Mad Pony Birthday!

Happy birthday to Kristin over at Mad Pony. Thanks for another year of entertaining blog entries, shoe tips for the ladies, exam tips for your peers and photo essay inspiration for yours truly.

It’s My Baby’s Birthday!!!

Today is Michelle’s birthday and what better way to celebrate than going to see Lord of the Rings – Return of the King.

Guys, this woman makes it a point to catch NFL Sunday. She’s built better than Jennifer Garner and she argues as well as any Mexican can. The fiercely independent type, a woman like this is not for the timid. Yup, there’s plenty of reasons to love her and she’s all mine.

Happy Birthday Baby!!!

Lots `O Love.

Let me tell you a story…

Goooooooooood evening dear readers!

Another busy week kicked off here in Dallas metro, but I took a few minutes today to whip up another stellar photo essay for you folks. This evening’s story was inspired by a recent photo post over at Mad Pony headquarters. I thought it odd that Kristin & Lauren would post some pics, but leave the captions out.

That’s where yours truly comes in. A single picture from the Mad Pony entry sparked the synapses, jump started PhotoShop and BING BANG BOOM out popped some content fodder.

Here’s a quick read I like to call “Death Comes Hippity-Hop“. (Link Opens In New Window)

Hunter, Gatherer, Food Guy…

Mr. Perry made the move towards independence this weekend. At the very least he’ll learn to appreciate the idea of nobody naggin’ him about what to do in his place. I always enjoyed being the master of my own domain. Newfound freedoms are balanced out by responsibility and monetary realities, but it gives most people a greater appreciation for the support given by parents, family, etc. Livin’ on a budget isn’t easy (heh heh, O the laughter that ensues from those that know me well), but I thought I’d throw out some food tips to help Mr. Perry as chicks dig a guy who can cook a meal:

1. Shop smart. You laughed when someone you knew clipped coupons, but saving 20 cents on every dollar adds up quickly. You’ll quickly notice how the water you bought at Kroger for $8.99 a case is only $4.35 at WalMart. You can also save money by buying in bulk so a Sam’s Club or Costco card is a good idea. Use your freezer to store meats, breads and other raw food items instead of instant dinners.

2. Get cooking. Maybe working a microwave was the minimal requirement for meals in the past, but frozen dinners don’t last very long and can be expensive. Nobody likes to eat Ramen noodles all the time either. Cooking isn’t that hard and for me is divided into two skills – grilling & sauces.

Grilling takes practice. Slap down your food item and learn how to adjust temperatures and flip items for a short period of time. Trust me after burning a few steaks, you’ll find what works for you. Start with basic seasonings – salt & pepper, then venture out to marinating your chicken or steaks. Easiest item to make grilled pork chops. Just add some hickory salt and your good to go. Can’t afford an outdoor grill? You’d be amazed at what you can do with George Foreman’s electric invention. Laugh if you want, but a burger or salmon steak tastes better than a hot pocket any day.

When it comes to sauces I’m infamous for making “Slop In A Pot” on Sundays. That would be any type of sauce – Spaghetti, Chili, Beef Stew, etc. that I can use with leftovers during the week. I’ll make a large pot of sauce, but only cook the amount of noodles or rice I need each evening. I prefer to use elbow noodles instead of spagetti because I can dump them in a bowl and eat `em with a spoon. For a quick red sauce pick a brand you like and add your own ground beef with some plain tomato sauce (tomato paste if you want thickness), add your own vegetables and by a premixed Italian spice to sprinkle in. You’ll quickly discover other recipes which are easy to whip up like baking chicken breasts with cream of mushroom soup.

I’d like to come up with a good closer, but the worst part about censorship is

Finding my groove…

If I could go back in time and do this all over again I suppose I would have chosen a slick alias or at least thrown up a disclaimer like Tony Pierce to keep readers wondering about my true intent. But then as Ryan “Hardcore” McGee says it’s not about actual truth, but rather emotional truth. The idea of leaving a piece of me out there for all to see isn’t that difficult, but having to factor in who may be reading my blog at any given moment is.

Those close to me know that I’m the type of person that needs to vent. Good, bad, happy, sad, when I’m feelin’ it I’ll pick up the phone and dial a number. It’s probably the reason I’ve kept in touch with peeps even though the majority of my close friends live several states away. Many of my friends were pen pals back when mail was delivered by the post office and a long distance phone call came with a long distance phone bill. My pen pal ratings tripled once Compuserve came along (that was on a 386 DOS platform using x-modem long before AOL & the Internet kids).

The past few months have been extremely busy for me outside the blogosphere. As I’ve mentioned my weekdays are crammed sunrise past sunset with both work and school. It hasn’t allowed me much time to post, but it’s also affected what I choose to write about. Public recognition for a blog is a two-edged sword. On the one hand it’s great when people come and read your entries, it’s another thing entirely if the subject of an entry takes offense. (Not that I have offended anybody, but you can imagine the ramifications on the job if I posted about the classes I taught and students filed a complaint) The same can be said for any personal relationships. When you’re partying with your family & friends it’s cool to upload the pics and recall events, but airing your dirty laundry or venting can lead to some much larger problems.

Therein lies my content problem. I would have been happy to paint you a mental picture of the two ladies who attended my PhotoShop class only to get caught airbrushing some Chippendales dancers at break. The content fodder on students alone would rival the Tard Blog. Not really appropriate, however funny. It probably would have been therapeutic to vent on domestic issues lately, if for no other reason than to sort through the ramblings in my head. Again, not the best choice towards resolution.

What started out as a way for me to share pics with family & friends has grown into something I hadn’t really planned or anticipated. I thoroughly enjoy the experience that is this blog provides and it has helped me to recapture a love a writing I only experienced once back in the sixth grade. This rekindled feeling has probably heightened my sense of posting anxiety as I try to satisfy myself and the masses.

Recently, I received a lot of positive feedback about this website. Yours truly was picked as this week’s Honorary Hose Monster. Add the compliments by Tony Pierce for my recent photo essay, Rob pimpin’ my new DVD, the props from Ryan “Hardcore” McGee and I feel especially lucky to be recognized by those writers that inspire me to be better at this blogging thing. I’m also thankful for YOU my loyal readers, fellow bloggers, your continued patronage and comments carry over more than you might expect.