Pop Tarts

OK, I've found a recipe that looks so simple even I can pull it off. I think I'm going to give homemade pop tarts a shot. I'll let you know how they turn out, but it's hard to type with my mouth full:)

Rant and Rave

You know, a blog is a good platform to air one's opinions and feelings to the rest of the world (in my case, 4 other people), just in case not everyone is aware of your stand on an issue, or there's a social injustice that needs to become public. I don't have any one particular topic in mind, but I find myself taking issue with several different topics in everyday conversation. Today was no different. I got on the subject of human and child cruelty forced upon individuals within the nation of China. There happens to be a job I'm working on, where all the tile selected is from China. The foreman disagreed with me and pointed to the label that said, ' Made in Italy'. I pointed out another label written in Chinese. Of course, neither one of us can read Chinese, but it's widely known among tile installers, this particular tile is made in China, probably by children no older than 14. The Chinese company makes the tile in China, maintains a factory in Italy, where the tile is shipped and packaged with the 'Made in Italy' label, then shipped to the 'blind to the fact' consumer in the US. They bought the company so they could use the Italian company name and label. Everyone knows the Italians and Spaniards are leading the industry with quality tiles and product, so acquiring the name alone is a very savvy, yet sly marketing move on the part of the Chinese company. Another issue is, the country of China is not under the same strict EPA laws enforced in the US and other countries somewhat conscious of the environment. Since human underage labor is cheap or forced, laborers are an endless commodity, thus the cheaper price for goods sold. Obviously we can't monitor every single item we consume, but if we knowingly purchase things produced under such conditions....? Sadly, if we were to make a difference in the world, some other opportunist would pick up the ball, and exploit another group of people in another part of the world. I just wish I could get paid by somebody to rant and rave endlessly on various subjects that stroke my fur the wrong direction! Exploit the exploiter, so to speak.

Should I or Shouldn't I?

This weekend the Nebraska Cornchokers and the Baylor Care Bears go head to head. Neither team seems to be able to get the lights on the scoreboard to work in their column. Can't quite figure that electrical problem out. Previously, I lamented about getting emotionally involved with my beleaguered Cornhuskers. It seems when I get fired up about an upcoming game, one that I think in my mind should be winnable, my 'faithful' mate steps outside the marriage and disappoints me devastatingly. When they traveled to Columbia, and the weather was less than hospitable (much like a Tiger fan), my hopes were not on a solid foundation. I still begged and pleaded for my beloved team to pull it out just for me, and much to my surprise, they did! Our matrimony was on the mend. I felt the love flowing from Lincoln. I had renewed faith that my team was going to be faithful for a long time. Boy did that change in a hurry! I actually took precious time, and spent hard earned money to go visit my wonderful team the following week in Lincoln. Apparently our relationship didn't mean that much. They played as if they were all hungover and in slow motion. They let Texas Tech use and abuse them. How could they after all we've been through?! Afterwards, they seemed so sincere in their apology for lack of performance and asked those of us in Husker nation to forgive. So I dug down deep, swallowed a huge 1000mg pride pill, and said 'yes' I forgive. Now let's get this train back on its tracks and moving North and South! Then that little tramp, aka Iowa State came to town, and my Huskers, in their weakened condition, caved in under the pressure, and hurt my feelings again. So my hesitation this week I feel is well founded. Do I waste more time, watching my emotionally scarred team from afar (on TV), or do I play hard to get, find something more worthwhile to do (work), and make them prove to me that they truly love me, and are going to bring home flowers (a win)? Oh what the hell! Cut my finger and Nebraska red flows! Of course I'm going to watch the game. All I've got to say is, this is the game to slap some people around and treat them with some disrespect! Teams in the lower half of a conference actually expect that. It's time to get off the pot and 'man up'! The whole state is willing and expecting mature, responsible, monogamous football (not exactly sure what that means). Please don't disappoint us this weekend.

Let's Talk Business

Relax, I'm not trying to sell you anything. I just need to clear the air on the subject of business ownership. Many people, friends included, think that because you happen to own your own business, you must be rolling in it. If they only knew the 'it' I was rolling in, they'd probably keep their distance. I don't understand the notion where they think I'm pulling money in hand over fist. Let's take a moment and analyze the situation. Let's play the 'observation game'. Look, first, at Kevin's house. It happens to be rather small, with practically nothing for closet space, AND only one bathroom. Plus, I reside in South Omaha, on a piece of property the size of a postage stamp. Folks may rationalize, maybe he just likes it that way. Simple and unassuming. They're not far off. I do like simple and unassuming, but with slightly more , well thought out, space. Let's now focus on the house itself. If you look closely at the windows, not all match. There happens to be three new windows, and the remainder are the originals. There are about three or four more that need to be replaced, so why doesn't Kevin take care of that? He shouldn't be such a tightwad and dip into his Swiss bank account, and replace those worn out windows. Then there's the siding. I think 35 years is pretty much beyond the life expectancy of the siding that's been through several hail storms, and that freak October snow storm. If Kevin would just part with some of that money, he could single handedly spark the economy! Oh, let's not forget the crumbling front porch steps. He does concrete work for a living, why hasn't he replaced them? What a lazy turd! I think what people fail to realize, even though I'm a business owner, all the money taken into the company, is not mine. In fact, a rather small amount actually stops in my account. Easily 50% (that number can climb based upon the material picked) of all jobs goes right back out the door to pay vendors. Well maybe all the profit is built into the over inflated price I charge? All jobs, I make 15 - 30% based on the size of the job. Smaller jobs - 30%, larger jobs - 15%. Commercial jobs are even less. So let's base a hypothetical, Kevin type, smells of money, equation, with one hundred dollars. $100 - $50(material) = $50. $50 - 70%(labor) = $15. Let's not forget Uncle Sam, he likes money too! $15 - $4.50(taxes) = $10.50. There are also overhead costs that a percentage can't really be factored in, because it changes from job to job. It's a big guess on my part while working up the estimate. Some jobs are more profitable than others, but some may say, ' Surely you make more than $100 dollars on your jobs'? Sometimes. My whole reason for going into business had very little to do with making HUGE amounts of money. For years, I was a company man. I worked my tail off for unthankful employers. They would scream because you finished the job a day early, rather than two days early. They would promise you perks, and then take them away. Some had never even set tile, so the mistakes would get passed on to you, along with the blame. Homey was tired of playin' those games, so he went into business for himself in 1997, and hasn't looked back. I do make a little more for my efforts, but my efforts are twice as much as they used to be. I often tell people, "I'm the proud owner of a multi hundred dollar business", and "I get really excited when I see a comma in my bank account".

21 Years!

Yes, 21 years ago today, My wife and I started our life long goal of putting up with one another. She does more putting up than I do. I'm just testing her integrity. Can she actually go a lifetime without a murder charge? We'll see. Unfortunately for her, I have no intentions of straying. She, not only tolerates me, but she actually spoils me. I don't understand. But I'm not going to question it, I'm just going to go with it until she becomes senile and comes to her senses. Another reason I would never wander from home, that would be cruel to disappoint and frustrate two women in my lifetime. Besides, I now have baggage. Yes, she 'blessed' me with two children who would make another woman's life not worth living. Oh, they're good kids, they just don't know it yet. I'm sure some day the goodness will leak out, and I won't have to be fearful of them eating their young. The thought of replacing my wife (sorry for the analogy hon), would be like getting a new baseball glove, breaking it in over the years, playing numerous innings - too numerous to keep track, occasionally fixing the stitching, winning game after game with the perfect fit for a ball glove, and getting a new one someday, after I'm too old to play the game anymore. What's the point? She knows every fiber of my being. She's knows my likes and dislikes (and then does the opposite), but 99.9% of the time, we're pretty good buddies. Time to start working on year 22.

Hibernation

I want to say right up front, I don't like the fact that daylight savings time was pushed off til November. I have definitely turned into a bear. I come home from work and I can hardly keep my eyes open until 9:00 PM. I'll usually doze for a couple of hours, get up, get ready for bed, fall asleep fairly soon, and not wake up until my alarm goes off. It's not over yet! Instead of hitting the 'snooze' button, I'll turn my alarm off at 6 and sleep another 30 to 60 minutes. So for the last two weeks, I've been getting about 9 - 10 hours of sleep per night. Hopefully I can change up my sleep addiction when daylight savings finally arrives. Mentally, I know I'll be gaining an hour of sleep, so that will make me want to stay up a little later, knowing I have sleep hours in the bank. Lack of sleep, on the other hand, can cause one to feel grumpy and agitated. I'm not sure what my excuse is there. Maybe I am really turning into a bear.

I've Seen It All!

Yesterday I took some time out of my personal chaos, and went to Lincoln to see my Husker team taken advantage of by Texas Tech and the officiating crew. Sometimes I wonder why I even get emotionally involved. On to the real reason for blogging today. The friends I happen to be with are a very even keeled bunch, who don't let petty things get in the way of life. That's one quality I try to incorporate in my life. They also seem very grounded, and when a crisis, or seeming crisis arises, they just deal with it and move on. Once again, my philosophy. Well, after the game, we sat and had beer and pizza at a joint called Yia Yia's. Check it out, it's a great place. So my buddy and I are talking about getting older, because that's what you're supposed to do when you get older, and one perception we've both had is, nothing really seems to rattle us anymore. We feel like we've seen it all. For instance, the other day I had to enter the Walmart zone. Now if you're going to Walmart be sure to bring your Walmart bingo card. So as we walk into the store, one of the first people I see in the checkout line, is a transvestite. My reaction was, "Huh, he sure makes for an ugly woman". Then I went on with my shopping. Apparently, over the years I've become desensitized. I don't know if that's good or bad. So I'm in my forties now. I wonder how my view on things will change in my fifties and sixties? I guess if I look at my relatives older than myself, that's probably indicative of my future. There'll come a time when I'm going to complain about the cost of living, the weather, and health care, and wonder if the money I'll receive in my golden years will allow me to exist. These are legitimate concerns. I can't wait until the age, where my internal editor retires, and I start blurting out what other people are thinking, but too afraid to say. Of course it will embarrass those who are closest to me, but the nice thing is, they'll just blame it on my age:)

Hand Made

If you look on the bottom and its say, 'Made in China', chances are, it's NOT hand made. On the other hand, if you happen to know an artisan of some sorts, and have had the privilege of watching them in action, you know first hand what 'hand made' means. I've worked around quite a few skilled craftsmen over the years, to recognize true talent when I see it. When a carpenter chooses to use a hand coping saw rather than an electric jigsaw, or he opts for the block plane as opposed to the belt sander, you know at that moment you're going to witness a type of 'old world' way of creating things. The older gentleman who nursed me through my apprenticeship, happened to be such a person, even though he considered his trade as a means to an end - just a job. One day, while sitting at lunch (we used to bring our lunch everyday), he picked up his tile nippers, a piece of tile, and started to play around. Keep in mind, tile nippers are for chipping away bits of tile until you get close to the shape you need. There are certain aspects of the nippers you figure out after multiple upon multiple uses. The tool does have limitations, and if you push it too far, or use it incorrectly, you will inevitably have to start over with another piece. Well back to the story. So after a couple of minutes nipping away at a piece of tile, he holds up a horse head silhouette. And from a distance it looked like a horse head! It was remarkable! It was fun to watch and see the finished product. I have an acquaintance who happens to be building his own house as we speak. He happens to be somewhat of a perfectionist. He is also an accomplished artist. I've had the pleasure of working with this fellow over the last 3 - 4 years, and have been involved in some incredible projects. I feel a little flattered, because he recently asked me to help him do a concrete vanity in his house. He's quickly ran some ideas by me, and he wants, not only a functional sink, but a piece of art. We're going to collaborate on the project, so it won't be all me, but just to be asked was pretty cool. I'll definitely have to bring my 'A' game. We will employ power tools for the sake of convenience and time, but a good portion of this is going to have to be done by hand. There's nothing quite like creating something by hand, and having it turn out better than expected. I hope this is a success and I'll have pics on my website. All of us have a creative side to us whether we realize it or not. You won't realize it unless you try it. Failure just gives you the excuse to try it again. So don't be afraid to pick up that paint brush and paint, or that carving knife and whittle. It beats sitting in front of a computer!

Odoriferous

As parents, we instill a moral responsibility in our children to be kind and considerate to people of all walks of life. The color of their skin and gender do not mean we have superiority over another. The way a person dresses is a personal choice, and should not be treated differently because they don't fit into our ideology. But how about the way a person smells? They too should not be treated with disrespect, but its hard to start up a conversation with the guy, whose breath smells of stale coffee, and who insists on putting his face within three inches of yours, and taking a deep breath, to then exhale a long 'hello', into your supply of oxygen. Then there's the person who feels bathing is an option, and smoking is a necessity. Some try to cover body funk with a splash or twelve of perfume, others feel the lingering stench of the cheapest cigarette on the market, is actually an attractive scent. Next is the little old lady wearing her winter coat in July, with the stash of moth balls in her pockets. Or, perhaps the same little old lady who happens to live with 46 cats, 7 dogs, and a guinea pig, covered in pet hair, and smells like a kennel. The human race sure is a smelly bunch. But we're not alone on this earth. Walk through the zoo sometime, and stop to take a deep breath near the gorillas, or the elephants. Go fishing for a day and see how your hands smell afterwards. That scent doesn't easily wash off. So even though we're a funky bunch, every other living species has to put up with the stale waft of each other also. All I'm saying is, try to love them for who they are, and not for what they've been rolling in.

All Is Right Once Again

The outcome of the Misery vs. Nebraska game was as it should be. Once again, the Huskers had to battle two teams, the Tigers and the Zebras. Officiating was lousy, but the better team won. I was thrilled to see the BLACKSHIRTS (pay attention Bo), were extremely stingy and dominate. They needed to rise to the challenge since our offense couldn't seem to get there wheels on for three quarters. But when they finally found a crack in the dam, the flood waters came (in more ways than one). I hope this is the start of a long streak of check marks in the 'L' column for Mizzou. I enjoy watching the hard hitting battle, but they are such a dirty playing team, and their coach is something else! They've humiliated us for the last couple of years, so this was a little payback. The way this game played out was so unexpected, especially if you're a Tiger fan. It's like a skunk crossing the interstate. He passes through the first three lanes with not much excitement, then steps into the fourth lane and WHAM! The semi truck won. This unexpected victory couldn't have happened against a more despised rival. And what a blow to the ego of a coach who thinks 'he's too sexy' for the Big 12 North. Good job boys for hanging in there and spanking the tiger!

Collage

I had an interesting thought while in my truck last week, driving to Sydney, NE. Believe me, 6 hours at the wheel is plenty of time to think about random, useless, thoughts. Here's my thought. As I'm zooming down I-80, various insects are sacrificing themselves upon my windshield. Are some of these insects endangered? Did that one splatter in the middle of my vision, just bring a species into extinction? These are living creatures and I'm responsible for ending their tiny little lives. Is God going to hold me accountable? After reasoning awhile on it, I decided that He would probably forgive me since I was going to volunteer my time for the betterment of mankind. And then I got to thinking about how annoying it is for an insect, the size of a marshmallow, to play 'chicken' with you, and lose, and coat half of your windshield with juicy bug entrails. Turn on the wipers, spray some windshield washer fluid, and finish smearing all over the rest of your windshield. Perfect! I just cut my vision down to about 50 feet! Of course, when you stop for gas, it's time to clean the collage off your windshield. Then, my mind switched gears again, and wondered how cool my collage of insects would be, if I traveled all the way across the country without cleaning my windshield. I would have quite the bug collection! I don't really lose sleep over dead flying things on the windshield. If you happen to notice, there is never short supply of insects to pollute your windshield, and multiply that by how many drivers on the road?

6 Year Olds

Hopefully all of us out there have friends. We may have had some friends for a really long time, others may be fairly recent. Regardless, friends are a must to make it through life with your sanity intact. Sometimes friends move away, and you end up losing touch with them. Occasionally, friends change, and even though you still may be friends, the relationship is different and maybe not as close as it once was. I'm sure all of us have our intimate circle of friends, those to whom we are closest and do everything with. There are some friends who bring out the best, and others who bring out the worst in you. I happen to have both. When I say 'worst', I don't mean 'law breaking' or 'immoral' actions. I mean, we get together, start joking around, playing off of each others comments and, at times, laughing uncontrollably! I don't necessarily consider this behavior my 'worst', on the contrary, I view it as my 'best'. Everyone around me considers it my 'worst'. Many times we revert back to being 6 years old, whether we knew each other then, or not, at the age of 6. Six year olds in action, with the vocabulary of an adult, spells for a good time! Plus, how many 6 year olds do you know who can hold their liquor? What's amazing is when you happen to be apart for some time, and then reunite, you can usually pick up from right where you left off. That's how you know you have a good friend... when he can lower himself to your standards:)

Cookie Cutter

Let me first say, "I am sick, but I DO NOT have the H1N1! I did eat bacon today though. On to the real subject. I recently went on a quick shopping spree with my wife. Work was a little sparse, there was no football on at 10 AM, Friday morning, I wasn't hungover or anything like that, so really no excuse to 'not' go. She was interested in finding a pair of black boots for winter, and we were out of dog food. If the dog were solid black, I could have just made her a pair. So off to DSW, since her boots had to be solid black. I like DSW, especially the clearance items. The problem with shopping for clothes or shoes for myself is, I must have the most common size on earth. From my shirt to my shoes, I NEVER find anything on sale. I've been to Marshall's and TJ Maxx a few times, and not only are they out of sale items my size, but their full price rack has only two items my size, and mentally disturbed escapees from the insane asylum wouldn't be caught dead in these fashions. Today we happened to wander into the Gap store. Once again, sale items in Kevin's size - non existent. Full price merchandise - two. There are times I wish I had a huge back porch, just so I could buy something cool on sale. Or my feet were the size of children's feet, just to be able to wear the latest footwear, yet at a discounted price. I suppose if I were twice as big as I am now, was able to find the 'deal of the century' on a pair of wicked cool jeans, folks would point me out of a crowd just to criticize how much denim had to be killed in order to clad my fanny in jeans. I suppose if I were willing to spend more for my clothing, I might be able to be more selective, and actually have a choice. Another reason for my lack of 'landing the good buy', is the fact I go shopping about once or twice a year. If I were more in touch with my feminine side, I would shop more often and maybe I would have a halfway decent wardrobe that possibly didn't clash, and hurt your teeth to look at. Honestly, this isn't a huge concern for me, being the 'fashionista' that I am. Of course my wardrobe is on the cutting edge..... of homelessness. I just feel sorry for my family when they have to be seen in public with me. I tell them to explain to people that I'm just out for the weekends with adult supervision. Everyone seems to understand.