Thought You'd Enjoy This One . . .

As I was walking out of a hospital recently, I noticed a mom and her 7'ish-year old daughter standing on the sidewalk.

The expression on the mom's face immediately caught my attention since she looked as though she was either lost or had just lost something.

The closer I walked towards the mom and her daughter, the more compelled I felt to ask if I could be of any help. But before I could say anything the little girl turned to me and said with a great big smile, "Do you know where my Mommy parked her car?"

Any effort to muffle my all-out laughter was pointless as the disoriented look on Mommy's face quickly changed to all-out embarrassment!

She then looked at me as if to say that they were fine and didn't need any help so I pressed on - still laughing.

Kelly-ism #12

Ever had one of those moments when you’re talking to people and you’re thinking one thing but you say something totally different and everybody laughs at you and then you turn red and get embarrassed and wonder, “Why in the world did I just say that?”

Me, neither! But Kelly sure did!

We were in the Labor & Delivery Waiting Room last week awaiting the arrival of Addison & Alex when the discussion turned to the newborns behind the glass window in the nursery.

At that same time, everyone noticed a doctor/nurse-type person begin to “work” on a baby. They pulled out a couple of instruments and began what looked like was a circumcision.

Kelly, who is overly sympathetic to little boys who have to be circumcised, meant to say, “I think that baby boy is about to get a circumcision!”

But what Kelly actually said was, “I think that baby boy is about to get a vasectomy!”

(In case you've forgotten, a vasectomy is the ol' 'snip-snip' guys get when they're done having kids!)

The funny part about it was that Kelly didn't even realize what she had said and just sat there with a concerned look on her face!

We all took turns laughing at, ahem!, with her!

Never a dull moment, folks!

QOTW: Don't Sweetie Talk Me!

This week's QOTW was prompted by a recent interchange between me and a lady cashier at at a gas station.

I walked up to the counter to pay for my Oak Farms Chocolate Milk.

Lady Cashier: "Will that be all, sweetie?"

(Excuse me?)

Sweetie (Me): "Yeah, that'll do it."

Lady Cashier: "Here's your change, sweetie."

(Don't push it, lady!)

Sweetie: "Uh . . . thanks."

Lady Cashier: "Have a great day, sweetie."

(Umph!)

I know she was just trying being nice. I know she wasn't flirting (because nobody ever flirts with me!). But that 'sweetie' talk bugs the heck out of me!

First of all, I'm not that kind of guy! I'm not your sweetie! It's hard for me to trust someone who immediately throws out the sweet talk! Even when Kelly does it I automatically think that she is either (1) about to ask for a favor or (2) apologize for something.

I've never felt comfortable with sweet talking people; with the obvious exception of calling Kelly 'Babe' (which I do regardless if I need something or want to apologize!). So I guess that's why I've never felt comfortable with people sweet talking me.

Just call me a grumpy old man!
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"Does it bother you when people you don't know call you 'sweetie', 'hun' or 'darlin'?

Total votes: 23

Yes! It bothers me!: 13 votes, 56%

No, they're just trying to be nice: 8 votes, 34%

No. In fact, I do it all the time: 2 votes, 8%

Somebunny help me here!

Easter. Death, burial, resurrection and . . . the Easter Bunny?



I don't get it.

Jill's comment got me thinking - what in the world does the Easter Bunny have to do with Easter?

I've got nothing wrong with small furry farm animals carrying religious undertones (Hey, it works at the Nativity Scene, right?). But where does an egg-hiding rabbit fit into God's vast eternal plan?

First of all, didn't we all pay attention in Biology, folks? Rabbits don't lay eggs! They're mammals. Now, I'm sure my 9-year old child-genius nephew will tell me that he saw on Animal Planet that some mammal in Tiberia can lay eggs. But that still doesn't explain what a bunny rabbit has to do with Christ on the cross!

Secondly, the Easter Bunny freaks me out! Seriously! At least Santa Claus is a person! You can go to the mall and talk to Santa Claus. Ever tried talking to that 7-foot roided-out rabbit? It just stares back at you with that creepy smile and those huge teeth. You feel like those over sized ears are going to reach out and grab you!!



I don't blame kids for flipping out at the mall (I was one of them!). It almost makes you want to put some Valium in their eggs to help them calm down!

I know dying eggs and doing the Easter Egg Hunts are a fun part of this weekend - I just want to try and make sense of it all because eventually Tate is going ask me what the deal is and all I'll know to say is, "Stop talking and eat your dinner!"

Oh, in case you haven't already heard, Christ is risen!

The Twins Are Here!

In case you haven't heard, Alex & Allison were born yesterday evening!

Congrats, Jody & Janell! We're so happy for you!

I'll say it again, Janell, you're a pretty impressive woman! You did good, kid!

As If Once Wasn't Enough!

Everybody is a glutton for punishment for something. For me, it's pedaling crazy miles on a bike!

That's right - it's Sam's Club MS150 time again! May 5-6, 2007

If you're not familiar with the MS150, it's a 2-day 150-mile bicycle ride from Frisco to downtown Fort Worth, Texas. The cool part of this ride is that the starting line on Day 2 is on the race track at Texas Motor Speedway! Let's hope I don't hit the wall on Turn 4!

But as cool as that is, the real reason we're all out there is to raise money for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society! Such a great cause!


You may remember my ride from last year (Day 1, Day 2). Apparently I don't quite remember the dehydration, the cramps, the sore muscles and the really sore bum because I've signed up for another round of brutal punishment this year.

(Me at the finish line in downtown Fort Worth last year. Don't ask about the face I'm making - I'm really not sure myself. Hey, Michael Jordan stuck out his tongue when he dunked a basketball! I'm just sucking in my lips . . . for, uh . . . aerodynamic purposes!)

I'm hoping to improve upon last year in two categories. First, my goal is to finish 150 miles in less than 9.5 hours. But more importantly, I'm hoping raise more than $500 to help fight MS.

And guess what - you can help me do both! Come out and give me a big push from behind and/or sponsor me by donating on-line to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Any dollar amount is appreciated!

Click here to make an on-line donation. You'll need the following information:

Rider Name: Wade Strzinek
Rider Email: rstrzine@cephalon.com
More Information: Team FedEx/Mad Duck

This year our team joined up with the riders at FedEx to make Team FedEx/Mad Duck. Here's our team blog that I've been managing.

Also, I'm looking for MS survivors to ride in honor of. If you or someone you know suffers from MS then let me know and I'll add their name to a bandanna that I will carrying during the ride. Riding to keep in shape is great but there needs to be a reminder that this is a for a much better cause than keeping off that spare tire.

So please support me as I help fight Multiple Sclerosis by doing a pretty bad imitation of Lance Armstrong!

QOTW: A Song In My Head

Despite having so much in common, Kelly and I couldn't be more different when it comes to music.

A discussion we had today will give you a good idea what I mean: Kelly's first few albums she purchased after gaining musical consciousness were Spies Like Us (funny movie but stupid song - even if Sir Paul wrote it!), WHAM! and Julian Lennon. She would eventually go on to purchase her own pair of MC Hammer pants, so that makes her a fan even if she never bought one of his albums!



I recently gave Kelly's dad (who grew up listening to great music in the 60's & 70's) a hard time about totally dropping the ball in teaching his daughters appropriate music appreciation.

I, however, was brought into musical consciousness by the sounds of the Fab Four, The Rolling Stones and Jimi Hendrix - those whom, I should say, have made a much more lasting impression on the musical landscape! My self-taught music appreciation progressed from there through each decade.



I still think the best music has already been written back in the 60's.

Here are my top picks from each decade.

1965 - Help! by The Beatles



1979 - My Sharona by The Knack (Racy lyrics but great guitar solo)



1987 - With or Without You by U2 (Pretty much tied with Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For)



1991 - Mysterious Ways by U2 (My all-time favorite Rock & Roll song!)



2000's - Zzzzzzz . . . (Oh pa-lease! I'm not even crazy about anything U2 has put out lately!)

OK, I'm sure you're all shaking your heads at my picks. Fine, then! Tell me where I'm wrong!
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"Which decade has the best music?"

Total votes: 25

1980's: 9 votes, 36%

1970's: 8 votes, 32%

1960's: 5 votes, 20%

1990's: 2 votes, 8%

2000's: 1 vote, 4%