Pheasantly Fascinating

It's Time for Some Catsup!

2009-10-12T23:35:00.010-04:00

Or is it ketchup?

Actually, it's neither.

It's time to catch up.

Yes Father, it's over a year since my last confession, um, post; yes, since my last post. A lot has happened. We lost another pet. Our dog, Sasha, who was 16. Both Mrs. Phez and I are surviving in this down turned economy, knock on wood - ouch! Lil Phez and Baby Phez are doing grrreat. Although Baby Phez will need a different name....today was his 2nd birthday! You'd think after a year, I'd have more to say, but baby steps I reckon. Here are some pics in the meantime.

Here is a picture of Lil Phez on his first day of Kindergarten. He loves school. He was named student of the month last month!

And here is the big two year old in a school photo taken last week. And yes, he is that cute and that devilish all rolled into one!

And lastly, here are some pictures of our recent home improvement project: building a door for our kitchen pantry. Thanks Home Depot!

Don't Eat Soggy Waffles!

2008-07-25T18:30:00.002-04:00

An interchange that happened this afternoon on the way home from work & daycare:

Lil Phez: Don't eat soggy waffles, right daddy?
Me: Huh? What baby?
Lil Phez: I told to you, "Don't eat soggy waffles". That's right, right daddy?
Me: Surrrrre. Okay, sweetie.
(About 10 minutes later; closer to our home)
Lil Phez: That way is eat, right daddy? And that way is waffles.
Me: (not hearing him completely) That's right, left is that way and right is that way.
Lil Phez: No daddy, soggy is there and don't is there. I know because 'don't eat soggy waffles.
Me: Ohhhh, baby it's not 'Don't', it's never. You're saying "Never Eat Soggy Waffles". That's neat that you know that. Who told you that?
Lil Phez: Diana at school. It was on her t=shirt with arrows.
Me: Cool. I learned it as "Never Eat Shredded Wheat"...it helps you remember directions.
Lil Phez: Yep.

Friday Shuffle - A Tribute Edition

2008-07-11T07:41:00.004-04:00

Hi guys,

Yesterday one of our two 16 year old cats past away; JJ. He was aided in his departure by the vet and both Mrs. Phez and I were with him. So, with a nod to Fred to start the music, let's call this one out to my little grey and black tiger-striped kitty.

"Lovely Rita", by the Beattles. A great song that makes some silly lyrics work. I love the piano stylings in this song reminiscent of "The Entertainer".
"Divorce Song", by Lix Phair. Okay, not a great song. A good song, though. And I'm impressed that Liz got through a song without dropping the F-bomb. Woops, scratch that last part - I was writing this during the tail end of the song...no such luck.
"What a Fool Believes", by The Doobie Brothers. A classic. But I admit that I really know the refrain.
"Two Less Lonely People in the World", by Air Supply. Gag me with spoon.
"Scared of You", by Nelly Fritada (Okay I know it's "Furtado", but Fritada is just a lot funnier)
"Can't Stop This Thing We Started", by Bryan Adams. See how one gets punished for saying that they like 80's music?
"I Can See For Miles", by the Who. The unknown continuation of that song is, "...When I'm Not in a Drug Induced Stupor".
"Back In The Saddle", by Aerosmith.
"Strawberry Fields Forever", off of the Across the Universe soundtrack
"Good Feeling", by the Violent Femmes.

Well that it's for the very odd shuffle. Peace, everyone.

Today Is Hilda's Birthday

2008-07-08T08:29:00.002-04:00

Please go over to her blog and wish her a happy one. Her in-laws are visiting them from out of town. I won't say anything more...just go over wish that girl a happy b-day for the love of God!

Nope. Not Dead.

2008-07-08T08:18:00.002-04:00

Busy? Yes.

Tired? Yes.

Lazy? Yes.

Happy that I have Blogger Friends that care about me? Yes.

Dead? Not yet.

I will post again soon. Sorry everyone!

Say What?

2008-06-10T00:19:00.003-04:00

As a dad, there are words and phrases that you never think you'll hear yourself say to your little ones. Take for example, "If I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times...it's okay to smoke pot - recreationaly", or "I've had my doubts before, but now I know for sure...you're way too smart to be my offspring". These are things I can go to my grave without ever saying. Tonight I said something though that was almost as alarming:

Stop brushing your teeth, already!

Mrs. Phez bought Lil' Phez a new tooth brush this past weekend that when the operator of said hygienic cleaning device squeezes it, the thing will light up & start flashing a ~~tacky & obtrusive~~ fun & creative pattern of lights for the ~~mandated~~ suggested period of time allotted for brushing ones teeth that will provide for the sufficient removal of ~~calcified sap from an 800 year old Sequoia~~ bits of Cheetos from the youngsters teeth.

It was upon the occasion of my child squeezing the ?!@#?#@! toothbrush for the 4th time that I ~~begged the Gods from the heavens above for the benevolent mercy to cease the antics of the toothbrush and in exchange I would offer my internal organs to be served at the nearest Benihana~~ asked the kid to knock it off. Because, by this point in the evening, I wasn't sure which was to come first: (a)the end of the tooth brushing so my kid would go to bed, or (b)the apocalypse. I was betting on the latter.

It Could Happen To You

2008-06-09T23:59:00.001-04:00

To Shamelessly Promote a Product or Not - That Is the Question!

2008-06-08T01:00:00.002-04:00

Up until now I haven't ever promoted any products or services on my blog. It isn't that I am against it, although I do lean heavily towards the opinion that huge corporations don't need my assistance when they pour millions into Madison Avenue.

It really is a great system as it is and we the commoners don't need to mess with it. The corporations spend advertising dollars thus keeping folks employed in marketing firms, finishing houses and a whole bunch of other places too, I suppose. So why am considering throwing my leanings into the wind in order to promote a line of products?

Is it because I am getting paid commission? Nope! Though, if the company wanted to send me a complimentary product or two, I wouldn't complain.

Is it some type of marketing pyramid like Amway? Hell, no.

Is it because I like the performance of the products I've tried so far and I like that the company uses materials that are non-toxic, environmentally friendly, and never tested on animals? Well, yeah!

Don't get me wrong. While I want the planet to stick around for as long as possible and cherish the idea of my great-great-great-great grand kids living on said planet without the aid of an oxygen tank or a body suit, I don't necessarily consider myself I twig eating tree hugger.

Also, as far as I can tell, they're not a huge corporation; they're the little guy on the block and that's another reason I don't mind asking others to consider trying these guys out.

The company is called Seventh Generation. Here is their website. Their products are available at Publix and Target - maybe other places, I just know of these two retailers.

So far, we've only used their spray cleaner (similar to Clorox spray) and their dish detergent. I saw the spray cleaner in the store and at first, I was skeptical. But I saw that it was environmentally friendly and non-toxic. With a 8 month old and a 4 year old, I bought it. A few weeks later, I came across the dish detergent in the same Publix. So I bought that too. When I first used, I thought I was going to be disappointed. It comes out very watery and there is no fake lemony smell to tell you that this stuff cleans great. Another nod to Madison avenue for bringing us, the American Consumers, to yet another illogical conclusion. But damned if it doesn't clean just as well, if not better, than the other brands.

So, give it a try. Tell me what you think!

Cute, Even If I Do Say So Myself

2008-06-07T06:30:00.007-04:00

Thanks Erick for taking the picture and for including it in your Flickr Photostream.

Friday Shuffle, Shuffle Me Into The Weekend, Puh-lease!

2008-06-06T15:03:00.003-04:00

It's a coupla crazy weeks. And yes, I miss blogging. I think what I miss more is visiting (and reading) the posts of my blogging friends! So in all of this craziness that I have going on right now, I couldn't even find time to hang with Fred. So this shuffle is sans-Fred. Instead, I am using the massive compilation that I have access to via one of the servers at my work. There are over 7 thousand tracks on that bad boy. Everybody contributes. It's kinda cool because you never know what you're gonna get. To that end, I will call this source of tunes "Life".

Take 'er away, Life!

"Miss Bonfield", by the Fab Five. Who are the guys, you ask? Only the best Soka band there is!
"Say", by the Corrs. I think Hilda added this one to the mix. Not too shabby, I s'pose.
"Rimsky", by Arturo Sandoval
"Force Ten", by Rush
"What's the Matter Here?", by 10,000 Maniacs
"It Doesn't Have To Be (Like That)", by Erasure
"Major Tom", by David Bowie...and everyone wants to know whose shirts you wear!
"Family Business", by the Fugees - Okay, I know some of you are impressed.
"The Journey", by Boston - Okay, I know that those same people are no doubt horrified.
"Are You Having Any Fun", by Tony Bennett - Wow.

This shuffle has been all over the place. Which is why I guess it reminds me of a family summer road trip, and just like a family trip some of the stops were relished and others - not so much. Well, here is to awesome road trips to all! Have a great weekend!

Just for the Halibut

2008-05-29T11:40:00.005-04:00

Some will say I am a very punny guy. Of course, most folks wouldn't dare say such a thing. But in an effort to get more people into that camp, I am bringing you some really punny stuff.

This first set comes from my memory of when I used to be in AOL chat rooms - do they still have those? Anyway, we used to think of iconic phrases or names and do a switcheroo with the word "spam". This was done as a tribute to the mystery meat of all mystery meats. Oh, oh...I just thought of a pun: What did the butcher say to the whole cow that arrived at his shop? Nice to meat you. Get it? Meat you, instead of meet you. Meat you. He's a butcher. He said meat you. Oh my Gawd, I crack myself up!

Okay, so here we go:
10. Duck! It's a drive by spamming!
9. Introducing: Spammy Davis Junior!
8. Just for the spam of it.
7. Here's spam in your eye.
6. It's all fun & games until someone loses a spam.
5. I'm so hungry I could eat a spam.
4. Let's run it up the spam pole to see if any one salutes.
3. Even a blind pig will find a spam sometimes.
2. It's so hot outside that I could fry a spam on the sidewalk.
1. All we are sayyyyinnnnng, is give spam a chaaaance!

Which brings me to one of my favorite things to do in mixed company. No, not that! I like to sing the lyric "All we are sayyyyinnnnng, is give peace a chaaaance!" But I change the word peace to whatever suits my fancy. One of my favorites:
All we are sayyyyinnnnng, is give crack a chaaaance!
All we are sayyyyinnnnng, is give necrophilia a chaaaance!
All we are sayyyyinnnnng, is give sex with your cousin a chaaaance!

And another head turner I just discovered while blogging at work: Go up to a bunch of your coworkers and say: "...and how do you spell necrophilia?".

Okay, I think I'm done now. I hope this posting was enjoyable for you as it was me. Oh, and if you want to leave a comment with some more spam phrases, be my guest!

Well, Isn't That Silly?!

2008-05-26T15:31:00.004-04:00

I remember growing up hearing and then retelling the tale of how silly the execs. at GM were for trying to sell their Chevy Nova in Spanish speaking countries. Their silliness comes from the ~~fact~~ idea that the word Nova sounds a lot like the Spanish words no va, which translates to doesn't go. So, no one in those countries bought the car and it was a huge failure all because the corporation trying to sell something didn't do their research.

Well, apparently it never happened. Yes the car was sold in some Spanish speaking countries but it was not a failure and there is no evidence that consumers mistook it to mean no va. See this informative article that debunks the mythic lore on http://www.snopes.com/ for more info.

The Snopes article goes on to make the point that the folks who spread the urban legend are doing the very same thing that the tale is finding fault with: Not doing adequate research before hand. There are a lot of marketing courses and books that cite this anecdote as proof of poor preparation / fact checking. I guess the material was created before Snopes was around. :-)

There is another legendary tale of linguistic snafus in marketing about a slogan from the vacuum company, Electrolux. The slogan was, "Nothing sucks like an Electrolux" and it was purported that due to the poor translation into English, that the ad hurt sales for the company. Well, that turns out to be another falsehood because where the slogan was promoted, the U.K., the word suck is not used, or at least it wasn't used back then, to mean "to do poorly", the exact opposite of the ad's intent.

Why have I brought to you these tales of marketing gone wrong do to loose translations? I have no idea. If you figure out the reason for me, leave a post. The most probable answer will win a prize!

What Does This Photo Say To You?

2008-05-25T00:01:00.005-04:00

This is a picture taken by a friend of mine while he was on vaycay.

He's gonna hit me now because that's way too cutsey-wootsey of a word for him. This is a test to see if he really reads my blog or not. And, yes, I have his permission to post it.

So what does the picture say to you? I'm not asking what's in the photo, but rather, what sort of feelings does it evoke (or is it invoke)?

Second Question - Do you like the photo? Do you not like it? Why? (Okay, so technically that was 3 questions, but they're all related)

PS Thanks Erick for the permission to post your photography...more to come - maybe.

More Thoughts On Parenting - Your Thoughts Please

2008-05-24T16:14:00.004-04:00

Last night Matt and I went for a run...

...an ice cream run, that is. You know, where ya run out to get something, like ice cream. You didn't think that I meant...that we went....if you were thinking those horrible thoughts about me, then take them back. The only time you'll find me running is if someone is chasing me.

But I digress...

So, while we're at the DQ, we were standing in line behind a mom who was ordering ice cream with her youngin', I'd say he was about 8, and the patriarch of their family was sitting on a bench nearby. As she is trying to tell the ice scream scooper kid what they wanted, she was interrupted by her son who was whining and pleading for something...I can't tell you what exactly because of a language barrier, but suffice it to say that it was ice cream related. He was pulling on her blouse while half-saying & half-crying the words, "Mami, Mami!" over and over. He was so annoying.

The mom then turns to the ice cream scooper kid and conveyed the kid's request, with the help of her husband who spoke English. That's right; the kid was given whatever he was whining for! So they were ordering some more stuff when the kid starts up again. I complained to Matt about the kid being a brat and he just shrugs it off with a grateful appreciation that he doesn't have to deal with the kid. I wish I could do that. But instead, I let it irk me. So anyway, apparently this time the kid didn't get what he wanted because he stomped off away from her, then he turned around, and threw something at her. HE THREW SOMETHING AT HER!!! He ended his performance by throwing himself onto the bench where he pouted and whimpered. Did I mention the kid is 8, maybe 9? So she finishes her order, pays for it, and then turns to her family where she gives the kid his ice cream.

In my head, I am playing out the scenario as if it were me and Lil' Phez (who's 4) in the roles of the mom and her kid, and let me tell you: None of the scenarios end in me giving him ice cream. I still get pissed thinking about it.

They then go outside and sit on the benches in the front of the store to eat their ice cream. We buy our stuff and 5 minutes later we exit the store. When we get outside, the kid is wailing about something. I so wanted to tell that kid a word or two - or three or four. That little spoiled brat. Instead I muttered something to Matt and just shrugged as we trotted out to the my car and headed home.

So, here's the question....should I have said something? This is assuming the kid understands English.

The Difference Between....

2008-05-24T07:01:00.003-04:00

...new parents and veteran parents

Scenario: Baby eating at the table and their barely eaten food falls off the table onto the floor and the family dog heads over in that direction

New Parent: Well, at least we don't have to clean it up. Enjoy, Fido.

Veteran Parent: (thinking of the expense of the meal or the time it took to prepare, says to the other parent) Quick honey, before the dog gets to it. Be sure to brush it off really well.

Friday Shuffle - The Work My Arse Off Edition

2008-05-23T05:19:00.005-04:00

Isn't "Arse" a great word? It sounds so much better than the American version of the word, don't ya think? Well, even if you don't - I do...and this is my blog so guess what? It's staying no matter what you say!!!!

Sorry, it's 5:30 in the morning and I am leaving shortly to go to work for the next 14 or so hours. Won't I be super-fun to work with? Well at least I got my shuffle in. Okay Fred, I need a really really good shuffle please.

"Can't Stand Losing You", by the Police.
"Jackamo Road", by John Mellencamp.
"Somebody Help Me", by the Iguanas. I love this group and this is a great song with great lyrics: Somebody help me, I can't do it on my own.
"Brown Sugar", by The Rolling Stones. Okay, I'm afraid I might jinx this but Fred is doling out some seriously good kick-ass tunes!
"You Are Everything", by Michael McDonald. Well, there ya go. Jinxed.
"Where Are You Boy", by Patty Loveless (from the Tin Cup soundtrack) - okay, who else other than Sari and me know (and love) this move, and soundtrack?
"I Heard It Through The Grapevine", [sung by] by Michael McDonald. Just as good as the Marvin Gaye version.
"That's Where I'll Be", by Little Big Town.
"Solbsury Hill", by Peter Gabriel
"In My Life", by the Beattles.

Not too shabby, Fred. 9 out of 10 songs. Okay, I'm off. Have a great Memorial Day Weekend everyone.

It's Time To Clean House!

2008-05-22T00:15:00.000-04:00

I originally had typed, as the title, "It's Time To Clean Horse!" And while I am not sure if that title is more suited for an educational video on animal husbandry, let me tell you that is not the title of the post. Nope, this is a quick post to let you all know that I've done some spring cleaning on my blog, namely in the blogroll quadrant of the place.

Here are the blogs that I have removed from the blogroll...
Queue Taps...
Dixie Peach - She seems like a nice enough lady but she loses me with the knitting. Knitting scares me just a little.
I Am Husband - The guy has just started his blog so I wanted to give it a chance. At first the premise, How To Be A Better Husband, sounded great but from the tone of his posts, I am concerned he is going to try to sell his readers a book or something. Maybe I'll go back once I learn how to read.
PoppyMom - One of my real world friends, who is also a blogger friend, loves this blog. I just can't get into it. The writing is just a little too biting for me. Yet, Elise's blog, which often features biting, and other forms of pleasure among consenting adults, is still proudly featured on my blogroll.
Shooter McFinney - Another real world friend. She hasn't posted since January, so she's off the island! We bloggers are a fickle lot!
Shoulders of Giant Midgets - I'm not sure how I came across this ~~conquest~~ blog that I felt it should be on my blogroll, but my infatuation seems to be over now.
Southern Muslimah - This young lady came to my blog via another blogger on my blog roll and she mentioned that she too is a huge fan of Chick-fil-a and that was enough for me back then to have her on the blogroll. I've grown. She's grown. It's over but I will never look at another waffle fry the same way again.

Here is the blog that I've added to the blogroll:
Queue drumroll please...
The Wonderful World of Nothing Worthwhile -
The ebb and flow of bloggers and blogs and blogrolls is a neat ~~phenomenon~~ thingy. About a month ago Sari ~~demanded~~ encouraged that her readers at The Geek Inside go check out her friend's blog called Sveedish. So I did and I now go back on a regular basis. While reading the comments there I've noticed some really funny ones from Michael C, so I checked out his blog. I am hooked and I waited the respectable 72 hours before adding the blog to my blogroll. I am taking a queue from Sari and I am ~~insisting~~ recommending that if you're reading this sentence, then after you've left me a comment, go over to Michael's blog and have a good belly laugh!

What Are You Worth?

2008-05-21T18:49:00.004-04:00

I've been at work for 11 hours today and have 2 or 3 more to go. We are working on critical issues that have continued to resurface on this project over the last 5 months, since we implemented it. We spend time on implementing solutions over several weeks only to be in the same spot a month or two later. We work nights and weekends. It makes me ask, "What am I worth"?

I know that I am worth one-fifth of forty dollars in pizza because that's what we ate for dinner and the big boss, who isn't here, offered to pay for dinner. I hope I don't lose the crinkled register receipt that is currently in my shirt pocket, otherwise, my worth will be diminished even more. I don't mind working late sometimes but it just makes me wonder....what's it all for? What is my worth? Have you asked yourself that question lately? What is a stay-at-home-mom's worth? How is it measured? In dirty diapers or toothless smiles?

I know my measure as a husband and as a father, but how is my worth measured as a business analyst? Do you wonder about these things? Should I? Or should I just get back to work so that I can go home sooner than later?

Smokin!

2008-05-20T07:01:00.004-04:00

(The title is to be read the way that Jim Carey's character says it in Mask)

Our little hamlet of Miami has wildfires beckoning at its borders. It's been going on for a while now.

The first set of fires was north of us along the coast. Those have been put out and now there is another set in the everglades. As of this morning, the 36,000 acre blaze has been 30% contained, according to AP. We've been warned via the media to stay in doors because of poor air quality due to the amount of smoke in the air. It is getting pretty bad. There seems to be no danger of homes and other buildings catching fire, but being one that always sees the glass as half-full, I have my marshmallows, graham crackers, and Hershey's chocolate bars ready to go!

Okay, I Liked the Show and All, But...

2008-05-18T08:22:00.004-04:00

...a fan club for The Greatest American Hero?

Have these fans seen what the star of the show looks like nowadays?

Then...

Now...

Playing Hookie & Making Whoopee

2008-05-17T09:08:00.012-04:00

Mrs. Phez and I took yesterday off as previously planned to celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary. Spontaneity is something that we find hard to come by with two youngin's and busy work schedules but that doesn't mean we can't have fun. We scheduled the days off from work and Mrs. Phez made lunchtime reservations at Texas De Brazil. The night before I made a special trip after the boys went to bed to pick up some rentals from BlockBuster: The Lady In the Water and PS I Love You. Here is [an edited] recap of our playdate.

Preparation Stage:

We got up around 6 am and got the boys ready for daycare / preschool. I took them to school and the Mrs. returned to bed and caught a little more shut eye.

First Movie - The Lady in the Water

This is one of "those" movies by M.Knight Salamander, no wait, M.Knight Shawarma, no wait, M.Knight Sha-la-la-la-ding-dong, you know the guy, he did Sixth Sense and Signs and some other cool movies. This one was just as cool. I remember the previews when it was in the theater and who ever designed those previews should've been fired, because it's nothing like what the previews make you think it's going to be. But, thanks to Matt, I knew that when we rented it. We liked it very much. It had more twists than a, than a, well, than something with a lot of twists! And at one point, it cleverly made fun of itself.

Lunch Date - Texas De Brazil

The movie finished around 11:30 so it was time to head out to our special anniversary lunch. I'd never been to one of these all-you-can eat fancy grilled meat places before. There are 3 that we know of: Texas De Brazil, The Knife, and Porcao. It was a toss up between TDB and Porcao and TDB won. It was very nice but maybe there was a bit more build up to it in my head than there should have been, but it was still worth the cost for a one time experience.

Second Movie - PS I Love You

A perfect "date movie". It was a tear jerker, I mean, for girls who cry, not for a manly-man like myself. I do have to see an allergist though because my eyes seemed to get a bit watery while watching the film.

The Friday Shuffle - The Kill Me Now If It Weren't For Tivo Edition

2008-05-16T08:50:00.008-04:00

Last night Mrs. Phez and I were watching Don't Forget the Lyrics with the yummy-delicious (in her words) Wayne Brady.

We like watching the show and we like watching even better with the assistance of our Tivo. They have about 10 minutes of worthwhile content that they stretch out to a 30 minute program.

Here is an example:
Contestant: (singing the missing lyrics to a song we all know the lyrics to - yes, Hilda, even me)
Wayne Brady: Would you like to lock in those lyrics?*
Contestant: Yes Wayne, lock in those lyrics!
Wayne Brady: Okay, let's find out if those are the lyrics...right after this break
[[[Commercial Break]]]
Wayne Brady: (to the camera) Welcome back everybody to Fox's "Don't Forget the Lyrics" and we're here with [name] who has just locked in her lyrics.
Wayne Brady: (to the contestant) Are you ready [name] to see if those are the correct 11 missing words?
Constestant: Uh-huh.
Wayne Brady: Okay, show us the last two words
(Suspenseful music plays for 10 seconds as the camera does a close of the contestant. Then a ta-da kind of music as they show that the words are correct. This is repeated 1 to 2 words at a time for the rest of the answer. There are about 8 questions and answers...they-are-all-pretty-much-like-this. If it wasn't for Tivo I'd be saying thins like, "For the love of meatloaf, get it over already!")

But fortunately for us, we are able to sit there contently with Tivo in hand watching ~~our sexy~~ her sexy Wayne Brady do his thing for 10 minutes.

In celebration of Tivo, take 'er away Fred!

"What It Takes", by Areosmith. I think it bears repeating from earlier Friday Shuffles: I share Fred with Mrs. Phez - not all the songs in his repertoire are mine
"Hey Tonight", by Clearwater Creedence Revival
"Peaceful World", by John Mellencamp
"Problem Child", by AC/DC
"Something", by the Beatles
"Please Do Not Go", by Violent Femmes - I went through a Femme phase in high school - I'm not ashamed
"Rainin' In My Heart", by The Fabulous Thunderbirds
"Shoot Out The Lights", by Richard & Linda Thompson
"Hello", by Lionel Richie
"Gold", by John Stewart

Have a great weekend everyone!

Wacky Wednesday - De Ja Vu

2008-05-14T00:15:00.000-04:00

Here is the 6th edition of: Wacky Wednesday. In an effort to continue to bring you the finest of Wacky Wednesday submissions, I have scoured the Internet, and any other source for that matter, looking for an odd tidbit to share with you all. And, as always, I will cite the source, unless they swear me to anonymity.

Personality Transplants: Cheryl Johnson, 37, described to London's Daily Telegraph in March the many ways in which her personality suddenly changed following a new kidney that she received from a deceased, 59-year-old man. Some researchers believe in such a "cellular memory phenomenon," but it is unclear whether, for example, Johnson's recent abandonment of trashy reading in favor of Dostoevsky and Jane Austen would qualify. [Daily Telegraph (London), 3-16-08]

Sonny Graham of Hilton Head, S.C., committed suicide in April after having spent 13 years with the transplanted heart of suicide victim Terry Cottle. The cellular implication is somewhat less likely, though, because Graham's widow was the same woman who was married to Cottle at the time of his suicide. [IslandPacket.com (Hilton Head), 4-5-08]

Until next time, enjoy your Wacky Wednesday!

Sam The Snake

2008-05-13T20:53:00.000-04:00

Everynight Lil Phez and I, or sometimes Lil Phez and Mrs. Phez, read a book and then we tell his doggy a story. "Sam the Snake", is a bedtime story that I created a few months ago for Lil Phez and he asks for it almost every night. I am passing it along to any parent in the blogsphere looking for a bedtime story. Here it goes:

Once upon a time there was a snake. His name was Sam. Sam the snake. Sam the snake was feeling sorry for himself because he couldn't do all the awesome things that his friends could do. There was Gary the Gorilla and he was very strong. There was Geoffrey the Girraffe who could see very far on account of his very long neck. And there was Toni the Tiger who was very fast. Sam couldn't do any of those things and it made him feel sad.

Then one day, all four of them were out playing together in their neighborhood when they decided to go into vacant house. They weren't supposed to go inside, but they did anyway. They went in the front door, down the hallway, up some stairs and into a room where they played. All of sudden, the door SHUT! They tried to open it, but it was stuck.

Gary the Gorrilla said, "I'll use my muscles and I will force the door open". He tried but it wouldn't budge. Toni the Tiger said " I will use my speed by running and then crashing through the door". He ran really fast and hit into the door but he couldn't break it. Geoffrey the Giraffe said I will use my tall neck to see long distances and look for help". He raised his neck taller and taller and until -boom- he bumped his head on the ceiling. Sam layed there on the floor next the door wondering how he could possibly help everyone when he noticed that if he tried really hard, he might be able to fit under the door. So he wriggled, and he wriggled, and he wriggled some more until he was able to slither under the door. He did it!

Sam the Snake went down the hallway, down some stairs, and out of the house. He went down the block to Larry the Locksmith where he got a key that would fit the lock on the door. He then went back to the house, where he went inside and went down the hallway, up some stairs and back to the room with the locked door. He used the special key and was able to open the door and let out all of his friends. They all thanked him for helping them and Gary the Gorilla said, "You were able to do something that none of us could do. You are very special. Thank you, Sam." They went to the park where they laughed and they played and they never went in the house again.

Friday Shuffle - The Cold Fighters Edition

2008-05-09T23:59:00.002-04:00

Okay so everyone in the Pheasant House is under the weather - to varying degrees. Hopefully Fred will shuffle us up a mix that will make us feel better.

Oh, and yesterday marked our 15th wedding anniversary. I love that woman so much. How much? I plan on showing her as soon as we both feel better and can send the little ones off with our friends. ::wink, wink::

(Note to self: Do not copy this blog entry into the blog journal album that you are keeping for the kids to see when they get older.)

Okay, so on to the shuffle - take 'er away Fred!

"Another Again", by John Legend. This song is kinda hot. He seems like he'd be a cool guy to hang out with.
"You Decorated My Life", by Kenny Rogers. Okay, this song seems fitting enough in recognition of our wedding anniversary.
"Overs", by Simon & Garfunkel. Um, this song is more than just a little bit depressing.
"Big Joe and Phantom 309" performed by Ray Bierl. When I was in middle school, I bought a compilation album, from one of those music clubs, that consisted of various trucker-type songs. I'm...not...sure...why. Since then, I've lost it, but I always remember this one song that I really liked. It would make the hair on the back of my neck stand up. Well, this is the song, and thanks to Itunes, I own it again.
"Proudest Monkey", by Dave Matthews Band. I've got to get me my fix of DMB every now and again.
"Who Put the Alphabet in Alphabetical Order?", by They Might Be Giants. And my oldest has to get his fix of TMBG every now and again.
"Beyond the Sea", performed by Robbie Williams. A very nice lovey-dovey song. Not a bad version from a 30-something British pop star.
"Fury", by Little Big Town. I always read that song title as "Furry".
"Holiday" by Green Day. Great band! Fred is showing his diversity, wouldn't you say?
"Where Have All The Flowers Gone", by Peter, Paul & Mary. Now Fred is being a show off.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Wacky Wednesday - Nip/Tuck, Yuck!

2008-05-07T08:24:00.003-04:00

After a brief hiatus, here is the 5th edition of: Wacky Wednesday. In an effort to continue to bring you the finest of Wacky Wednesday submissions, I have scoured the Internet, and any other source for that matter, looking for an odd tidbit to share with you all. And, as always, I will cite my source, unless they swear me to anonymity.

Here is a bit of unsettling news from the "beautiful" state of California:

"Many of my young patients think about getting plastic surgery the way they'd think about getting their hair done," explained Dr. David Alessi of Beverly Hills, Calif., who is still amazed at women's willingness to endure "extreme" cosmetic alterations.

"Vaginal rejuvenation" (labiaplasty) might be the most sensational procedure, but surgeons also do "forehead implants" and ankle and shoulder liposuction, break and reset jaws to tweak smiles, and lengthen or shorten toes (for "toe cleavage" with certain shoes).

Alessi told a Glamour magazine writer for an April story that one 25-year-old recently asked him to "remove" her navel (whereas most umbilicoplasty patients merely request reshaping). Said a bemused colleague, "There's some consensus about what makes for an attractive ... face, but we have no definition of the ideal navel." [MSNBC-Glamour, 4-20-08]

I couldn't find any photos to compliment this story, while there were images of labiaplasty available via Google Images, I opted not include them. But I wanted to give you guys something, so here is a pic of the Poster Child for Plastic Surgery Gone Wrong:

Until next time, enjoy your Wacky Wednesday!

Things You Never Thought You'd Hear

2008-05-07T08:04:00.002-04:00

This morning, Lil Phez crawled into bed and joined me, Mama Phez, and Baby Phez, who beat Lil Phez by 5 minutes, for some wake up cuddle time. I was really enjoying it. That's when Lil Phez looked towards the foot of the bed and said, "Daddy, your feet are red. Just like a Princess!".

So, What Did You Do This Evening?

2008-05-06T23:01:00.006-04:00

Two days before our fifteenth wedding anniversary and I spent it with Mrs. Phez in the bathroom - she was painting my toenails. You know, in preparation for that thing I am doing at my department's quarterly meeting tomorrow.

I am going to wait to have my fingernails painted until just before I perform. I wouldn't want anyone starring at me unnecessarily.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, and God I hope you weren't, I learned this evening that my dress size is 16 and my shoe size in women's shoes is 11W.

Little Known Facts About Hillary

2008-05-05T18:29:00.006-04:00

Probably more entertaining than the facts I am about to share with you is the reason that I came across them. I work in a I.T. department of about 400 people and we have quarterly departmental meetings. While flow charts and schematic drawings might pique the interest of the few, it certainly doesn't do it for most of us - so, for a few years now, we've had a group within the dept. responsible for a bit of entertainment to break the monotony of the 4 hour meeting.

It wasn't supposed to be our turn this time around, but no one would do it so with two days to plan, we found out today that our VP agreed that we'd fill in. We are doing a spoof on a Presidential Debate but we are making the questions and answers relative to our work environment. You'll never guess who they talked into portraying Hillary! I'll give you a clue...one of the times we did this before, we did a spoof on American Idol and I was Troyjaya. Well, Troyjaya and Hillary will look a lot like.

So, in researching for my part, here are some interesting facts (okay, maybe not all of them are facts - some are allegations) about our next President - maybe.

1. In 1969, after Hillary Diane Rodham graduated with departmental honors in political science, she worked her way across Alaska, washing dishes in Mount McKinley National Park and sliming salmon in a fish processing cannery in Valdez (which fired her and shut down overnight when she complained about unhealthy conditions).

2. It took Bill Clinton 4 years to make Hilary become his wife. They started dating in 1971. Hillary Rodham and Bill Clinton were married on October 11, 1975, in a Methodist ceremony in their living room

3. Bill Clinton returned to the Governor's office in1982. Only then Hillary Diane Rodham began to use the name Hillary Clinton, or sometimes "Mrs. Bill Clinton", in order to have greater appeal to voters.

4. From 1986 to 1992 Hillary Clinton was enjoying six-year tenure as a director of Wal-Mart, the nation’s largest company. Fellow board members and company executives say Mrs. Clinton used her position to champion personal causes, like the need for more women in management and a comprehensive environmental program.

5. Hillary Clinton became involved in a scandal about having a lesbian affair with her personal aide Huma Abedin.

A new book by Edward Klein, ‘The Truth About Hillary’ is said to make some claims about Hillary Clinton having lesbian relationships.

I have to go now and practice making funny faces in front of the mirror. Wish me luck!

A Benefit of Living in South Florida

2008-05-04T17:47:00.002-04:00

You can smack your child, or anyone else for that matter, and get away with it. What's more...you'll likely be lauded as a helper of the downtrodden rather than an assailant. I'm talking about mosquito control, folks. Yesterday, at Lil' Phez's birthday pool party, he walked up to me and was telling something about what another kid at the party was doing when I smacked him on his forehead. I caught him in mid-sentence. The look of stun on his face was amazing. I explained to him that he had a big fat juicy mosquito on his forehead and I still had the squished evidence in the palm of my hand. He said, "Oh, okay." and went back off to his buds.

How many of you that live where it snows can say that, hmmm?

Happy Birthday Baby Boy!

2008-05-03T21:48:00.003-04:00

Okay, so he turned 4 today and he's the older of our two beautiful boys, but he is still our baby boy. Four? Four!

Happy Birthday, Little Man! You are my son and my inspiration. I love you.

Look at What Lil' Phez Made

2008-05-03T00:13:00.005-04:00

*Okay, so this isn't actually his hands, but you get the idea.

Earlier tonight, or technically last night, Lil Phez and I were in his room doing the night time getting ready for bed stuff when he made the shape of a heart with his hands.

Lil' Phez: You know what that is, Daddy?

Me: What is it?

Lil' Phez: It's my heart. It has my uncle in it.

Lil' Phez has four uncles, one of which, the one he his named after, passed away 29 years ago - he was only twelve. About a month ago, I gave Lil' Phez a picture of his uncle in a frame for his night stand and said that this uncle would watch over him while he slept. Not being real big on a physical place called Heaven or Hell, I told him that his uncle, my brother, had died but was in my heart & mommy's and would now be in his heart.

Side Note: Seeing as how I was only 7 when my brother died, my wife hadn't met him, but she still has a lot of love for him. He was so special and my family have shared so many stories with her about him, that she feels that she knew him and knows that she had she met him, she would've loved the hell out of him, just like we all got the awesome opportunity to do - even as brief as his time was with us. Isn't it strange / awe inspiring how we can have love for a person that we never met?

Friday Shuffle - Complete with Pictures!

2008-05-02T06:48:00.012-04:00

A few weeks ago I had posted about Miami Vice. I now get several hits every week from people around the world looking for this image. So, in an effort to expand my global presence, I will be including some pics of the artists for each of Fred's selections for this week's Shuffle. Therefore it is with unbridled exuberence that I say onto Fred, "Take Er Away, Fred!"

Oh, and we're only doing five tracks for this edition, what with the images making it a much longer post and all.

"Take A Chance On Me", by ABBA - Okay, just how ashamed should I be?

"Tequila Sunrise", by the Eagles

"It's All Over Now", by the Rolling Stones. The image for the Eagles was a cover of the Rolling Stone mag and now Fred plays something by the Stones...hmmm.

"What The World Needs Now" by Jackie De Shannon. By who?

Okay so I looked her up. I know her hits but never knew her name. She also composed the hit by Kim Carnes, "Bette Davis Eyes", which is a song I really like.

"Country Road", by James Taylor. Classic.

"Large World Turning", by John Mellencamp. This is from his album, Mr. Happy Go Lucky; I really like this album alot!

Have a great weekend everyone! Feel free to comment on your favorite pic!

My Big Foray Back Into Blogging...

2008-05-01T08:18:00.004-04:00

It's a new month, everyone.

Happy May 1st everyone!

Okay, that's pretty much all I got!

Except to say that I know we've most of us have had lulls in our blogging activity and I've seem to hit mine this past month. But it's a new month so here's to blogging more frequently! ***raising symbolic glass of Cristal***

Okay, that burst of enthusiasm is spent. Will I really blog more in May? I guess it depends if anyone gives a crap. So how many of you really care that I blog? Please leave a comment and let me know.

Friday Shuffle: The Eventually Edition

2008-04-20T19:17:00.007-04:00

Okay, so it's Sunday, not Friday. But I'm not complainin' Friday (at work) was hectic and Friday night (after work) was a blast. There was no time for the Shuffle. "What about Saturday?", you ask. Two separate trips to the park, the latter one including a picnic lunch. Errands here and there...again, no time for the shuffle. No complaints here. But I am glad to have found some time to have blogged and given Fred a chance to shuffle his thang!

"Sisters of The Moon", by Fleetwood Mac - Is it horrible that I actually don't know this song, what with me being a big Fleetwood Mac fan and all?
"What a Fool Believes", by The Doobie Brothers - Really, why isn't this group called Michael McDonald and the other guys?
"Born To Jive", by Sha-Na-Na - okay, nooo, I don't own any albums by Sha-Na-Na, if such a thing is even possible, this off of the Grease Soundtrack. What does hand jive mean, anyway?
"Save Me a Saturday Night", by Neil Diamond - Yep, don't know this song either.
"Jimmy Gets High", by Daniel Powter
"A Horse With No Name", by America
"Open Road", by Ryan Adams
"Octopus' Garden", by The Beattles - What a care-free acid laden song for the whole family!
"Istanbul (Not Constantinople)" by They Might Be Giants
"Run-Around" by Blues Traveler

Okay, well Fred gave us a bit of an obscure shuffle this time around. I hope everyone had a great weekend!

Just 'Cuz

2008-04-17T06:51:00.000-04:00

Here is an email thread interchange that occured yesterday morning between Mama Phez and me [with the From & To fields modified slightly] :

------------------------------------------------

From: Troy Boy
Sent: Wednesday, April 16, 2008 9:53 AM
To: Mama Phez
Subject: RE: I love you too!

What can I say? Loving you is one of the easiest things for me to do. Right there next to breathing, and just as important.

------------------------------------------------

From: Mama Phez
Sent: Wednesday, April 16, 2008 9:48 AM
To: Troy Boy
Subject: I love you too!

Thank you sweety. We’ve been married 15 years! I’m not supposed to find love notes in my lunch anymore!! - Not that I’m complaining; it put a big smile on my face. In fact, I was grinning like an idiot in the kitchen. Everybody must have been wondering what was up with me.

------------------------------------------------

Wacky Wednesday - Picture This!

2008-04-16T07:37:00.003-04:00

Here is the 4th edition of a new installment to my blog: Wacky Wednesday. In an effort to continue to bring you the finest of Wacky Wednesday submissions, I will scour the Internet, and any other source for that matter, looking for an odd tidbit to share with you all. And I will always cite my source, unless they swear me to anonymity. This week's entry is dedicated to Purple Passion over at Gimme Patience.

Here we go!

Making artistic, themed scrapbooks is a $2.6 billion industry in the U.S. (nearly one-fifth as large as the adult-video industry) and has a "Hall of Fame" as protective of its morals as baseball's, which has shunned gamblers and steroid-users.

According to a January Wall Street Journal report, one "superstar" scrapbooker, Kristina Contes, was recently kicked out of the hall for violating etiquette by displaying another's photo inside her scrapbook in a competition.

Contes said the oversight was inadvertent but that she is now shunned within the community for her grave offense and called "labelwhore." [Los Angeles Times, 1-12-08]

Until next time, enjoy your Wacky Wednesday!

Okay, Seriously

2008-04-15T18:22:00.003-04:00

I am working from home today and I have the t.v. on in the background. On comes an episode of Miami Vice. While I didn't officially move here until 1991, I did try living with my dad and step-mom for a year in 86. I was here folks! For the record. No one dressed like that! No one looked that!

I mean, okay, some people tried it after the show aired.

But that, like, totally isn't a picture of me with my face lopped off!

Would you like some Kibble with that?

2008-04-14T12:43:00.010-04:00

Several days ago, I was helping Lil Phez with his nightly chore: feeding the fish when something peculiar happened. But before I go into the incident let me, to quote Desi Arnaz, ecksplang.

When feeding the fish, Lil Phez needs my help, at age 3 & 11/12, because it is large tank and it requires that he climb up on a dining room chair - something he knows not to do without permission/supervision. At his tender age, I must say that Lil Phez is very good at knowing what his boundaries are, i.e. what he should & shouldn't do, and he doesn't test those boundaries.

Which is why I was shocked several days ago when he reached into the fish food, grabbed one sole morsel of fish food and with what seemed like an executed decision, slowly opened his mouth and brought this new snack to his lips.

This is when with all of my parental skills, grabbed the wrist of the offending hand and, with love and concern in my voice that would make Dr. Spock proud, I asked ,"What in the world are you doing!" My startled toddler blinked, regained his composure, and replied, "I was going to eat it, Daddy" very matter-of-factly.

So began the lecture. I explained why he shouldn't eat the fish food. I told him that fish food is for fish. I explained that he would grow a fin if he ate it (okay, not really). And I said all of the things one should say to their child when trying to keep them from eating pet food. He said he understood and we agreed that it would never happen again. Then came last night.

I was helping him feed the fish when he repeated the slow purposeful act of trying to partake of, what is apparently the nectar of the Gods, also known as fish food. At first I went into lecture mode but quickly caught myself. "Self", I said to myself, "This didn't work last time. Try a new approach." And so this is how I handled it:

Me: Son, didn't we agree you shouldn't eat fish food?
Lil Phez: Yes.
Me: Would you like to try one piece?
(This is when Mama Phez's right eyebrow shot up so far it practically joined her bangs.)
Lil Phez: It would be okay?
Me: I wouldn't eat the stuff but you want to try it, so go ahead...one piece, just this once.
(Lil Phez takes a piece, puts it in his mouth, and begins to chew)
Me: It's pretty gross, huh?
Lil Phez: Yeah.
Me: Yucky!
Lil Phez: Yucky!
Me: Let's go brush your teeth again and get that nasty taste out of your mouth, okay?
Lil Phez: Okay, daddy.

Next week, we try the dog food.

Misspent Youth

2008-04-13T11:32:00.010-04:00

As a father of two, Lil' Phez & Baby Phez, I think about what they will be into as they grow up. Oh, and thanks Matt for the recent post creating appropriate Blogger names for my little ones. So as I ponder their paths to be taken, I hearken back to the path I took to get where I am today; some of which I am willing to share and some...not so much. Let's just suffice to say, that Misspent Youth is an appropriate nomenclature for my adolescence. Let's review the ~~highlights~~ low lights:

Favorite TV Show:

Benson

I had a crush on Katie, played by Missy Gold.

Favorite Pastime:

Commodore 64

And one my favorite games on the C64 is shown below, check out the cool graphics!

Okay, so now it's your turn! What are the deep dark secrets of your youth that you hope you can keep your lil' ones from repeating?

Friday Shuffle: The 'Look of Horror' Edition

2008-04-11T05:30:00.006-04:00

Our littlest; fond of baths he is not.

Okay, now that we got that out of the way, take 'er away Fred!

"Shooting Star", by Bad Company
"Do I Have To Say The Words?", by Bryan Adams - I think we danced to this song at our wedding.
"Angel", by The Iguanas - A good song. A great band. Check them out if you haven't already.
"I Am The Walrus", covered by Bono & Secret Machines from the Across The Universe soundtrack
"Sandman", by America
"She Moves Me", by Muddy Waters
"Imagine", covered by Joan Baez - Just when you thought this song couldn't be any more hippy-ish; Joanie takes it there.
"Everybody's Got a Cousin in Miami", by Jimmy Buffett - This is a fun song about Cuban immigration into Miami & its culture...funny and endearing.
"Every Minute, Every Hour, Every Day", by James House, from the Tin Cup soundtrack - I know that Sari knows this song!
"We'll Never Have To Say Goodbye Again", by England Dan & John Ford Coley - okay, who? It's from a Singers & Songwriters complitation CD. These are the same guys that did "I'd Really Love To See You Tonight".

Okay, goodbye.

A Meme, A Dinner & A Movie

2008-04-10T00:05:00.004-04:00

This is a homemade meme that I put together because I was inspired by a recent episode of Top Chef. Here's the deal:

List the items of a meal you'd prepare and use a movie as your theme. Then fellow bloggers will leave comments guessing what the movie is. Okay so here's mine - and yes, if I was on Top Chef, I'd use this for the competition.

Baby Lamp Chops smothered in caramelized Vidalia onions served along with Fava beans and a glass of Chianti.

Well, which movie was the theme for this dinner?

If you want to give it a try on your blog, please leave me a comment and let me know!

Wacky Wednesday - Grody!

2008-04-09T06:43:00.007-04:00

Here is the 3rd edition of a new installment to my blog: Wacky Wednesday. In an effort to continue to bring you the finest of Wacky Wednesday submissions, I will scour the Internet, and any other source for that matter, looking for an odd tidbit to share with you all. And I will always cite my source, unless they swear me to anonymity.

Before we start, you know how many people have to tinkle when they hear running water? Let me know if this next entry has the same effect on you. Here we go!

Irish director-playwright Paul Walker's production of "Ladies & Gents" opened for a March run in New York City 29 blocks north of Broadway in a public restroom. According to an Associated Press report, the entire play takes place among the porcelain in a bathroom in Central Park, portraying "the seedy underside of 1950s Dublin," with the audience of 25 standing beside rows of stalls, near "spiders, foul odors and puddles of questionable origin."

Walker proudly admits that he wanted to take the audience "out of their comfort zone" to create "a different energy." Actor John O'Callaghan recalled that rehearsals were especially difficult: "One man actually came in and had a pee right in front of us." [KYW-TV (Philadelphia)-AP, 3-19-08]

Until next time, enjoy your Wacky Wednesday!

Tuesday's Tip for the Day! - Part Two

2008-04-08T12:27:00.003-04:00

So while I was out getting the replacement phone, Mrs. Pheasantly spoke to our friend Matt. He told her that he had heard (here is the tip of the day, folks) if you get your phone wet, then take the back off, take out the battery, and then put the phone and battery in a container of rice and seal it. For how long, you ask? Well, we found out that the phone was working 24 hours later! Cool, huh?

Tuesday's Tip for the Day! - Part One

2008-04-08T06:51:00.005-04:00

Is that a wet cell phone in your pocket or are you just happy to see me? Last Friday I was giving son # 1 a bath when my cell phone went *kaplunk* into the bath tub. As you might guess, the phone was no longer operable. So, I gave the soggy phone and the soggy kid to the wifey, after taking the SIM card out, and hurried off to the cell phone store. I got there 2 minutes before they closed and told them I needed a new phone. They looked at my account and announced that since it had been less than the magical 2 years that I had this phone, I would have to pay the regular price, which was - drum roll please...$279! For once, I was speechless. After I recovered, I stammered out that I couldn't afford that. So the sales rep leaned in (pssst - this is where the Tuesday's Tip for Day comes in), and he told me to just go across the street to Walgreen's and buy a phone for 20 bucks. He said that most of them were compatible with my cell service and all I had to do was put in my SIM card from my old phone and I'd have the same number. So that's what I did. That's one smart guy because when I do need a new phone and need to renew a plan you better believe I will be going there!

Friday Shuffle: The Roadtrip Edition!

2008-04-04T00:28:00.004-04:00

It's about 12:30 am Friday morning and I will be leaving with Matt and another friend in 3 and a half hours to head up to Orlando to participate as judges in the Odyssey of the Mind state competition. So let's make this a quick Shuffle Fred!

"I don't Want To Miss A Thing", by Aerosmith
"One Night Love Affair", by Bryan Adams
"For What It's Worth", by Buffalo Springfield
"Son of a Son of a Sailer", by Jimmy Buffett
"I Try", by Macy Gray - Man, she can sing! Oh, and she's not bad to look at, either!
"Emaline", by Ben Folds Five - I much prefer, "All You Can Eat".
"Don't I Hold You", by Wheat - okay, by who? It's from the Elizabethtown soundtrack
"Poetry Man", by Phoebe Snow
"The Last Time", by the Stones
"Say Goodbye to Little Joe", by Steve Forbert - you might be asking 'By who?' again, but if you don't know this guy, give him a listen. I think the only track off of this album, Jackrabbit Slim, to get decent radio play was "Romeo's Tune". My favorite track is "Complications".

Well, you were a bit all over with these picks, Fred, but still a good list,

Have a great weekend everyone!

And Like a Wildfire It Did Spread

2008-04-03T00:15:00.009-04:00

So it's been a while since there has been a meme on this blog and this next one, I believe, will have been worth the wait. This meme was first brought about into "my circle" of bloggers by Seven. Holy crap, I have a circle of blogger buds! Okay, it's more like a lopsided oval, but its mine! (Oh, and while Seven isn't officially in MY circle, she is in Sari's so she's the dot in the two overlapping circles that you saw in Statistics 101.) But I undress, I mean digress! I digress. Anyway, so Hilda picked up on it over at The Geek Inside, and then Matt picked up on it over at The Mind Wobbles. And now it's my turn! Here's the deal:

Instructions:
1. Open your music library (iTunes, winamp, media player, iPod, whatever)
2. Put it on shuffle
3. Press play
4. For every question below, type the song that’s playing
5. New question — press the next button
6. Don’t lie and try to pretend you’re cool

Here we go:

opening credits: “Big Stick” by Bruce Hornsby - I do like the occasional well placed innuendo, even if it is based solely on fiction
waking up: "Come Pick Me Up" by Ryan Adams - I imagine I'd might need a ride.
first day at school: "When The Stars Go Blue" by Ryan Adams - Pardon me, I am reminding Fred, my Ipod, that by the very definition of shuffle, we shouldn't have back-to-back tracks by the same artist
falling in love: “Shut Up” by - Direct and straight to the point, I suppose
breaking up: “Joking” by Indigo Girls - Okay, so like, what, I don't really hate your guts?
prom: “Girl From The North Country” by Johnny Cash - well I guess she'd be a better date than the boy from the south depot.
life’s okay: “Gamblers Blues" by Lightnin' Hopkins - or maybe life's not okay?
mental breakdown: “Live With Lonesome” by Little Big Town - yep, that qualifies as a reason
driving: “Science Fiction Double Feature” by Original Broadway Cast of Rocky Horror Picture Show
flashback: “Crazy Love” by Poco - Flashing back to Buffalo Springfield
getting back together: “30,000 Pounds of Bananas” by Harry Chapin - There is no getting back together for the main character of this 10 minute story-song...just lots of separation and pasty fruit!
wedding: “Fantasy Girl” by .38 Special - I married my fantasy girl!
birth of child: "Endless Love” by Lionel Richie - Amen! Okay, in a different context, but an endless love, nonetheless
final battle: “Middle of the Night” by Jimmy Buffett
death scene: “Ventura Highway” by America - metaphorically speaking, I guess it could work. If I saw "Alligator lizards in the air", I would certainly hope I was dead
end credits: “Walk Away Renee" by Vonda Shepard - damn, if only my name was Renee

Cool, huh?! Now it's your turn, if ya wanna and you know you wanna! Leave a comment for please once you've done the deed over at your blog.

Truer Words Have Never Been Spoken

2008-04-02T22:08:00.003-04:00

So, the results are in and Ramiele is gone. But the true highlight of tonight's results show, for us, was Dolly singin' her song "Jesus and Gravity".

When she sang the part, "Something's lifting me up!", Mrs. Pheasantly retorted, "Well, yeah! Just look at her body." Yes fellow bloggers, something is definitely holding her up. It's called... plastic surgery."

Funny lines to be in Dolly song.

Ouch!

2008-04-02T16:41:00.002-04:00

It's a good thing that one does not have to speak in order to blog; otherwise, I'd be S.O.L.! I am sitting here at the computer with a wad of gauze in my mouth. I am sitting here at the computer occasionally tasting the slightest hint of blood. I am sitting here at the computer wondering what I will be able eat for dinner. I am sitting here at the computer less of a person than I was an hour and a half ago. I am sitting here at the computer with one less Wisdom tooth, or as it is technically called, one less mandibular third molar - isn't Wikipedia wonderful?

It came out surprisingly easy. I had the 2 lower wisdom teeth removed a few years ago and it sucked more than a little bit. During that earlier procedure, one of them broke while the dentist was removing it. This time I was more fortunate. Sneaky Dr. Krugman began, after injecting the local anesthetic by saying "Okay, Troy. I am going to start out by just testing the tooth." Then he put what looked like a screw driver in my mouth and started pushing on the unwanted bastard of a tooth. Then he pushed a little harder - still "testing", mind you. Then he said, "Okay, Troy...it's almost out." He switched to what looked like a pair of pliers, and he pulled once, twice, and *pop* - out came the tooth!

In 19 minutes, I get to take out the gauze. I am debating whether or not to update this post with a photo. Do y'all think I should?

Image from Wikipedia

Wacky Wednesday - Sell It!

2008-04-02T00:09:00.001-04:00

Here is the 2nd edition of a new installment to my blog: Wacky Wednesday. In an effort to continue to bring you the finest of Wacky Wendesday submissions, I will scour the Internet, and any other source for that matter, looking for an odd tidbit to share with you all. And I will always cite my source, unless they swear me to anonymity. This weeks installment is actually comprised of two submissions. Wacky, huh?!

Dance ~~Bear~~ Bare Naked

When Johnny Diablo's year-old vegan restaurant failed to catch on in Portland, Ore., last year, he converted the space into Casa Diablo's Gentlemen's Club, which is what he believes is the world's only vegan strip club. He has no rule against meat-eating dancers, he told Willamette Week newspaper in February, but won't permit leather, fur, silk or wool outfits on stage (no "murder victims" in the club, he said). [Willamette Week, 2-6-08]

Like Puttin' Lipstick on a ~~Pig~~ Cat Butt

Cosmetics from the American company Blue Q, under the "Lookin' Good for Jesus" brand urging users to "Get Tight with Christ," were pulled from stores in Singapore in February due to complaints, but Blue Q said it's not abandoning that line of hand and body creams, lip balm, breath spray and bubble bath. (Of course, Blue Q also markets similar cosmetics under such brands as "Dirty Girl," "Cute as Hell," "Total Bitch" and "Virgin/Slut," as well as a car air-freshener by its brand "Cat Butt.") [Reuters, 2-12-08; http://www.blueq.com/]

Until next time, enjoy your Wacky Wednesday!

My Own Favorite Post

2008-04-01T16:45:00.005-04:00

I wouldn't have thought of this post today but it showed up as the Google search results for someone in Warsaw who was searching for "son big feet".

To take a queue from Dave Barry, it sounds like a good name for a rock band. But it also happens to be a very fond memory for me that brought a smile to me as I reread it, so I thought I'd share it with you.

Daddy, What's That?

2008-04-01T04:06:00.005-04:00

Last night I served Corned Beef & Cabbage, which by the way isn't authentic Irish fare. I served it with Mookie Mookie, otherwise known as potatoes. I cooked it all in a pressure cooker and the potatoes, which had been quartered, took on the the liquid in the cooker (amber beer & chicken stock) so they became a bit darker, and very yummy.

Our three year old is not a fan of potatoes. It's odd because he'll eat almost anything. So, knowing his disdain for the potato, I didn't serve any on his plate. He saw it on my plate and didn't recognize it, so he asked me, "Daddy, what's that?". Not wanting to lose the opportunity to get him to eat potato, I said, "This baby? It's called Mookie Mookie." "Mookie, Mookie?!" he replied with a giggle. "Yep, would you like some?" "Yes, please." he said with excitement of an adventurer setting sails to chart new lands. He took a bite. "Do you like it?", I asked with some trepidation. "Yes! It tastes like potato."

He took one more bite, went back to his corned beef, which he polished off, and then announced that he was done, discarding the last bite of lonely Mookie Mookie.

A Variation to My Blogging Style - Let's Talk About Recycling Body Parts

2008-03-30T13:59:00.008-04:00

Back in February, I came across an interesting post about how most bloggers post about the life alternating issues in life rather than the light & easy going stuff. He calls it bricks & mortar respectively. I've observed that in my own blog I apparently do not fit into most bloggers. I mean, how life altering are my Friday Shuffles, right?

But yesterday's post was definitely more heady than the norm for me and today's post is just as "bricky"

To that end, today's post is about taking another life; more specifically taking the lives of those members of society that have proven they are no longer a viable part of our communities, no not Jerry Springer & Rikki Lake, I am talking about inmates who are sentenced to life in prison or are sitting on death row. I am talking about the people that are proven guilty with unmistakable proof (e.g. DNA) of heinous crimes.

Those of you that know me, you know that I am very liberal. But on this topic...not so much. I feel that these individuals should have their organs harvested and donated to those that are waiting for organs. Then we pull the plug and let the inmates go to sleep forever. I'm sorry if this sounds cruel but it makes more sense than paying to house, feed, and care for these people just waiting for them to die anyway. Also, if you had a choice to see them perish or to see innocent people in need of kidneys, livers, lungs, etc., well, it's a no brainer, is it?

Why Do We Do It? Is It Bad That We Do It? Should A Blog Title Not Have So Many Questions?

2008-03-29T00:30:00.001-04:00

I recently read a great post about stereotyping over at Ordinary Days and it got me to thinking. You know how when you are planning a party in the ballroom of your estate, but you get sidetracked because there is a great game of lawns darts going on in the east garden and Jeeves is asking you if he can take time off to travel back to England to visit his dying mum, all along you are getting sidetracked from planing the great gala? Well, me neither. But I do know that I have been thinking a lot lately about stereotyping and why, as humans, we do it but I never got around to posting. Well, here is to getting around to it...

To stereotype. It has a such negative connotation. Well, I am here to make the point that it's not inherently a bad practice. Yes, it can cause people to misjudge others but what is the cost of not using stereotypes?

Let's hypothesize for a moment. In this hypothetical situation, you are a female (okay, this is easier for some of you to own it than others) and you are driving down a dark lonely country road. Up ahead you see a tall figure walking along the side of the road dressed in a dark trench coat. In one hand he is carrying a long silvery object and he is using the other to hitch a ride. Do you stop to pick him up? Okay folks, the resounding hell no was quite deafening.

What if I were to tell you that this man wasn't wearing a trench coat but rather he was wearing rain gear and the silvery object in his hand was a turbine blade for his plow that had broken down several hundred yards off of the side of the road in the 40 acres of farmland that he owns on both sides of this road that you are on? And you wouldn't know any of this because you just drove on by. And quite frankly, I don't blame you because he also looked like he could have been a homicidal maniac!

As grade schoolers, we were all taught the processes of categorization and inductive reasoning. If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and it quacks like a duck, well then, your science teacher will tell you, it must be a duck. Of course, it could be a platypus.

In trying to ascertain the difference between categorization & inductive reasoning versus stereotyping, I came across this interesting commentary by Steven J. Sherman of Indiana University on an article written on the subject by Robin Fox. Does it answer the question? Hell no, but it let's me know that it is being pondered by greater minds than mine.

So I ask you, is it wrong to stereotype?

Friday Shuffle - The Tired Edition

2008-03-28T08:05:00.007-04:00

I'm pooped this morning. Not much else to say here. Let's hope that this week's shuffle will speak for itself:

"Dead", by They Might Be Giants. Fred likes these guys. He has good taste.
"Guantanamera", artist unknown. Or, as I used to sing it the first Christmas that I lived in Miami: One ton tomato!
"Mercy Street" by Peter Gabriel. Another good pick, Mr. Fred.
"Dear Prudence", covered by Dana Fuchs & Jim Sturgess from the "Across the Universe" soundtrack. A very, very nice version. I know it would be sacrilegious to say that anyone can do it better than the idyllic 4, so....I won't say it.
"Rapid Roy", by Jim Croce. Gritty & dirty and oh so good. One of the great ones who died well before his time.
"Something", by The Beatles. Maybe their collective spirit was offended by my earlier comment and forced Fred to play them? Freaky.
"Pancho and Lefty" by Willie Nelson. Okay, this song starts out way too poppy for Willie. I had to look at Fred twice. You don't hear a wailing guitar until a minute into it.
"Rock 'N Me" by Steve Miller Band. Another classic.
"Do You Know What it Means to Miss New Orleans?" by Louis Armstrong. Unfortunately, thousands do.
"Movin' On" by Bad Company. Nice finish to a nice list.

Well Fred, I don't see a theme, but nicely done nonetheless.

My favorite is # 4. Fellow bloggers (and guests), which was your favorite? Please leave a comment!

A Major Minor Medical Emergency

2008-03-27T07:44:00.004-04:00

Yesterday. 8:45 AM. I get the call. The caller display on my cell phone says Children's Paradise, the daycare for both our sons. Having been a client there for almost 4 years, I am somewhat used to the calls. No, that's a lie. You never get used to those calls. When you see the display, you hope it's something minor like a scraped knee or a slight fever. You hope that it is not something horrific; something major like an injury requiring stitches. We've never had a major call, until yesterday.

Our oldest son, the 3 year old, was sitting on the floor playing quietly when another boy who was spinning around accidentally head butted our son in the mouth. Maria, the head Daycare person, said that his teeth were bleeding and that I should take him to the dentist. I assured her that I would be right there.

Now, comes time for the second call. I had to call Mrs. Pheasantly and tell her what happened. I think it's important to enter a side note at this point in the story, one to all the other dads out there. When calling your wife to tell them something has happened to one of their offspring, choose your words very carefully.

scene: her phone rings
Her: Hi Honey. What's up?
Me: I got a call from daycare.
Her: Oh, what happened?
Me: There's been an accident. Wesley has been hit in the face. I am going to need Dr. Krugman's phone number.

This is the point in the conversation where Mrs. Pheasantly envisions our oldest sprawled out on the floor gurgling blood staring in a daze at some of his teeth laying next to him.

Yeah. I could have phrased that a little better.

So, after I calm her down (I've arrived at the daycare by this point), I reassure that it doesn't look that bad and I take him to our family dentist, Dr. Krugman.

The end of the story is that Wesley did not suffer any major damage to his teeth, either his baby teeth or his adult teeth which are already formed. One of the baby teeth may turn black but we'd only have to live with that until it gets replaced with the adult tooth.

It could have been a lot worse. Just ask my wife.

Wacky Wednesday - Now There's a Well Rounded Girl!

2008-03-26T07:52:00.006-04:00

Okay, so here is a new installment to my blog: Wacky Wednesday. I will scour the Internet, and any other source for that matter, looking for an odd tidbit to share with you all. And I will always cite my source, unless they swear me to anonymity. For this first one, it was printed in the Washington Post, 3-1-08.

Dakota Abbott, 16, edged Samantha Phillips, 17, to become Miss Outdoors 2008 in February in Maryland's Eastern Shore region's annual beauty-contest-and-muskrat-skinning festival.

The two were the only beauty contestants (out of eight) who entered both competitions. Abbott won her skinning division, but while she sang a song for the judges, Phillips won the talent trophy by skinning a muskrat on stage. "I'll be honest," she said to a Washington Post reporter. "I can't sing. I can't dance, and I don't play any musical instruments." But she took her 4-inch blade, sticking it just above the tail, and sliced. "You want to take your knuckles and separate the meat from the hide, just like this," she told the judges, with her hand inside the muskrat (as one of the judges recoiled in shock).

Until next time, enjoy your Wacky Wednesday!

Memmmmmmmories...

2008-03-25T08:56:00.004-04:00

...like the cobwebs in my - ack ack! Man, the mental cleaning lady hasn't been around in a while.

My favorite memories are the ones that pop up out of nowhere. You're sittin' there at light waiting for it to change when you are suddenly transported back to Driver's Ed class. Oh, wait, that's not you, that's me. Okay, here is my memory:

So as I said, I was in Driver's Ed class. They were selecting who in the class was going to get to drive with the Coach / Driver's Ed instructor - side thought here: Who else went to a school where the Driver's Ed teacher wasn't their sole job at the school? Okay, back to the memory...so 3 kids get picked to take turns behind the wheel for the class period while the rest of us watch a safety video under the supervision of the Science teacher. They head out, the films starts, 45 minutes later the film ends, the period is over and no word from the 3 kids & the coach. We found out the next the day that the coach had fallen asleep and the kid that was driving at the time kept driving. When the coach woke up, they were in the next county.

Oh, the light's green, gotta go.

(Note to self: Must stop blogging while commuting)

Funny Is as Funny Does

2008-03-24T19:53:00.006-04:00

So I'm over there at The Geek Inside and I decided to check out her......blogroll. Again. This time I go to Electronic Replicant. Funny guy. Prove it, you say? Well, simply click here, my blogging friends and take a gander, or some geese, for yourself! Note: My favorite is number 33!

So, this leads me to two questions:

1) How many of you cringed at my use of mixed tenses? Ha, you should see my messed up elevenses!

2) Which is your current all time-favorite blog entry? And no, you can't select one of your own! Post about it and let me know in my comments.

And Our 1000th Customer Is...

2008-03-24T16:43:00.003-04:00

...someone from Binghamton, New York at 3:47 pm today. Okay, so I know this isn't as a big deal as 25,000 hits but it's a start. And I don't even know if it counts because this is a repeat visitor. Six hits since I turned on Sitemeter on Sunday. But, hey, I'll take whatever milestones I can get!

Sorry, no trips to the islands or even a toaster. Your prize is my genuine appreciation for taking the time to visit! I hope it'll do.

Par le vous what?

2008-03-23T22:19:00.009-04:00

In 1991, I was nineteen and had just moved to Miami. I was staying with my dad and his wife while I was getting on my proverbial feet. My dad and step mom were going to a movie: Cyrano De Bergerac starring George Depardieu. They asked if I wanted to go along. I did. The long and the short of the movie is that a guy woos a girl by speaking French. Or, at least at 19, that's what I got out of it.

Coming home from the movie that night I had an epiphany. The only thing that was keeping me from getting all the ladies was the fact that I didn't speak French. If I knew French, then I would find a girl, impress her, and make her mine. So that was that. I was already planning on going to college for my AA degree and decided that for an elective I would take Beginner's French. I think it's important to note, and you may have heard this before, Miami does not have a large French speaking population. Spanish, yet another language that had evaded me, was (and is) quite common 'round these parts. So, do I take French or Spanish? As my dad pointed out when he was helping me choose, by using logic, one would naturally conclude that if they are going to use an elective course for a foreign language, it should be one that is spoken commonly where they live. So, naturally, I signed up for French class.

It was an accelerated night class and at the end of the course I got a 'C'. I still couldn't ask a girl out in French, nor would I be able to ask where the facilities were if she had agreed to said date. I met with my advisor who advised (funny how they do that) I should take something else for the next semester, like, maybe Spanish. She listed out all of the pros and cons and made a very valid argument. So, naturally, I enrolled in Beginner's French II.

I was really struggling. Or, as they would say in French, "La souris est aveugle." But lucky for me, there was a girl in this class who seemed very sharp and was picking up French quite easily. I figured I'd ask her to help me with the lessons. It didn't hurt that she was very cute. She agreed to help me but it was hard for me to keep my attention on the material. Did I mention she was cute? Well, at the end of the course my grade was no longer a 'C'. It was a 'D'. But I did manage to meet a cute girl. She even agreed to go out with me. We continued to date and seventeen years later she'd be standing here reading over my shoulder if she wasn't in our bed with a cold and 101 degree fever.

So, did I learn French? No. But did my plan work? You betcha!

And in case you were wondering, "Par le vous Francais" is French for "How I met my wife".

You Say Poe-tay-toe, I Say Poe-tah-toe

2008-03-22T20:49:00.002-04:00

Matt was over ealier this evening and Wesley broke out the toy fishing rod (see earlier post) for Matt to play with.

Matt: Where are the fish?
Me (from the other room): They're imaginary, Matt. Just go with it.
3 Year Old: No, Dad! They're pretendy.

Okay, So, Which Is It? Do I Need a Break or Not?

2008-03-22T15:12:00.003-04:00

Today started early. Around 6 am to be percise. The 5 month old started crying. We are trying the "Let them figure it out for themselves during the night" bit so I got out of bed, peed, washed my hands, and went to the computer to play a bit of Ticket To Ride. About a half hour later, I heard some noises so I went out to the dining room to research the source of the noice and found that our 3 year was at the breakfast table eating a meal obviously not prepared by himself, and the 5 month old was in the swing wanting to be picked up. Mrs. Pheasantly had returned to slumber land. So, I advised the 3 year old he had 5 minutes to finish his breakfast and he was to then go back to bed until his music played (aka when his alarm goes off at 8 am). I then swooped up the baby and headed out to the living room to watch HIS favorite show, which was Tivo'd, "Make Me a Supermodel".

At 8:01 Am the 3 year old announced from the other side of the house: "Daddy! MY MUUUUUUUUUUSIC IS ON! WE CAN PLAY NOW!" So with the baby in one arm, the Tivo on pause, and a toy fishing rod in the other hand, I proceeded to catch (and release) imaginary fish of ever color that you could, well, imagine. Then around 8:30 Mrs. Pheasantly comes out in her work out clothes to feed the baby before heading off to a step class with a good friend of ours.

Two...more...hours...me and the boys. So we watched some Peter Pan, and we acted out a few of the scenes as they transpire, I fed the baby, and then we headed out to buy a really cool piggy bank for the 3 year old and play at a playground.

At 11:30 I get home with boys to meet Mrs. Pheasantly who thanks me profusely for watching the kids early so she could sleep. I say that it's no problem. We play with the kids a bit and at around 1 pm, I say that I need a break and that I am going to go out for a quick lunch and to take a break from the boys. She says no problem and I am off.

I am not gone for more than 10 minutes when I am munching on some buffalo chicken tenders while I see a little boy nuzzling with his dad. And then: poof! I miss my boys. So I scarf down my lunch, grab a gallon of milk from the store, and hurry home to give both my boys a great big hug! I am such a sap!

You know You're a Full-Fledged Parent, When...

2008-03-21T14:21:00.005-04:00

...You can go digging for, and successfully retrieve, a big honkin' booger from your 3 year olds nose and get only a little grossed out.

PS: As much as you might think otherwise, tweasers are not very helpful in this procedure; just some food for thought.

The Friday Shuffle: Sniffles Edition

2008-03-21T13:10:00.005-04:00

It looks like the bug has visited our house. As to date, I am it's only conquest, but as history has borne, it will no doubt run its course through the family. So, while wondering how long I will feel like crap and who will be next, let's listen to some tunes courtesy of Fred!

1. "Freedom", by Blues Traveler - I like their sound well enough, but I don't get/comprehend the lyrics of this track.
2. "Helter Skelter", by U2. - Nice tribute to the boys, boys.
3. "The Long & Winding Road", by, well, the boys (that would be the Beatles for the youngins' out there). Fred, you're freakin' me out a little.
4. "Neon" by John Mayer. Not my favorite Mayer song, any guesses as to which one is?
5. "Heaven" by John Legend. First John Popper, then Lennon, then Mayer, now Legend. Fred, are you bucking for a name change?
6. "I Won't Hold You Back", by Toto
7. "In The Wee Small Hours of The Morning", by Frank Sinatra. Yawwwwwwwwwwwwwwn.
8. "Amazing", by Aerosmith. Okay, so this group is only in Fred's repertoire because of Mrs. Pheasantly, but this song isn't half bad.
9. "Bron-Y-Aur Stomp", by Led Zeppelin. Yehaw!
10. "You Are", by Lionel Richie. Not sure if it is the cough syrup or Lionel, but I now have a serious case of the nods.

As I sign off to take a midday cat nap with the kiddies (day off, in case you're wondering), let me wish you all a great Easter weekend!

My Little Way of Making a Difference

2008-03-19T09:35:00.002-04:00

I went and did it. And no, I am not talking about getting a piercing in the nether region, although I am guessing that would make a difference. No, I am referring to a difference that we all can make that we can tell our mothers about. I have decided to get just a little more vocal politically. The most active I’ve been in the past was to stop by a campaign site for Kerry and pick up some signage and bumper stickers; we all know how well that effort turned out! This time around I have actually dug into my pocket, removed the stuck piece of Bazooka from a wadded up sawbuck and dropped it into the coffers of my candidate of choice, Barack Obama. Okay, I am using poetic license here, I actually went to his campaign’s website and used a credit card to contribute an undisclosed amount, but that doesn’t have the same ring, now does it?

I even started a blog over there. I know, I know; I blog here on Pheasantly Fascinating just a little more often than I have to comb my hair, but it’s something. So I have given the man some money, I started a blog, I started a fundraising page, I harrased some friends via Hilda to become my “Barack Buddies” (that still sounds wrongs), what’s next?

So, that’s all I am going to say on the topic over here (maybe).

Star Struck (The "Borrowed" Edition)

2008-03-17T00:01:00.002-04:00

Per Sari's suggestion, I was a first time visitor over at Eva's and borrowed her Star Struck post (I typed 3 times already and each time it came out as Star Truck). Oh, and for the record, Sari's suggestion was to visit Eva, not to steal her stuff.

So, here is my list of celebs I've met, starting in chronological order:

1. Cassandra Peterson - Okay, who? Elvira. This was in the very early 80's and was at a local fair type event, if memory serves me correctly, which is not often the case, it was at the Strawberry Festival in Plant City. She had a table at where ever it was and I stood in a long line to say hello. Hey, she was hot.

2. President Reagan - I was 19 and I was a purchasing clerk for the Miami Airport Hilton. I had to do inventory in a dark storage room off of a service corridor. Well, apparently they forgot I was in there because when I walked out, I walked right into the President's security detail just a few feet from Him. Okay, I know he's not Jesus, but typing him with a lower cased h just doesn't seem to pack enough reverence. He turned to me and gave me a very pleasant smile. He seemed nice, and damn if the man ain't tall!

3. Jack Canfield - The creator of Chicken Soup for the Soul. He was a speaker at an event my dad and step-mom organized in the early 90's to help at-risk kids.

4. Preston Wilson - In 2000, I went to a Cub's game while visiting a friend in Chicago. I went because they were playing the Marlins. Preston was the Center Fielder for the Marlins at the time. The night before the game I made a sign that read, "MVP......Most Valuable Preston". At a midday Cubs game, my sign got some attention. He signed it after the game.

5. Dr. Marta Perez - Okay the hyperlink actually goes to a Wikipedia entry for "Miami-Dade County Public Schools, but it references as one of it's members. So if local politicians count as celebs, then add her to my list. I've known her on a first name basis for several years due to my affiliation with Toastmasters.

6. OJ Simpson - Okay, I'm not really excited about this one. I've run into him twice, but I guess it counts. The first time was at a golf course and it was more of a sighting than a case where we had met. The second time was at a salad bar at a Steak & Ale. We each said hi to each other, commented on the selection of the salad bar. I thought to say something like, "We seem to be missing a steak knife, would you know where it is?", but I was too chicken.

7. Dave Barry - It was before the beginning of the 2005 Herald Hunt. I was trying to probe him (okay, I never thought I'd use those words) about the answer to a clue.

Okay, that's all I have.

Who have you met? Let me know if you wanna play along.

You Served WHAT as an Authentic Irish Dinner?

2008-03-16T07:03:00.005-04:00

Last night, we were celebrating the birthdays of two close friends who are of strong Irish decent, so we had a dinner party for 7 with the chosen meal of Corned Beef & Cabbage with boiled potatoes and carrots. We served it with Irish Soda Bread from our local grocery mega store.

Yes, my fellow foodies, I know, CB&C is more an Irish American immigrant concoction than it is Irish, and according to Alton Brown, they got the corned beef idea from the Jewish American immigrants. But as I learned in the check-out line, it is the Irish Soda Bread that should have you reeling back in Epicurean horror.

I picked up the bread because, well it said "Irish". I figured, 'Give 'em some bread so that they get full on that and then the meat will go a little further'. But when I tasted the sample in the bakery it seemed very sweet - something that you'd serve at breakfast. But, not being one to be swayed by the obvious, I tossed it into my cart to be served with dinner anyway. So, there I was in the check-out line, with this nagging sensation that I was completing a horrific epicurean blunder, hence the line earlier about "reeling back in Epicurean horror". What to do? What to do? I called my boss & her hubby, who are both from Ireland. No doubt recognizing my cell # on a Saturday, it went to her voice mail. Not really...because she called me back a few seconds later.

(I tell her our dinner plans)
Her: "Well, I hate to be the one to tell you this, but we don't eat Corned Beef & Cabbage back home".
(She has been in the states for over a decade, owns a home in the states, has started a beautiful family in the states....but still refers to Ireland as 'back home')
Me: "I know. But I was actually calling about the soda bread."
Her: "Well, what they sell there isn't realllllllllly soda bread. What we have at home, we toast it and serve it with jam in the morning."
(As it turns out, there is nothing green in the reall mckoy)
Me: "So, I shouldn't serve it with the Corned Beef & Cabbage?"
Her: "Are these folks from Ireland?"
Me: "No."
Her: "Then what are you worried about? Serve it. Now, will there be anything else you need from the Irish Information Helpline?"
(Sounding maybe just a wee bit preoccupied with, you know, her own life, but much too polite to say anything)
Me: No ma'am.

So with semi-approval from a true Irish(wo)man, I served my dinner to our friends. They loved it....even the soda bread.

Back in the Friday Shuffle Saddle

2008-03-14T11:12:00.001-04:00

It’s that time of week. Short and sweet intro. Take ‘er away Fred!

“All Out of Love”, by Air Supply Okay, as cheesy as this song is…it’s one of those sinful addictions. Let me put down my (wife’s) hairbrush-cum-microphone.
“Mercy Mercy Me”, by Marvin Gay He sings: “Things ain’t what they used to be.” Yes, Marvin, the price of coke goes up like everything else – deal.
“Looks Like We Made It” by Barry Manilow. Good Lord! Wake me up, before I throw throw…up!
“Someone Keeps Moving My Chair”, by They Might Be Giants. How do these guys do it? Getting us to sing along with non-sensical lyrics. Yes, “non-sensical”. New word alert.
“Paradise by the Dashboard Light”, by Meat Loaf. When Fred & I do our Friday Shuffles, we tend to skip to the next song after we get down the name and artist….not this one, bay-bee. Play it all the way. All 7 minutes and 6 seconds.
“Did She Jump or Was She Pushed”, by Richard & Linda Thompson.
“Dude Looks Like a Lady”, by Aerosmith. Been there. Done that. Uh, not really.
“While My Guitar Gently Weeps”, by the Beattles
“Good Times, Bad Times”, by Led Zeppelin Awesome
“Leaves That Are Green” by Simon & Garfunkel or by Paul Simon depending on which album you’re listening to. Either way…a very pretty song.

Everyone, have a great weekend!

Movie Quote Time

2008-03-13T11:02:00.007-04:00

Here is a fun what the heck thing to do courtesy of Hilda.

Here are the rules as stated there:
Pick 10 of your favorite movies.
Go to IMDB and find a quote from each movie.
Post them on your blog for everyone to guess in the comments.
Strike it out when someone guesses correctly, and put who guessed it and the movie.
GUESSERS: NO Googling/using IMDB search functions. I mean, you can cheat if you want, but that's no fun? One movie guess per human allowed in the comments.Aaaaaaand...ACTION!

~~Oh, that what now. I tell you what now between me and you. There is no me and you. Not no more.~~ "Pulp Fiction", guessed correctly by Marty
~~I do not mean to pry, but you don't by any chance happen to have six fingers on your right hand? Do you always begin conversations this way?~~ "Princess Bride", guessed correctly by Marty
A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it. Fifteen hundred years ago everybody knew the Earth was the center of the universe. Five hundred years ago, everybody knew the Earth was flat, and fifteen minutes ago, you knew that humans were alone on this planet. Imagine what you'll know tomorrow. "Men In Black", guessed correctly by Marty
You don't like it, do you Rocco, the storm? Show it your gun, why don't you? If it doesn't stop, shoot it.
All my life I had to fight. I had to fight my daddy. I had to fight my uncles. I had to fight my brothers. A girl child ain't safe in a family of men, but I ain't never thought I'd have to fight in my own house!
You guys looking for something for your mom? I really don't think so...[reads her nametag]…Sue. [Astonished] You guys have... girlfriends? You know, I really wouldn't refer to a 23-year-old woman as a girlfriend... more of a lover... Lover... mistress. Sexpot. Sexpot is what she is. You guys are the ones who got beat up at the homecoming game... right? "Weird Science", guessed by Marty.
So, what's the deal with you two, you a couple of fags? He's my son. Yeah, how'd that happen? You don't look Japanese. Neither does he. He looks Chinese. Oh, well pardon me all to hell.
Now, she should be good-looking, but we're willing to trade looks for a certain... morally casual attitude.
PROSTITUTION! But what does that mean really? Sometimes it helps to understand a word if you break it down, so let's do that now shall we? Pros... it doesn't mean anything, you can forget about that... Tit, I think we all know what that means, Tu, two tit and TION of course, from the Latin to shun... to say uh-uh no thank you anyway I don't want it, to push away... it doesn't even belong in this word really.
You ever take a dump made you feel like you'd just slept for twelve hours?

Please play along and let me know if decide to come up with quotes on your blog!

Another Day at the Office

2008-02-29T13:50:00.004-05:00

Okay, so maybe not all that typical of a day...but at least I was having a better time than the day before.

The Keeping My Cool Friday Shuffle

2008-02-29T07:00:00.003-05:00

Yesterday I got pretty upset at work. It's not one of my proudest moments and while I don't think my job will be in jeopardy because of it, it's something I don't want to repeat anytime soon. Lord, get me off of this project! So, here to mellow me out, let me introduce Fred: Um, Fred? You're on...

1. "Take a Chance on Me", by ABBA

2. "Oh! Darling", by the Beattles

3. "Coastal Confessions", by Mr. Mellow himself, Jimmy Buffett

4. "Cat's in the Cradle", by Harry Chapin My pre-fatherhood thoughts on this song were incredulous - how could a dad do that?! My current thoughts are panic ridden - oh crap, am I doing that?!

5. "For Lovin' Me", by Peter, Paul, & Mary. I never really listened to the lyrics before...not nice, you guys.

6. "On a Day Like Today", by Bryan Adams

7. "I've Got To Use My Imagination", by Gladys & the Pips.

8. "Same in Any Language", by Ruckus

9. "Help Me Mary", by Liz Phair - hmmmm, okay, Fred, this song is not helping.

10. "How Can You Live in the NorthEast", by Paul Simon

Happy Leap Year Everyone & Have a Great Weekend!

Say What?

2008-02-28T22:25:00.003-05:00

This morning, we were all getting ready for the day and Mrs. Pheasantly was playing with son # 1 in the kitchen. She was speaking really silly and getting our son to laugh when he turned to her and said, "Mommy, talk nor-bul-ly, please".

So, do any of you happen to speak Norbul? Would you know if it is a romance language?

Couldn't Resist

2008-02-28T17:13:00.001-05:00

While I'd love to take credit, this is from an email sent by a friend:

A chicken crossing the road: poultry in motion.

Musically Challenged

2008-02-26T09:12:00.002-05:00

I can’t sing,
I can’t dance,
The only thing about me is the way I ~~walk~~ blog

Yes, it's true. I can’t sing and yet I seem to insist on it, particularly when alcohol is involved, and Sunday night was no exception when we had friends over to sing Karaoke on Wii. While I should know better, I do it anyways – kind of like the house cat who comes tearing ‘round the corner at breakneck speed only to careen into the closed sliding glass door, something the cat has done countless times before.

I like to sing at the office. It’s a quiet office and sometimes, when it’s too quiet, I feel the need to sing…loudly. Back to the cat analogy: it’s as if the not-so-bright house cat is taking a dozen other unwilling cats with him for the trip into the glass door. Oh, what fun is had by all.

As I’ve said, I sing poorly when I don’t have alcohol as an aide, but once I’ve downed 3 margaritas (as was the case Sunday night) well, now we’re talking. Okay, I still sing poorly, but now I do so with a slur.

And while I bastardized the musical selections Sunday night, there were two exceptions: “Time After Time”, by Cindy Lauper and “We’re Not Gonna Take It”, by Twisted Sister. Wow. I’m not sure if I am pleased of myself or if I am horrified.

What do y’all think?

Apparently...

2008-02-25T07:09:00.001-05:00

$4550.00

Basically my shell of a body is equivelant to a used Honda Civic. And depending upon the day that you ask her, my wife may opt for the latter.

SOOOOO, how much is YOUR body worth? Be sure to let me know in my comments.

Thanks Eric for turning me onto Just Say Hi

Holy Mother of All Things Sacred

2008-02-24T07:15:00.000-05:00

I AM TIRED!

Child # 2, who is 4 months old, and who "graduated" to sleeping in his own room 9 days ago, still hasn't quite gotten the hang of a sleeping routine, a.k.a NO ONE ELSE IN THE FAMILY GETS TO SLEEP EITHER!

It first seemed that he went to sleep at 8, awoke at 11, and then again at 5. Then he got into a routine of sleeping from 8 to 1, then up for a feeding, and back down until 6. Now the little bugger has apparently combined both into one! Last night he was up around at 11:30, at which point we tried to let him "cry it out" as we were sticking to his schedule. Well, at 12:45 his big brother called from his room very annoyed that he couldn't sleep because the baby was crying. Well, yeah. So wifey fed him and put him back down. He awoke again at 4 and we let him "cry it out" which took about 45 minutes, all the while hoping that he wouldn't wake his big brother. He woke up again around 6:30, at which point wifey brought him into bed for their "wake up together slowly time", aka she gets to cat nap for an hour or so. Did I mention that 6:30 is when son # 1's internal alarm clock goes off like clock work telling him it's breakfast time?!

So, how did you sleep last night?

Oh My

2008-02-23T10:57:00.000-05:00

I have been trying to increase my circle of blogger friends. One technique is that I click on stuff that I put in my profile to see who else shares that interest. Then I go over and if I like what I see, I say "hi". Riveting, huh? So, I worked through the list of interests, and then started adding some I hadn't thought of. Harmless enough, right? I was in a warm-and-fuzzy mood the other day, so I added thinks like kindness, sharing, etc. When I clicked on sharing, it brought up a profile and I then clicked on their blog - oh-my-Gawd! Folks, I don't blush easily...but I must've looked like a summer tomato. I found a blog where someone has an interest in "sharing", in the the...shall we say...Biblical sense. And the blog was complete with pictures. Now for those of you that are still reading this post and haven't gone off to recreate my discovery, let me tell you, the real joyous part of this endeavour was...I was doing it at work. Luckily no one else was in the room when my 17 inch monitor showed helpful photos of this person's hobby. Yikes.

You in Six Words

2008-02-22T12:56:00.003-05:00

I got this from Hilda, who got it from a friend...based on Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six-Word Memoirs by Writers Famous and Obscure.

So can you tell your story in six words? If you want to play, let me know in my comments.

Here's mine: Looking for growth every single day.

The Should We Stay or Should We Go Friday Shuffle

2008-02-22T06:24:00.005-05:00

This is a question that we'll be asking at work today in reference to whether or not our project team has to work the weekend (again) in order to support a recent deployment. So, hoping for the best, take 'er away Fred.

1. "Sweet Potato Pie", by Ray Charles with James Taylor. Way to hit it out of the park with your first pick, Fred!
2. "My Father's Gun", by Elton John off of the soundtrack for Elizabethtown. Great song. Good movie. Awesome soundtrack.
3. "Hark, the Herald Angels Sing", by Mantovani. Woops.
4. "Trynna Find a New Way", by Nelly Furtado
5. "Ticket to Ride", by the Beatles. Anybody know what they're singin' about?
6. "Dead Man's Hill", by the Indigo Girls
7. "Thank You", by Led Zepellin. A very sweet & poetic love song.
8. "He Went to Paris", by Jimmy Buffett. Fred knows 98 Buffett tunes and went with this one. Is this a sign?
9. "Money Changes Everything", by Cyndi Lauper
10. "Sense of Purpose", by The Pretenders (Okay these guys, the Indigo Girlos, & 10,000 Maniacs - they all seem interchangeable to me...is that wrong?)

Hmmm, and the Clash did not grace our shuffle. Oh well.

In closing, let me share with you an interchange I just had with son # 1. He was changing out of his night time diaper into underwear and he said to me, "When you don't have clothes, you're naked. And when you do, you're not." Thank you, Captain Obvious! Still cute though, huh?

Our Own Mortality

2008-02-21T06:52:00.006-05:00

I went to a funeral yesterday. It was to celebrate the life and acknowledge the passing of a lady I never met. She was the mom of a coworker, fellow blogger, and very good friend. The funeral was in Spanish, and by Spanish, I mean the real deal. Attendees that speak Spanish, a group that sadly I do not represent, commented afterwards that they too weren't sure what the priest had said because of his strong Galician accent.

I had gone with a few other coworkers straight from the office, we stayed only for the service, and then we headed back to the office. Anyone wanna guess what we talked about on the car ride both ways? Pssst. Hint: Look at the title for this post. We talked about how each of us wanted to be interred/disposed of. We also spoke of folks who work overtime (eh-hem) and save for retirement like crazy (eh-hem), with the general consensus being that it really sucks for people like that who meet an early demise. So, there is something for me to think about.

There is another positive side effect of attending a funeral like the one that we went to. I checked in with one of my coworkers today, and wouldn't you know that both of us called our moms last night?

I am sorry for my friend's loss. I am grateful for the needed awareness that the loss brought to others, me included.

Reunited, and it feels so good!

2008-02-20T06:22:00.003-05:00

Today marks the one week-iversary of the day when I lost (and then found) something that I cherish very much: Fred. So, how shallow and materialistic does that make me? Actually, I don't think that it does. Because for the thirty minutes that I had thought Fred was gone forever, what I was most upset about was that I was pretty certain our separation was due to my own pure stupidity.

Here's how it played out:

Fred is pretty much a home body, except for when Mrs. Pheasantly takes him out for long walks. But last Wednesday I needed his help at my Toastmasters meeting, so I took him, and his docking station, along with me. The meeting went great and at the end, I took him out to the car and put him in the front passenger seat. On the way home, I stopped at Publix. It was the 13th and I needed to get some stuff for V-Day.

So get my V-Day stuff, toss it in the car and make my way home. As I am heading down the street to my house, I look over to the passenger seat...Fred is gone! The docking station is there, but no Fred. I pull into the driveway, park, and then look under the seats for Fred. No Fred.

I go inside, put the treats for wifey and the little ones away, and then tell wifey that I lost Fred. She goes out and looks with me. Again, no Fred. Wifey calls the restaurant where my meeting was. No Fred. I drive there to see if maybe he sprawled out on the parking lot. No Fred. At this point I am certain that Fred was taken while I was in Publix and this has me really ticked. How could I be so stupid as to not lock the car doors?!

While I was checking out the parking lot, wifey calls Matt for any ideas. He told her to check the side pockets of the car doors. Upon my return to the house, she conveys the message to me and, knowing this is pointless because Fred is in the grubby paws of some little punk who's laughing at my Lionel Ritchie collection, I check anyway. Wouldn't you know that's where the little bugger was? Thanks Matt!

When Does It Get Better?

2008-02-19T07:21:00.002-05:00

Friday night was the first night that ~~Mrs. Pheasantly~~ we decided to have our 4 month old sleep in his own room. Up until then, he had been cosleeping with her. We recall that it took two nights for Son # 1 to adjust and sleep through the night. Well, my fellow bloggers, it's been 4 nights (that's twice along if you're playing along at home) and it ain't (yes, I said ain't) happening.

Today's Weigh In - 2/18/2008

2008-02-18T13:14:00.003-05:00

Drum~~stick~~roll please....

...1 more pound has fallen to the wayside.

I know, I know...a pound doesn't deserve much fan fare, but it IS moving in the right direction.

Friday was a bad day in the world of food choices and it might need a few more days to catch up with me, so let's see how I do next week.

Until then: I'll eat what I love, I'll love what I eat and I'll pass on everything else.

Got Cados?

2008-02-18T06:51:00.005-05:00

Yesterday morning, Sunday, it was time to harvest the crops from the back 5.

That would be 5 square feet, not acres, and the crops consist of two strawberry plants, a tomato plant, 2 herb plants, and a fruit tree. Son and I walked over to the strawberry plants which yielded for us ...wait for it... three entire ripe strawberries. We took them inside, washed them, and shared our bounty with Mrs. Pheasantly Fascinating.

Now it was time to check out the fruit tree, which is an Avocado tree. So I asked for help:

Me: Hey buddy, would you like to help look for Avocados?
Son # 1: Sure!
Me: Okay, let's go.
Son # 1: Let me tell mommy.
Me: Um, Okay.
Son # 1: Mommy!!!!
Mrs. Pheasantly Fascinating: Yes, sweety?
Son # 1: We're going to look for All-the-Cados.
Mrs. Pheasantly Fascinating: All the Cados, huh?
Son # 1: Yep, all of them!

A [easy] Book Meme

2008-02-17T13:10:00.006-05:00

I got this meme from the Queen of Meme** Hilda. So, here's the deal:

> Pick up the nearest book of 123 pages or more - No cheating.
> Turn to page 123 and find the first five sentences.
> Now post the next three sentences.
> The fun begins - - tag some people to play along.

** Disclaimer: This title is limited to bloggers currently living in the U.S. - I wouldn't want to cross Dixie!

The book is "The Book of Inside Information" with no author specified. It just says "By the Editors and Experts of Bottom Line Personal". Page 123, sentences 6,7 and 8:

How it works: In addition to its regular group term insurance, the company buys a post-retirement live reserve policy for an executive. The money paid for this policy each year goes to fund a tax-free trust that earns interest.

Okay, so do I win something for what no doubt will be the lamest entry?

As usual, I won't tag anyone - if you want to play please let me know in my Comments.

Who are these people?

2008-02-17T08:37:00.005-05:00

The folks that come up with the next greatest baby product or service – who are these people? I can tell you that they certainly are NOT parents. I know this because of two reasons: a) once a parent has figured out how to get their baby to eat strained veggies that taste as bad as they look, well, their creative juices are kaput and b) these products and services stink almost as bad as the subjects they were designed for.

Let’s start off with the baby monitor. Any one who has been in close proximity to a newborn, let’s say within 3 city blocks, can tell you that these bundles of noise need no assistance in being heard. Yet someone took it upon themselves to invent a contraption that can broadcast the wails of a child. Why?! Who are these people? And who buys baby monitors? It’s certainly not the parents! Because once a parent has gotten their kid or kids asleep and has managed to fall a slumber as well, the last thing they need is the amplified sound of their baby crying just mere feet, nay, inches from their ears! Yeah, that’s just a fantastic idea. And God forbid if you get the receiver and the speaker mixed up and put them in the wrong rooms. Many an unsuspecting parent has done such a thing, thus allowing the kids to hear clearly the sounds coming from the parents’ bedroom. There just isn’t enough therapy to fix that blunder.

So now that baby and parent are awake, it’s time to get baby dressed. What to wear? What to wear? Fear not, because thanks to non-parent clothing designers, there is no shortage in cutesy-wootsey outfits and apparel to don upon said child. Who are these people? Whose idea was it to encourage parents to spend their hard earned cash to buy adorable clothes that will be put on some of the leakiest things known to mankind? Thou thinks I doth exaggerate too much? Really? There’s stuff coming from the rear, the front, and the top. A baby has 7 openings, 5 of which are prone to emit fluids and or solids without warning or provocation. And someone wants to dress it up? Wait, I’ll give you a moment, I know some of you are still doing the math thing. Okay, I suggest we design a onesie that is the equivalent of camouflage for babies. It will have all the shades of brown green and yellow. Thus, making it a challenge for anyone to determine what the child either did or did not eat, and whether it found purchase on the garment while it was on its way in or coming out.

And finally, the creators of baby websites: who are these people? Whose bright idea was it to create a place for manic minded parents that are numb from sleep deprivation to share their question or ideas with other like minded poor souls? I, personally, would like to thank m-heart-m 380 from Des Moines for her posting about how newborn poop smells like curried yogurt. She’s right…and thanks to her…I can no longer eat Indian food!

In summation, I ~~deplore~~ implore of you: If you know any designers or inventors of baby products or services, please ask them to cease their mayhem, to find new careers, and to leave it in the hands of those that know what others like them really need! As soon as we have an opportunity to catch a little shu… ZzZzZz

PS My plan is to deliver this during the next Toastmasters Humorous Speech Contest. I'll take any tips or suggestions for making this funnier.

The No Excuses Not-Friday Saturday Shuffle

2008-02-16T17:30:00.004-05:00

It's been a while since my last blog entry. And, no, unfortunately it's not because I've been cruising the Carribean like our friend Tracey Michele. I've even missed a few Friday Shuffles - probably the easiest thing to post that there is. I have no excuses. It is what it is. I am thankful to all of my blogging friends, and you know who you are, for sticking by me and encouraging me to keep posting. So here it, one day late, this week's shuffle!

Take 'er away Fred - God, am I glad I still have Fred; but that's for another post.

1. "Get a Rhythm" performed by the man...Johnny Cash. I also have a CD with this song performed by a little known group called NRBQ. An awesome toe-tapping song.
2. "Margarita" by Traveling Wilburys
3. "Edie's Teddy" by Magenta from The Rocky Horror Picture Show
4. "Hey Good Lookin'" performed by Jimmy Buffet.
5. "Girls of Summer" performed by by an overrated bubble gum rock band...can you tell that I share Fred with my wifey?
6. "White Trash Wedding" by the Dixie Chicks - okay, I don't like kuntry, but I do like Bluegrass, go figure!
7. "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite", proof that the Beatles created more songs than they should have!
8. "Your Song", by Elton John. A beautiful song.
9. "You Oughta Know" by Alanis Morissette - seriously, this chick needs Anger Management courses.
10. "Midnight Train to Georgia" performed by the Indigo Girls. Nicely done, ladies.

I hope that everyone is having a great weekend.

He had really big feet!

2008-02-04T08:19:00.000-05:00

Son # 1: He had really big feet!
(at 7:05 am, pre-coffee for mommy & me)

Me: What? Who, baby? Who had really big feet?

Son # 1: I was hungry so I looked under my door. He was putting my cereal for me at my table. He had really big feet.

Son # 1 looks down at the floor where I'm standing and and then his little face takes an expression so proud as if had he discovered the theory of relativity.

Son # 1: It was you, daddy! You got my cereal for me.

PS: My feet aren't really all that big, by the way.

The Next Best Thing Since...

2008-01-30T09:17:00.000-05:00

...dehydrated reconstitutued unsliced bread. I think one would have to be really jonesing for an all beef patty in a sesame seed bun to pop open and down this little gem.

Yummy! Yeah, not so much. Thanks Matt for turning me onto this Fastfood Fix in a Can.

Imagine That!

2008-01-29T13:06:00.000-05:00

I was just having lunch with a coworker and we were discussing childhood aspirations that start out with, "When I grow up, I want to be a ...". He asked me what I wanted to be when I was a kid and it was a tough question.

I can recall wanting (for a while) to be a cross-country truck driver. I think that we can thank BJ and the Bear for that insightful career choice. I mentioned to my coworker that I was attracted to the travelling and, even back then, was a big fan of truck stop menu fare. He then asked if I made all important decisions based on food....well, I am overweight - duh. Although...point taken.

I then remembered that I had sent for, and received oddly enough, an application packet for the CIA. But I never did anything with it.

I was at odds trying to think of an actual career choice or dream job that I had wanted growing up. All I could tell him was that I dreamed of being in meetings where folks wore suites, shook hands, and say at big oval conference tables. I also imagined having a job where writing would be a large part of it. My coworker looked at me like I should've had a V8. My current job and where I have been for 14 years, is as a business analyst. My role is to help with the creation of projects that will help the company reach it's goals, in where I have to be meetings constantly and I have to write documentation that captures the project requirements. Well, spank me and call me Sally...I'll be a monkey's ~~uncle~~ chauffeur driving an 18 wheeler.

Mini-Meme: As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

How's It Hanging?

2008-01-28T09:53:00.000-05:00

"Slightly disfigured, but thanks for asking", would be our 3 month old's response, if he could talk. And yes, the "IT" in question would be the "IT" that is the subject of the question "How's it hanging", though I can't imagine the origins of that question. I mean, isn't it kind of personal, and who really cares?

But I digress and feel the need to share with my fellow bloggers the woes of my youngest son's genitalia. Won't he love this particular post when he comes across it in 15 or 20 years as he is reading the "Da Da's Blog Scrapbook" that Mrs. Pheasantly Fascinating has asked that we keep for both boys?

Both our boys are circumcised. It was a decision that we sort of made on auto-pilot. We talked about it but there was no great debate and it seemed like the obvious choice to have it done.

When we had it done in the hospital for the littlest, everything was fine. We put the gooey gauze on it for the next week or so as instructed. The reddening went away and everything was looking copacetic except for one thing: the skin of the head was adhering to the shaft and wouldn't pull away.

We told the pediatrician who said it was no big deal. She prescribed us a steroid cream (okay, I don't like the sound of that) and told us to apply it daily and to work at the skin manually to try and unstick it.

As success has been non-existent, Mrs. Pheasantly Fascinating started driving down the Information Super Highway in search for, well, information.

OH MY GAWD....what a scary place the world of circumcisions gone wrong can be!!!

She read medical accounts of little ones whose little ones are less than what they should be. There was a photo she described to me as the child having just the skin showing. The actual penis had retracted and was now entirely inside the little guy.

Okay, so maybe a little stuck skin isn't a big problem. But aesthetically it makes it look funny. It looks neither circumcised nor uncircumcised. If the cream doesn't end up working we are going to ask the pediatrician if there are other options, including minor corrective surgery. Some of you might think that is a bit drastic if there is noting medically wrong. But, right or wrong, the normalcy of appearance of said body part is pretty significant in a young man's psyche. I might get backlash for having just said that, but my guess is that it won't becoming from the parents of boys.

Well, that's pretty much all I have for now on the subject, unless it was a bad idea to share this with the blogging community, at which point, I won't.

The Friday Shuffle for the Sake of Shuffling

2008-01-25T13:31:00.000-05:00

I am at work and unfortunately Fred is not with me. But fear not, I have 5,116 songs on my C drive that I've collected from various sources.

Let's be adventurous, Substitute-of-Fred!

Not sure what all this stuff is so I will list just as it appears on my WinAmp player skin

1. Kansas - Incomudro--Hymn to the Atman...okay, a very iteresting 16 minute instrumental with an incredibly intense drum solo.
2. Bob Marley - 10 Real Situation....get your grove on Bobbie!
3. InToThePink....that's all my WinAmp is giving me. Come to think of it, that's pretty much the only lyrics in the 1:48 song.
4. Sade - Never As Good As The First Time...I so do NOT like Sade.
5. Los Melodicos - Yo Me Llamo Cumbia...Ummm, okay.
6. Lit - Drop D...Yuck. If you know this song, or this group, then shame on you.
7. Crash Test Dummies - God Shuffled His Feet...Cool song. I like me my CTD
8. Jeff Buckley - Grace...I just learned of this guy. This contribution is actually from Hilda.
9. U2 - Bad
10. Wyclef - Another One Bites The Dest (Remix)- I like Wyclef well enough but I think he should've left this song alone.

Sorry guys, maybe I'll redeem myself next Friday by asking Fred to do the honors.

Connect the Dots...of Logic

2008-01-24T15:58:00.000-05:00

1. Child has fever
2. Child gets medicine, which child actually enjoys
3. Child then complains of other illnesses
4. Child is kept home from preschool and is allowed to watch TV, normally a weekend-only privilege, whilst mommie takes care of infant and works from home.
5. Child is complaining of illnesses the second day with sippy cup in hand looking for Gatorade, a favorite libation of his and one that is reserved for times when he is ill.

Child is not dumb.

PS Totally unrelated: Last night, I placed 2nd in our annual Toastmasters Table Topics Contest.

Get a Clue

2008-01-22T22:44:00.000-05:00

I work with one of those people. You know....the ones who love to hear themselves talk...the ones who feel they work (or produce - there is a difference) more than they do...the ones who annoy the h-e-double hockey sticks out of everyone else...the ones that are new to the job so they feel that they have to prove something as is noted by the fact that when on a business call, they speak very loud but whilst on a personal call, they speak in hush tones (sorry for the run-on sentence Hilda & Toni). And while I don't see the person when I look in the mirror, I do accept as much culpability as if I did.

You see...I helped the guy get hired. He was working for our company but in a different department and had submitted a resume with HR for an opening in our dept. He hadn't heard anything - go figure. I met him in the lunch room and I thought the guy was affable - at first. So, I dropped a copy of his resume on the big boss' desk. HE-GOT-HIRED. Our immediate manager is quite savvy and I'm not just saying that because she might be reading this...and I imagine it's only time before the planets realign and things happen as they shall.

The Scary Thing Is...

2008-01-21T14:37:00.000-05:00

...I understand the ~~genius~~ insanity of the logic behind the ideas that can sometimes hurt & maim, or at the very least, make a big mess. A little while back our local paper, which runs Dave Barry, had reprinted one of his submissions from October 14, 2001 entitled "Beer compels man to go where no man has gone before".

It speaks of guys and ideas gone wrong. Being a big fan of Myth Busters, especially the experiments that result in explosions, I read with great delight. The scary thing is that after reading the article, instead of possessing a general cautiousness of incendiary devices, I was inspired.

I want to build a device that gets people from point A to point B for short distances very quickly. This would solve the problem that my 3 year old has encountered in not getting to the bathroom quick enough. Come to think of it, my 94 year old grandmother would find is useful as well.

It would look like those pull lines that you see on bunny slopes. It would be attached to the interior walls of a home (or office) and the "passenger" would wear those sneakers with wheels in them. They'd grab hold of the handle, announce which room it is that they wish to be transported to, and with a swooosh, there they are.

I am going to build a prototype using raquet balls and dental floss. It will be powered by....propane via vacuum hoses, of course (see Dave's article). I will test it out on our 15 year old cats.

Whatch'all think? Here kitty, kitty!

No Harm, No Fowl

2008-01-21T13:05:00.000-05:00

Get it? No Fowl. Keeping in theme with Pheasantly Fascinating. Clever, right?

So, the title is in reference to my WW weigh in. I didn't gain. I didn't lose. Considering I have gotten lazy recently at tracking my points, I am nonplussed at the results. I need to make a conscientious effort at meal planning, though. I had found items that are low in points and have fallen into rut. I've become bored with them. The WW meeting leader has said, rightly so, that diversity is key to successfully losing the weight. Yeah and diversity is also additional work. But who said that eating healthy is easy? It takes effort but the rewards are more than worth it. So I will give due diligence this week to eating even wiser with a broader range of tastes.

Now, where in my desk drawer is that Mini-Snickers?

Who Flogged His Fragrance on The Home Shopping Channel?

2008-01-19T00:35:00.000-05:00

The answer, boys & girls, would be: Engelberg Humperdinck! So says the Millennium edition of Trivial Pursuit. Yes...tonight was game night; which I hope will be the first of many with Hilda, her hubby, Matt, Mrs. Pheasantly Fascinating, me, and two close friends of ours who are not bloggers - yet. It was many hours that swept by quicker than we knew filled with laughter (often at my expense), pizza, wings alcohol, games, a crying baby on occasion, yummy carrot cake, and did I mention...laughter?

Friday Shuffle: The Feces is Hitting the Proverbial Fan Once More

2008-01-18T00:19:00.000-05:00

Yep, at the office I am once again up to my eyeballs in...work. You miss it, don't you Toni? If my trail of postings is any indication, you can gather that I got busy on Tuesday and will remain busy until.....well, let's just be thankful for the moments at home in between family time and sleep. So, squeezing in 2 quick posts, once a few minutes ago, which was technically yesterday, and another now in the wee hours of Friday morning (12:01 AM)...here is the Friday Shuffle.

Take 'er away. Fre-ZZZzzzZZZzzz

1. "Over The Hills And Far Away" by Led Zeppelin. I yearn for retirement which is far away and requires me to be over the hill. Guess I'll wait.
2. "Stereo" by John Legend. This guy is the hibbidy jibbidy.
3. "Suffer The Children" by Tears for Fears (off of their "The Very Best Of Tears For Fears" album). Huh? Honestly, did this album need to be more than 2 tracks long?
4. "Turn The Page" by Bob Seger. I remember jamming to this song in Elementary school - well, as much jamming as one could expect from a little white kid with no rhythm.
5. "Gone", by Ben Folds. Why isn't this guy (and his group) better known?
6. "I Don't Believe", by Paul Simon. I don't believe he put out such a wanker of a song.
7. "Leave a Little Room For God", by Neil Diamond. Indeed! Whether you call him (or her) God, Allah, Yahweh, Jehovah, or Fred...just do it.
8. "Fins", by Jimmy Buffet. This is what could happen to you if you don't head the words of the previous selection!
9. "The Man Comes Around", by Johnny Cash. Look out for the man!
10. "She Bop", by Cyndi Lauper; which I shall retitle as "He Bop" as I bop right off to bed!

Nite, Nite!

Scattegories, the Blogsphere Addition!

2008-01-17T23:08:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow night is game night and in honor of that, here is a posting that I borrowed from Hilda

SCATTERGORIES...it's harder than it looks! Use the 1st letter of your name to answer each of the following... they have to be real places, names, things...nothing made up! Try to use different answers. You CAN'T use your name for the boy/girl and no combination words (only one word)!!!
If you wanna play, leave me a note in my Comments section.

1. What is your name: Troy
2. 4 letter word: taut
3. Vehicle: truck
4. City: Toledo
5. Boy's Name: Theo
6. Girl's Name: Tawanda
7. Alcoholic drink: Tequila
8. Occupation: Technician
9. Something you wear: TiresHat
10. Celebrity: Twiggy
11. Food: Tomatos
12. Something found in a bathroom: Toilet
13. Reason for Being Late: Tardiness
14. Cartoon character: Tweety
15. Something You Shout: Taxi!
16. Animal: T-Rex
17. Body part: Thyroid
18. Word to describe you: Thoughtful