July 25: Finally!

All last summer and the better part of this one, I've been working with my daughter towards learning how to ride her bike. For all intent and purpose, at her age, she probably should have already gotten it down, but for my daughter it's more of a question of interest, not ability. Last summer, her interest was low. This year, however, it picked up a bit. Maybe because over the past few months she's been seeing progress. Her mechanics have improved considerably, especially keeping her arms straight so as to avoid a stray front wheel. But, she still hasn't reached that point of full confidence in herself aboard the bike. Well, today, everything finally came together. And, for the first time since we started this journey, she was able to cruise down the sidewalk without my assistance, carrying a belief in herself I have not seen to this point. I, of course, continued to play the worrisome parent, jogging beside her every step of the way to guard her from falling. But she didn't fall. She just kept going and going and going. I think it goes without saying (but I will any way), I am so very proud of her.

July 24: Beamerz

Today we attended the birthday party of my 2 nieces and 2 nephews. Each has a birthday ranging from April through July, however, my sister planned one party in honor of all of their birthdays, and she had the party at Beamerz; which I understand is really a Zap Zone organization. This was my first visit to Beamerz, and I have to say it was awesome! I think my kids would echo the same sentiment. Their laser tag area is huge, and it covers multiple levels; but, it's still easy enough to navigate, in my opinion. Let's put it this way, we didn't lose either of the kids in there. They also have a game room in which the kids can earn tickets that can be redeemed for prizes, much like most arcade-type facilities around today. Of course, it took $5 or $6 bucks worth of tokens for the kids to be able to select prizes that, combined, probably cost less than a buck or two, but their faces were still just as proud as ever. And, that's worth a billion tokens in my book. Oh, and by the way, the party itself was a blast...nice job, Wen!

July 23: You don't see that every day...

It's funny how things come full circle. Take this evening's family ride out to my Sister-in-Law's house to see their newest addition. Which, by the way, could be a new experience all its own. Anyway, on the ride there my wife shared a story about her day that involved something I would consider unheard of in any part of the world. My wife was driving to work this morning, stopped at a light on a busy intersection, where she saw a vehicle slowly pull into the parking lot of a Bank of America branch. She continued watching as the passenger door of the car opened and an elderly man, approximately in his 70s, walked to the front of the bank near a bush, dropped his pants and preceded to defecate on the grass to the side of the bush. No kidding, no joke. Can't say I've ever heard quite a story like that before. Fortunately, on the journey home, the family was able to experience something more pleasant, as we saw a full-arch rainbow across the skies following the thunderstorms that came through earlier in the evening. Like the title says, "you don't see that every day".

July 22: Minute Clinic

I admit it. I have been to the Minute Clinic 3 times in my life. All 3 times I was diagnosed with an ear and sinus infection. So, I know they're good at identifying sinusitis and otitis media. But, my wife has never had the same wonderful opportunity. And, recently she's had a bit of a sore throat. So, tonight, with the whole family in tow, I took my wife for her first Minute Clinic experience. My wife's opinion? She was a little uncomfortable with the "closet" (her words, not mine) in which they treat their patients. And, no, they didn't diagnose her with a sinus infection, nor an ear infection. In fact, they didn't diagnose her with anything. They basically sent her away with the old "if it doesn't go away in a few days, you should probably see your regular doctor", Needless to say, my wife will likely not return to the Minute Clinic anytime soon.

July 21: Dem bones, dem bones...

This evening, for some reason or another, my wife made a claim that feet are the human body part that have the most bones. I can't recall how the conversation started, but I was always of the understanding that the hand was the part with the most bones. So, I looked it up. As I thought, the hand is in fact the body part that has the most bones in the human body, with 27 bones per hand for a total of 54 bones all together. Ironically, and something I did not know, is that the human feet have 26 bones each, for a grand total of 52 bones; provided that one possesses both feet. I even learned that of the 206 bones in the human body, 106 of them are in the hands and feet!

July 20: The Whole Tooth and Nothing But...Twice

The Tooth Fairy is feeling a little pain in the pocketbook this evening as she makes her way into our house to exchange the goods. That's because my daughter lost two of her baby teeth today. That's right, two in one day! And, within just hours of each other. I'd never seen anything like it before. The first came out when she was eating some nutless banana bread of all things, and the second one followed shortly after while she was chewing some bubble gum. Thank God it stopped there or else I would have probably rushed her up to emergency thinking she had some sort of virus that was attacking her gums. Per her last dentist visit, she still has two more that are quite loose and likely on the verge of falling out. At this rate, the tooth fairy is going to have to take out a personal loan just to fulfill her end of the bargain. And, here, I thought college was going to be the big expense for my kids.

July 19: Mr. Handyman

Ever have to call out a plumber to do some fixin' in your pipes? If you have, you know how costly they can be. And, that's just the service charge alone. I have a water valve in the front of the house that when I attach a hose to it I get a leak in my basement. Makes it a little difficult to water the front flower beds. I have a pretty good idea that it's some form of pressure leak, but me and plumbing do not go together too well. So, long story short, I gave Mr. Handyman a call. We've gotten promos from them in the mail, and we've been saying we should call them out for this or that around the house. So, I figured no better time than now and my water valve issues. Well, they scheduled us for 9 am this morning and the guy was at our door at 8:30 am. Prompt some might say, but when you have 2 kids and a dog running around the house, I would have appreciated it more if he would have been 30 minutes late instead. But, that's not Mr. Handyman's fault, now is it? Anyway, he got right to it and turns out the pipe was cracked and the spicket inside it was broken, as well. Approximately an hour and a half later, the job was done. I'm not going to lie, the per hour labor charge was kind of ridiculous, but I can't help but think far cheaper than a plumber's rates. At least based on my past experience with plumbers.

July 18: Bean Bag Chairs

We're doing some "renovating" in the kids' rooms, and today we added bean bag chairs to the mix. Both kids have these mini chairs they received as gifts a few years back, but they've both kind of outgrown them. I have fond memories of bean bag chairs from my childhood. And, yes, by revealing that little tidbit I am dating myself. However, the chairs have changed some since my days with them; specifically, they're a lot fuller then I seemed to remember and they have a new safety feature: glue on the zipper. I guess that warning about children suffocating from the filling was not just a precautionary message. My daughter knew all about bean bag chairs from "iCarly", and, of course, an opportunity to have something that Miranda Cosgrove finds entertaining, albeit on a fictional TV show, was quite appealing to her. I'm not sure my son knew exactly what a bean bag chair looked like, but once he got his first glimpse he was sold! So, we dragged both chairs around Meijer in a cart as we picked up a few extras for the week, and then came the task of getting them both into the back of the Vue; which was not an easy task for the record. But, in my opinion, the bean bags put the finishing touch on both of their rooms! Now, if I can just figure out how to remove the glue from the zipper so I can eliminate some of the filling from my daughter's chair, life will be good.

July 17: Beer Can Chicken

For Father's Day, my in-laws gave me a BBQ accessory that features dual holders upon which you can roast two chickens. It looks something like this. This evening, using this handy grilling accessory, we attempted Beer Can Chicken on the grill for the very first time. Of course, something of this magnitude we couldn't just leave to chance when preparing, seasoning and grilling the young bird. But, there are a million Beer Can Chicken recipes out on the Internet. Even found a few referencing it as "Beer in the Rear" chicken. Found that a little disturbing, but still continued the search. And, we ended up going with one of the The Food Network's recipes, figuring they, of all sources, wouldn't steer us in the wrong direction. I have to say, if you haven't tried out this novelty technique for roasting chicken on the grill, I highly suggest you give it a whirl. The chicken was moist, full of flavor, and just plain delicious!

July 16: Tequila

Two facts about me and Tequila: (1) I once drank too much of it in college and awoke in the bed of a girl I had just met that evening. I was alone, however, so don't let your minds wander nor your opinions of me decline; and (2) every time I hear the word I immediately envision Paul Reubens (a.k.a. Pee Wee Herman) inside a biker bar wearing platform shoes dancing atop the tables. Maybe this will help you with that same vision. Anyway, this evening was date night for me and my wife with the kids spending the night at their Grandmother's house. So, we did a little window shopping at The Village of Rochester Hills, and ended up sitting at the bar in Mitchell's Fish Market having some appetizers and a refreshing beverage. I played it safe with a beer, but my wife tried their 100% Organic Tequila Gimlet; shaken, of course, not stirred. This little beauty is a mixture of Tierras Blanco Organic Tequila, fresh organic lime juice and Monin Organic Agave Nectar. Of course, I had to have a sip, and, in doing so, sampled my first tequila gimlet...and organic, nonetheless!

July 15: Window Screens

A few years back, we had our windows cleaned by some half-witted company we selected from a direct mail piece they had sent to the house. We asked them to do both inside and out. They did just that, neglecting to clean either side of the middle window panes in the process (we have 3 layers on our windows). Needless to say, we never asked them for a return visit. But, today, we tried out Crystal Clear Windows, based on a referral from my Sister-in-Law. This time around things went much better; both the quality and the price! Unfortunately, our windows are, well, unique, some might say. In fact, when we first moved into this house, the previous owners had never installed the screens...ever. They liked to roll with windows closed and air on, so I guess they never saw a need. The screens were in the basement, still banded together and packaged, and I had to ask my Brother-in-Law to come over and help us put them in as I couldn't figure out how in the heck they went in. Five years later, I guess my clarity has become much sharper, as when the poor folks from Crystal Clear couldn't figure out how to remove the screens, I stepped right in and resolved the situation. Of course, they then asked me if I could remove ALL the screens for them. So, I did it and, in the process, experienced my first shot at removing and re-installing window screens in my home.

July 14: A Fungus Among Us

In the 10 years that I've been a homeowner, not once have I ever experienced an issue with the trees or bushes garnering my landscape. Of course, I've had the occasional plant die on me or I've uprooted a living plant in exchange for something new, but never an issue caused by nature herself. That streak ended today when my Natural Way consultant confirmed that both crab trees in the front yard had some fungus living in it, and that my holly and boxwood in the front flower bed were infested with insects. Fun stuff, huh? So, next Monday, the Natural Way crew will be out for the first installment of a 4-spray treatment for the bushes and a 2-spray treatment for the crab trees. You just gotta love Mother Nature...

July 13: Town Hall Meeting

Seems like the Michigan offices, and, therefore, myself included, always miss out on the guest appearances of major players in the Bank. These guys typically give there quarterly "All-Hands" meetings in the East Coast; usually Charlotte, Delaware or some of the markets where the Bank has a large office presence. But, today, the old LaSalle HQ in Troy was host to the Michigan Town Hall meeting, and I had received a personal invite to attend. So, I did. This was my first Town Hall meeting for the Bank, and I had the privilege of hearing Mr. Joe Price, the head of our Consumer and Small Business Banking division. I also got to see and listen to Kieth Cockrell, the Regional Exec of Michigan's Banking Centers, and the gentleman who took over that role when I was hired into Bank of America following its purchase of my former employer, LaSalle Bank. Good stuff, good stuff.

July 12: Mr. Vice-President

I got a request from today from my Boss, who was returning from her 2-week vacation. It was one of those "Can you give me a call?" messages that she pinged over to me via Communicator. Of course, my initial thoughts are "bad news"; thinking either there's more work coming my way or the company has decided to make some reductions. Probably because I rarely get a message from my boss in this manner. So, reluctantly, I pinged back "Sure". And, I called her. Turns out she had great news. The Bank often awards Title Promotions as a way of recognizing an associate's overall performance in his/her role. There's no pay increase or anything like that, although I do think it has some vacation/personal day perks, but it's kind of a big deal internally. Last year, I was awarded an "Officer" title, today that title increased to "Assistant Vice-President. Needless to say I was both surprised and honored! First time I've ever had the privilege of being an Assistant Vice-President for anything; and that includes Jr-High Student Council.

July 11: Candwich

Late this evening, a buddy of mine, and former colleague, sent me an email including a link to, what I can only assume, is the latest and greatest in the convenience food industry...Candwich! Now, before I get into all of the details about this remarkable innovation (enter sarcasm here), let me begin with how the makers of this product describe it on their website - "...the perfect product for people on the go such as students, construction workers, soccer moms and outdoor enthusiasts". Wow! That's some list of potential customers. So, from what I can gather, Candwich is basically a sandwich packaged in a 3-oz. pop-top can. Hmmm, sounds interesting; although, not at all appealing. But wait, there's more! Candwich is available in 3 flavors: PBJ with grape or strawberry jelly and BBQ chicken. Rumor has it that Pepperoni Pizza and French Toast versions are also in the works. Mmm-mmm, I can hardly wait! And, if the convenience and variety are not big enough selling points for you, the product allegedly has a long-shelf life, too; which only makes you wonder the magnitude of preservatives injected into these babies.The website Eater.com, which of course is where I always go for all of my current food information (enter more sarcasm here), has an article about Candwich that includes some history of the product. Unfortunately, I'm not able to deliver the one piece of information that I just know all of you are waiting for, and that is where to buy Candwich. I would suggest asking your local grocer on your next shopping trip. But, don't blame me for that blank expression of confusion you'll likely get back, nor the Grocery Store Manager's polite request for you to leave his store immediately. For that you can blame my buddy, Doug, who first broke the news of Candwich to me. You want his number?

July 10: You're It!

My son and daughter were debating whose side to take on some issue that my wife and I were discussing this evening. To be honest, I can't even remember the issue, but, like most things, we made a game out of it and the kids turned to the old "Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Moe" process of selection. This got me thinking about where the phrase originally came from, and what other similar rhymes are commonly used to choose who is "it" when playing games. Growing up, I can remember doing "Bubble Gum, Bubble Gum in a Dish" and "Engine, Engine, Number Nine". I've already taught those to my kids, but I have to think there are more out there.

What I discovered is there are many more. But, first the history behind "Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Moe. I found tracing the origins of this rhyme was not an easy process, as there doesn't seem to be any concrete historical evidence suggesting how the phrase began. The most common theory is that it descended from Celtic (or Old English) counting, as evidenced in the East Anglian Shepherd's count, "Ina, mina, tehra, methera" or the Cornish "Eena, mea, mona, mite". The first American record is from about 1815 in New York, and around 1880 in England. Another theory subscribes that the British occupiers of India brought a doggerel version of an Indian children's rhyme used in the game of carom billiards, and that is how the phrase came about. I also learned that there is a controversial version that has been used in the past that involves swapping the word "tiger" for a racial slur that rhymes with "Tigger". Don't think I'll be sharing that version with my kids, though, or anyone else for that matter. Whatever the history, I think we can agree that the phrase has been around for a long time, and used, in some form, by children all over the world.

I also found that beyond "Eeny", "Bubble Gum" and "Engine", there are numerous other phrases just like them. Among them, the brief "Sky Blue" (One, two, sky blue, all out except you) and the more lengthy "Inka Binka Bottle of Ink". Some also group "Rock, Paper, Scissors" into this same category, minus the catchy rhyme, of course. I found a pretty good list here, and some additional ones here, if you're interested...

July 9: BP

No, not that BP. This evening I attended the Tigers/Twins game down at Comerica Park, and I had the opportunity to watch batting practice on the field; directly behind the batting cage! My old college roommate is the Assistant Trainer for the Tigs and he arranged the whole thing for me and a buddy of mine. So, we got there, put on our security badges, walked the lower concourse and entered the field directly behind home plate. Needless to say, it was very cool! We were probably about 10-15 feet from the cage, and we say Miggy Cabrera, Carlos Guillen, Austin Jackson, Boesch and some others. We also had the opportunity to see the Twins take BP, and got some pretty decent photos of Joe Mauer, Jim Thome and Orlando Hudson by the cage. The only disappointment was that Johnny Damon wasn't in the line-up, as the Twins were pitching lefty Francisco Liriano. Thus, Damon did not come out for BP, and, therefore, another opportunity to meet my favorite player was lost. Still, it was a great, new experience, and it's always a pleasure seeing an old college pal and hanging out with my best bud, Nick.

July 8: The Decision

I promised myself I wouldn't do it. I told myself it's not right...I would just be buying right into everything I opposed about the situation. But, I did it anyway. Yep, I tuned into "The Decision" tonight on ESPN to watch LeBron James reveal which NBA team he decided to play for over the next 6 years. By now, you probably know his choice is the Miami Heat. What a waste of 60 minutes of my life! I'm not a huge follower of the NBA, but this whole LeBron free agency spectacle just ticks me off. In my lifetime, I've never seen anything like it, nor will I probably ever again. Seriously, how does the guy get up and down a basketball court 82 games a season carrying an ego that large? You'd think it would weigh him down. And, to have the arrogance to have his own 1-hour special on ESPN and ask the whole world to stop what they're doing and turn its attention to him. What a huge horse's backside! But, I guess I'm the bigger backside since I fell into the trap and watched all the shenanigans. Oh, well. While I don't think the Cavs will win a world championship before the Heat, as Cavs owner Dan Gilbert promised the poor Cleveland fans, I still hope Miami comes up short over the next 6 years. Karma is a strange thing...what comes around, goes around. Anyway, if you missed "The Decision" in all it's narcissistic glory, don't feel too bad...you can read the entire transcript from "The King's" interview with Jim Gray here. Or, you can just follow the LeBron Tracker. Yes, it's still up and actively running. I guess someone out there still thinks there's something interesting about LeBron post-decision. Then again, it's probably just LeBron himself.

July 7: Meijer Sells Everything

I knew Meijer had everything a shopper could want; from groceries to electronics to sporting goods to toys and everything in between. What I did not know until today is that Meijer also sells Detroit Tiger ballgame tickets! At least the one in our neighborhood. I found the prices to be about the same as what I had been looking at online via the official Detroit Tigers website, but even better because I had them in-hand immediately. You gotta love Meijer.

July 6: Those Damn Animal Bracelets

You know the ones I'm talking about. It's the latest rage amongst kids across the nation aged 5-15. Those thin rubber bracelets shaped not only like animals, but pirate symbols, princess icons and any other shape you can imagine (but always something with high appeal to children). And, yes, my kids have the fever, too. They slide them on their wrists, but when removed the bracelet reforms into its original shape. Great, huh? Very cool. Sure, it would be if you didn't have to drop 2.99 a bag on every dozen. Seems a little steep for a bunch of rubber. So, you know what I'm talking about here, and you may even be experiencing it yourself if you have kids who are into this latest fad. But, here's a few things I learned today that you may not know.

These rubber bracelets are the brain child of a man named Robert Croak. Mr. Croak coined the bracelets "Silly Bandz", which are the original versions if you're trying to select between all of the other knock-off brands out there today. Mr. Croak is also the founder of Brainchild Products (or BCP), whom you may or may not have heard of (I, for one, had not). Approximately 3 years ago, Croak visited a trade show in China where he stumbled upon rubber bands in "stretchy animal shapes", brought the concept home and revolutionized it. Thus, Silly Bandz were born. Oh, but it gets even better. These animal-shaped rubber bands had been a product of China since 2002. In fact, the team that created them had been recognized with a National Design Award. And, get this. According to one Internet site I found, the whole concept of these rubber band bracelets came from a man in China who created them in an effort to stop people from throwing out rubber bands and help the environment. Ah, Capitalism at its finest!

July 5: Clif Bars

I've never been into "energy foods" too much throughout my lifetime. Although, there was that short period during my teen years when I committed to working out. In order to supplement my new investment into heavy bags and free weights, I started using some kind of Weider powered energy drink. But, that was just a fad I went though, I guess. As, since then, I've never really taken much of an interest. Over the weekend, my wife secretly bought 3 Clif Bars from Whole Foods (she had a coupon), thinking I might try them as part of our health/organic pilgrimage for 2010. Again, I wasn't too interested, but she put me on the spot in front of the kids by sharing that they had picked out the "flavors" for me. How can I reject a gift from my children? So, when the hunger bug hit me about mid-afternoon today, I came across the Clif bars while scouring the pantry for a little snack. So, I tried 'em out; specifically the Peanut Butter Pretzel Clif Mojo bar. The Clif Bar website teases that these Mojo bars will "...satisfy your sweet (and salty) tooth". And, you know what? It did.To some degree. If you like that sweet/salty combination, then I highly recommend giving this particular Clif Bar a try. Me? I think a Snicker's bar would do the same trick, but at about a buck-fifty less.

July 4: Chester Arthur

Today's Free Press/Detroit News featured a quiz about America, and American History to some degree, in honor of the holiday. My wife and I decided to test our own knowledge as citizens of this great country and take the quiz. We did fairly well, which is a relief since the quiz was based upon knowledge that every 6th grader should know. But, one question was one of those "which President did not do such and such...", and one of the options was a man named Chester Arthur. I didn't even know we had a President named Chester Arthur in the White House at one time. So, following my standard process when learning new tidbits such as this, I went Internet and did a little research on this fella. Chester Alan Arthur was our 21st President from September 19, 1881 through March 4, 1885. As the Vice President for James Garfield, Arthur was sworn into office following Garfield's assassination at the hands of Charles Guiteau. Guiteau was a disgruntled job seeker, and ironically, Arthur's greatest achievement was the passing of the Pendleton Act in 1883, which provided that Federal Government jobs be awarded on the basis of merit and that Government employees be selected through competitive exams. The act also made it unlawful to fire or demote for political reasons employees who were covered by the law. The law further forbids requiring employees to give political service or contributions. In the summer of 1883, Arthur was diagnosed with Bright's disease, a fatal kidney disease, which he continued to battle during his final year in office. He died November 18, 1886. His post -presidency was the second shortest of all Presidents, longer only than that of James Polk who died 103 days after leaving office.

July 3: Breakfast of Champions

This morning, my daughter created her own cereal concoction that, actually, turned out to be pretty good. It all started with her asking me if she could have some Cheerios, but then she threw in "and I can mix them with some peanut butter?" At first, I thought "WHAT?" "PEANUT BUTTER?" And, my first inclination was to say "No Way, Missy!" But, then I thought about her need to express her creativity and try new things...much like what I'm attempting to do by committing to writing this blog every day. So, I let her at it, and, after she tried her own mixture, I even made the recommendation to add some milk; which she immediately agreed to. Tell you what, it tasted pretty awesome. Kind of a cross between Peanut Butter Captain Crunch and the old school Reese's Puffs cereals. So, if you're looking for a new option in breakfast cereals, skip the supermarket and make your own. My daughter's recipe is below:

1 Tbsp Peanut Butter
1 Bowl Multi-grain Cheerios
1 Cup 2% Milk

Add peanut butter to cereal bowl. Cover with Cheerios. Mix well to blend. Pour Milk into bowl. Mix to blend. Enjoy!

July 2: Fireworks

This evening, my family will be attending the Greenfield Village "Salute to America" event for the second year in a row. Last year, the kids had a ball, and it's one of the best fireworks displays in the state. All of the excitement led me to do a little research on the origin of fireworks as part of the July 4th traditions. It is said that John Adams wrote, in a letter to his wife, on July 3, 1776 following the Continental Congress' decision to proclaim American colonies independent of England:

"The day will be most memorable in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival…It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade…bonfires and illuminations (fireworks) from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more."

This would indicate that fireworks were tied directly to Independence Day celebrations even before the Declaration of Independence had been signed. However, my research also revealed that Independence Day was not always celebrated on the Fourth of July, but that the first Independence Day celebration occurred on July 8, 1776. On that day, people rang bells, shot guns and set off fireworks; which supports the pledge that John Adams shared with his wife 5 days prior. Most sites I found concur with this historical timeline, give or take a few days. Even my favorite source for information, Wikipedia, has an Independence Day entry that is consistent with the information I discovered.

July 1: The Babe

Watching TV this evening, a photo of Babe Ruth was shown on the telly and I pointed out who it was to my son, who is gradually learning the various icons of baseball from yours truly. I told him it was George Herman Ruth, but that he was better known as "The Babe". And, my daughter asked "Why did they call him Babe?", to which I had no response. Now, I fancy myself a longtime baseball fan and a huge advocate of the game. But, where Babe Ruth's nickname came from is one of those things I never questioned as a kid and, therefore, as an adult, I did not have an answer for my daughter. So, this evening, I looked it up. The story goes that in 1914, at the age of 19, Ruth was spotted by Jack Dunn, owner of the Baltimore Orioles of the International League at the time, who signed Ruth to his first professional contract. Now, at age 7, Ruth's parents had enrolled him into St. Mary's Industrial School, and gave custody of Ruth to the Jesuits at the time, where he was supposed to remain until he turned 21. So, in order to complete the contract and remove Ruth from the school, Dunn had to adopt him. People began to refer to Ruth as Dunn's "baby," which became "Babe". Thus, Babe Ruth was born. Interestingly enough, I also never knew that Ruth had played for the Orioles prior to his legendary status with the Red Sox and Yankees. And, "The Babe" wasn't the only nickname Ruth was given during his career. If you're interested, you can see the complete, and lengthy, list here.

June 30: Spitting Image

My wife listens to NPR a lot on her drive home from work. Today, she shared with me some of the content in which the discussion focused on the term "spitting image". Now, we've all heard this term, and I, personally, have always took it to mean that someone looks exactly like someone else; for example, "you're the spitting image of your Mother". According to this particular segment on NPR, my wife explained that this person's particular theory is that the term derived from the South and is a abbreviated version of "spirit" and "image" together; meaning that one has the same spirit and physically resembles another. I did a little bit of digging into the topic, seeing my thirst for knowledge this year. I did find one interesting reading that coincides with what my wife heard on the radio, however, dictionary.com disagrees with this origin, as does WikiAnswers and RandomHouse. All of these sites buy into the theory of "spit" and "image", with spit being used in the sense of "You are the very spit of your father," i.e., he might just have spit you out. So, although I was unable to find a definitive origin to the term "spitting image", I did learn that there are many theories as to where this term came from; something I had no idea about when I awoke this morning. I'm slowly learning that's the great thing about knowledge....it's everywhere and it's readily available if you just acknowledge it.