Sunday Evening Ache – Super Bowl Edition

3 February, 2013 …item 2b.. Super Bowl 2013 Predictions: Ravens vs. 49ers in Super Bowl 47 (27 – 24) — become a #MaddenInsider …item 3.. Super Bowl Recipe: Bacon and Shrimp Dip by Danny Serfer (Jan. 30 2013) … (Photo credit: marsmet481)

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You hear a lot at the beginning of the season about how much of a company’s time and money is wasted because of the football season and Fantasy Football…

I wonder how much time and money is spent due to low production on the day after the Super Bowl. That Monday… Think about it… people are either, tired because the stayed up watching it all, or they are hung over (if they could even make it into work)… I will probably be one of the tired people. If the game is close I will watch it all. If it is a 49er blowout, I will be at work on Monday no problem with no Super Bowl side effects.

But what if the Raven’s win? I can tell you this… I will be very tired. I will watch ALL of the game, ALL of the post game celebration on CBS, then I will flip over to the Local Baltimore stations and watch all the celebrations and all the Fed Hill Crazies celebrating.

Maybe I will call in and tell ’em I am coming in later than normal – If my supervisor is reading this… consider this a warning 🙂

I love the Super Bowl. At the same time its depressing. Still gotta get to work on Monday…Then what do I watch on Sundays? I still have weeks to go before Baseball, and March Madness … Its a bummer

Adoption Help In Russia

I don’t know a lot about adoption. In fact,  I know VERY little. I know people that have adopted and I know people that are going through the process now. I have read a little bit about the travesty that is taking place in Russia. If you don’t know whats going on, I strongly suggest you look into it. It is truly ridiculous as to what is going on in Russia. Do a Google search for “New Russian Adoption Law” and let me know what you think….

It is a shame that country politics get in a way of a family’s happiness, and more importantly the well being of a child. Two of the nicest people I know are stuck in the middle of this situation in Russia. Two of the best parents a kid could ask for. Their son and hopefully soon to be adopted child are blessed to have these people as parents. I can not put into words how lucky these kids are.

But Kremlin and Putin are getting in the way. Action needs to be taken.

I am asking for anyone reading this to sign a petition for the President to Diplomatically bring a resolution to the Russian adoption crisis.

I never ask people to do these things. I personally think alot of these type things are fake petitions. But I am here to tell you….THIS IS REAL. VERY REAL.

Please go to the following website, and sign the petition. Change.org 

http://www.change.org/petitions/president-barack-obama-diplomatically-bring-a-resolution-to-the-russian-adoption-crisis

For What It’s Worth – Cooking For Boys

Huge buffalo wing (Photo credit: williamhartz)

A continuation from a new series titled “For What Its Worth”. Comes to us from my good friend and father of an energetic 5 year old son. See his other posts from the For What Its Worth.

I recently collaborated with my good friend to refine a recipe for perfect homemade chicken wings.  As we went back and forth with messages on how we were tweaking the recipe to perfection, it occurred to me how rare this was.  Two men, as heterosexual as they come, sharing kitchen secrets?  I reflected on this and realized that the problem is societal.  Its perfectly normal for Moms to teach daughters how to cook and bake.  Grandmothers pass on generations of accumulating expertise and recipes.  Its not as socially acceptable for boys to put on an apron.  Beyond the gas and charcoal grills Dads rarely embrace their role in the kitchen.  A chef is another story, but to see a man comfortable in a household kitchen is still a novelty in our culture today.  My wife is unapologetic about not cooking so for 10 years of living together I have ALWAYS been the one preparing the meals for dinner guests and family gathering.  Even after 10 years, I still can count on people being amazed that I know how to boil pasta much less make a chicken roaster, sautéed filet of salmon or cookies from scratch.  In this series I plan to share not only recipes I’ve developed, but also techniques that might help you improve results on some of your staple dishes.

The War Against Barbie

My girls have an addiction. They have been brainwashed. Everything they have, play with or want is BARBIE. I have given up. Heck I had already given up, and then there was Christmas…  Christmas came, and went and my living room threw up Barbies. The Dreamhouse, VW convertible, cruise ship, clothes, more Barbie dolls… it was definitely a Barbie Christmas.

Pay back is a B*tch I guess. When I was her age, I was brainwashed by HE-MAN and old school WWF. I had all kinds of HE-MAN action figures. I had Castle Greyskull and Snake Mountain… I am sure my Mom and Dad had the same feelings as I do with Barbie.

My oldest also received some legos for Christmas. Seems like Legos have a new theme targeting girls. Lego “Friends”. The lego friends set she got was a beauty shop.  My daughter instantly became hooked with legos. She has played off and on with legos but never really cared that much about them. I think the Friends theme is what did it…Now we have something in common. I loved legos when I was a kid. This is one toy addiction that I can join in on. So we have played with legos a good bit this week. We went to the lego store, got some more legos. We didnt get any new kits, I like for her to use her imagination to make something original, and to use her creativity… a house, a car, something other than those expensive kits. Now for some people, thats all they do, but I like using our imagination…

I thought we were golden… legos maybe my weapon of choice against this Barbie regime

BUT man… are they expensive, really expensive…. I guess I can’t win.

Check out the lego store on AMAZON

Check out the Barbie store on AMAZON.

For What its Worth – New Years Resolution – Part 3

Part 3 of this post will highlight some more fun activities that a fellow Dad has shared with some unique twists that might inspire your own household adventures…

 

Hide and Seek – We finished off the weekend with a good old fashioned game of hide and seek before bedtime.  The only slight variation was the seeker gets to hunt with a replica M16 assault rifle with lights and bullet sounds.  I pride myself in the stealth ninja hiding techniques that make the games heart pounding and intense.  My goal is to have him walk by me within a few feet and not realize I’ve blended myself into the room…then jump out and hear his screech of terror turn to belly laughter.  Today I put myself into a trash bag and balled myself up next to an identical trash bag that was sitting in the kitchen all day (the bag of trash was there all day, not me).  I nearly suffocated in that bag but it was worth it to grab him the second time he walked right by me.  Ninja style!

 

Electric Scooter – We suited up in our winter coats and gloves and hats and charged up his new shiny Razor Scooter.  I walked behind him (straddling the yellow line on the road to control traffic) and let him open up the throttle and rip up and down the 1/4 mile straightaway near our house.   He would get to the end court and come back to me.  I stood patiently in the road, watching my son turn into a little speck in the distance, then come racing back to me.  His chest puffed out with confidence and he started doing little squat downs like some kind of stand-up jetski  racer or something.  All I did was watch and cheer him on…sometimes feeding him a bogus time letting him know how fast his lap was.  He loved it.

Angry Kid and the eSpark Razor Scooter (Photo credit: AngryJulieMonday)