My Very Own Little Tin Tin!

18. January 2012 · Comments Off on My Very Own Little Tin Tin! · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: , ,

I know, I’ve been pretty scarce.  Sorry.  I was in quite a funk the 1-2 weeks following Christmas.  Then I spent last week in Nebraska doing some Air Force Reserve work.

Nothing in particular with the funk, I just didn’t feel like writing.

I also have been pretty slow with the camera too, I’ve very few pictures to offer.  I promise that will change next week!

So here’s a story for you.

Just before I left for Nebraska two weekends ago, the family went to see The Adventures of Tintin.  What a fantastic movie, by the way!  Certainly isn’t just for kids!

The CGI animation of Tintin reminded me SO MUCH of Timmy.  I couldn’t help myself…I had to make a comparison, so here it is!  This is a picture of Timmy from our trip to the Santa train about 3 weeks ago.

And yes, as one could guess, Timmy wants to be Tintin for Halloween.

Happy Boxing Day! I KNOW You’re Wondering….

26. December 2011 · Comments Off on Happy Boxing Day! I KNOW You’re Wondering…. · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: , ,
Fox hunting is now illegal in the UK, but Boxing Day is still the country’s biggest hunting day, with the hounds searching for a “dragged scent” instead of a real animal.

Happy Boxing Day!  I know for Americans, this is the day we get in lines to return gifts, and hit the mobs of shoppers grabbing wrapping paper, Christmas trees and strings of lights at at least 50% of off!  The retail industry has even termed the day “Mega Monday“.  For most nations in the Commonwealth of Nations, the day AFTER Christmas is also a holiday: Boxing Day.

Have you ever wondered what exactly Boxing Day is?  Is it a day where everyone watches boxing?

According to Wikipedia, the origins of Boxing Day seem to come from a tradition where wealthier citizens would give gifts — boxed gifts — to their servants or other trademen in service to them (such as their cobbler or ice delivery man) on the first weekday AFTER Christmas…this is when servants would usually get an extra day off, also.

Check out the Wiki for more information.

Flashback From 2010: Funny Fireworks!

03. July 2011 · Comments Off on Flashback From 2010: Funny Fireworks! · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: , ,

This was from a year ago today, but it’s worth reviving for this year, since I laugh so much from the stupid names of some of these products!

This week I’m volunteering at a fireworks stand. For those saying “Wow! How?”, let me explain a little.

The state of Nebraska allows 10 days per year for free-for-all fireworks sales/use. There are some exceptions: none of this is legal in the Omaha city limits, and Lincoln only allows sales for 2 days. So starting on June 25th, you hear the explosions as everyone’s having a good time with their loot. In our neighborhood, it’s only really loud till about 10pm…except for July 4th, I know last summer we were launching till midnight, at least!

From 2009 07 04 July4thBlockParty

In Bellevue, and perhaps in other cities (but I don’t know for sure), local non-profits can pay the licensing fees and sell the fireworks as a fundraiser. I got an e-mail from the Bellevue Soccer Club looking for volunteers to help man their club’s fundraiser fireworks stand up the road from us. My first thought? DISCOUNTS! Even though I was TDY at the beginning of the week, and we’re leaving on vacation at the end of the week, I still thought it’d be a fun thing to do, so I volunteered to do 2 four-hour shifts.

I did my first four-hour shift yesterday and it was fun. Not super crowded, but not bad either. A steady stream of customers.

Anyway, the point of this blog post is to share some of the hilarious names for these fireworks.  These are all multi-shot small mortar shells.  You light it one time and it launches 25 or so shots in succession.

Some are benign. There’s no doubt what this is, right?

From 2010 07 10 Fireworks Packages

Some are sillier. And we start to lose any sense of what’s in the packaging.

From 2010 07 10 Fireworks Packages

Some are adrenaline-packed! Forget about a description of what this is.

From 2010 07 10 Fireworks Packages

And this one made no sense to me whatsoever. Are these even fireworks???

From 2010 07 10 Fireworks Packages

And here are some others…enjoy!

From 2010 07 10 Fireworks Packages
From 2010 07 10 Fireworks Packages
From 2010 07 10 Fireworks Packages

Watch Out!*

11. May 2011 · 2 comments · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: , ,

*Yes, this is one of the much-less-creative blog post titles.

I have an awesome watch.  I’ve had this watch since my college graduation in 1995.  It was a gift from my parents…16 years ago this week.  Yep, that’s a now-extinct Nittany Lion statue in the middle of the dial.

Best. Graduation. Gift. Ever!

Being that it’s a Seiko, it has performed incredibly for the past 16 years.  About 2 weeks ago, the watch stopped.  This has happened before, and all that means is a new battery.  I typically have to change the battery out every 18 months.

I took it to the mall to replace the battery, but the watch didn’t resume working right away.  It played dead for a day or so, then started working.

I wore it for a couple days and all seemed well; then I wore the watch when I took a run last week and it stopped again.  Probably from my sweaty arms (ewwww!).

Back to the jewelry kiosk at the mall.  The gentleman there told me that the watch needs to go to a Seiko authorized repair facility to replace some of the contacts that had gone bad.  So it will operate intermittently until I get it dealt with.

So I will put the watch in the mail (adequately insured, I promise!) this week.

In the meantime, I headed over to Kohl’s today for a replacement watch.  I had my supply of coupons and Kohl’s cash — I figured I could pick up an inexpensive basic digital watch with a stopwatch function (this might have come in handy earlier during the soccer season).  So that’s what I did:

Yeah, it’s gaudy, but I wanted to have a little fun.

Pink.  I was looking for a watch for running and this model had everything I was looking for.  I had a choice between purple, blue, orange and pink.  The blue was a very bright blue, as bold as this pink here.

Being that I have some AF Reserve drill days next week and chances are my Seiko won’t be done by then, I’ll need to think twice before putting on this new watch with my uniform.  Since it’s supposed to be conservative.

What do you think?

What Not to Do With Your Brand New "Best Picture" Oscar…

09. March 2011 · Comments Off on What Not to Do With Your Brand New "Best Picture" Oscar… · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: ,

A story published in the London Telegraph online brought me a smile this morning.  The co-producer of this year’s Best Picture, The King’s Speech, Simon Egan, was celebrating the movie’s Academy Awards success at a Hollywood party with his 15-month-old daughter Lara in attendance.  Another party guest let Lara hold the Oscar so folks could take pictures.  As expected, that statuette slipped right out of her hands!

You can view the video through this link.

Mr. Egan immediately contacted the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and was relieved to learn that the Academy has a program for repairing damaged statuettes.

Lesson learned — unless you’re Walt Disney with 26 Oscar statuettes to spare, think REAL hard before letting your 15-month-old loose on your symbol of the pinnacle of your career!

Nebraska Discoveries 18: Fontenelle Splashground

14. August 2010 · 4 comments · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: , , ,

Today Shannon and I took our boys to this new “splashpark” that opened 2 weeks ago in North Omaha.  What a fun, FREE, way to spend a hot summer afternoon! School starts Monday!

Since the original post this afternoon I’ve had a chance to add more commentary about this place. The City of Omaha has built several of these “Splashgrounds” around the city and they’re a great time for the boys. Papillion has one, but Bellevue has none (hint hint!)

Today the boys spent nearly 3 hours at the park — then the horseflies started attacking and the boys were happy to go. Shannon and I sat under a tree in the shade and had a good old fashioned chatfest.

This particular one was intriguing: there’s this innocent looking post stationed near the entrance to the fenced area — you rub the top of the post (yes, I know what I’m saying here) and that activates the water for 5 minutes.  As long as a kid runs back to the post every 5 minutes or so, the water stays on.  A nice conservation tool.  You can see the post in the 3rd picture here.

From 2010 08 13 Fontenelle Splashground
More »

Jacob’s Video of Howie

31. July 2010 · Comments Off on Jacob’s Video of Howie · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: , ,

Jacob asked me to share this with you. Jacob thinks that Howie seems to perk up at the word “Rhino”…and he does. But I’m not sure it’s the word as much as the inflection in his voice.

Jacob enjoys watching funny dog videos on You Tube. His favorite series of videos is of Mishka the Talking Husky.

He asked me to upload this to You Tube and has been tracking the hit count all day. We’re up to a whopping “7” as of this writing. Help us up the numbers some!

Funny Fireworks

02. July 2010 · Comments Off on Funny Fireworks · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: , ,

This week I’m volunteering at a fireworks stand. For those saying “Wow! How?”, let me explain a little.

The state of Nebraska allows 10 days per year for free-for-all fireworks sales/use. There are some exceptions: none of this is legal in the Omaha city limits, and Lincoln only allows sales for 2 days. So starting on June 25th, you hear the explosions as everyone’s having a good time with their loot. In our neighborhood, it’s only really loud till about 10pm…except for July 4th, I know last summer we were launching till midnight, at least!

From 2009 07 04 July4thBlockParty

In Bellevue, and perhaps in other cities (but I don’t know for sure), local non-profits can pay the licensing fees and sell the fireworks as a fundraiser. I got an e-mail from the Bellevue Soccer Club looking for volunteers to help man their club’s fundraiser fireworks stand up the road from us. My first thought? DISCOUNTS! Even though I was TDY at the beginning of the week, and we’re leaving on vacation at the end of the week, I still thought it’d be a fun thing to do, so I volunteered to do 2 four-hour shifts.

I did my first four-hour shift yesterday and it was fun. Not super crowded, but not bad either. A steady stream of customers.

Anyway, the point of this blog post is to share some of the hilarious names for these fireworks.  These are all multi-shot small mortar shells.  You light it one time and it launches 25 or so shots in succession.

Some are benign. There’s no doubt what this is, right?

From 2010 07 10 Fireworks Packages

Some are sillier. And we start to lose any sense of what’s in the packaging.

From 2010 07 10 Fireworks Packages

Some are adrenaline-packed! Forget about a description of what this is.

From 2010 07 10 Fireworks Packages

And this one made no sense to me whatsoever. Are these even fireworks???

From 2010 07 10 Fireworks Packages

And here are some others…enjoy!

From 2010 07 10 Fireworks Packages
From 2010 07 10 Fireworks Packages
From 2010 07 10 Fireworks Packages

Ring Ring Ring Ring…Banana Phone!

14. June 2009 · Comments Off on Ring Ring Ring Ring…Banana Phone! · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: , ,

The song is stuck in my head now.

Why? Because we brought this artificial banana with us on vacation and Dave has been charged with photographing it everywhere. Yes, like Flat Stanley. The pictures of this banana as it travels across America are being assembled in a photo album for one of Dave’s colleagues, who uses this banana as punishment for those who arrive at his unit’s physical training sessions late.

Enjoy the pictures of each of the states we crossed so far today on our eastward journey…banana and all:

From 2009 06 13 VacationEastDay1

From 2009 06 13 VacationEastDay1

From 2009 06 13 VacationEastDay1

From 2009 06 13 VacationEastDay1

Tomorrow we continue on I-80 all the way to New York City. According to our GPS, it should only be about 7-8 hours worth of driving (compared to 10.5 hours today). We hope to be out of our hotel by 0800, try to get to NY before dark.

100 Life Experiences

22. February 2009 · 8 comments · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: ,

I got this from Christina of Sugar Sweet Thoughts <http://christinagblogspot.blogspot.com/2009/02/100-life-experiences.html>, who got it from Must Love Tots <http://mustlovetots.blogspot.com/2009/02/lifes-experiences.html> who got this from Scientific Nature of the Whammy <http://www.snotw.com/2009/02/100-life-experiences.html> who got this from Megan <http://newlywednewlybredinne.blogspot.com/> .

It looked like fun, so here goes! Hopefully no identity theft issues with this one… Not sure what an identity thief or potential terrorist will do with the fact that I've never gone skinny dipping but have run a marathon.

RULES: There are 100 statements and you bold or distinctify the ones you have done. Grab it and play for yourself!! We have no idea what happened to #11…

(Major Mom's Note: There are 12 European vacation references in this list! There is ONE in Asia, I definitely sense a BIAS here! Despite that, it's a diverse list.)

*1. Started your own blog

*2. Slept under the stars

3. Played in a band

*4. Visited Hawaii

5. Watched a meteor shower

*6. Given more than you can afford to charity.

7. Been to Disneyland

*8. Climbed a mountain.

*9. Held a praying mantis

10. Sang a solo

12. Visited Paris

*13. Watched a lightning storm at sea

14. Taught yourself an art from scratch

15. Adopted a child

*16. Had food poisoning

17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty

*18. Grown your own vegetables

19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France

*20. Slept in an overnight train

*21. Had a pillow fight

22. Hitchhiked

23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill

24. Built a snow fort

25. Held a lamb

26. Gone skinny dipping

*27. Run a marathon

28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice

*29. Seen a total eclipse (solar)

*30. Watched a sunrise or sunset

31. Hit a home run

*32. Been on a cruise

33. Seen Niagara Falls in person

34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors

*35. Seen an Amish community

36. Taught yourself a new language

*37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied

38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person

*39. Gone rock climbing

40. Seen Michelangelo's David

*41. Sung karaoke

42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt

43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant

44. Visited Africa

*45. Walked on a beach by moonlight

*46. Been transported in an ambulance

*47. Had your portrait painted

48. Gone deep sea fishing

49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person

50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris

*51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling

*52. Kissed in the rain

*53. Played in the mud

55. Been in a movie

*56. Visited the Great Wall of China

57. Started a business

58. Taken a martial arts class

59. Visited Russia

60. Served at a soup kitchen

*61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies

62. Gone whale watching

*63. Got flowers for no reason

66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp

*67. Bounced a check

*68. Flown in a helicopter

*69. Saved a favorite childhood toy

*70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial

*71. Eaten caviar.

*72. Pieced a quilt

*73. Stood in Times Square

74. Toured the Everglades

75. Been fired from a job

76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London

77. Broken a bone

78. Been on a speeding motorcycle

79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person

80. Published a book

81. Visited the Vatican

*82. Bought a brand new car

83. Walked in Jerusalem

*84. Had your picture in the newspaper

85. Read the entire Bible

*86. Visited the White House

*87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating

*88. Had chicken pox

89. Saved someone's life

90. Sat on a jury

*91. Met someone famous

*92. Joined a book club

*93. Lost a loved one

*94. Had a baby

*95. Seen the Alamo in person

96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake

97. Been involved in a lawsuit

*98. Owned a cell phone

*99. Been stung by a bee

*100. Read an entire book in one day

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