Snow Day

Last night a wonderful winter storm went through. We received about 3" of snow, followed by sleet, followed by ice. I woke up, looked out the window, then picked up the phone and left a message for my manager that I wouldn't be in. See, I don't mind the snow and we do have an all wheel drive Subaru that I'd take, but the ice is an issue. On TV and the radio I saw/heard the accidents this morning and after processing that information, I was like, "Um, I don't think so."

So I had a wonderfully productive day. Well sort of... I used the snow blower to clear out my driveway and the neighbor's. I caught up on some movies, I watched 21 followed by Ocean's 11. It made me want to go to Las Vegas. "Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!" Plus the goat / car problem in 21 is classic mathematics:



Also, I like the last line Clooney says to Brad Pitt in Ocean's 11, "Ted Nugent called, he wants his shirt back..."

One Ball

I went to NJ today to help my Mom shop for a new refrigerator. Her current one is a byproduct of the 80's. It was definitely time for it to go. It is on its last leg. It is also a wonderful color, like a brown mustard (whoever thought that was a good color, I dunno...). She found a nice, white Frigidaire which will be delivered tomorrow. I had lunch with her, took her back home and then headed back to PA. Whenever I go see my Mom in NJ, I also try to go visit my Dad's spot at the cemetery.

I go to say "Hi" and to tell him what's new with me, Sharkey, and Maggie. It is funny, but I'm not exactly sure why I even talk at the place. I mean, it is not like I really believe he is really there to talk to and that place is the only place where I think he can hear me. See I know his ashes are there, but I know his spirit is elsewhere. He is somewhere better, somewhere perfect, and somewhere where I will be someday as well. But still, maybe it is because I am still flesh and blood that makes me need a physical "place" to talk with my Dad.

When I was there, I told him that I couldn't wait for the weather to warm up so I could golf again. Then that made me think a bit and reflect for a few minutes. I took up golf just to spend time with my Dad and get him out for some physical activity. Now golf is a huge part of my life. It is definitely something he passed on to me and I may have mentioned this before, but when I am playing out on the greens and on the fairways I feel like he's there with me watching and smiling.

I went to my car, unzipped my golf bag and took out a ball. I then went over to his stone and placed it into a spot in front. I suppose it is my way to thank him for passing on his love of the game to me and giving me a way to always be close to him. One ball with three red dots to symbolize so much...



Now I just need to wait for my Mom to call so I can explain to her where the golf ball came from by Dad's stone.... =)

New Years Activities

New Year's Eve...

Came home from work around 4:30. The head cold finally was subsiding a bit and my voice was starting to come back as well. One of my female co-workers had commented I sounded less manly and like my old self. (Come to think of it, that could be kind of insulting taken the wrong way, so it is a good thing I am very manly and do many masculine, testosterone filled activities...) Anyway, Sharkey and I didn't have any set plans because she knew I was under the weather and we had just come back from the frozen Midwest, but it's New Years Eve, so we just couldn't stay home. I went to OpenTable.com and was able to get a table at the Cedar Hollow Inn for 7:00pm. If it weren't for the last minute, nothing would ever get done right?

Watched the ball drop on ABC. Always watch the ball drop and I do admire Dick Clark for doing the show post stroke, but um...I totally did not need to see him lock lips with his wife with the Judy Jetson hairdo. Yeah, totally did not need that image going into 2009!

New Year's Day...

Cooked Japanese food most of the day. New Year is a big deal for Asians. Trust me, it even applies to us bananas (banana=yellow on the outside, white on the inside). So I made some Japanese Lo Mein. It is sort of a misnomer, because as everyone knows, Lo Mein is a Chinese and not Japanese dish. But this dish is a family dish which is only made at certain times of the year and my Mom was kind enough to pass the recipe to me, so I have taken up the mantle. It's pretty good. It requires lots and lots of prep work (mainly chopping) and relatively short cooking time, and it is always better the next day. Since Sharkey and I were in MN for Christmas, we had not gotten together with my family, so I was making the food for Friday.

First Monday Thoughts for the New Year...

Back to work...

When's the next holiday?

Crap, graduate school starts up next week again. Man I cannot wait to finish that Master's degree

Where should Sharkey and I try to get away to for a vacation during the winter?

Oh Memphis Belle is on. That's one of my all time favorite movies.

Golf league starts in 3 months, whooo hooo!!

Watching "Diner's Drive In's and Dives." Geeze Guy, this show is going to kill you. How can you eat all that fat and grease all the time?

No Voice, No Problem

Christmas came and went. Sharkey and I came and went to Minnesota. You know, you do not truly understand how cold, cold is until you step outside into a -8 degree climate with gusting wind. Yes it is true. It was frigid. First day we were there, -8 was the high. Second day we were there 0 was the high. The next day the temperature shot to 22 degrees. That felt like summer! The even more insane thing was that when we hit Pennsylvania on our way back this past Saturday, it was 73 degrees!! Think about that. From the time we arrived at MN to the time we hit the PA border we had an 81 degree temperature shift!

I have to admit. Minnesota is sort of a blur to me. We got there and it was go, go, go... The time just flew by. Wrapped presents, went shopping, thawed out windshield wiper fluid reservoir, wrapped more presents, cooked food, ate food, went to visit grandma, unwrapped presents, played with kids, played with dogs, ate more food, played guitar hero world tour w/ Sharkey, Character Builder, and CB's Husband (now that was fun!!!!), drove home... This description is my recollection of this past Christmas.

So from Minnesota to PA I received my last "present" for the holidays. Between Wisconsin and Ohio I picked up "the head cold." You know what I mean? It's the "Barbara are you up, Barbara are you up....I'm up now....I can't sleep, my throat's all scratchy...I'll get the aspirin and Sucrets...aspirin and Sucrets?" I'm on stage three at this point. No more sore throat. Just the dry, choking cough and lack of voice. I cannot talk w/o sounding like either James Earl Jones or Peter Brady in that "Time to Change" episode...



It is going to make this weekend interesting. I am supposed to cantor this weekend. I may have to get a sub....

I know I need to man up, but the truth is, I am the biggest Mamma's boy when I get sick. I want to just go to sleep and not get up until I am better. Sharkey on the other hand is the total opposite. She gets sick, she moves around, and still does stuff. This is a total foreign concept to me. I shut down like the East coast does when snow falls... I have gotten a bit better in the 8 years we've been married, but I still like the sleep, read book, watch movie, play video game method of recuperating. I do hate not being able to talk though. It is very limiting, but then I remembered, I have a blog, I still have a voice....

On the Road Again

Sharkey and I are off to the Midwest for Christmas. Yesterday, I shut down my PC after putting my out of office on and setting my phone to voice mail only. IT FEELS GOOD! We had decided months ago to road trip it from PA to MN because gas was at like $4.50/gallon and it would've cost us like $1500/plane ticket to fly, plus board Maggie, plus rent a car, plus pay for gas when we got there... Fortunately, Sharkey and I both love road trips. And since we are driving, Maggie can come with us. She is a great traveling dog too, we are sooo lucky she is... I grew up w/ multiple road trips for family vacations. My Dad loved to drive, and drive we did, all over the USA and a bit into Canada as well.

We actually got off to a good start today. Usually we do not make it out of the house until 11am-12pm, but this morning we were up and out by 8:30am. What you need to understand is that neither of us are great morning people. We would like to be, but it is just not in the cards. Sleep always wins. The funny part is that this morning, all of us, including the Maggie-Moo were nestled all snug in our bed. So I am surprised we were able to get going so early. But here we are in a nice, warm hotel room in glorious Toledo, Ohio. We made good time and we can unwind for a few hours before we all hit the hay and then get up and do part 2 tomorrow.



You may think Toledo is a weird place to stop, but it is about 1/2 way between where we live and Sharkey's parents, and more importantly there is a Texas Roadhouse restaurant next door. So driving all day I am thinking about a salad, loaded baked potato, and medium filet with warm cinnamon buttered rolls. You know, driving long distances requires incentives!

How Do These Songs Get Passed On?

Sharkey and I have the most stimulating conversations. We solve earth shattering issues. We discuss ethical dilemmas currently facing our country. We plan strategies to solve many of the common man's problems. Our last topic was especially stimulating. For this session we discussed the way certain songs are passed from generation to generation from geographic location to location. Case in point, the Jingle Bells, Batman smells song:

Jingle Bells, Batman Smells, Robin laid an egg...

Batmobile lost its wheel so the Joker got away...

The Jingle Bells, Batman smells songs transcends gender, generations, and geographic location. You could go from East to West coast, north to south, and find someone who knows this song by heart and can sing the entire thing back to you. So how does this phenomenon happen? I know the song has been featured on The Simpsons, Family guy, and on various TV shows, but the interesting thing is that even before those shows, back in the 70's (yes we were little kids of the bell bottom, long hair, bad clothing era), Sharkey and I both knew that song. How does that happen? I lived in NJ. Sharkey is from MN. That's like 1000 miles. So would you like to join our deep, insightful conversation and lend your theories? =)

Nubs and Stressin...

Nubs...

Maggie Moo had a grooming session yesterday. She is now all nice, soft, and pretty smelling. She is a girl after all, so she should smell good, right? She decided last night while we were watching Top Chef NYC that Mom looked comfy.



Those are my girls. Aren't they both Sweet!



Sharkey didn't even reposition her for the pictures. Maggie totally put herself into her relaxation poses.

Stressin...

Today was "one of those days." It started so well too. I got up on time, was productive, and reasonably happy, well until I received the phone call at 11am. "JP, you know that thing you helped us with? We think it caused a major problem with..." Yeah, those calls SUCK!!! And then my day went totally downhill from there. I spent the next 5 hours fixing things, verifying other things, and then explaining things to the person who called me. I got everything straightened out, but it was exhausting and I could feel the tension in my shoulders and neck. I had to sit back in my chair, close my eyes and take some deep, relaxing breaths. That calmed me down a bit and then I was able to refocus. I'm hoping for a quiet Friday at work!!

Public Speaking Tip #1

I just finished a Graduate course. In this course, all the students were required to do two presentations in front of the class. A lot of people in the class, including me, used Power Point slides for their presentation. Now, I am not new to public speaking. I have taught classes which ranged in sizes of 50-80 people at national conferences. I have delivered a speech to about 200 Japanese American people. So giving a presentation to a group of 26 people for a graduate course is no big deal. You learn a few things the more and more you public speak. You learn what works and what does not. You learn how to read your audience to see if "they get it" or "if they don't get it" and if you are losing them or if you have their interest and attention. But most importantly, you learn to use your presentation tools properly. So here's a tip for you all who do not public speak very often or have something coming up where you're thinking about using Power Point. When you have to speak in front of a lot of people and use Power Point, use your slides as speaking points. They should not have everything you are saying on them!! To illustrate my point...



You cannot believe how many people write every word of every sentence into the Power Point. Then they get up and say exactly what's on the slide. Less is definitely more! And I have news for you people that's not presenting, that's reading!!! Microsoft named the software Power Point, because you are only supposed to show major POINTS and specific IDEAS. I think after listening to each of the 26 presentations 2x, there were only like 3-4 that were decent. The rest were akin to chewing on tinfoil and made you want to stick a pencil in your eye.

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Cow I'm on FIRE!

Every 1st weekend of every month I get to do the liturgy at church. It is not a big deal. I do the cantor part. So I sing (yes JP sings) this part, the congregation responds, I sing another part, they respond, etc. I also do the readings from time to time and help out with communion as well. This morning I helped with communion. The Pastor does the bread, I do the wine. The people come up and circle the altar and he gives them a little bread from a loaf and I hand them a little plastic cup of wine. And we go around until everyone has each of the elements. Well, we are now in advent and someone had the bright idea of putting the advent candles on the altar. Two of them are lit right now. As I go around, I pass really close to the candles, and the robe I am wearing is my choir robe and it's made out of a poly blend, the absolute best combustible fabric you could possibly wear. You can sort of see where I am going. Sharkey comes up to the altar and looks me straight in the eyes and tells me, "Be careful of those flames." I get through, just fine, but I still have this picture in mind of how it could have turned out....



UPDATE... I am really shocked by the lack of comments on this post. COME ON PEOPLE?!?! JP almost catching on fire is hilarious!! Do you think you could really offend me or you do not want to say anything because this post has...gasp...Christian tones to it!! =)

The Hunt Takes a Twist

Thanksgiving came and went. I went to bed around 10:30pm so I could grab 6 hours of sleep before beginning my yearly quest. To my surprise, Sharkey was not in bed when my eyes opened at 4:30am. She came walking into the bedroom and asked me when I was leaving. This is monumental as I have always gone on the hunt on my own. Sharkey usually stays behind in our warm bed. We went to Target around 4:45am to stand in line for the 6am store opening. After combing through the ads, the only thing I really wanted to score was Guitar Hero World Tour for the Nintendo Wii. Sharkey and I play Guitar Hero III quite often and we were looking forward to getting a new set of songs to rock out. So there we were in line. It was about 37 degrees and there was a slight breeze. The first 30 min were OK, but the last 30 minutes were a bit uncomfortable. And mind you we had our parkas on w/ gloves and ear muffs.



The doors opened at 6:00am and we went fast walking in with the masses. By the time the doors opened, there were about 600 people in line. We shop at Target quite often for the essentials so we know the layout of the store. We went back to the video games to find an empty shelf of Guitar Hero games. They had plenty of XBox 360, but none for Wii. I pulled a red shirt guy aside and asked him if he had anymore, because Sharkey and I were like 50th in line and lots of the people in front of us were there for the cheap LCD TV, so I thought maybe they didn't put the games in the right place. The red shirt scanned the barcode and said he had more in the back and he'd come back to the aisle with them. GREAT, way to stock door busting items Target!!! By this time, Target had about 4 people per square foot in the store. I waited by the aisle as told and answered other people's questions about the Wii game and that the red shirt was bringing more out. The red shirt came back and got within 5 feet of where I was and he was mobbed. People were rushing up to him, taking the games right out of the trolley cart he had. He was yelling at people to stop, but the mob ruled. One of the guys who I answered a question for earlier saw I did not get one and he did, so he gave me his to be fair, which was totally cool of him. The hunt was complete! A lady next to me then said she had wanted one for a child and that's when Sharkey came walking up. Sharkey asked her if it was a gift for her child and she said yes. So Sharkey looked at me, and I looked at her and nodded. I gave the woman the Guitar Hero game. The season after all is about God's love, redemption, and reconciliation, so if we could show just a bit of that love to someone else it was worth it. So we left empty handed, but we felt we did the right thing. Besides, like I said before, the thrill of the hunt is always better than the end. JP out...

Closing Time, The Hunt, Doors

Closing Time...

Sharkey and I managed to close down two places tonight. Our church has a tradition where after the Thanksgiving Eve service we all go have pie in the fellowship hall. We're Lutherans, so you know there is always food a plenty around the services and especially around the holidays. =) We ended up talking with our Pastor and his wife until we were the last ones in the hall. Shortly after that, we went to Max & Erma's for a quick bite to eat and before we knew it we were the last two in the restaurant. We managed to close two places in one night.

The Hunt....

As you all know or maybe do not know, I am a hunter of hard to get items and bargains, cause let's face it, retail is for suckers! I try to get things for the family for Christmas, and well, eer, umm, I manage to sneak a little something in there for me too... Also, if you are like me you also know the thrill of the hunt is more fun than once you have said item in hand. But I digress... At this time of year, we come to one of the most prime hunting seasons and additionally the greatest of all days for "The Hunt," Black Friday. So today I received all the advertisements of who has what for sale at what time on Friday. So I am plotting my strategy to get the things everyone else is trying to score. So I may lose a little sleep, wait in a line for a couple hours with other crazed shoppers like myself, but if I can acquire the target(s), it's totally worth it. Oh, and I don't fall for the stores' strategy of getting you to buy other stuff by luring you in for the door buster items. I am all about getting "the item" and getting out. Yeah, I admit I can be a bit crazy, but I think it is somewhat fun. Besides, I'm helping the local economy! Watch out people, man on a mission. Adrenaline rising.

Doors...

My door issues continue. To recap I have issues with doors. I don't know whether or not to push or pull. I am not sure what side hinges are on, so I end up pushing on the wrong side of the door. You think automatic doors are no issue? Well that would only be the case if you happened to choose the right side to be on when the door slides open. Remember this?



So my newest difficulty is the automatic, revolving door. At work, the door I use to go in and out of the building is an automatic, revolving door. You scan your badge to get in and it automatically revolves you into the building. You hit the button next to the door once you are inside and it revolves around to let you out. My issue is the out. I hit the button and the door revolves 2x, every single time. For everyone else it revolves 1x. I have been able to get out, but so far the door has smacked me in the butt, clipped my heels and everyone in back of me is afraid to follow me out the door. So far I think I am the only one this happens to. Doors are out to get me. I think it may be a portal conspiracy. I just need more evidence. Oh, and I am not exaggerating. These things really do happen to me. And if I didn't think it were so funny, which I totally do, I think I could perhaps be mental about my struggles with doors. JP out...

Holiday Special Presentation

For those of you who can relate, remember this???



Thanks to YouTube I found this snippet. So to get back into character remember the era. Here's your inspiration. It's the 70's. You are in the living room with your parents. They are on the scratchy green twill couch and you are lying on the shag rug on your stomach with your head on your hands watching the console television set. Mom reminds you not to sit too close to the TV because of the radiation it gives off. The TV Guide listed that "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving" was going to be on tonight, so you made sure you setup the time with the parents to watch it, because there are hardly any cartoons on TV and Charlie Brown with Snoopy is only on for the holidays and it's one of your absolute favorites. And if you miss it, you'll have to wait until next Thanksgiving for your chance to see it again. So 1 minute before 8:00pm CBS flashes the special logo, your heart races a little, and you think how great your life is at that moment. It is all you need to be happy.

That's the Way the Cookie Crumbles

Sharkey made me some chocolate chip cookies. She has been promising me these cookies for about a month. Yesterday I came home from work and when I opened the door I was greeted by the smell of fresh baked cookies.

Maggie turned 4 today. That's 28 in human years. Tonight she performed the canine Jedi Mind trick on me to get a bite of cookie:



Yeah, it worked! My little girl is growing up. Hard to believe she started at our home like this:



And who can forget dog skateboarding, the new Olympic sport:



And now she's crashed out on my lap. It's tough being Maggie you know. =)

Volume Control...Need It? Got it? Can It Be Taught?

There is a skill most of us are taught by our parents. It is called volume control. You know what I mean right? Small kids totally do not have it, but parents try their hardest to teach them to whisper or speak in their soft, quiet voice. Recently at work I was moved to another team and that meant I had to relocate my cube to another aisle. The aisle for the most part is not too bad. I am very easy going and I get along with pretty much everyone so no problem there. However.... I have this woman in my aisle who talks really loud. I mean I can hear every conversation from 3 cubes away. And to make matters worse I catch snippets of what she says and I find myself saying, "Are you kidding me? That totally is not true...." Like this:



It's like listening to Cliffy on Cheers explain the expansion of the universe or the mating habits of the New Zealand humpback whales. Needless to say I have a hard time blocking her out. I have to admit, some of the things she says amuses me at times and I think she's in her own little world, but I just wish I had a remote control to turn her down. Until that device becomes available, I guess I'll just have to rely on the good old iPhone and my headphones...

The Fit Is Go

Sharkey and I are sitting her watching "The Office" like we always do on a Thursday. The Honda commercial comes on plugging "30 Rock" and their slogan comes up...

The Fit Is Go

I think we are not the target market for the vehicle, because we cannot figure out what the hell this marketing means. Sharkey thinks it is something to do with velocity, like "The Fit really goes." Now I am of the mindset that maybe this deals with like the old Thunderbirds slogan, "Thunderbirds are GO!"

Bottom line is neither one of us knows what this slogan means. Can anyone explain to us what the heck this means?????

Time2

The Philadelphia Phillies Win the World Series --- 9:58PM

WHOOOOOOO HOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!WHOOOOOOO HOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!WHOOOOOOO HOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!WHOOOOOOO HOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!WHOOOOOOO HOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!WHOOOOOOO HOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!WHOOOOOOO HOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!WHOOOOOOO HOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!WHOOOOOOO HOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!WHOOOOOOO HOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!WHOOOOOOO HOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!WHOOOOOOO HOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!WHOOOOOOO HOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!WHOOOOOOO HOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!WHOOOOOOO HOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!WHOOOOOOO HOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!WHOOOOOOO HOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!WHOOOOOOO HOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!WHOOOOOOO HOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!WHOOOOOOO HOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!WHOOOOOOO HOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!WHOOOOOOO HOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Time

Time out of Graduate Class -- 8:00PM

Time to stop at Wawa for a hoagie -- 8:15PM

Time to get home and take out the trash and let Maggie out -- 8:25PM

Time to change out of shirt & tie into #8 Victorino Phillies Jersey -- 8:27PM

Time for inning 6: 8:35PM

GO PHILLIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Scary Christmas

Every year King of Prussia mall puts up their "ginormous" Christmas tree. It is pretty impressive and well, um, sort of scary. Let me explain. First the impressive part. It is about 4 stories tall, has animated toys all over it and is at the center of the mall. I have never been there when they've been putting it up, but I happened to go there this morning right when the mall opened. So here's a picture of the structure.



So what do you notice first? Can you see all the surge protectors all plugged into each other winding all the way up the tree? Can you say, "Fireman Bob we have a problem?" I am thinking this setup is not UL approved.

If that were the only thing with the tree, I could stop there. But, nooooooo. There are the ornaments they put on. First the Jack in the Box Clowns. Now I don't know about you, but I think clowns are scary. Besides that, who the heck puts this many Jack in the Boxes on a tree?



I think that the fire hazard and scary clowns both pale in comparison to the dolls though. For as long as I can remember, they always put these dolls on the tree. They all look like the Chucky "I am going to kill you" dolls. They are very creepy.



So in short there's nothing like taking your kid to the mall to sit on Santa's lap in front of a large incendiary tree with scary clowns and creepy dolls hung on it. Maybe they're just trying to combine the holidays and make it a "Hallo-Mas" tree?

Class Over, Time for Some Mac & Cheese

My Statistics class from hell is over!! Yes I received an "A." I mean come on, I graduated Summa Cum Laude with a degree in Applied Mathematics. I better be able to get an "A" in a statistics class or something's dreadfully wrong!

I took today and Monday off from work. Sharkey's Mom is in town so I thought I could use some down time and some family time. See, not only have I been dealing with the class from hell, but I have also been dealing with the project from hell at work. So I need down time and away time from work.

Today we went to the PDN Photo Expo in NYC. It was a lot of fun. My goal was to get as much free stuff as I could from all the vendors there. Yeah, I know that sounds lame, but it's what I have fun doing! It also cracks me up that all of them talk to me like I am Ansel Adams and have a huge photographic background. It must be the Asian carrying the Nikon stereotype. Truth be told I couldn't tell you anything of worth about taking photos, and I went along to be a pack mule for Sharkey. Heee Haaaawww.... But I like the convention thing and the expo was awesome! It was huge!!

Afterward, we took a cab to the Village for a bite to eat at S'Macs. Sharkey and her Mom shared the mac sampler and I had the Alpine mac & cheese which is gruyere with slab bacon...



Yes everyone, bask in the cheesy, gooey goodness of it all. And can you believe this photo was taken with my iPhone? Damn I love that thing. It's a good thing we don't have a place like this nearby or Sharkey and I would probably weigh like 300 lbs each!! Yes it is TOTALLY that good...

Halloween Candy

It's that time again. The air is colder, the kids are picking out costumes and it's time to stock up on candy. Sharkey and I make sure to always pick up candy that we wouldn't mind eating. I think we overdid it a bit last year because I ended up taking a ziplock bag to work filled with leftover candy. So here's the JP/Sharkey fundamental list of required Halloween Candy:

Snickers
Kit Kat
Crunch
Hershey's Almond
Hershey's Plain

What candy do you stock at this S~P~O~O~K~Y time of year?