Thanksgiving, A Long Weekend, and Surgery

Hey there.  Hope everyone had a blast this Thanksgiving weekend.  Nothing quite compares to a 4 day weekend!  Especially after eating some turkey and stuffing your face with... well... stuffing.  lol  So let's go to the highlights!

Thanksgiving

We spent Thanksgiving at my uncle Peter's place.  He's been the go to guy when it comes to holiday madness.  Most of the family gathers at his place and we all have a good time.  Thanksgiving was no different.  Most of the guys were ourside, hanging out, watching football and boxing, while most of the ladies were inside "cackling " (as Psycho Mike would say) and hanging out.  All in all, a very awesome experience.  Food and drinks were in abundance and you know damn well that I had myself more than a few plates of food.  And that's not counting desert!  lol  At the end of the night, the "secret santa" exchange was determined and we were on our way home, stuffed as a bird, a little after midnight.  Here are a few pics of the evening.

Serving salad from a cracked bowl cause that's how we do it.

The ladies enjoying a little bubbly

The young ladies enjoying a drink, like thier mothers.  It better be soda in them cups!

Daaaaaaaaaaam!  That bird looks delicious

So much food, they don't know where to turn!

Long Weekend

Once we semi-recovered from Thanksgiving, Black Friday reared it's ugly head.  Here my thoughts on Black Friday...  I'm not a big fan of it.  Every year, we hear about some people trampling and stomping over people because they just had to have whatever it is they're buying.  I'm more of an online guy.  If I can't find it online then I more than likely will not buy it.  I just hate hearing that a child was killed because a mob of people couldn't control themselves just to save a few bucks.

With that being said, we stated home most of Friday and didn't really do anything.  I avoided stores like the plague and just hung out with the family at home.  My son and I took advantage of the free XBOX Live Weekend (decided to let my membership end until I get my hands on the XBOX Live Family Pack) and played us some Bioshock 2 multiplayer matches.  I've always been a fan of the first person shooters and I like the way Bioshock 2 changes it up just a bit to differentiate it from all other first person shooters.  Anyways, we caught up on some gaming and decided to put up some holiday stuff.  I ended up getting a new tree, since our old tree is somewhere around 5 years old and needed to be replaced.  Also ended up getting some of that long green string type thing that people hang for Christmas, and started decorating the place.  Not bad, if I do say so myself.  I don't have any pics of that yet so I'll get on that as soon as I'm home and there's still daylight.  lol


Monday's Surgery

Monday morning, I'm up at 5:30 am.  My brother was scheduled to have surgery on his shoulder at or around 7 am so I drove to the hospital to meet my brother and mother.  I arrived shortly after 6 am and my brother had already checked in.  The nurse was supposed to let us know when we would be allowed to see my brother before his surgery was to begin and when it was 7 am and still no word from the nurses, I asked her what's going on.  She pretty much said to walk on in and look for him.  lol  We find my brother, in his "purple" mumu strapped into a bed, getting ready for his surgery.  The doc comes in and starts to give us the run down of what is going down.  He grabs a purple marker that surgeons use to mark their patients and notices that it's a little on the small side.  He then makes a comment about how "they" seem to be cutting corners everywhere.  lol  My bro and I chuckle and the doc then shows us where the incision will take place and lets us know that he will be shaving off some of his bone and remove scar tissue.  He seemed like a pretty cool guy.  Once they whisk him away, my mother and I have coffee in the cafeteria while we wait for an update.

Them magic drugs are in full effect. lol

My wife arrived soon after and the three of us waited a bit before the doc came in with some photos of the inside of my brother.  He explained the pictures to us and told us that the surgery was a success.  He also explained how the recovery process will be a long one.  6 months worth of recovery time.  My brother will also need to attend therapy sessions to strengthen his shoulder. 

Once we were allowed to go see him, I asked how he was doing and what not.  Before long, we're watching America's Funniest Home videos and cracking jokes.  I know that it probably wasn't the best of places to mess around in, considering that there were other patients close by that didn't look too happy, but there we were, goofing around.  While the nurse was giving my brother his home care instructions... I interrupt her and say to her, "To give to us straight doc, is he gonna make it?"  lol  My bro and I chuckle and the nurse seemed to find it amusing.  My brother then starts to reference The Office and says that even though he had shoulder surgery, he's probably going to be going home with a limp.  lol 

Once they dismiss him, my mother grabs his clothes to hand to him.  Since he's buck naked under the mumu, I closed the curtain before he started getting dressed.  I stayed with him, just in case he needed help.  He managed to put on his underwear and his sweat pants with what looked like slight discomfort.  That's when I said, "Bro, I love you, but I'm not getting you dressed."  lol  That's when we hear my mother and a few other people outside the curtain laughing.  It's good to know that we both can laugh during something like surgery.

He then gets wheeled off to the street where we wait for my mother's car to be brought to us.  We then see a smart car pass by and my brother says to the nurse, "smart car...  there's nothing smart about that car.  Kitt from Knight Rider.... now that's a smart car."  The nurse laughed, I chuckled.  Damn you, The Office....  invading our lives like nothing else can.  lol 

I told them that we would go to my mother's place to make sure my brother was well situated.  I soon after get a text from my brother asking me to go get him FIFA 11 for PS3.  This guy... already trying to use the "woe is me, I'm hurt" thing against me.  When I said, no way, he turned his attention to food.  He asked if I'd bring him some brownies.  lmao!  My wife gets wind of my brother's brownie craving and decides to make the "baby" some brownies. lol  Oh man... good times.  We cap the night off with some Street Fighter IV.  I haven't played Street Fighter since Street Fighter II Turbo for the SNES!  I managed to kick some butt with Blanka (old school favorite) and then gave up the last game to my brother... just so that he can feel better about himself.  lmao!  Now, he's at home not knowing what to do with himself.  6 months is a looooooooooong time.  I'll try to stop by and kick his butt on Street Fighter more often.  lol  Until then, later!

Bring the Magic This Thanksgiving

I wonder if this is what happened to Charlie...

I Hate This Game

Donkey Kong Pie

Guest post written by Valerie Sanderson

I really love to bake. I could bake all day, every day and I would be fine with it as long as I still got to eat what I made. I'm not that crazy about cooking though, so I try and do a whole lot of meals that include more baking than stove top cooking. But sometimes I just relaly put more of my energy into baking dessert and my son's favorite dessert is coconut cream pie. It's one of my favorites too, so we eat it a lot around my house.

It's so cute. He loves to call it Donky Kong pie because I tell him that Donky Kong would love it. I was talking to my brother about getting together for Thanksgiving this year and sent him an email with my CLEARWIRE saying that I would bring a pie.

I thought though that it would be fun to make something similar, but a little different to our favorite pie for the holiday, so I found a great coconut lemon pie recipe that I'm going to try out.

Ordering McDonalds on his Mustang

 

When Bob here decided to go for a McDonald's run on his mustang... everyone assumed he meant the one with wheels.

What is in McDonald's Chicken Nuggets???

Hey there.  I'm not sure if you guys are aware, but there's a lot of people that eat fast food.  lol  A popular spot is the world famous McDonalds.  The golden arches have been selling burgers, fries, and nuggets to millions of people a year and quite frankly, it can become addicting.  Addiciton...  That brings me to my point.  What the hell does McDonalds put in their food to cause people to go crazy?  As of late, there has been this video roaming the web about a woman that couldn't have chicken nuggets and she went into a rage, punching a woman, and smashing the drive thru window!  Now, I would be inclined to say, "you know what, the woman must have had a tough day and just lost her better judgment." but this is not an isolated case.  I've read people calling 911 because the chicken nuggets ran out, people fighting over the fried food, and now insane incidents in the drive thru.  I don't know what's going on but I'd say there's some special ingredients in there to make customers go back for their fix.  I'm just saying...  Someone needs to check them out.  If you haven't seen the video, I've posted it here.  What do you think?  Crazy woman?  Or crazy McDonalds?  Later!

Motivational Monday - Exersice

Hey there.  I've decided...  It's time to get back into shape!  I've been on a mission to gain weight all my life.  I was a stick thin 118 through out high school and tried everything I could to gain weight.  It simply didn't happen.  Since I'm married, I've gained over 60 lbs and am now sitting closer to 190 lbs.  Which is great and not so great at the same time.  I don't look so thin, that's a plus, but my pants fit a little too snug, that's a minus.  lol  I'm scared that one day I'll bend over to pick something up and RRRRIIIIIIIIIPPPPPPPP!!!  There goes my pants.  So... it's time to dust off that gym membership and get to it.  I think my new goal will be to look good at 170 to 175...  somewhere around there.  That's just a half assed goal with no real merit to it.  I'm just throwing out a number but once I have a better idea of what I really need to do, I'll give a more realistic goal.  Until then.. I really hope the gym by the house installed some of these sweat escalators!  lol  Later!

“Arby’s Juniorize” Me

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Arby's. All opinions are 100% mine.

Hey there friends.  Those of you who know me know I love food.  I've never been one to pass up a great burger or sandwich.  Especially if it's on the low side in terms of dollars.  That is one the reason's why I've always been a fan of Arby's.  Not only are they're burgers and sandwiches great, but they're at a low price too.  And to promote the awesomeness that is Arby's, here's Junior (retro-cool Arby’s Jr. character) with a few words. 

Notice anything about "Junior"?  That's my face!  HA!  You can Create Your Own Personalized Arby's Jr. and add a personal message to spread the word about Arby's!  I've always loved the interactive side of things and I uploaded a pretty goofy photo of myself and the result is what you see above!  HA!  Check it out and friends and create your own "Junior" and send to friends with a personalized message of your choosing!  Arby's makes it extremely easy to share with just a few clicks.  So let's see (and hear it) friends.  What does your Junior say!?  Until then, later!!!

Do You Know of the Secret ampm Secret Menu?

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of AMPM. All opinions are 100% mine.

Hey there friends. ampm has been known for years as a gas station pit stop for snacks and nothing more but the times are changing and with a slogan as "Too much good stuff", the ampm convenience store is gaining much deserved attention.  When my wife and I first started dating, we would have ampm nights.  No fancy restaurants for us!  A quick trip to ampm to grab some grub and then we'd stay in the car and just hang out and spend time together.  In no way was it conventional, but it worked for us.  And for that, ampm will forever have sentimental value to me.  Today, I learned that there is now a secret menu at ampm that will set apart the standard burger and hot dogs with awesome concoctions! 

Check out the secret menu tab at their facebook page.  It lists the current secret items with more being revealed on 7/26, 8/2, 8/9, 8/16, 8/30.  I can already see myself eating the "Hot Chihuhua" on a regular basis and I see myself taking the challenge of downing a "Towering Inferno".  lol  Yeah, with cool names like that, how can you not be intrigued.  Check out the Hot Chihuahua and the Towering Inferno below.

How can you not want to take those on!  The secret menu tab lists the ingredients and the know how on how to make it, but I left those out for you to discover on your own.  Check out the ampm secret menu tab and comment on the items that you see yourself eating.  And don't forget to check it out on 8/2.  ampm will allow their fans to add their very own secret menu concoctions right on Facebook!  If it's good enough, they may very well add it to the menu!  Imagine that... to have a burger... sandwich... or nachos... of my very own creativity to be sold in 1000's of ampm's!  A guy can dream, can't he?  Later!

DOVE® Ice Cream Mini Moment Contest

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Dove Ice Cream. All opinions are 100% mine.

Hey there friends.  My wife recently decided to be a stay at home mom and while she's loving the extra time with the kids, she's also found out that there is a lot more involved than cooking and cleaning.  She zooms off and does several errands, all while coming and going from school to pick up the kids.  And trust me friends, it's no easy task when a baby is also involved.  She feels the pressure to be super mom and hot wife all in one.  That's why she hits the gym in the evenings and watches what she eats.  I don't know how she does it!

The other night, she took a moment to herself.  Sitting on the couch, enjoying some chocolate ice cream.  You can see it in her face that it was pure bliss.  She has asked me to remind her when she's "cheating" on her diet but once I noticed the box of the ice cream she was eating, I knew it was OK.  Dove Ice Cream Minis are only 70 calories each and it's perfect for when anybody wants to get away and just enjoy a moment to yourself.  And my wife, being a smart cookie, got the new Cafe flavored bars, which include Cappuccinno and Java chip flavors.  She's also cut down on coffee so I thought she was getting the best of both worlds! 

After reading more on the box, I noticed that DOVE is holding a “My Mini Moment” contest where they are asking women to submit the favorite "me" moment for a chance to win 1 of 3 sensational mini-grand prizes: a mini-getaway to Napa Valley, Spa services for a year or a mini-home makeover.  What hard working mother and wife would NOT want to enter this contest?  And the best part is that DOVE knows that all women are unique so the winner will get to choose their prize.  Don't get me wrong, all women can enter but I would love for MY wife to take home a prize.  She deserves it!  lol  To enter, you will need to submit a photo and short essay at DoveIceCream.com/myminimoment by June 7, 2010.  Sorry guys, even though you may sneak a piece or two away from the ladies, this contest is open to women only.

So ladies, take a minute to yourselves and enjoy the moment.  Snap a picture and write a quick essay and enter this contest.  For you women who blog, this should be especially easy since you already spend some time writing!  For all the work that you ladies do, DOVE is here to say "thanks".  Later!

Happy Mother's Day (Oh Yeah... and Happy Birthday to Me)

Hey there.  To all you mothers out there, HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!  I know it was yesterday, but I didn't have a chance to post and figured I'd do it now.  Yesterday was also my birthday!  Knowing that Mother's Day would overpower any birthday, my wife set up a dinner for us on Saturday night.  We set out to eat with my mother and brother and we caught the Laker game all the while.  One hell of a game, it was.  Afterwards, we headed back to our place where the cake was the talk of the town.

I should've taken a picture of it, but I didn't, so I'll have to wait until they are Emailed to me, but the cake was kinda odd looking.  It was about 5 inches high and seemed more like a block of frosting than a cake.  My bro claimed that he made it and that's why it's funny looking.  Fair enough.  I'll buy that.  After watching a few episodes of The Office, we cut the "cake".  As I was about to slice through it, I noticed some silvery substance sticking out of it.  What the...  So I look closer and it's saran wrap wrapping a box.  No wonder it was funny looking.  It turns out that it was a box containing a Dwight Bobble Head doll.  How bad ass is that!  lol  We all laughed and my bro confessed that he wanted to put the box in jello but that they couldn't find a big enough container.  That would have been classic, but the cake thing is just as good.

Yesterday, my wife and I woke up to our gifts.  Me, for my birthday and her for Mother's Day.  I ended up getting her this one leopard bag from Betsey Johnson that I thought was pretty cool.  Aside from the standard leopard print, it had lightning bolts on it which I thought was pretty awesome.  She loved her purse and then presented me with my gift.  The wrapping was pretty cool.  It was home made by the kids and the paper had all kinds of stuff sprawled across it.  Words like "daddy"  happy birthday" and "Pantera" (lol).  I opened it carefully to void ripping the paper and uncovered Final Fantasy XIII.  Does my babe know me or what?!  lol  I've been wanting it for sometime  but I'm not one to dish out full price for a game unless I really want it (Guitar Hero: Metallica) or it's a collector's item (Final Fantasy XII).  I thanked her for it and reminded her that I'll be missing for awhile.  I'll be there physically, but my mind will be on Final Fantasy.  lol

We then got dressed and we treated my mother and mother in law out to breakfast at Mimi's Cafe.  It's always a good time when we get together and laugh it up.  After we over stuffed ourselves, we took off to the mall and treated my mother in law to a mini shopping spree.  She was able to go to any store and choose out of stuff.  After wards, we intended to go to the park and spend some time with the kids.  That didn't happen.  As soon as we got home after the mall, the wind really picked up and it didn't seem like the best of ideas to take the baby outside.  So my wife and I decided to stay in, order a pizza, and watch Beyond Belief.  Later in the evening, she baked me a cake.  A REAL cake, lol, and my family sang happy birthday to me.  All in all, a great weekend.

7 - Eleven Introduces "Game Day" Beer

Hey there.  Would you buy a 12 pack of beer for $6.99 to $8.99?  Sounds like steal to me.  Especially when many of us are still pinching pennies and making sure we don't spend a fortune on unnecessary stuffs.  But when a game is on and you're buddies are over, how can you not have beer?  And where do you usually go for a beer run?  If you're like me, I hit the closet thing and it's usually a 7-Eleven.  You find those suckers everywhere and it's better than hitting a market since you'll avoid those long lines.  7-Eleven knows this and has now tapped into the beer market with their own brand of beer, Game Day Beer.

This is smart.  7_Eleven knows it's customers and it's a fairly well known beer run spot.  So once you're there and you see a 12 pack of beer for about $8, how can you not go, "Screw it, let's give this a go."  I know for a fact that I'll be giving it a try once the 7-Eleven by my house starts carrying it.  Why not?  Everything is worth a shot.  Whether or not this is success is left to be seen and if you're like me, you're going to want to make sure that it tastes good too.  Considering that it's being made by one of Wisconsin's oldest breweries gives some reputation and credence to the new kid on the block, but whether or not it can tap into Bud's and Miller's customers will tell if this beer will be even remotely successful.

One a side note, I love the name of it.  Game Day Beer.  Great marketing there.  Most people are not lone drinkers and drink beer only during certain social events, like a football, basketball, or baseball game.  This beer clearly is aimed at those customers and quite frankly, is pure genius.  

Ode to Chocolate

Hey there.  I think I'll start making a "Ode to ..." series.  Why not, right?  I did one for coffee awhile back and thought it was fun.  Just a spur of the moment type thing and decided to write something down.  Well, earlier, I was chatting with a friend and then she stated that she wanted chocolate.  At that moment, my wife comes in and gives me chocolate!  =oP  Oh sweet, sweet chocolate.  So, because I'm obviously a "jerk", lol, I decided to rub it in her face that I have chocolate and she doesn't.  And then decided to write about my love for chocolate.  So here's to you, my creamy friend.

Oh dear chocolate

Soft, creamy

Dark, or hard

You never cease to amaze

You never fail to satisfy

You lift dull spirits

And brighten the mood

Such delicacy

Should not be prohibited

Oh dear chocolate

I cannot contain

My love for you

I'll enjoy you privately

I'll enjoy you publicly

I'll have you wherever

Your thought entices me

Oh dear chocolate

You never judge

I'll share you with family

I'll share you with friends

You'll make all smile

All the same

So here's to you

My delicious friend

Which I'll enjoy

Until my end

Tony's Pizza Sweepstakes Winners!

Hey there.  I'm a little on the late side in reporting the winners, but nevertheless, we do have winners!  Congrats to Elin and Canada Provinces!  You guys win free pizza.  I will be contacting you shortly to ask for an address to where I can send your coupons!  Considering that there were only 3 comments (I didn't include myself) you guys had a 33% chance of winning.  lol  I guess that's my fault for not pushing to contest strong enough.  Either way, hope you guys enjoy!  Later.

Tony's Pizza is Perfect for Family Entertainment

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Tony's Pizza. All opinions are 100% mine.

Hey there friends. For those of you in the know, I tend to have a few get togethers at my place from time to time. They usually involve friends and family coming over for a night of good eating, a few drinks, and some crowd pleasing Rock Band or Guitar Hero. One of the problems that my wife and I tend to have when having company is over is what we should feed our guests. It's always a problem since everyone has a unique taste and we usually can't agree to a single thing. On some occasions everyone just gets what they want. lol But that changed the last time I had a get together. The one food that everyone can agree too? PIZZA!!! You can never go wrong with pizza. More specifically, Tony's Pizza.

Our good friends at Tony's Pizza sent me a few coupons to try out some of their pizza and I must confess, I didn't need coupons to buy Tony's. I'm a regular customer since I was a young one. But for this instance, it was not intended for me, but for my guests. Whether they wanted pepperoni, all cheese, or a supreme pizza, Tony's had it ready to bake and serve.

No guest left unhappy. We all had our fair share of Tony's and some were even quite surprised. For being a budget saving pizza, Tony's is pretty good and considering that some of my guests have never had it before, they were quite pleased by the quality of the pizza. It's nice and crispy, tastes great, and is definitely one of the finer pizzas that comes out of a box.

If you don't believe me, here's your chance to prove it. As I mentioned earlier, my friends at Tony's Pizza supplied me with a more than few coupons so I am more than willing to share the wealth so that you guys can try it too. Here's the deal. Leave a comment on this post telling me what you look for in a pizza. All qualifying comments will then be numbered and I'll have Random.org choose the winner for me. I'll let you know if you've won and I'll send you 2 coupons for 1 free Tony's Pizza.Winner will be announced on March 15th so that gives you a little under 2 weeks to leave a comment.

It's quick, it's easy, and it tastes great.  Especially when coupled by chicken wings.  Really, friends...  when was the last time you had pizza without wings?  lol  So join me in supporting my number one choice in pizza when it comes to family entertainment! You can never go wrong with a little Tony's.  Later!

Hitting the Gym

Hey there.  I started working out again.  As evidence by my belt, I've put on a few pounds since I've gotten with my wife.  I used to be a stick figure thin 118 lbs and I wasn't too happy about it.  Now, I'm sitting at 178 lbs which isn't so bad, considering that I'm 5'8.  But you know what... like I told my brother yesterday, I noticed my "guns" getting smaller and my gut getting bigger.  lol  I kid you not, friends.  There have been a few times where I'm sitting on the couch or whatever and the button on my pants snaps and flies across the room.  Yeah, you read that right... "a few" as in, more than once.  =o)  Now, I don't mind being bigger.  In fact, I like it.  I don't look sickly and the fact that I struggled to gain weight sucked.  I love all kinds of foods and I've always been one to eat until you're full.  This is mainly why I love buffets.  You need to put a lot of food in me to feel full. 

Well, a few weeks ago, when my wife and I started talking about renewing our gym membership, it got me thinking...  I'm a lot slower than I once was.  A LOT SLOWER.  I realized that my cardio fitness is nowhere near where a young man at 27 years should be.  There are times where I can't walk long distances, stairs suck to climb, and if I push myself a little too hard, I get shortness of breath.  I needed to get my endurance and stamina back.

So last night it happened.  I finally went to the gym on a mission to get fit.  I'm hoping that I won't lose weight, but that I'll be able to increase my physical fitness, focusing on endurance and strength.  I ran for a little over 2 miles yesterday on a "hill setting" on a treadmill and since I haven't done any kind of running since forever, I felt like I was ready to fall over dead.  So much for easing into it, huh.  I like the hill setting since it fluctuates the incline level.  Running at a constant 4 mph may not seem too tough but once you start hitting the inclines, it raises the difficulty.  I made it victorious.  I wasn't carried away in a stretcher and no one called for a wheelchair so I would call that a pretty successful run. 

I then did some butterflies, bench pressed, and curls to work on my arms and chest, but trust me, there wasn't much weight on those.  I was still feeling pretty tired from that run.  Before long, I headed home.  So my question now is what kind of "program" should I set for myself?  30 min cardio followed by 45 of strength training?  15 min cardio, 45 min strength, 15 min cardio?  As of today, I plan on going daily (except Sundays), is that considered too much?  I mean, it's only been one day, but I do want to be able to stick to a schedule to make sure that I build up those key stats. 

So now, I'm feeling a little sore in the legs.  I can't run the way I used to when I was in track and field (back in JR high!!!!) so I'm feeling the pain right now.  I guess as long as I don't topple over, I'll be alright.  Until then, later!

Get the Heineken Breathalyzer iPhone app and Enjoy Heineken Responsibly

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Heineken. All opinions are 100% mine.

Hey there friends.   The majority of us are old enough to go out, have a few drinks with friends and family, and have a great time.  However, many of us are not mature enough, or don't the means to advise a friend or family member they've had a little too much to drink.  You know who I'm talking about.  The crazy friend that always seems to go overboard, the uncle that never seems to know when to say no, or the the friend that seems to just want to drink the night away.  Well, having to remind them that they've had a little too much drink is now as easy as pulling out your phone.  Introducing the Heineken Breathalyzer iPhone app!

Due to the success of Heineken's Know The Signs campaign, Heineken has branched out and created an app to playfully remind our friends and family that they may be on the path to having a little too much.  Simply Download the Heineken Breathalyzer iPhone app (100% free) and have a friend or family member "blow" into the iPhone.  The iPhone will then select a "character" that your drinking buddy may be turning into.  The great thing about the app is that you have the option to choose which character to select before having your friend "blow" into the phone.  Say you're friend may show some signs of aggression.  Tap your iPhone and select "Fighter" and have your friend "blow" into the app.  Watch his or her face as this pops on the screen!

How can you not get a chuckle out of it?  But the best part is not the characters, but the fact that you have the option to see another "fighter" in action or read a story about a "fighter" type drinker.  Using humor as a catalyst, you can gently nudge friends and family to take it easy when you believe they may be on their way to a certain character type.  Or...  you can simply have fun with it.  Adjust the settings to random and the app will randomly select a character.  It's a great way to add a little more humor into an already fun night.

Heineken is doing things right by playing an active role in informing their customers to "Enjoy Heineken Responsibly".  I think it's great that they are thinking outside the box and using popular social media tools to convey this message.  This campaign has been running strong for over a year and hopefully they will continue to develop fun and creative ways to educate their customers.  If you are interested in reading up on the campaign, feel free to check out The Heineken Know The Signs website and read up on the campaign and any new developments.  Later!

Ever Heard of John's Incredible Pizza?

Hey there.  We like to take the kids out to eat to family friendly type places.  We go to Chuck E Cheese on a somewhat regular basis and we've gone to Boomer's a few times.  Today, my comadre and her hubby came over to pick up 2 comps that I fixed and to hang out with us.  They mentioned that we should get together and take the kids to John's Incredible Pizza.  I've never heard of the place so I looked it up.  Damn, this place looks like fun...

Check it out!  Bowling!  Mini Golf!  Go Karts!  Bumper Cars!  And the best part????  It's buffet only!  Oh man, Metallman sure does love himself a buffet.  All you can eat pizza, salad, and soup and the crazy thing is that this place seems to be well known for it's "spicy peanut butter pizza."  lol  They have a wide variety of odd flavored pizzas and I'm assuming that it's all you can eat so that you can feel free to try them without having to purchase a full pizza.  We've already made arrangements to go later on this month.  We would have gone this weekend, but our schedules are pretty busy.  I'm sure the kids will love this place.  I'm kinda loving it already.  lol  Later!

An IZEA and Jones Soda Thanksgiving

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Jones Soda. All opinions are 100% mine.

Hey there friends. A week or so ago, I was privileged enough to receive a little green box with a IZEA written all over it. I was excited. It is my first,of what I hope is many, freebie gift packs from SocialSpark and IZEA. I open the contents and am glad to see that I have been a cool turkey hat and a bottle of Tofurky and Gravy Jones Soda . The soda intrigued me so. I've never heard of Tofurky and gravy flavored soda and I was even more impressed to read the label and find out that the whole bottle of soda contained 0 calories. That's pretty healthy for a soda. I cracked it open and gave it a sip.

I must admit that I was pleasantly surprised.  There have been some great flavor combination in the history of mankind.  Peatnut butter and Jelly, mashed potatoes and gravy, and turkey and gravy to name a few great ones, but not many people like gravy all over their turkey, I do, so I was pretty stoked to taste the flavoring in soda form.  Too bad that some of my vegetarian friends have not experienced such a flavorful combo.  This is another reason why Jones Soda is so great.  It is 100% vegan! 

I have a friend that is vegan and has yet to experience the gravy and turkey experience.  I plan on sending him the extra IZEA package that I received.  Did I not mention it?  I RECEIVED A SECOND BOX!!!  I'm not exactly sure how that happened but the very next day, after I received my IZEA package, I received a second one with the same contents.  I plan on sending him that second box so that he can taste for himself the Jones Soda experience and have a nice keepsake from IZEA, the people that made it all happen.

Check out all of the flavors and deals besides the Tofurky and Gravy Jones Soda that Jones Soda Company has to offer. If you act quickly, you may still have a chance to purchase Tofurky and Gravy Jones Soda gift pack which will include an original and collectible tin lunch box.  Check it out, my vegan friends.  Later!

Dr. Oetker's Make it Like Mama Giveaway

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Dr. Oetker. All opinions are 100% mine.
Hey there friends. Looking to revamp your kitchen? Are you just not satisfied with it and you feel that there may be a need for a change? Well, that next slice of pizza may be your ticket to a whole new kitchen! The Dr. Oetker Kitchen Makeover Contest is underway and you could be the lucky grand prize winner of a $20,000 kitchen makeover. So how can a slice of pizza bring you this good fortune? Quite simple, really. Specially marked packages of Casa di Mama Pizza will have secret PIN numbers that you can enter here for an entry into the contest. If you sign up to be a Savoury Moments Member before the contest ends, you'll receive a free PIN number to gain your first entry into the contest.

And if you're not chosen to be the lucky grand prize winner, don't fret. Our good friends at Whirlpool will give 8 secondary winners a choice of fridge/freezer, freestanding electric range, dishwasher or microwave. AND, an additional 2,000 winners will instantly win free pizza, courtesy of Casa di Mama Pizza, or a free pizza cutter. The contest is available to all our Canadian friends and the contest ends on January 4th, 2010, with the winners announced shortly thereafter. There is still time to get those entries in!

My wife has been wanting a new kitchen for the longest. She has the ideal kitchen etched in her brain and we simply don't have the money to make it happen. If we were to win the grand prize, it would definitely make her one happy woman. She's even stated that if the kitchen were more to her liking, she would do more of the extra curricular stuff like baking. I sure do love some home made cookies! I've got my entry in, have you? Later!