american chop suey

Last night, we were discusses the foods we used to eat as kids, and one mentioned was American Chop Suey. Polly had mentioned in the past that she had never heard of it. Maybe it's a New England thing or something. American Chop Suey is essentially poor man's food. It's a combination of macaroni, a meat sauce (made with the fattiest hamburger meat you can buy, you know the one with the pig snouts mixed in; where you have to spit out some of the meat once you realize you cannot chew it...yummy) and various veggies. We used to eat this all the time. I think I liked it back then but probably wouldn't touch it now. What are some of the other poor man foods?

when sitcoms were good

I remember a time when sitcoms were still good. It seems like ages ago. "Reality" television has ruined T.V. Sitcoms aren't as funny as they used to be (as a general rule) and definitely don't have the value and principles behind them like they once did. I mean, I used to love Family Ties. That show was so funny. But it also had life lessons included. The same was true of Silver Spoons, Family Matters, Full House, and other shows like that. Plus, the laughter of the audience that could heard over the T.V. seemed so much more pure. It made you feel as though you were there. T.V. shows these days just don't give you those feelings anymore. There are no more good, quality family shows that families can sit down and watch together. Parents watch "The Biggest Loser" while kids are busy watching "The Hills" or "iCarly" (depending on the ages). Also, I used to love the old television intro theme songs. We would sing along to them. When I hear them still, they bring back such found memories. Those minute-long intros just simply don't exist anymore. Please tell me that I'm not the only one that remembers and misses those times. Oh yeah, and thanks to TV on DVD and hulu.com (via imdb.com) I enjoy many of my old favorites again!!!

now it's definitely a no!

I used to get so irritated with this statement as a kid. My dad used to always use it. It's cruel and completely dishonest in nature. It will be easier for me to explain this through an example. Me: Dad can I go to the movies with my friends. Dad: No, I don't want you going out. Me: All my friends are going to be there. Dad: I'm not everyone else's dad, the answer is no. Me: Please dad, I'll be home by 11 and all my homework is done. Dad: I don't care. I said 'no' and that's final! Me: This is so stupid! Dad: Fine, you want to have attitude, now the answer is definately no! I mean seriously, the answer was 'no' all along. Then parents try to turn it around to make it look like it could have been 'yes' if you hadn't ruined things. There was no chance that the answer would have changed to 'yes.' It's a mean, evil trick that parents play.

nine words women use

I don't know where this originated but it was given to me by a buddy. I am not claiming this to be my own original material, but I thought it was worth a re-post. 1. Fine: This is the word women use to end an argument when they are right and you need to shut up. 2. Five Minutes: If she is getting dressed, this means a half an hour. Five minutes is only five minutes if you have just been given five more minutes to watch the game before helping around the house. 3. Nothing: This is the calm before the storm. This means something, and you should be on your toes. Arguments that begin with nothing usually end in fine. 4. Go Ahead: This is a dare, not permission. Don't Do It! 5. Loud Sigh: This is actually a word, but is a non-verbal statement often misunderstood by men. A loud sigh means she thinks you are an idiot and wonders why she is wasting her time standing here and arguing with you about nothing. (Refer back to #3 for the meaning of nothing.) 6. That's Okay: This is one of the most dangerous statements a women can make to a man. That's okay means she wants to think long and hard before deciding how and when you will pay for your mistake. 7. Thanks: A woman is thanking you, do not question, or faint. Just say you're welcome. (I want to add in a clause here - This is true, unless she says 'Thanks a lot' - that is PURE sarcasm and she is not thanking you at all. DO NOT say 'you're welcome.' That will bring on a 'whatever'). 8. Whatever: Is a woman's way of saying [expletive deleted]! 9. Don't worry about it, I got it: Another dangerous statement, meaning this is something that a woman has told a man to do several times, but is now doing it herself. This will later result in a man asking 'What's wrong?' For the woman's response refer to #3. Haha. These are so funny because they're so true. Especially #2. It's amazing how time changes based on the circumstances. I hope you enjoyed!

insuring that i'm broke

So I spoke with my insurance company to get the specifics on my new health insurance (it changed as of 1/1/09) and was not exactly happy with the results. In order for my benefits to kick in (100% coverage with no copays) I must first hit my deductable ($2300). So basically, the only way the insurance will benefit me is if Polly or I go to the hospital this year. I mean, I'd hate to face a $20,000 hospital bill if I didn't have insurance, but still... My insurance is not too bad when you break it down because I pay only $14/week for both my wife and me. This adds just under $45/week if you break down the deductable bringing it to a potential total of just under $60/week. Most people pay a lot more for a plus one plan. Still, if you have to use the deductable right away and all at once, it would be tougher to come up with the money. On the other hand (no pun intended) I'm still paying for my broken hand from two years ago because my insurance at that time only covered a flat 80% of hospital fees. I regret that greatly. Anyway, it got me to thinking, I understand insurance for various things, but I hate them all. Health insurance, car insurance, life insurance, etc. I mean, with life insurance the only way to make out is if you die. You're betting you die while the insurance company is betting you'll live. Tell me that's not backwards. You pay car insurance in case you get in an accident, but if you actually get into one, your premium goes up to cover the amount the insurance company had to pay anyway, so really you lose there too. As is the case with most things in life, a few ruin things for the majority. The people who scam the system cause premiums to go up and we all pay for it. Actually, this post reminded me, I need to look into life insurance. Anyone know of any good plans for a healthy 25 year old. At least I have that going for me...

one week in

So, I'm one week into my health kick and still going strong. My numbers are all improving, so let's take a look (because I know how much you all care): Weight: 207.8 lbs (-0.8) Waist: 41 1/4 inches Stomach: 44 1/2 inches Disgusting Obesity Value: High (hey, that one will take time) Here's to hoping that I stick with it. I hope you're all rooting for me. Is 40 lbs. too much? We'll find out soon.

worst investment

Everyone knows what the worst investment is...a car. It is so irritating. I mean, as soon as you drive a brand new car off the lot, it's value diminishes quickly. So, my crappy Ford (pick your acronym - Fix or repair daily; Found on roadside dead) Taurus has been giving me problems lately. I brought it to my mechanic and it was a pretty cheap fix. Still, it has been nothing but problems lately and I discovered that their may be an internal problem with the car's transmission. Talk about expensive!!! There's no way I'm putting a new transmission into my car. Anyway, since I can have my car paid off in a couple of months, I have been hoping that it will last that long so I don't have to roll my old loan in with my new one. Realizing that this may not be a realistic option, my wife and I went car shopping the other day just to get a feel for our options. We actually found a couple of used cars we liked within our price range. I think we're leaning toward a 2003 Subaru Legacy with 70,000 miles on it. There's also a 2002 Honda Accord with the same mileage. I test-drove the Legacy and loved it. Regardless what I buy, I can promise one thing...it will not be American! I refuse to buy Ford, Chevy, or Dodge. Here's to hoping that my car holds out a little longer, so I can save myself from having to make worse what is already going to be a bad investment, no matter how you look at it. Yet, it's one I have no choice but to make.

ms. ward

Alright, so onto the Ms. Ward story I've been promising... My family moved from one side of Malden to another while I was in first grade. I finished my first grade year at Lincoln Elementary School and started fresh at Forestdale Elementary School for second grade. My first grade teacher, Ms. Bushway was mean. She tried to tell me that I couldn't eat the cupcakes my mother sent to school with me for my birthday because I didn't do my homework. She expected me to pass them out to the rest of the class and not have one myself. Let's just say that wasn't going to happen...and it didn't. When Ms. Bushway discovered that I would be transferring to Forestdale for second grade, she told me that she hoped I would get Ms. Ward, the teacher she had when she was in second grade. First, I couldn't believe how old this Ms. Ward must be if Ms. Bushway had her in second grade. Second, I couldn't believe a first grade teacher was telling a 7 year old kid that she hoped he got a mean teacher. No wonder I couldn't stand her. So, the teacher assignment arrived during the summer and who would I get for second grade...Ms. Ward of course. (I think the fix was in personally.) Ms. Ward didn't disappoint. She was the meanest teacher I had at any level of schooling, including high school and college. Not only was she mean, but she must have been the least helpful second grade teacher in the history of the world. Think about it...I was like 8 years old and still learning. At the age, it's normal to have questions for your teacher. In fact, questions should be encouraged as that's the way you will learn. Well, whenever you would call out Ms. Ward's name, she'd complete your sentence by saying, "...is busy!" and then would just continue what she was doing, paying you no attention. I'm not kidding and anyone else who had her can attest to this truth. Student wanting to learn: "Ms. Ward?" Ms. Ward: "...is busy." What the heck? That was always so annoying to me. I hated second grade! Third grade on the other hand, I had Mr. McCarthy. Best teacher. What a difference a year makes.

opening line

The new year's diet begins. The goal is to be less fat. Here are the opening stats: Weight: 208.6 lbs Waist: 41 1/2 inches Stomach: 45 inches Disgusting Obesity Value: High We'll see how commited I stay and how well this goes. In other news, my BMI says I'm obese but whenever I'm in a group of people which has fat guys and I make a fat guy comment, they all look at me like I'm crazy. Remind me that I still have to tell you about Ms. Ward sometime soon.

new year's resolutions

I resolve not to make any silly resolutions that I never intend to keep! It's January 1st again, and to most people, that means a clean slate. People can start off fresh on whatever changes and adjustments they want to bring to their lives. It's funny because Polly and I are going to start exercising again (she never really stopped, but she lumped herself with me out of love I think) and picked January 1st as the day. So last non-healthy day I will be at a party enjoying numerous munchies. I think I should do myself a favor and start eating healthier tonight. Why do people always need a new year (or month or whatever) to enact a positive change? It's okay to change your lifestyle and life now. I hope I'm listening to my advice. So I am about to break my first resolution already by naming a few resolutions. (I know I'm guaranteed to fail at something so I'm just trying to control my own failure a little.) Here they are: 1. I resolve to not eat peas in 2009 2. I resolve to not split infinitives in 2009 3. I resolve to not wear white after labor day in 2009 4. I resolve to exercise in 2009 (It's not definite yet, but I'm looking tentatively at July 29th as the day) 5. I resolve to maintain excellence in my blog 6. I resolve to stop lying to myself about the quality of my blog 7. I resolve to make my own lunch for work at least once a quarter 8. I resolve to watch more sports in 2009 9. I resolve to do better at finishing tasks without procrastinating 10. I resolve to... I'll finish this later. On a more serious note, I really would like to accomplish the following: 1. Read my Bible daily 2. Lose 30 pounds 3. Be a better husband, son, brother, youth pastor, friend, and employee Everyone be safe this new year! Blessings to all! The only question that now remains is, "When will I stop writing 2008 on documents?" Hopefully by May at least.

happy new year

Wow. It's already 2009. Time keeps flying on me.