I asked people on Twitter what I should write about since it’s been a while since I’ve blogged. And I wanted to blog about something, but I’m not in the mood to be serious. Thanks to those who helped make this post so awesome ;) Be sure and chime in next time. I write about everything you send me!
I was originally going to write a review of granola bars as a recommendation from @coderster but I never made it to the store to pick up some of the Quaker Peanut Butter ones. So, I’ll have to go with my organic ones from Cascadian Farms. They’re chocolate chip and mui yum.
The soft and chewy granola bars from Cascadian Farms are… soft and chewy! When you hold them sideways they bend but never break. They’re oily, but I can’t tell if it’s good oil or “preservative” oil, even though they are certified organic. As far as chewy granola bars go, these are by far some of my favorites. Chocolate chips abound and are real mini’s. There are whole oats and “granola” and “gooey” stuff that is usually found in granola that holds it all together. Try some today!
Shaun wanted me to write about “nuclear geopolitics in US/Iran relations” so here goes… Iran is suspected of pursuing nuclear weaponization for some time. “What particularly makes the matter of Iran’s intentions so intractable is that it is by and large deduced not from hard data or undisputed facts but from inferences, perceptions, and assumptions about the country and its leaders that often border on fiction. (http://www.logosjournal.com/node/23)”
And another friend wanted me to write about sex. Unfortunately she wasn’t specific so, yes. Sex.
Looks like I gotta come up with seven new unknown or rarely known things about me. Thanks Elwood ;)
I was in a cult.
I separate my M&M’s by color and eat my least favorite first.
I like normal sized candybars better than king size. They taste better for some reason. Maybe it’s the distribution of peanuts, chocolate, and caramel?
I buy only whole bean coffee and not from Starsucks. And I buy a half pound at a time so I always have fresh coffee.
I could tell you what my dad does in the military, but he’d have to kill you.
My favorite color is #181818
I love good beer. And no, Budweiser, Miller, and Coors are not good beer.
Today will go down in the history books for generations to come. The United States of America elected her 44th president and her first African American president.
All political party affiliations aside today was an incredible day and one that will hopefully bring a better sense of unity to the people, a definite cause, and a changed and brighter future.
I voted for Obama.
That being said I am not a liberal. I am not a conservative either. I don’t vote straight-ticket. I vote on the issue. This election I was torn. With both a brother and a father in Iraq, and being a military “brat” I m generally inclined to vote right since the conservatives usually favor the armed forces. But right only barely.
This year though, my vote was split. I agree with some of conservative values, such as their support for capitalism (coming from a guy who also hates capitalism) and their foreign policy (except Mr. Bush’s). I also agree with liberal values such a a bigger responsibility to take care of the people and a desire to reform health care (not by universalizing it).
But, in light of Americas cultural and racial segregation along with the view from the worlds stage, I felt Obama would be the best fit. And thankfully he appointed a good cabinet (except Clinton).
I like Obama. I’m excited he’ll be our president for the next four years. I look forward to the changes he’ll bring. However, I also liked Bush. Yes, this goes against popular opinion, and yes he screwed up. But which president hasn’t screwed up to some degree? The fact of the matter is amongst the bad he did, was also some good. Even if it was one good thing and ten bad things, there was still good, so why hate that? Security is beefed up, especially during the inauguration. And there have been several terror threats on our country but all of them were thwarted due to our increased surveillance.
We all are entitled to who we like and dislike, and we all have our reasoning. But if you’re gonna hate someone (i.e., Bush) at least have some legitimate reason as to why. And because your friends or family do, doesn’t count. It’s cool if you don’t like Bush, just have some reason why. It’s cool if you’re a Liberal or a Conservative, just understand WHY you chose that view. I’m so sick of these robotic responses.
But all in all, today I was extremely proud to be an American. I’m proud we have an African American as our 44th President and I’m proud we came together today, despite the weather, despite the workday, and despite the heightened security to unite for this occasion.
I was invited to go rollerskating with my boss, his girlfriend, and their combined three kids today. I am pretty ecstatic. I haven’t put on a pair of skates since I played hockey and I quit playing hockey six years ago. I’ve moved twice since then and in both moves I brought my hockey equipment, including my skates, with me. I thought, well maybe one day I’ll use them again. After all they were $500 when I bought them, I couldn’t just toss them out! Ah, today, I get to lace them up again… I frickin’ can’t wait!
My first job was at a rollerskating rink. I worked the skate counter and sometimes the snack bar. Was a good job too as I had all the little cuties batting their eyes at me. I also played hockey there. Five years at that rink before moving to Raleigh to play for the Carolina Vapors, where our team won two back-to-back state championships. Memories…
One of my duties as the “skate counter dude” was to dress up in this big kangaroo (appropriately named Roller Roo) for kids birthday parties. The costume consisted of a rather large and rather hot outfit with feet/boots that wouldn’t allow for roller blades, which I wore – only the quad skates. The massive head of the thing just kind of went on. No straps or anything, but heavy enough to skate around and dance slightly with the kids.
The thing also had a big tail that made keeping your balance a bit awkward. Your body tends to naturally twist when you skate so this tail follows but has less agility. And as I’m leading this line of kids around the floor to the birthday song this one kid, the birthday kid no less, decides to start hitting my tail. Roller Roo turns around and, because I can’t speak, my stuck smiling face looks at the kid and I wave a finger. Then we continue skating. He does it again, but this time, coupled with the fact that I can barely skate on the quad skates, I fall down. The kids kind of laugh at first thinking I was supposed to do that. Until Roller Roo’s head rolls off. Oh that got them crying and you should’ve seen the tears on the face of the little birthday boy.
Yesterday we saw US Airways flight 1549 crash land in the Hudson River. I’m usually a positive guy and I see the best in situations, but honestly, yesterday I was thinking the worst. I kept picturing people running and shoving others out of the way so they didn’t possibly die. I kept thinking it was going to be every man for him or herself and that the outcome would be tragic because of it.
I’m happy to say I couldn’t be more wrong. The passengers came together to help one another, not to mention the bystanders in fairies and tugboats, and every person on that plane made it out safely. The pilot himself was the very last one off.
People showed immense responsibility yesterday, and that’s something to be proud of. The world is a hostile and cruel place sometimes, but how much better is it when people act like a community rather than individuals. People put on these hard, cold fronts, but it’s nice to know that when our fellow Americans need us, we easily become citizen soldiers.
