6 years ago
May 31, 2009
Noooo Thank You
I'm usually gung ho when it comes to trying unusual foods but I would pass on this one.
May 24, 2009
Bike Jumps
Good afternoon.
There's a bazillion and a half kids that live in our apartment complex. Most of the boys that live in the complex spend good portions of their day riding bikes. Many of those boys spend a lot of their time jumping off their easily constructed bike jump which consists of a skateboard with missing wheels gently lied onto a curb.
Eric and Timo love this jump. I've watched the boys do this jump several times and I've noticed they have vastly different styles. Example:
First we have Eric. Eric is pure concentration as he makes this jump. His body is positioned well to brace himself when he lands. Eric seems to be in total control.
As you can see, Timo isn't quite as composed. He is still trying trying to master the art of coordination. This picture sort of sums up Timo with him being out of control and all. Every time Timo lands, it's with a hard thud and he lets out a huge, "oooohhh!"
I laughed so hard when I uploaded those pictures on the computer and looked at them. To see the difference between the two always gives me a chuckle.
To be fair, what you don't see in this picture is Timo is incredibly athletic. One of his favorite superheros is the Incredible Hulk. This makes perfect sense because Timo so strong for such a little kid. Every once in a while I remind Eric to be nice to Timo because in a couple years when Timo becomes more coordinated he may throw a mean punch in Eric's direction.
Those are my two bike jumpers. As always, if you want the full effect, click pictures to enlarge.
There's a bazillion and a half kids that live in our apartment complex. Most of the boys that live in the complex spend good portions of their day riding bikes. Many of those boys spend a lot of their time jumping off their easily constructed bike jump which consists of a skateboard with missing wheels gently lied onto a curb.
Eric and Timo love this jump. I've watched the boys do this jump several times and I've noticed they have vastly different styles. Example:
First we have Eric. Eric is pure concentration as he makes this jump. His body is positioned well to brace himself when he lands. Eric seems to be in total control.
As you can see, Timo isn't quite as composed. He is still trying trying to master the art of coordination. This picture sort of sums up Timo with him being out of control and all. Every time Timo lands, it's with a hard thud and he lets out a huge, "oooohhh!"
I laughed so hard when I uploaded those pictures on the computer and looked at them. To see the difference between the two always gives me a chuckle.
To be fair, what you don't see in this picture is Timo is incredibly athletic. One of his favorite superheros is the Incredible Hulk. This makes perfect sense because Timo so strong for such a little kid. Every once in a while I remind Eric to be nice to Timo because in a couple years when Timo becomes more coordinated he may throw a mean punch in Eric's direction.
Those are my two bike jumpers. As always, if you want the full effect, click pictures to enlarge.
May 20, 2009
Frogger
A few days ago, Me, Eric, and Timo set out to find some frogs. Eric told me a while back he had found a frog near a water pipe close to our house. We checked near the water pipe and sure enough, there was a frog just waiting to be picked up and played with by several people. Before we set out on our little frog catching adventure I didn't actually expect to find anything, except a few spiders. So, of course, I had to run inside and grab my camera as usual. I love taking close-up pictures. Here's the frog.
This is the first close-up picture. I told him to smile but he ignored me.
It looks like he might lunge at you.
This one is my favorite. And it makes a good wallpaper.
I tried to take a few normal pictures of the boys holding the frog but somehow I managed to mess those pictures up. At first the boys were terrified to hold it. I assured them the frog is not poisonous. We've been watching too much of the National Geographic Channel.
May 19, 2009
Caution! Improvised Post
Do you ever just want to find an excuse to blog? I hope I'm not the only one. Sometimes (like today) I surf the Internet for material to maybe blog about. Nothing out there ("out there" meaning the Internet of course)is really interesting me enough to blog about today. Yet, I feel compelled to blog. So, I decided I was going to do a Jeremy's Forum first...ya ready...I'm going to wing it! That's right, I'm just typing right off the top of my head right now and it's making me a little nervous.
Normally, I have some sort of structured idea of what I'm going to blog about before I actually do it. Those other times when I do search the Internet for material it rarely works. So, like I said, I'm improvising here. I apologize in advance if this post might start to sound like a personal journal or get too dull.
Becka and I are trying to move to Boise from Nampa. It's a slower process then we anticipated. We've been stewing about this move for months and we may have a window of opportunity at the end of this month to make the move. Nampa is sort of like Boise's fat smelly younger cousin. There's two races in Nampa: Mexican and non-Mexican. There's no reason to be offended, Mexican isn't a bad word. However, in Nampa there's more signs in Spanish than English. I like a little more variety that's all.
To switch gears for a moment, I've got to say a few things about my oldest son, Eric. This kid is awesome. My loyal readers know him as the short, high-pitched voice, left-handed, Boise State aspiring football player. This is all true of course but he already is forming so much depth into his personality. Eric is only seven, but he seriously is one of my best friends. It's sort of a cliched thing to say (which is also cliched if you think about it) but he's 7 going on 20. Okay, that may be a stretch but you get the idea. Eric is about one week away from completing first grade. I'm not going to dote on this too much but I will say he does very well in his class. Being a son of mine, he is interested and enjoys playing almost any sport including tether ball. I didn't even know people actually played tether ball until I watched Napoleon Dynamite the first time. Anyway, he goes much deeper than sports. Eric has an incredible imagination. I realize most kids that age do, but Eric's imagination already far exceeds my own.
Eric has also really picked up on reading. For months now, I've had him read to me almost every night. His teacher asked her students to make a goal to read 200 minutes every month. As parents, we log on a calendar how much Eric reads every day, then total it up at the end of the month. Eric routinely reads in the high hundreds every month. In March he read 850! Becka and I have to do little encouraging with him to read to us. Meaning most of those minutes are his idea. A few days ago Eric decided instead of just reading to us, he is going to read the book Stuart Little on his own. So he does, almost every night before bed.
Also, the kid is almost afraid of nothing. Today, he climbed to the top of a tree. And I mean, THE TOP. He could have grabbed the cable wire, which is 25 feet high! I get the feeling soon he'll be cliff jumping with Uncle Brent.
Anyway, I've bragged about Eric long enough. I normally make a conscience effort to not talk about my kids too much to other people. I guess that's the great thing about a blog, you can choose not to read it.
I think I'm done for now. Excuse me for a moment while I spell check........okay, that's taken care of.
Next time, I'll give a little more thought to what I blog about instead of making this a journal entry. But then again, it all depends on how desperate I am for my next blog.
Normally, I have some sort of structured idea of what I'm going to blog about before I actually do it. Those other times when I do search the Internet for material it rarely works. So, like I said, I'm improvising here. I apologize in advance if this post might start to sound like a personal journal or get too dull.
Becka and I are trying to move to Boise from Nampa. It's a slower process then we anticipated. We've been stewing about this move for months and we may have a window of opportunity at the end of this month to make the move. Nampa is sort of like Boise's fat smelly younger cousin. There's two races in Nampa: Mexican and non-Mexican. There's no reason to be offended, Mexican isn't a bad word. However, in Nampa there's more signs in Spanish than English. I like a little more variety that's all.
To switch gears for a moment, I've got to say a few things about my oldest son, Eric. This kid is awesome. My loyal readers know him as the short, high-pitched voice, left-handed, Boise State aspiring football player. This is all true of course but he already is forming so much depth into his personality. Eric is only seven, but he seriously is one of my best friends. It's sort of a cliched thing to say (which is also cliched if you think about it) but he's 7 going on 20. Okay, that may be a stretch but you get the idea. Eric is about one week away from completing first grade. I'm not going to dote on this too much but I will say he does very well in his class. Being a son of mine, he is interested and enjoys playing almost any sport including tether ball. I didn't even know people actually played tether ball until I watched Napoleon Dynamite the first time. Anyway, he goes much deeper than sports. Eric has an incredible imagination. I realize most kids that age do, but Eric's imagination already far exceeds my own.
Eric has also really picked up on reading. For months now, I've had him read to me almost every night. His teacher asked her students to make a goal to read 200 minutes every month. As parents, we log on a calendar how much Eric reads every day, then total it up at the end of the month. Eric routinely reads in the high hundreds every month. In March he read 850! Becka and I have to do little encouraging with him to read to us. Meaning most of those minutes are his idea. A few days ago Eric decided instead of just reading to us, he is going to read the book Stuart Little on his own. So he does, almost every night before bed.
Also, the kid is almost afraid of nothing. Today, he climbed to the top of a tree. And I mean, THE TOP. He could have grabbed the cable wire, which is 25 feet high! I get the feeling soon he'll be cliff jumping with Uncle Brent.
Anyway, I've bragged about Eric long enough. I normally make a conscience effort to not talk about my kids too much to other people. I guess that's the great thing about a blog, you can choose not to read it.
I think I'm done for now. Excuse me for a moment while I spell check........okay, that's taken care of.
Next time, I'll give a little more thought to what I blog about instead of making this a journal entry. But then again, it all depends on how desperate I am for my next blog.
May 12, 2009
May 8, 2009
Cracklin' Oat Bran
As you stroll through the aisles of your local grocery store you may find yourself wandering down the cereal aisle. I spend a lot of time in this aisle. When you have little kids at home, having cereal on hand is nothing but a necessity.
I overlook the cereals on the bottom and middle shelves normally reserved for kids, and look straight to the top shelf where the “healthy” adult cereals are. As luck would have it, my favorite cereal on the planet is Cracklin’ Oat Bran. And there it is, rubbing box corners with the likes of Kashi and Special K.
It’s an amazing coincidence that my favorite cereal happens to be on the “healthy” shelf. After all, lately I’ve been trying to eat better. You know, cut out the sweets, a strict no soda/energy drink kinda diet. I’ve also been trying tactics like eating, “moderate portions” and stopping when you’re full. I’ve always been under the assumption these strategies were myths, and frankly, reserved for bean poles. It turns out I enjoy depriving my growling belly in the middle of the day.
Anyway, I buy the cereal. However, I don’t eat it at breakfast. In my eyes, cereal is more of a snack then a meal. Well, I guess that depends on the size of the bowl but remember I’m eating moderate portions now, so it’s a snack. So, I usually end up eating it as a snack in the evening. More like a midnight snack while Becka and I are playing a no holds barred game of Yahtzee.
>
Side Note: My once dominant Yahtzee skills have diminished. Becka inaudibly reminds me of this every time she rolls a yahtzee, while my scorecard is littered with blanks and low numbers. I try to pump myself up by changing my name on the scorecard. I use names like, “Yahtzee Master” and “King Yahtzee” but these names have little positive effect for me. One time, when I was feeling a bit down, I used the name “Jeremy the Mediocre” and won the game by a hefty margin. Go figure.
So now I take my first bite of my treasured Cracklin’ Oat Bran. As always, it takes me back to being a 10 year old when I tried this delicious cereal for the first time. There I was, a husky 5th grader enjoying an adult cereal. Clearly, it’s good for you; I mean it’s on the top shelf right? Turns out, not so much. Although, Cracklin' Oat Bran is delicious, it's loaded with saturated fat and sugar. Being a little older than 10 years old, the ingredients that give this cereal it's awesome taste results in me running in a sweaty panic to the bathroom. This did not become clear to me until just a few days ago. Cracklin' Oat Bran is my favorite cereal but I can't have it very often since it's about $30 per box...or maybe it's $5 for the puny box...either way, it's a lot of cabbage.
I'm sorry Cracklin' Oat Bran. I will have to leave you on the top shelf for a while. Your Oat Bran facade does not fool me anymore. Listen, I'm not above sugary cereals. They're the best kind. My belly and the toilet seat tells me I need to lay off the stuff for a while. I will obey my belly. I've discovered when it comes to food my stomach is much smarter then my brain. Cracklin' Oat Bran is not ousted from my clutches forever. Soon, I will pluck this unhealthy cereal off the top shelf and indulge. Then again, I'll be completing the cycle of running to the bathroom in a sweaty panic.
I overlook the cereals on the bottom and middle shelves normally reserved for kids, and look straight to the top shelf where the “healthy” adult cereals are. As luck would have it, my favorite cereal on the planet is Cracklin’ Oat Bran. And there it is, rubbing box corners with the likes of Kashi and Special K.
It’s an amazing coincidence that my favorite cereal happens to be on the “healthy” shelf. After all, lately I’ve been trying to eat better. You know, cut out the sweets, a strict no soda/energy drink kinda diet. I’ve also been trying tactics like eating, “moderate portions” and stopping when you’re full. I’ve always been under the assumption these strategies were myths, and frankly, reserved for bean poles. It turns out I enjoy depriving my growling belly in the middle of the day.
Anyway, I buy the cereal. However, I don’t eat it at breakfast. In my eyes, cereal is more of a snack then a meal. Well, I guess that depends on the size of the bowl but remember I’m eating moderate portions now, so it’s a snack. So, I usually end up eating it as a snack in the evening. More like a midnight snack while Becka and I are playing a no holds barred game of Yahtzee.
>
Side Note: My once dominant Yahtzee skills have diminished. Becka inaudibly reminds me of this every time she rolls a yahtzee, while my scorecard is littered with blanks and low numbers. I try to pump myself up by changing my name on the scorecard. I use names like, “Yahtzee Master” and “King Yahtzee” but these names have little positive effect for me. One time, when I was feeling a bit down, I used the name “Jeremy the Mediocre” and won the game by a hefty margin. Go figure.
So now I take my first bite of my treasured Cracklin’ Oat Bran. As always, it takes me back to being a 10 year old when I tried this delicious cereal for the first time. There I was, a husky 5th grader enjoying an adult cereal. Clearly, it’s good for you; I mean it’s on the top shelf right? Turns out, not so much. Although, Cracklin' Oat Bran is delicious, it's loaded with saturated fat and sugar. Being a little older than 10 years old, the ingredients that give this cereal it's awesome taste results in me running in a sweaty panic to the bathroom. This did not become clear to me until just a few days ago. Cracklin' Oat Bran is my favorite cereal but I can't have it very often since it's about $30 per box...or maybe it's $5 for the puny box...either way, it's a lot of cabbage.
I'm sorry Cracklin' Oat Bran. I will have to leave you on the top shelf for a while. Your Oat Bran facade does not fool me anymore. Listen, I'm not above sugary cereals. They're the best kind. My belly and the toilet seat tells me I need to lay off the stuff for a while. I will obey my belly. I've discovered when it comes to food my stomach is much smarter then my brain. Cracklin' Oat Bran is not ousted from my clutches forever. Soon, I will pluck this unhealthy cereal off the top shelf and indulge. Then again, I'll be completing the cycle of running to the bathroom in a sweaty panic.
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