“Bat”man

41 and hanging like a bat

How did I get here?

Running, Jumping, playing hard

Gave way to wings and beer and driving a car

Need to return to the ways of my youth

Drinking water and eating veggies

Doin’ what mom always said

But instead

It’s breaded, deep-fried and carmelized

So I’m 41, fat and hanging like a bat.

Until we meet again Facebook

This week I gave up Facebook, at least for the time being.  In the mean time, I’ll get the pictures from my Instagram feed.  I’ll get my funny e-cards from Tumblr.  I can peruse Pintrest all on my own.  I will figure out who to pray for all by myself.  Oh and I’ll check in on Google+ just to see if it is still there.

Squirrel follow-up

Quick follow up to yesterday’s post.  In a research study conducted with a rat model, researchers were able to transfer learned material from one rat to another via a brain to brain connection. A mind meld if you will. Maybe on my deathbed they’ll be good enough to download all of that knowledge that I was unable to acquire on my own because I couldn’t focus long enough.

Squirrel

I have been sick this past week.  I just have a little strep with a fever.  This was just enough to make me realize what a baby I am when I get sick. How do these kids do it with high fevers? I remember getting those high fevers as a kid and hallucinating the most crazy things.  Once I was flying a jet fighter and was being attacked by violins, yeah, that kind of crazy.  As an adult with a low grade fever of just over 100, I can feel every hair follicle on my body stand up.  This is a very weird feeling.  Probably, because most of those hair follicles have migrated from their original location to my lower back, don’t let anyone tell you that middle-aged isn’t “sexy”.   All of this downtime gave me time to really plug into my social media outlets: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.  I did do a little more posting than normal during the times when I was shivering in a pool of my own sweat.

  Sexy?

What I really did was watch what my friends and people I follow post and something dawned on me, these people are really passionate about things.  Some people are really focused on one thing.  For example, there are more than a few of my friends that only post when UK is playing which, honestly is cool when you are actually watching the game, but is really annoying when you are recording it to watch it later.  Other friends only post about work, or their field.  I find this very cool.  These people actually found something they like doing and follow breaking news, and are deluded enough to think we have an interest in it.  I will say that when my friends post things I almost always click their links.  I figure that we are friends for a reason and maybe it will interest me.  BTW, it usually does.  Now there are some friends with multiple “passions”, Jason, I am talking about you. People that will post about different things and each of these posts demonstrate just how much focus they have in each of their interests. BTW, Jason this may be why you are sooo tired.

My problem is that I can be interested in anything.  I will stay interested until something shinier comes along, and something shinier always comes along.  SQUIRREL!!! So if we are conversing and you want to keep my attention you had better keep the shiny things hidden.  And on this note why is it that some women wear shiny necklaces that drop into their cleavage but they don’t want you to look? SQUIRREL!!!

Can’t We All Just Get Along, or Just SHUT UP

  A “friend” on Facebook had a post today.  Fairly innocuous.  She didn’t mean anything by it but it obviously set me off.  Had it been an attack I would have definitely confronted her but as I said there was no malice intended.  So I will do my venting here.

Her post was this “Who’s more irrational? A man who believes in a God he doesn’t see or a man who is offended by a God he doesn’t believe in?”—Brad Stine

I believe she is missing the point.  Atheists and agnostics aren’t offended by a God they don’t believe in.  They are irritated by the people that believe in the God they don’t.  Let me state now for the record that I am member of a church.  Furthermore, I am employed by that church.  I am NOT anti-religion.  Here comes the but.  But I have a problem with many religious people.  Why? You may ask. Tough, you have to wait.

The United States of America is the greatest nation on earth.  We have freedom of religion and speech.  We have rights the rest of the world doesn’t know exist.  But it is the speech thing that makes the religion thing so hard to take. 

So, the sport that I availed my younger self with was the hotbed for Evangelical Christians.  Every game I was invited, repeatedly, to join Bible study, attend their church, etc…  “Hey, we have a great band playing Sunday.”  Uh, no thank you.  How many times can you say, “no” in a polite way before the hint is taken?  It was just like the “free” weekend in Gatlinburg.  All you have to do is sit through a presentation on …. Well, you know what’s next, the hard sell.  The main reason I am with the church I am is that they don’t recruit.  Maybe they just think we are the best you should want to be with us.  I don’t know.  What I do know is I don’t like being recruited.  I don’t like churches that build too big and need a membership drive to pay for their new edifice.  Just worry about your own salvation and I’ll worry about mine. 

The whole idea behind freedom of religion is that people can worship any way they choose without persecution.  What about social persecution?  Or just pestering?  Obviously, in the USA people can say what they want.  Great!! Just don’t get offended by people being annoyed by what you are saying.

My opinion, really?!

I had the rarest of rare things happen to me today, one of those things that just inspires me. Someone asked my opinion. Not the normal, where do you want to go to dinner? How do you want your steak? What do you think the government should do about regulating carbon emissions when they have to compete against those that don’t regulate? I was asked; get this, “what do you think of this spicy mett wrap?” Hello, ego boost.

Honestly, before I stepped foot in that restaurant I didn’t have an opinion of any spicy mett wrap, much less this one. I do now. The owner of this fine establishment was taste testing new recipes with what looked to be like his inner circle. My family and I just happened in to the restaurant at the right time. We have been in there before and we keep coming back. That should say something. Generally, that says it is a family friendly sort of place that doesn’t cost too much. But over the course of about a month and a half it has shown itself to be not only family friendly but also quite tasty. Well Pee Wee, the owner, comes up to the table and asks if I would like to try his wrap, made with a gourmet Mettwurst and a variety of other condiments. Unsolicited, he tells me his costs and price point and then asks me to try it and tell me what I thought. How could I resist?

Krista and I tried the wrap, it was good. We then conversed about it for a few minutes. We figured out what we liked and disliked and a solution for Mid-East peace. Unfortunately, no one asked out solution for Mid-East peace. I was asked my opinion of a spicy mett wrap, which I freely gave.

To begin my assessment I needed a pen and paper. The back of a kids menu will do. I began my list of questions and opinions. Yes, it was awesome. No, the cheese wasn’t needed. Carmelized onions are a must. Can it be made cheaper and as yummy (technical word)? Have you done a taste test between the cheaper and more expensive gourmet mettwurst? How much of a commitment is it to put it on the menu? Will it draw in new customers? Keep older customers? Or just give the customers another option? Will this option result in as much revenue?

Pee Wee listened and nodded his head, eye contact the whole nine yards. Things were going so well I offered some unsolicited advice, “have spicy goetta as an option for your goetta balls.” He was receptive. We spoke for a few minutes. He seemed to catalog my opinion. Then, then he made me really happy. Pee Wee took my list, my crappy little list written on the back of a kids menu. He folded it up, put it in his pocket and made me really feel like he valued my opinion.

Now the only thing I have to worry about is my daughter asking why I gave away the picture she drew for me.