The Birthplace of America

Yes, that would be Pennsylvania for all of you educated folk. Although, I suppose you could also say the UK is.....

Anyways, it's time for another glorious vacation. My Loyal Readers will remember that my last adventures included Sarasota and Iowa. This time, we will be braving the 4th of July (hooray America!) traffic as we burn valuable petroleum rolling 2 worn rubber tires and 2 new rubber tires up the East coast to the relaxing hills of the Pennsylvania countryside. And I DO mean countryside. It takes 20 minutes to get anywhere. Those aren't highway miles, either. Luckily, the miracle of Scotch Tape combined with Alissa's MacGuyver-like skillz have saved our souls. It is through these fortunate series of events that we will be able to play mundane images and auditory pollution over a portable DVD player that has seen better years. How else can you take a road trip with 3 children 5yrs and under? I mean, besides drugging them. Hey....now THAT's an idea!

Red or Blue? How about Green?

Ok, I admit it, I am politically retarded. I don't follow politics much, and don't know a lot of information I should know to make educated decisions about where I stand on certain issues. This is one of the many areas of my life where I fall short of maximizing my potential. However, Stu's blog piqued (yes, that's the correct spelling) my curiousity and I took the test. Without further ado, here are the results!

Your Political Profile:

Overall: 55% Conservative, 45% Liberal Social Issues: 75% Conservative, 25% Liberal Personal Responsibility: 25% Conservative, 75% Liberal Fiscal Issues: 100% Conservative, 0% Liberal Ethics: 25% Conservative, 75% Liberal Defense and Crime: 50% Conservative, 50% Liberal

How Liberal Or Conservative Are You?

I guess it's accurate. I don't think the test was very comprehensive, though.

YouTube pwnz!

So, this kid is pretty nerdy. Not like I was, I was never as nerdy as this kid. I can see a difficult life ahead of him...



I have nothing against home-schooling, but seriously this kid needs to work on social and conversation skills.



So, it's great he can spell and stuff. He obviously understands latin-based word construction. And I'm curious why he sees graphs and math in every day objects. Obsess much? I'm actually fairly certain he has an adoring mother as well. The world needs more of those, too. I wonder what his dad is like.



Aside: This clip will make you ashamed to be an American. It will also make you wonder, "Do I know the answer to that question?". I sure hope you can at least answer 80% of them!

Hot Vacation Spots

Sarasota, Florida. Coralville, Iowa. What do these two locations have in common? Tomorrow at 10:15am, they will have both been host to my Paid Time Off. Traces of my sunburned DNA will be found at both locations. Yes, I'm going on vacation to Coralville! Congrats on graduating Dental School, "little" brother! I'm calling this my vacation, but really it's a quick 2.5-day trip that will most likely leave me exhausted come Sunday.

Wish me luck! Oh, and remind me to post the portrait I finally finished in my oil painting class!

On second thought, wish Alissa luck with the kids.

I'd like a spare tire to go, please.

I like Arby's. It may be a strange loyalty thing, because my first real job was at Arby's. I liked it because it never really got as busy as McDonald's, which I later worked at and quit after a few weeks because there were always too many customers. Perhaps it is the succulent aroma of thin-sliced "roast beef", or the tangy original sauce. I really like the Horseradish sauce, too. I like it on all meat sandwiches now. Abbie started crying when she tasted it, and Anna wrinkled her nose. "It's spicy!"

So I'm in the car, driving to a friend's apartment to help them load up a moving truck. It's 12:45pm, and I haven't had any lunch, so I stop at the Arby's near my apartment and pick up a large curly fry and soda to tide me over. $3.83. Yeah, I'll have to use my card. No, I don't ever carry cash anymore. That's SO last century. Then on my way home after the move, I decide that a Jamocha shake sounds delicious. The same guy takes my order at the drive thru window, and I again pay for my $2 shake with a debit card. I drive sheepishly away, wondering if the girl who I could see working the register saw me. She was usually the drive-thru cashierperson....

This is the Industry

Here are a few videos that I found hilarious. They deal with aspects of my trade that may only be funny for people who know something about it.

Nevertheless, enjoy! I just had to share these.

Starving Artist?

As some of you may know, from time to time I try to do some artwork. I have an aspiration to be like Justin, but I have a lot to learn about oil painting. Last Saturday, the kids and I painted a special painting for Mother's Day. Then, I worked on an apple. Abbie and Anna immensely enjoyed painting with toxic chemicals. Miles immensely enjoyed poking the canvas with a brush. Here are the fruits of our labors (pun intended):