They're playing "our" show

For the sake of accuracy in blogging, I need to clear up a few things:

1. We have all the fixings for rootbeer floats in our kitchen. Chad, did you look in the freezer? That's where we usually keep the ice cream.

2. Chad only watched a Dancing with the Stars (DWTS) results show

with me so it doesn't really count. He has to watch the entire performance show to get the full, glitter-ball impact.

3. I find it amazing that Chad knows so much about a show he so rarely watches. It seems he's well acquainted with Bruno and his "excited" voice. And, no, he didn't google it for the purpose of his blog post because he made the same comment to me as we were watching the show.

Hmmm...Curious.

All that being said, there is no need to worry that we will adopt DWTS as "our" show. I prefer to keep that, along with all other reality dancing shows, as my own personal guilty pleasure. I'm lobbying for Trauma to become our new show. Chad's pushing for Friday Night Lights. I think either would be a good choice.

So do you have a show (or shows) that you watch together as a couple? Or as a family? Aside from sports, Chad and I almost never watch TV together. The kids love to watch the dancing shows with me. I'm on my own with Lost, although sometimes Tierra will join me. I kind of prefer watching Lost by myself. What about you? Do you prefer to watch your favorite TV show(s) alone or with company? And who has a hankering for a rootbeer float right now? I know I do!

If Only...

250 years ago (give or take), Benjamin Franklin coined the phrase, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away." I can't but help but think how much different my life would be if he had said, "A root beer float a day, keeps the doctor away."? Ben Franklin was an amazing man, and I do not want to lessen any of his huge contributions to our Country by throwing root beer floats out there, but you gotta wonder don't you?
I don't know if it is true or not, but in looking at stuff about Ben Franklin recently, I found a website that did credit him with saying, "Root beer is proof that God loves us." Despite Mr. Franklin's great advice, I don't eat an apple a day either. I actually like every other form of apple. Apple sauce, apple pie, apple juice, dunking for apples, Apple Jacks, etc. I do not like a plain old apple. I think it may be due to the apple skin getting between my teeth, and as a kid I was so scared that if I swallowed a seed one of two bad things would happen: 1- a tree would grow out of my body, or 2: I would have a life long duty to be the new Johnny Appleseed. These things terrified me. This post is not about apples though, or good health. This post is not about root beer floats. It really isn't about anything. I just wanted to write. You have to wonder though, if vegetables were really the name for candy, would kids still have to be forced to eat them?

As a reader you do not realize the time span between paragraphs, but I just spent the last 10-15 minutes first looking through my cupboards to see if I could whip up a root beer float, and then another 10 to 15 minutes talking myself out of going to the store to buy the stuff to have one. If I hadn't been too lazy to find a shirt and my shoes, I may have been typing this while enjoying one. Other than a root beer float or 10 here and there, I gave up soda pop 2 years ago. Actually, it has been 2 years and 4 months. This was very difficult for me. I loved my Cherry Pepsi breakfasts. I gave up all caffeinated and carbonated drinks. My Lent, I suppose-though I am making it last longer than 6 weeks. I still drink the lemonades and fruit punches that are probably just as bad for you, but that is next on my list. I could not believe how hard it was to give these up! Seriously difficult. I am 12 percent suspicious of the fact that cocaine may still be in colas. I have loved my freedom from soda pop. I break my rule for root beer floats though. Is this wrong of me? Funny as this may sound, due to my cessation of all things soda, I feel empowered to the extent that I can accomplish anything in life that I set my mind too. (Totally stole that from Dr Emmett Brown.) It is this same strength that I am calling upon to give up my fantasy sports addiction that Rebecca and Heidi challenged me to do. (I am not segwaying this into a sports post) Right now is sign up time for fantasy NBA, and it is killing me. I am going to stay strong though. Side note and off topic somewhat: I still haven't been able to regularly attend Sunday School either.

My free time that would be occupied by fantasy sports research has led me to watching more TV. I am now on the verge of having a few TV shows that I follow. (They just don't make them like Night Court anymore.) I watched an entire episode of dancing with the stars last night with Rebecca. I do admit that I was also playing around on the computer, but the show was on, I was listening, I watched a few of the dances of the girls I thought were hot. ( I have a crush on Samantha Harris.) Then it hit me, "I just quadrupled my lifetime exposure to this show in one sitting."

Rebecca and I used to have "our show." For some reason we got into a show called Third Watch. We both liked the first several seasons. We even named our dog after one of the cops on the show that Rebecca thought was cute. It was a fictional show based on firefighters, police, and doctors in New York City. Rebecca wants us to have a new show. I will admit that it was fun to have a show together. However, I struggle now because of a couple things: DVR and TV on DVD. I like watching an entire season in three or four sittings rather than waiting week to week to see what happens. So this is what has ruined my TV watching. I love DVR though. I just wish they still did reruns of night court. Back to Dancing with the Stars...(did I really just say that?) I think it would be a much more entertaining show if Bruno, in his excited voice would just yell, "Your Out!" to the couples that get voted off. All this suspense and drama by Tom Bergeron is lame. Bruno doesn't necessarily have to use the Major League Baseball catch phrase, but something equivalent.

So to go full circle, leave us a comment, or bring me a root beer float.

Best Job In The World

Rebecca and I have decided to lay off the sports talk for a while, though I do have a great idea for a post revolving around basketball for a few weeks from now. So during the sports break, lets start a new topic... Work.

I always tell people that I have the best job in the whole world, and I honestly believe that I do. The ironic part of this though, is that my good day at work means that someone else has to have their worst day. Sometimes "worst" can mean bad luck, sometimes tragedy, and often both. Take these next two pictures for example. The driver of this car was not also the owner of this car. Nope. The owner was his girlfriend's mother, who didn't know the boyfriend was going to "borrow" the car for the afternoon. So he takes the car for a little joy ride, probably just to run to the Quik-E Mart, or perhaps to the video store to rent a copy of Ghostbusters 2 for the night. Too bad he didn't make it and the car burst into flames!


But his misfortune became a great time for me. Car fires are so fun to fight. Especially when there is a little bit of a crowd and the tires explode loudly and everyone runs away faster than an audience running from a Tom Cruise missionary moment. My favorite burning car is a any Volkswagen built before 1980. They made their engines out of Magnesium. Burning magnesium, when it comes into contact with water, creates quite a neat light display. Not quite comparable to the Bellagio Fountain show, but maybe like a 4th of July in Moroni, Utah. Magnesium, and other metal fires, can not be extinguished very easily with just water. This is especially fun when you are with a brand new firefighter, that hasn't learned that about burning metals. So, fun day for me. Bad day for boyfriend. I have often wondered if the relationship lasted. Probably not after coming home with a charred car and a copy of Ghostbusters 2.



Then this sad story. The owner of this house was working in his garage, making his own home made fishing flies for the family vacation that was coming within a few days. Something distracted him, and he left the welder he was using to near something that was too flammable. Before he realized it, the fire was raging. A lesson here for readers, fire doubles in size every minute. So call 911 first, grab the hose, or extinguisher second. Not saying this guy made any of those mistakes, but the huge fire became a bad day for him, fun times for me.



This often makes me sound terrible. I do not wish these tragedies or moments of bad luck on anyone. Our standard mantra among firefighters is that though we do not wish this on anyone, we like to be there when it happens. My job is to show up on people's worst moment, and do whatever can be done to lessen that, or make it better.

It is also comical when we get called to the most ridiculous of emergencies. What some people deem as their "worst day", is really a comedy show for us...after the fact of course. One particular call that made me laugh all the way to the next emergency was a guy that called us over to his apartment for a strange smell. At the apartment was a college age couple trying to sit down and watch a romantic movie. (It may have been Ghostbusters 2, but I cannot confirm!) The guy thinks there is something wrong with his furnace, because every so often he keeps getting a whiff of a strange smell. We investigated everything we knew how to do, but could not find anything wrong. This poor kid was so concerned, that we really tried hard to think of everything. Well, when one of our crew members was in a back room alone with his date, the girl admitted to having "gas" and trying to blame it on the furnace. I can't believe she let this kid get freaked out enough to call the fire department before fessing up! We kept her secret safe from her date.

I have thought about other jobs that would probably be wonderful jobs too. The first one that came to mind was the job of protesting. Have you seen those people that hang up the "Shame On" signs?

I am sure they are being paid to sit out there by the signs with their shade tents, water coolers, and endless snacks. This seems hard to beat to me. How does one get such a job? And who chooses who to call down the shame upon? Maybe that would be the better job, finding companies and businesses to "shame!" Does it have to stop with businesses? Could I make a "Shame on my neighbor's dog for pooping on my lawn" sign? This next one is a cause I can get behind, no matter the reason.


I have also thought about a job that isn't a job, but if it were would be fun. I would love to work for the "False Advertising Department" of a company. Seriously, if it were legal, moral, and all other applicable standards that this idea violates, sign me up. The possibilities are more numerous than the times Dwight Schrute has been passed up for promotion.

Seriously though, if there was not a requirement to have truth in advertising, think of the fun possibilities. I have some ideas that I will post in the comments section, but I want to hear some from you guys for about a week first.

Monday Morning Quarterback

I'm going to be "monday-morning-quarterback" to Chad's decision to proclaim himself a Jets and Packers fan.

My observations and thoughts, in no particular order:

• The Jets and Packers both had losing weeks that exposed their weaknesses. This is the test of a true fan. Will you stick with them through thick and thin? Through the good and the bad? Through wins AND losses? Will you Chad?

• We watched the Packers lose to the Vikings last night, and while I can say that Chad was none too happy (especially with Rodgers and his penchant for holding the ball too long), I didn't sense the frustration and emotion that comes from a true fan.

• I did sense a tiny bit of uncertainty. It might have something to do with the whole confusion of rooting FOR the Packers but AGAINST Brett Favre. (Seriously, how can you not like the guy?) But maybe it was a glimmer of doubt and regret for picking the Packers as his team. I'm not sure I see the conviction in Chad's fanmanship.

I think Heidi makes a valid point when she says if you really want to be a fan of a specific team you have to give up fantasy football. So Chad, would you be willing to give up fantasy football for your team(s)?

As a final note, I'd just like to extend a welcome to all the BYU fans who became Colts fans this week thanks to Austin Collie's breakout performance. Your stay with the Colts may be short, but it will be enjoyable. It's good to be a Colts fan!

Why I Can't Be an Arizona Cardinals Fan (For Heidi)

A friend of mine suggested I become a fan of the Arizona Cardinals. Sorry Heidi, I just can’t do it. More than just saying “no” though, I want to annotate my “No!”

Number 1: No disrespect, but they drafted a guy with the first name of Beanie as their first pick for the 2009 draft. How can a star running back ever be taken serious with a name like Beanie? Coach should go ahead and just paint a bulls-eye on the front of his jersey. “Nice run Beanie?” Can’t do it.

Number 2: Both of their star receivers take more pride in their hair extensions than in their work ethic. Which reminds me of the time my Brother Danny was going to get cornrows in New York last summer. Click here for that pure entertainment! (You have to either read the whole thing, or scroll down a little to see his top ten list) He actually did get 3 cornrows done before he realized they were 3 bucks a row. I am tired of seeing more hair hanging from Professional Football Players’ helmets. If I were a defender I would yank the hair of the guy I was guarding, penalty or not.

Number 3: I am so over Kurt Warner. I hated him when he played for the Rams and seemed to always rack up points against my fantasy teams, causing me to lose in the playoffs several years in a row. That makes me hate him more than if someone made me watch 24 hours of Teletubbies without a bathroom break. Fantasy sports is serious business. I also think Warner is hanging on to his career way too long. Time to hang it up, Mr Warner. So many bad decisions in so little a time. Go grab Brett Favre and spend time in the motivational speaker circuit before becoming an ESPN analyst!

On the same note, and in the same spirit. I have decided I am a New York Jets fan, and a Green Bay Packers fan, and let me tell you why.

New York Jets:

Number 1: For whatever reason, I started liking the Jets from a young age when my parents bought me a Green Jets Jersey for Christmas. It was number 99 Mark Gastineau. Gastineau was a solid member of the defensive line. I know I have mentioned this before.

Number 2: The Jets are off to a hot start this year, and the one game I did watch was very entertaining. It is easier to get behind a team that wins, at least to start.

Number 3: I have always liked Green as a color.

Number 4: I think the main draw is that I have always said I was a Jets fan, again, stemming from my gift when I was but a boy. My family knows me as a Jets fan, so if the shoe fits, wear it...perhaps?

Packers:

Number 1: For whatever reason, I drafted a couple of Packers players a few years ago for a fantasy league, and they were awesome. Greg Jennings was one of them. This led me to draft him again. He is a solid wide out with speed and can rack up the fantasy points. Same with Donald Driver. Solid. Great fantasy team additions.

Number 2: Since I drafted some fantasy players, I decided to watch the Packers games when they came on TV. They are a fun team to watch. Their running back, Ryan Grant reminds me of Barry Sanders, who is probably one of my favorite RB’s of all time. Favre was an amazing QB. The comeback king.

Number 3: This should probably be reason number 1 if we are going by level of importance, which I am not, so its number 3... The Strong Safety, Bybee, put such a hit on Randy “the Mouth” Moss a season or two ago that I bet still hurts. I can’t stand Moss, so that made my day. I am sort of partial to defensive plays too. I still recall vividly the hit Steve Atwater (a small free safety for the Broncos) delivered to Christian Okoya ( a large running back for the chiefs). You heard the crack through the TV screen. Such a small guy completely laying a big guy out. Awesome.

Number 4: Aaron Rodgers. I don’t want to like this guy. But, he keeps playing so solid that I am drawn to him. I can’t help but compare him to Steve Young. (Young sat behind Montana as back up for several years before having his breakout performance and subsequently earn the starting spot.) Young was an awesome QB. ( why do I keep mentioning the same guys?) Favre was (is?) an awesome QB. You can not deny that, even if he has trumped even Michael Jordan on the retirement/return fiasco. They have almost reached the level of bad 90210 reruns. How many times can (should) these shows be reran? Let it go. I still can’t get over seeing Favre in purple. If I were a betting man I would place 50/50 odds on a Green Bay fan putting a hit on him before the Vikings go into Lambeau for their game in November. Like a mafia hit. Does Green Bay have a mafia?

So, in summary, these are the teams I am going to cheer for. I am going to buy me a New York Jets pennant. Perhaps a Green Bay Jersey. Label me a fan all over again.

I had to do another sports post. It was requested. Stay tuned for many non sports posts coming down the pipe soon.