I’m a lame blogger…

That’s about all I have to say.

Phenomenal Skills

I grew up on bikes and have always loved anything that has two wheels. It’s UNREAL what this guy is able to do with his bike and body. Great camera work and editing as well. (Credit to Lance Armstrong, who linked this video on his twitter.)

Happy Birthday Max!

Our little Max turned three years old today. We’re so thankful for him and can’t imagine life without his curly hair, big smile, and excitable personality. I put together a short photo history to celebrate his first three years of life. One picture for each month, so in 36 pictures you’ll get to see a little of the progression we’ve experienced and enjoyed. I’d have to say the development and transformation that we get to experience is one of the most amazing parts of being a parent.

We love you Max!

Bizkit the “Sleep Running” Dog

I just saw this today. Hilarious. I think I find this extra funny because I used to have my own episodes of sleep walking/talking etc. My friends have some pretty funny stories—one is not too far off from what you’ll see below…except I was snowboarding instead of running.

The Crisis of Credit

I’m probably being generous with myself in saying that I thought I had at least a loose grip on what has happened with the credit crisis. Well, after watching this video on YouTube, I realized that my “grip” was elementary, at best. A graduate student at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, CA created this presentation to explain the credit crisis, as part of his thesis project. Hope you enjoy it—it’s highly educational and an ingenious way to illustrate some very complex ideas.

 

Is your state religious?

The majority (65%) of Americans view religion as important to their daily lives, according to this Gallup poll. But it certainly isn’t an equal distribution across the country.  I’m curious, what’s with the Northern coasts? Is the balmy/cold weather affecting their religious appetite? If temperature is a factor, Mississippi sweats out their religion at 85% importance and Vermont shivers it away at 42%.

Obviously, this can’t be a real reason, as the Northeast was the original hotbed of religious freedom for our country. They’ve certainly changed their tune. Either way, I’m still at a loss with why these two coastal regions are the coldest towards religion.

And save Utah, the West has clearly drawn their own line with religion. I imagine church historians have some good answers/theories for these distinct and regionalized areas. Anyone know any?

Costco Hot Dogs

Costco has to be one of my favorite stores/businesses around. My good-old American consumerism and natural thriftiness just thrive as I wander the aisles. When I was single, I often committed to enter without a cart, so I could only buy what I could carry. (I had enough self-control to not buy a $300 set of kitchen knives, so it was a pretty good strategy.) Now, married with kids, I’ve got both kiddy seats occupied, unending graham crackers, juice, and a quick hand to break up any fights—how come they don’t have an electric fence between the seats on the cart? Not to mention my cart is fully loaded down with multiple gallons of apple juice, dozens of eggs, cheese by the pounds, and enormous diaper boxes down below which are strategically placed at shin level for anyone who gets too close. Throw on a couple of cases of soda and I’m like a Sherman tank—unstoppable. But I digress…

Back to my original post—those Costco Hot Dogs. I could eat one a day. And I’m not really a hot dog eater. That whole business about Hebrew National answering to a “Higher Authority” thing must be for real. But to be fair, it’s also got to be connected to the Costco business model—how much can we lower the price for our customers? A buck fifty for a hot dog and soda? I’d eat most anything (well, if it tastes good) for $1.50.

But the other day, I had this inkling that $1.50 was a little too good to be true and I should look up the nutritional content on those little guys. To say the least, I’ve had to cut back! My aspirations to live a long and healthy life don’t agree with this (includes bun, ketchup, mustard, onion, and relish):

32 grams of fat and 75% of my daily sodium intake!

Maybe once a month…