Recycle, Water and Autism?

I have a 15 year old son who has Autism.  In short, its a neurological issue that interferes with social and commucation issues.  Over the holidays my son had some new things to share with us.

Do you remember at school when you would cut out pictures from old magazines and then paste them on a sheet of paper with a theme?  Well, my son grab all of my old gun magazines and proceeded to cut them up.  I'm taking a guess that he was doing this in school and thought he would do some extra credit work over the holidays.

He then proceeded to cut up my wife's cookbooks.  Food is one of his biggest passions.  I'm guessing that with the guns and the food pictures his collage was about Thanksgiving and shooting a turkey to put on the table.  Needless to say, mom was not very happy.  I was amused, a little.  So if you need any old magazines recycled my boy is your guy.

The other skill my son has mastered over the holidays is pouring out, our Britta water pitcher.  Again, since we have a communication problem, I have guessed that he is mad that their is no more pop (soda, cold drink or coke) in the house and he doesn't want water.  I'm not of a water drinker so I can understand where he is coming from. 

School starts tomorrow and I can't wait to see what the next holiday break will bring.  I for one think he is doing very well at getting his point across.

Macy's Parade

When, I was a kid it was Christmas that couldn't come soon enough.  Now I really look forward to Thanksgiving.  The first thing I do is get a nice steaming hot cup of coffee or coco with marshmallows.  Then I sit in front of the TV and watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade.  While this is going on I'm being assaulted by the wonderful smells of a turkey dinner with all the trimmings.  Then the football!  Three games now!!  Then the meal, the family and then the twilight fog of being fuller than ever.

You probably think that's all pretty normal...well except the parade thing.  I get so much grief for watching the parade.  So, as a healthy macho male, who like guns, girls and gears I will attempt to defend my tradition.  

It starts with my love of old black and white movies.  When I was a kid I grew up with a little 13-inch black and white T.V.  We got three channels and PBS.(I know how did we ever survive?)  So needless to say all my movies were in black and white.  At Christmas time we always looked forward to watching "Its a Wonderful Life" and "Miracle on 34th Street"(If you haven't seen these rent them already.)  In "Miracle" it starts out in New York City at the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade.  As a kid it always fascinated me that it was an actual parade the really took place.  When I was a kid you were told everything you saw on T.V. was fake. (We didn't have reality T.V.)  So one of my many childhood wishes became to attend the Macy's Parade.

Now, I'm not a great fan of parades in general.  I've been to the Rose Bowl Parade, Town parades etc...  They don't interest me at all.  I'm not a fan of clowns, horse droppings or big men in little cars.  Macy's just seems to have a whole different appeal.  Maybe its the comfort factor or the fondness of childhood.  Whatever it is I will be watching.  Okay it's the big balloons crashing into things that I enjoy.  

  

It just keeps coming!

In my household one of my many jobs is to do the laundry.  Laundry is like bills, they or it just keep coming.  Why can't I keep up with the laundry?  Their our only four of us, it can't be that difficult, right?  No matter what I've tried, I never seem to get or break even.

We have a laundry chute.  It's my first one, when I was a kid we did it the old fashion way, dumped it on the floor and let mom pick it up.  So, I'm thinking a chute makes it easier, I don't have to carry all the laundry downstairs.  Well, its easier now for everyone.  They throw clothes down it like they were sinking 3 point shots at a hoop-it up contest.  Sometimes they get it so full, they jam it up.  We don't have anyone small enough to send down it, so we have to use weighted objects like bowling balls or boat anchors.

I only wear one set of clothes a day.  My wife and kids have a three or more a day policy.  I am however a one towel one use guy.  Some people use a towel several times, I just can't get behind that.  A clean towel every shower thank you. (undies also)  Sheets and blankets at least once a week.  These are sane practices I hope.  Even then it shouldn't add up that much, but it does.

The weekend is my catch up time, but important things like football interfere.  Still I try to sneak in loads during timeouts and half-times.  I have completed four loads already by noon and I just heard the chute making a growling sound.  Maybe my kids are sneaking in their friends laundry and my wife is running a fluff and fold on the side.  All I know is that I have more laundry to do...

Vets Rule!

I am not a veteran.  When I was in High School, their were no wars going on.  I did however have to register for the draft.  So, I thought about it.  I even talked to a recruiter.  When I told him I wanted to be an officer and go to college.  He smiled at me and said, "You'll be in for life!"  Well hint to all recruiters don't tell a 17 year old he has to do something for life.  I couldn't get out of there fast enough.  Some of my close friends went into the Marines.  They kept trying to get me to go, and all I could think of was that life sentence.

Now some 20 years later, I wish I had gone in.  I think my life would have been much richer.  Ah! the road less traveled.  What I'm trying to get at is, I have deep respect for our men in uniform.  They truly are real hero's.  Veteran's day is approaching (11-11-11) and I am trying to make people more  aware of this negelected holiday.

I have a very close friend who is on his third tour of duty in the mideast.  I pray for his family and him as well as all the other soldiers that are working at making this world a better place.  I wish I could get across to everyone the sacrifice these families make, the marriages and relationships that suffer and the emoional pain many of our vets go through upon thier return.

I've made it a practice to shake a vets hand when I see one and thank him for his service.  I want to challenge you to do this.  I never understood what it meant untill I shook a vietnam vets hand and thanked him.  He said, "No one has ever thanked me before."  This man was in his sixites.  It shouldn't take that long.  Thank You to all our Veterans and their families!!

Pumpkin Pie - Hot or Cold?

I am thankful for pumpkin pie!  It is one of my top three pies for sure.  It must be served COLD!  Why do I stress that? 

When I married, I married into a warm pumpkin pie family.  I'll never forget that first Thanksgiving at my mother-in-law's.  I had been looking so forward to a nice cold piece of pumpkin pie with a dab of whipped cream on the top.  The perfect ending to a perfect meal!  I bit into my pie, totally unsuspecting the hot mush that enter my mouth.  I almost spat it out over the whole table.  Who in their right mind would serve pumpkin pie warm?  I didn't think that. I said it out loud.  They all looked at me like I was crazy.  We always have it that way I heard their disembodied voices say.  I excused myself and stuck my warm pie into the freezer and then after regaining my senses, apologized.

Since that Thanksgiving we now have a warm pie and a cold pie.  I have converted some of the in-laws to my side, but some still are holding out.  I will continue to preach the importance of a nice cold piece of pie and someday all pumpkin pies will be chilled before they are served, so help me God!

Thanksgiving

I've decided this month to write things I'm thankful for.  I'm starting with friends.  I've been blessed with some of the best friends a guy could want.  In "It's a Wonderful Life" Jimmy Stewart's character becomes the richest man in town, not because of money but because of all his friends.  In that regard, I consider myself very rich.

I wish I could list everyone of them, but this would be to long of a post.  So if you are one of my friends please know how thankful I am for you! 

One quick example of my friends:  We have been friends since childhood.  This story has always stuck in my head about our friendship.  We were in english class and looking at the Magazine "Dynamite"  He poked me in the ribs and he had written on a bald man's head, "Kojak Fan" (T.V. show in the 70's)  It started me laughing out loud.  The teacher of course thought I was laughing at him, so he called me out.  "What's so funny would you like to share with the class?"  Being the rebel I was I replied, "It's not against the law to laugh!"  Well it turns out that it was against classroom law, a whole different beast.  The teacher sentenced me with writing 500 sentences that I would not laugh in english class (shout out to Bart Simpson- I was so ahead of my time)  So my friend says it's his fault and that I shouldn't get in trouble.  So he ends up getting the 500 sentence sentences also.  We called each other back and forth all evening checking to see how far we had gotten.  At that age 500 sentences is alot.  The next day we turned them in and the teacher threw them right in the trash.  So much for my early writing career.

Now my friend could have kept silent but he didn't he took the fall with me and to this day he still is my friend.  I was honored with being best man in his wedding.  Health wise he's not doing so well today, so my thoughts and prayers go out to him and his family.  So today I'm very thankful for my friends and as Kojak used to say, "Who love's ya baby!"

Halloween 3

Well tonight is the big night!  Happy Halloween everyone.  First, old business (read my previous halloween 2 blog)  My wife and her sister searched the house and found a blue rosary and an envolpe with her gold filling.  Now, I'm not sure if that's what the psychics were talking about, but we would have overlooked those two things had it not been for them bringing this to our attention.  I don't know if I'm a true believer yet.  This did lead to allot of discussion on being dead.  Like do you get a period of time to wrap things up, view or appear to your loved ones that are still alive and what are the rules for haunting?  I never bought much into the psychic thing but I'm becoming more open to it after this and some other things that I've seen and heard.

Now for a second story from my youth.  If you are able to secure a mannequin you can do lots of great pranks with it.  The first one is to put in a closet and prop it so that it falls as the doors open.  Remove legs and arms and place under couches, beds etc...  If you live in an apartment or dorm, tie a rope around it and lower in front of someone's window.  If they don't see it right away swing it into the window, but be careful not to break the window.  Finally place it inside facing a street side window during a lighting storm.  When the lighting flashes people will see it just for a second and scream.(this does work I know from personal experience)

Whatever you do to scare people just have fun and enjoy.  If someone scares you don't get angry just enjoy the rush.  Halloween is that one time of year when we can enjoy tricks or treats, speaking of treats, I need to inspect the candy to make sure its edible.  Happy Halloween!(Insert Peanuts Great Pumpkin Music here)

Halloween 2

This is a true Halloween story that just happened.  A relation of mine went to the Stanley Hotel this weekend.  The Stanley is in Estes,Co and is know to be very haunted.  I've been there several times and actually spent part of my honeymoon there(insert your own joke here) 

At the hotel, they give ghost tours to the public.  My relative went on one of these and while on it, became very weak.  She had to sit down, while she was recovering two people on the tour told her that it was urgent they spoke with her after the tour.  These two turned out to be psychics unknown to my relative.  Recently, she lost her mother unexpectantly and they claimed that her mother was contacting them. 

They relayed that she was very happy and wanted to thank her for taking care of the funeral arrangements and etc...Next week they will be having a estate sell of her mothers belongings.  Her mother wanted her to retrieve two objects that she didn't want sold.  A blue bracelet given to her by her long departed husband and a envelope along with a vague idea where they may be.

She then called my wife from Colorado (we live in another state) and told her about what the psychics had said.  My wife and her sister are looking this very moment.  Will they find anything?  This is my cliff hanger!  I will fill you in on the rest on the actual day of Halloween.  If this turns out to be Al Capone's vault I'll tell you another true psychic tale that will raise the hairs on your neck.  Stay tune (insert evil laugh)

Halloween

Happy Halloween!

When I was a young we went to great lengths to scare people.  One of my favorites (which I helped in several times) Was to find a remote park or cemetery. 

We would have at least 3 guys involved.  Guy 1 would drive his date to said park or cemetery to lets just say watch the submarine races. (a Happy Days reference for necking)  Guy 2 would be laying dead near a tree at said meeting point not to far from where Guy1 would park.  He would be laying down covered in blood.(fake blood)  Guy 1 would say to his date 'Look at that, stay here and lock the doors!"  Guy 1 would get out of the car and head towards Guy 2.  Guy 3 (feel free to wear a mask or use a prop ax) would then come out from behind the tree and pretend to kill Guy 1.  While killing him Guy 1 would slip Guy 3 his car keys.  Guy 3 then would walk to the front of the car, where date is screaming, crying etc... but thinking she is safe because the car is locked.  Then Guy 3 would dangle the car keys in front of him.  If you aren't mean you can then end the process here.  If not continue to the car. 

BEWARE - Date may be smart and honk the car horn (shout out to Vicki), mace you or call the cops on her cell phone.(we didn't have cell phones back then)  Also she may not want to date you after you try this.

Soda Kills?

Let me go on record as saying I love pop, soda, coke, cold drink and whatever else you people call it.  I tend to drink two to three cups a day anywhere from 16oz to 32 oz.  I try to always drink diet, but sometimes I'll stray to try a new flavor.

Pop has been blamed for making us fat, keeping us up, giving us gas and now the so called experts are saying it causes violent tendencies in children.

Now this study was done on 1,900 Boston teenagers.  Really!  Now I might be doing a little profiling but aren't Boston teens already know for busting a few heads.  Why didn't they pick on 1,900 kids from Canada (I chose them because they are suppose to be so polite.)  Nearly 43 percent of teens who drank 14 or more cans of soda a week said they carried a weapon at some point, compared with 23 percent of teens who drank less than one can of soda a week.  Nearly 30 percent of the ninth to 12th graders said they drank more than five cans of soda a week.

I'm old school, pop was a treat when I was in High School.  We would get some at grandpa and grandma's due to the fact that they always had 7-Up around to mix with adult beveridges.  My mother would buy it once in awhile usually a 2-liter on sale for 69 cents.  That would have to last the three of us for at least a week, sometimes more.  So were we violent?  Heck Yes!  Back then it was due to all the violent cartoons like Bugs Bunny and Road Runner.  That and the two bowls of sugar we had every Saturday morning.

Video games, sport stars (who aren't role models) and T.V. are other things the so called experts have blamed.  They will always find something to blame it on but the real reason...Teenagers are just nuts - now thats some research I can get behind!

Ice Ice Baby!

You probably have heard this joke "Why can't they make ice at the University of Iowa?...  They lost the recipe!  (Sorry IA, I used to use Oklahoma, but we are in the Big Ten now and you are a rival.) 

I'm sitting here chewing on ice from Sonic Drive-In.  I don't know if you have a Sonic near you or if you have ever tried their ice, but if you haven't and you like ice - GO NOW!

I have to have ice.  I think because my body is always hot, if I don't put ice in it, I will burst into flames... really!  So, I have tried all kinds of ice from California to South Africa.  Sonic ice is like crack or maybe meth.  I haven't tried crack or meth but it is very addictive.

I have very sensitive teeth, just ask my dentist.  I have to use gas just to have the hygienist clean my teeth.  Yet I will chew a whole glass of Sonic ice.

Know I'm am not being paid by Sonic as a spokesman.  I'm kinda mad at them I used to have one very close to me and they shut down.  Its a Godfathers now. (Might of been a mob thing, not sure?)  I have to go way out of my normal route to score a bag now.

So my friends at the University of Iowa stop off and by some ice at Sonic until you find that recipe.  Who would have ever thought we would be buying bottled water and ice... Another topic another day.
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Happy Days

My wife and I like to play a game, where we get each other stuck on a song that we sing for the rest of the day.  I call it "Song Inception."  (please suggest other titles if you play)  Todays song was Happy Days. You know: 
Sunday, Monday, Happy Days.
Tuesday, Wednesday, Happy Days.
Thursday, Friday, Happy Days.
The weekend comes,
My cycle hums,
Ready to race to you.

(For the younger kids this was a theme song to a popular T.V. show about the fifties.)

We don't limit it to just T.V. theme songs, it can be anything from popular music to commercial jingles like "I'm a Pepper, your a Pepper wouldn't you like to be a Pepper too?"

Well feel free to play with anyone you want and hopefully I've just planted a song in your head you will be singing today.  (Insert evil laugh)

Garage Sales

One man's junk is another man's treasure.  This really applies when you are selling all the junk you don't want to some poor sucker who will sell it in his garage a year from now.

Today was our garage sale.  I swore I would never get roped into this again, but here I am on a nice fall football day letting complete strangers into my garage.

This garage sale thing is a real love -hate thing.  I love selling my junk, but hate getting it ready to sell.  I love to go to other peoples garage's and look at their junk, but hate sitting all morning in my garage when I could be in your garage.

I was lucky this time, my wife thought I was being to friendly (Husker Football talk) so I was banished to my Man Cave which is just an upgraded garage and no none of my man cave junk is for sale!

Inspired!

This is my very first blog so lets get the legal stuff out of the way.  I'm not a trained writer, wordsmith, or journalist.  So when and I do mean when I butcher the English language, spelling, structure and grammar I don't want to hear about it because I just warned you I would do it.

So how was that inspiring?  It wasn't!  What inspired me to do this was my daughter-in-law's blog.  Which is http://justcallmege.blogspot.com/  please read it because its much better than mine. 

So why should anyone read this blog?  Well I will try to be entertaining and I hope it will be something for me to look back on and go "What the heck were you thinking?" you know when I'm old.

So thanks for the inspiration Ge!  I just hope the rest of the world is ready?