Thursday, February 23, 2012

Nostalgic Views of days gone by...

I saw a picture of Bob Dylan sitting with a child at a lunch table with what appeared to be a punch top beer can.  My earliest recollections of  beer in cans was of my dad opening a can of beer with a can punch.  For those not familiar with this it was an opener with a bottle opener on one end and a can punch on the other.  You may see these used to open large cans of pineapple juice.

Anyway, this brought me back to a time when you needed tools to enjoy the beverages you desire and Coke came in a glass bottle not the plastics we so love these days.  You needed a bottle opener and every shop and house had a bottle opener mounted just under the kitchen counter.  My favorites were the original coke opener but I also liked the Orange Crush opener.

Orange pop as a kid was the real treat.  A bottle of Orange Crush was given to me to calm me down after a car accident.  A large semi truck was turning out of a gas station that my grandmother was pulling into.  The side of the tractor clipped the bumper of the car and the trailer fell over on top of the car trapping me in the back seat.  I was unharmed but covered in glass and not at all happy about it.  The station attendant opened the pop pop machine and I got my own bottle to enjoy while my grandmother had it out with the driver of the truck.

Punch tops and glass bottles... That is what the world is missing!

New Duds

I hate clothes shopping.  

Always have.

So when I find something I like (in terms of clothes) I will wear it threadbare then use duct tape (or whatever means possible) to extend the life of said item.

I was a devotee of Dickie's brand jeans.  They were cheap and I could find my size at Kaplan Brothers in Minneapolis.  The quality was somewhat questionable but I could wear them out and get another pair quickly and easily.

Enter Duluth Trading Company.  Well before their advertising blitz of "Ballroom Jeans" and "Longtail T-shirts" to cover plumbers butt I was ordering from them.

The first item I purchased from them was a pair of overalls.  They were durable and solved the plumbers butt issue without adding additional length to anything.  There are more than enough pockets to carry everything a guy needs.

My favorite pair of pants that they sell are the Logging Pants.  The extra layer of denim over the front legs makes for a pair of pants that will never wear through.  I have two pair of these and they are what I wear exclusively.  They are worn threadbare but with no holes in knees, pockets or crotches.

However, the denim variety that they had no longer exists.  They do have a "Firehose" version of the pants and I will be getting two pair of these pants to see how I like them and a single pair of the "Ballroom Jeans" to try but nothing beats the Logging Denim Jeans.

As a fact, I have short legs.  For being six feet tall, my legs are 28 inches long.  My 5'6" wife has longer legs.  Therefore the following endorsement is key to making my life easier.

Their Long Tail T-shirts are easily the best shirts I have ever worn.  They are made of a heavier cotton blend and are long enough to cover my butt crack much to the enjoyment of all those dear to me.

I still hate clothes shopping.

Quality clothes makes the task of doing so few and far between.

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Holding on...

Cuz this ride is gonna be fun!!

A spark of an idea followed by a little fun in a made up sterile space has turned a bit of fun into something pretty special.

Not gonna share all the deets here yet but needless to say that when the ride comes around and the whip at the back of the tram moves faster than I can imagine, I need to remember that I asked to do this!!

And Snak Shak, Let me know what you want for cookies... 

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

When you are presented with an opportunity what do you do?

A dream of mine is quietly and quickly coming true.   It is coming true based on my ability, interest, character and passion.  I know enough about myself to understand that I could easily wrap myself in this and become lost in it.  I have informed my loved ones about this and they have agreed to become spoilers when I get moving to fast or too far along (we all need spoilers.)

Hence the dilemma...  do I watch and see what becomes of this or do I grab on with both hands and become wrapped up in it  so tight that others may have to cut me loose if shit goes South.

I have weighed the pros and cons of this.  I know what is at stake.  I know what I have lost by not grabbing a hold of past opportunities. 

I also understand that my character would not have allowed success to happen in the past.  It would have been sabotaged by resentment and anger.  These are character flaws that I work through on a daily basis and thus far I feel as though I have been successful.

Life is too short not to take chances.  Especially when your character is on the line. 

I have the backing of my family on this one.  I know what I am doing and when I come across an issue I cannot resolve I also know that asking for help is not only an okay thing to do but it is expected.

I'll let you know how it goes...