Dope or Nope

I remember going to carnivals and places like Chuckie Cheese (there were imitators around our place) growing up, and always wanting to go on the big trampolines they had ... always seemed like a lot of fun ... and, because these trampolines were at "reputable" places, I always felt safe.

It seems like every family now has a trampoline at home ... I've been watching a lot of America's Funniest Home Videos lately (for some reason), and it seems like they show a lot of trampoline clips. I seriously doubt I'll ever get a trampoline for my kids, because they just don't look safe.

So, what are your thoughts on "home trampolines." Dope or nope?

80's Corner

Back in the early 1980's, there were many, many 7-11's around my way. I used to frequent them, because (a) I loved slurpees and candy, and (b) the ones near us had a few arcade games in them. Wawa eventually scared 7-11 off ... sure there are still a few around, but not many.

Anyway, I remember 7-11 introducing the Big Gulp in the early 1980's (I can't seem to confirm when, though). Basically, 7-11 introduced these huge cups that would hold seemingly gallons of soda. And the cool thing was that you could fill up the soda yourself (at least it was marketed as being cool). And the price for these Big Gulps was very cheap.

My friends and I would go to 7-11 and basically mix-and-match all of the sodas in the Big Gulp Cup ... Usually, the taste was awful, but we swore to ourselves it tasted good (we thought we were inventing a new kind of soda). Anyway, I remember having to pee every 1/2 hour for the rest of the day after finishing one of these Big Gulps ... good time.

Fast Food Corner

I like Taco Bell ... well, at least their simple food, anyway ... you know, the hard and soft tacos, mexi melts ... that sort of thing. I've never been a fan of their "specials." Maybe it's because most of these have beans and/or rice in them (again, I'm a simpleton). Or, more likely, it's their absolutely awful commercials ... I remembered being annoyed at the Taco Bell Chihuahua back in the 1990's ... at this point, I wish he'd come back.

Have you seen the latest commercial? The guy eating that weird Beefy Crunch Burrito is creepy. Plus, the sandwich sounds awful. I will probably not even try this - not even for research purposes ...

Thing I learned this week about my baby:

This one is something I learned about myself ... I may come off as a strong guy ... but after my baby got to vaccinations at the pediatrician this past week, my street cred took a bit of a hit ...

Wacky News Stories

60 degrees in Philly over the weekend?!?!? Made my bermuda shorts happy!

1. On a man making a frantic 911 call after a llama tried to attack him and head-butted his car:
"Would've loved to have heard the police responder's reaction on this one ... 'and, exactly how many shots of tequila did you have, sir?'"
http://www.wsoctv.com/news/26902067/detail.html?cxntlid=cmg_cntnt_rss

2. On a family in Allentown, PA being lucky to escape with their lives after a natural gas explosion destroyed their block and took five of their neighbor's souls - then their cable company RCN told them they would have to pay $170 a pop for the cable boxes that were destroyed in the fire:
"Cable's slogan should be this - In addition to incredibly poor customer service, we have no morals either."
http://consumerist.com/2011/02/cable-co-rcn-bills-fire-victims-for-cable-boxes.html

3. On horse semen being on the menu at a New Zealand food festival:
"I guess, if you go to this, you probably aren't 'horsin' around ... a thank you!"
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110218/ts_afp/nzealandgastronomyanimalsemenoffbeat_20110218044427

4. On a study that reports it makes no difference if you stretch or not before a run, because stretching won't affect your risk of injury:
"Run? What's that?"
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/02/18/uk-running-stretches-idUSLNE71H03O20110218

5. On a police officer who suggested women can avoid sexual assault by not dressing like “sluts,” apologizing:
"I'm sorry to the whores I offended ..."
http://www.thestar.com/news/article/940665--police-officer-to-apologize-for-sluts-comment

Song of the Week

Warren Zevon was an amusing-type of musician ... a talented man who never ever sought out the mainstream, often choosing topics like ware wolves or psychotic kids (Excitable Boy) ... although he never really hit true mainstream status, most of his fans (the present company included) think he was better off that way.

His song, "Poor, Poor, Pitiful Me," as a classic example. He talks about all the success he has had in almost a negative. For instance, the main chorus of his song (and the entire song, as a matter of fact) details how these beautiful women won't "let him be." Very tongue-in-cheeky, like many of his songs, which probably overshadows the actual music a bit.

Speaking of which - the song itself is quite wonderful - great lead and rhythm guitars, a catchy beat, and a chorus that is easy to remember, and hard to forget (if you get what I mean).

Dope or Nope

A show that has been taking the country by storm the last few seasons is Glee ... it's about (apparently) a glee club in a school ... and there's lots of singing and dancing. And apparently (there goes that word again), it's funny, witty, dramatic and at times, sad. It also makes being a nerd cool, apparently.

I've never watched the show, because dancing and singing (unless performed by a cool rock band, like the Stones) isn't my cup of tea ...

So, what are your thoughts? Dope or nope?

80's Corner

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were introduced in the 1980's as a cartoon ... then as toys ... then as video games, and finally as movies. The show features four turtles that were involved in some sort of mutating nuclear incident (I think) ... and became seasoned karate fighters that save the world, thanks to the leadership of a rat named "Splinter."

The turtles all are named after famous artists, and all have unique ... ummm ... charisma? My little brother (well, at the time, he was my little brother ... he's taller than me now!) loved them, and I took him to a couple of movies in the theatres ... so, even though they were a tad goofy, they'll always hold a special place in my heart.

Fast Food Corner

I may have blogged about this earlier, and if so, I apologize. I tried the Southern Style Crispy Chicken Sandwich, which is an attempt to compete with Chick Fil-A's original chicken sandwich ... and no, it is not as good as Chick Fil-A's sandwich ... but, it's not bad.

First, it's a little crispier than Chick Fil-A (which should be obvious, as they use the same crispy chicken breasts for all their sandwiches). The bun is pretty much the same bun they use for their cheeseburgers (which means Chick Fil-A has them beat). But, the pickle and the buttery-steamed goodness are the same.

Not a bad sandwich ... I think the size of it (kind of small) makes this an overpriced meal (by McDonalds' standards).

What I learned this week about my baby

My baby is stubborn ... just like her father ... for example ... Baby Lydia does not like to be burped until AFTER SHE FINISHES THE ENTIRE BOTTLE!

Weekly Homework Assignment

It’s time once again for Mama Kat’s Weekly Homework Assignment! This week, I chose the following prompt: A memorable date. I remember it like it was yesterday. I asked this girl to the freshman dance a few days before the actual dance … and we had a great time (no, seriously, we did!). It has become “tradition” that you go on a date the night after the dance (at least, this is what was tradition at my school).

My date and I had a truly romantic night planned – 2 or 3 games of bowling (man, do I know how to wow them!). We walked to the bowling alley, threw a few games, and then walked back to her place. We were hanging out, watching some TV … sitting in two chairs, separated by an end table. I noticed some sort of metal ruler on the floor, and I picked it up to play with it.

I decided at some point shortly after picking up said ruler that it would be wise to whack my date on the knees with the ruler … which sparked a wrestling match between me and my date (wow – the ruler trick actually worked!). So, we spent a couple of minutes doing our best Ken Patera impersonations, and before you know it, we were face-to-face … laughing …. But of course, the laughing stopped, and it became awful serious.

Let me step back a second here, and add that up until this point, I had never actually kissed a girl … sure, sure I practiced on my pillow a few times, but that’s about it … OK, back to the story.

As you might expect, I became very, very nervous … In fact, I kind of lost track of what I was actually doing … and the next thing I know is I’m hitting her in the face with a pillow … and no, this is not a good romantic move … in fact, it killed the moment.

Luckily, my mom showed up in the mini-van to pick up her romantically inept son not long after. I remember not being able to sleep for 2 days because I kept replaying the moronic moment in my head over and over again.

But, the story does have a happy ending (no, not that kind of happy ending, you dirty minds!). We ended up going out on another date, and this time, she pinned me to a wall and forced me to kiss her (which was probably a really good move on her part). We ended up dating for 7 months … She must’ve seen something cute/nutty in me …

Wacky News Stories

Pitchers and Catchers .... PITCHERS AND CATCHERS!!!

1. On a live-in nanny having a disturbing fetish for soiled diapers being sentenced to 16 months in jail:
"Speaking from recent diaper-changing experience, this is absolutely ridiculous ... there should be a law that anyone with a baby diaper fetish should either be sentenced to death, or sent to Dallas."
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Crime/2011/02/11/17244841.html

2. On a woman filing a lawsuit Friday claiming that she bit into and chewed a piece of glass inside her spicy McChicken sandwich:
"I guess they ran out of other spices?"
http://www.wlsam.com/Article.asp?id=2107663&spid=

3. On Disney beginning to send sales reps into 580 hospitals nationwide - The reps are offering new moms, within hours of giving birth, a free Disney Cuddly Bodysuit for their babies if they sign up for e-mail alerts from DisneyBaby.com:
"Didn't Marlboro try this a few years ago?"
http://www.npr.org/2011/02/10/133627064/dodging-disney-in-the-delivery-room?ps=cprs

4. On police questioning a woman who allegedly injected another woman in the buttocks with silicon (the woman later died):
"Umm ... if anything, they should be giving this woman a gold star for eliminating another knucklehead from this world .... really, silicon butt injections administered by someone with no medical background? Really?"
http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=news/local&id=7946599

5. On a study that reports beer lovers are more likely to have sex on the first date:
"Beer .... it's not just for breakfast anymore!"
http://newsfeed.time.com/2011/02/10/randy-report-beer-lovers-more-likely-to-have-sex-on-the-first-date/

Dope or Nope

Justin Bieber ... Need I say more? Oh, I need? OK - I think I'm getting too old ... I can't stand the kid ... and it's not like he's really done anything wrong, with the exception of performing awful music that kids like ... he's parlayed that into a heckuva a career so far (now in a movie that looks equally as awful).

Every generation in the pop era has pretty much had a "Bieber," in the 1980's, it was New Kids on the Block for example ... the whole boy band thing exploded in the late 1990's ... heck, the 70's had Danny Partridge among others.

So ... Justin Bieber ... Dope or Nope?

Song of the Week

Fitz and Tantrums is a band that is self described as "soul-influenced indie pop," which is a perfect description of their song "Moneygrabber." At times, it sounds like it could've been performed in the Motown heyday ... with some classic-sounding hooks and choruses.

But, the song infuses some good Indie undertones, and is not only quite listenable, it has the potential to get stuck in your head. I highly recommend downloading this one.

80's Corner

The Nintendo Entertainment System took the world by storm in the mid-to-late 1980's, and rescued the sagging home video-gaming business. The original NES came with a gun, and a robot named R.O.B. The game that came along with R.O.B. was Gyromite - basically, you had to help a professor move items from one place to another by opening and closing different doors, with the help of R.O.B. - you would basically have R.O.B. lift spinning discs and place them on platforms. It was cool at first, but after a while, I got bored with it. Still, it was a neat idea for Nintendo at the time.

Fast Food Corner

Wendy's has a Grilled Chicken Deluxe sandwich on their menu. With a name like "Deluxe," you'd probably expect all kinds of lavish toppings, like pickles, onions, jalepenos ... you know, the works. And maybe this grilled chicken was grilled in some fantastic way by some famous chef, right? I mean, it does say "Grilled Chicken Deluxe" on it, doesn't it?

I normally stay away from grilled fast food, what's the point? But, I figured I'd give this one a shot ... and boy was I disappointed. I probably wouldn't have been nearly as disappointed if the name didn't include the "Deluxe" in the title.

Seriously, this sandwich consisted of a roll, a grilled chicken (didn't even seem like it had any seasoning), mayo, a leaf of lettuce and a tomato. Now, folks, does this qualify for deluxe? And what would a non-deluxe chicken sandwich be at Wendy's?

But, at least they have better fries than Burger King ...

What I learned this week about my baby

I never thought I'd be so excited when a baby poops ....

Weekly Homework Assignment

It's time once again for Mama Kat's Weekly Homework Assignment! This week, I chose the following prompt: List 3 things people should know about you. If you follow my blog, none of these should come as a surprise ...

3. I love sports ... I mean, I LOVE sports. Sure, there are certain sports I can't watch, namely NASCAR or the Tour de France. But, for the most part, I can be coaxed into watching any sport ... including fishing.

2. I'm a HUGE Rolling Stones fan ... I think they are, without a doubt, the greatest rock and roll band of all time ... I have seen them in concert 8 times, and have all of their studio albums, and a bunch of bootlegs as well ... I'm very excited about the potential for a tour later this year (possibly their last ... although I've been saying that since 1989).

1. I love infomercials and 1-day sale sites like woot.com, and dailysteals.com ... I have enough self control (normally) to not buy anything, but man, do I enjoy the sales pitch!

Wacky News Stories

Finally, the Super Bowl is over ... now we have to endure the "tundra days" until baseball season ... at least Philly has the Flyers!

1. On a town's winter carnival being canceled because of too much snow:
"That's like a luau being canceled because of too much sun ..."
http://www.wickedlocal.com/acton/breaking/x289654615/Actons-Winter-Carnival-canceled-Boxboroughs-still-on

2. On Rick Astley turning 45-years old:
"My birthday wishes go out to that fine lady ..."
http://www.fark.com/vidplayer/5934831

3. On an overenthusiastic seven-year-old London boy almost buying his very own real-life Harrier fighter jet on eBay for £69,999 ($113,515).
"That would've probably been one helluva show-and-tell!"
http://www.myfoxchicago.com/dpps/news/offbeat/boy-tries-to-buy-fighter-jet-on-ebay-dpgonc-20110203-fc_11714458

4. On a mother being banned from taking pictures of her newborn baby at Maryland hospital:
"And don't even think about breast-feeding, lady!"
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1353547/Mother-banned-taking-pictures-newborn-baby-Maryland-hospital.html

5. On a western Pennsylvania man stealing a Jeep and robbing a bank a day after a judge let him out of jail where he had been awaiting trial on charges of assaulting his girlfriend:
"This guy must not be a very good doctor, because he doesn't have a lot of 'Patience.'"

Dope or Nope

The "big game" in the NFL has become legendary for its many different proposition bets, and block pools. I remember when the Iggles were in the Super Bowl (2004 season), I played a block pool at a local bar - $25 a block. I picked one block, and even though the Birds lost the Super Bowl, I won $500 ... I guess that was a nice consolation in some ways.

Some of the proposition bets for the Super Bowl include - The first touchdown, first player to say "Hi Mom," and which team wins the coin toss, etc.

So, my question is, Super Bowl betting - is it dope or nope?

80's Corner

I remember watching a cartoon Saturday morning's called "Gilligan's Planet." It was a "spin-off" of Gilligan's Island ... only, the crew get stranded on a deserted planet, not Island. I remember vague things from the show, like the planet had 3 suns that all set at the same time.

Here's what Wikipedia says about the show: "Gilligan's Planet is based on the premise that the Professor had managed to build an operational interplanetary spaceship to get the castaways of the original series off the island. True to form of the castaways' perpetual bad luck, they rocketed off into space and crash-landed on an unknown planet that supported human life. In many ways the planet was like the island but with a strangely colored and cratered surface with more land to get around. The rocket was severely damaged in the crash, thus the castaways were still stranded, and the Professor resumed his attempts to repair their only way home.
Overall, Gilligan's Planet re-presented the source material of the original live-action series with "space" and "alien" themes. Encounters with "headhunters" and other shipwrecked people became encounters with alien creatures. A new character named Bumper was added, who appeared as a cute, reptilian alien pet/sidekick for Gilligan and company."

Song of the Week

Bruce Springsteen is hit or miss with me ... I love some of his music, can't stand some of it. Plus, there are times when I'm in a Springsteen mood and other times where I need to change the channel.

There is one hidden nugget on "The Wild, the Innocent, the East Street Shuffle" album that I will always love. It's a ballad-type of song (not something Bruce is really known for), and it's about a city that I don't particularly like (well, at least not th sports teams).

The song is called "New York City Serenade," and it's a long song, with lots of changes in tempo and intensity. But, man, can this song pull at your heart-strings. I'm not even entirely sure what the song is about - it's one of those diddys in which the melody, the musical instruments, and the backing vocals are overpowering.

The style of song and the length of it make it nearly impossible to play on the radio, but I suggest you give it a listen.

Here's a live version of it:

Fast Food Corner

McDonalds is promoting a new Chipotle Barbecue Angus Burger ... so, as you know, I needed to check it out ... for research purposes, of course. The burger itself is pretty much the same as the Bacon Angus Burger, with the additions of Chipotles and barbecue sauce.

For the most part, the burger tasted allright - their Angus burgers are fantastic to begin with. The main problem was the barbecue sauce, which is the same exact sauce they use for the McRib (I guess they had some left over ...). It overwhelms the burger - you can't taste the Chipotles, and you unfortunately have Mc-Rib-flavored burps for the rest of the day.

Of course, the fries more than make up for it (are you listening, Burger King?). It's an ok burger, but not as good as the regular Angus offerings.

Song of the Week

Opus is not only the name of a popular comic book character from the 1980's, but additionally the name of a one-hit wonder band. In fact, their song, "Live is Life" has become a forgotten song entirely. The song was a moderate hit in the late summer of 1985.

Here's what wikipedia had to say about the song: In 1985 Opus released "Live Is Life," which topped the charts in many countries; it was a number one hit in Canada for seven weeks in 1985 and 1986. A live recording of the song made the Top 40 in the USA in 1985. It reached Number 6 in the United Kingdom charts on August 3, 1985, and stayed in the charts for 15 weeks. The track is popular as a sing-along song for crowds at sports events in Europe.

I remember being in germany in the early summer and this song was being played on every radio station. In the later summer, i started hearing it back in the states. I remember really liking this song ... and then forgetting about it for years ... not sure what made me think about them again ....

Weekly Homework Assignment

It's time once again for Mama Kat's Weekly homework assignment. This week, I chose the following prompt: Top 10 things I'm sick of ... and without further adieu ...


10. Reality shows ... my wife is obsessed with them ... they clog up the entire DVR.
9. Super Bowl week ... I remember back when it was only one week and not two ... there are only so many ways to ask the same questions.
8. Justin Bieber ... I don't know why ... but I dislike him.
7. Burger King french fries ... seriously, what's the deal?
6. NASCAR ... I just don't get it.
5. Country Music ... same as number 6.
4. Andy Reid ... hey coach, how 'bout mixing in some runs so teams actually get fooled when you do a play action.
3. Snow ... We've had it to the gills in Philly. Enough already!
2. Political extremists on both sides (Yeah, I'm talking to you, Republicans/tea partiers and Democrats) ... knock it off with the fear tactics, and propaganda ... just work together to make things better ... isn't that why we (most of us) voted for you in the first place?
1. Religious extremists ... we would all be better off if we accepted and respected each other ...

Wacky News Stories

Seriously, enough of the snow already!!!!

1. On a California mayor wanting to broadcast bird songs:
"It makes sense, since he's a bird-brain."
http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=news/bizarre&id=7925190

2. On plans to build a biblical theme park complete with Noah’s ark in northern Kentucky being met with protest:
"The protest leader goes by the name of Sam Beelzebubba."
http://www.christianpost.com/article/20110128/church-and-state-issues-flood-noahs-ark-theme-park/

3. On the Geezer Bandit striking again, robbing his 13th bank in California:
"People have not been able to identify or catch his getaway wheelchair."
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/01/geezer-bandit-goleta-santa-barbara.html

4. On 200,000,000,000,000 (two hundred trillion) text messages being received in America every single day:
"No word on how many of those are fetish inquiries from Rex Ryan ..."
http://www.skitzone.com/2011/the-shocking-numbers-behind-cell-phone-usage-infographic/

5. On a report that adults who make love first thing in the morning apparently not only feel more upbeat for the rest of the day, but also benefit from a stronger immune system:
"I need to be involved with studies like this!"
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1351099/How-morning-sex-improve-health-mood-day.html?ITO=1490

Dope or Nope

Posting on Facebook more than 3 times a day ... I have numerous friends on Facebook, and most will post once a day or less ... some may post a few more times. But there are some that post well over 3 times a day ... is this a violation? Or do you think it's ok for people to inform the world about their every thoughts and/or deeds?

I mean, is it cool to let people know that you just woke up and are thinking about pouring a cup of coffee? Is this something I need to know? Or, are you as annoyed by this as I am?

Dope or Nope?