Its that time of year. Where its ok for little kids to take candy for strangers, young women can dress slutty without actually being slutty (or so they think), and I come up with a genius Halloween costume. Who could forget the Bob Ross costume a few years back that won me $1000 at a local radio station's Halloween bash. Or last year's Dancing silhouette from the iPod commercials-man (I still think it was a great costume, despite no one knowing who I was). Well, this year once again, I've thought up a brilliant Halloween costume... Sadly, I have to work that evening and have no where to wear it to. So perhaps next year I will be able to unleash it.
Here's a couple videos to help you this Halloween.
Or perhaps you're looking for a costume that's a bit "crazier"
Can I start by saying I love local commercials for small auto-dealers? I just think they're hilarious. But here's what I don't understand. Why is it that you usually feel just the opposite of what the name tries to make you feel. "Reliable Auto Dealers"? Probably really unreliable. "Honest Joe's Cars". He's definitely going to screw you. "Budget Auto", budget=cheap.
I had someone ask me if I'd be comfortable voting for a black President, and my thought was, "What difference does it make?" I mean, really? Are we still so stuck in the past that color still needs to be addressed? To answer your question, yes, I would be perfectly comfortable voting for a black President. Just not this one. Do I think he has the terrorist ties some people would lead you to believe he has? No. Do I think this nation will be taken over by "the infidels" if Obama takes the Presidency? Nope. Do I think this nation will see a recovery of the economy and the "change" he has promised? Well, maybe not the exact change he has promised, but yes, I think we will see improvements. I'm putting my vote in McCain because, first off, I morally believe in his platform, and secondly, if we have another terrorist attack, I truly believe he would be the right man to carry us through it. In case you aren't aware, we live in a democracy with a system of checks and balances. The President is just one of many many people who put taxes, bills, laws, and amendments into place. And every decision the president makes has been scrutinized by a whole mess of assistants, political analyists, and advisers. Not to mention any law he signs off on has already been passed by the (Democratically controlled) Congress. This is why I'm registered Independent. The only time our President makes "executive decisions" with the least amount of influence from the legislatures, cabinet members, and advisors is when we are in a state of emergency (such as a terrorist attack). I am not the biggest fan of Bush, however I will continue to respect him as our President. And say what you will about him, but he's carried us through one of the most trying times we've ever been faced with, and I am thankful he was in place when that happened. He's a President who has seen some of both the highest and lowest approval ratings in his time in office. Would I like to see this war end? Of course. Nobody likes war. But its not just one man keeping them there, so I have to believe with our system, that there is more to it than that. I absolutely do not think our troops will immediately be pulled if Obama takes office. We will not suddenly be in an economic boom, and we will not suddenly be loved by the rest of the world (nor will this happen with McCain by the way). Ok, so I ran off on a tangent. I had a point in posting this.
When Obama first started campaigning I got a chance to see him in Des Moines, and I gotta admit, he's a smooth talker, and I liked him. I continued to support him for a while, but even at the beginning, I feared one thing. He was going to get voted in to office because he's black, not because he's the right man for the job. I don't think he'll do a horrible job in office, and I believe that if he's elected, we'll still continue to be a political giant. So, it won't be the end of the world if he gets elected like some would have you to believe. We as Americans put our vote on the candidate who we relate to most. If we are doing our job as citizens, we're going to study up on platforms and relate to the candidate who best represents our line of thinking, our morals, and would vote on things the same way we would. But here's the unfortunate scenario; most Americans don't hold up their responsibilities, and their vote becomes based on other things: Which candidate is a war hero, which candidate is a Catholic, Methodist, or Evangelical (and lets not forget Muslim). Which candidate has kids, how did they grow up, and this year, race and gender; and a lot of other things that, although they have helped to shape their character over the years, really don't matter when it comes down to it. I'm pro-life and we've had a President who is strongly pro-life for the past 8 years. Has it mattered? No. And why? Because we live in a democracy where the opinions of one man don't matter. And thank God for that!
So once again, after a tangent, my point is this; examine your candidates. Find out why you are voting for them. If someone asks you why you're voting for a particular candidate and you can't have an honest answer for them, either do some reading by November 4th or don't vote. Don't ever expect to hear me say this again, but Howard Stern pretty much summed it up.
Two blogs in one day!? Well, I made a delicious meal tonight and I just wanted to share. I'm not really sure what i'll call it... I just took some things I had lying around the kitchen and threw them in a skillet :-)
Ok, to start you'll need to make some pico. There are several ways you can make this (or if you're lazy just buy it); this is the famous Manderloo recipe.
12-15 roma tomatoes cut into 1/4-1/2 inch cubes
1 red onion – finely diced
I bunch cilantro - chopped
1-2 jalepenos (seeded and finely diced)
1 lime – squeezed over it all
1/2-1 tsp salt (to taste)
Mix it all up and let sit in a sealed bowl in the fridge for at least an hour before serving.
This makes the delicious pico salsa you'll use later. It also goes great with chips!
I'm going to throw in a quick apology because unlike Mandy, I don't really deal with exact measurements when I make up meals. So bear with me and use your best judgement. Feel free to e-mail with questions but my advice is just experiment. It worked out ok for me!
Turn heat to medium and coat pan with a sliver of butter (you don't want a lot of excess, but you need enough to cover). As soon as butter is melted take two thawed boneless chicken breasts and put in skillet. Once they are nearly cooked, pour in enough milk to come halfway up the chicken. Once it begins to bubble, sprinkle in enough cheese to fill in all the gaps and lightly cover the chicken as well. Put a few shakes of black pepper in and begin to toss the chicken around until the cheese is all melted and thouroughly mixed with the milk. This should create a thick cheesy soup. Add more cheese or milk as needed. Lay a bed of spinach on a plate and put the chicken on top. Pour the excess cheesy soup over the chicken and top with a spoonful of your pico.
Minus the pico, which, by the way the recipe says an hour but i'll tell you its much better if you out it in a covered dish and refrigerate for a day, the chicken should only take about 10 minutes to fix. So its quick and easy.
Well, it doesn't happen often but I was struck with a cleaning mood yesterday. I woke up and was going to go to the sports bar that my Husker Club meets at to see the ISU game but somehow I knew it wouldn't be much of a game. Plus I knew these "spirits of cleaning" don't come around often so I stayed home.
So first I swiffered the kitchen floor and did some dusting in the living room and my room. I threw some laundry in and used some of kristen's new fabric softener she was bragging about. She bought a 3 gallon jug for like $6. I then put together a new vaccuum we bought and did some vaccuuming. When I was nearly complete I heard a snap and noticed the vaccuum no longer sucked as well. Sure enough I turn it over and the belt for the rotating floor brush broke. On our brand new $300 vaccuum. I mean $40. Can you believe it?
So I take a break and lay on the couch until my laundry finishes. Despite the little snag with the vaccuum, I'd felt accomplished. I laid there and reveled in how good the house smelled. So fresh, so clean, so... Something doesn't seem right. I go to change out my laundry and I see 3 gallons of fabric softener all over the floor in front of our washing machine. The bottle was on top of the washer and during the spin cycle, it shook right off. So once again I found myself swiffering the kitchen floor.
Maybe my newer friends wouldn't be much to attest to this, but anyone who has known me since at least high school knows I'm not the biggest of basketball fans. In fact, the only time I can ever remember getting excited for basketball was when Creighton University made the March Madness Tournament, but as soon as their glory faded, so did my interest.
Last night I went to an NBA exhibition game between the new Oklahoma City NBA franchise, the OKC Thunder, as they took on the Houston Rockets with star, Yao Ming. I gotta say, I really enjoyed myself. The radio station I work for also has a sports station in their media group and we carry the exclusive broadcast rights for Tulsa for Thunder Basketball. What does this mean? Well to most people it means, if you want to listen to the Thunder games on the radio in Tulsa, you have to tune it to 97.1FM. To me, this means amazing seats! I got two tickets for a private suite where our seats were leather and the waitress took our orders. I could live like that.
I just saw a commercial for Yes Man starring Jim Carrey. I don't know a whole lot about it but basically he's a man who is always telling people no and goes through some therapy/hypnosis to where he now can only say yes. Its hard for him at first but eventually changes his life and makes him a better man.
It sounds an awful lot like this other movie I saw. Its called Liar, Liar and it stars Jim Carrey. Basically he is a man who is always lying and goes through hypnosis to where he now can only tell the truth. Its hard for him at first but eventually changes his life and makes him a better man.
I didn't like Liar, Liar so I don't think I will see Liar, Liar 2.
I forgot how much I like getting compliments. When I worked at the hotel and was wearing suits and cologne more often, I used to always get the comment "you smell really good". I would get the comment from random people; cashier at the check out line at the grocery store, random hotel guests, even people walking next to me on the street or mall. And those who actually knew me; co-workers/friends, would actually lean in and smell me. They always ask what I'm wearing and I usually respond that its this custom stuff I buy on the internet. Not so much to show off and be flashy but to joke at the irony of their expectations.
Usually I give out my stamp of approval to restaurants or movies... things of entertainment value, but I'm going to change it up a little and give the $7.00 bottle of Really Ripped Abs: Bod Body Spray from Target the David Wage Stamp of Approval for brightening my day. I was at the sundries shop at work and the nice black lady at the cashier said. "Mmmmm, honey, you smell goood." in the least creepiest way. The tone in her voice told me it wasn't flirting. It was a fact :)
I'm heading up to the City of the Sioux this weekend for another wedding. I won't do any travel blogging, but I'll be sure to update you when I get back.
I grew up in the country with my nearest neighbor being almost a mile away. I was also the youngest in the family and the only boy. Growing up, I didn't have a lot of "playmates" so I found ways of entertaining myself. I could go outside on a nice fall Saturday (or frigid Iowa winter) and not come in until dark. My childhood is what cultivated my active imagination, or "specialness" as my mom always called it.
Its that time of year. Where its ok for little kids to take candy for strangers, young women can dress slutty without actually being slutty (or so they think), and I come up with a genius Halloween costume. Who could forget the Bob Ross costume a few years back that won me $1000 at a local radio station's Halloween bash. Or last year's Dancing silhouette from the iPod commercials-man (I still think it was a great costume, despite no one knowing who I was). Well, this year once again, I've thought up a brilliant Halloween costume... Sadly, I have to work that evening and have no where to wear it to. So perhaps next year I will be able to unleash it.
