestly felt good to get back into a rhythm at home.
4. I am especially angry with Loyola basketball. The start of the season was so good. I should know better but I was dumb enough to have high hopes on our in-conference play. Boy was I wrong! No more expectations...this team is terrible. Is it time to fire Coach Whitesell??? I think so.
5. Gambling makes everything more fun. It is proven time and time again. This season of Top Chef I started an office pool around the show. I have never had more fun watching Top Chef. I need to incorporate gambling into my life more.
"Money won is twice as sweet as money earned." - Fast Eddie (RIP Paul Newman)
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