I am Thankful For ???

So it is the season for giving thanks. How do you actually give thanks? Here, I am going to give you thanks. Hmm, It just does not sound right. Well unless Publishers Clearing House decides to show up at my door and give me $10mil. in thanks for invading my email everyday with their empty promises. (Oh and don't forget to bring an apple pie.)Now that would be giving thanks.I have never understood this concept as I believe we should show thanks on a daily basis, but whatever. So help me understand, for a day the Indians and pilgrims put down their guns and arrows and broke bread with each other and showed love? Then the next day they got up at 3am to be at Target for the sale? Oh mean started fighting again. It is kind of like the whole Valentines Day gig. One day of the year we show we love the one your with? What? What a bunch of crap that "holiday" is. Ok do not get me started. Stay focused.

I am thankful for life and my family & friends. Now usually on Thanksgiving we eat like real men. This meaning for as long as I can remember my father cooked a 20lb rock salt prime rib roast for this day of gluttony.

( fill bottom of roasting pan with rock salt- put said roast in, now cover the roast with rock salt so you have about an inch of coverage all the way around. Spray the rock salt with water to help create a cocoon. Roast at 500 degrees for 15 minutes per pound or until the roast temp is 135. Take out and enjoy.)

I took this tradition with me on my journey of building my own family. This year however I have been out voted by the conservative democrats ( wife and kids ) and have to cook a freaking traditional turkey. I hate turkey. I am all about pardoning the damn turkey and moving onto some real grub. I need my well marbled knock the horns off, sear it on both sides and I will do the rest prime rib.



I guess I might make it. I will cook a nice Fillet Mignon for myself. I truly hope that after this bird debacle year my kids will come to their senses. The roast beast is best!!!! It could be worse I could be stuck with a Turdurken or rocky mountain oysters. So I am thankful I have the bounty I have. Have a wonderful , safe Thanksgiving.

Date... What Is That???

OK, so hold onto something. We actually went on a real live date. Yes, I said a date. Now I know after 12 glorious years of marriage, one would think we would have stolen away some time to be alone. Yes, we have gone to the Caribbean 9 times with other couples, but everything else we have done we have had the λίγο skatullis (Greek slang for Lil' Shits)with us. We figured that why we had them was to create a family, right? And in a few short years they won't want to be anywhere near us. (you know the whole teenage thing). As much as we truly love them we realized that it had been almost a year and a half since we had actually been on a date. Just the two of us. You may ask how this happened? Well it was pretty simple, really. I mean, shame on us for not thinking of this sooner. Our kids had a sleep over/play date at their friends' house, not ours. So the door was wide open and we seized the opportunity. We went and had dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. We actually sat up at the bar and shared an appetizer, ate dinner and laughed like we used to BK, and we had a blast. Then we went home and watched a movie and, well the rest I am not at liberty to share. Suffice it to say date night is in the plans to be a very regular thing... Shew, I needed that.

Thousand Word Thursday

A dollar for your thoughts?


She was looking over the railing of the ferry as we road from Oakland to San Fran. Just lost in her thoughts.


The Bay Bridge in a different view.

Oh For The Love Of God

Ok, I have had this headache now for 2 days. The thing just won't go away. On top of that my fingers do not work so well again today from the damned arthritis, so if I am typing too slowly please accept my sincere apologies, but I am a hunt and pecker as it is, now add in

Arthritis (from Greek arthro-, joint + -itis, inflammation; plural: arthritides)

and well, things move kinda slow. I just had to throw in the Greek breakdown of the word. Seriously, it is one of my 10 favorite things about my best friend and brother "Pete the Greek". He loves to break down words by their Greek lineage from which everyone can learn, or to show how freaking smart he is, which he is. I promise I will write more about "Pete the Greek" at a later date.

Today I have a more pressing matter to rant about. In the past week I have had the ever so uplifting and somewhat soul cleansing experience of being yanked from family activities and work to answer the door and be greeted by a pair of very over zealous doctrine peddlers. Yes, Tuesday it was the Jehovah's Witnesses. Wow, what an odd mind bender that was. 11 am on a Tuesday? Don't you people have a job to go to? I mean really. I figured it was the UPS guy bringing me work items. But no, I am not that lucky today. I get the 12 minute plunger in the eye socket treatment behind door number 1.

" Hey is there any remote chance I can exchange that for a colonoscopy with a side of root canal, extra Novacaine please? Excuse me, if I may, can I change that to extra Versed?"

But thanks for reading the ever so present "NO SOLICITATION" sign glaring at you as you walk up to the front door. I guess that must have been interpreted as no solicitation except for you today, because what, was it freaking solicitation Tuesday? Did you think there was a one hour window in which soliciting was ok? Whatever, thanks for the pamphlet and burning 12 minutes of my day. Note to self: That's 12 minutes I will never get back.

Then last night at exactly 7:04pm the door bell rings. Now mind you, the lights are off out front, we are having a somewhat late family meal so it is also quiet as everyone is either telling the tales of their day or masticating furiously the grub we threw together and called it Friday night dinner.

I creep to the door amongst the shhh, shh, who is it, who is its? I open the door and low and behold there are two Mormon missionaries. Oy Vey. You know, I AM really a nice guy, seriously, but we all have our breaking points.

" Mr. Elggren?"

"Yes, what can I do for you tonight? "

" Well Sir, we wanted to check on you and your family and see what we could do for you."

"Well, the leaves need raking, the garage is in disarray and I could use a couple extra hundy for the wife and kids, whataya say?"

I get the deer in the headlights dumbfounded look from both of these well meaning lads.
So then I go into my usual kind Tony mode.

" Hey gents, I know you mean well and I admire what you have chosen to do. Is there anything I can do for you?"

" No Sir, we are doing well."

"Ok, well with that said I would kind of like to go back to my family dinner."

"Thanks for your time - good night and good luck."
( short for - "don't let the door hit ya, where the good lord split ya.")

So to be absolutely crystal clear, my point here is I DO NOT LIKE OR APPRECIATE SOLICITATION IN ANY FORM. In this instance, if I were seeking out a new religion or belief I do believe I could research that desire on my own; seek out the counsel of trusted friends and family. But you see, I have not euthanized my mind to that need at this point. ( for those who are keeping track, Euthanasia literally means "good death" in Greek.)
I do not need folks interrupting what short precious time I have on this here third planet from the sun to try to sell me a bottle of snake oil or try to convince me that their beliefs are the ones I should adopt. I would not do that to you. My beliefs are just fine, I think? I believe I need to drop a few pounds, I am a Christian, I love God, I love my family, I treat people how I want to be treated ( most of the time ). Yes I like beer, Ron "Tater Salad" White's humor, college football, the island of St. John USVI, buffalo wings, and Grumpy's burgers. In no particular order mind you. But I can think, choose and believe for myself.

Oh for the love of God, Good Night & Good Luck.

Thousand Word Thursday

A day in Maui is better than a day at school.

Nice

This is a great chance to get something nice for someone and contribute to a good cause. Check it out.. Seriously. Hey Jay@halftimelessons these would make great stocking stuffers at a reasonable price.

Thousand Word Thursday

Blog Block

I have a blog condition diagnosed as blog block. Maybe it is post election hangover, stress from work, the rain that has now set in here in the Northwest, who knows, but I just can't seem to conjure up anything that I deem to be of substance, or that my editor will allow me to be posted. So stay tuned as something good, weird, wacky or crappy will happen soon, it would not be life if it did not. Management is sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.

Tony

Gotta Check This Out

If You're Bored, You're Boring.....

So I thought I was on cruise control in the blog world. Create a post as part of my 12 step program and then keep on keeping on. Until today. Yes, because today, I was "Tagged".

"Tagged?" I asked.
"What the bloody hell is tagged?"

Well, thanks to my wonderful new friend Deb at dirtysocksandpizza. If you have not visited her blog you must. She is very witty and fun to read. I almost busted a gut reading her post: My Spiritual Journey: Finding My Inner To-Do List. I now understand the Blogology term of being "Tagged".

BLOGIPEDIA: Tagged: Blog 6 things people don't know about you and tag 6 other people from Twitter or Blogs. Then mention here that you wrote the post so we can visit you.

Now that you know the deal, let's get jiggy with it:

1. I was fortunate enough to carry the Olympic Torch the evening before the opening ceremonies of the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City. I passed the flame onto Tristan Gale who eventually won Gold for the U.S. in women's skeleton. Then, my wife and I had the chance to ride the Park City, Utah Olympic Bobsled track with 2 U.S. Olympic Bobsled members. We cruised about 75 mph while pulling 6G's ( G-forces )in each corner. Wow! Only need to do that once. Probably the longest 31 seconds in my life.




2. I love sushi; especially sashimi. I have been known to scare the sushi chef as I can eat it like a killer whale.

3.I have a Master's Degree in Organizational Management. Much like my posts on my blog I could not have done it without my trusted Chief Editor and lovely wife, Colleen. I can write; I am just admittedly terrible with punctuation and grammer. Thank God for spell-check, too.

4. I am 100% Swedish. Yaah. "Lampor lyser, men ingen är hemma." Hmmm... you figure it out. Ok, I'll let you know. Loosely translated it means "lights are on, but no one is home."

5. I played defensive back at Virgina Tech University from 1988-1990. Yes, I ensured that I took full advantage of the gift of scholarship. I was actually a student athlete and graduated! I know that God is a Hokie because the leaves turn maroon & orange each fall.

6. I am a worrier. Yes, I worry incessently about everything and anything. I know it is not healthy or helpful, but I can't seem to help myself. I am exactly like my Dad. A neurotic raccoon with a type A personality. Everything has its place, time and purpose and they'd better not get out of order or synchronization. It would be bad. Now, my wonderful wife on the other hand, grounds me. She does not have a worry in the world. Seriously, she is a stone. She always tells me "oh honey, it always works out, or "why are you wasting so much energy on this?" I certainly married up.

So I am told there is a lot of flexibility in this little exercise. Good thing, because I am so new in this Blogosphere that I don't have 6 fellow bloggers I could tag without them thinking I am a blog stalker.
I'm tagging...well, no one for now.

TONY