As Big As Your Head

Over the weekend, my family and I went to brunch on Sunday. My youngest daughter LOVES the cinnamon rolls that are brought to each table. That is the highlight of her whole seven year existence up to this point. If it involves sugar, it must be good. If it happens to be a shade of green, yellow, or orange, and not made of sugar, it must be repulsive! So her excitement upon seeing the beautiful, doughy, gooey, sticky sweet pastries, making their way to our table, prompted her to proclaim her extreme satisfaction, and thrilled that the size of each roll was 'as big as your head'! Well, that's a bit of an exaggeration. But if it were the size of your head, is it really a good idea to eat that much? Is it possible to eat that much? If I owned a restaurant though, that would be a great description on the menu of that item. Cinnamon Roll - Bring a buddy, this thing is the size of your head!

Graffiti

Graffiti seems to be everywhere these days. Occasionally you'll see it on a bridge, and think, "They must have hung off the bridge with one hand while spraying with the other". I'm not a big fan of graffiti and don't quite understand the reason behind it. But, a true graffiti artist does some incredible stuff. It happens to be the anniversary of the Berlin Wall coming down, and when you look at the graffiti on that wall, it was actually art and told a story. I'm OK with that type of graffiti. I believe it's alright to dress up an eyesore or just a plain, stark, vast sheet of concrete. Obviously there's no natural beauty, so why not try to make it a piece of art? If I had a building that, from time to time, was 'tagged' by idiots with spray cans, I would probably hire a graffiti artist to not only cover the stupidity, but to help beautify the side of my building. I figure a reputable graffiti artist in the community may earn more respect than I would, so the paint imps wouldn't attack his work. Some of the most impressive graffiti I've seen is on boxcars. I'm sure the railroads aren't too thrilled, but I've seen some pretty amazing stuff. Of course, the graffiti only goes so high, due to the height of the boxcar. I guess graffiti artists aren't equipped with ladders and scaffold. One neighborhood landmark that receives quite a bit of attention from the amateur taggers is the grain elevators off of the interstate. The bottom ten feet are constantly being repainted black. In my opinion, black happens to be a perfect backdrop for future tagging. I think a chartreuse or hot pink should be considered. If it still gets hit, use your imagination and morph the tag into a piece of art. Obviously taggers do not have an eye or an appreciation for art, so maybe they'll move on or find a different line of criminal activity.

Follow the Leader

In life, there are leaders and followers. Then there's people like myself, who are wanderers. I've noticed that over time, there happens to be four people following my blog. There may be more reading occasionally, I don't know for sure, but four individuals have opted to follow the wanderer. Thank you, I'm flattered? Now a 'leader' has a set destination in mind, and is concerned about getting everybody to that destination under his/her supervision. A 'follower' may not have the leadership skills, so opts to come under the care of a 'leader', and follow the 'leader's' rules. Then there's the 'wanderer'. A 'wanderer' is neither a 'leader', nor a 'follower'. A 'wanderer' may initially appear as one of those, but it is soon apparent that he/she has no real goal or objective in mind, and is more curious than serious. Of course, a 'wanderer' may accidentally stumble into danger, but may also stumble into riches. Most just happen to wander through existence. So if you happen to be following me, keep in mind, this blog has no real destination and may, from time to time, make you think, "What in the world is going through that idiot's head"! That's just it, things go through, sometimes I stop them long enough to blog, and then send them back out into space. So in conclusion, I have no goal, destination, or conquest. I'm probably lost and walking in a circle. It might not be a perfect circle since I'm a little ambidextrous. But if you're interested in an adventure, and have no idea what's in store, this is the place for you. Thanks for reading. Ciao.

Invention Nation

There used to be a series on TV where these three guys traveled the countryside and sought out individuals who have invented things to make life easier, easier on the environment, and just all around brilliant design. Every once in awhile, a completely outrageous idea will pop into the lump on my shoulders, for no apparent reason. I thought it would be fun to make parody inventions. There's the inflatable dart board, guaranteed for one throw of the dart. You know the hotdog launchers at sporting events? How about a nachos and cheese launcher? Then there's probably my most difficult, hi tech device. Have you ever watched a professional cake decorator? They're basically artists, and a small amount of them are the creme de la creme, the extremely talented. Then there's folks, like myself, who would never be able to decorate a cake and have it turn out remotely close to looking like a cake. But, these days, everything seems to be run by some truly amazing computer programs. I thought that I could get some computer software made up, along with a special type of printer, that could decorate the cakes and make them perfect. I'm pretty sure laser or ink jet would work fine:) Ink is edible isn't it? There have been thousands of people who have invented things that have ultimately flopped. There have actually been people who spent money on such nonsense. I'm positive I could get a patent, and I'm pretty sure nobody's going to steal my ideas.

Just North of the Border

Yes, just north of the border is a little region known as South Omaha. The Latin American influence is firmly established there, and I welcome it. There are some hidden gems in South O, if you're brave enough to stumble through a little bit of a language barrier, it's definitely worth the journey. My wife came home with a bag full of homemade tamales yesterday. God bless her! There is a little place on 20th & about 'U' Street, called 'Sam's Mexican Deli'. The food is homemade, and the prices are about half of what they should be. Another favorite is the 'International Bakery' on 24th almost to 'Q' Street. Pastries you don't normally find at other bakeries, and once again, half of what they should be. It's not all about food though. Another little field trip I enjoy is the pottery place on 24th & 'M' Street. I don't know the name of it, but if you're on 24th, just south of 'L', start looking to the east to see the pottery displayed out front on the sidewalk. It's one of the coolest places to visit along 24th, and don't forget to go down to the basement. The quirky thing about the place, if you decide to purchase something, you have go across the street to pay for it. The rule of thumb is: If the locals are there, it's reputable. The language really isn't a problem either. You're there to spend money, they will do whatever it takes to make you happy. Check it out.

Just Like Riding a Bike

Last night I decided to do something I haven't done since I was in junior high. My wife found, of all places, 'the internet', a baseball scorecard and a refresher course to scoring a baseball game. I quickly glimpsed over the information and it all came back instantly. So, while watching the the Yanks drop one to the Phillies, I charted the game, just as I had done 30 years ago. It's a good way to watch a baseball game if you suffer from A.D.D. Afterwards, it got me thinking, "How much information is locked away in my head that I haven't accessed in a long time"? I would probably be amazed, thrilled, and embarrassed all at the same time, if this information were flashed before me on a screen, or I poke my finger in my eye and a continual feed of paper prints out of my mouth all the data I've forgotten over the years. I wonder how much of it would now be useful, and how much I could delete from memory that happens to be taking up the limited space in my noggin? Speaking of A.D.D., the homemade pop tarts the other night were delicious. I used strawberry jam in some, and Nutella in the rest. The only flaw was the homemade aspect, and not the artificial factory cardboard taste we've grown up with. Would I make these again? A resounding 'YES'! If any of you out there aren't aware of what Nutella is, you had better make a special quest to the grocery store to discover what the 'big deal' is all about. If it weren't for H1N1, it would have been ideal for trick or treaters. Give each kid a lick off of the spoon and send them on their way! You DEFINITELY would have been the talk of the neighborhood.

Gentlemen vs. Dirtbags

I've been watching the World Series, and thought I would take a little break to blog about an observation. The New York Yankees, as a whole, are a very presentable bunch of guys. The Philadelphia Phillies, on the other hand, appear to be sleeping under bridges and on park benches. I know for a fact, Steinbrenner requires a certain amount of pride assumed by his players. Thus the clean shaven faces, and decent haircuts. After all, he pays them a lot of money to play a game, they should be more than willing to abide by a dress code. The Phillies... I don't know what to say. Facial hair is alright, but you should still wash it and trim it. I shouldn't be so harsh, fleas need a place to live too.