The Grand Finale

Okay, I don't know how grand it will actually be, but this is it. The last day of March, thus the last day of lists. (Yippee!!)

So, what kind of list will I make? Definitely not one with 100 points to it. That's just CRAZY!

Can I have a list of one? Has that ever been done before? Let's try it okay?

Actually, I think that would be cheating so I will just go with what is in my head (I know, scary) and we will see where it ends up.

THINGS IN MY HEAD

1. Why do the Presidential candidates all SUCK this year? I mean really. I'm not buying Obama's shtick, can't really stand Clinton, and McCain well let's just say I'm not particularly fond of him. The person running for President that I agreed the most with, would probably have to be Ron Paul. Except for maybe the wackier parts - whatever that means.

2. Why is it that Benjy can NEVER get to bed before 11PM

3. Now that the snow is gone, can we have a little sunshine instead of rain.

4. Please.

5. Pretty Please.

6. Do I really want to make a commitment and go back to school? Will I be able to do it and still provide for my family? Ugh. Why do I have to grow up. :)

7. FTB is playing softball now. This is SO cool!

8. Cuddlebug and FTB are doing Irish Step dancing, again, so cool!

9. Baby Girl is going to Disney in a little more than five weeks. My how time just flies.

10. I want to be a successful writer someday, that is what I think I truly want to do with my life. Now why can't I get off my lazy butt and do something about it. There are at least 20 good, if not great, novels in my head. Heck I even have actors in mind to play the parts in the movies. ( Sorry for the bad sentence, it's getting late).

11. I love God and everything that goes along with that. Just try to prove to me that God doesn't exist. Go ahead, give it your best shot.

12. I love my wife. There is no better person in the world for me than Jenni. I really don't know what I would do without her, and don't want to find out.

13. I love all my children and pray that they will grow up to be great pillars in society, or at least whatever town they end up in. And all their kids are just like them! :)

14. I don't really care for my job, and I am afraid that I will be stuck there for a really long time, unless I do something about it. (Like write your freaking novels already!!)

15. I love having conversations with myself. (And apparently sharing them with you.)

16. Is there anything better than ice-cold water to drink?

17. Ice-cold Diet Coke.

18. I'm tired.

19. How the heck am I going to write thirty letters next month, and be entertaining, and thought-provoking, and funny, and I used a lot of "ands" in that sentence. "Ands" looks funny, even in quotations.

20. Check out the awesome two-plus minute video that my son put together. It's down there. Under this post, you can't miss it. Really, just go. This is the last thing on this list anyway.

Good Night and God Bless!!

My Son, The Director

He and his friends from the Peer Ministry Team made this rules video for their upcoming Spring Retreat. I think it is pretty good. What do you all think?

How Many Of Me Are There?

HowManyOfMe.com

There are 2,073 people with my name in the U.S.A. how/'>http://howmanyofme.com">How many have your name?

Oh My, What A Month Of Birthdays

And an easy and cheap list idea (only one more needed!)

BIRTHDAYS FOR MARCH

1 - Uncle Scott
5 - Michael (my brother)
6 - Little Monster (Two, this time around)
11 - Jeffrey (other brother)
22 - Dana (sister in-law)
30 - My darling and beautiful wife Jenni
30 - My niece Audrey

Not a bad little month, guess there were a lot of cold Decembers. :)

Have a great night and God Bless!

Look Who's A Year Older

My darling wife Jenni is 29 (again!) and as beautiful as ever today. If this computer had some pictures of her I would share her image with the blog world. They will be here, soon (assuming that she gives her approval, of course.)

Happy Birthday Sweetheart! I love you!!

They Write The Songs...

That I am liking, at least at this moment in time. :)

Here is a list of,

SONGS THAT HAVE CAUGHT MY EAR

1. Picture To Burn, Taylor Swift - I tell you what, this seventeen (yes, she's seventeen) year-old can write some good songs. I like all three of her releases from her debut album; Our Song, Tears On My Guitar and now this one. I think she has another one with Alan Jackson in the title, or was it Tim McGraw? Oh well. If you get a chance, check out Picture To Burn, it's good.

2. All Summer Long, Kid Rock - I really don't know why I like this song. It kind of reminds me of Kenny Chesney's I Go Back, because it reminisces about growing up - or something like that. It also samples a couple of songs; Warren Zevon's Werewolf In London and Lynyrd Skynyrd's Sweet Home Alabama. Give it a listen, you may be surprised and actually like it.

3. Beat It, Fall Out Boy - Can't beat a Michael Jackson song, right? (Pardon the pun) Actually they do a pretty good job with it, I was pleasantly surprised and I am sure all of the EMO fans of theirs just jumped off the nearest bridge. Hmmm. That might not be so bad. :)

4. See You Again, Miley Cyrus - Yes, the Hannah Montana girl has done really well. Guess what? She really can sing too. I know my daughters always told me this, but... well you know. Don't be fooled by her being only fifteen (I think), the girl has some talent. I think she already has more hits than her Achy-Breaky Heart dad; Billy Ray Cyrus.

5. In Love With A Girl, Gavin DeGraw - I don't know much about him, but I did enjoy this song when I heard it, literally half an hour ago. It has a nice beat and the lyrics aren't obscene, so... It might be worth a listen, if you are so inclined.

6. Dance Like There Is No Tomorrow, Paula Abdul - I have always enjoyed her dance songs, and this one is no different. I wonder how many of those people that watch American Idol even knew that she could sing - and dance (she is a former Laker Girl, and she has choreographed routines for the likes of Janet Jackson). True she does seem a little loopy, at times, on the show. But I think she is more real than Simon.

7. Mercy, Duffy - This is a nice soulful singer that I think blows Amy Winehouse out of the water. I think she is even sober. :) Anyway, I LOVE this song. So much so, that I have nothing else to say, lest I ruin it for someone. (No, I don't know what I mean, sorry)

That's my list for today. I know, it's only seven, but that's all I feel like talking about, new music wise. Ain't nothing much else out there, that is new - ish. Not my fault. :)

Have a great day and God Bless!

The Candy Man Can

Don't know if I have done this as a list yet, so...


BEST DAG-DERNED CANDY BARS

1. Three Musketeers
2. M&M's - plain
3. M&M's - peanut
4. Snickers
5. York Peppermint Patty
6. Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
7. Baby Ruth
8. Hershey Kisses
9. Hershey Candy Bar
10. Everything else!

Have a great night and God Bless!

What to Watch

I have often times asked myself this, so I thought that I would make a list of...


FAVORITE TELEVISION SHOWS OF ALL TIME

1. M*A*S*H - I enjoyed this anti-war drama and especially like the fact that it took place during the eleven-year Korean War. Note the sarcasm. I preferred the show when it was funny, not as much when it became preachy.
2. WKRP in Cincinnati - One of the funniest shows on television, I am so glad that I can watch them on HULU.com. One of the absolute funniest episodes in comedic history is the turkey episode, it is freaking funny
3. Stargate SG-1 - Those of you that know me are probably surprised that this wasn't numero uno on my list. I do own nearly every episode (my dearly beloved made me stop after season seven).
4. Lost - Holy crap this show is good. I am loving the new season and can't wait for them to start up again. This show about plane crash survivors is so good on so many levels, that maybe I should dedicate one of my April letters to the show.
5. Star Trek The Next Generation - I always liked this Star Trek better than the original, in fact the only one that I thought might have been better would have been Star Trek Voyager, but I never really gave it a chance, so I can't say whether I would have liked it or not.
6. Battlestar Galactica - Both shows, although I do tend to lean more toward the original series - loved those Vipers. The newer shows/series are a bit more dark...
7. Farscape - This show was so cool, and I honestly can't say that there was a show I didn't enjoy. A fun show, that had some great stories.
8. Firefly - This series should have lasted more than the thirteen episodes it did. I love this show and I am glad that I know own the series. (Shhh, I don't think that Jenni knows yet). Great writing and stories throughout the entire series. You can catch this on HULU as well, or if you ask real nice and promise to return them, I will let you borrow my DVDs. Maybe.
9. Journey Man - I really wish that NBC would have given this show a little more time, I mean after thirteen episodes I was definitely wanting more. Bastards!
10. Eureka - This is a funny show about a town full of geniuses that solve all the world problems, and maybe create a few themselves.

Honorable Mentions: CSI, CSI:Miami, NCIS, The Unit

There you have it. Maybe I should have gone with best Sci-Fi shows. :) There are probably some more that I failed to mention and will be kicking myself about ( Like Buck Rogers) but it is too late to add them now, right? :)

Have a great night and God Bless!

Music For the Soul

Of course I speak of classical music. Now, you probably know where it is I am going next, so I present...

TOP CLASSICAL MUSIC COMPOSERS

1. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky - Composer of The Nutcracker, 1812 Overture and my personal favorite Marche Slave. Nothing like a good Russian composer, in my mind.

2. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - The prodigy, the master, el numero uno in most every one's book, except mine. Must be my heritage, yeah that's it. :)

3. Ludwig Van Beethoven - Who can beat a deaf composer? I mean seriously, can you imagine the talent he had to make such masterpieces. Whew, wouldn't it be awesome to be a quarter as talented?

4. John Williams - Yes, I know he isn't classical in the sense like the top three, but he has produced and composed some of the greatest soundtracks, ever. Ever, ever! Like Star Wars, Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and Indiana Jones. Many many more, truly a great artist.

5. Johan Sebastian Bach - Probably sacrilege not to include him in the top three, but you know what? It's my list and this is the way I see them, in fact, I almost bumped Bach for...

6.Antonio Vivaldi - Master of The Four Seasons among other violin masterpieces. I just love listening to his music and Cuddle bug has promised me that she will learn to play the violin, just to play this masterpiece for me. :) (I'm not really going to hold her to it, in case you thought otherwise - but it would be awesome if she did it!)

7. Johannes Brahms - I LOVE, absolutely LOVE classical piano, so you can probably guess where the rest of the list will fall when it comes to classical composers, then again... maybe you don't.

8. Richard Wagner - I enjoy most of his pieces because, they seem to be very, uh thinking of an appropriate word here - Full! In other words there is a lot going on with his music, as with pretty much everyone else's it just seems different and very cool.

9. Frederic Francois Chopin - Pianists can rule sometimes and his music does just that - rule. Some would even knock him up to the top five, but I don't think he belongs there.

10. Johann Strauss - The Blue Danube and The Gypsy Baron are two diverse pieces of his that are fun to listen to in their own way - how's that for being, well non-committal?

There is my list, I hope you get a chance to listen to some of this GREAT music. You should also check out Orff, Schubert, and Verdi among others.

Happy listening and God Bless!

Am I Wired For Creativity?

70%

According to this, maybe.

Geography Quiz Time

92

You need to be able to type fast, and spell the countries correctly. This was my fifth, or maybe sixth time through. Good luck getting all 270. :)

Try it, you'll like it.

Fast Cars and Faster Planes

Or are they...

Check this out...

http://www.snotr.com/video/568

A Preview, Of Sorts

I have a complicated life.

Okay, maybe not.

I do have a life that needs some guidance and an occasional push in the right direction, whatever that may be. So, in order to prepare for next month's topic of 'letters' I thought that I would make a list of letters that I will be writing.

Or something like that.

LETTERS TO BE WRITTEN

1. To the love of my life, Jenni.
2. To my sons.
3. To my daughters.
4. To the Sci-Fi Channel for putting freaking wresting on!
5. To the editor of a paper that has bashed my Catholicism on a regular basis.
6. To Deborah Gibson. Okay, not really, just trying to be funny.
7. To the graduating class of 1985, what the hell happened?
8. To Britney Spears, what the hell happened?
9. To Santa Claus, it's never too early, right?
10. To Walt Disney.
11. To Stephen King.
12. To Terry Brooks.
13. To Clive Cussler.
14. To NBC, why did you cancel Journey Man?
15. To Fox, why did you cancel Firefly? Okay, maybe I will leave this dead horse alone.
16. To the Presidential nominees, be careful what you ask for.
17. To that brat down the street that thinks she can pick on MY kid.
18. To the loser that keeps asking for a handout, while going to a spa to get her hair done.
19. To the makers of 'Rock Band' (EA, I think)what's up with the broken stuff?
20. To my Mom.
21. To my Dad.
22. To my Brothers.
23. To myself.
24. To Coca-Cola for inventing/creating a wonderful addictive drink known as Diet Coke.
25. To God.

Just a few ideas, not all of them will be used, but most may. Until then have a great evening.

So You Think You Know Rock and Roll

If you think you know Rock and Roll lyrics, then check out this link and see how you do.

Myself, I got tired of getting so many wrong.

I ask; who has time for this!!! :)

Have fun!

Can you believe that today is March 24, 2008? Where has all the time gone? I sense a list coming, so be careful if you wonder any further... I am sure that this will be, well you'll see. :)


SONGS ABOUT TIME

1. Time in a Bottle, Jim Croce
2. Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?, Chicago
3. 25 or 6 to 4, Chicago
4. Time after Time, Cindy Lauper
5. Too Much Time On My Hands, Styx
6. Yesterday, The Beatles
7. Manic Monday, The Bangles ( I know Bob Geldof's group did it also, I just can't remember their name.)
8. Time, Pink Floyd
9. A Day In The Life, The Beatles
10. All Along the Watchtower, Jimi Hendrix
11. The Times They Are A Changin,' Bob Dylan
12. Summertime Blues, Eddie Cochran
13. In The Still Of The Night, The Five Satins
14. Will You Love Me Tomorrow, The Shirelles
15. In The Midnight Hour, Wilson Pickett
16. A Hard Day's Night, The Beatles
17. (We're Gonna) Rock Around The Clock, Bill Haley and His Comets
18. 1999, Prince
19. Everday, Buddy Holly and the Crickets
20. Ruby Tuesday, The Rolling Stones

Hope it didn't come across as too corny. Bye-bye!

Playing with a Siggy!

Just trying something out for size here, so don't mind me. :)

So, do I like this as HTML?

Or would I rather have it as a image?

Any thoughts?

Now, to look at the finished product.

You May Say I'm A Dreamer...

And apparently you would be correct. Thanks for the tip Kalynne.

He Is Risen!

25 WAYS TO SPEND AN HOUR WITH JESUS

1. Slowly read scripture until something hits you. Then listen.
2. Say a Rosary
3. Let God look at you.
4. Tell Him something that made you happy. Then listen.
5. Tell Him what you are afraid of. Then listen.
6. Tell Him what angers you. Then listen.
7. Speak about your loved ones.
8. Pray for an enemy.
9. Talk with Him about work.
10. Sing a song for Him in your heart.
11. Promise to trust him.
12. Imagine Mary sitting next to you and praying with you.
13. Renew your loyalty to His Church.
14. Lean on Him. Tell Him you love Him.
15. Thank Him for the sacraments.
16. Tell Him you failures. Ask for help. Then listen.
17. Slowly recite the Beatitudes.
18. Say one Our Father slowly.
19. Say one Hail Mary slowly.
20. Say the creed slowly.
21. Pray for vocations.
22. Ask Him to show you the next step.
23. Look at yourself. Count your gifts. Then thank Him.
24. Pray for the world.
25. Enjoy just being in is presence.

A Happy and Blessed Easter to All!

I Am Hungry, So... Time For Another List!

That's right.

While looking for some divine intervention this Easter Eve, for my next list. My tummy started to grumble, and ta da! List idea:

FOODS THAT I LOVE TO SNACK ON

1. Pretzels
2. Pringels
3. Pizza
4. Chocolate Chip Cookies
5. Pasta
6. Cheerios
7. M & Ms
8. Cheez-its
9. Goldfish Crackers
10. Jelly Bellys
11. Triscuits

There. I feel better now. Still hungry, but at least I know what I'm looking for. :)

For A Good Time, Go...

Here's a list for you all to try someday....



FAVORITE RIDES AT WALT DISNEY WORLD



1. Big Thunder Railroad (Adventureland - Magic Kingdom)
2. Expedition Everest (Asia - Animal Kingdom)
3. Splash Mountain (Adventureland - Magic Kingdom)
4. Haunted Mansion (In between Fantasy land and Adventureland - Magic Kingdom)
5. Space Mountain (Tomorrowland - Magic Kingdom)
6. Mission: Space (Epcot)
7. Test Track (Epcot)
8. Rock n Roller Coaster (Disney - Hollywood Studios)
9. The Great Movie Ride (Disney - Hollywood Studios)
10. It's A Small World (Fantasyland - Magic Kingdom)

Now go out and buy yourself a ticket!

Did You Know Yesterday Was The First Day of Spring?

Neither Did I....

This can STOP now!!

Congratulations Monsignor Deutsch!

I can't believe that I forgot to mention this! I mean this is big news, great news! Our very own Pastor has been honored as a Monsignor.

Way Cool!

Of course this means that we will lose our Pastor to bigger and better things... then again, we are opening up a school this fall, so who really knows.

Anyway, just thought I would share that.

Bye-bye.

And I Thought Making a List Was Hard

Well let me tell you what the gang at NaBloPoMo.com have in store for the month of April.

Letters.

You got it. Love Letters. Hate letters. Dear John Letters. Photographs of Letters. Etc.

So in honor of that, my list du jour.

MY FAVORITE LETTERS

1. R - What other letter would you expect, I mean my name has three of them.

2. L - So versatile, and another biggie when it comes to my name, with four!

3. J - So many fun words start with this letter, as do the names of a couple of my favorite people. :)

4. K - I just love the sound that this letter makes, it definitely puts an exclamation point on words when it is involved.

5. M - Another favorite for more than just personal reasons, it looks so Majestic.

6. W - Such an action letter, walking, writing, whining, etc...

7. A - Needed a vowel, sooner or later and why not this popular letter.

8. B - Big Bad Baby Bees Beg Beavers Biting Bark Beat Bugs - see how much fun you can have with that letter, I mean come on people!

9. D - Because I am a Daddy and it has three Dee's in it. Also you can't have determination with a 'D,' nor Desire or Diet... oh yeah, and DISNEY!!

10. E - 'A' was feeling lonely, besides there is no "team" without an 'E.'

When In Need, Turn to the Beatles!

Yep, that's what I am going to do...


TOP TEN BEATLES' SONGS
(in my most humble of opinion, and not really in any particular order, just as long as there is ten.)

1. Eleanor Rigby
2. Can't Buy Me Love
3. Come Together
4. I've Just Seen A Face
5. Hey Jude
6. Sgt Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band
7. Taxman
8. While My Guitar Gently Weeps
9. Let It Be
10. Eight Days A Week


BONUS LIST - Answers to Movie Quotes

1. The Princess Bride
2. The Godfather
3. High School Musical 2
4. Toy Story 2
5. Lilo and Stitch
6. Bringing Up Baby
7. Cinderella
8. Sound of Music
9. Toy Story
10. Planes, Trains and Automobiles
11. LOTR - The Two Towers
12. Independence Day

Remember, I have young children, and everyone got a choice of a movie. Hard to believe my eight year old picked a seventy year old movie, but it was a good choice if I say so myself. :)

Enjoy your evening, and Jenni if you are reading this, I miss you and love you very much! You too kids! :) See you soon.

Good Night and God Bless!

Panic in Bugland!!

Now why, dear friends, would your lovable Bug be panicking you ask? Could it be that he doesn't have a new and really awesome list for you tonight? Naw, I never know until I sit down, and the mood takes me over....

Maybe it's because six of the seven most important people in his life are in Iowa? Could be, but a hotel room with this cough would be tough on everyone, and the Bug would be sleeping out in the car. I do miss them though, at least Andy and the movie "Across The Universe" will keep him company.

Ooh, one of my favorite scenes is on right now... Jim Sturgess singing 'I've Just Seen A Face' in a bowling alley - good times! Oh, and I am being serious. The only part(s) of this movie I don't like are the circus bit, and weird mermaid bit that follows Bono's version of 'I Am the Walrus.' Again. I am totally serious.

Back to my panic. You see, I have several computers in my household, some more useful than others. However, I have one, that used to be my main home computer, until... well I have six kids, five of which are pretty good at using these blasted things, and, well you get the picture. So, Jenni and I bought ourselves our own computer, deemed to be "kid-free." Apparently the kids found some sort of loophole in the ruling, or went to the 9Th Circuit Court of Appeals (the bane of normal thinking Americans, in my most humble opinion), and have slowly taken over this computer. I don't even want to talk about "my" laptop.

ANYWAY - my what tangents I can start to weave, (ugh!) sorry. Me and my muse.

Like I was saying, the computer downstairs was the main computer, then one day it decided that it didn't want to be a part of the family and *poof!* bye-bye music, photos, tax returns, etc. We took it to a friend of ours, who likes tinkering with these beasts and... well it runs. Unfortunately, for us, it seems to be tied directly to our connectivity issues here.

See where the panic started, yet?

When the computer downstairs is off, the Internet runs smooth and wonderful. I would say that it is Comcastic - but we don't use them for that. :) That's a personal commentary for some other time.

Cubbie likes to make movies, either homemade ones or edited versions of others. For instance, a friend of his doesn't really care for the whole circus/mermaid thing either. So she asked him to edit it out. All well and good, except that he needs to use the ... you guessed it ... downstairs computer. So, here it is coming on 10:30PM locally, and I have yet to make a blog entry. Bad news for a Blog365 guy like myself. I need a list as well, so I called Jenni to do it for me... no Internet at the hotel (what kind of torture palace did I send her and the kids to?)

I was seriously contemplating going to work to blog - Folks, what is wrong with THAT picture.

Oh well, Cubbie being the good sport that he is, and the fact that I was possibly going to tear up here, said that he could kill the computer downstairs and allow me to blog.

Aren't my kids the BEST!!

You Will Want To Be Sitting Down For This

As I was surfing the blogosphere, instead of going to bed (can you tell that I'm feeling better?) I found a link to this site It's Our Wonderful Life, and this post. I am floored to say the least. Paying somebody to potty-train your child, or to fill out paperwork for school enrollment. Sheesh. What the heck has this world come to. Go check out what I am talking about. It'll knock you over, now you know why I asked you to sit down first.

I really should just go to bed now. Before I see something else that will get my blood pressure up.

Night-Night all, and God Bless!

I Had Some Drawings On My Mind...

Hey did I forget to mention that this is Holy Week! My how time has flown by, why it seems like just a mere six weeks ago it was Ash Wednesday.

Just a little humor, sorry.

I'm trying to think of something useful and funny to write about, but... I'm in a very serious mood right now. No really. I mean it. Why just look at tonight's list and be the judge yourself:

TOP TEN CARTOON CHARACTERS

1. Bugs Bunny - Sorry Mickey, the bunny makes me laugh. Now if he just could get affiliated with a better theme park...

2. Tom and Jerry - How can you not like this fantabulous duo. Yes, I know it isn't a word, but it expresses how awesome they are. Why both? Can never remember which is which, okay I'm kidding, but they are a team!

3. Goofy - Just the name alone makes me smile. I love this guy, and have the stuffed animals to prove it. :) It was awesome a few years back while visiting Epcot, they had a Goofy for a bunch of the different lands: French Goofy, Italian Goofy, etc. Not all thirteen nations, but there is hope yet. Of course, the last time we were there (in September) they still didn't have any new ones. I was so disappointed. I could go on about Goofy, but then it will take away from Bugs, and his one line...

4. Tigger - The lovable Tiger from Winnie-the-Pooh, who loves to bouncy-bouncy bounce bounce bounce! TTFN (Ta Ta For Now). That's Tigger, T-I-double Gah -ER. Maybe I just like his happy-go-lucky attitude, or maybe it's because he terrorizes Rabbit. :)

5. Chip and Dale - Often imitated, but never duplicated. Now these two I really do have a hard time remembering which is which - just see the picture at the very bottom of this page for proof.

6. Elmer Fudd - Yes the enemy, and fellow operatic singer, of Bugs Bunny. Hey, Tom and Jerry are sworn enemies also. :)

7. Wile E. Coyote - How could you not feel for this poor underdog in his battles against that evil and dastardly Road Runner. Plus, remember he's not just a genius, no he is a SUPER GENIUS, and he likes the sound of it.

8. Donald Duck - You knew it was going to be coming back to Disney now, didn't you? I also like the underdog characters, in case you all hadn't noticed. Donald is the ultimate underdog, just listen to the words from the Mickey Mouse club, and how poor Donald gets left in a lurch - no respect, I tell ya, no respect.

9. Daffy Duck - Another antagonist to one Mr. Bugs Bunny, or maybe it was the other way around... No way. Daffy was always the bad guy. Bugs would NEVER do anyone, or anything no harm. Really, I mean that. I think.

10a. Grumpy - Every one's favorite dwarf, that isn't Dopey at least. :) I LOVE the T-Shirt ideas they come up with for this character, and I have a few of them.

10b. Mickey Mouse - Had to include the Mouse, I mean really. Besides I do LOVE his house, just watch the countdown to the left and see how happy I get, as it winds down to zero days...

Hope you all enjoyed this list, if not? Well there will be a new one tomorrow. Speaking of tomorrow, I hope to be back to a more normal self, thus presenting more fabulous works of art here. Or at least something other than a list, although there will be more of them (only 13 days until April)

Have a good night.

God Bless!

A Touch Of Green (and I'm not Talking the Flu)

Here is my list for today, generously "stolen" from the web. Although I think that these are common knowledge.


FUN FACTS ABOUT ST PATRICK AND HIS DAY

1. St. Patrick’s Day is observed on March 17 because that is the feast day of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. It is believed that he died on March 17 in the year 461 AD. It is also a worldwide celebration of Irish culture and history. St. Patrick’s Day is a national holiday in Ireland, and a provincial holiday in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

2. In Ireland on St. Patrick’s Day, people traditionally wear a small bunch of shamrocks on their jackets or caps. Children wear orange, white and green badges, and women and girls wear green ribbons in their hair.

3. Many cities have a St. Patrick’s Day parade. Dublin, the capital of Ireland, has a huge St. Patrick’s Day festival from March 15-19, that features a parade, family carnivals, treasure hunt, dance, theatre and more. In North American, parades are often held on the Sunday before March 17. Some paint the yellow street lines green for the day! In Chicago, the Chicago River is dyed green with a special dye that only lasts a few hours. There has been a St. Patrick’s Day parade in Boston, Massachusetts since 1737. Montreal is home to Canada’s longest running St. Patrick’s Day parade, which began in 1824.

4. St. Patrick was born in 385 AD somewhere along the west coast of Britain, possibly in the Welsh town of Banwen. At age 16, he was captured and sold into slavery to a sheep farmer. He escaped when he was 22 and spent the next 12 years in a monastery. In his 30s he returned to Ireland as a Christian missionary. He died at Saul in 461 AD and is buried at Downpatrick.

5. 34 million Americans have Irish ancestry, according to the 2003 US Census. That’s almost nine times the population of Ireland, which has 4.1 million people.

6. The harp is the symbol of Ireland. The color green is also commonly associated with Ireland, also known as “the Emerald Isle.”

7. The name “lephrechaun” has several origins. It could be from the Irish Gaelic word “leipreachan,” which means “a kind of aqueous sprite.” Or, it could be from “leath bhrogan,” which means “shoemaker.”

8. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the highest number of leaves found on a clover is 14!

9. Legend says that each leaf of the clover means something: the first is for hope, the second for faith, the third for love and the fourth for luck.

10. The Irish flag is green, white and orange. The green symbolizes the people of the south, and orange, the people of the north. White represents the peace that brings them together as a nation.

I want to thank Kaboose for allowing me to "borrow" information from their website.

So I hope that everyone enjoys/enjoyed their St Patrick's Day, because remember, everyone has a little Irish in them on March 17.

Good Night and God Bless!

A Movie List (Make That Movie Quotes)

My blogging buddy The Philosopher-Mom had this on her site, and I completely bombed it, so... I figured I would borrow it. Now, mine will be very, very easy - think of the movies I would more than likely be seeing, right? Anyway, here goes:


MEMORABLE MOVIE QUOTES (that the Bug can remember, kind of. )

1. "Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die." (see easy)

2. "We've known each other for many years but this is the first time you've ever come to me for counsel or for help. I can't remember the last time you invited me to your house for a cup of coffee, even though my wife is Godmother to your only child. But, let's be frank here. You never wanted my friendship and you were afraid to be in my debt."

3. "What did I do to deserve this? I've never lied, except when necessary, and I always bought mom and dad expensive gifts... using their credit card of course."

4. "I may not be a smart dog, but I know what roadkill is."

5. "Hiding behind your little friend won't work anymore. Didn't I tell you? We got fired this morning. New rules."

6. "Now it isn't that I don't like you, Susan, because, after all, in moments of quiet, I'm strangely drawn toward you, but - well, there haven't been any quiet moments. "

7. "A dream is a wish your heart makes when you're fast asleep. In dreams you will lose your heartaches. Whatever you wish for, you keep. Have faith in your dreams, and someday, your rainbow will come smiling through. No matter how your heart is grieving, if you keep on believing, the dreams that you wish will come true."

8. "Fraulein, is it to be at every meal, or merely at dinnertime, that you intend on leading us all through this rare and wonderful new world of... indigestion?"

9. "You are a sad, strange little man, and you have my pity. Farewell."

10. "There's no way on earth we're going to get out of here tonight. We'd have more luck playing pickup sticks with our butt-cheeks than we will getting a flight out of here before daybreak."

11. "*Po-tay-toes!* Boil 'em, mash 'em, stick 'em in a stew... Lovely big golden chips with a nice piece of fried fish."

12. "If you're so smart, tell me something, how come you go to M.I.T. for 8 years to become a cable repairman?"


Okay, there is a fun dozen quotes for you, and the whole family got involved. How? Good question. Quote #2 came from Cubbie's movie choice, #3 from FTB, #4 from Benjy, #6 from Cuddle bug, #7 from Baby Girl, #8,9, and 10 are from Jenni, the rest are my fault.

Hope you enjoyed it, and let me know how you did, guess-wise, they are pretty easy - maybe. :)

Have a good night. God Bless.

Denial, Denial, Denial!!

Also known as tonight's list...

WHY DO MEN, MYSELF INCLUDED, DENY BEING SICK

1. Because despite facts to the contrary, they just look like they don't feel good.
2. Whatever.
3. Just because I am sweating in a cool room, does not mean my fever is breaking (because I don't have a fever)
4. Fever? What fever, I naturally am running at 101.1, it used to be a favorite radio station of mine.
5. Whatever.
6. I'm really not into this, as you may have noticed. So I will stop at six. I hope the rules committee will be okay with that.
7. So, I lied.
8. When is the sympathy supposed to start? At 102? 103? Tell me!!!!!
9. blah, blah blah, blah blaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah
10. Good night and sleep tight and may the flu bug NOT bite.

God Bless!

*** If you see another post from me tonight, it will mean that the night time Tylenol DID NOT do what it said it would. Or my mind is too active for sleep.

Repeat after me... WHATEVER!!!

My Wife Caught the Flu and All She Brought Me Was... The Flu!

Okay, it isn't official, but... you know when you can feel something coming on, right? I'm hoping that I won't be miserable like Jenni, because it most definitely will show up here, on these pages. Why? Because, no matter what, I have to blog EVERY DAY for the rest of the year. Just because I am crazy like that, I guess.

Anyway,

To get this over with, I thought I would throw my list in, for good measure:

THINGS TO DO WITH THE FLU

1. Sleep
2. Wake up, act like you want to do something
3. Sleep
4. Go potty
5. Sleep
6. Get up for that class on Catholic Doctrine, that was two days ago.
7. Realize, halfway to the class mentioned in #6, that it is now two days later than you thought. Pull in to McDonald's parking lot and...
8. SLEEP
9. Wake up to the tapping on your window, go potty (#2, in case you aren't with me yet), swear like Philosopher-Mom, start engine and go home.
10. Lie down in bed, after proper bathing of course, for a well-deserved nap.
11. Sit at computer screen, unable to sleep, and come up with a, #2-potty, list.
12. ZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Good Night and please pray for the Flu-bug to leave our house.

Thank you and God Bless.

A Plethora of Lists (well, at least three)

Okay, here we go... I have no idea what my list will be tonight, so I am currently getting ideas from the family; Favorite comfort foods, best baseball team that has not won a World Series in exactly 100 years, things I like about the Spring, things I don't like about the Spring, favorite Cubs players, favorite toys of a two year old, reasons Jenni has the flu...

Now, do you see any good ideas there? I see a couple, but which one should I pick.


TOP CUBS PLAYERS, OF ALL TIME (at least that I know about)

1. Ernie Banks
2. Bernie Williams
3. Greg Maddux
4. Ryne Sandberg
5. Mark Grace
6. Ron Santo
7. Andre Dawson
8. Hank Greenburg (I'm pretty sure that he was a Cub)

That's it. See why it wouldn't be a good list? I don't know a whole lot about the Cubs... Sorry Cubbie.

FAVORITE THINGS ABOUT SPRINGTIME

1. The Sun.
2. The smell of fresh grass
3. The sounds of birds chirping and singing
4. Baseball
5. College Basketball - especially the NCAA tournament (March Madness Baby!)
6. Playoff Hockey
7. Blue skies
8. Rainy days
9. Pretty flowers. :)
10. Pina Coladas (just trying to think of that song... being silly, nothing abnormal there.)

FAVORITE COMFORT FOODS

1. Pasta
2. Wonder Bread - white
3. Soup, pretty much any kind, but chicken works the best.
4. Pretzels - the sticks.
5. Chocolate
6. Diet Coke, okay I know it isn't technically a food, but it does bring me comfort. :)

I hope that this works, because that is all I have. Although I have a new post (I think) coming next, we'll see.

Bye-bye for now.

Let's Talk About Passion

My passion. I want to share something with you ( a new list) that I am very passionate about. So much so, that I will now dedicate a list to it.


BOOKS I HAVE READ THIS YEAR (technically the past six months)
(in no particular order)

1. Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. -- I feel for the man. What a depressing story, oh sure it has moments of pure brilliance, but the over all effect was such that I didn't actually enjoy reading it. Very anti-climatic and depressing.

2. Redwall by Brian Jacques -- A fun fantasy story about rodents. How's that for an endorsement? Seriously, think Watership Down, then think on a much broader scope. Very well written and from what I hear, the rest of the books in the series are pretty good as well.

3. Skeleton Coast by Clive Cussler with Jack Du Brul -- classic action-adventure that deals with ghost ships, strange sea monsters and a disaster that will destroy life on earth, as we know it. I love this kind of stuff!!

(Just thought I would throw in a little note here.... my computer keeps pausing, for lack of a better term, and since I'm not really watching what I am writing, there may be some, er... errors. Sorry.)

4. The Mephisto Club by Tess Gerritsen -- First novel that I have read by this young lady. Interesting concept that pits a "club" of scholars after 'Satan.' Yes, I said Satan. They believe that he lives among us, even today. Well, I believe that, but I don't necessarily believe the way Tess deals with it. I felt, not betrayed, but rather annoyed. That means that there must have been some Catholic bashing then, right Bug? You got it dude.

(I'm thinking that this shut down of Blogger is going to correct this pausing crap. I hope so, because it is VERY ANNOYING!)

5. Frankenstein (Book One Prodigal Son) by Dean Koontz -- another cool concept, Frankenstein - that would be Dr. Frankenstein, is still alive and doing his thing. I really enjoyed reading this book and will have to look for book two. I have already, but I can't seem to find it anywhere. So if you see it, let me know. :)

6. Rage by Jonathan Kellerman -- An Alex Delaware novel, which follows psychologist Delaware and his partner in crime-fighting Milo Sturgis, a gay police LT. Written in the first person, it follows the crime-solving from a "personal" experience, meaning that you can't help but to be in Alex's head, since he's the one narrating.

7. Ministry through the Lens of Evangelization -- Yes, I do read non-fiction! This is basically the transcripts from the major presentations of the North American Institute for Catholic Evangelizing. A very interesting read, believe it or not, and it gives some great ideas on how Catholics can evangelize their faith to others.

8. The Incredible Book of Vatican Facts and Papal Curiosities ( A Treasury of Trivia) by Nino Lo Bello -- The title pretty much says it all, and you can learn interesting tidbits like 'How many rooms are in the papal residence?' or 'Which Pope was vetoed by an Emperor? Maybe I can use this info for a new list... Cool, eh?

9. Lisey's Story by Stephen King -- (I'm getting frustrated by this pausing action, so these last few notes will be short, maybe.) This is a story about going through the grieving process after losing a spouse. I imagine it can be hard to go through, I don't know and don't really want to, thank you very much. But the way that Lisey deals with it, is rather ... a Stephen King - ish. How's that for an adjective? Or is it an adverb? I hate English, but I love writing how about that paradox? :)

10. The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. -- Another farce and again very depressing.... I actually read this one first, of the two Vonnegut stories. I don't think that I will read another, for a while.

11. Duma Key by Stephen King (in progress)

12. High Druid of Shannara - Straken by Terry Brooks (in progress)

13. Catechism of the Catholic Church (always in progress)

14. The Holy Bible (always in progress)

15. St. John Bosco (in progress, should be finished tonight, especially if I get stopped by a train.)

16. Genesis of Shannara - Elves of Cintra by Terry Brooks (in line)

17 Genesis of Shannara - Armageddon's Children by Terry Brooks -- Already read this one, just forgot to add it to the above lists but the "pausing" is keeping me from going back and throwing this in the middle. If it's working better, when I get home, maybe I will fix it. Otherwise you will just have to deal with it. :)

Bye-bye and God Bless!

Barstool Economics

Suppose that every day ten men go out for beer and the bill for all ten comes to $100.

If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it would go something like this:

The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.
The fifth would pay $1.
The sixth would pay $3.
The seventh would pay $7.
The eighth would pay $12.
The ninth would pay $18.
The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.

So, that's what they decided to do. The ten men drank in the bar every day and seemed quite happy with the arrangement until one day the owner threw them a curve.

'Since you are all such good customers,' he said, 'I'm going to reduce the cost of your daily beer by $20.'

Drinks for the ten now cost just $80.

The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes so the first four men were unaffected. They would still drink for free, but what about the other six men - the paying customers? How could they divide the $20 windfall so that everyone would get his 'fair share?' They realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33. But if they subtracted that from everybody's share, then the fifth man and the sixth man would each end up being paid to drink his beer.

So, the bar owner suggested that it would be fair to reduce each man's bill by roughly the same amount, and he proceeded to work out the amounts each should pay.And so:

The fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% savings).
The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33% savings).
The seventh now paid $5 instead of $7 (28% savings).
The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% savings).
The ninth now paid $15 instead of $18 (17% savings).
The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% savings).

Each of the six was better off than before. And the first four continued to drink for free. But once outside the restaurant, the men began to compare their savings. 'I only got a dollar out of the $20,'declared the sixth man. He pointed to the tenth man,' but he got $10!' 'Yeah, that's right,' exclaimed the fifth man. 'I only saved a dollar, too. It's unfair that he got ten times more than I!' 'That's true!!' shouted the seventh man. 'Why should he get $10 back when I got only two? The wealthy get all the breaks!' 'Wait a minute,' yelled the first four men in unison. 'We didn't get anything at all. The system exploits the poor!'

The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up. The next night the tenth man didn't show up for drinks, so the nine sat down and had beers without him. But when it came time to pay the bill, they discovered something important.

They didn't have enough money between all of them for even half of the bill!

And that, boys and girls, journalists and college professors, is how our tax system works. The people who pay the highest taxes get the most benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for being wealthy, and they just may not show up anymore.

In fact, they might start drinking overseas where the atmosphere is somewhat friendlier.

Um, Sure

The Recipe For Roger

3 parts Uniqueness 2 parts Success 1 part Magnetism Splash of Love Shake vigorously

What's" the Recipe for Your Personality?

Pants, Penquins and Pods (Why Are They Related?)

Okay, here comes a new list, maybe two, that might turn into a rant... not sure just yet.

WHY CAN"T KIDS PULL THEIR PANTS UP?

1. They are doing an experiment in living like a penguin - Have you seen some of this kids, okay I should say boys/young men, with their pants hanging off of their hips? Well, it is comical to watch them walk. Don't believe me. Watch them in action some time.

2. My mom bought them six sizes too small. - "Honest I told my mom that I needed size 28 not 18." Whatever kid.

3. I like looking like I loaded my pants with, well, ... you know. - Doesn't it look like they have their pants full of poop? I mean really now, just pull them up!

4. Last one, I promise, and honest to God this is a real reason... I want people to see the cool underwear I have. - I kid you not, this is the reason a son of one of my friends gave her. I suggested that she quit buying him such "fun" underwear. You know, the boxers with smiley faces, or basketballs, or Jolly Rogers...

Kids, boys, young men... NO ONE wants to see your underwear, I promise you this. So just pull up the pants and wear them the way that they are meant to be worn. This goes for shorts as well. Which brings me to my whole reason for this list/rant. Some kid was wearing shorts that looked like they could be Capri pants, with an interesting pattern. As I got closer I realized that they were in fact, some basketball shorts - being worn off the hip, with black boxers (well I assume that they were boxers, since I didn't actually stop to look at the whole package - so to speak.)

Next up....

TOP TEN SONGS ON THE FAMILY ITUNES LIBRARY (FOR FEBRUARY)

10. Living On A Prayer - Bon Jovi (51)
9. I Don't Want To Be In Love - Good Charlotte (52)
8. Our Song - Taylor Swift (55)
7. Baba O'Riley - The Who (58)
6. Girlfriend - Avril Lavigne (59)
5. Brain Stew - Green Day (62)
4. Surrender - Cheap Trick (64)
3. Boston (Radio Version) - Augustana (65)
2. Hotel California - The Eagles (84)

and the number one for the month of February is...

1. Snow (Hey Oh) - Red Hot Chili Peppers (118)

The number in the parenthesis represents the play count for, in this case, the month of February. These are usually the songs that are on three of our play lists, as you may have guessed. If FTB used hers more often, I would imagine that Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana would have been more prominently featured. :)

That's it for today/tonight, I'll be back tomorrow.

It's March... Must mean ANOTHER Birthday!

Yes, it is true. Time for my family to celebrate yet another birth in the world.

Okay, granted this was thirty-five years ago, but we can still celebrate it, right?

My baby brother, Jeffrey, is a whopping thirty-five today, and technically as I write this, it was yesterday - to him. He lives in Japan, although the last I heard he was on temporary duty at an undisclosed location.

So, many happy returns to the brother I haven't seen since my wedding day, nearly sixteen years ago. I pray that you are safe, and someday, somewhere, we'll actually have to get together and share some stories.

Happy Birthday Jeff!

Something I Know... And Enjoy

I have an easy list idea for tonight, and it's something that I can't be wrong about, because it's mine, all mine I say... so there.

TOP TEN BOOKS OF ALL (YES I SAID ALL) TIME!!
(in no particular order, due to the fact that I am pulling them out of my... well, you know, and it will no doubt change in a matter of days and or weeks.)

1. The Stand by Stephen King - Absolutely fantabulous! I know that isn't a word, but it was how I feel as I was typing. This story is about a killer flu and more about those that survived it. Great characters and great stories throughout. Not a big fan of how he wrapped it all up, but hey, I don't think that I like any of Stephen King endings. It almost seems like he just ran out of gas, which in this case, was quite a large tank. Highly recommended, but so is everything else on this list. Otherwise these wouldn't be the TTBOA(YISA)T!!

2. The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks - Made in the vein of Tolkien, but not as rich. Does that make sense? Oh well, it is a great read and one that I revisit every other year, or so. Flick is my favorite character, or maybe it was Balinor. Tough choice. Great fantasy novel, and one you may enjoy. You'll never know unless you try. :)

3. The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams - If you like British humour (yes I added a 'u') then you will like this space fantasy of the absurd. Easy to read and you will be amazed that you are into the third book all of a sudden. Unless, of course, you don't have the complete series in one convenient binder like I do. Then you will have been reading your palm prints for a while.

4. Pet Semetary by Stephen King - I think that this was one of the scariest books I have read. Maybe it's because I have pets, I don't know. I do know that I did not like reading this alone and in a darkened room, well I did have a reading light on, so it wasn't completely dark.

5. Inca Gold by Clive Cussler - One of the better Dirk Pitt adventure novels out there, although I recommend all of them, and when you get those finished try the Kurt Austin series and the Oregon Files by the same author. Of course if you don't like adventure novels, then... you might want to stay away. Did I mention that they also have mystery and intrigue involved? Try it, you might like it.

6. The Holy Bible (Catholic version, of course) - Talk about your stories! Wow!! Highly recommended for every age. Trust me on this one. Go for the Catholic version because it has seven bonus chapters!

7. The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Suess - Classic drawings, classic story telling, just pure magic with a great moral behind it, even. Plus, who can't resist all those "things?"

8. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens - Probably my all time favorite story, ever. I even like the movies, well most of them anyway.

9. The Black Stallion by (the name escapes me at the moment. Maybe I will fill it in later, I think that it is Farley, or something like that.) - Anyway, it's a great story about a boy and a horse that become great friends and successful in horse racing - of course, I might have the whole series of them mixed up, but I enjoyed them all.

10. Mr. Murder by Dean Koontz - I like this book so much that I bought it twice. Granted I had forgotten that I bought it already, then I gave it to Jenni for her birthday and told her how great a story it was, and she agreed, because we had both already read the copy I purchased a while before. Did that make sense? Whew!

I can think of many more that I have enjoyed. These ten just came to the top of the book pile, so to speak. Like I said, next week it could be a different ten.

That's it for me, it's 11:15 and I am going to sleep.

Night all and God Bless!

Talk About Your Irony...

Maybe Governor Eliot Spitzer was getting some connections when he was prosecuting crimes like this.

I feel for his wife and daughters who must be devastated. I mean it would be bad enough to find out, in private. Now imagine having the glare of the media shining through your window. It would probably be right for him to resign and just quietly disappear for a while.

Why is it that smart people do dumb things? Amazing.

Now, for something else amazing, I heard on the radio some lady actually defending his right to do this. Okay. Sure he does have the right to do it, after all there is nothing that says you cannot commit a crime in this country. Now, if you get caught, that's another story.

Anyway, this lady was trying to correlate Spitzer paying for sex, versus (you know of whom I shall now mention) Clinton having sex with an intern. She said that as long as Spitzer was doing his job, what difference does it make what he does in the privacy of his own home. (Or a suite at a Washington D.C. hotel, in this case). I agree. You can do whatever you want, and should be allowed to do whatever you want in the privacy of your own home. AS LONG AS IT ISN'T ILLEGAL!!

Last I checked, prostitution is only legal in the state of Nevada. However not in Las Vegas, more irony there. Also believe it or not Adultery is also against the law. Oh and let's not forget that Spitzer put people behind bars FOR doing exactly what he just got caught doing.

And people wonder why I hate politicians.

Now, why do I care? Because this is a black-eye on the country, believe it or not. Now there are some places that will poo-poo it, in fact some people in this country will do the same thing I imagine. This is why the terrorists hate us so much.

Our lack of morality. If you wonder why there are so many teens having sex before marriage, just watch the television for a night, premarital sex is glamorized for all to see. Arrggghhhh! I spinning in tangents now, sorry.

I hope for the good of the state of New York, Eliot Spitzer steps down, TODAY.

Good night from Illinois, where we have our own corrupt Governor, but hey so is everyone else under him, so...

A new list later, I promise.

Excited, aren't you?

Bye-bye

Benjy Gave Me This Idea (so if you don't like it, blame him)

My darling wife Jenni noted a few minutes ago that I hadn't blogged yet. I had to tell her that blogging isn't everything after all. Or maybe I just forgot, or... I would tell you the rest but it would ruin my newest list. This idea came from Benjy, and that is why I am giving him full credit. :)

REASONS WHY I HADN'T BLOG YET, TODAY

1. I have been pretty busy, between Church and work (yeah, I know) and the kids and Church and the kids. I haven't really had too much time to blog. I mean even at this late hour, Monster is still calling me to play with him. (DST and a two-year old do not mix)

2. I forgot to write something until my darling wife pointed out the fact that I hadn't blogged yet. Hey, it happens. Too bad I didn't go with my mulligan idea for my day of rest, then I could have used it for today.

3. I am very tired. This is understandable considering the weekend I had. Confirmation Retreat, First Holy Communion Reconciliation (ED: I oops here, I imagine it had to do with fatigue) (Cuddlebug's, not mine - although I am flattered that you thought I was so young), Laser Tag, 6:30 Mass (On the day of DST, what was I thinking?), work, Guitar Hero 3 (had to unwind, right?), NASCAR (same reason) and a Murder Mystery. All of which will need to be touched upon on these pages here. Maybe.

4. I'm actually doing it, so get off my back. :)

Have a great evening and God Bless!

It's that time of year again. The time when we all lose an hour of sleep, and for what? That is the topic of today's list. It should be pretty short.

WHY CHANGE TIME?

1. I don't know - this will probably be the best choice of them all, I don't doubt.

2. Save energy - Whatever! Tell me how this time change actually accomplishes this. Really. I want to know.

3. I feel like losing an hour of sleep - because I am just too beautiful already.

4. I don't know - see told you it would be the best choice.

5. So I don't have to worry about changing my car clock, from the fall - This should cut down on the questions, "Is it really 9:30?"

6. Prove Chicago wrong - You know, somebody really wants to know what time it is.

7. I DON"T KNOW - Enough said.

Now I must go to bed, because I have to get used to it being an hour later than it really is.

What a pain.

My Seventh Heaven (okay it's just another list)

I, like many other young entrepreneurial types, have had many jobs throughout my life. The toughest and BEST job ever has been being a father - no joke, I love it and would not change it for anything. So, in honor of my thinking about jobs and this being the month of lists, what else would you expect? (I am going to need serious help for the rest of the month, I think...)

Here goes...

JOBS I'VE HAD

1. Babysitter - with two younger brothers, this was inevitable, and a pain in the butt at times. Especially when that lad who had a birthday two days ago, comes at me with a butcher knife, a broom, a sword and a kitchen sink. Okay the last two are false, but it seemed to me that if it wasn't tied down, it was in the air in my direction. It's no wonder I'm a little skittish. :)

2. Newspaper carrier - I have had this job on and off for some twenty years, okay most of that time was off, but still... When I first started I would walk the route (duh, I was 11), and I would collect money and even set out flyer's for new subscribers. My parents made me do this because I really, really wanted flying lessons. One thing my mind did know was this. Getting paid $50 a month, minus $65 a flying lesson, meant very few flying lessons. :)

3. Dishwasher - I actually enjoyed this job (wonder where my sick mind comes from, this may be a clue), except for the broiled on cheese (it was at a Mexican restaurant), that you needed a chisel, almost, to clean the plate with.

4. Birthday coordinator/game room operator/ cashier at Chuck E. Cheese Pizza - Now THIS was a fun job. Some days I would dress up like a clown and host birthday parties, or dress up in the Jasper T. Jowles costume and head out to a busy street to flag down business. Unfortunately, they closed down due to a bankruptcy.

5. Bagger at the commissary on base - I only did this a couple of days, the pay was really bad, unless you got a lot of tips. The adults doing it always beat us kids out when it came to the good tippers. Even though they had a fair system that equalized customers, and in theory, tips. Whatever.

6. Weekend janitor at the NCO club in San Antonio, Texas - Part of when my momma was displeased with my laziness (she yelled at me and told me to get a job, go to college, or join the Air Force), I got a job at the NCO club doing janitorial work on the weekends. Wasn't too bad of a gig, to be honest, and it paid better than my next job in the

7. United States Air Force - I am a trained and certified Precision Measurement Equipment Laboratory Specialist. I always joke about the USAF being the "country club" branch of the military, that being said, PMEL (my job) was considered the "country club" of the Air Force. Yeah, I can't really complain now can I?

8. Stocker at Sam's Club - worked here to help pay for the car mentioned previously. Enough said about that.

9. Some sort of manufacturing job, where it was oily and dirty and I went through three pairs of shoes, jeans and countless old concert t-shirts. Needed something to tide me over when I first got out of the Air Force and moved to the Chicago land area. At least my mother in-law got some new carpeting out of it. :)

10. QA inspector for In Flight Phone Corporation - This job was so laid back it was ridiculous, we would do nothing all day, literally nothing, and then at 4PM we need you to work overtime. Uh, okay. So I would get paid for twelve hours of work, and only work four tops. Guess civilian life won't be so bad, after all.

11. Calibration technician - What I was trained for in the Air Force. Not too bad, towards the end of my time there, I was traveling all the time. So I missed a lot of Benjy's growing up, at least between the ages of 6-10 months.

12. Metrologist - A fancier word for number 11, paid more too. AND, it was for a pharmaceutical company, with lots of research money. Great parties and outings. Heck, even their meetings were a big deal.

13 - 15. Worked as a newspaper carrier, cashier/stocker at a White Hen (now 7-eleven) and more newspaper carrying.

16. Usher/Cashier at a movie theater - FTB was due and it is always nice to have a little extra cash around, plus there were the benefits of free popcorn, drinks and movies. I was the oldest person working there, but it was mindless fun. One of the girls that I helped train is now one of the managers there. Pretty cool.

17. Phone Guy - This was by far the coolest job, I had a company car and pretty much free reign on my working hours. Sure there were some late nights, as Jenni can attest, but the pay was not bad. Heck I could even deal with the union, although I was amazed at how little my fellow members would think for themselves. Too bad. Then I got laid off. . . that sucked.

18. Calibration technician again - I came back to the same place as #11, watched the company get sold off, worried about the job, and got promoted. Not too many complaints - okay, maybe a few. :)

19, Which should actually be 17 but I am too lazy to cut and edit and, well you know just laziness. Sorry. Ice Cream Parlor, dishing out 31 flavors. Cool job. Did I mention there was FREE ice cream as well?

That's it in a nutshell, a rather large nutshell, and I am sure that I missed a couple somewhere, but I either just forgot them , or they weren't very memorable. :)

Good Night and God Bless!

Places I've Lived

Not necessarily going to give exact addresses, because I wouldn't want them all to be slammed with tourists looking for places the Bug has lived.

Or maybe I can't remember them all.

You choose.

PLACES I'VE LIVED

1. Orlando, Florida - Born and lived there for the first two and a half years of my life. Don't remember much of the place, but I have a piece of paper that says I was born there, and my parents tell me it was about two and a half years, so... Who knows, it could have been just a week or two, as well. :)

2. Baldwin, NY - This I know wasn't for very long, because it was just a temporary holdover before we moved to...

3. Commerce City, Colorado - Where I lived with my mom and grandparents, oh and I think that little brother I mentioned a couple of posts ago was there as well. We actually were living with my grandparents in NY, my dad's parents... Need I say more?

4. Beale AFB, CA - I actually remember a couple of things when we lived there. Like flooding the upstairs bathroom, because I used a wee bit too much toilet paper; I also remember walking through a park, barefoot, with my brother and seeing the bee, BEFORE he stepped on it. THEN making the mistake of telling my mom that I saw it. I seem to recall having a sore bottom that afternoon as well.

5. Commerce City, Colorado - Our own house this time: 7821 Larkwood. Go figure I can remember that address. My mom called me a girl here once - let me re-phrase that, she yelled that I was being a big girl. Mom had a big voice. Yep, my friends all heard it. We also had railroad tracks nearby, and yes we played on them. No, nobody got hurt. The only things that got hurt living there were the numerous dogs that leaped over our backyard fence and subsequently got killed by a car. Speaking of cars, we had a drunk driver deposit his car in our front yard once. My dad told me it was my birthday present - I was pretty excited until he clued me in. Plus, I might have been nine at the time, so I should have known.

6. Thornton, Colorado - A mere "big jump" away from our digs at Commerce City, to a house my Uncle Greg built. At least the company he worked for. We used to play "Explorers" while we lived there, based on a television show hosted by Leonard Nimoy. Oh and we road our bikes EVERYWHERE. This is the town where I got caught trying to shoplift a candy bar, as well. I guess it was my 'bad phase.'

7. San Antonio, Texas - My dad had recently been promoted to an officer and started teaching at the Officer Training School there. My impressions, it was very hot. You have to remember that I had lived in Colorado for over six years at this point, so I just wasn't used to it. I also "survived" my first hurricane, well at least it rained a lot. I had my first job there - delivering the San Antonio News-Express, or was it Express - News? Took my first and only flying lessons there. Also had my first crush - Natalie Kosovac. Was voted 'Most Popular' in sixth grade, I think by default because I showed up to the dance. Learned a lot of Texas history.

8. Northglenn, Colorado - Finished my "free" public education here. Learned how to drive here, learned to love skiing again, played a lot of soccer and basketball, and weighed about two hundred pounds less than I do now.(slight exaggeration) Was force to move back to

9. San Antonio, Texas - the day after my graduation. Got frustrated with not knowing anyone, and not being able to find a job. Found a cool radio station, that still rocks today, at 99.5 KISS, and made that fateful decision to join the United States Air Force. I should say I was strongly encouraged by my mother.

10. Aurora, Colorado - For technical school, I was there for another eight months, give or take. Lots of fun, and I think I learned something. Maybe.

11. RAF Feltwell, U.K. - Cool place to live and I had the best dorm room ever, all to myself. Saw lots of castles and Pizza Huts (I had a buddy whose goal was to eat at every Pizza Hut in the country), none of the food there tasted like chicken - even the chicken! It all tasted like fish. I am not a fan of fish, let me tell you. Traveled to Germany/Austria to ski the Alps - very icy, and I was a little disappointed (very little), I also traveled to Munich and Barcelona, Spain and Madrid, Spain. Almost went to Greece, but got tired of my traveling companion, so I stayed with my friends in Spain. Good times. Oh, and I fell in love with my wife, while I was there.

12. Abilene, Texas - Didn't really like a whole lot about this place, except when I drove to Colorado. :)

13. Batavia, Illinois - With Jenni's parents for a month or two, while I found a job, etc...

14. Naperville, Illinois - Our first apartment together, after we were married. Swinging bachelor pad before that! Okay, so not really.

15. Batavia, Illinois (West side of the river) - In an apartment where I wouldn't want to ever live again. Bad people started moving in after we moved to

16. Batavia, Illinois (East side of the river) - The river being, of course, the mighty Fox River! Love living here, love the fact that the kids have way more stability than I ever had growing up (we were always moving every three to five years). We're thinking about a move in the future, either to Byron, near the mighty Rock River or to Hanceville, Alabama, near the might Shrine of the Blessed Sacrament. Tough choice. God will show us the way though, so we're not worried about it.

That be it.

Hope you enjoyed the trip through some old neighborhoods of mine. We'll see you all later.

Good Night and God Bless!

Guess Who Is Two Today?

My little monster himself, Daniel Patrick Miller... Yep, two years ago today you came into our lives and brightened them right away. Could have had something to do with the glowing booth, but we don't think so. :)

Always such a joy as a baby, bringing a smile to our faces, no matter what you did...
Knowing full well, that you are loved by many, and will always have someone to talk to...
You have grown so much in the past two years, it is hard to believe sometimes that you were once this small... Some say you even look a little like me, but I say no way... You are MUCH cuter...
You love playing with your Zoe and kigley (Quigley), and mem (Kirby, the cat), and they always tolerated your games of jumping on, and pulling the tail. Of course, they don't like it as much now since you have started to grow bigger and stronger...Do you have aspirations to a higher calling? We would be so blessed if you did, but you don't have to make that choice, just yet...Always thinking of your next mission, be it dog, cat, sister or brother that you choose to "play" with...
You can still come to Mommy whenever something goes against your plans...Don't forget your older brothers and sisters, they will be there for you as well...Even if you become a famous "Rock Star!"
Let us not forget your fine and furry friends from down south, now either... They can't wait until you come back, neither can we wait to go back...Just keep on Smiling!!!WE LOVE THAT SMILE!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DANNY!!!!

Say A Prayer For The Auburn, Alabama Community

The Philosopher-Mom: Requiescat in pace, Lauren#links

A List For The Fifth

I really have no idea what this list is going to be about... Call it poor planning on my part (I did have the better part of three weeks - I think - to get ready for this crazy month) but I just ran out of time.

Whatever.

Here goes...

PET PEEVES (in no particular order, because they all equally tick me off)

1. Tardiness - Both on my part, I hate being late. I also HATE it when I have to wait for someone to show up. After all, I took the time to make it there on time, why couldn't you? Now, if you are running late and you know that you are running late, call me! One of the funniest and most irritating things is with the 'Little Flowers' groups that are supposed to start at 7PM, but people don't even START arriving until 7:20, I am not exaggerating.

2. Smacking food - By this I mean sitting there smacking your food and/or gum. In other words, I like to enjoy my meals with some good conversation (no food spilling out of your chops) and quiet chewing. My wife and kids know that this drives me crazy, so when they want to get me going they will smack their lips and become very noisy. Urgh!

3. Gulping Water - Like the eating of food, water and or whatever it is you are drinking, should be quiet. Now how insane am I with this? I even hate it when I can hear myself gulp. No kidding. Send me a Doctor, now.

4. Ignorant People - By this I mean, people that don't know the basics. You would be amazed at how many people are just plain ignorant to basic knowledge points. I mean we all graduated high school, in theory, at the work place. You should have a better knowledge of the world than my seventh grader.

5. Spelling - Oh this one drives me nuts. First off, every computer has some sort of spell check going for it. Use it, it doesn't take long to push a button, right? (Yes, I know that I misspell words, but I try not to, on formal documents like letters or memo's or email's - blogs are okay, for the most part. :) )

6. Incorrect word usage - The word 'like' is an irritating word, when it is used incorrectly. ( you know, like, for sure. He, like really said that I, like, totally, like, rocked his world. Like, you know what I mean?) Irregardless is another. It isn't even a word. Quit using it like it is one. Know your to, too, and two's an why they are different, etc. I am going to post one of these emails I get once a month, that is full of errors like this and worse. The sad part is she either doesn't care, or thinks I am just a Grammar/Spelling Nazi. Sad.

7. Getting interrupted by anyone - This one pertains to a select few people in my life that seem to enjoy flustering me, by asking the dumbest questions at the most inopportune times. Benjy. Okay, that wasn't fair but it applies, especially at this point in time.

8. Someone reading over my shoulder - Yep, B-Man, this one is ALL you! The funny thing is, I know that you know I do not like it, yet you continue to do it. Funny thing is, you probably won't even read this. Is that irony? I'm not sure. :)

9. Misspelling my name - Okay folks out there... It is Roger, not Rodger.

10. Religious ignorance - I get grief about being a Catholic and not a Christian. Excuse me? What Church has been celebrating Jesus' love for the past 2000 years? Oh yeah, that's right, the Catholic Church. Just because I don't follow your local pastor's rules, does not make me less of a Christian than you. Last I checked, all Christian denominations came from Catholicism, some more heretical than others.

11. Invasion of Personal Space - There are a limited few people in the world that I allow in there, and all of them are related to me in some way. Two feet is plenty close enough, I can hear you just fine from there. Heck I think I can hear you better from three feet or more, even. :)

Okay, enough of the Pet Peeves, too negative. I love everyone and wish everyone nothing but the best. As long as you are like three feet away, like okay. :)

Good Night and God Bless!