What Are The Odds ?

Some people are just board game playing kinds of people.  That very much describes my wife and I (and most of our truly good friends).  Of the millions of ways you can spend time as a couple or in small groups, playing a board game is one of the best.

A few months ago we came into possession of a Clue: Master Detective board game, which we found out later is out of print.  This makes it a rarity in and of itself, but what makes it more special is that my wife loves this game!  I did not know this, so when I picked it up from my parents (who were just clearing some things they haven't used in years) I had no idea that it would make my wife so happy to have.

So after sitting on our game shelf for a while, we finally pulled the game down to play it (when our friends - Aaron and Britney - stayed with us for a few nights).  We must have played about 10-12 rounds of the game over two evenings and here is the really weird thing ... in EVERY single game we played, the eventual "murderer" was either Aaron's character piece or mine.

For a little context, in Master Detective there are 10 different possible murder suspects.  So there was only a 40% chance in any ONE game that the murderer would be one of our 4 characters ... but it was Aaron or I every single time!

What is even weirder is that we played the game another 3-4 times with some other combinations of people (Jeremy, Jordan and Erin, just Aaron and Karen and I) ... and only ONCE was the murderer NOT one of our characters' playing pieces.  That makes about 14 of 15 times which is statistically almost impossible (50%, 40%, or 30% chance in just one game ... but over all these games it is just unexplainable).

Song Of The Day:
I'm as big a Phil Collins fan as Karen is a Clue Master Detective fan.  His song "Against All Odds" is a great tune and perfectly fits with this blog post subject.  Some of the lines in the song are eerily fitting "you're the only one who really knew me at all" and "there's nothing left here to remind me, just the memory of your face" are two quick examples.

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Did You Check My IM Status ?

For those who may not be familiar with the terminology, when I say "IM" in this blog post title, I am referring to "Instant Messenger" technology.  At work this is provided through Microsoft Lync and is connected to our Outlook mail system.

Now with that background, allow me to explain my use of this title question countless times throughout the day.

About half of my team works from home pretty much 100% of their time.  These individuals are not seen in the office except for a few times each year, as needed for training or other on-site only events.  Out of consideration for these individuals, I have adopted the habit of providing updates on my status in the office through my IM or Lync system.

What started as a method to keep them informed, has turned into an effective system whereby I can keep anyone informed of my "availability" to meet with them.  For most people this has proven to be a very useful tool.  Colleagues, my boss, and others in general can just scroll over my name in Lync and see if my status is "Busy" or if I am "Away" or actually (rarely) "Available" at that moment.  I also include a short description of the situation, so people can gauge how long I might be "Busy" for.

That said ... there is a contingency of people who always seem surprised when I do not immediately reply to their IM chats or perhaps do not pick up the phone when they call.  And when we finally do chat, I always start with the blog post title question.

Now I do NOT expect people to check my status every moment of the day, but I DO think you should check it before you get bothered or frustrated with ME for not replying to you quickly enough.

Am I being unreasonable here?

Song Of the Day:
'Oh you never know what you'll find when you open up your "Letterbox" tomorrow.'  This is the opening line in this song by They Might Be Giants and it makes me think about how you have to actually use the letterbox and actually READ the letters you receive, or you'll never get the messages being sent to you.  Just like people need to check my status before just expecting me to be available at that moment.

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Why DO You Dress Like That ?

I love the change of seasons, especially coming out of the Winter time and into Spring and Summer.  The trees start to flower.  The grass starts to grow again.  Different frangrances and aromas fill the air.  The temperature gets warmer.  The days get longer.  People are outside more often, if only to work in their yards.

And clothing styles (and amounts) change.

Winter brings with it more and more layers of clothing, to keep the body warm and safe.  Spring retains full body clothing coverage, because the temperatures still swing wildly and at a moment's notice.  But the closer summer gets, the less material that is worn and the more skin sees the sunlight.

EVERY year this causes the same question to cross my mind.  This may be sexist, but the post title question is directed specifically at women who choose to wear very revealing attire, often using the warm weather to justify their clothing selection.  Often, if the clothing is not immodest in terms of lack of material, it is revealing in terms of the tightness of it's fit and/or shape-hugging style.

Now as a man, I cannot honestly say that I have never taken notice of these women.  But my issue is that you're deliberately wearing that outfit to attract attention and focus it very specifically on certain assets that you possess.  It is a disappointment to see that, but is illogical and arguably ridiculous when these same women complain that men treat them as a sex object or look at them with wanton eyes.

What do you expect when you try to put everything out there for show?  Are you honestly going to try and tell me that you chose that outfit because it's "comfortable" to wear?!  You spent 20 minutes wriggling into those pants because they feel good ?!  You constantly pull and push and readjust your top, yet expect me to believe that you picked the right size and style?!

Let's be honest with ourselves here.  You like the way the clothes you wear make you look.  You like the way they make you feel.  AND most of all you like the fact that your attire catches and holds the eyes of men around you.

My final thought is this ... you may feel an initial boost in self-confidence as you wear these clothes.  You may even use these clothes as motivation to improve your overall physique and health.  But I promise you that you WILL lessen the value of yourself as a whole person if you place so much emphasis on wearing immodest clothing.  You will NOT be treated as anything more than a sex object if you do not avoid dressing like one.

Song Of the Day:
Many songs crossed my mind while writing this post, but I've landed on "Rebel Yell" by Billy Idol for one simple reason: in the song, the lyrics include the refrain "in the midnight hour, she cries 'More, more, more'" and that is my biggest issue with revealing clothing.  It starts small and simple but eventually the desire increases and you'll try to push the limits even further.  You'll always seek to gain more attention and eventually you'll run out of skin to show.  You may begin to cover up again and dress more modestly after that happens but your dignity will be damaged forever.

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What Are You Doing ?

Kids are great.

Sometimes.

I often see my children doing things and wonder this blog post title question aloud.  The answers I get from my kids are almost always amusing, while also often being remarkably poignant.

Here is a picture I took of Myra, who was using a toy mirror to "yook at mah teef an' see if dey are why my mouf huwts."

I did not see that the toy she was holding was a mirror, so it was odd to me that she was making such silly faces while staring intently at a toy.
When I asked her what she was doing, her reply was as I typed it above (I've tried to match the phonetic spelling as best I can to capture the way she said it ... keeping in mind that she was still making the faces in the mirror as she explained to me what she was doing).


This was one of those "sometimes" when kids are great.  If only for the entertainment value they provide with their creative view of the world.

Song Of the Day:
I agree with the late Whitney Houston when she sang that "the children are the future" and that we need to "teach them well and let them lead the way."  Of course these are lines from her song "Greatest Love Of All" and I think the love of a parent to their child certainly is the greatest love of all.

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What Do You Want To Learn About ?

These days our lives are so filled with things to do that we often feel like we just have no time at all for the pursuit of our own passions.  But I have found a way to keep myself from accepting that "well if I had time I would" excuse.

One of my passions is learning.  I love to learn.  I love that feeling that I still get when something confusing or unknown becomes clear or known.  There is gratification for me in gaining answers to my multitude of questions.  There is also satisfaction in not feeling like I am making things up when I am talking about a variety of subjects.

Several years ago I began keeping a running list of subjects I want to learn more about.  The list ranges all over ... from specific things (how does blowing out a sprinkler system work? and can I do it on my own with the right tools?) ... to general or very broad subjects (auto mechanics; how do engines work? why does my engine make that sound?)

I have recently begun copying this list over to my iPhone, so that I can have the subjects with me everywhere I go.  When I find myself waiting somewhere (an example would be between band performances yesterday evening), I can access the web and research / read about one of the subjects I have listed.  I will certainly become no expert through this process, but I have worked through several dozen questions and subjects in the last few years.

I also love being able to add things to the list and then not worry about them again until I have time to learn about them.  Even just putting the thought on the list makes me feel better because I know I will get to it eventually.

Song Of The Day:
When I think about learning I think about my earliest education: Kindergarten.  We learned numbers and letters and how to share, etc.  The 80's group ABC comes to mind and their tune "Be Near Me" is one of my favorites.  So the group's name is the only real tie in with the post.  But now you know ... See?  You learned something.  Wasn't that fun?!  :)

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How Do I Love Thee ?

Today I celebrate 15 wonderful years of marriage with my sweetheart, Karen!

Our lives have changed so much in the decade and a half that we've been together, most of which has been change for the better.  Our family has expanded (and expanded and expanded) ... perhaps blossomed would sound better because it's not like we're fatties or anything ... to include 7 awesome kiddos.  We have moved through three different homes, and one just the right size for the time basement apartment.  Our sports cars (my old Trans Am) have been swapped out for mini-vans (and one BIG van).

But the biggest change has been our "us" time.

Karen and I strive diligently to find time for "us" but this gets more and more challenging as the kids grow older and we have more responsibilities placed on us as individuals.  Today was an appropriate example of the sacrifice that naturally comes to "us" time as the years progress on.

One of our daughters had her school program rescheduled for today, so we spent part of our afternoon watching her sing songs and say her part for the play.
Our oldest son also had his final band performance of the year scheduled for this evening, so we enjoyed two hours of middle-school music as our evening appetizer.

And my awesome wife didn't complain about either unromantic activity.  She may have lamented the timing of these events, but she found a way to be happy about how our "us" time often includes children nowadays.

And that's just one of many ways that I love her more now than I did before.  Love definitely grows over time and I can see that happening in our relationship ... which is pretty cool.  As circumstances change you can find yourself with a different person than you think you started out with, but that's just another side of the same person that you get to love and appreciate.

Thanks for coming with me on this incredible journey Pretty Lady!  I love you so very much!  :)

Song(s) Of The Day:
No need for explanation on these songs for today.  Just a handful of them that I love and want to share because they remind me of my wonderful wife!

"Silly Love Songs" by Wings

"For You" by Michael W Smith

"Just When I Needed You" by The Nylons

"Then" by Brad Paisley

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What's A Peep S'more ?

I'm sure pretty much everyone knows what s'mores are.  If not, educate yourself (like Smalls had to do in the Sandlot) before reading the rest of this post.

Okay ... so a standard s'more has two pieces of graham cracker with chocolate bar mushed between one or two marshmallows (personal preferences include many variations on this basic theme).

Well ... Peep S'mores simply replace the plain marshmallow with a roasted Peep.  And they are delicious!

Our friends, the Summers' family, introduced us to these a while back ... and we have passed on the tasty tradition to several other families along the way.


It might look burnt, but
trust me, that is just the
sugar crystallized.  Tasty!

There is just something that happens when the sugary surface of the Peep crystallizes over the coals of the camp fire ... it's like a creme brulee sort of juxtaposition between the gooey soft marshmallow in the center and the nearly rock-hard Peep shell on the outside.  Then when you smash that between two graham crackers around some chocolate (that should melt fully and quickly if you've done it right) ... oh it's just soooo good!

And as a side note you should know that I hate marshmallows.  I don't eat them plain.  I don't like them in my hot chocolate.  I often avoid candies that include marshmallow.  But I like s'mores ... and I LOVE Peep S'mores!

Song Of The Day:
Okay ... stick with me on this because it's a stretch for the song today.  I am going with "His Eye Is On The Sparrow" by my cousin's a capella group Eclipse.  This is a beautifully spiritual song, so please don't think I am being sacrilegious by using it in this context.  But Peeps are often shaped like birds and you have to keep your eye on them very closely while toasting them or they will fall off into the fire and your s'more will just never be the same.  :)

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