Jennie O is running some commercials spoofing the difficulties with preparing a regular fresh or frozen turkey on Thanksgiving to sell their Oven Ready turkeys. They are both unbearably hilarious and yet really disgusting at the same time. Enjoy:
Halloween is dumb.
I’m fairly certain that I didn’t like Halloween when I was a kid – I just saw it as an excuse to get sick off candy (I wonder why I’m worried about diabetes…hmmm).
I came by my loathe for Halloween honestly. I remember being maybe 13 when my mom first showed me how to detract trick-or-treaters (outside and inside lights off, hide in basement).
I don’t understand how this crazy ancient Celtic pagan holiday (Samhain – the festival of livestock slaughter, bonfires and masks that signified the end of the harvest season) became the entire month of October. There is a house in our neighborhood that has a whole graveyard, a couple of dementors on the edges of the driveway and zombies littering their yard. Some people put more effort into the “Halloween Season” than they do to taking care of their yard.
Now, I certainly don’t have kids and I might feel differently if I did (seeing my 14-month old niece dressed as a monkey…pretty cute), but since I don’t, I avoid Halloween at every turn. The last time I dressed up was about 7 years ago when both Alli and I put on afro wigs and horrible flannel shirts and went as “Bob Ross”.
Overall, I can’t put a big reason on why I don’t like Halloween…I just think it’s a waste of time and a contributor to early juvenile diabetes and obesity. I think we have a big enough problem with that as it is.
Flame away.
It’s a fitting close to this weekend.
Saturday turned out to be awesome. I woke up at 5 with the rain and lightning and was convinced we wouldn’t be able to golf. However, with some prayers, the weather cleared and by 10:00, the only thing we had to worry about at Royal Meadows was the wind.
Golfing was a lot of fun and then we joined some others for an 18-person poker tournament. But in order to give myself a challenge, I grilled 40+ cheeseburgers so Jake’s Man Day attendants would have something to nosh on.
The rest of Man Day was a blast. I finally had to call it a night at 12:30 shortly after I got everyone to the Brooksider. I hope everyone had fun.
Yesterday was a little more relaxed. We went to church, made lunch and I took a nice long nap. Last night, we spent some time at a friends’ house in their recently redone backyard, which made me insanely jealous to redo our backyard. We lazed around, watched the pilot of Iron Chef America from a few years ago, then turned in early.
It is, after all, Red Meat Day.
We’re going over to my parents’ house today. My dad returned from Dubai on Friday in time to ask me what I wanted to have for lunch today. He went and picked up my requested steak – a ribeye from McGonigals. So I’ll finally get to have what I missed for Jake’s birthday.
It’s back to the old grind today.
Since I used up all my vacation galavanting around Italy and France this summer with my lovely wife, I am working this week.
It should be a relatively slow week. We closed out a couple huge projects last week and I’m getting ready to ramp up some new ones for Q1.
I got some great presents for my birthday and Christmas from my whole fam. Lots of fun books and DVDs, gift cards, clothes…all good times. I’ve been wanting to get a MacBook for a while now and am now chomping at the bit since I have some money burning a hole in my pocket, but after running down to the Apple Store on the Plaza today, I’ve decided to wait until after MacWorld in January before I purchase anything…that way I’ll be in on the latest and greatest.
Did you get anything fun for Christmas?
In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to his own town to register.
So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
- Luke 2:1-20
It is my hope and prayer that today, however you may celebrate, that you will find peace, love and joy during the season. Merry Christmas.
I’m out of here in a few minutes and I can’t wait! Birthday weekend. Christmas on Tuesday.
We’re off to Council Bluffs for the weekend, then back to KC for Christmas day. I’ll try and post from Iowa, but not sure it’s going to happen.
It’s been a crazy week at work and I’m very relieved that it’s over. Looking forward to a little R & R over the weekend.
If I don’t blog to you before then…have a Merry Christmas!
Despite the snow yesterday, I braved the roads shopping for my beautiful wife. Then, against my better judgment, I went to Oak Park Mall.
Can anyone explain to me what possessed me to do that?
The even more ludicrous thing? I didn’t buy anything.
Ugh.
I did, however, correctly predict the Chiefs loss today and got my first birthday present from my awesome parents…NEW TIRES for my car. Sure, it’s not all that exciting, but I needed them so badly. My treads were totally bare. Thanks Mom and Dad!
One paragraph about the Chiefs:
The 0-13 Miami Dolphins eked out their first win of the season against the Baltimore Ravens. Watching the highlights of the game, I was thinking to myself: “The Chiefs could not beat the Baltimore Ravens. We are worse than the 1-13 Dolphins. Let’s hope the rumors are true and Edwards takes Carl Peterson out to UCLA. That would be sweet.
I’m not sure how many of you know, but my 31st birthday is a short NINE days away. Christmas is only 2 days after that. I know that my readers are wanting to buy me stuff. In order to help facilitate the gift-buying process, I’m going to provide you with this handy-dandy gift-buying guide as well as a nice fat link to my Amazon.com wish list.
Highlights of the things I want this year include (but are not reserved to):
The Old Standbys
Big Ticket Items
I’m not very imaginative when it comes to gifts, although there’s plenty to choose from. Please feel free to buy me a present! I also like Starbucks gift cards and will be more than willing to accept gift cards to any major retailer. You also can just send me money on PayPal if you’d like. If you’re looking to buy a gift for someone else, might I suggest my Cafe Press store? That way, everyone wins.
I’m not sure if I’ve ever shared how much I absolutely LOATHE inflatable lawn things.
It started with Christmas a couple years back. Inflatable Santas and snowmen began to adorn the lawns of suburbanites across America.
It’s gotten ridiculous.
There are now inflatable whatevers for every single psuedo-holiday that Hallmark wants to shove down our throat. To be honest, besides their obvious obnoxiousness, they represent to me just another area where we’ve chosen the easiest route over putting work and thought into something. It just seems lazy to me.
What do you think?
Original flickr photo from Slice