Beachfront Breakfast

It' s no secret that the most enjoyable part of any pre-packaged food item is when you first open it and take the first few bites...by the end, it's just not the same. And by not the same, of course what I mean is that two inches of Pringles chips stacked on top of each other at the top of the can isn't the same as two inches of Pringle bits that have chipped off and settled to the bottom. For the most part, I can live with this, but I'm growing increasingly frustrated with what I think is by far the best (and therefore, the worst) example of this universal rule.

Grape Nuts.

Seriously, it's horrible. Unlike a bag of chips, the bag of Grape Nuts is relatively full when you open them, and the first 7-10 bowls/servings are just as they should be...that's when the dreaded sand comes in.

See, Grape Nuts are supposed to be little nuggets of bran...that's what I see on the picture on the front of the box...but get about 2/3 of the way through the box, and literally, all that's left is sand. Tiny granules of former nuggets of Grape Nuts have collected at the bottom to resemble what you might find in your sandals after a trip to the beach. It's totally unappealing as a consumer of Grape Nuts. The sand doesn't crunch because it's hard to grind up sand into smaller bits. So you're left with milky sand that you know if full of wheat bran and calcium, but unrealistic to pass off as breakfast.

Ultimately, this leads to the pantry being cluttered with several boxes of almost empty Grape Nuts...until you realize that you have like 5 boxes in there and you realize you have issues.

90 Bucks!

I was watching a sporting event on television the other night when an advertisement came on for WrestleMania 23. Like all the best sporting events these days (boxing, Mexican league soccer, cricket, Jai Alai) it's available only on pay-per-view.
A moment to rant on pay-per-view if you please.
I despise pay-per-view. I loathe it. I can't think of more than a handful of television events that I would actually pay specifically to see them. The Super Bowl, The World Series, Grey's Anatomy, The Final Four...otherwise, I can live without them. And as for most pay-per-view events, they're shows/events that you're only going to want to watch once...maybe twice. SO it's really like paying $30 to see a movie at a movie theatre except you're in your home. Anyway, I could go on and on, but I digress.
Wrestling was a big thing for me for a few years (1984-1988) I even won tickets to go see Hulk Hogan square off against Big Boss Man at Municipal Auditorium in KC. It was awesome and I'm sure some of today's kids (and citizens of the SE US) love wrestling too. But to see WrestleMania 23, it'll set you pack 90 bucks.
NINETY DOLLARS! I wouldn't pay that much to see Nirvana in concert (I wish now maybe I had) but that was at least a difficult decision. The list of things I would shell out $90 to see is short. Here it is...

1. Les Miserables on Broadway (still on my list of things to do)
2. Nirvana in concert (unfortunately, that's never happening, not a single other musical act would I pay that much for though)
3. KC Royals World Series/KC Chiefs Super Bowl tickets (again, not happening)

That's about it, folks...what would you spend $90 to see for 2-3 hours?

Deep in the heart...

The Jayhawks win their first bowl game in 10 years...in dominating fashion. 42-13 over the Houston Cougars.

Other observations...

Quarterback Jason Swanson threw for over 300 yards passing and 4 touchdowns...2 of those touchdown passes were shovel passes that he tossed about 3 yards and the RB took another 40 yards...another was a pass to a WIDE OPEN Brian Murph and the last one was a routine pass reception that was converted into a touchdown when the defensive back fell down...nonetheless, a big victory for the KU program

The Houston Cougar uniforms were appropriate for the Christmas season...all red with white trim...the skinnier guys resembled candy canes

K-State finished in the basement of the Big 12 North for the 2nd consecutive year

It was cold last night in Ft. Worth and apparently, to keep their hands warm, judging by the unending dropped passes and missed tackles, the Houston players stuck their hands into large vats of Crisco.

The players thought it necessary to give coach Mark Mangino an ice-water bath...

What are you guys thinking? This guy is a walking heart attack! He's taken you to 2 bowl games in 3 years and you're trying to earn him ride in the ambulance! If you want to shower the guy with something, make it wheat bran.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Expanding Waistline

This is why people, myself included, gain weight at the holidays.

Today, we received one of those holiday tins full of flavored popcorn (including cinnamon!) and cookies, etc.

Also, pretzel sticks covered in chocolate

And, my mom brought about five different kinds of cookies

not to mention the candy canes

don't forget the egg nog (sorry Cade)

and 'holiday' ice cream



I guess it's a good thing I baked those cookie bars...where's my Denise Austin workout tape?

Five Random Things-Christmas Version

1. I'm ready for Christmas music to be over. I can tolerate the classics, but when I start hearing Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas...Is You" more than three or four times in a day, it has me yearning for Santa to come around a few days early.
Oh, and "Do They Know It's Christmas?" yeah, it doesn't work anymore.

2. My kids have turned Hide 'n Seek into a whole new game. One of them hides their eyes and counts to twenty and the other scampers around 'looking' for a place to hide but ends up standing right behind the counter. So when the counter is done counting, they turn around to immediately find the person they're looking for. Then they both squeal and scream with delight. What fun counting to twenty can be...which leads me to...

3. ...the 20 sheets of drywall I recently purchased. There is no less glamourous home improvement project in this world than hanging, taping, mudding and sanding and sanding and sanding and sanding drywall. Of course, if you'd like to help, please don't hesitate to come over.

4. High-speed internet is a wonderful thing, but I find that despite my new ability to cruise around on-line to new and exciting places, I rarely deviate from my favorites list. Good thing? Bad thing? Only time will tell...

5. I attended my work Christmas party last weekend. It was the first work Christmas party (or any work party for that matter) where alcohol was served. I was left with that weird feeling like, 'is it really ok for me to drink wine with my co-workers and bosses and the owners?' I guess it was because I woke up the next morning with a horrible hangover...just kidding of course...about the hangover...the rest is true...oh, nevermind...Merry Christmas.

Buying in Bulk...Living in Guilt

I love Sam's club...the thought of buying things in mass quantities is terrific and the savings are incredible. But I was struck with a very funny feeling the other day when I finally polished off a giant quantity of M&Ms. I was thinking, "There were a whole lot of M&Ms when I started. Now there are none. And I put them all in me...wow, I ate ALL those M&Ms. What's wrong with me?"
The same could be said for the 3-pack of Honeycomb cereal, the 6-pack of Cool Ranch Doritos or the 48-roll pack of toilet paper.

In Memory

When tolling bells
I ask the cause
A soul has gone to God
I'm answered in a lonesome tone
Is heaven then so bad? The bells should joyful
Ring to tell
A soul has gone to heaven
Would seem to me the proper way
A good news should be given
--Emily Dickinson
in memory of Lee Kirkpatrick
1963-2005
survived by her husband and four children

Hidden Treasures

Whenever you're removing the dry wall from a 50-year-old house, you just never know what you'll find when you peel back the chalkboard...an old screwdriver...perhaps some square head nails...or a pile of dog food...

guess which one I found today?

ugh...

Just like Broadway

I'm involved with a local theatrical production of a super Christianized version of A Christmas Carol. This church is awesome. They do things right. They spend money to ensure it's a high-quality show. The set is amazing, the costumes are terrific, the music is super. It's a very, very good production and I'm priviledged to be a part of it.

However...

on more than one occasion now, cast members have shared with the entire cast and crew that friends/family have commented about how the show is 'Broadway quality' or 'just like Broadway' or 'it could be on Broadway'

I, like everyone, appreciate the compliments and positive feedback, but I'm troubled. I'm desperate to get to NYC to see a show or two because apparently the quality of productions there has plummeted.

We have an excellent show...the only way anyone on the cast would come close to a Broadway show is if they bought a ticket. That's not a slam on our cast, it's a compliment and a bow to the respect I have for the ridiculously high standard I've seen met in every Broadway show I've seen.

Tell us we have a great show, let us know you enjoyed it, tell me it's the best show in town and I wouldn't argue...then take a trip to NYC and see something...anything...you'll see what I'm talking about.

Thanks for asking?

At the grocery store today...in the express checkout aisle, I purchased the following items...

One 12oz. bottle of hand soap
Two boxes of baking soda
One 4-pack of AA batteries
One 70-page spiral wide-ruled paper notebook

The checker lady efficently places all 5 of my items into one plastic grocery bag and then proceeds to ask me...

'do you need any help out with that?'

um, no...no I don't need any help out...in fact, I carried these items around the store without the use of a grocery cart or basket, and now that I have this handy plastic grocery bag complete with the handles, I think I can make it out to my car without incident...

I'm thinking about going back and buying a pack of gum and a box of tea and see if she asks again...

My Lungs Are Freezing

And we're back...same humor, different location...thanks for joining us...

On my way home tonight, driving on the snowpacked roads of my subdivision, I see someone out walking their dog. Usually, this wouldn't strike me as strange, and the only reason I took note of it tonight was because the digital temperature gauge inside my car read -11 degrees Fahrenheit. Eleven degrees below zero...I'm all for regular exercise, but when the little dash appears before the number, put it off until tomorrow man.