May 28: Oberweis

There's this ice cream place in Troy called Oberweis. I've passed it a couple of times over the last few months, and I've been curious about it. It's kind of a unique-looking building; certainly not one I would guess is housing an ice cream parlor inside. So, tonight, the family decided to try a new ice cream spot for a change. I mean you can only eat so much DQ, right? Well, the experience was okay. The ice cream I had was decent, especially because it was served in a cone bowl with the edges chocolate-dipped and peanut sprinkled. The kids, however, wanted a twisty soft-serve cone, and the only offering was a yogurt mix - the kind in which the vanilla half looked more yellow than vanilla-like. But, the parlor itself was cool. There are chess boards built into the tables (the kids loved it!), and I found out that Oberweis makes its own milk and even offers home delivery. You know, straight out of the 50s like with glass bottles and everything! Kind of retro, don't you think? I guess I would be more loyal if I were home delivery milk customers, or even a child of the 50s, but based just on flavor and taste, I think we'll stick with Dairy Queen or Baskin Robbins. Sure,they don't have the Oberweis charm, but the ice cream is definitely much more satisfying.

May 27: Tights

I'm going to keep this one short because I don't want to share too many details about it. Tonight, for the first time in my life I can easily say, I purchased a pair of girl's tights. Before anyone out there begins dialing the police, I should clarify that they were from a dance studio and for my daughter and her upcoming dance recital. They were not for me. I repeat, they were NOT for me! My wife had tried to make the purchase last week during my daughter's scheduled class, but the studio was out of her size. Thus, for pictures last week, my daughter had to wear a "large", as opposed to the more fitting-for-her "medium". Tonight, they had the medium size so I had no choice. Let's just keep this one between us, okay? My theory is "what happens in this blog, stays in this blog". Deal?

May 26: Robin Walk

Have you ever watched a robin in your backyard? If you have, you've probably seen it do that little hopping thing. This evening while out on the patio we watched a couple of robins make their way through the grass; seeking out food, I suppose. It made me curious as to how a robin typically moves when not in the air. What exactly are those little legs doing as the bird dashes through the grass? Tonight, I did some research and found a little bit more about this topic. Apparently, the American robin, which I'm assuming is the breed in my backyard since I'm living in America, can walk, run and hop while on the ground. One source I found indicates "They run when there aren't any obstacles on the ground that prevent them from reaching their food, or when they are playing and running from each other. They hop when move from branch to branch, when the grass is too high to see through or sometimes they hop just because they feel like it." I also discovered that when robins cock their heads as if to listen for something in the area, they are actually watching the ground for the tiny movements that would indicate a worm is traveling close to the surface. If you're interested, you can learn a whole lot more about the American robin at this site.

May 25: Red Sox Nation

Many of you who know me also know that I am a huge Red Sox fan. You may also know that Red Sox Nation spreads not only across the country, but across the world. Tonight, while replacing one of the sprinkler heads in my front lawn, I discovered that another member of Red Sox Nation lives next door. See, we recently put out our Red Sox garden gnomes and Red Sox flag in the front yard. My neighbor had noticed this on a recent passing, and tonight stopped by with her grand daughter, who is living with them. I found out the grand daughter used to live in Massachusetts, work in marketing for one of the minor league teams there, and is a huge Red Sox fan. It's good to know there's more than one Sox fan in Shelby with all of the Tiger hats you see people wearing around here.

May 24: Vikings

Not sure what everyone thinks of SpongeBob SquarePants - in general or as entertainment for children - but I've grown quite fond of it myself over the past few months. The stuff cracks me up! Anyway, tonight we watched the "Dear Vikings" episode in which SpongeBob is curious about what the Vikings are and do, so he writes them a letter to which the Vikings respond. If you want to see the whole episode, check it out here. It's an entertaining 12 minutes or so. Afterwards, both the kids and my wife were curious about the Vikings. And, since my knowledge on the subject ends with those Vikings out of Minnesota, I figured the Internet would be a good place to learn a little bit more. Here are some of the bullet points from what I was able to discover:

• In Old Norse, the word is spelled Vikingr.
• Vikings were Scandinavian, descending from Iceland and Greenland
• They were the first Europeans to discover and explore North America; 500 years before Columbus
• The Viking Age, as it was called, is thought to have been from approximately 750 to 1066 AD.
• Leif Eriksson and Erik the Red are among the more commonly known Viking brethren (not to mention Hagar the Horrible).
• Christianity, the rise of centralized authority and the development of more robust coastal defense systems all led to the decline of the Viking civilization.
• Norse men were required to carry weapons at all times.
• Vikings sailed two types of ships - drakkar for exploring and warfare, and knarr for carrying cargo.

If you want to learn more about the Vikings, I found this site which gives a tour of the Viking exhibit at the Smithsonian. Good stuff.

May 23: Hot-heads and Hands

This morning, my wife shared with me the details of an article she had read the day before. At the time of this writing, she's still trying to remember the magazine in which she found the article, otherwise I would have attached it here for all of you to read. Regardless, the article advised that when couples argue, they should hold hands. The theory is that by holding hands it makes it impossible to become angry over whatever disagreement led to the arguing. This afternoon, and throughout most of the day, my wife and I tested this theory. Believe me, we have enough daily disagreements that it was easy enough to put it to the test. Don't get me wrong, my wife and I are great companions and love each other endlessly; it's just that disagreements are the natural order in a Sagittarius/Capricorn marriage...or so the planets say. Anyway, this hand-holding strategy actually works quite well. Every time we found the temperatures rising as a result of a difference in opinion, we locked fingers and the only thing we could end up doing is laughing together. I'm not sure if the humor was in the fact that our physical touch was actually enough to end the disagreement or if it was because we felt so silly quickly fumbling for each other's hand to prevent an escalating situation. And, who cares, right? It works for us, and in most marriages that's what it's all about - what works for the both of you. Laugh if you like, but I'd be willing to bet holding hands is the first thing that pops in your mind the next time you and your honey find yourselves headed down the old argument road.

May 22: Kee's Pet Store

I'm here to tell all of you pet owners that there is life beyond Petsmart and Petco. And, no, I'm not referring to the trite selection one finds on the shelves of the local Target, WalMart and/or Meijer. This weekend, our family discovered the joy that is Kee's Aquarium and Pets. We went in seeking new gravel for our fish tank, and we left with smiles on our faces (not to mention new gravel for our fish tank). See, I might have mentioned here that we have snails in our fish tank. Instead of using some abrasive chemical substance that will likely kill our fish - maybe not now, but eventually - we elected to do the total aquarium cleansing thing. Since Petsmart is the original source of the snail problem, we turned to Kee's in hopes they would be our savior. That still remains to be seen, but we did enjoy the experience at Kee's. The help is very friendly, seemed quite knowledgeable and they have an array of animals that you can enjoy while you shop. If you ever do go, check out the saltwater tanks in the back. Very cool!

May 21: Pertussis

My son has had a nasty cough for about 2 weeks now. We were just in to see the doctor on Monday, but he seemed to have gotten progressively worse as the week went on. So, we figured it would be a good idea to get him back in. Our biggest concerns were ear infection, or, God forbid, pneumonia. A different doc at our pediatrician (there's 4 of them) had a look at him and she decided to start him on antibiotics...finally! However, her reason for the prescription was interesting. She suggested that perhaps, though the likelihood is extremely low, he might have pertussis; as I guess it's been going around. Now, I didn't know what pertussis was, even after she explained; something to do with a cough and the word "contagious" is one that I retained. Upon returning home, I looked it up and found that it is also known as whooping cough. Furthermore, it is "a highly contagious bacterial disease that causes uncontrollable, violent coughing. The coughing can make it hard to breathe. A deep "whooping" sound is often heard when the patient tries to take a breath." You can read more about it here. Well, that particular description did not sound anything at all like the cough my son has, so I'm thinking her "extremely low chance" synopsis is probably quite accurate; particularly since my son had the vaccine as a baby. Unfortunately, it takes about 7 days to get the lab results back, and the doc's theory was that by not starting antibiotics we're losing 7 days in which he could be healing, so to speak. While I'm very confident my son has some other virus that the antibiotics will hopefully knock out of him, we have to proceed with caution and basically quarantine him to home while he's on the 5-day treatment. Poor kid, it's bad enough his cough won't go away, now he's a prisoner in his own house. Whoever said it's no fun being sick when you're kid couldn't have been more right in this situation.

May 20: Dining at Cosi

A few weeks ago, my wife and son took the bi-weekly shopping trip to Trader Joe's and Whole Foods Market. Upon returning home, they brought with them carry out from Cosi - the Cosi T.B.M., in fact. It was a delicious blend of sliced tomato, basil and mozzarella cheese slices on their signature flatbread with house vinaigrette dressing. Magnifique!!! It was the first time I had tried food from Cosi, but, unfortunately, I had something else to blog about that day. So, today the entire family made the trip and we opted to dine in at Cosi. I wasn't about to let this experience go blog unnoticed! For the very first time in my life, I stepped foot into a Cosi restaurant. And, shortly after I stepped out. Somewhere in between I ate, drank and shared some family time, but that was just it....nothing memorable about the place to leave me yearning for more. True, they have unique sandwiches, such as the Steak T.B.M. that I selected, but otherwise it reminds me of combination deli/Panera Bread. Good thing today was a slow day for new experiences. Otherwise, Cosi may have not made the blog a second time.

May 19: The Ear Infection Marathon

July 2009. March 2010. May 2010. What is the significance of these dates you might wonder? During each of these months, I was diagnosed with an ear and sinus infection. Yep, three times in less than a year. I have to say, that's a new record for me. During my latest excursion to the Minute Clinic inside the local CVS, I was told that one more before July and it would be considered "excessive"; prompting a visit to my own Doctor. I've always been a competitor with the desire to be the best at anything I do, but this is getting a little ridiculous don't you think?

May 18: Eclipse

Okay, they say the first step to overcoming addiction is to admit it. Here it goes...I'm a fan of the "Twilight" series. Yes, the same Twilight that features vampires, werewolves and other strange occurrences in a small town near Seattle. And, yes, the same Twilight whose films star Robert Pattinson and Kristin Stewart. What can I say? I'm a sucker for the supernatural. I know, I know...I'm like 25 years too late to be a fan, but I enjoyed the first two films and, this evening, I finished the third novel in the series, "Eclipse" - all 629 pages! The way I see it, this "accomplishment" offers a whole lot in the way of new experiences: (1) first book in the series I ever read, (2) the second book I've completed in 2010 (you might remember the first), (3) the fastest I've ever finished reading two books in one year (just about 2 months apart), and (4) the fact that I'm admitting to the world, or at least the small little section of the world who reads this blog, that I have this very juvenile interest at all. So, go ahead, make your jokes, giggle behind my back and think what you want of my literature/film selection. I'll have the last laugh, as later this week I'll begin reading the series finale, "Breaking Dawn".

May 17: Fine Doodles

My wife introduced me to this new art concept called Fine Doodles. I'd never heard of it before, but apparently you send this company - some artist in Washington - a sample of your child's artwork and she reproduces it as an acrylic painting. The website touts the product as a "unique gift for parents, grandparents, and young artists". My wife thought this was just the coolest thing in the world. Me? Well, I guess I don't see the value in it. First of all, if my child draws me a picture, I'm hanging the original, whether it's on the fridge or on a wall; not some replica fancied up by a professional artist. Isn't the whole sentiment of the pictures children make for their parents the fact that the kids made the picture all by themselves? Secondly, when you see what this artist lady wants to charge for painting over your kid's drawing, you'll likely leap out of your shoes! Five sizes to choose from ranging from $30-$125, and that's NOT including shipping and handling or a frame. Nope, you then have to run out to the nearest Michael's and get the darn thing framed. I just hope you have one of their 50% off framing coupons when you go, otherwise little Billy's stick figure masterpiece of the family is going to wind up costing you two bills or more. Whatever happened to crayons, construction paper and some Elmer's Glue? Jeez!

May 16: Me, Nick and Robert Patrick

My buddy, Nick, and I went downtown to Comerica Park to watch the finale of a 3-game set between the Tigers and my beloved Boston Red Sox. And, our seats were fantastic - 25 rows back behind home plate; in the Tigers' family section nonetheless. Anyway, we're having a dog and a beer, chatting up some baseball, when this kind of rough, motorcycle looking dude in jeans carrying his black leather jacket passes through our row and into the seats behind us. He's probably there a few minutes when this couple comes down, and apparently have the one open seat next to me on the aisle and the one directly behind it. Well, this cycle dude was very cool and offered up his seat, so the couple could sit together, then takes his place in the seat to my left. The whole time, I'm thinking "Who is this dude? He looks really familiar", as my celebrity antenna starts getting a vibe. I finally figured it out about the same time he had flipped open his cell phone to make a call and announced to the person on the other end of the line "Hey, this is Robert Patrick". You know, the T-1000 from Terminator 2, who terrorized Edward Furlong and Arnold the entire film. However, this is more what Mr. Patrick looked like at the ballgame. And, the guy was extremely cool and friendly. We literally chatted baseball with him the entire nine innings of ball. He's a huge Dodgers fan, saying he's lived in LA for over 30 years. But, he's currently in Detroit "doing some work" as he put it. We discovered later that he's shooting a sequel to the S.W.A.T. movie. Here's a list of his other films. Ironically, the guy also went to high school in Farmington, MI. The best thing about the whole experience is that, although Nick and I knew who he was, we never mentioned it. We figured the guy just wanted to blend in and hang out, and we were cool with that. And, I do have to mention, that not only was the guy cool with us, he was extremely cordial with the Comerica vendors; tipping every time he bought something which, for the record, amounted to two dogs, a bag of peanuts and 2 bottles of Diet Pepsi. Crazy, huh? Well, the weirdness didn't end at the ballpark. Afterwards, Nick and I met my old college roommate, Doug, for a beer at Champps in Troy. Doug is the Assistant Trainer for the Tigers. We're catching up at the bar and Gerald Laird, the Tigers' Catcher, walks in with his daughter. About 30 minutes later, the bartender comes over and tells us that "the baseball player" wants to buy us a round of beers. So, in one day, I sit next to Robert Patrick, watch my Sox and have a beer courtesy of Gerald Laird. I half expected to see a UFO on the drive home.

May 15: Snails

Tonight, for the first time in over two years, we had snails. Nope, not the kind you would saute with a little butter and serve as an appetizer. Rather, the kind that wind up living inside your fish tank. In the 2+ years we've had the tank, not once has this problem arisen. However, a few weeks back we got a few new fish from PetSmart, and without knowing any better I just dumped them into our tank, water and all, directly from the bag they came home in. We're thinking that's where the problem began. Anyway, after some research, I've learned there are both pros and cons to snails in your fish tank. Unfortunately, for me the unsightly view of these creatures attached to the sides of the glass just makes me feel like I need a shower for some reason. Which begs the question, does it make the fish feel the same way? Discuss amongst yourselves. I've read the easiest way to rid the tank of these "visitors" is to use certain chemicals that kill the snails. But, there is also the risk of killing your fish at the same time. So, that option isn't really an option now is it? Instead, we're going to Plan B: next weekend, since this one is packed full of events already, we're going to pull out the fish, drain the tank, clear out all the gravel, scrub the tank down and refill with all new rocks and plants. It's been on our To Do list for a while anyway, so what better time than now? Of course, when my wife's not looking I may try to confiscate a few of those little buggers from the rocks and hide them in the fridge. The thought of a little escargot one evening gets the taste buds dancing a bit.

May 14: Urine for a Surprise

As a parent, urine is something that you kind of grow thick skin towards as you're typically dealing with your child's pee - whether in a soaked diaper or spraying randomly around the changing table - since the day the child was born. But, today, today was a completely new situation for me in that particular area. The day before we had taken both kids for their annual physical, and, unfortunately, my son was unable to leave a required sample for the doctor to analyze. So, we brought the little bottle with the orange screw-on top home with us in the hopes of collecting what otherwise went unseen at the doctor's office. Lucky for me, I get the kids ready and off to school in the morning, so I was nominated "bottle holder" for this procedure. And, considering it was Friday and the Doc is a no-show for the weekend, our time to get this done was obviously reminiscent to a small window. So, we got to it! Oddly, my son demonstrated a greater passion to hit the cup here at home than he did back at the doctor's place, but I figured it's probably better that he's eager to do it than the alternative. I can attest to the fact that dealing with your son's urine at age 1 is a completely different experience than at age 5. First, he has more control of his aim and, secondly, my son is a clown who will do anything silly for a laugh. When I added those two things together in my head they didn't add up to a good outcome...at least for me. And, I was right. Immediately into the collection process he managed to clip my hand with a healthy stream, giggling hysterically as he did so. Thus, I kept the sample size small and called it good. Why tempt fate or a 5-year old with a vendetta against his Father for not granting that candy request the night before? Interesting way to start a Friday morning though.

May 13: The Brake Light

Many years ago, I went though a brief period during which I adopted the routine of changing the oil in my vehicle myself. The theory was that I would be saving the $20+ that was required to invest in such a service through the dealership or any of those "drive-thru" locations (thinking Uncle Ed's here). The reality was that it was a passing phase, as after a few changes over 6 months I realized time and convenience were much more valuable commodities than the $20 I had to invest to have someone else do the dirty work. So ended the oil change commitment. But, for a short while there, I really felt proud of my accomplishment. Like I was ready to quit my job and dedicate my mad skills to the nearest auto center. Heck, if I could change my oil without a hitch, why couldn't I rebuild an engine just as easily? Unfortunately, shortly after that, I had a misadventure with some wiper blades, quickly falling back to Earth and realizing I was never going to make a living out of working on cars, as, in all honesty, I'm really not a "car guy" nor do I know the first thing about their make up. I drive them, and that's about where the infatuation ends. So, you can imagine the dread I felt when I realized one of my tail light bulbs had burned out and needed replacing. It was going to be the wiper blade incident all over again...at least in my mind. Of course, the owner's manual makes it look easy - a few screws, pop out the old one, drop in the new one and you're done. Owner manuals...hmph! So, this morning after dropping the kids off at school, I stopped by the Auto Zone and got the bulbs I needed for this replacement job. Upon arriving home, I closed the garage door behind me (mostly to save myself the embarrassment should I not be able to re-assemble what I've disassembled during the bulb replacement process), threw all caution to the wind and began removing the parts required for an operation of this magnitude. Amazingly, this was the first time I had ever replaced a tail light bulb, and, even more amazingly, it was a snap! In fact, I was so pleased with my work that I replaced the other tail light bulb, as well; even though it was functioning perfectly already. Yes, boys, Michigan's own Smokey Yunick is back. Anyone need me to take a look under the hood?

May 12: The Dying Car, the Dealership and the Rental

Sounds a little bit like a new children's book series from C.S. Lewis, but it couldn't be farther from it. Nope, this little adventure was anything but fascinating. It was a day that started like any other day. Yet, it changed dramatically with one phone call from my wife about an hour after she left for work. She barely made it into the parking lot of her employer as the Vue (we have a 2009 Saturn Vue) started dying. So, she calls OnStar, they ran some diagnostics and they believe the problem to be the gas pedal sensor; that when it gets wet in the 2009 Vue it can short and shut down the entire vehicle. OnStar arranges for the vehicle to be towed to a nearby Chevy dealer. This, of course, after the towing guy has to battle the parking lot security at my wife's place of employment just to get into the lot and let him hook the Vue up to be towed. Apparently, they've had a lot of repo incidents lately in the lot. That's comforting to know when my wife's there 5 days of the week. Anyway, the dealership confirms the problem, but, of course, they have to order a part, which will not be in until tomorrow. So, now we have no choice but to accept the dealership's offer of giving us a rental while the car is in the shop. They call it in to the Enterprise almost directly across the street and we're told it will be ready for us when we arrive. Now, my wife works across town and it's probably a 45-minute drive from our house on a day with light traffic; which is NEVER around here. So, I leave the house to pick up my wife around 1 pm. I get to her employer about 2 pm, and we arrive at the Enterprise office about 10 minutes later. The guy does his thing in the computer and tells us he has a Cheverolet Aveo available, the only GM car he has left. We say "we'll take it" and he proceeds to tell us that we now have to travel another mile East and 4 miles South to another Enterprise office to pick it up. The key thing to keep in mind here is that we have to be back out on the East side by our house by 4 to pick up our daughter from school. So, we go the extra miles, so to speak, and finally get the rental. I've never seen an Aveo on the road before and now I know why: it's the smallest damn vehicle in existence today! Worse yet, we had to tell the kind folks at this particular Enterprise that they needed to stop cleaning the car - for which they had at least 20 minutes to do from the time they got the reservation until the time arrived - and give it over pronto as we had to bolt back towards home for our daughter. In hindsight, we probably should have let them finish and taken our chances with the journey back home as the last passenger who rented it must have been the late George Burns! The ashtray was filled and the odor in the car was God-awful. I drove the rental back home, while my wife made the stop for my daughter. The funniest part of this whole escapade? When the kids saw the Aveo parked in the garage, they loved it! They kept asking if we could get one for our next car. I told them I would think about. But, I haven't given it one thought about it since they asked. And, I don't see that trend changing any time soon.

May 11: The Wonder of Sharepoint

Most businesses today utilize a tool called Sharepoint. It really is a wonderful collaboration tool. Basically, it's a web-based platform that runs from a Microsoft server and it allows a user to create a site from which people can share documents, communicate via discussion boards, post announcements, etc. You can read a more technical definition here, if you like. To this point, I've been able to learn how to create my own site, set up different features and manage it. However, today, thanks to a colleague, I learned how to set up email alerts using the discussion boards so that if someone posts a question, answer or comment to the board, whoever I set up to receive alerts will get an email indicating that the post was made, among other information. Pretty simple task, but something I never knew how to do until now. You can also set up these alerts for Documents folders and other components of the Sharepoint site. This tutorial gives a pretty good demo of that scenario.

May 10: Fish Facts

We've had fish for just about 2 years now, and, the fact is, I still know nothing about fish. But, I was enlightened on the appropriate care and grooming of fish during a trip to PetSmart. Okay, I was kidding about the grooming part; even I know grooming a fish would be considered highly unusual. But, I did learn that sometimes over-cleaning your fish tank can be worse than under-cleaning it. In addition, when you remove the dirty water from a fish tank, you should only remove about 50-60% of that water and replace it with fresh water. Not 90 of it as I've consistently done up until now. Even more, you shouldn't replace the dirty water and replace the filter at the same time. Instead, you should rotate those two actions so as not to make the tank too clean. Is anyone out there finding this stuff interesting in even the slightest manner? I didn't think so. Then again, I never promised that each blog entry would be highly engaging...only a new experience for me. Mission accomplished.

May 9: Moretti

Ahh, Mother's Day....a time to celebrate moms across the country with spring flower bouquets, family time, a nice dinner out, and, of course, Moretti beer? (or as they say in Italy, Birra Moretti) Either way, it's pretty good beer. Usually, I'll have a Peroni when dining in a genuine Italian or Italian-themed restaurant as we were this afternoon - Andiamo in Royal Oak. And, in fact, I did open the meal with just that. However, when the bottle was on low, the waitress informed me that I had just finished the last bottle of Peroni in the restaurant that day (and a first for me). So, she suggested Moretti, and history was made. Going forward, I'll now have options in my Italian beer selection. It's always good to have options.

May 8: Manager

A huge part of my childhood was baseball. I played religiously every summer from the time I was 6 until I was 16, with a little high-school ball in between. I have fond memories of those days....the thrill of coming up with a key hit in a big game, the excitement of going deep into the play-offs, the camaraderie, the competition, and most of all the bond that formed like glue between a son and his Father. See, my Dad was always involved in baseball, first as a coach and eventually running the show as a manager. Coincidentally, I've started a similar path with my own son, as he's shown the same desire to have me involved as I did my own Father 25-30 years ago. Like my Dad, I, too, started just helping out; first in soccer, then T-ball. However, today I began my first season as the Big Dog, the Skipper, if you will. This year's T-ball season opens with me as the Manager for the first time. Now, at this age, the differences between Manager and Coach are minimal on the field. Off the field is a different story as I have to oversee all of the administrative stuff...uniforms, medical release forms, communication with parents over rain outs and picture day, etc. Still, the whole thing is a new experience for me. Today was our first "practice", and at the conclusion I realized that I'm already working within a learning curve. It was about 45 degrees and windy, and we had a full practice. In hindsight, I should have called it quits earlier than I did, keeping the children's health in mind. Unfortunately, I wasn't aware that it was so cold until I got in my vehicle to leave. And, now, afterwards, I feel horrible about it. I guess I'll just have to chalk that one up as a rookie mistake....after calling the parents and apologizing, of course. Let's just hope they see it the same way, otherwise we could be in for a long season.

May 7: Hey Man, Nice Shot

Any Filter fans out there? I like a few of their songs, but not everything that they've done. I'm sure most of you are familiar with their 1995 hit "Hey Man, Nice Shot". I never really listened to the lyrics of the song, but rather always knew it as part of the playlist for Red Wing hockey games. Today, while getting a haircut at Lady Jane's (yes, I returned to Lady Jane's), this song was playing overhead and my stylist asked me if I knew what the song was about. Of course, I did not, so she explained that it was written about some politician who committed suicide, by way of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, about 10 years ago on national TV. Now, I could not recall anything like that happening over the past 10 years. Especially with the way the media jumps on things like that so quickly and so widespread. So, I did a little research this evening to get the facts. The song was in fact written about Budd Dwyer, who served as the 30th Treasurer of Pennsylvania from 1981-1987. Apparently, Mr. Dwyer was charged and convicted of accepting a rather large monetary bribe for using his power and influence to guarantee a business contract for a computer technology company. On January 22, 1987, the day before his sentencing, during a network televised news conference, he made a brief, but strange, speech before brandishing a .357 magnum and taking his own life. Since he was still officially in office at the time, some claim it was his way of guaranteeing that his family would still receive his pension, which could be used to cover the legal costs that had accrued as a result of his criminal actions. The band, Filter, I guess, faced a lot of scrutiny for what many deemed as trying to capitalize on Dwyer's suicide by writing the song "Hey Man, Nice Shot". But, the band clarified their intentions were not such during a 1996 interview, which you can read more about here.

May 6: Cascal All-natural soda

There was a time when I would, literally, drink 2-3+ cans or bottles of soda pop per day. At 40+ grams of sugar in each serving, my dentist was likely loving it, but my body was not. I'm proud to say that I've cut back considerably over the past few years to maybe 2-3 per week now (okay, maybe a little bit more than that), as part of my efforts to invest in my future. Recently, we stumbled upon Cascal soda at Whole Foods market. The maker claim it to be an all-natural soda made from fruit and "botanical ingredients". They also refer to it as an alcohol-free alternative to wine. And, actually, that's pretty accurate. The bubbly, refreshing flavor does remind one of the old Bartles and James offerings. But, I would never refer to as a wine-like option. Cascal offers three different "blends", as they call them. I can only attest to the Black Currant, Cherry and Mirabelle, which is good. The best part, if you're a former pop junkie, is the low 7 grams of sugar per bottle. And, no caffeine...if that's something that appeals to you. The worst part, while delicious, it's no substitute for a Coca-Cola. And, at 6.99 for a 4-pack, it's definitely something we consider a treat every now and then as opposed to a daily staple of our nutritional menu.

May 5: Method Laundry Detergent

How many of you use Method brand home and personal care products? My wife loves them! I guess they use only natural ingredients, so none of that bad stuff that if inhaled, absorbed or ingested will doom you 20 years down the road. I'm thankful for my wife wanting us to be around for a while, but to be honest the extra few bucks you have to drop on this stuff, as compared to other brands, isn't really doing much for me now. Regardless, every shopping trip to Target finds Method products in the basket. Actually, until just recently, I thought Method was a Target brand. But it's not, you can find the brand at Costco, Whole Foods, Lowe's, even Toys R Us; or so their website claims. Anyway, I tried out the Method Laundry Detergent for the first time today, as I threw in a load of dirty clothes before jumping on a business call. Four pumps is what the instructions call for, and apparently that's much less than the traditional line inside the "cup top" that I'm used to measuring from with Tide, All or any other normal laundry detergent. According to the product description on the Method website, this particular detergent has a "patent-pending smartclean technology, uses an ultra concentrated plant-based formula that delivers big cleaning power with just a few tiny squirts, and a 35% smaller carbon footprint than conventional detergent." Cool. My only problem with this "super detergent" is that my clothes look and smell the same after the wash cycle as they did with any of the past detergents we sank our cash into. So, my question is, WHY AMY I PAYING MORE FOR THE SAME RESULTS? And, don't think the "patent pending" situation doesn't raise my eyebrows a bit. If it's a miracle mix, why isn't the darn thing patented yet? I recently came across an article link on Yahoo! that addressed the cost-saving advantages of homemade laundry detergent over store-bought versions, and whether or not we really need to use laundry detergent at all. I, for one, am hoping that's a faster growing trend than what seems to be a retail obsession with Method brand products.

May 4: Trapeze

Since last summer, my daughter has been driven to independently travel across the swing set monkey bars. Over that time, she worked hard to just grab hold and swing a couple at a time. Gradually, she increased that number. Unfortunately, it always ended with the same result...her panicking in mid-hang, calling out for me or Mom to come rescue her. Well, you'll be happy to know she finally accomplished her goal just in time for the swing set to be removed from our backyard; which I wrote about on April 17. Anyway, now she's moved on to the trapeze, which to me is the one swing set feature that I always considered to be most detrimental to a child's health. Think about it, no matter how a kid uses this thing, danger is always lurking. If the child sits on top and swings, there's the risk of him slipping off and falling due to the narrow sitting area. And, God forbid if the child elects to hang from his legs, as his head is several feet above ground and one slip could wind up being a serious error (both to the child, but also in his parents' judgement). So, let's just say my wife and I are not overly excited about our daughter's new admiration. Especially since, up until today, my daughter's dismount while hanging upside down consisted of dropping to the ground hands first with the rest of her body plunging along behind her. Gravity, ouch! But, today, I was able to help her with what I guess is considered the proper trapeze dismount...the one where the kid puts his hands in both of those ring things and actually flips to leave the trapeze, hands still firmly grasped to the rings. My daughter nailed it on her first try. Of course, she then had to try another 20 times, much to my wife's dismay. I can only wonder what's next on her to-do list: bungee jumping from the top peak of the roof?

May 3: Honeycombs

For over a year now, we've had a rather large bee nest towards the top of one the trees out back. I have to think it's been abandoned, but I haven't watched enough "Jackass" episodes, like this one, to climb up there and confirm that. Anyway, today it came down...on it's own, I should clarify. I don't like bees, hornets, wasps, etc., so it me a few minutes to work up the nerve to make sure its inhabitants were no longer occupying this particular piece of real estate. And, they were not. In fact, all that was left was basically the honeycomb. I'd never held a honeycomb or even been this close without it being behind glass and swarmed by an army of bees. So, this was pretty cool. The honeycomb was all dried up, but still firmly intact. The experience led me to do a little bit of research. You can read all of the interesting facts and such here, as I'm just going to provide a few tidbits of information that I pulled out for myself. First, the reason the "comb" was worn and dark is a result of the "cocoons embedded in the cells and the tracking of many feet, called travel stain by beekeepers when seen on frames of comb honey". Secondly, honeycomb is used by bees to store not only honey, but also their larvae and pollen. Interesting stuff, huh? Maybe. But after all is said and done with this experience, I still prefer only one type of Honeycomb. Preferably, at breakfast.

May 2: Tom's of Maine Toothpaste

So long, Aquafresh! Adios, Crest! And, hello, Tom's of Maine toothpaste. We've made the switch. The kids have been using Tom's fluoride toothpaste for children for probably about a year now. They didn't seem to have too much trouble making the switch from conventional toothpaste, so we figured it would be an easy change for Mom and Dad, as well. It's not bad. The minty flavor is much stronger than the more popular brands, however, Tom's seems to lack the substance of those other brands. But, I can get used to it. What's that? Oh, why did we make the toothpaste switch? Well, I'm still not really sure. You may want to ask my wife.

May 1: Marathon Man

Way back in January, I blogged about the treadmill in which my wife and I decided to invest as part of our New Year's resolution to get and stay fit. Well, over the months that have passed, I've been on and off a regular conditioning program. That's why I'm so proud of the feat I accomplished today, although all of you "experienced" runners will likely just chuckle. You see, my accomplishment is not record-setting, nor is it even something any normally active person who maintains anything resembling a regular fitness program would drop their jaw after hearing. But, still, I'm proud. Today, I completed 2 miles on the treadmill in 28 minutes. I know, I know, that's a 14 minute mile, which is probably 6-8 minutes more than the average time, but for me it was something! My next goal, get it down to 20 minutes for 2 miles. Maybe I'll be writing about that in another 4 months.