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2/28/11

Guest post? Heck yes!

I wanted to spice things up a little around here so I asked my friend from by Gods Good Grace to humor me with a little Q&A session (thank you, Ken). He is working man, a loving father to three beautiful girls, and an honest-about-life, humorous blogger. Enjoy....

What's the funniest thing you've heard/seen/done in the past week?
Don't remember where, but someone at SeasonedGamers.com posted a link to a gallery of the 50 Worst Band Photos Ever on Ugo.com. Hilarious!
The Similar Haircuts. Wonder if these guys need a manager...?

How does being a male in the world of primarily female bloggers feel?
Just about right. :) Actually, when I first started blogging, I made a concentrated effort to seek out guys who might be in a similar situation as I. Didn't have much luck, got bored, followed the suggestion of my hormones, and started clicking on all the pretty girl profile pictures. After discovering all the wonderful things that I have absolutely no interest in, like fashion, coupons, crafts, other peoples kids, etc., I settled down to a wonderful group of bloggers, female and male, that I enjoy reading. I will say though, that I haven't kept up at blogfrog. It's a decidedly female-centric community and I'm just not interested in most of what they talk about. I feel a little out of place too. At first I was excited about all the new followers, but I can't say I care enough about that to get over my discomfort and put in much effort to build relationships over there. But, if you're interested in finding like-minded communities, it's the place to be. 

Someone's writing a book based on your life. What would the title be?
"You Would Have Thought He Could See It Coming" or "Holy Cow, I Picked The Wrong Guy To Write a Book About" or "Geeks Will Rule The World...Except This One" or "Hey, At Least He Can Make a Cute Kid"

You've got a blog too. Tell us about it?
It's called By God's Good Grace, but I feel I've stepped away from His grace, a little anyway. Nothing like a tragedy to help someone look towards God, and nothing like the ending of that tragedy to help him forget about the help God gave. But about the blog, it's a personal journal style blog. Stuff that rolls through my head from time to time. Even though my kids are a huge part of my life, I don't write about them very often. I wonder why sometimes... 

What do you carry around in your wallet, coat pocket, pants pockets? Inquiring minds want to know. And by inquiring minds, I mean me.
 Oh, same ol junk as everyone else, I suppose. One keyring with my car & house key, another for work keys (more than half of which I never use,) a cellphone (aka 'leash',) and a wallet. One thing about my wallet is that it has no personal credit cards in it. Just a couple for work. Except for monthly bills, I pay almost everything with a debit card. Wonderful things. Wonderfully dangerous things.

Tell us an embarrassing story from anytime in your life. Make it good!
This is the question I dread because I can't come up with a good embarrassment story. I just don't get embarrassed. For the most part, I couldn't care less what people think about me. I have a nasally geeky voice, one my mom sent me to therapy for but never got much better, so I got over it, along with all the other stuff that someone might consider embarrassing. I find my stupidity to be embarrassing, so I try very hard to not be stupid.There was a time, when I was in high school, we took a trip to Montana. A beer truck had wrecked and blocked the road through the Gallatin Valley. We were just setting there in our car, so I decided to start walking. As I was walking along, people were whistling at me. Found out later that I had a big rip in the back of my shorts. I wasn't embarrassed though. Just wish I'd taken the opportunity to drop trou and moon them.Still can't believe I had to be the one to tell them that they'd get in trouble if they just started giving the beer to the people waiting in their cars.And I can't help but read "embarrassed" as "em bare assed". 

Name 3 bands/acts/singers you are afraid to admit you love.
I guess it depends on who I'm admitting it to. To all of you, I'm not afraid to admit anything, but I probably wouldn't go out of my way to tell my mom I listen to house dance music.Alright, alright, I admit it, whenever someone comes into my office, I almost always turn off whatever I'm listening to. Like Flo Rida, Cameo, The Little Mermaid Soundtrack.

Sha-la-la-la-la-laDon't stop now Don't try to hide it how You wanna kiss the girl

What's the worst job you've ever worked?
I've been pretty lucky and haven't had terrible jobs. My first job was a couple of years as a yard/cleanup kid at a concrete plant, then I was a mechanic for 5 years, then a detailer for a metal building company for a couple of months, then 5 years as a truss designer, and now a truss plant manager.For physical labor, the concrete plant was the worst. I helped bust tires on their concrete trucks. Had to do 25 in one day. That sucked, but it was proud of myself for being able to do it, being such a skinny kid and all. The 'knuckle buster' job was cake. As for mind-numbing, the detailer was the worst. I had to count bolts. Not even real bolts. I had to count nuts and bolts on paper.Oh wait! I worked for a concrete contractor for a couple of months. In California. In 100+ degree weather. Yeah, that was the worst.

How would you spend 1 million dollars?
Sheesh. Never been one to dream about winning the lottery. All the boring stuff I guess. Pay off debt, set up college funds for the kids, buy a house, a car, lasik eye surgery.Oh wait, get a divorce... *rollseyes*I might try to buy into the company I work for. Become a partner. Somebody needs to run the place. Might as well be me. Probably need more than a million though. 

Last but not least, who is your favorite blogger and why?
This is like a girl asking her date if he thinks their waitress is cute. There's only one right answer, "What waitress?" Since I trust all the other bloggers to recognize what's going on here, I'll answer correctly. Nikki, you are my most favorite blogger ever. I like hearing how your life's going, all the wonderful things that have happened to you over the last year or so, and what you think about the old movies you should have seen years ago. ;)

2/25/11

I'm Obsessed

...I look forward to meeting with you everyday, even though I don't always get around to seeing you.

...I do my best when we are together and I always leave feeling accomplished.

...You take my stress away and fill me with energy.

...You push me to keep going, even when I feel like giving up.

...You are truly unique in every way, I wouldn't trade you for anything.





Your Shape:Fitness Evolved, I'm obsessed with you!


If you've never heard of Your Shape: Fitness Evolved, don't worry - I'll tell you about it. It's a Kinect game that offers personal training sessions (custom fit to your needs), gym games, and fitness classes. Never in my life have I ever been so consistent with my exercise. You can create friendly challenges against your fellow xbox friends who use Your Shape and track your stats (total calories burned, total time worked out, etc) at Your Shape Center.





So, world, there you have my confession for my love of a video game.

2/11/11

Just an update!

I truly don't have anything too interesting to share (that may happen soon though, so stay tuned!) but I feel an update is in order!

On the PJ front:
He is growing up faster than ever! Some days the changes I see in him are so exciting, some days it's down right depressing! The boy is getting smart and devious. He's still plugging along at day care and doing very, very well. A few things he says regularly that crack me up:

"You are driving me crazy, mama!" - when he doesn't like something I say/do

"Maybe" - to just about everything I ask him

"Are you happy, mama?" - every morning in the car ride to daycare.

And last, but not least... he still sings belts "Jingle Bells" and "Santa Claus is coming to Town" every day.

Funny story to share....We went out to eat at Olive Garden one day and there was an old (well rounded) man with a long white beard. As we passed this gentleman, PJ says (LOUDLY) "Hey mama, look! It's Santa Claus!" And this isn't the first time he's done this. We have since had many conversations about the fact that Santa lives in the NORTH POLE and not in Louisville Kentucky, regardless of how much someone may look like Santa Clause.

On the Mommy-hood front:
Oh boy, what a roller coaster! We're up, we're down, we're up, we're down. He's good, he's bad, i'm patient, i'm inpatient. What a ride! You can't truly appreciate the role of a parent until  you are one yourself (sorry Mom and Dad! haha).  Forget about the "terrible-two's!! "Terrible-three's" has been the most challenging yet. I know that I will never get this time back with my little boy, though, so I really am trying to take away all the positive, interesting, and funny aspects of watching him grow up right now, which include: Being proud to watch him dress himself for the first time, watching him be a big helper with chores, being able to get on the computer and call Dave on Skype (without my help!), being astounded watching him work my cell phone better than me, asking me "why" for just about EVERYTHING. His mind goes at a hundred miles an hour and it's the most amazing thing watching him develop his little personality.

On the Work front:
There have been a few hiccups in my job. Non of which are directly related to the work itself, but more one of the people I work with. I'm not going to lie, it's been a bit of a challenge overcoming that obstacle, but i'm working on it. Other than that, though, I still LOVE what I do. I love the job, I love the clients, I love my boss. It really can't get (much) better than that! Now to get rid of a certain someone from the office and it'll be rainbows and unicorns again...lol, jk.

On the School front:
It's going better than I could have ever imagined! I was terribly nervous at the beginning of the semester but I've fallen into rythem with the work load and I actually enjoy it!!! So far I've written my first college paper and completed my first college exam. Nerdy, I know, but I feel like it's a wonderful beginning of a great new chapter in my life!

On the "Me" front:
Phew. I don't even know where to start. I miss Dave like crazy. He's always working so hard in Dominica and I couldn't be more proud of him (love you, Dave!). I'm so busy between work, school, and PJ that I hardly have any 'free' time but when I do get a few minutes, I have been enjoying Your Shape: Fitness Evolved (Kinect game). The work outs are so stress relieving, the feeling of getting in shape gives me more confidence than ever, I feel more energized, and I LOVE competing with friends. I am in the midst of organizing a challenge among my SeasonedGamer friends and I'm eager to get it underway! Essentially, I keep myself busy enough to not think about all the stress. I almost forgot what the word 'fun' means, but I'm going to get PJ a sitter one of these days and have a night to myself; no work, no school, no PJ.

On the Pop-Culture front:
Bear with me. I don't have much time for movies anymore, but I am trying to work watching at least a movie a week (minimum) into the schedule. Woe is me for having to do such a thing.... ;-)

Well, thats all for now, folks!

2/1/11

Raiders of the Lost Ark


I know, I know. Most of you are BAFFLED that I have never seen this movie before. In fact, I've never seen any of the Indiana Jones movies. So un-American of me. I have redeemed myself though (better late than never!) and watched this gem last night. Yup, I called it a gem.

A few take aways:

  • I saw the infamous boulder scene. Finally.
  • Harrison Ford actually has color in his hair! So young!!!!!
  • I LOVED the scene when Indiana Jones was chasing after that chick in the market place. A huge native dude jumps out in front of him with his sword out ready to fight, badass music is queued, and anticipation hightens as to what Jones is going to do. He promptly pulls out his gun and pops a cap in the dude. So American. By far my favorite scene in the movie.
  • Whips are so under-rated these days. Seriously.
  • I saw a guys face get melted off. Why the hell did nobody warn me that I was going to see A MANS FACE BEING MELTED OFF?

With that said...

15 down...75 to go....

The List:

12 Monkeys
A League Of Their Own
Airplane
Akira
Aliens
American History X
Animal House
Best in Show
Better Off Dead
Big Trouble in Little China
Bill & Teds Excellent Adventure
Blade Runner
Blazing Saddles
Boondock Saints
Bull Durham
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Caddyshack
Casino Royale
Clerks
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Daze and Confused
Deliverence
Evil Dead II
Fast Times at Ridgemont High
Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Field of Dreams*
Fight Club
Fletch
Ghostbusters
Glory
Goldfinger
Gremlins
Heathers
Highlander
Jaws
Lethal Weapon I
Life as a House
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
My Blue Heaven
Naked Gun
National Lampoon's Vacation
Office Space
Pale Rider
Planes Trains, and Automobiles
Platoon
Policy Acadamy
Porkys
Predator
Primer
Pulp Fiction
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Rainman
Rambo: First Blood
Raw Deal
Red Dawn
Reservoir Dogs
Robo Cop
Run Lola Run
Say Anything
Scarface
Sixteen Candles
Spaceballs
Stand By Me
Star Wars: A New Hope
Star Wars:Return of the Jedi
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
Terminator: Salvation
The 6th Day
The Big Lebowski
The Breakfast Club
The Godfather
The Golden Child
The Good the Bad and the Ugly
The Goonies
The Jerk
The Karate Kid
The Natural
The Professional
The Shining
The Three Amigos
The Usual Suspects
The Warriors
Top Gun
True Lies
True romance
Unforgiven
Untouchables
Young Frankenstein