The Friendliest Stores in Town

Today, on the way home I had to stop by my local Schnuck's grocery store to return a movie I'd rented. While I was there I decided to pick up some dinner too.

But as I was checking out, something happened that has never happened to me before.



I went through an entire checkout process without one word being exchanged between the cashier and myself.

That's right: not one word.

I put my item on the conveyor belt, she scanned it, I swiped my card, she gave me my receipt, see you later; I was gone.

No "Hello, how are you doing?", no "Your total is ____", nothing.

Not even a "Have a nice day."

You may think that I'm complaining but I'm not.
This was awesome, amazing even.

Right as I was being handed my receipt and turning away I was praying to myself for her not to blow this moment for me and wish me a good night and it didn't happen. I walked to the car smiling realizing I've had a once in a lifetime checklane experience.

Only at the self scan lanes will you ever encounter a speechless transaction and I for one didn't mind it one bit.

A Stupid Thing I Did

As a single guy, I eat out a lot (no, not in that way... sicko). I'll be honest, fast food makes up a good chunk of my diet. I'm not much of a grocery shopper because when I do go there and make things for myself, I end up wasting way too much.

So I recently decided to eat healthier. Not because I'm totally out of shape or anything (well maybe I am a little out of shape) but really just because I want to maintain myself and live longer over all.

I did some research and it turns out there actually are healthy options at most fast food places, you just have to know where to go and what to order. During my investigation I came across "Crazy Bowls and Wraps" a place I'd been only once in my life and had never gone back.

They have some really good food that's good for you, plus, the calorie counts are right there on the menu. They have nothing to hide.

I had it Monday for lunch and was craving it again tonight (Tuesday) so badly that I stopped my the location by my house on the way home from work.

I ordered my bowl and got back in the car, savoring the flavor of this delicious teriyaki chicken, veggies, and rice combo I was about to consume. I got all the way home, actually after almost pulling out the fork and bringing out the bowl during the commute, when it dawned on me:

I promised a friend I would go to dinner with her tonight.
And not just any dinner, a 3 course meal for FREE at the casino.

I had totally forgotten about it. So here I am, waiting to go to dinner with her as my Crazy Bowl sits in the refrigerator: alone and uneaten.

Yeah, I'm excited about the dinner I'm going to have but I was so ready to eat the dinner I bought that I'm conflicted now. I guess I can eat it for lunch tomorrow but it just won't be the same.

So there you go, a stupid thing I did. Buying a meal when one was already going to be provided for me free of charge.

Mysteries of the World

Water's free, right?

I mean, let's say you go to any restaurant- fast food or sit down - and all you order is a glass of water. Your bill, assuming you didn't get a bottled water should be $0.00.

Right now you're saying to yourself. Ok, yeah Kevin, what the point?

Well, I'll tell you.

Let's say you walk into McDonalds and order a #1 ; which everyone knows is the Big Mac meal (pictured above). With this meal you receive the sandwich, the fries, and a cup; it's all included in the price.

It doesn't matter what you put in that cup, the price of the meal is the same. Which means if you put water in the cup, that's right, you are paying for the water!

So if you are trying to cut soda out of your diet, like I am. You have to stay away from value meals. Because I'll tell you what, if I order one, I can't just put water in my cup. I paid for that drink and there's no way a free liquid is going in there. I get soda in spite, and that's not the way to handle anything really.

While I'm on the subject of food and restaurants here's another one for ya.

Let's say you're at Qdoba now. You love the nachos (pictured below), like I do, but you don't think they put enough cheese on them, or maybe you don't think they put enough chicken on them, so you ask for extra.


Guess what? That costs extra.

You're probably saying to yourself, of course it costs extra, you're getting extra stuff.

But here's the problem: it doesn't work the other way!

Let me explain.

You order those very same nachos but this time, you want no beans. Well, beans are included in the price of the nachos, are they not? Don't you think if you request no beans, the price should go down?

It most certainly does not though.

You are saving Qdoba the ingredients and time of putting them in there but putting the exact same amount of money in their register. It just doesn't make sense.

If extra costs more, less should cost less. That's my opinion.

And these my friends are two mysteries of the world.

Odds and Ends

As I sit here on my couch watching the Rams actually looking like a good football team against the Cowboys I guess I'll write some random thoughts down.

-Amazing how some coaches of professional athletes are so fat when they are in charge of telling some of the most in-shape men in the world what to do. A little ironic, don't you think?

-Last night, one of the most exciting moments since becoming a Blues season ticket holder in 2006 happened at the Scottrade Center. Down by 2 goals to the Blackhawks in the 3rd period Keith Tkachuk scored with 10 minutes left making the score to 3-2. Then, with only 13 seconds left, with Manny Legace (goalie) on the bench for the extra attacker, Andy McDonald tied the game to force overtime.

Although the Blues had plenty of chances to win in overtime, they could not find the back of the net. But in the shootout Brad Boyes and rookie TJ Oshie, scored to finsh of the dramatic comeback. Awesome.

-Speeding and parking tickets are such as waste of money. Ugh! Nothing is more frustrating than working just to throw the paycheck away.

-A good friend of mine recently witnessed something so bizarre at work I have to share it with you. Last week, during a routine trip to the ladies room, she noticed an unusual scene taking place in the handicapped stall.

Through the crack between the door and wall panel, she saw another woman co-worker sitting on the floor reading a book. That's right. Reading, on the floor, in the ladies room. Weird!

-The thumb is healing rather well. It's a good thing the body can fix itself. Imagine if injuries were permanent. There'd be a lot of disfigured and incapacitated people out there.

---

Time to grab some lunch. Until next time....

One of Those Moments...

So I'm sitting here on my couch at 7 o'clock on a Wednesday evening just wasting the night basically when, on the television, the lotto drawing is about to happen. I'm aware the drawings occur, obviously, but rarely do I catch them live. I'm typically just not on the channel they occur at this time. I don't even really play.

But that's not the point. The point is as soon as I saw they were going to draw the Pick 3 I said, out loud, 4-6-3. And sure enough, I watch the drawing and those exact numbers appear in that order!

I'm not trying to say I "knew" they were going to be chosen. All I'm saying is I am positive those numbers popped into my head seconds before I saw them picked. It's just one of those weird moments in life that make you think you might have some sort of untapped mental power just waiting to be unleashed.

Of course I don't believe in anything like that and I'm sure it was just a lucky guess.
Nevertheless it caused my mouth to drop and immediately wished someone would have been around to witness it.

---

In other news, as you probably know if you're reading this, I suffered an injury last Friday playing softball. A hard hit line drive by a guy in softball took a bad hop on me and struck my right thumb, right on the top. Some separation occurred between the nail and the finger and also the fingertip was sliced open a little bit.

The only reason I bring it up is because it got me thinking about life and how random and unpredictable accidents are. When I left the house that night, never in my wildest dreams could I have predicted I'd be in the Emergency Room that night due to a freak finger accident. I hadn't been hurt in a long time before that.

Just goes to show you never know when things will happen that throw life off. One second you can be totally happy and feel like nothing will ever happen to you. Then a softball hits your thumb just the right way and you realize just how random life can be.

I guess the only thing that is certain is that these unpredictable things will happen. It's only a matter of time.

Oh well, you just roll with the changes as REO Speedwagon might say.

Sunday Afternoon

I don't know if it's laziness or lack of subject matter but, as you can see, I haven't posted in a little while.

I typically like to write about quirky events or interesting observations but I guess I haven't witnessed anything noteworthy lately, or, if I have, I didn't get to a computer in time to record it.

To be honest, I'm only a good writer when I'm inspired about something and today that's not really the case. Unfortunately, I've already posted the best of my MySpace blogs too.

So yeah, this is a nothing post just to say I'm still here and new stuff is coming.

Recycled Myspace Blog (2)- The To-Go Box

Here's another installment of an older post from my earlier blogging days on MySpace. Enjoy!

The To-Go Box (originally published on MySpace June 1, 2007)

Often times when I attend a sit-down restaurant I do not finish my entire meal due mostly in part the massive quantities of food I am served.

When my waitress comes for the second to last time to bring me the check she also asks me the most difficult question I have to answer during the whole dining experience.

"Would you like a to-go box for the rest of that?"

Most people probably answer with a quick yes or no answer, but it is much more complicated than that for me.

The to-go box requires me to do so many things and it's such a burden that, more often than not, I am not willing to bear.

Once I commit to the to-go box I have committed to:
-remembering to take the to-go box home
-remembering to take the to-go box out of my car and into my home
-putting the to-go box in the refrigerator
-remembering in the near future that when I'm hungry, the to-go box is waiting for me
-reheating the food inside the to-go box
-and finally, eating whatever little remains of the food I ate 24-72 hours ago.

9 times out of 10 the reheated meal doesn't taste anywhere close to the satisfaction you felt at the restaurant and just the look of the cold food as you take it out of the fridge before you put it in the microwave is enough to make you want to throw it out right there.

Speaking of throwing it out, I would say this is actually what happens to the majority of to-go boxes I've encountered. Take yesterday afternoon for example:

I have a delicious meal at California Pizza Kitchen (CPK). The waitress was cute, the food was yummy, I had great conversation with my friends while dining. All was well until I accepted the to-go box. The lunch time to-go box is the worst kind of them all because it adds 2 more steps to the whole process: Refrigerating at work, and remembering it's in there when you leave work.

Yesterday I did neither.

When I came in this morning, my CPK pizza was still there, waiting for me, on my desk, as cold and clammy as ever. The fate of the food and the to-go box that bore it was bleak my friends. As I type this now it is in my trash can waiting to begin its slow journey that is decomposition.

So what's the point you may ask?

The point is, to me, the to-go box is more trouble than it's worth. For me the chance of the food inside it ever reaching my lips again is about the same odds as me winning the lottery. It's not only a hassle for the waitress to bring it to you, but takes up space in your fridge, and most likely will just be tossed out like the trash it is in 3 days.

So next time you're asked if you want to take the rest of that home with you ask your self: Is it really worth it?

Riddle Me This

When I was in college, downloading music was just coming to fruition and we all know that back then, there was only one place to go to do it: Napster.

It was the coolest thing ever. Any song you wanted was a click and 20 seconds away and best of all, it didn't cost you a penny.

But September 24th, 2001, Napster was shut down due to legal struggles with the RIAA and the days of uninhibited downloading had come to an end - or had they?

Apparently not.

Shortly after Napsters demise I found Kazaa and Morpheus, two services which had popped up and filled the void in the free download world. They were ok but filled with annoying ads and had a high risk of infecting your computer with some sort of sickness.

But now, in 2008, we have Limewire.

To me, Limewire is every bit as good as Napster ever was. No ads, any song you could want is there, and best of all, all free.

So how is it my friends that 7 years after Napsters end I can still get any song I want online any time I want it without paying a penny?

A mystery to me.

Coed Softball Recap : 8/15/08

Drunken Clams Rout TALX in Season Opener 21-5

By Kevin Mueller

CREVE COEUR – A change of venues, a change of players, and a change of the team name may be insignificant details for the Drunken Clams, but after Friday’s blowout of TALX one thing is for certain: change is good.

Returning from last year, Jen, TJ, Kevin, Cara, Cody, Caryn, and Julie provided the foundation and making their softball debuts with the Clams were John, Margaret, and Gabe. This new group meshed well from the first pitch until the final out, playing solid defense and consistent offense throughout the game.

After falling behind quickly 2-0 in the top of the 1st, this new team did something last years group was unable to do all of last season: they responded, and responded big. Sending 18 players to the plate* in the bottom of the 1st, the Drunken Clams scored 13 runs* on 13 base hits* and a walk and never looked back.

After the Clams were held scoreless in the 2nd, TALX cut the lead to 13-3, but that was as close as this contest ever was. The 3rd inning saw TALX post two more tallies on the score sheet but were matched with two from the home team in the bottom half of the frame.

Heading into the 4th inning leading by 10, Cody pitched a scoreless top half of the inning, practically ensuring the Clams the victory, but there were more fireworks to come.

After Julie’s second walk of the game, and singles by John and Jen, Kevin stepped up to the plate for the fourth time in the game, this time with the bases loaded. Although he was 2 for 3 on the night already, no one, including Kevin himself, could believe what happened next.

A 2-2 pitch was tossed toward home and Kevin got every bit of it, sending the ball way out into left, well over the head of the fielder, and deep into the fenceless outfield. Although the TALX player moved quickly to recover the ball, Kevin was running hard out of the gate, and was right on the Jen’s heels as he crossed home plate, giving the Drunken Clams their first ever Grand Slam and 1st homerun of the 2008 season.

With the score now 24-5, the next batter, Margaret, lined a single into the outfield. This brought up Gabe who was already 3 for 3 on the night. But he wasn’t done either. Going a perfect 4 for 4, he launched a pitch to the opposite field and touched them all, the second homerun of the inning. This one would prove to be the final blow however, as after 3 innings, a team up by 15 is awarded the victory.

Surrendering only 5 runs though 4 innings, Cody picked up his first win as a co-ed recreational softball pitcher, striking out two batters in the process, and never giving up more than two runs in an inning.

* Designates team records

Game Notes: 9 out of 10 Clams scored runs. A deer was grazing in left field from the 2nd inning on, but did not prove to be a factor in the game. This was the Clams second team win dating back to last season when they did not have a team name. John was 5 for 5 in the game and is batting 1.000 along with Gabe.

NEXT GAME: 8/22/08 vs. The Hanging Chads @ 9:30 pm

Redemption

Let me start this one out by saying that I'm not a gambler. I've been to the casino probably a dozen times since I've been 21 (5 years). Having said that I have definitely have a game of choice when I do go and that is blackjack.

Why blackjack? It's simple really, I feel like I have the most control and the best shot at coming out ahead. Roulette is all chance, so are slots, and I to this day have no idea what the hell is going on in that craps game.

So blackjack it is.

Another thing you need to know about me to fully comprehend this story: I'm extremely competitive. I hate to lose. Doesn't matter if its be in a friendly game of Scattergories or a medium risk game of "21".

So when I go to the casino I don't want to walk out that door a loser, which is a dangerous thing (and the reason I don't go all that often).

So this afternoon I head to Harrah's with my friend Allison. I walk in the door with $40 and promised myself that was all I was willing to lose today. After a nice lunch I head right to my faithful game and sit down at a table.

Things start out well. I turn my $40 into about $60 but then go on to lose about 8 hands in a row which is extremely rare. So I'm out after only 20 minutes. Allison has about $10 she plays in some nickel slot as I sit and watch, contemplating my failure. She spends about 7 minutes and slowly and systematically watches her $1o turn into $0.

But during this time I've already made up my mind. I'm winning my money back, which means another trip to the ATM, and a betrayal of my self-promise to only gamble $40.

I'm determined, however, and remember, I hate to lose.

I pull out $60 this time and head back to blackjack but at a different table this time.

I quickly regret though as my decision as my $60 turns into $40, then $20, then $10.

Heartbroken and desperate I bet my final $10 but instead of walking away at this point disappointed and dejected something else happens. I win. My $10 doubles to $20 and I begin a great roll of blackjack. A sequence of luck and skill combine to save my afternoon and take me from one hand away from misery to cashing in one black chip to the cashier, which for those non-gamblers, is $100.

Now before you say wow, what a day for Kev at the casino let's remember I started with 40 and lost it, then got 60 out from the ATM for a total of $100 and a cashed out with, yep, $100. So I didn't win anything today. But in my opinion, if you don't lose any money at the boat, you are most certainly a winner.

Driving home I found it hard to wipe the smile off my face. I cheated fate and won, which doesn't happen very often. I was so happy I stopped off at DQ for a Peanut Buster Parfait and boy was it delicious.

Under Attack

At approximately 6:40 pm today the Kingdom of Kevin was ambushed by blogspot spammers. My defenses were weak, they smelt a weakness and exploited it.

After catching wind of the siege I fortified the Kingdom by turning on word verification for comments.

Sorry, but it had to be done.

You are now reading in a spam-free environment (hopefully).

Recycled Myspace Blog (1) - Formalities

I was just perusing my MySpace page, which really mostly just exists in case random people would like to know what I'm up to now-a-days, but while on there I remembered that before I started blogging here, I used to write there. These are like the before-he-was-famous blogs, the b-sides if you will. Since most of you guys that read this don't have MySpace I thought I'd post some of the highlights of those blogs here. I'll still be mixing in new stuff when I think of something but until then:

Formalities - originally posted 12/14/2006 on MySpace

Just recently we had our work Christmas party which reminded me of a lot of the little things about life I can't stand.

I brought a friend of mine I don't work with to this gathering and immediately realized the Pandora's box I had opened.

Introductions.

I hate introducing myself to other people, let alone people I know to people they don't. I don't know why I loathe it so but I think the biggest reason is that I know that no matter how I introduce person A to person B they will never remember their name. It really is just one of life's formalities and I hate to do it.

Every person I saw at this party I had to say "Hi! This is my friend Colleen" and she would say something like "Nice to meet you." and this viscous cycle would repeat itself time and time again.

This leads me to my second point I want to make and that is, once the introductions have passed you are now required to engage in some forced conversation with people you know and some you don't and it is the most obligatory and dull conversation there is. And they all end they the same way which is something like, "Ok, have a good night." Or "Have fun."

Small talk isn't for me. To be honest, when forced I'm terrible at it and maybe that's why I can't stand it. But when relaxed in a small group setting I am a great conversationalist but I wouldn't call my talk small. It's usually something observational that I find interesting and hopefully other people do to.

And a side note; at this party there were two sets of silverware, one for the mail course and one for the dessert. I swear that these two forks and knives were IDENTICAL but I know I heard someone remark, "I can't believe 'so and so' is using their dessert fork for their meal.

Who cares? It's kitchenware. Its job is to get food from point A (the plate) to point B (your mouth). However 'so-and-so' wants to get it their is a choice I leave to them and I don't judge people based on how they do it.

Just another worthless formality I had to endure at the company party...

Summer Blues Update

This by no means is, or will become, a hockey blog but anyone who knows me knows that Blues hockey is most certainly my #1 interest in this short time I have on Earth. So you can expect a hockey post from time to time: this being one of them.

Last season the Blues jumped out to a great start and looked to definitely be a playoff time come April. But it was not to be as the Note limped their way to the end with a dismal second half of the season, missing the playoffs for the third straight season.

So here we are, almost August, roughly 2 months from the start of the 08-09 season and the question on everyone's mind, well mine I guess, is: What have the Blues done to improve and make sure they aren't on the outside looking in come next April.

The answer: Unfortunately not much.

They did address one major need by acquiring goaltender Chris Mason from Nashville, ensuring Blues fans won't have to suffer through anymore painful losses due to the netminding of Hannu Toivenen.

Grinders Jamal Mayers and Ryan Johnson have both been traded away leaving one of the Blues strengths from last season, the penalty kill, in question.

There are some positives to report though. Top prospect TJ Oshie is is now a St. Louis Blue, leaving college after his junior year to play in the NHL. David Perron is a year older and hopefully will continue to improve and become a real offensive threat for this team.

Paul Kariya is in the second year of his three year contract and, although the assists were there last year, the goals were not. Hopefully he can regain the scoring touch. Also, Lee Stempniak cannot possibly have an off a year as he did last year, can he?

Also, the Blues drafted 4th overall in this years entry draft and picked up a stud defensemen by the name of Alex Peterangelo who will start the season with a 10 game tryout in the NHL. Combine him with Eric Johnson and the Blues defense is set for years to come.

Unfortunately, a few of the teams in the Central Division, namely Chicago and Detroit have made some serious splashes in the free agent market and look to be serious competition this season.

---

In other Blues news:

In September, the Blues are releasing a 3rd jersey rumored to be navy blue, featuring the lace-up front and will incorporate the Gateway Arch.

Sigh of Relief

So I was recently at going through a drive thru (or is is through?) of a local fast food establish- ment and as I approach the window I start to hear a clank-clank-clank-clank sound coming my car.

I turn the radio down, roll down the windows, and the sound is just that much more audible.

Let's give a little back story: My car is less than 8 months old. There's no way it should be making anything other than typical car sounds. Nothing should be wrong at this point in my cars lifespan.

So I'm panicking. All I wanted was my two tacos for 99 cents but now I've got much bigger worries. My new car is f#*ked up and I don't know why.

I get my food, exit the drive-thru lane and suddenly the sound goes away. The engine sounds fine. So what the hell was that noise? Do I have a problem; need to take my car in?

I circle back around the parking lot one more time just to make sure my ears weren't deceiving me and that the sound truly was gone.

That's when I hear it. The clank-clank-clank-clank-clank. But it wasn't coming from my car, it was coming from the car behind mine in the lane that was now receiving their delicious meal.

Phew. I could now enjoy my food and my night was saved.

You gotta love averted disasters.

The Blog is Back in Town

Four months and 15 days later, welcome back to my blog.
I know I've lost all my readers by now but one by one I'm hoping you'll all come back.

Let's play a little catch up together so we can attempt to understand why I've been "out of order" so long...

It all started back in February when a little run in with HR not only caused my blog to come to a screeching halt, but also led to one of my best friends quitting. Apparently some people didn't take to kindly to a few things I had written on here. I think I accidentally humiliated a coworker or two and may have made a comment like, "I'd rather work on my blog at work and get paid for it, than work on it at home." Which is true by the way, I would. But since my bosses at work (and ultimately my human resources department as well) got a hold of my site, printed it out, and read every word, it's safe to say they weren 't too impressed at how I was spending some of my time there, which is totally understandable.

For more on this click here.

After losing a friend to this incident I really wasn't in the mood to post much, especially since I now have to do this at home. There's just lots of other thing to do when your home, you know. You've got the TV, Xbox, exercising (which we all could do more of, especially me); not to mention I've got softball and soccer two nights a week. It just doesn't leave a whole lot of time to sit and write.

That being said, even four months after the fact I still get the occasional plea from a friend, usually Dustin, wondering if the blog will ever be back.

Well it's safe to say it is.

---

I'll leave you with this:

If you are in your car and decide you want to intentionally ram your vehicle in to someone else's, would that still be called an accident? I don't think it should.

It should be called an on-purpose.

---

PS: The blog has been returned to public status, where anyone can view.

Out of Order

Until Further Notice

Sorry,

Management

NHL Trade Deadline (updated 1:55pm)

Today at 2 pm is the final moment in the 2007-08 NHL season players can be moved between teams.

By tonight we will know what the Blues (and the rest of the NHL) will look like for the remainder of the season.

Last season the Blues traded away their top talent to receive high draft picks and also made a deal to grab Brad Boyes from Boston.

What will they do this season?

Confirmed transactions to follow: (my opinion)

2/25: Blues resign Barret Jackman- 4 years 14.4 mil. (good)

2/26: Bryce Salvador to NJ Devils for Cam Janssen (terrible)
2/26: Christian Backman to NY Rangers for 4th rd. pick in 08 draft (below average)

New Poll

If you vote in the poll please comment here and tell me why you voted the way you did.

Currently the Blues are 3 points out of a playoff spot, with one game in hand, and 24 games left to play.

Vending Machines and American Flags

The Mystery continues as both girls continue to plead their innocence even after presented with the evidence against them and the worst part is, they could be telling the truth. And, if that's the case, I have no suspects and will continue to be mercilessly attacked without any hope of justice or retribution.

But enough about that for today. Just a couple of quick topics I'd like to discuss.

Remember when we were younger and you craved something from a vending machine? You just prayed you had some change in your pocket or that you had recently gone to the bank and gotten fresh ones; because back in the day, if your dollar bill wasn't perfectly straight, that machine was going to spit it right back in your face, as if to mock you and your petty, crumpled dollar.

Today though, I've got to hand it to the manufacturers. I recently purchased an orange juice from the break room with a bill I was certain would be rejected. It almost looked like it had been through the wash it was so wrinkled. But I was thirsty, needed my OJ, and had to try.

To my amazement, the machine sucked it right up and now me and my delicious citrusy beverage are one.

---

As I was driving home last night from the Blues 4-2 victory over the LA Kings I realized something that I've never noticed before: there are an abundance of American flags lining the roads of our city. By abundance, I don't mean one here and one there. I counted over 25 flags in a 3 minute stretch of Manchester road.

Don't get me wrong, I am proud to live in this country (even though I've never lived in another one). I imagine, based on what I read and hear, we have it pretty good in the United States. I just wonder if there are as many Canadian flags hanging in the streets of Toronto, or as many Thai flags in the streets of Bangkok, for example, as I've noticed here in St. Louis.

The point is, next time you're in the car count the flags. I think you'll be surprised at just how high you count.

My good deed for the year

So yesterday was "Super Tuesday" as you probably know. Although I've never voted in a primary election before, I decided to go ahead and give it a shot, even though it was freaking miserable rainy outside.

I got off work at 4 and headed over to my parent's house to pick up AJ (my 15 yr. old brother) for the Blues game. I moseyed around there for a while chit chatting with my mom and sister, before heading to the polling place (a church near my apartment).

I got there around 6pm and started to make my way out of the car into the church but first I had to grab the ID card they send you in the mail. I reached into my center console to grab it (which was where I left it in the morning) but came up empty handed: no ID card here.


Ok, no big deal, I'll just go in and my name will be on the list and I'll vote, right?

Wrong.

I go in and tell them who I am, they ask for my license but my address on there is still my parents address so that doesn't fly. They needed something with my name and current address on it. The guy asks me if I have the card they sent me in the mail and I told him I did not. (Even though I am sure I put it in the car before work in the morning. I still have no idea where it disappeared to. Don't you hate when this happens? Losing things is a frantic, frustrating endeavor.)

Anyway, without proof of address I was turned away and had to retreat back to my apartment to find a bill or something that proves I live in their district. I got my car payment and went back up there hoping to get in and out now (this had now seemed to me almost more trouble than it was worth). But, as I'm walking back in to the place I hear a faint voice from behind me say, "Can you help me?"

I turn around to see an old woman easily in her 80's, maybe 90's. She's walking slowly making her way from the parking lot towards the entrance. I'll remind you it is pouring down rain at the time and on top of that there is no ramp to the door, only steps. I retreat back to her and tell her I'd be happy to help. She takes my arm and I start to walk her up the steps when I hear another voice from behind me.

I turn again to see another older woman, not nearly as old as the first though, this time in her SUV. She says that she needed some help getting inside too. So once I walk the first lady in I had to come back out for a second woman. This woman needed a walker to get around and the lack of a ramp really made it a struggle for her to get in. All in all, helping these two ladies walk 30 feet took me a good 10 minutes. I can't say I've ever helped one little old lady get where she was going but here I am helping two back to back on a cold wet night when all I was trying to do is get in and out and to my hockey game. It was truly an extraordinary set of circumstances.

Finally I got both of them inside and was able to get going, but helping those two women really put some things in perspective. The ability to simply walk around is a task we all take for granted. Both of these woman could only move at a snails pace. Add the weather and steps to the equation and it would have been impossible for these women to vote without assistance. Just makes you appreciate being young and healthy and reminds you things won't always be as easy as they are now.

These woman both thanked me for helping them inside last night but today I thank them for giving me a renewed enthusiasm for life.

Listerine

I'll be the first to admit I just never adopted proper dental habits as a child and that oral negligence has carried over into my young adult-hood.

Don't get me wrong, I brush my teeth. Always have, once a day.

But therein lies the problem.

Last time I checked dentists recommend brushing twice a day and flossing.

So as you can see I fell markedly short of dental minimums, thus I apparently neglect my mouth.

I probably would have gone on this way for months and months to come if it weren't for my last trip to the dentist.
Normally, when you get your teeth cleaned its an in-and-out deal; 30-45 mins tops. But not this time.

The hygienist spent a good 60 minutes doing what they do (you know, the scraping, the cleaning, etc...) and she knew that I needed to step my game up when it comes cleaning the mouth.

So, to save this poor lady from having to clean my teeth that long the next time and seeing that look of despair in her eyes next time I come in I have decided to make some changes.

I've increased the brushing frequency to 1.5 times a day. I can't say we are at the goal of two yet because frankly, when it's late, and I'm tired, sometimes I just lay down and fall asleep. My teeth are not at the forefront of my mind at this time.

In addition to brushing more I've decided (by recommendation) to start using the Listerine.

At first this was a painful decision. Anyone who has braved the 30 seconds of torture Listerine imposes on you has to know what I'm talking about. Your eyes get red, they water, and you just are dying to spit the shit out to make the hurt go away. But you don't, you press on, because you know that pain is a good pain, a germ killing pain, and it's worth it.

But lately I haven't been experiencing this dramatic of a sensation when I use it. Sure, it's a little unpleasant, but not nearly the God-awful burning that there once was.

Have I built up a tolerance to the pain?
Is my mouth just cleaner now than it once was?

Regardless I feel the addition of Listerine into the daily mix has been a positive one. The gums don't bleed anymore, my teeth appear whiter (although this could just be an illusion) and mentally I feel better about myself.

As far as the flossing goes.... yeah, still can't get into that.
Maybe some day.

Can you suck a LifeSaver/Jolly Rancher/Toosie Pop to completion without biting it?

I can't. It's impossible. I bite the first possible moment it won't damage my teeth.

Popping the Proverbial Cherry: The Inaguaral Post

Ok. Here we go. My second blog in as many months but rest assured faithful reader(s), this one will stick around for many moons longer than the last attempt.

For those of you following along at home let me bring you up to speed here.

The first blog was entitled "Just Another Day at the Office" created by two coworkers and myself. What started as a brilliant idea turned into an excellent first few posts. The buzz was strong and I thought we really had a good thing going. However (and there's always a however in life) just as quickly as the blog began, it imploded.

Being primarily a blog about our office and the people we work with, my coworkers wanted to operate completely anonymously to protect themselves from any backlash or potential punishment as a result of the wrong person reading the wrong thing. This was a stipulation I never liked but choose to accept at the blogs inception in order to get the thing going. There are a lot of odd things that happen here at work and I didn't want a creative difference to come between this blog and the light of day.

It took less than a week though for me to violate the anonymity contract I had agreed to though and as a result panic, fear, and a rush to judgment caused the deletion of the blog. For those that read it, I take full responsibility for it's demise and apologize.

But here we are, a new blog and a new opportunity, free from the chains of oppression that once held me back.

Think of the first blog as PG-13; this one is rated R. Or you could think of the first blog as network TV and now we are on HBO. All of the stuff you want to see and hear will be available without the bleeps and the black bars obstructing the good parts.

Thanks for checking it out and go ahead and bookmark me. I promise to make it worth your while.