Are you ready for the big announcement? What? I can't hear you, can you please speak louder?
Ha. I am too far away for you to talk to me, you're yelling at your computer.
The big announcement is that we are moving. No, not Megan and Robby and I. You and I are moving. We are going to our new home, www.ayeartocelebrate.com.
I was approached (electronically) last week by a friend of mine, John Young. John runs his own web-design company and, after reading my blog, offered to work some ideas up for a place of our very own. John has done a great job with setting this up and I owe him many thanks. John also provides services in the graphic design area, video production area, as well as several other areas with names that I do not understand, all at a reasonable price. Be sure to check out his website by clicking on the above link.
To move on to the National Mustard Day celebration, just go to the new site.
8.07.2010
Patience...
Greetings all and Happy National Mustard Day!
Today was a very long day and I have to get up early in the morning so I'll make you a deal. If you promise to be patient with my lack of a real post tonight, tomorrow I will give you not only a full recap of today's events, I will have a really exciting announcement as well!!! Deal? Deal!
Today was a very long day and I have to get up early in the morning so I'll make you a deal. If you promise to be patient with my lack of a real post tonight, tomorrow I will give you not only a full recap of today's events, I will have a really exciting announcement as well!!! Deal? Deal!
National Fresh Breath Day
Stank Mouth, Morning Breath, Halitosis. These are all names for what is essentially the result of bacteria eating the little food particles stuck between your teeth and then after digesting the food, expelling the waste product. And this is happening in your mouth while you read this sentence. OK, I'll give you a second to go brush your teeth right now...
You're back? Good.
National Fresh Breath Day is the brainchild of a group of dentists in New York. Now among all health-care professionals, dentists are about the most self-serving crowd there is. They recommend that you come and visit them every 6 months whether you feel like you need it or not. And they want you to come from the age of 2 until you die. What other "doctors" do this? You may get an occasional check-up with your family physician to make sure that all systems are functional, but not twice a year without cause. Dentists are like the cell-phone plan that you're locked into for life. And just like your cellular service provider, they want to sell you every upcharge that they possibly can. So you know that come Halloween, dentists are handing out Sugar Daddies and Charleston Chews hoping to poke holes in your chompers so they can fill them with the most expensive materials in the world and make a nice tidy profit while they are at it.
OK, this is mostly tongue-in-cheek (har). I know a few dentists personally and they are very nice people who encourage you to brush regularly and floss every day (not just the week of your dentist appointment). Also, bad breath is not a condition that should be taken lightly. A good job interview can be nullified, a romantic moment can be extinguished, an elevator ride can be made excruciating by a lack of oral hygiene. Unless you have a trusted and honest spouse or friend, though, it can be difficult to know exactly what the state of your breath odor is. I have tried to breathe into my cupped hand and then sniff really fast, but my lung-nose coordination is not spectacular. I have heard that you can lick the back of your wrist and it will smell like your breath, but all I ever smell is wet arm hair. Apparently, it is possible to purchase a "Halimeter," to give you "hard, empirical science" for your bad breath inquiries, but that seems like money that could be much better spent. Especially considering that cautious prevention is so easy. Aside from normal brushing, rinsing, and flossing, there are enough breath-freshening products on the market to choke a pig. In the case of bad breath, I would say that discretion is the better part of valor.
For my family's celebration of NFB Day, we decided to focus on the member of our family who has the worst breath, our dog Dynamite. I don't know exactly what he puts in his mouth that makes his breath smell so bad, but when we are transporting him in the van, I can always tell when he sneaks up to the middle seats without ever looking in the rear-view mirror. So I bought him a doggy toothbrush, doggy toothpaste and doggy mouthwash. What I failed to notice was that he has no opposable thumbs with which to squeeze the toothpaste or grasp the toothbrush. So brushing Dynamite's teeth fell to me. As you might be able to tell from the pictures, he is not exactly on board with celebrating this holiday.
In any case, it got done to some effect. We gave him a chew-bone that is also supposed to improve his breath. We'll see.
You're back? Good.
National Fresh Breath Day is the brainchild of a group of dentists in New York. Now among all health-care professionals, dentists are about the most self-serving crowd there is. They recommend that you come and visit them every 6 months whether you feel like you need it or not. And they want you to come from the age of 2 until you die. What other "doctors" do this? You may get an occasional check-up with your family physician to make sure that all systems are functional, but not twice a year without cause. Dentists are like the cell-phone plan that you're locked into for life. And just like your cellular service provider, they want to sell you every upcharge that they possibly can. So you know that come Halloween, dentists are handing out Sugar Daddies and Charleston Chews hoping to poke holes in your chompers so they can fill them with the most expensive materials in the world and make a nice tidy profit while they are at it.
OK, this is mostly tongue-in-cheek (har). I know a few dentists personally and they are very nice people who encourage you to brush regularly and floss every day (not just the week of your dentist appointment). Also, bad breath is not a condition that should be taken lightly. A good job interview can be nullified, a romantic moment can be extinguished, an elevator ride can be made excruciating by a lack of oral hygiene. Unless you have a trusted and honest spouse or friend, though, it can be difficult to know exactly what the state of your breath odor is. I have tried to breathe into my cupped hand and then sniff really fast, but my lung-nose coordination is not spectacular. I have heard that you can lick the back of your wrist and it will smell like your breath, but all I ever smell is wet arm hair. Apparently, it is possible to purchase a "Halimeter," to give you "hard, empirical science" for your bad breath inquiries, but that seems like money that could be much better spent. Especially considering that cautious prevention is so easy. Aside from normal brushing, rinsing, and flossing, there are enough breath-freshening products on the market to choke a pig. In the case of bad breath, I would say that discretion is the better part of valor.
For my family's celebration of NFB Day, we decided to focus on the member of our family who has the worst breath, our dog Dynamite. I don't know exactly what he puts in his mouth that makes his breath smell so bad, but when we are transporting him in the van, I can always tell when he sneaks up to the middle seats without ever looking in the rear-view mirror. So I bought him a doggy toothbrush, doggy toothpaste and doggy mouthwash. What I failed to notice was that he has no opposable thumbs with which to squeeze the toothpaste or grasp the toothbrush. So brushing Dynamite's teeth fell to me. As you might be able to tell from the pictures, he is not exactly on board with celebrating this holiday.
In any case, it got done to some effect. We gave him a chew-bone that is also supposed to improve his breath. We'll see.
8.05.2010
National Underwear Day
Ever since God knit together the first animal skins for Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden, underwear has been an essential cog in the wheel of society. Underwear can be used to provide modesty, to promote fashion, and as a fine punchline to a joke (Hey, look under there!) However, underwear can also be a controversial subject. That's why they are sometimes referred to as "unmentionables."
Some kids want to run away and join the circus. I never had any such desire and so walking the tightrope of celebrating and blogging about national underwear day while remaining family friendly is not appealing to me. All day long I agonized over whether to fill this post with pictures of famous people in their underwear or to remain true to my moral decency and resist the urge to gain blog popularity by peddling sexy celebrities. In the end, I was too weak and my integrity has taken a back seat to my need for acceptance and fame. So here you are people, I am giving you what you want. Celebrities in their underwear. For those who do not wish to besmirch themselves, I have provided ample blank space so that if you don't want to see the pictures, just don't scroll down.
I feel so dirty. Now I'm going to take a shower...in my underwear.
In reality, National Underwear Day was a low-key holiday for me. I did put on a brand new pair of underwear today that I bought a few weeks ago but had not worn yet. I also threw out some old underwear that Megan had been wanting me to get rid of for quite some time.
BONUS: To see me in my new underwear, click here.
Some kids want to run away and join the circus. I never had any such desire and so walking the tightrope of celebrating and blogging about national underwear day while remaining family friendly is not appealing to me. All day long I agonized over whether to fill this post with pictures of famous people in their underwear or to remain true to my moral decency and resist the urge to gain blog popularity by peddling sexy celebrities. In the end, I was too weak and my integrity has taken a back seat to my need for acceptance and fame. So here you are people, I am giving you what you want. Celebrities in their underwear. For those who do not wish to besmirch themselves, I have provided ample blank space so that if you don't want to see the pictures, just don't scroll down.
I feel so dirty. Now I'm going to take a shower...in my underwear.
In reality, National Underwear Day was a low-key holiday for me. I did put on a brand new pair of underwear today that I bought a few weeks ago but had not worn yet. I also threw out some old underwear that Megan had been wanting me to get rid of for quite some time.
BONUS: To see me in my new underwear, click here.
8.04.2010
National Chocolate Chip Day
Upon further research, it was discovered that there are actually 2 National Chocolate Chip Days, August 4 and May 15, and they are both officially sanctioned by the National Confectioners Association of America. At first this perturbed me. St. Patrick only gets one day. Christopher Columbus only gets one day. President's have to share a day. How can chocolate chips get 2 days? But then the thought struck me, "Does anyone really need to tell me to celebrate chocolate chips?" They can be put into pies, baked into cakes, melted for a topping, or even just eaten as they are. Of course the most iconic way to enjoy a chocolate chip is in a chocolate chip cookie. Apparently the chocolate chip cookie actually predates the chocolate chip and has been around since the 1930's (read more history here).
So we all agree that chocolate chips are pretty great, but how in the world do you experience chocolate chips? Somehow baking a batch of cookies just doesn't seem like it is enough. I am always looking for suggestions from my faithful readers (YOU!) so I checked my facebook. My brother suggested that I buy a bag of chocolate chips and hand a single (not two, just one) chip out to every person that I met today. Since I have a job and a life and since I have a son who was recently enough in diapers for me to remember that "diaper chips" look enough like chocolate chips for me to not take them from strangers, I nixed that idea. I considered going to a professional and purchasing chocolate chip cookies to celebrate. Now that seemed like an option. Then I started thinking about getting not a dozen small cookies, but a giant cookie cake from a professional. Then I thought, "I'll make my own chocolate chip cookie cake." Perfect.
To make this event more special, I decided to make the most giant chocolate chip cookie cake ever. Following are some pictures, and to give you an idea of how big the cookie was, I took the pictures with some objects to compare them to.
Here is a local sheep grazing on the giant cookie
Here is a velociraptor looking for it's next meal on my cookie
This is actually me, snowmobiling across the vast cookie.
OK, you caught me. That was not me snowmobiling...that was my stunt-double. But I just can't chance getting injured.
To finish off the celebration I made some homemade buttercream icing and my son and I used it to decorated the cookie. He wanted a smiley face.
Did any of you experience chocolate chips today, perhaps even inadvertently? Let me know about it.
Tomorrow is national underwear day. Normally I would be excited about posting some of your celebration pictures, but I'm afraid my internet content filter may not let me view my own blog so please, only appropriate pictures.
So we all agree that chocolate chips are pretty great, but how in the world do you experience chocolate chips? Somehow baking a batch of cookies just doesn't seem like it is enough. I am always looking for suggestions from my faithful readers (YOU!) so I checked my facebook. My brother suggested that I buy a bag of chocolate chips and hand a single (not two, just one) chip out to every person that I met today. Since I have a job and a life and since I have a son who was recently enough in diapers for me to remember that "diaper chips" look enough like chocolate chips for me to not take them from strangers, I nixed that idea. I considered going to a professional and purchasing chocolate chip cookies to celebrate. Now that seemed like an option. Then I started thinking about getting not a dozen small cookies, but a giant cookie cake from a professional. Then I thought, "I'll make my own chocolate chip cookie cake." Perfect.
To make this event more special, I decided to make the most giant chocolate chip cookie cake ever. Following are some pictures, and to give you an idea of how big the cookie was, I took the pictures with some objects to compare them to.
Here is a local sheep grazing on the giant cookie
Here is a velociraptor looking for it's next meal on my cookie
This is actually me, snowmobiling across the vast cookie.
OK, you caught me. That was not me snowmobiling...that was my stunt-double. But I just can't chance getting injured.
To finish off the celebration I made some homemade buttercream icing and my son and I used it to decorated the cookie. He wanted a smiley face.
Did any of you experience chocolate chips today, perhaps even inadvertently? Let me know about it.
Tomorrow is national underwear day. Normally I would be excited about posting some of your celebration pictures, but I'm afraid my internet content filter may not let me view my own blog so please, only appropriate pictures.
8.03.2010
National Night Out
When you hear the phrase, "Night Out," what thoughts come to your mind? A romantic excursion with your significant other? Poker with the boys? Going with the girls to...errrr...try on shoes? WRONG! National Night Out (NNO) is about electrocutions! (I'll explain later)
When I put NNO on my calendar for August 3rd, I thought that I was going to get a rare date night with my wife. Maybe we would catch a movie or have a nice dinner. Instead, as it turns out, NNO is an event sponsored by the National Association of Town Watch with the fourfold aims, to:
The second guy, in the sleeveless, is named Keith. He got it too.
For a split second, the thought popped in my head, "What an experience it would be to get tased myself"
Split second...that's all.
We left not too long after this. I mean, there was nowhere to go but down, right? In any case, we left with food, loot, and entertainment. And we left with the knowledge that all of the criminals at Friendship Park had certainly "received the message letting them know that neighborhoods are organized and fighting back."
UPDATE: You can find more pictures here
When I put NNO on my calendar for August 3rd, I thought that I was going to get a rare date night with my wife. Maybe we would catch a movie or have a nice dinner. Instead, as it turns out, NNO is an event sponsored by the National Association of Town Watch with the fourfold aims, to:
- Heighten crime and drug prevention awareness;
- Generate support for, and participation in, local anticrime programs;
- Strengthen neighborhood spirit and police-community partnerships; and
- Send a message to criminals letting them know that neighborhoods are organized and fighting back.
These are quoted from the official NNO website.
Now I'm all for supporting our law enforcement agencies and all, particularly if "supporting" is code for "being involved in covert activity to catch wayward teenagers in their shenanigans." But daggonit, if I'm going to spend a night out, I don't really need the authorities tagging along. Rather than sulk with disappointment, however, I decided to make the most of this opportunity to experience something new.
As it turned out, the town just up the road, Cold Spring, KY, was hosting a NNO community event. So we tumbled into the van and made our way to Friendship Park. As you can tell from the name of the location, any hope I had of covert ops was quickly dispelled. As we pulled in and unloaded, it appeared as if the event consisted mainly of some guys in different uniforms showing off some of the cool vehicles operated by the local police, fire, and army organizations. It also appeared as if most of the "community" in attendance was comprised of the families of the people who were showing off said vehicles (who all apparently knew each other but did not know us). However, as the evening progressed, more and more people funneled in and as events unfolded, I must say, my family and I thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.
First, we were shown to a tent in which raffle tickets were being handed out. The event was slated to last from 6:00-8:30 and we surmised that the raffle would not happen until close to 8:30 and we were not planning on staying that long. Regardless, we received 15 tickets (5 per person) and Robby got a little bag with various fire safety tips printed on bookmarks and a ruler, etc. More importantly, we were then informed that there was free food in the concession stand. We walked cursorily past the various vehicles which were parked and open for inspection and headed toward the shelter house. After saving some seats on the shady side of a picnic table, we made our way to the concession stand to get our hotdogs, potato chips and sodas. This was not the same as a romantic dinner with my wife at Pompilio's, but not bad, not bad. Then an announcement was made that dramatically enhanced the prospects for the evening. First, it was announced that the raffle would commence in 10 minutes (6:50), and at 7:00, there would be a...wait for it...taser demonstration.
I took my son to the playground to wile away the 10 minutes (which turned out to be 12) and then we returned to the shelter for the raffle drawing. The first 2 tickets drawn were for Kroger's (sic) gift cards. I was disappointed not to win either of these as I do most of the grocery shopping and if I had a gift card, I may be more inclined to purchase some more premium items. The third item was a gift card for a local "Mexican" restaurant (the crappy one, not the good one) so I was OK with missing that. Then, magic happened. "Last three numbers 6-3-0." WOOT! I didn't even know what the prize was, but I was so excited, I ran up to the table and almost didn't hear my son saying that he wanted to go with me. As I got to the front, I discovered that my prize was a DVD (I got to choose from among four) and a free Big Boy sandwich from Frisch's. The movies were all family oriented and I chose Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. Not a bad haul if you ask me.
Then came the apogee of the evening, TASER DEMO!
It was so cool that (and let's not kid ourselves, I am so lazy that) rather than to use words to describe the demonstration, I will show you the pictures.
The guy in white is Jordan, he said I could use these pictures as long as I noted that he was volunteering, not being arrested.
Now I'm all for supporting our law enforcement agencies and all, particularly if "supporting" is code for "being involved in covert activity to catch wayward teenagers in their shenanigans." But daggonit, if I'm going to spend a night out, I don't really need the authorities tagging along. Rather than sulk with disappointment, however, I decided to make the most of this opportunity to experience something new.
As it turned out, the town just up the road, Cold Spring, KY, was hosting a NNO community event. So we tumbled into the van and made our way to Friendship Park. As you can tell from the name of the location, any hope I had of covert ops was quickly dispelled. As we pulled in and unloaded, it appeared as if the event consisted mainly of some guys in different uniforms showing off some of the cool vehicles operated by the local police, fire, and army organizations. It also appeared as if most of the "community" in attendance was comprised of the families of the people who were showing off said vehicles (who all apparently knew each other but did not know us). However, as the evening progressed, more and more people funneled in and as events unfolded, I must say, my family and I thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.
First, we were shown to a tent in which raffle tickets were being handed out. The event was slated to last from 6:00-8:30 and we surmised that the raffle would not happen until close to 8:30 and we were not planning on staying that long. Regardless, we received 15 tickets (5 per person) and Robby got a little bag with various fire safety tips printed on bookmarks and a ruler, etc. More importantly, we were then informed that there was free food in the concession stand. We walked cursorily past the various vehicles which were parked and open for inspection and headed toward the shelter house. After saving some seats on the shady side of a picnic table, we made our way to the concession stand to get our hotdogs, potato chips and sodas. This was not the same as a romantic dinner with my wife at Pompilio's, but not bad, not bad. Then an announcement was made that dramatically enhanced the prospects for the evening. First, it was announced that the raffle would commence in 10 minutes (6:50), and at 7:00, there would be a...wait for it...taser demonstration.
I took my son to the playground to wile away the 10 minutes (which turned out to be 12) and then we returned to the shelter for the raffle drawing. The first 2 tickets drawn were for Kroger's (sic) gift cards. I was disappointed not to win either of these as I do most of the grocery shopping and if I had a gift card, I may be more inclined to purchase some more premium items. The third item was a gift card for a local "Mexican" restaurant (the crappy one, not the good one) so I was OK with missing that. Then, magic happened. "Last three numbers 6-3-0." WOOT! I didn't even know what the prize was, but I was so excited, I ran up to the table and almost didn't hear my son saying that he wanted to go with me. As I got to the front, I discovered that my prize was a DVD (I got to choose from among four) and a free Big Boy sandwich from Frisch's. The movies were all family oriented and I chose Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. Not a bad haul if you ask me.
Then came the apogee of the evening, TASER DEMO!
It was so cool that (and let's not kid ourselves, I am so lazy that) rather than to use words to describe the demonstration, I will show you the pictures.
The guy in white is Jordan, he said I could use these pictures as long as I noted that he was volunteering, not being arrested.
The second guy, in the sleeveless, is named Keith. He got it too.
For a split second, the thought popped in my head, "What an experience it would be to get tased myself"
Split second...that's all.
We left not too long after this. I mean, there was nowhere to go but down, right? In any case, we left with food, loot, and entertainment. And we left with the knowledge that all of the criminals at Friendship Park had certainly "received the message letting them know that neighborhoods are organized and fighting back."
UPDATE: You can find more pictures here
8.02.2010
Picnic Day (Australia)
According to a survey that I just made up, 98% of all meals in the U.S. are eaten indoors. There are several explanations that may account for this startling statistic (2 points for alliteration). For some, the threat of a pop-up rainstorm may cause them to abandon eating outside. For others, it may be a fear of missing an important visit which forces them to forego the al fresco (3 points).
The Australians, as it turns out, don't give a dingo about any of these lame excuses. In fact, they have set aside the first Monday in August as Picnic Day. For more information on the history of Picnic Day, go here.
Today, I decided to adopt some of that famous Australian determination and have a picnic Australian style. Now, there is more to a picnic than just eating outside. You need a basket, a blanket, and ants to have a proper picnic. All of these items I was able to round up, but I was pretty bummed to discover that I did not have access to anything with a gingham pattern.
Also, since this is a primarily Australian holiday, I decided to spice things up with some Australian fare so I went to Outback and brought home a Bloomin' Onion...just kidding. I know better than that. REAL Australians eat things like Vegemite and Shrimp on the Barbie. I was unable to procure Vegemite (though I did go to Kroger and Meijer looking for it) but I did grill some shrimp to celebrate this Australian picnic.
Unfortunately, they looked much better than they tasted. I made a honey-lime-garlic glaze on them, but it just didn't take. The ants, however liked them.
As it turns out. The real experience with a picnic is not the food, but the people with whom you share the picnic.
Bonus: To cap the experience off, I played a little knifey-spoony
The Australians, as it turns out, don't give a dingo about any of these lame excuses. In fact, they have set aside the first Monday in August as Picnic Day. For more information on the history of Picnic Day, go here.
Today, I decided to adopt some of that famous Australian determination and have a picnic Australian style. Now, there is more to a picnic than just eating outside. You need a basket, a blanket, and ants to have a proper picnic. All of these items I was able to round up, but I was pretty bummed to discover that I did not have access to anything with a gingham pattern.
Also, since this is a primarily Australian holiday, I decided to spice things up with some Australian fare so I went to Outback and brought home a Bloomin' Onion...just kidding. I know better than that. REAL Australians eat things like Vegemite and Shrimp on the Barbie. I was unable to procure Vegemite (though I did go to Kroger and Meijer looking for it) but I did grill some shrimp to celebrate this Australian picnic.
Unfortunately, they looked much better than they tasted. I made a honey-lime-garlic glaze on them, but it just didn't take. The ants, however liked them.
Bonus: To cap the experience off, I played a little knifey-spoony
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