Arkansas Observations

Three things jumped out at me during our recent trip to Arkansas. Cheap Gas, the volatile weather and the number of banks. First the gas because it is easiest to explain.

Now I understand that gas is cheaper in most parts of the country than it is in California. But the prices in Jonesboro, AR seemed surprisingly low. There was indeed some healthy competition among gas stations - good 'ol fashion gas wars - and it makes for cheap gas. The prices actually fluctated several times a day as stations tried to one up each other. Makes driving a Jeep Grand Cherokee bearable! When we got back home the cheapest place in Sacramento was $1.73.

The weather was pretty nice during our trip all in all. There was a fair amount of rain but some sun too. The thing we saw that we don't see much at all in CA was a real thunderstorm which even included a tornado watch! We were walking Jake and Jack as the storm approached. It was 77 degrees just before the front crossed over. Moments after this picture was taken it immediately started dumping rain.


The next morning the temperature was 34 degrees.

Finally the banks. It just isn't explainable. Jonesboro is a town of ~50 thousand and there are over 20 different banks in town with 130 branch locations between them all. Further, and this is the stranger thing, there are at least 10 bank buildings that can be described as monuments. I haven't seen anything like it unless you go to banking centers like Charlotte, New York or San Francisco. Here's a sampling...

Bank One


Bank Two


Bank Three


Bank Four


You get the picture...I could go on and on... Some sort of weird slowly growing ponzi scheme???

Finally, I leave you with a photo from my friend Carol who also went to AR over the holidays and snapped this picture (for her Blog) of the increasingly rare Stucky's gas station / store. Home of the famous Pecan Log. This is on I-55 a few miles before crossing into Tennessee....unfortuantely we didn't have time to stop but it made me yearn for the pecan log.

Happy New Year!

Christmas in Arkansas - Round One

We've made it through Jack's second Christmas - this time from Arkansas. This marked the first time Jack actually show some interest in opening packages. He made a good elf in helping his Dad deliver presents to everyone.

Here he proudly displays his empty box.

Jack's Grandpa prepares for the action - while Christmas Story airs on TV...



Jack proudly displays his horse - which he appropriately named "Socks".


Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas

Jack's Santa experience was a bit scary for him but the picture turned out pretty well.





Merry Christmas to all!

Mom's Famous Peppermint Stick Pie
1 piecrust shell, baked and cooled
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1/2 cup cold water
1/4 teaspoon peppermint flavoring
3 egg whites
1/3 cup of sugar (granulated, not powdered)
1 cup whipping cream, whipped
1/2 cup crushed peppermint stick candy
2 tablespoons crushed peppermint stick candy

Have baked piecrust shell ready. Soften gelatin in water in 1-quart saucepan. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat until mixture bubbles and gelatin is dissolved. Take from heat. Cool. Stir in peppermint flavoring. Beat egg whites in 3-quart bowl with electric mixer at high speed until foamy. Beat in sugar gradually until stiff and glossy. Beat in gelatin mixture at low speed until mixed. Fold in whipped cream and 1/2 cup candy. Heap into shell. Chill 2 hours, or until firm. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of candy just before serving.

A Little A's Fan...or just a green hat for the season?

Jack is starting to recover from his various illnesses. He still enjoys stealing my hats and pulling junk out of the closet regardless of how he feels.

Here's a snap of his unbeatable smile...

and then he quickly dives into the closet - his hat flipped around so he's extra cool! At least he's avoiding the wine!

Heading for Airport...

Bowl Game Swag

I saw an interesting article about what college football players get in their gift bags for playing in various bowl games. Here are some examples:

Gator Bowl -- Nebraska vs. Clemson
The haul: Oakley Split Thumps (electronic sunglasses)
Mercury luggage set
Bulova watch
Hat

Chick Fil-A-Bowl -- LSU vs. Georgia Tech
The haul: $300 Best Buy Gift Card
Bowl watch
Souvenir football
Autograph football
Logo travel bag
Logo ski cap and visor

Insight Bowl -- Kansas vs. Minnesota
The haul: 26-inch Visio LCD HDTV
Bulova game watch
Game hat
Snack pack


National Title Game -- Florida vs. Oklahoma
The haul: Sony Gifting Suite (player's choice of up to $300 worth of Sony electronics)
New Era 5950 fitted hat
Tourneau watch
BCS Championship Game customized Crocs
Ogio duffel bag
Customized luggage tags
Blockbuster video movie rental subscription

Pumpkin Spice Milk

As I was browsing the holiday eggnog offerings in the grocery store, I stumbled across an apparently new product called pumpkin spice milk. There were also two other flavors of this special milk, mint chocolate and candy cane, but I decided to go with pumpkin spice. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised. It's the thickness or eggnog, which is to say, nearly as thick as a milkshake. The pumpkin flavor is powerful and almost too sweet. It's a tasty twist on classic nog, but like nog, you wouldn't want to drink it more than once a year.

Subway's $5.00 Ripoff

It's no secret that Subway's $5.00 Footlong campaign has been a raving success. You can probably even sing that hellish five-dollar footlong jingle from memory. But as anyone who enjoys the footlong veggie sub can tell you, the five-dollar campaign has made the best sub on the menu MORE EXPENSIVE. It used to be that the veggie sub was well under five dollars, as it should be because it doesn't have any meat! But Subway just had to lump it into their five-dollar category. Now, a sandwich without meat is exactly the same price as a sandwich with two giant processed chicken breasts on it. The veggie eaters of the world are being screwed! The only way to get your moneys worth now is to order the chicken breast sub with THE MEAT ON THE SIDE. That way, you get your veggie sub and you can give the dog the processed chicken.

FlapJack Ready to Travel

Aside from the fact that he is battling strep throat and pink eye the little pancake of ours is ready to travel as evidenced by his climbing into our suitcase to "help" Mom.

Fortunately, with snow blanketing the midwest our trip takes us through Phoenix rather than Denver or Chicago.

Here's another snap of him holding a graham cracker while eating his socks! You can tell he isn't quite 100%. He's looking better today though as the medicine is kicking in.

Craftsman Warranty Holds Up

My 3/8" socket stopped socketing earlier this year and we finally made it to Sears where I was able to invoke the lifetime warranty and claim a new one. They handled it quickly and efficiently which is somewhat surprising given their association with KMart.

Here's the new wrench - which retails for ~$30+.

A Strange Xmas Gift

Perhaps the strangest Christmas gift of the season came in the mail yesterday. It's the Bud Light VIP Personal Assistance card. It showed up as a result of my apparent membership in the Bud Light "Blue Crew" Club.

The card has a toll free phone number on back with an access code good for 10 minutes of conversation time with my very own personal assistant. They say I can call up and have an assistant help me with anything, like: flight gate info, dining recommendations, get restaurant reservations, event ticket procurement, driving directions, shopping info, weather reports, business services, emergency assistance, phone numbers, sight seeing info, tee times, entertainment, and city guide.

I'm going to have to think up something really weird to do with this. Any ideas?

Shirtless Baby Spotted Sweeping to Mariah Carey

Christmas Lights & Snow

We got a few inches of snow a couple of days ago, which you can kind of make out by the glow of the Christmas lights I put up on our front porch.

Merry Christmas featuring baby and beagles

Super Saver Andy

I stopped by the Super Saver grocery store tonight for a few items. As I walked through the parking lot, I noticed a folded note on the ground and picked it up. Looks like it was a bad decision to give Andy that extra responsibility! (click on the picture for larger view)

Tangeman Blog Bowl Pick'em Challenge!

Come one come all! Join our Tangeman Blog Bowl Pick'em Challenge! Winner will be hailed champion on this blog!

The group name is Tangeman Blog Bowl Picks.
The group ID# is: 43073
The group password is: tangeman

To join, follow this link to the Yahoo Bowl Pick'em Challenge, click the "Join Group" button, put in the above information, and start picking!

Good luck! Root on Georgia Tech, Kansas, and Nebraska to victory!

Canadian Geese Walking, Honking

It's not unusual to see waterfowl on the small lake behind our house, but I figured once the thing had frozen over for the winter, the 'duck, duck, goose' show was over. As we discovered this morning, that's not the case. A gaggle of Canadian Geese have somehow landed on the icy surface and are just walking around and maybe drinking a little of the top-surface melt. Of course I can't let Yuki free back there for fear that the dim-witted animal would charge the geese and crash through the ice.

The Banana Bunker

Will recently recommended the Banana Bunker to Erin and I, so we decided to pick some up to try. The simple and innovative bunker works just as advertised. It forms a hard plastic shell around the banana you're hauling so that the fruit doesn't bruise.
Nifty!

Jack and his Rack of Antlers!

Ben & Jerry's Pumpkin Cheesecake Ice Cream

I took a detour down the ice cream aisle hoping against all hope for an unlikely holiday miracle: the return of Ben & Jerry's "Festivus" ice cream. While the Festivus flavor was not present, I did stumble upon a different new flavor, pumpkin cheesecake. I was a little concerned that I wouldn't enjoy this flavor since I had consumed three pumpkin pie blizzards in recent months, but it turned out not to matter. Ben & Jerry's Pumpkin Cheesecake flavor, complete with its graham cracker swirl, is fantastic. A must try for any pumpkin fans.



Speaking of Festivus, if you've let your Festivus knowledge slip, I found this nifty YouTube movie reminding you of the 5 things you should know about the alternative holiday.

Money press as investment vehicle?

Stocks are tanking. Banks are failing. Brokers are floundering. Interest rates are bottoming. Car companies are begging. Bonds are dropping. What to do with your money? Many readers of this blog are familiar with the money press, invented a decade ago but perhaps never more appropriate than now as an investment vehicle. I am going to produce a limited run of these presses in the classic design, to be sold at under $40 each including shipping. To inquire, send me an email at: cashpress@gmail.com.

When I get a measure of the quantity needed, I will finalize the design and price. It may not be exactly as illustrated, but will keep your cash very flat. Delivery before Christmas is doubtful but may be possible for quick responders. I will report total sales to this blog after Christmas.

Missouri Fan Magazine

Robert's recent "Caveman" post demonstrated the nature of the Georgia Tech / Georgia rivalry. The following helps demonstrate how Kansas feels about Missouri. KU's besting of Mizzou on the football field last Saturday was very gratifying!

Yuki vs. Balloons

We threw a surprise birthday party for Erin's Dad at our house. Afterwards, Yuki helped us dispose of some of the decorative balloons!

On Space Managment

As the Winter snows begin to fall, I stand baffled at one of our neighbor's apparent decision to leave their Toro lawn mower outside in the driveway. I have had opportunity to see inside this large three-car garage, so I can tell you why the Toro is collecting snow. It's because there is no room left! That's right. This massive garage is so full of junk that only one car will fit, and there is no space left over for a mower. Incredible. It's a daily reminder to me to declutter!

Lowering The Bird!

Drinking With The Smurfs

Like a blast from our cartoon watching past, Erin recently unboxed a lot of classic Smurf drinking glasses and filled our cabinets with them. These are the kind of "collectible" glasses fast food joints like Burger King used to offer. If you envy these smurfy drinkers, you probably won't have to wait long before you can get your own. That's because the Smurf 3D movie is currently in production. The latest rumors claim it'll be in theaters in 2010. You can bet a flood of new Smurf merchandise will follow.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Dreams of a "Drummer Boy" Free Christmas Shattered Early

This year I aspired to be like Dad and have a Little Drummer Boy free Christmas. It is getting much harder to do as more and more artists keep recording the song.

A casual search on iTunes turns up 150 versions!!! Here's a small sampling.

Here's how it went down - during breakfast this morning Steph, Jack and I thought we'd get a jumpstart on our holiday mood and put in the new Josh Groban Christmas album which I had picked up for her a few weeks earlier.


Track 1 turned out to be Silent Night - which didn't seem appropriate for Thanksgiving morning so we casually flipped to the next track... that's right - it was The Little Drummer Boy and my dream was shattered.

It gets worse though. We dutifully listened to the drummer boy while enjoying Kellog's new Blueberry mini-wheats (which we all like by the way - even Jack!)


The next song on Groban's album was I'll be Home for Christmas and this is one of the worst Christmas songs I've heard ever. It features those radio/TV clips of soldiers/loved ones talking about missing Christmas back home. It just didn't work. Thankfully - even Steph agreed and we pulled the plug on Groban about half way through the song.

We substituted the Jesus and Mary Chain and it was much improved breakfast and kick-off to our Thanksgving morning.



Happy Thanksgiving!

Georgia Tech - Univ. of Georgia Week

In recent years Tech fans have had to take solice in the fact that Tech is a much better school academically if not on the football field. Hopefully this is the year we'll be superior on the field as well!

If not - we've always got this...

Holiday Prep

It's nearly turkey time. That means at least one trip to the grocery store a day (2 if your name happens to be Rick DeBruyn). We got a jump start on things by making a few trips this week-end.

Here's Jack just after his Santa pictures. Too bad he wasn't nearly this happy in Santa's lap.



Jack remains busier than ever. Add that to the fact that he's learned how to climb and we've got to keep an eye on him at all times. Here's some evidence...



On the hearth and in the table...



He's now at the age where he is a blast to play with and we have as much fun as he does!

Bowl Projections - 2008

Many of our teams will be going bowling this year with Michigan and Arkansas being the big exceptions.

The biggest surprise is that Arkansas State is getting mentioned! Projecting to the Papa Johns bowl against Pittsburgh. The still have to get bowl eligible by beating the best team in the conference Troy though.

Tech's big win has them aiming towards the old Peach Bowl (Chick-Fil-A) though who knows - things still very much open with lots of the ACC teams.

Nebraska projected to the Gator which could lead to a match-up against Georgia Tech as well if it comes to fruition. KU is floating around too.

Michigan State - for the blog readers up North is looking like a New Years team as well - maybe in the Outback :)

Should be a fun month.

Baby's Tantrum

This was after waking up at 5am to go have ear tubes inserted so he was a tired, somewhat grouchy baby :)

Lincoln Named Healthiest CIty

According to new data released from the CDC, Lincoln, NE is the healthiest city in the USA. Huntington, West Virginia is the least healthy. It's good news to know the city I live in is healthy, but can someone explain why I've had a nasty cold for like a whole month? Here's a link to the article. As you'll see if you read it, the data collecting methods are somewhat suspect.

Here's a list of the top 10 healthiest cities according to the article.
Healthiest Cities:

1. Lincoln, NE Metropolitan Statistical Area
2. Fargo, ND-MN Metropolitan Statistical Area
3. Boulder, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area
4. Burlington-South Burlington, VT Metropolitan Statistical Area
5. Ogden-Clearfield, UT Metropolitan Statistical Area
6. Provo-Orem, UT Metropolitan Statistical Area
7. Concord, NH Micropolitan Statistical Area
8. Sioux Falls, SD Metropolitan Statistical Area
9. Barre, VT Micropolitan Statistical Area
10. Cambridge-Newton-Framingham, MA Metropolitan Division

Lordi Proves Rock Still Lives!

The new album from Lordi, "Deadache", hit the streets a few weeks ago, and it's great! If you ever liked 80's metal, then you owe it to yourself to check out Lordi. Kind of like a modern day "Kiss" since they're always dressed in monster suits, Lordi cranks out melodic and catchy metal tunes that really stand out when compared to the bland rock and roll noise that passes for popular rock these days. Plus, the new album is only $7.99 on iTunes. A steal!

We only got 4 minutes to save the world - Madonna Stick & Sweet Tour Concert Summary

Steph got me a ticket to see Madonna with some friends for Father's Day earlier this Summer and she finally made her way to the Bay Area earlier this month on her Sticky & Sweet Tour.




With tickets going for $350, plus that famous sizable Ticketmaster service charge and $20 to park you need to be a big Madonna fan to attend.

Here's a low grade "phone" video I shot of Miles Away.


Here's the setlist - which is standard across all her shows on the tour.


'Intro/Candy Shop'
'Beat Goes On'
'Human Nature'
'Vogue'
Video Interlude
'Into The Groove'
'Heartbeat'
'Borderline'
'She's Not Me'
'Music'
Video Interlude
'Devil Wouldn't Recognise You'
'Spanish Lesson'
'Miles Away'
'La Isla Bonita/Lela Pala Tute'
Romanian folk interlude
'You Must Love Me'
Video Interlude
'4 Minutes'
'Like A Prayer'
'Ray Of Light'
'Hung Up'
'Give It To Me'


And here are some pictures taken by my friend Gilbert and his wife who had a higher quality camera available.