The drive to Nederland, TX gives a person a lot of time to think

Sometimes in life there are things that make you go hmmmm…

What would maple cream gravy taste like?

“Please make sure your hands are clean and dry before use.” Why would you find this wording on a hand sanitizer machine?

The enjoyment of a job where you smell, and sometimes taste, milk to determine its quality.
FYI – from an expert (not myself), it is okay to drink milk, that has been refrigerated, up to 7 days after the date on the container. Now if you pour it and it lumps out, throw it out.

And my favorite…

The intelligence of an individual, or group of individuals, who willingly gives the keys to their car to a homeless person to park on a busy street.

I can see the conversation now…
Insurance agent/police officer – “When did you last see your vehicle?
Idiot – “When I gave the keys to the guy to park it on M street.”
IA/PO – “And which valet company was it?”
Idiot – “Oh, he wasn’t valet, it was the homeless guy.”

One More Candle to Blow Out

Well, once again, the Lord blessed me with seeing another April 10 come and go. That makes 28 in all now. I cannot say I feel wiser as each passes by. I think I do some things better, and some things I seem to not ever be able to get right, and some things I just do the same over and over again. One thing I have learned is that I have a lot of friends and family that love me and care about me. It is something I try not to take for granted and want to always say thank you and recognize those that do things for me that they don’t have to do. So, at this time, in this particular blog, I want to express my heartfelt gratitude that made my 28th birthday a spectacular one.

Everyone does their own thing. Some people call, some people email, some drink, etc... The point is, no one HAD to do anything. No one email or phone is more important than another in a cosmic sense, but I would be remiss to not take extra time to say a great big thanks to a few certain individuals.

First off, Melissa went above and beyond (as she often does) for my birthday. Starting with saying Happy Birthday at 12:01 am, she got me a gift certificate for a hot lather shave at a men’s spa and called the Baltimore orioles to get my name on the Jumbotron at the game we went to on that Friday to name a few things. I always tell her that she does way more than needed, but she never listens. Thanks.

My mother called me and kept calling to make sure that her baby boy heard her sing Happy Birthday on his day. This especially made me feel good as I waited in line at the DMV. She also sponsored a new pair of shoes. On another front, Cory and Regina flew over 1,000 miles apiece to spend the weekend in the nation’s capital celebrating good times. Just want you to know I enjoyed the visit.

Then there were the party goers. From karaoke to straight double vodka shots to Fuddruckers at 3am, these folks put in some hard work. So, here’s to Gavin and Jennifer Daniels, Brittany Eck, Curtis Coleman, Elizabeth Sowecke, Melissa, Cory, Regina, Damen Hymes, Kimberly Handler, Isabelle Dusfour, Jennifer Neuberger, Neelum Arya and Francisco Garcia.

Over the week, there were countless others who sent cards, (email and snail mail), emails, phone calls and text messages. I am going to do my best to remember everyone, but I am sure I missed someone. If I did, it was not ill-intentioned. Here goes...

Thank for your wishes on my birthday Roger Mays, Beverly Butler, Stephanie Butler, Dawn Michelle Samuels, Annisa Joubert, Ralph Butler, Jackie Tealer, Camille Tealer, Christopher Smith, Cornell Woolridge, Melissa Fowler, April Somers, Candice Jessup, Mary Kay Herbst, Renee Meaux, Darby Roberts, Taylor Haglund, Melissa Hammond, Jennifer Daniels, Ellen Greene, Susan Hahn, Michelle Montgomery, Regina Perkins, Cory Wagoner, Kirsten Bode, Princess Apple, G-mama Kassle, Jennifer Neuberger, Isabelle Dusfour, Michael Portnoy, Kristi Zipp, Damen Hymes, Anthony Jones, Rose Jones, Kirsten Dartnell, Emily Joyner, Kristen Holland, Jennifer Burrus, David Wiltsey, Anne Russell, Lisa Tyson, Lexi Shuey, Krista Sawtelle, Neelum Arya, Francisco Ramirez, Linda Higdon, Linda Fortson, Sheila Claytor, Tina McGuire, Duncan Manley, Vickie Harrell, Ross Hess, Chris Lamon, Shannon Davis Hunter, Christan Collins-Awad, Curtis Coleman, Brittany Eck, Panache Resturant, The Russia House Lounge, Elizabeth Sowecke, Amanda Hemati, and Eric Hemati.

Can you Haiku??

So, we have these employee gatherings at work to foster a sense of community and for everyone to be involved in things that are outside of the work environment. They can be fun and are meant to help people get to know one another, especially in different departments. Last year, we started this poetry contest and we used haiku as the format and Valentine's Day as the theme. It was met with some resistance initially, but it survived another year. This year we even added to the theme and included President's Day. I was given permission by some of the authors to publish their entries. Here you go and feel free to add your own haiku (if you do not remember the rules, it is 3 lines, 5-7-5 for syllables per line).

#1
When I look for love
I am caught in a battle
Dance or Pay the Price
(won second place)

#2
Aphrodisiac
Discreet exhilaration
Cardio spasm

#3
First time it was Bill
Then his sweetheart said, "Me too"
Can Hillary win?
(this was my entry)

#4
Roses, fifty bucks
Dinner, one hundred bucks, Not
In doghouse, priceless
(won first place)

Ten Years Ago I Never Thought I Would...

Have you done something recently that would make you venture to utter these words, “Ten years ago, I never thought I would…” Well, I have. Ten years ago, I was beginning my second semester at Texas A&M. I was playing volleyball and basketball at the Rec Center and going to class, waiting for full blown spring weather. I never thought I would…

1. Be walking to work in 10 degree weather (-1 wind chill) 3/4 of a mile to the subway, then to a bus, and then 2 blocks to work; And actually think that this was a better option than driving. Gas at nearly $2.40/gallon for regular and parking being $15-20 per day. Not to mention that the 7 miles from my home to work takes at least 35 minutes, in NO traffic. The walking commute takes about 45 minutes total.

2. Be walking home on a Tuesday from the bar in a wintry mix (i.e. snow, sleet, rain) after getting left off from work early due to hazardous weather conditions. This qualifies because I never thought I would be WALKING home, which includes the aforementioned 3/4 mile trek from the subway.

3. Be just finishing another book from cover to cover. By the way, it was Phil Jackson’s book The Last Season.

4. Be watching Aggie basketball compete and be ranked in the Top 10 in the nation and actually be mentioned as serious national title contenders. WOW!

5. Be seriously considering paying almost $200,000 for about 700 square feet in a “sketchy” neighborhood.

I am sure there are others, but these are the only ones that come to mind right noow. I am sure you have some. Let me know what they are!

Post Holiday Nostalgia

Holidays, just as everything in life, has its good points and pad points. Some years, the good outweigh the bad, and sometimes vice versa. Every now and then, you get a push. Let’s review some pro’s and con’s between Thanksgiving and Christmas (of your respective winter holiday).

Pro’s
Time off from work that is paid. This may not apply to all (especially those in non-salaried retail), but I am now thankful I get the Friday after Thanksgiving as a day off. When I run my own company, this will definitely be a paid company holiday.

Any year the Aggies (Texas A&M) beat t.u. (the Univ. of Texas). Period. Reminder, 2006 score, 12-7, Aggie victory.

Food. This includes desserts to dinner and leftovers. It’s amazing that recipe’s created prior to the second world war and cooked on stoves/ovens older than myself keep on filling my tummy with wonderful goodies every year.

Watching kids open presents. Their eyes light up as the paper goes flying and boxes get ripped. As an adult, it always feels like the number of presents kids get today has increased exponentially since you were a kid. Yeah, and they are way more sophisticated.

Sports on TV. Pro and college football. Pro and college basketball. Hockey. Golf. Bowling. Need I go on??

Push
Family/Friends. I could go on and on about this one. When visiting from out of town, and the last time you were in town was a year prior, it can be a challenge to accomplish the feat of seeing everyone you would like and not pissing anyone off. This is a push. Think about it, you fly in with gifts for a pre-determined amount of people, then a bunch of people show up that you weren’t expecting. You don’t even know half of their names, but you feel awkward that you have a present for everyone else and not them. And then to make it even worse, they have a present for you because they knew you were coming ahead of time. Granted, they bought it on the way over, but they still have one. Then come the old stories and pictures. This can be fun, but awful at the same time. I had the greatest time listening to my grandfather and my great aunt (grandmother’s sister), tell about when they were growing up and remembering people’s names and places. We are talking about people born in the late 20’s and early 30’s here. That is before WWII. And they remember the details with such clarity that it is amazing. And then all the pictures come out of you with no clothes on as a child running around the house with a toy gun and cowboy hat. It can be enough to drive people to therapy. The only sensible thing to do, is find more pictures of OTHER people that are just as embarrassing.


Cons
Dishes. Trash. Someone has to take care of it. Just glad I am not low man on the totem pole anymore.

Over indulgence. Turkey, ham, dressing, corn, mac/cheese, green beans, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, rolls, carrots, broccoli/rice/cheese, all on the same plate followed by pound cake, pecan pie and ice cream. Repeat every 2 hours. It is too much for any human digestive system to handle.

Holiday spending and traffic. I believe the WORST traffic I have ever experienced was driving from Fort Worth to College Station on the Sunday after Thanksgiving. Absolutely horrendous. Mall traffic in any city on the last weekend before Christmas is terrible. Hulen St. in Fort Worth, TX, 1960 in Houston, TX, IH 610 by the Galleria in Houston, TX, Dallas Tollway in Dallas, TX, and Rockville Pike/Wisconsin Ave in Maryland/Washington, DC from the Friday after Thanksgiving until Christmas.

What do you feel are Pro’s and Con’s? These stories are great to read.

How does terror affect your personal way of life?

I don’t know what it feels like to lose a loved one in a terror attack. I have had loved ones die, but in those situations, the illness was known and there was some preparation time. But in terror tragedies, the loss is unexpected, sudden and unexplainable. In light of recent events in London and the foiled terror plot, it just makes me think about how, if at all, we change our personal habits after terrorist activity rears its ugly head.

How many flights have you taken since 9/11? Any international flights? Do you look for “suspicious activity” or strange looking unattended bags? And if you notice this type of activity, would you actually report it to authorities? Or would you say, “I am just being paranoid.” A Wal-Mart clerk didn’t think it was paranoia when a massive purchase of cell phones sent off an internal “this isn’t right alarm.” And look what happened, turns out that it was suspicious activity.

I use mass public transportation all the time, and honestly, I cannot say I have seen any ‘suspicious” activity. I have encountered some rude and idiotic persons, but nothing that made me think my life is in imminent danger. I had a flight to Miami scheduled for 9/14/01 and was willing to fly even after what happened just a few days earlier.

Do I have a death wish? I would like to think not. I am a risk taker no doubt. I am also an optimist. But I guess in the end, I always think, “It isn’t going to be my flight.” It would be too difficult to go through life thinking it would be.

I still fly to this day. I attended 3 weddings in 6 six weeks (starting the first week of July) and not once have I given serious thought to a terrorist being on my flight. (And I fly out of Washington DC, a target with serious juice to it). Do you think about it? Do you scan the crowd of people boarding your flight and wonder which person is the bad seed? I scan the crowd, but largely to determine whom I don’t want sitting next to me.

So why don’t we think about it more? Why doesn’t it consume our psyche constantly? Do we feel safe all the time? Or do we force ourselves to live in fantasy world that there will be only one 9/11? The world’s most recent events confirm that the potential for another 9/11 (or worse) exists and people are actively trying to make it happen. I believe we should be conscious that sick and twisted people are out there, but I trust that smart people are working diligently to make the skies friendly for everyone. I know this is a naïve and utopian view of things, but hey, I gotta believe in something.

I have read several articles with quotes ranging from “that is the risk you take for flying” or “I feel safer with all the security checks that are in place” or “How else am I to get from NY to LA in 6 hours?” Here is what I think. When the Lord says my time on this earth is up, it is time for me to go. It might be in my sleep, in my car, shot is the street or at the hands of a terrorist. I believe God has a plan for me and all his children, and as much as we may not want to think about it, the plan ends with us dying. So for me, no terrorist is going to scare me from flying. Part of that comes from an unrelenting desire to not give in to what they want and defy what they stand for, if they stand for anything. Where will my next flight be? I don’t know. But if my boss tells me to go to Birmingham, AL, I can guarantee you I am not driving there.

Don't be afraid of the MONSTER!

After yet another trip back to Texas and enjoying the taste of the fine cuisine that is Freebirds, I felt it time to bring my Top 10 (or so) reasons, that Chipotle will NEVER be better than Freebirds, to the world.

1. No monster (or super monster for that matter)
2. No habanero or death sauce
3. No one says “Sir, someone will be right with you”
4. Only 1 type of tortilla
5. No refried beans
6. No melted queso
7. They serve corn and only white rice
8. The lettuce looks like something from a salad at a hotel brunch
9. Watery sour cream
10. No BBQ sauce
11. No pink lemonade or Dr. Pepper
12. Where are the quesadillas??
13. They have terrible foil wrapping techniques
14. No stamp card
15. No statue of Liberty or foil creations lining the wall

I am such a fan that I carry a monster on the plane with me whenever I return home from Texas. Most friends and family know that if they are coming to visit (from a city that has a Freebirds), they better be carrying a brown paper bag with a monster wrapped in foil with them. Otherwise, they run the risk of getting left at baggage claim. No one has been left yet, thank goodness.

How do you feel about it? Those of you lucky enough to be able to eat Freebirds on a regular basis, consider it a blessing.

As the seasons change

So, I was watching my favorite movie on television a few weeks ago, Scent of a Woman, and it is still as good as ever. It made me remember why it is that I love the movie. It also got me to thinking about a new topic to write about in this new forum.

When you live in a city where a large amount of commuters walk or take public transportation or both. There are many things that you notice that raise the brow. Unfortunately, driving commuters do not get this opportunity.

So let’s get right to it. First of all, women are fascinating and frustrating creatures at the same time. It is at this time we shall observe the fascinating part.

Winter clothing for women is subtly and secretively seductive. It isn’t revealing but it happens to draw the attention nonetheless. The long form fitting skirts. The high boots that announce their presences even in the snow. How about the scarf that draws attention to the neck and chest area only to lead the eyes to the jacket wrapped tightly around the body for warmth. Even the jacket, tapered and fitted at the waist (or drawn tightly with a belt) gives a nice silhouette of what hides underneath. This may all seem simple and dull, but when you see it everyday, morning, afternoon and night, it captures the eye and imagination. And you cannot help but look because it is 12 blocks to your metro stop and your ipod is shuffling through the same songs you heard yesterday. So what else to keep the mind active?

And just when you thought you had seen it all, Mother Nature flips it on you and here comes spring and summer. If you thought winter/fall were secretly seductive and enticing, the eyes get a shot of adrenaline come March 21. The first significant changes you notice are the colors. Gone are gray, black, and dark blue. No more wool, fleece or heavy lining on the inside of the leather. The streets abound with bright colors like pink, purple, blue, yellow and every pastel color imaginable. Forget the long fitted skirts and high boots. Now it is time for long, flowing skirts that catch every piece of wind one way and toss of the hips another. No kidding. It is as if someone knitted together a grass hula skirt, threw in some dye and started selling it at Macy’s.

I think I have seen my wife beater go walking by in all different colors. Have you noticed that women will walk around in basically lingerie, put on a pair of capris or jeans and call it a summer outfit? And I will admit to not knowing much in detail about female footwear. I know what doesn’t work, but I have to see it on a foot before I can make that determination. Anyway, open toe shoes (flip-flops, sandals and heels) are a big plus this time of year and they accentuate the feet very well. Those feet however need to be well kept and maintained. Good looking feet are an overlooked attribute. Eddie Murphy knew what he was talking about in Boomerang.

And guys don’t fret. You do have superhuman powers in the spring/summer time. Our x-ray vision is all-powerful when it comes to white pants, shorts and skirts.

They say there is no aphrodisiac like power. Well, spring and summer run a pretty close second. And what I described is just a sampling of what you see when the sun comes out. I didn’t even get into baby tees, tank tops and mini-skirts that would make any catholic schoolteacher send everyone to detention. The ruler above the knee rule has definitely been left behind. It is like women cannot wait to show off what they have been hiding all winter. Every bit of skin that has been moisturized, arms and legs that have been toned showing a hint of muscle from all those Pilates and resistance training classes and dvd’s. It could be considered somewhat primal and animalistic. I just call it my walk home.

How did we become a fat society?

Been a while since we had a topic for discussion. I have had some thoughts over the past few months. One was about hurricanes, another about supreme court nominees and the selection process and lastly about immigration (which still might happen). All of which I knew would turn political quickly, so I avoided them. In this town I now live in, it is all about politics, and sometimes it can be overwhelming. But shouldn’t we be able to discuss and debate and be honest without hating each other? Let’s try.

So, I went to workout outdoors since it was a nice spring day, about 65-70 degrees. After finishing I was hungry and decided to get something to eat. Didn’t want a sandwich because I eat them all week for lunch, didn’t want to cook anything, so I proceeded to McDonalds. Not to my surprise, McDonalds was packed. Kids, old people and every other kind of people were in there. But have you ever noticed that the person in front of you in line is normally over weight and looks generally unhealthy? Why is that? Fast food restaurants, like all eating establishments, have come under fire in recent years for egregious nutritional deficiencies. As if no one can see and smell the grease that they use for those fries. But they are SO good. Admit it, you go to McDonalds for the fries. Maybe the Quarter-Pounder with cheese or BigMac, but mostly the fries. Do you really think listing the nutritional value of fries anywhere in the place is going to change things? Is there any nutritional value anyways? I try to limit my fast food intake every week to 2 trips every 7 days. Sometimes I stick to it, but sometimes I don’t. But, overall, I don’t eat there every day.

So, who is to blame for the lack of self-control that we have over going to fast food restaurants? Is it McDonalds? It is our parents? Is it us? No one forced my car to go to McDonalds today. No one forces me to go to Subway, when I go. You can list all the nutrition ingredients you want and it will not stop people from going. How many people have ever bought a salad at McDonalds? Or ever gotten an apple at McNasty’s? Yeah, that is what I thought? Did you know that McDonalds is one of the top 5 purchasers of apples in the country? Yeah, very surprising. But normally they get rid of them by donating them to walk-a-thons and marathons and community service projects. No one actually buys them.

I don’t have any problem with government regulations on listing the ingredients in food that we eat. I think that everyone should be knowledgeable of it. However, I don’t believe that it will carry the importance that people think it will. What are we going to do when McDonalds starts listing the ingredients and then sells the same amount of fries the next year? Then what is going to be the argument? Who are we going to sue then when we get overweight and suffer from morbid obesity, which is an actual medical term. Maybe we will sue the school system for not forcing us to take PE. Maybe our jobs for not providing adequate time off to workout or access to the proper facilities.

I find it disturbing that we are moving more toward a society of blaming someone else instead of accepting some responsibility ourselves. What do you think?