1. We finally got some cold weather in New York City, which meant it was time to trot out the old "real feel" temperature. "It's 18 degrees outside, but with the wind chill, the "real feel" is minus 74!!!
As much as I mock on that as just a way to hype the weather, I think this technique can be applied to kids. "My wife and I are raising 4 kids...but with the "all under the age of 8" factor, the "real feel" is like raising 7 kids!"
2. Favorite orange soda brand: Fanta.
I've always like Sunkist, but the caffeine in it (yes, it has caffeine) knocks it out. Minute Maid orange (not sure if it's still made) is high on the list. And the relatively new Tropicana Twister Orange soda (not the pseudo-juice products) isn't all that bad. But Orange Slice was the worst.
3. Does anyone else have a phobia of eating food in front of others? I realized I have a food phobia when I was asked to choose a sandwich to order for a client lunch. I chose tuna on a croissant because it's soft and easy to chew. Can't stand trying to be like a savage and rip apart a crusty-style bread that is topping meat that must be ripped apart.
But beyond that, I hate to ruin the pleasant experience of eating by worrying about the niceties that you must put on when eating in front of company. Granted, everyone knows from looking at me that I'm not a major eater. But I like to eat. It's enjoyable. But it loses any pleasure if I have to share a meal with someone I don't particularly like.
4. I also have "overhead bin" phobia. That's the fear of delaying the plane because my bag won't fit in the overhead bin. It's shared space, and jockeying for space up there just makes me nervous. I can count on three fingers the number of times I've used overhead space on a flight when I was flying on my own.
5. Oh, we bought a new house this week. GULP!
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Random Items
Life has gotten a bit crazy, and will continue for a few weeks, so I may not have the most amazing posts of all time in the next few Sundays, but I resolve to at least write SOMETHING to say hello. So keep visiting!
1. For those of you who may be trying to teach the New Testament to your kids this year in FHE, here's a topic guide that we used over the course of 7 weeks last year that worked nicely:
week 1: Jesus' baptism, 40 day fast, calling Apostles
week 2: Sermon on Mount
week 3: Miracles (spotlighted 3 or 4)
week 4: Parables (spotlighted 3 or 4)
week 5: Raising from the dead (2 stories)
week 6 : Last Supper and Sacrament
week 7: Crucifixion and Resurrection
2. In reference to my posting last week about shows I want on DVD, it turns out my friend Mark in Salt Lake City works at a company that will be putting Hawaii Five-O onto DVD this spring. Get your credit card out and BOOK IT DANO.
3. How long must the flags be at half staff for President Ford's funeral? Doesn't it seem like that was forever ago?
4. Why does New Jersey (and Oregon) require you to utilize full-service gas stations? It's the law...you can't pump your own gas in those states. I was out in NJ this Friday and had to refuel a rental car, but decided to forget it as it's so much slower to have to use an attendent. I can refuel in 38 seconds...so what benefit is there for me to wait for slow-poke attendent to do it for me? Stupid! Like it's unsafe to pump your own gas. 48 states can't be wrong!
5. Many of you have heard me say it before, but my definition of an optimist is a parent of young children who still sets his alarm clock at night. This week has proven that, with a couple of 3 a.m. and 4:15 a.m. child awakenings.
See you next Sunday.
Mark
1. For those of you who may be trying to teach the New Testament to your kids this year in FHE, here's a topic guide that we used over the course of 7 weeks last year that worked nicely:
week 1: Jesus' baptism, 40 day fast, calling Apostles
week 2: Sermon on Mount
week 3: Miracles (spotlighted 3 or 4)
week 4: Parables (spotlighted 3 or 4)
week 5: Raising from the dead (2 stories)
week 6 : Last Supper and Sacrament
week 7: Crucifixion and Resurrection
2. In reference to my posting last week about shows I want on DVD, it turns out my friend Mark in Salt Lake City works at a company that will be putting Hawaii Five-O onto DVD this spring. Get your credit card out and BOOK IT DANO.
3. How long must the flags be at half staff for President Ford's funeral? Doesn't it seem like that was forever ago?
4. Why does New Jersey (and Oregon) require you to utilize full-service gas stations? It's the law...you can't pump your own gas in those states. I was out in NJ this Friday and had to refuel a rental car, but decided to forget it as it's so much slower to have to use an attendent. I can refuel in 38 seconds...so what benefit is there for me to wait for slow-poke attendent to do it for me? Stupid! Like it's unsafe to pump your own gas. 48 states can't be wrong!
5. Many of you have heard me say it before, but my definition of an optimist is a parent of young children who still sets his alarm clock at night. This week has proven that, with a couple of 3 a.m. and 4:15 a.m. child awakenings.
See you next Sunday.
Mark
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Product Review: Baseball Game for Dad & Son
Harry's Grand Slam Baseball is a home run! I found it in a catalog featuring classic games and ordered it for Josh for Christmas from Out of the Box Games. It's about $15 and can be ordered online (see link).
http://www.otb-games.com/grandslam/index.html
It's a great, simple replication of a real baseball game that can be played in 15 to 20 minutes. It's easy to grasp and has just enough "managerial" elements to make it more than just about chance and luck. Most fun twist: you can opt to take a chance and play a special card that represents either a pinch hitter or relief pitcher...but there's no guarantee or improved odds that the card will deliver what you need. But in a pinch, it's a worthwhile gamble.
Josh and I play it literally every night before bedtime. It's the perfect Dad/Son game to end the evening. I'd say it's great for boys who already have an interest in baseball and grasp most of the rules and little nuances of the game ... probably ages 1st to 3rd grade is the sweet spot.
In No Particular Order...
Thoughts from the past week...
1. Very good football weekend...my preferred teams won 3 of the 4 games (San Diego losing was the one dark spot). The four potential Super Bowl match-ups are: a) "The Midwest Bowl" (Chicago vs. Indy) b) "Super Bowl 20 -- the sequel" (Chicago vs. New England) c) "The First Timers' Bowl" (New Orleans vs. Indy), or d) "The New Bowl" (New Orleans vs. New England). My preference: A (go Bears) or C (go Saints)
2. I did a quick overnight trip to San Francisco this week. I was reminded that San Francisco homeless are MUCH more agressive than New York City homeless. Overall, NYC may not be known for our friendliness, but New York City homeless are definitely friendlier than those in SF (and Washington, for that matter).
3. Why do pilots feel obligated to share the temperature of your destination in Celsius? What's more, they often seem to say "Centigrade" instead of "Celsius". Are there that many metric nuts who fly and demand it? Seems like metric fanatics probably automatically convert from F to C in their heads anyway, so this feels unnecessary.
4. I want the new i-Phone from Apple that was announced this week.
5. I saw something the other day that DVDs have officially surpassed videotape in terms of number of households of something, something (don't remember the specific). But as a fellow Dad of young kids pointed out to me, videotapes actually rock vs. DVDs when young kids are in the homes. How many times do I try to run a kids' DVD only to find one of the kids has ruined it by placing their syrup-laced fingers all over it. (I even saw Matty licking a Thomas DVD once, which didn't help its playability). And the scratches they collect... But stick in an old-fashioned videotape and you've got 30 minutes of no worries. If you have (or will have) young kids, keep the videotapes.
6. Perhaps it's a sad commentary on my work/life balance (the theme of the movie), but I found Adam Sandler's "Click" to be very motivational. (Kathryn and I watched it last night). I'd heard bad reviews, but I'd give it a solid 3 out of 4 stars. A tad too many "S" words, but Click is a quality flick.
7. TV shows that I wish were on DVD: Hawaii Five-O, Family Ties, Wonder Years, Night Court, WKRP in Cincinnati, and Alice. I have the Dukes of Hazzard (season 1) if anyone wants to borrow.
8. If the Beastie Boys decided to do kids' songs in their later years, I know what their first big hit would be: "You've Got to Fight....For Your Right....to POTT-Y!"
See you next week.
Mark
1. Very good football weekend...my preferred teams won 3 of the 4 games (San Diego losing was the one dark spot). The four potential Super Bowl match-ups are: a) "The Midwest Bowl" (Chicago vs. Indy) b) "Super Bowl 20 -- the sequel" (Chicago vs. New England) c) "The First Timers' Bowl" (New Orleans vs. Indy), or d) "The New Bowl" (New Orleans vs. New England). My preference: A (go Bears) or C (go Saints)
2. I did a quick overnight trip to San Francisco this week. I was reminded that San Francisco homeless are MUCH more agressive than New York City homeless. Overall, NYC may not be known for our friendliness, but New York City homeless are definitely friendlier than those in SF (and Washington, for that matter).
3. Why do pilots feel obligated to share the temperature of your destination in Celsius? What's more, they often seem to say "Centigrade" instead of "Celsius". Are there that many metric nuts who fly and demand it? Seems like metric fanatics probably automatically convert from F to C in their heads anyway, so this feels unnecessary.
4. I want the new i-Phone from Apple that was announced this week.
5. I saw something the other day that DVDs have officially surpassed videotape in terms of number of households of something, something (don't remember the specific). But as a fellow Dad of young kids pointed out to me, videotapes actually rock vs. DVDs when young kids are in the homes. How many times do I try to run a kids' DVD only to find one of the kids has ruined it by placing their syrup-laced fingers all over it. (I even saw Matty licking a Thomas DVD once, which didn't help its playability). And the scratches they collect... But stick in an old-fashioned videotape and you've got 30 minutes of no worries. If you have (or will have) young kids, keep the videotapes.
6. Perhaps it's a sad commentary on my work/life balance (the theme of the movie), but I found Adam Sandler's "Click" to be very motivational. (Kathryn and I watched it last night). I'd heard bad reviews, but I'd give it a solid 3 out of 4 stars. A tad too many "S" words, but Click is a quality flick.
7. TV shows that I wish were on DVD: Hawaii Five-O, Family Ties, Wonder Years, Night Court, WKRP in Cincinnati, and Alice. I have the Dukes of Hazzard (season 1) if anyone wants to borrow.
8. If the Beastie Boys decided to do kids' songs in their later years, I know what their first big hit would be: "You've Got to Fight....For Your Right....to POTT-Y!"
See you next week.
Mark
Sunday, January 7, 2007
Soothing "Soul Music"
When Samuel, our youngest, was only a few months old, I would sometimes struggle to get him to fall asleep when Mommy was out for the evening. But I found a trick that worked. I found if I just hold him at the piano and play some church hymns with one hand (while holding him in the other), he would often be soothed to sleep.
We were fortunate enough to inherit Kathryn's grandma's piano when she died a few years ago, so I kind of feel like the piano is a way for Sammy's great grandmother to sing him a lullaby from beyond the grave.
We were fortunate enough to inherit Kathryn's grandma's piano when she died a few years ago, so I kind of feel like the piano is a way for Sammy's great grandmother to sing him a lullaby from beyond the grave.
Saturday, January 6, 2007
Doors
What is the proper etiquette for holding doors for people who are a few steps behind you? If they're one or two steps behind, then it's certainly appropriate to hold the door for them. But what about those who are three to ten steps behind?
When I go to the train each morning, I have to cross a bridge over the train tracks that has two sets of doors. Commuters who are 10 to 15 steps ahead of me feel obligated to hold the door for me, so then I feel like I need to hasten my pace as they're just standing there waiting for me to pass through the door. It happens in my office, too, when I go to our East End that has its own set of doors. (For the record, I'm not much of a door holder...if they're not right behind me, I don't feel the need to hold the door...call me rude; I prefer to call me a time-saver).
In the morning, when I get to the elevator bank at my office building, I'm not overly anxious to "hold the door" for someone running to catch a ride on my elevator. It's not like there won't be another elevator in 13 seconds. So as to not appear rude, I most often make a move toward the elevator key pad, but instead of pushing the "open door", I push the "close door" button. If I ever get caught, I simply that I panicked and hit the wrong button.
Lest you think I'm completely rude, I do allow others to enter the revolving door at my building before I do. Of course, that's not as gallant as you may think: I like someone else to be the 'lead horse' so I don't have to push as hard on the door and I can simply "draft" on their effort. While allowing others to enter a revolving door first does cost me time, it saves me strength, which is a valuable trade off.
I'm interested in your protocol for holding doors for folks who are a few paces behind you.
When I go to the train each morning, I have to cross a bridge over the train tracks that has two sets of doors. Commuters who are 10 to 15 steps ahead of me feel obligated to hold the door for me, so then I feel like I need to hasten my pace as they're just standing there waiting for me to pass through the door. It happens in my office, too, when I go to our East End that has its own set of doors. (For the record, I'm not much of a door holder...if they're not right behind me, I don't feel the need to hold the door...call me rude; I prefer to call me a time-saver).
In the morning, when I get to the elevator bank at my office building, I'm not overly anxious to "hold the door" for someone running to catch a ride on my elevator. It's not like there won't be another elevator in 13 seconds. So as to not appear rude, I most often make a move toward the elevator key pad, but instead of pushing the "open door", I push the "close door" button. If I ever get caught, I simply that I panicked and hit the wrong button.
Lest you think I'm completely rude, I do allow others to enter the revolving door at my building before I do. Of course, that's not as gallant as you may think: I like someone else to be the 'lead horse' so I don't have to push as hard on the door and I can simply "draft" on their effort. While allowing others to enter a revolving door first does cost me time, it saves me strength, which is a valuable trade off.
I'm interested in your protocol for holding doors for folks who are a few paces behind you.
Tuesday, January 2, 2007
Say Farewell to the Best "Calendar" til 2017
2006 was a great year. Sadly, it won't be repeated until 2017.
There are seven "calendar templates": one where the year starts on a Sun., one where it starts on a Mon., etc. And last year's was the best of the bunch.
What's the criteria? The layout of the holidays that are not pre-assigned to Mondays -- which, specifically means July 4th, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.
In 2006, we had July 4th on a Tuesday, ensuring it was a 4-day weekend instead of a 3-day holiday. (That works great for our annual July 4th vacation to San Diego). Thanksgiving landed on the second-to-earliest date possible for that holiday, which means a longer Christmas season (I like having a week before Dec. 1 to get ready for the holidays so that all is in order when the calendar flips to the last month of the year). And Christmas was on a Monday, which is simply the best day for Christmas as you get a spiritual Christmas Eve by attending Church on Sunday, and then since I get two days off for Christmas, you have the day after Christmas to recover before going back to work.
Christmas is on Tuesday in 2007, which is pretty good, but July 4th is a Wednesday, which is just a lousy day for a holiday, so that impacts the year's overall rating.
Fortunately, leap year means we skip having Christmas on a Wednesday in 2008 (which would have occurred sans leap year). That's good as Wednesday Christmases don't work well. But leap year means we have another Sunday Christmas in 2011 and then skip to a Tuesday Christmas in 2012.
So when we bid adieu to 2006, we bid adieu to Monday Christmases for 11 years. Bah Humbug!
There are seven "calendar templates": one where the year starts on a Sun., one where it starts on a Mon., etc. And last year's was the best of the bunch.
What's the criteria? The layout of the holidays that are not pre-assigned to Mondays -- which, specifically means July 4th, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.
In 2006, we had July 4th on a Tuesday, ensuring it was a 4-day weekend instead of a 3-day holiday. (That works great for our annual July 4th vacation to San Diego). Thanksgiving landed on the second-to-earliest date possible for that holiday, which means a longer Christmas season (I like having a week before Dec. 1 to get ready for the holidays so that all is in order when the calendar flips to the last month of the year). And Christmas was on a Monday, which is simply the best day for Christmas as you get a spiritual Christmas Eve by attending Church on Sunday, and then since I get two days off for Christmas, you have the day after Christmas to recover before going back to work.
Christmas is on Tuesday in 2007, which is pretty good, but July 4th is a Wednesday, which is just a lousy day for a holiday, so that impacts the year's overall rating.
Fortunately, leap year means we skip having Christmas on a Wednesday in 2008 (which would have occurred sans leap year). That's good as Wednesday Christmases don't work well. But leap year means we have another Sunday Christmas in 2011 and then skip to a Tuesday Christmas in 2012.
So when we bid adieu to 2006, we bid adieu to Monday Christmases for 11 years. Bah Humbug!
Family Christmas Newsletter Becomes a Blog!
One resolution down, 149 to go.
It's only Jan. 2, and I've completed my goal to start a blog this year.
For the past 12 years, I've thought of all these funny things to say, but have had to limit them to my annual two-page Family Christmas Newsletter. The result is some content gets cut due to size restrictions, while other funny witicisms get forgotten throughout the course of the year. And as I've gone from writing a newsletter that represents just my adventures in NYC to one that must highlight my wife and the four kids, some of the content gets edited (and occasionally censored) to match the growing audience of readers.
In writing the 2006 newsletter, I frankly felt like I didn't "leave it all on the field" in terms of reaching my full humor potential. (Apparently some felt the same way as two folks -- who have now been removed from my Christmas card mailing list -- made a point of telling me that "it wasn't as funny as last year's." Didn't realize my letters were ranked each year.) But I feel I can improve on this year's effort...and this is the forum to capture all those quips that I thought about just after sticking the 125 or so cards into the mailbox.
I can't promise that I'll write as often as I want to -- but I do promise that readers who check back once a week will find fresh material posted each Sunday night.
And I welcome comments and feedback...just be kind as I don't want to pare down my Christmas card mailing list any further. Merry Christmas!!!
It's only Jan. 2, and I've completed my goal to start a blog this year.
For the past 12 years, I've thought of all these funny things to say, but have had to limit them to my annual two-page Family Christmas Newsletter. The result is some content gets cut due to size restrictions, while other funny witicisms get forgotten throughout the course of the year. And as I've gone from writing a newsletter that represents just my adventures in NYC to one that must highlight my wife and the four kids, some of the content gets edited (and occasionally censored) to match the growing audience of readers.
In writing the 2006 newsletter, I frankly felt like I didn't "leave it all on the field" in terms of reaching my full humor potential. (Apparently some felt the same way as two folks -- who have now been removed from my Christmas card mailing list -- made a point of telling me that "it wasn't as funny as last year's." Didn't realize my letters were ranked each year.) But I feel I can improve on this year's effort...and this is the forum to capture all those quips that I thought about just after sticking the 125 or so cards into the mailbox.
I can't promise that I'll write as often as I want to -- but I do promise that readers who check back once a week will find fresh material posted each Sunday night.
And I welcome comments and feedback...just be kind as I don't want to pare down my Christmas card mailing list any further. Merry Christmas!!!
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