March 30: Storytelling

I mentioned in yesterday's blog entry that my daughter was celebrating her birthday in her school classroom today. As part of that celebration, my wife and I were able to bring the treats into the classroom, help her hand them out, and take them around to various locations within the school - main office, library, and Asst. Principal's office - to share them with the folks in those areas. I was also lucky enough to be able to read a story, of my daughter's choice, to the entire class. While I was very excited for this storytelling opportunity and to see the joy in my daughter's smile, there is also some irony in this situation. See, at one time I wanted to be a Teacher. I think I would have been a good one, too! Anyway, my daughter selected one of her favorites that we read here at home, "The Gruffalo". It focuses on a mouse's encounters with a fox, owl, snake, and, eventually, a big creature called...you guessed it, a Gruffalo. Both she and her brother love the story because I make up voices for each of the characters. Before I dropped her off at school this morning, my daughter made me promise I would do the voices when I read the story to her class. And, I did. I admit, sitting in front of 24 little people whose full attention was solely on me for 15 minutes or so was a bit intimidating; but I got over it once we were a few pages into the book. When we got back home after school, I asked my daughter how I did reading the story; you know, the voices and all. She said I did good...then she smiled her big, beautiful smile.

March 29: Dirt Cups

My daughter's birthday is fast approaching. And, of course, with birthdays come school celebrations. This will be the first year my daughter's birthday will be a "formal" event in her classroom. Her actual birthday is next week, however due to Spring Break, the classroom celebration will occur tomorrow. As a result, tonight's post-dinner activities consisted of my wife and I preparing the traditional birthday treat while trying to continually assign tasks for the kids in an effort to keep their hands out of the snack as we were making it. We gave my daughter the reins to choose the treat she wanted to take in and share with her classmates...anything she wanted! My wife lobbied for fresh fruit cups - something healthy for the kids, as was originally suggested by the Teacher. Of course, my response was "what kid wants a fruit cup for a birthday snack?". I could just see my daughter carrying that label all the way through graduation. Thus, fruit cups didn't make the cut. I guess the classroom has been witness to a lot of cakes and cookies over the past few months, as I could feel my daughter wanting to push the limits and go down a different road with her selection. And that she did: Dirt Cups. You know, pudding in the bottom, crumbled Oreos on top and gummy worms buried within the confectionery "earth". It was a surprising choice, but an attainable one. We were just relieved she didn't ask for "The Princess and the Frog" cake. Now, my "baking" experience consists of helping my wife whip up the Christmas sweets each holiday; with my specialty being hard candy. Until tonight, I've never made Dirt Cups of any sort (although I have eaten them before). Under my wife's guidance (and a lot of assistance) I found the recipe to be relatively easy - mix the Jell-O pudding packets with a little milk, stir in the Cool Whip, pour into individual cups, top with crumbled Oreo cookies and insert the gummy worms. They turned out pretty well in my humble opinion. Who knows, maybe I have a new career ahead of me - "Sweet Tooth Scott's Cakes, Candies, Cookies and Dirt Cups". Has a nice ring to it doesn't it?

March 28: The Beagles

If only I were going to be writing about 4 dogs from Liverpool that could produce a multitude of #1 songs! I'm not, of course. That would be ludicrous. But, we did have a pair of regular old beagles visit us today. An unplanned visit, but what the heck we rolled with it. The family had just sat down to begin dinner when, out of the corner of my eye, I spotted something moving through the backyard. Upon a closer look, I realized they were beagles sniffing around the yard and heading East...right towards Schoenherr. For those of you who may not know, Schoenherr is a rather busy road all day, every day. And, the combination of stray dogs and speeding vehicles does not usually result in a happy ending. So I went out on the patio and attempted to call them over. First using only a whistle, sweet talk and my charming disposition towards canines. Eventually, however, I had to get food involved. These two were tough cookies as they didn't even blink when offered dog treats, rather it took a slice of ham to finally capture their interest. I used it to lure them into the dog pen. Unfortunately, the fence doesn't reach the ground at the bottom and both dogs proceeded to crawl underneath. Plan B! I brought both dogs into the house, locked them up in the laundry room and called the number on one of the dog's tag. Of course, the number is unlisted and we got the messaging system. After leaving a message, I phoned the local authorities to see if they could take them off our hands. Unfortunately, the dispatcher could not guarantee that the local Humane Society would continue calling the number on the tag and we certainly didn't want the dog's to meet their fate after just essentially rescuing them. And, we did not have a Plan C at this time; though my wife was committed to holding the dogs until someone returned our call. While trying to still enjoy dinner while our dog barked at the laundry room door and the two beagles howled back, my wife remembered a house we pass on the way to my daughter's school that always has beagles in the backyard. Could these be those same beagles? I didn't know but I was sure as hell going to find out...and fast! The thought of listening to that howling throughout the night was not appealing one bit. Now, this isn't the first time I've helped dogs find their way back home. I learned from the best. As a kid, my Mom was always welcoming in strays, and I usually was right there assisting her. But, this was the first time I'd ever gone so far as to get in my car and follow a potential lead directly to the possible owner. I didn't even know what I was going to do once arriving at this particular house! Luckily, as I was pulling up to the address my wife phoned me to let me know that the owner called back and was on his way to our house to get the dogs. So I did a quick U-turn and headed back home just in time to meet the owner in the driveway. In the end, the dogs found their way home, the owner could rest easy having them back, and my family could get some sound sleep minus beagles howling into the wee hours of the morn.

March 27: MonsterOpoly

I know some of my buddies out there are going to like this one because they're still just as much a "child" in spirit as I am. And who doesn't like a game that's sole focus is on monsters? It all started this afternoon at Brilliant Sky toy store. For those of you who haven't been to the store in Rochester yet, I highly recommend the experience for the entire family. A lot of unique toys made by not-so-well-known manufacturers of toys. And, great service too! That alone makes it a different experience from most other toy stores out there. We were there to pick up a birthday gift that we had put on hold. As the associates were cordially wrapping the gift, I took my son around the store (my daughter had been there before with my wife) and that's when I stumbled upon MonsterOpoly - "A Property Trading Game of Lovable Little Monsters". We're a big game family. Among are favorites: Cranium Cariboo, Memory, Hungry Hungry Hippos, Don't Break the Ice; as well as the classic Candy Land and Chutes and Ladders. And now, MonsterOpoly. Yes, after returning home following a few additional stops, we broke out the game and had a go at it! It's a great game. It follows the Monopoly concept, but instead of money you acquire and spend Goosebumps. Rather than the traditional houses and hotels, you secure your monster property with similar pieces called Screams. And, of course, there's all the different monsters to keep everyone entertained. Not only did the kids hoot and holler while playing, but they also seemed to see otherwise scary monsters (e.g. The Boogie Man) in a humorous light due to the funny and whimsical manner in which the monsters are portrayed in the game. Instead of frightening, they are goofy and harmless. We must have played for two hours before my son lost all of his Goosebumps thereby ending the game and awarding my wife the victory as a result of her having more Goosebumps than me or my daughter. But, now that they have the concept of gameplay under their belts, I expect the kids to come back stronger the next time.

March 26: New Family Members

I think I mentioned in previous entries that my family inherited my Mom and Dad's fish tank upon their passing almost 2 years ago. I also wrote that we lost our biggest tank inhabitant, Stud, a short while ago, leaving us with 3 small fish in a rather large tank. We've gone back and forth about what we should do at this point - buy more fish, just wait for the three to pass and then give away the tank, or a number of other options. And, I'm torn. On one hand, the tank is a pain in the hind end to clean every month; at least to clean it the way my folks used to and the only way I now know how. But, on the other hand, I think about how many years my Mom and Dad continued that same routine and part of me feels like I owe it to them to maintain the tank until it's no longer usable (if that's even possible). Of course, the latter had a definite edge and, of course, won out in the end. So, tonight, the entire family went to Petsmart and, for the first time in my life, I bought more than just the usual dog food, cat food and litter. I bought some new fish! Yes, 6 new fish to be exact. First, we bought a little "Stud" to keep the memory of original big guy in the tank. However, the type of Pleco we bought is one that will grow no larger than 5" - a little different from the 1.5-footer that used to swim these waters. Secondly, we bought a pair of Black Mollies. And, finally, we bought a trio of Guppies, though I'm not sure of the specific kind. It was cool, as the kids were geeked about releasing the newbies from their travel bags into the confines of their new aquatic residence. Not me, I was stressed the little buggers were going to leap from the bag on to the floor where the cat would find itself an evening snack. Fortunately, everything went as planned and our newest family members are settling in nicely.

March 25: The Oracle of Bacon

There is a sort of pop-culture game out there, which many of you may have heard of or even played, called "The Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon"; affectionately named after the widely-known actor. The concept is, because Kevin Bacon himself seems to have starred or appeared in every movie under the sun (see for yourself here), to select another actor/actress and try to connect the two from a film history perspective as quickly, and in as few matches, as possible. For example, Johnny Depp. I could say Johnny Depp was in "Ed Wood" with Sarah Jessica Parker who was in "Footloose" with Kevin Bacon. So, it took me two matches to connect Depp to Bacon. Obviously, the more obscure the actor/actress, the more difficult to match that individual to Kevin Bacon. Today, while mindlessly browsing the Internet as a break from reality, I came across a very unique website that was created I suppose to assist one in his efforts to master the Bacon game. It's called The Oracle of Bacon. It enables you to enter a name of any actor/actress, then automatically provides the matches that will connect the two. If you don't like the initial match, there's also a button which you can click to see an alternative match. The site also gives each actor/actress a Bacon number that indicates how many matches it took to connect that person to Kevin Bacon. For example, the Johnny Depp scenario above would have a Bacon number of 2. Anyway, nothing groundbreaking about it, but something new nonetheless. If you have some time to kill and a computer handy it might be worth checking out for a few minutes.

March 24: Wi-Fi

Everyone has an escape from life. And, it's a good thing. Just consider what you would be like if you were confined only to life's daily routines - your job, making dinner, doing laundry, maintaining the house, etc - without a reality break for a while. I know I would slowly become insane; a mere shadow of my former self. For me, thankfully, there are fantasy sports. My ticket to escape...and a chance to play Owner/General Manager/Coach all in one shot. Now, I'm no longer as addicted as I used to be. You know, before I went to see Dr. Drew. I jest, but truth is I used to participate in every fantasy sport out there. Now, I'm down to primarily two: fantasy football and fantasy baseball. Tonight was my fantasy baseball draft, as we're just 2 short weeks from MLB Opening Day. The fantasy baseball draft is usually pretty low key; me, a computer and the silence of the house as the rest of the family has already gone to bed. Nothing like the formal gathering of all owners for our ongoing fantasy football league that involves food, beer and good company. That one we do for money, though. Baseball is just a free league on Yahoo!. But, this year, I switched things up a bit. Me and my buddy, Nick, decided to head up to Roosevelt's and do the draft online from there. It seemed the perfect environment, what with sports on TV and beer and food at our fingertips. This was also the first opportunity I've had to use Wi-Fi, which Roosevelt's offers at no charge. I've never had a laptop with which to participate in such lavish complimentary services outside of home or office. Upon arriving at the restaurant, we saddled right up to the bar, by an outlet in order to plug in, and jumped online. Honestly, I was a little nervous as I had no idea what the process is for using Wi-Fi. Turns out, it's as simple as tying your shoes. Basically, select your network, select Public and away you go! Unfortunately, that was the most luck I had the rest of the night as my draft results were far from what I had hoped. At least it's not going to cost me anything.

March 23: OWater

God love my wife. She's always making sure our family does all the things we should in order to stay healthy. Most of the food we eat is now organic; specifically fruits and veggies, but now even milk! She keeps us informed on the latest news regarding the effects of certain foods on the human body. And, she continually stresses fitness as a top priority for all us so that we're around for a long time. She does all this out of love, of course. My wife also likes to try new "healthy" brands and products, and, unfortunately, I'm always selected to participate in those trials, as well. Sometimes it's a good thing, sometimes not so much. Beverages I can do better than foods. Not sure why, but most "healthy" beverages are some form of water, whereas food expands into other, stranger categories. In fact, my wife has hooked me on LaCroix Pure Sparkling Water. I like all of the flavors, but the Cran-Raspberry is my fav. Thus, when my wife brought me home a bottle of OWater the other day, I wasn't too concerned about trying it. Okay, so it did sit in the fridge for a few days...but, hey, I forgot it was in there! Anyway, it was Mandarin Orange flavor and today I decided to give it a whirl. Not bad, but slightly different from the LaCroix of which I've grown so fond. It's consistency is just water, whereas the LaCroix has more of a fizz-feel to it (I know, hence the "sparkling" in the product name). When I drink LaCroix I don't feel like I've just gone to the sink and filled up a glass from the tap, which is exactly how I felt with my OWater. I think I'm going to stick with what I know going forward on this one, but, honey, if you're reading this, keep the food trials coming. I'm kind of starting to like it, as I figure even if the experience is bad, I'll continue to have something to write about here.

March 22: "Year One"

Have you ever come across one of those movies on TV that, for some unknown reason, just intrigues you? Even though you've never seen it before. Picture this: it's late in the evening, you're surfing the various cable movie channels before signing off for bed, and you just happen to catch the opening credits. So, you watch a few minutes. Then a few minutes more. And soon you're hooked! The next thing you know, it's 1 am and you've wasted 2 hours of your life; time you'll never get back which you could have better spent snoozing under the covers of your bed. This evening, while I was catching up on the blog entries I neglected over vacation, I came across the beginning of "Year One", a comedy starring Jack Black and Michael Cera. I'm a fan of both actors, so I watched a few minutes. Then a few minutes more. And soon I was hooked! The storyline centers around two tribe members during year one of our history. Zed (Black) is banished from the tribe, while Oh (Cera) follows along to find his own place as a result of being sort of an outcast within the tribe. Along their travels, they meet Cain and Abel on a fateful day, stop Abraham from killing Isaac, become slaves, and journey to the city of Sodom, where their tribe is now enslaved, and plot to rescue them; specifically two female tribe members who originally caught their eye. The humor is silly, often crude, so of course I found it entertaining; even laughed out loud on a couple of occasions. If you're looking for mindless comedy some Saturday night, it's not a bad choice off the Blockbuster shelves. Better yet, save yourself the cash and browse the guide on your local cable. It's currently playing on one of the non-premium movie channels.

March 21: One For the Shelves

A short while back, I blogged that I had started reading "Idiot" by Johnny Damon. In that entry, I committed to continue the book if the Tigers in fact won the Damon sweepstakes and signed him. Well, we all know the history on that one. So, staying true to my word, I forged ahead. I'm proud to say that this evening I completed "Idiot", and in just over one month's time; a new reading record for yours truly! This is also the first novel I've read in its entirety since the second Harry Potter book, which I likely completed sometime between 2001 and 2004 if my memory serves me correctly. That's a long time between books.

March 20: Ana Maria Island and a New Wallet

Our flight departed Tampa this afternoon around 4:20 pm bound nonstop for Michigan. Before leaving we had a delicious, very-filling breakfast at the Blue Dolphin Cafe on Longboat Key. They have two locations right there on the gulf, the other being in St. Armand's Circle. I highly recommend the Crab Eggs Benedict if you're ever in the area. From there, we drifted down the key and eventually discovered Ana Maria Island. We had passed through several times in the past, but never stopped. Since we had an hour or so to kill, we decided to browse the local shops. Turns out this is one of the coolest places I've ever visited in Florida! And, I have to say, I'm fairly experienced as a Florida visitor. As a kid, my family used to come down to Florida every year to see my grandparents. During those trips, we'd visited Fort Myers, Tampa, Zephyrhills, Sanibel Island and Orlando. Not to mention that my wife and I were married on Captiva Island! One of the local shops we checked out is called The Hive Creations. Everything in the store is handmade by U.S. artists. Things like clothing, jewelry, home decor, wall art, and one of the most unique things I've ever come across...wallets made entirely out of duct tape. There's a company in Portland, OR called jDUCT that makes them. I'm not usually one to lay out money for novelty items such as this, but I needed a new wallet anyway and these were pretty cool. Unfortunately, there were only a few designs to choose from so I went with the Drunken Squirrel. You can check out their online store for a complete gallery of designs available. Anyway, we've already marked Ana Maria Island down as a must-visit spot for our 2011 trip. It would be nice to spend a full day there and explore beyond the one street on which we stopped. I hear the beaches there are nice, as well.

March 19: The Lazy Lobster

One of the traditions we've established during our annual Florida vacation is to try a new restaurant every year. This year, aside from the aforementioned Tommy Bahama Cafe (see March 14 entry), we also experienced The Lazy Lobster on Longboat Key. The condo where we stay had a menu, which looked kind of fun, but some of the seafood dishes sounded pretty tasty. So, we gave it a whirl. Unfortunately, menus are only one component that separates a great dining experience from a poor one. Don't get me wrong, this one fell kind of in the middle of the spectrum, but it was still disappointing given the potential we thought the old Lobster had. First, they didn't have a kids menu. No major setback, but a good indicator that perhaps children are not a huge priority for the restaurant. And, looking around at the other clientele and their average age, my gut feeling was that most probably didn't appreciate the giggling and silly antics of two kids who wanted to do anything but sit properly and eat their meals. Secondly, for a tropical restaurant the decor was rather formal. Sorry, but I'll take the casual environment of a Jimmy Buffet Margaritaville over fine dining any day of the week; especially when I'm on vacation by the beach! Finally, the food was nothing spectacular. It was good - I had the grouper - but nothing to "ooh" and "ahh" over. In the end, the Lazy Lobster was just like any of the other handful of restaurants trying to differentiate itself in a market saturated with places to dine. And, in hindsight, we should have probably just went back to Tommy Bahama's instead.

March 18: The Beach Crab

Some of you who know me well might think that my wife likes to call me "The Beach Crab" after a long day on the shore with the kids, but that's not what this blog entry is all about. We've been coming to Sarasota for 5 years now, and in those 5 years I have never seen a living crab on the beach during the daytime. Plenty of dead ones, but nothing still walking. Of course, there was one evening last year when my wife and I decided to take a stroll along the ocean at dusk where we encountered a gang of crabs just emerging from their underground homes to apparently patrol the sandy shores throughout the evening. But under sunlight...nothing! Today, on a morning walk with the kids, we came across a living Harlequin crab or Lissocarcinus laevis. And, for the record, I had no idea it was this particular species until I looked it up. And, I know it was alive because I gently nudged it with a stick and it started moving very slowly. I don't know too much about the Harlequin crab, however its shell was beautiful! At first, because it was moving so slow and seemed kind of lethargic, I thought perhaps it was an aquatic crab that had been washed ashore with the tide. However, I did find a bit of information on the Internet indicating that its common habitat is in lagoons, coastal bays and sand. A passing beach walker suggested that perhaps the crab was "playing possum" because we were all standing around it. As a result, we left it alone where it stood instead of tossing it back into the water. I'm not sure what this little fella's future held after we left him, but I do know it was a pretty cool experience to see such a fascinating creature.

March 17: My Son's First Ballgame

Traditionally, we go to a Spring Training game every year we come down to Florida, either right in Sarasota (former home of the Reds, now the Orioles) or neighboring Bradenton (home of the Pirates). Thus, our matchup options are limited to whomever is playing the "home" team. Unfortunately, I've not been able to catch my beloved Red Sox yet, but, in the past, we've been able to see the Twins, Blue Jays and Yankees. Even stood about 15 feet from Derek Jeter, Jason Giambi and Robinson Cano one year as they were leaving the stadium. Not long enough to ask for an autograph, but I was still able to snap a picture and stand in awe of their celebrity status. This year we saw the Tigers down at McKechnie Field in Bradenton. I was particularly excited about this game for two reasons: (1) it was the first game to which I've ever taken my son, and (2) I had the opportunity to catch up with one of my old college roommates who is now the Assistant Trainer with the Tigers. Seeing my old friend was everything I expected. To be honest, the conversation was like we'd been hanging out regularly for the past 10 years, even though it had actually been about 18 years since I last saw him. The question mark in the whole experience was how my son would react to his first major league baseball game. For me, this was the Fatherhood dream. A dad, his son and a Grandfather hanging out at the diamond; the sounds and smells of the ballpark. A father passing along his childhood memories and dreams to his own son. Unfortunately, my son wasn't really into nostalgia on this afternoon. Nor did the excitement of being at a ballgame with the guys really do much for him. Bottom line: he was bored. So much so that at one point he was actually playing his Nintendo DS that my wife smartly tucked into my backpack before we left for the field. No hard feelings...I think he's still a little too young to understand the entire concept of baseball or the thrill of attending a spring training ballgame. Regardless, I thoroughly enjoyed spending the time with my son and, at least, introducing him to his first major league baseball experience.

March 16: The Exotic Birds of Jungle Gardens

There's a Zoological Park in Sarasota called Jungle Gardens. We went there about three years ago, but the kids were kind of young to really enjoy all aspects of it, so this year we returned. The park does a couple of different shows several times throughout the day, involving reptiles and birds mostly, but they also have different animal exhibits much like a traditional zoo. And, the grounds themselves are just beautiful - literally a jungle of tropical vegetation! What I really love though is that the majority of the animals in the Gardens have been adopted or taken in from owners who could no longer care for them. Thus, I don't mind paying the entrance fee or donating money for some of the activities in the park, as it goes to a good cause. This year, the kids were able to try several things they've never done before, such as hold a baby alligator, hand-feed flamingos and have an exotic bird sit on their arm. For the hell of it, I decided to give that last one a try myself. I've never been a big "bird person", that's more my wife. But, in the spirit of trying new things, I figured I might as well let a bird walk on my arm. I have to say, it was different than what I expected. The bird I selected, was much heavier than I thought it would be - probably 5 or 6 lbs. I don't know if it was a parrot, cockatoo or Macaw, but it sure was a beautiful species. I only had it on my arm for a matter of seconds, but in those seconds, like my own kids, I felt a sense of wonder and amazement. I know, it sounds corny, but I guess it's true that sometimes you get the most out of the little things in life.

March 15: A Swim with My Cell Phone

Those of you with children know how hectic the process is for organizing and executing vacation activities with kids. Even the smallest of venues can be a major event if you don't plan accordingly. Swimming, for example. Yes, swimming. That minor task of getting the kids in their suits, lathering them up in sunscreen and ensuring no one drowns. Sounds easy, right? Not always. And, unfortunately, today was one of those days. While on vacation, our daily process is typically the beach first, swimming second. Usually, I don't carry my cell phone with me during this exercise, as (a) anyone who would call me in the first place likely knows I'm on vacation, and (b) I'm on vacation! This time around, however, we were awaiting a specific call and, therefore, needed the phone to be easily accessible. And, what better place to have it handy than the pocket of my swim trunks. Problem is, amidst the lobbying for a poolside spot and getting the kids ready to roll, I made one big mistake. You can already see it coming, but I'll go ahead and spell it out. After moving from the beach to the pool deck, washing the sand from feet and toes, and finding a spot for the pails and shells, I forgot to....wait for it.....remove my cell phone from my pocket before wading into the pool. About 2 minutes into "motor boat, motor boat" with my son, I realized what I had done. Or, better yet, what I hadn't done! I will tell you, though, that if this should happen to you at some point in the future, all hope is not lost. I, too, immediately began calculating the cost of replacing my current model in my head, but luckily my wife suggested we research how to manage this situation on the Internet. We came across this article first, tried it and, by golly, my phone is still kicking. I have noticed a bit of a drain in my battery and one of my keys is no longer functional, but, otherwise, the phone still works fine to make and take calls. In the end, not only did I experience a dip with my cell phone for the first time, but I also learned that rice can do so much more than just taste good with some chicken and a bunch of veggies!

March 14: Tommy Bahama...restaurant?

I've always known Tommy Bahama as a clothes manufacturer. Today, I discovered it is also involved in the restaurant business. Yes, this evening we dined at the Tommy Bahama Cafe in St. Armand's Circle. And, if I were a food critic, I would give it a raving review. The establishment has a relaxing tropical attire (duh), and we were lucky enough to be seated in a nice spot near a window. The food and drink were incredible! They offer a great selection of rum drinks, martinis and other classic cocktails. I, myself, had their "Crazy Cuban". Their menu had plenty of variety, from seafood to pasta to ribs, as well as a children's menu; which I've come to know firsthand is not available in all restaurants. But, the crowning moment came at dessert, when we indulged in a Pina Colada cake - a delicious combination of coconut, pineapple, cake and cream (not to mention the rum)! Here's a recipe directly from the TB website in case you want to try and make one of your own. They also had live, acoustic entertainment to keep the beach vibe flowing. If you ever have the opportunity to dine at one of their locations across the states, I highly recommend it. The atmosphere alone is worth the price!

March 13: Sarasota Bay

Our first full day of Florida found us taking an Eco Boat Tour through Sarasota Bay. My wife had discovered this little expedition during one of our last visits when we went to Mote Aquarium. We stayed the previous night at the Hilton on Longboat, as we couldn't get into my In-laws condo until Saturday (3/13). And, we couldn't get into the room until about 3:00 pm, so we planned out the boat ride beforehand as something to do while we waited to settle into our digs for the week. It worked out nicely. The tour consisted of about 57 people. mostly tourists like ourselves, on a 30-ft. pontoon boat. Aboard, we also had a professional driver steering us through the waters, a marine biologist who would educate us on the history of the bay and the sealife living below, and a volunteer who....well, I'm not sure what his role was other than to try and inject humor into the tour, where appropriate. The entire tour was about 2 hours long. Thankfully, we learned right off the bat that the Bay itself is very shallow - only about 6 or 7 feet deep. Still, we spent most of the ride worrying about the kids sliding overboard, and, therefore, limiting them to where they could move around on the boat. We did loosen the reigns a little about half way through. Other than the panic that accompanied that, it was very cool. We saw one dolphin, although from a bit of a distance. We got to stop on a desolate island in the middle of the bay. We cruised past the bird Rookery. We also got to see some sea creatures first hand, as at one point in the tour, the crew trolls the ocean floor and brings aboard whatever sea life they captured. On this trip, we saw a Puffer fish, a pinfish, variegated sea urchin and several other interesting species. The best part was the next day when both kids were able to share with us things that they learned about those sea creatures from the tour. Who says kids never listen?

March 12: Chrysler Town and Country

Well, our Florida vacation finally arrived! My family has waited all year for this day to come, now it's here and all hell would, of course, break loose. The morning scramble to make sure we have everything we need packed, the drive down to my in-laws home where our shuttle chariot to the airport awaited us, and the whole security/gate/airplane adventure that is always much more adventurous with the kids. Thankfully, we have a cousin staying at our house while we're gone to secure the homestead and care for the pets in our absence. So, that piece was already accounted for in the vacation plan. I can say, however, things went pretty smoothly and we soon touched down in the F-L-A. It's at that point when things got interesting. I don't know how many of you have traveled recently, but the price tag to rent a vehicle for a duration even as short as a week is astronomical. And, we are traveling with 7 total, so we had 2 goals in our rental plan: fit all of us in one vehicle and be cost-effective. As you might expect, we faced somewhat of a challenge to meet them both. I had reserved a mini-van online about 3 weeks past from Enterprise, but just to be safe I had also rented a Ford Taurus; in case we all didn't fit into the mini-van. So, when we got to the counter, we had our choice of an older Dodge Grand Caravan or brand new Chrysler Town and Country; only about 350 miles on her! Well, I'm no genius, but this one was pretty much a no-brainer. And, the lady working the rental counter assured us we could get 7 plus luggage comfortably into the Town and Country. Turns out, the 7 was the absolute truth, as was the luggage. The "comfortably", however, was a bit of an exaggeration. Once we located the vehicle in the lot, it took us about 20 minutes to try and find the best way in which to fit everything. Luckily, this particular vehicle has Stowaway seating or "floor bins" as Chrysler calls them, which means there is a trap-door kind of thing in the floor behind the front seats in which you can store baggage. That helped immensely. But, my Wife and Sister-in-law still had to squeeze one large piece of luggage between their seats in the middle row and in front of them; making their ride anything but "comfortably". On top of all of that, we flew into Tampa even though we are staying in Sarasota in order to save money on our airfare. After a 2.5 hour flight in the smallest plane ever made by Spirit airlines, and a 1-hr. drive to Sarasota in a mini-van loaded with people and luggage, all of use we're ready to stretch, stand and straighten out for as long as possible. Unfortunately, we were all hungry by this time, so it was off to dinner for another sitting event. At that point, I would have given anything for a restaurant that offered standing room only.

March 11: Liquid Bandages

Anyone have dogs? We have one. She's been with us since 2001, and she's a wonderful family member. Great watchdog, too. She carefully watches every bite of food anyone in the family eats - breakfast, lunch and dinner. But, seriously, she is very protective of our house, and, more importantly, our family. A few months back, must have been October of last year, she had surgery to remove a growth on her left front leg. Our immediate concern was that the growth was cancerous, thus we wanted it removed just to be sure or safe, depending on how you look at it. She came through great and recovery went smoothly; although she could not wait to shed that darn cone contraption that the Vet said she had to where for about 6 weeks following surgery. But, once we removed the cone she left her wound alone and things went back to normal. Well, for a short time now she's back to licking and/or chewing in that same area. And, she had gotten to it pretty good, so I took her in to get the Vet's perspective. Believe me, we were willing to try anything other than having to put that cone back on the poor dog's head. The Vet recommended something I had never heard of before, which is liquid bandages. He said it would create a sealant over the wound, protecting it from the attention that our dog has been giving to that area of her body recently. Today, I stopped into the local CVS and purchased some liquid bandages. I was surprised to find there are several different brands from which someone in my position could choose. Being the skeptic I am that this was really going to work, I went with the CVS brand. Here's a little tip: if you're considering CVS for any future liquid bandage purchases, make sure you open the box to ensure the thing is in there before you get to the register. The cashier identified that the box I grabbed from the shelf was empty (I knew it felt a little light when I picked it up). Anyway, long story short, I still had to use the cone, but only temporarily, as this stuff needs to dry before you can risk the dog licking at it. I honestly saw no difference, but perhaps after a couple of days it will start to take affect. Either that or our dog is going to grow fond of the taste and become even more addicted to licking her leg. Which, if it goes that route, at least the family will be able to enjoy a meal without the dog hovering below the table begging for handouts.

March 10: Christmas in March

I think people either love the Christmas season or they don't. There's no in between. Myself? I adore it. It's a magical time of year for me; even more so since the kids were born because I get to relive that childhood magic through their expressions and excitement. Every year, when the season has passed and the new year settled in, I feel an emptiness in the pit of my stomach at the realization that the decorations must come down. Over my years as a homeowner, I've come to expect that the outside lights will remain out a bit longer than the interior stuff, as the bitter cold of the Michigan winter makes it difficult to find a good time to take 'em down. An opportunity usually pops up at some point in January...until this year. This year, despite a relatively mild winter with the exception of one or two major snowfalls, we became one of those houses. You know the ones. You drive by, see the Christmas lights still hanging and think "Jeez, what is it with those people? The holidays have been over for like 3 weeks now". Yes, never before had the month of January come and gone, and still our holiday lights adorned our front exterior. After that first month, I just wrote it off as an anomaly and patiently waited for the first opportunity that February would bring. The days passed, and eventually February was behind us, yet the lights remained proudly hanging as if it were late November again. At this point, I could only shake my head, and, with a degree less of patience, look ahead to March and a chance to restore some normalcy to our landscape. Still, nine days of March ticked away, and between birthday planning, work and everything else in between, the lights were once again left out in the cold (literally). On this 10th day of March, I'd had enough. I was going to put an end to this charade and return the lights to their 8-month slumber in a tote downstairs in our basement. So, after dropping my daughter at school, I returned home and made a beeline directly for the ladder, hit the roof and began peeling the lights from their resting spot against the gutters. I now know why most people perform this task in January or February. The surface was a mess - a mushy blend of ice, snow and the freshly fallen rain that, of course, immediately started once I positioned myself on the roof. Here I am, on hands and knees, cursing the holiday tradition of hanging lights, just praying that I don't slip off or that the wind doesn't catch the ladder just right, dropping it to the ground, stranding me atop the house. It was a nightmare! Finally, as the last set of lights fell to the ground below, a sense of relief came over me. Hands covered in a wet rain/dirt combination, shirt sleeves and pants soaked, I made my way back down to the ground to rejoice in my accomplishment. Yes, just 2.25 short months following Christmas Day, the house was finally free of all holiday lights! That feeling lasted all of 30 seconds when I realized that now I had to remove the electrical tape to separate the lights, organize the lights in some orderly manner, roll up the 5+ extension cords I used for this job, and carry everything downstairs in order to pack it up for next year. I can honestly say, at the moment, I wasn't really liking Christmas all that much. Christmas in March that is.

March 9: Gutsy Waitress

Typically when I have a complaint about a server in a restaurant it involves a long wait before ordering, cold food or just plain poor service. Tonight at the Rainforest Cafe, my son's selection in honor of his birthday, it was none of the above. The service there is usually respectable; nothing spectacular, yet no Interstate dive either. But tonight, I experienced a first from any server I've ever had in any restaurant establishment in which I've ever dined. Our server tonight was a young lady, who immediately appeared to be good with the kids. I always appreciate that behavior in a server, as "kids are people too" (how many of you remember that show from the 70s?...maybe this will refresh your memory!). And, my kids always feel that much more important when a server acknowledges them as young individuals and not just something the parents brought along with them. Anyway, all was going well until she asked if we would like something to drink. My son asked if they had slurpees, and the server responded that they did, albeit, frozen slushies. She then asked both kids if they wanted the slushies without addressing my wife or I if it was okay with us. Not the rudest thing in the world, but still something that servers tend to avoid at the risk of usurping the parent's authority. But, that wasn't even the kicker. She then proceeded to ask my daughter what kind of cup she wanted her slushy served in. For those of you unfamiliar with the child drink selection at Rainforest Cafe, they offer a standard cup, a cup with a lighted base, and a character-themed cup. And, she presented all 3 options to my daughter. We knew from a prior visit that any option beyond the standard cup came at an additional cost. My daughter chose the lighted base version, and my son soon followed with the same. And, still, as the server turned to my wife and I for our drink order, she failed to mention anything about our feelings around the kids having slushies nor the additional cost to the lighted cups. Again, the incident wasn't something for which I would begin protesting Rainforest Cafe, but it was still disappointing from a customer service perspective. Turns out the Icee drinks were only 99 cents a piece, but in a lighted cup...$5 each. Nice, huh. No big deal, as in the end I'd say we broke even. I promptly removed most of the cost of those cups from the server's tip. Hey, what comes around goes around, I say.

March 8: Drum Set

I've mentioned over the last few blogs that my son's birthday was coming up, so the evening prior I set out to complete a task that I've never faced before...assembling a child's drum set. But, not just any drum set. No. This was the First Act Discovery 4-pc. drum set. Let me just stop right here and note that I'm no musician myself. I had a short stint in my teen years during which I, like every teen-age boy, wanted to be in a rock band. Fame. Fortune. And, especially, chicks! Despite some guitar lessons and a semi-passionate effort to practice what the instructor taught me, that career did not pan out. Besides my inability to sustain a commitment towards picking and strumming, I've never had any experience with drums. Not one. I mean, sure, as a kid, I had the baby drum with lights and sounds, and even my own child-size drum set, but I just played with them. I had no responsibility whatsoever to put the darn things together. So, here I was. Box open, parts spread across the living room floor, and my wife listening intently to ensure the kids don't come running down the stairs while I try to figure out the instructions to the darn thing. Which, by the way, were practically useless, as it was all text, no visuals. I probably would have completed the assembly faster by just guessing where each part went. I shouldn't complain too much, though, as the instructions, and my wife's patience, did finally get us an assembled drum set. And, that was the easy part. Having gotten the set together, we both realized that the banging of drums would soon echo throughout the house, likely nonstop over the next few weeks.

March 7: The Dryer Vent

Before my Dad passed away a few years ago, every time I had a repair, installation or home improvement task to complete my first step was to get him on the phone. He would either talk me through it or just come on over to the house to assist. Although, truth be told, it was more like me assisting him most of the time. But, it was a learning experience for me. The next time, I was able to do it independently, unless it was something extremely complicated or required more than one set of hands. But now, now I feel like on my own in that regard. And, thus far, I've done pretty well for myself. But, the other day, our cat either fell or elected by her own freewill to leap from the top of our dryer down behind it, thus disabling the dryer vent schematic between the dryer and the wall. Nothing major, but it still required some minor repair. Unfortunately, I've never tackled dryers before; neither with or without support. So, I was treading on new ground here, and I was not liking the situation (and I sure as hell let the cat know, too!). You know that feeling you get when something, on the surface, appears quite simple, yet your mind begins to wander into all of the horrible possibilities that could potentially happen as a result of your tinkering with it? Well, I had about 3 of those feelings running through my brain. What if I can't get it back together? What if I get it together but it's not right and we have a fire? Why do I have to spend 15 minutes of my time doing this because of the stupid cat's inability to tightrope the back of the dryer? Okay, so that last one isn't really about reservations, but it is mostly what I was thinking. Anyway, this morning I tackled the job. It was basically just a little aligning of the vent in the wall to the one on the dryer and some duct tape to secure. It worked out fine. So far at least. We haven't run the dryer yet, so I could be way off here. But, I'm thinking it's going to be fine and I'm felling pretty good about it. Even did the entire thing without getting angry, frustrated or cussing once, which, if you know me, is quite an accomplishment. So, I can check dryer vents off my list of home repair. I'm feeling a little disappointed though, as now I'm thinking I could have put in the new water heater that we had installed last Monday on my own and saved a few bucks. I mean, it's just like repairing a dryer vent, isn't it?

March 6: Party Animal

My son's 5th birthday is on Tuesday. We all know you can't have a child's birthday party on a Tuesday night during the school year, so the typical weekend before or weekend after rule applied. We went with the one before. And, we did it up big this year because, in our minds, 5 is kind of a milestone. We had to do something extra special, as we had my daughter's 5th at Tea Party Castle a few years back. We could just imagine, 10 years down the road, my son giving us the 3rd degree in an effort to understand why we did so something so extraordinary for his sister, but just the same old song-and-dance for him. Despite my wife and I both having big imaginations, we still couldn't let that happen! Problem is that, around here, there's nothing that caters specifically to boys and birthdays. So, we decided to have the party at Joe Dumar's Fieldhouse. I've previously blogged about an experience at JDF, however, this was the first party we've ever thrown at the facility. And, I'm pretty sure the last. Don't get me wrong, I think the kids all had a good time. But, everything was so chaotic that it was hard for my wife and I to enjoy our son and his birthday experience. The adventure started upon our arrival, when it appeared to us that no one employed for JDF seemed to know that we had a party scheduled. Eventually, we settled that little confusion, and we were led into a back area of the place where we were assigned a closet, with key to lock it, in which we could store our personal belongings, as well as those of our 11 guests. Next, the young lady helping us took our cake, and let me tell you we had more than a few doubts we were ever going to see it again (we did though, still fully intact, too!). From there, we returned to "The Bayou" gaming area to wait for our guests; who arrived shortly one-by-one. Once the majority of guests had arrived, the aforementioned young lady applied tabbed bracelets (5 tabs per) to each child's wrist and turned them loose on the facility. The bracelets are used to participate in various activities such as laser tag, putt-putt golf, slot-car racing, etc. At this point, the chaos really began. First, there's the task of ensuring every child is included in the activity of choice, so that no one is left out. Secondly, and more importantly, there's the task of ensuring every child, our own especially, is safe and remains in the gaming area. I felt like we needed to park guards at every possible entrance to make sure no child escaped. Thankfully, my oldest nephew and niece proactively inherited the role of camp counselor (as my Sister put it), and kept things in some order at the on start of the gaming chapter. After 1.5 hours of those shenanigans, we were led to the birthday room for pizza, pop, cake and presents. This is where it got really interesting, as no one from the JDF facility seemed to be available to help; other than to drop off the food at the beginning and return with the bill during clean-up. By cake time, we had no forks, no candles and no knife to cut the cake. Thanks to my wife, we ended up using the pizza server. I'm speaking with complete honesty when I say that the longest I ever saw the young lady in charge of serving us is when she was waiting around for me to sign the credit card receipt. I guess their philosophy is "our games and activities are so great, we don't even need customer service!" Just disappointingly amazing! But, in the end, my son had a good time, and we survived it without injury or losing a child. From where I'm standing, I call that a success!

March 5: Stud

I'm an animal lover. Always have been, always will be. It's a trait I inherited from my Mom, and I'm proud of it because of that. Unfortunately, when you welcome an animal into your home , at some level you know that inevitably there will come a day when you have to say good-bye. It's part of nature...of life. Through my years, I've experienced the death of several family pets; both as a youth and as an adult on my own - 3 dogs, 3 cats, 2 fish, 2 gerbils, a frog, and likely others that I've long forgotten. It's never an easy thing to lose a pet, but, for me, the level of sadness I've felt has usually been directly related to my connection with the animal. Which is probably logical by most standards. Dogs and cats - a very strong sense of sadness; fish, gerbils and frog - not as much. However, that changed this afternoon with the passing of Stud - our Pleco or Plecostomus. It's the first time I've ever felt such grief over losing a fish. But, I guess that's probably because Stud was no ordinary fish. We inherited Stud from my Mom and Dad, after their deaths in 2008. There were five fish in all that we took in, but Stud was the only one whom my folks felt compelled to name. Thus, he was special. He was just a tiny thing when they first got him from the "fish store", as my Mom would call it. But, over the years, and he lived quite a few, he grew into a monster of a fish. So big, that I stressed over cleaning the fish tank because I didn't want him brushing against my hand as I scrubbed the inside glass. It just kinda gave me the creeps. Poor fella. They're not the most attractive things in the first place, but then God had to go ahead and make them large, as well. Nonetheless, Stud became a permanent fixture in the fish tank, both at my parent's former home and upstairs in our play room where the tank currently resides. Over the past couple of days, he had been acting a little odd; often floating sideways or upside down. Thus, we kind of had a feeling that the end was near. Normally, a proper fish burial involves some kind words and a flushing down the toilet. Unfortunately, Stud's much too large for that process. So, as weird as this might sound to some of you, we put his remains in a freezer bag, wrapped it into some additional plastic bags, and placed him in our freezer downstairs. I just couldn't bring myself to simply toss him in the garbage, nor would I ever be able to find the right words to explain to my kids why I did that. In the spring, when the ground thaws, we'll take him outside and bury Stud somewhere more fitting, someplace in the yard. Farewell, Stud. You will most definitely be missed!

March 4: Skip Counting

Things have certainly changed since I was in school. Granted, it's been 30 years since I was in grade school and 23 since I graduated high school. Still, I almost feel like today's educators are simply taking old concepts I learned in my day and giving them new names. For example, skip counting. My daughter had homework the other night and this was the topic. This article I found on the Internet explains that skip counting is "counting by a number that is not 1". Thus, skip counting by twos would look like 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12.... In helping my daughter work through the assignment, my wife and I had the same comment "isn't that just 'counting by twos'?". Neither of us had ever heard the term "skip count" before. Now that doesn't mean it's not a universal term. Heck, someone even wrote a song about the methodology. But, I work in the corporate learning field, and in developing learning solutions for adults, I've learned to subscribe to the K.I.S.S. philosophy - Keep it Simple Stupid (okay, honestly, raise your hand if you thought that philosophy was invented by Paul Stanley). From my perspective, calling "count by twos" something like "skip count by twos" adds an extra, unnecessary word to the equation - both literally and figuratively. Another, completely different, perspective, however, might be that I'm just old and set in my ways. The jury's still out on that one.

March 3: Swanky Frankies

Every now and then my daughter will bring home these fliers from school announcing a fundraiser of some sort in which a percentage of your proceeds from your purchase at a local restaurant or retailer goes to the school. Let's see. there was American Pie pizza, Barnes and Noble, and most recently Swanky Frankies; where we had our dinner this evening. Well, we had the food for dinner, but not at the restaurant. Let me explain...For starters, we decided to go to this particular event because, yes the school was sponsoring it, but more so because all of the proceeds went to a local homeless shelter. I'll support that any day. So, we loaded every one in the car and headed out. Our first stop, get some cash, as you never know whether or not a smaller restaurant takes credit and you certainly don't want to be the one holding the bill without any way to pay for it. I had the route we needed to take right there inside the old noggin', however, what I didn't plan for is the fact that I thought Swanky Frankies was in a completely different part of town than it really is. This was brought to my attention ever so eloquently by my wife as we were passing the restaurant on the left. She simply asked me "where are you going?" with a tone that was somewhere between the place that sarcasm, disbelief and annoyance all cross paths. I quickly regained my composure and responded that there was a bank up on the right-hand side and I thought we'd use the ATM there. Of course, my wife didn't buy any of that. That's why I married her...she can cut through any bull that I try to sling her way! We managed to get our money, turn around and finally arrive at Swanky Frankies. My initial thoughts? YIKES! Maybe it was because of the school charity event occurring this evening, but to say the place was disorganized would be the understatement of the year. It made the financial industry look like Baldridge award winners. And I work in the financial industry! Granted, it's a small place, so seating was limited. But, there were lines of people everywhere - you didn't know who was waiting to be seated and who was waiting for carryout. When we finally made our way through the maze of school supporters, it it took at least 10 minutes before someone approached us to take our order. Because of minimal breathing room within the facility, we opted for them to bag our order and we'd take it mobile. Bad choice! It took what seemed like a decade or two before our order finally came up. Thankfully, it was a short ride home, and in no time the table was set and the food ready to be eaten. There's nothing quite like the taste of cold chili dogs after a long day in line waiting for them. The dogs were cold, the chili fries a mounded mess, and the gyro sandwich a poor replicant of it's original brethren. I can't remember the last time I had such an awful experience with a hot dog, other than the time I almost choked on one as a kid. To summarize, no swanky, cold frankie. I say stick with Dearborn, Ball Park, Koegel's or whatever store brand you roll with. At least you know exactly what you're getting for the price.

March 2: Pit Stop

Except for the rare no school day or personal time, my morning routine is pretty much the same every single morning of every single week. I get up, kiss my wife goodbye, wake the kids, make them breakfast, see that they're dressed and hair combed, drive them to school and then back home where I start my work day. Some days, I'll do a bit of work before the kids wake up or perhaps run a quick errand on my way back from the drop-off at school; just to mix things up a bit. Now, let me make one thing clear, I'm not complaining. I'm just saying that mornings for me are pretty ordinary. Which is probably why making one minor change to that routine this morning is something that I deem worthy enough to write an entire blog entry about. What I did is nothing spectacular, and it's something I've done a hundred times before. Just not since I started working from home full time. "What is it?" your probably asking yourself with joyful curiosity, "what did he do?". I simply cruised through the Starbuck's drive-thru and treated myself to a Vanilla Latte. Yes, this morning was a new dawn! Since I began telecommuting, many a times I've considered this stop, only to look back at the Starbucks sign in the rear view mirror with a heavy heart having chosen a meeting, phone call or deadline over a warm cup of coffee and eyes wide open, ready to take on even the toughest of work days. I decided today would not be one of those days...no longer would I sacrifice the sweet taste of a vanilla coffee blend for the sake of "the man" (that and I didn't have anything on my agenda until later in the morning). It felt good...liberating, if you will. And, who knows? Tomorrow, I may decide this was the start of a new routine and return to the drive thru for another. Perhaps the next day, as well. And, every day thereafter...until my gift card finally runs out. At that point, I'll probably just go back to the Trader Joe's blend we brew at home. Seriously, who pays 4.95 of their own, hard-earned money for a latte every morning?

March 1: Our Family Rubric

Raising kids is easily the toughest job I've ever had to do. I think what makes it so tough for most parents is there's so much at stake. I give 100%+ every day to my employer, but if I screw something up, the end result is likely not going to matter 6 months down the road. But, parenting...mistakes now can lead to bigger issues 6 months down the road. Thus, in our minds, the margin for error in raising children is extremely minimal yet increasingly vital. Take my kids, for example. Great kids. Sweet kids. They're helpful, thoughtful, kind and courteous....most of the time. Like most kids, they've gone in and out of various changes in behavior. I'm not sure what you call the stage each of them is currently in, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed it's a brief one. Talking back, mocking, rolling their eyes, refusing to listen, and demanding things are just a highlight of some of their recent antics. So, like most parents, my wife and I had to figure out the best way to address this behavior, police it and get it under wraps before it gets too far out of hand. In my daughter's school, they use what they call a rubric. In simplest terms, a rubric is performance criteria. To build on that, it's criteria or standards that we establish that allow us to evaluate one's performance. In the school's case, the rubric lists the undesirable behavior and the consequence for committing such an infraction once, twice and, for some, three times. The theory is that it helps kids understand the seriousness of their behavior. I'm not sure I completely buy that theory, but my daughter seems to buy it as a student in the school, and we were thinking she might encourage her brother's buy in, as well. So, this evening, we gathered as a family, and developed our own Family Rubric. We went around the room, one-by-one, each of us suggesting a behavior to monitor, upon which the group then voted as to whether or not it would make the final rubric cut. Those with a majority edge went into the rubric, the others were tossed to the side. We followed a similar process in deciding a fair consequence for violation of each behavior. Finally, we ensured that all family members understood the commitment that he or she was making by taking this unsworn oath to abide by our new family "policies", as they pertain to appropriate behavior. As of Day 1, the whole family seems pleased with what we've worked together to create. Day 2, however, should provide a lot more insight; especially when the kids realize that, yes, we are in fact enforcing the consequences for unacceptable behavior. That should be interesting.

February 28: Customer Service

I'm a stickler when it comes to customer service. Maybe it's because I've had the opportunity to be on both sides of that relationship - customer and employee. Maybe it's simply because I'm so damn tired of the same "meets expectations" performance that you typically get when you go to any retailer, restaurant or service provider around town. "Good enough" is now status quo. You know this country's customer satisfaction expectations have a hit a new low when you actually expect to be treated poorly by store associates during any given shopping trip. Even worse, it's sad, almost shameful, that when you are treated decently, and I'm talking about the bare minimum you deserve, nothing extraordinary, you can't stop raving about the service. Fortunately, on this day, I experienced something completely different. I was blessed with the "Exceeds Expectations" employee! Yes, the local Home Depot restored in me hope that one day we may all come to expect this same type of treatment everywhere we shop. Here's how it all went down. The whole family stopped in after Church to select our new water heater (see the 2/27 blog entry for the reasons why). After being directed to the Plumbing section, we still had not located the water heater showroom that resides within the walls of the Home Depot. Thus, I flagged down the first employee who crossed our path to request a map that would point us to the exact location of the "X" that is the water heater aisle (I found out later such a map does not even exist). Kevin, the gentleman who was lucky enough to inherit our needs, was kind enough to walk us one aisle over and, by George, there were the water heaters! At this point, I expected Kevin to run for daylight as quickly as he could, but no, he stayed. And, he proceeded to share a Wikipedia entry worth of information about the particular water heater in which we showed interest. He explained the new safety features found in today's models (like the push button to re-ignite the pilot light), he shared facts about the EnergyStar ratings and how we could get a tax break as a result of such an investment, and he translated all of the technical jargon into simple easy-to-comprehend selling points like "everyone in the family can shower before you will start running out of hot water". He even actually listened when we shared our concerns and reservations. Imagine that. I could tell he was listening because he was able to paraphrase my statements and respond directly to my dialog; as opposed to simply return to a rambling, Stepford-style sales pitch. And, in the middle of this conversation, Kevin received a phone call in which another associate said to him "aren't you supposed to be on lunch". So, this whole time, Kevin had forgone the hot dog vendors hunger calls and stuck with us on this one til the end! By the time he finished reviewing all of the key product information with us, I could swear I had a small tear of joy draining from the corner of my left eye; the result of being treated with the highest courtesy and respect one could ever desire from a home improvement warehouse. But Kevin didn't stop at "good enough", no sir or madam, he pushed the envelope one step farther as he walked us over to the Service Desk where he was going to find someone to help us place our order. And find someone he did. In less than 20 minutes, we had identified, selected and purchased our new water heater and scheduled the installation - next day! So, as we exited passed the front registers, I interrupted a young associate watching customers pass by and asked to speak to a Manager. And, I shared Kevin's customer service performance with his Manager, praising his attitude and commitment to ensuring that we, as his customers, were completely satisfied with the entire experience. Turns out old Kev is going to get some kind of reward as a result of my feedback or so his Manager indicated. So, who knows, maybe he'll get some extra cash in his wallet or maybe just a plaque on the wall of their break room. Regardless, at least he knows that his dedication to customer satisfaction made a difference for one customer. And, that's something I don't think too many employees can claim to have accomplished these days.