(lygenztia *311) Have a beer, Johnny....

When did it change? When did parents start taking young children to pubs and bars? I don't recall this taking place when my kids were young???

Taking your kids out to dinner, is awesome....great family time. But a pub, or bar patio? WTF? All the other adults are drinking and talking "adult talk" and you want to expose your children to that?

Now to be clear, i'm not talking about Restaurants. I'm talking about places and times when the place is clearly a "drinking establishment".

It's kinda sad, you look over and mom and dad are sitting there swilling down pints while Junior chews on a carrot stick...all the while loud music is playing, or tvs are blaring, patrons are talking loudly and carrying on. Whats even more sad, is when the child does not appear alarmed, because this setting is common place.

If you want to have kids, awesome. Have kids. But if you want to continue your teen/twenties drinking at the bar days, why the Hell did you have kids at that age? Make no mistake mom and dad, when you do this other people do not think it's "cute". You are being noticed by others, you are being judged..and you are being criticized.

(lygenztia *310) Little bitty...........it really is the little things

It is amazing how the smallest gestures can make your day. This morning I was driving to work (still half asleep) and listening to the radio. I noticed a truck beside me slowing down and speeding up, so I looked over. Turns out it was an old friend of mine, off to work as well and he was trying to get my attention.

So, after I finally notice him and look over....he proceeds to make the goofiest face ever and then tears off down the highway.

Needless to say, I laughed my head off. My old friend took the time to slow down, wait until he got my attention...and all so he could make a funny face at me and make me smile.

Awesome. Its the little things that sometimes mean the most, folks.

Have a great day!

(lygenztia *309) The boys (and girls) of summer.....

For those of us with teenage children, or adult children there are certain indicators of summer that are more reliable than the Farmers Almanac. Whether our little darlings are home from College or University, or on summer break from High School, there are the sure signs that summer is here.

What are those signs you ask? Well, they can't be found in nature, but they can be found in basements, laundry rooms, bathrooms, kitchens and bedrooms. This list of signs is not exhaustive and is a relatively small sampling size:

-the "empty fridge" which comes with the call of "there's nothing to eat"
-piles of laundry that make Mount Everest look like a mole hill
-recycle cans/bottles on the counter that were going to be put in the blue bin when they "get time"
-piles of dishes that are roughly the height of the CN Tower again, to be washed when they "get time"
-empty food boxes can now be found in the pantry. Like really, there's no sense throwing that out, is there?
-plates of old food can now be found under couches and beds
-video games can be heard at 2:00AM on a work night as they scream "quietly"
-cars can suddenly disappear....not to be seen for hours and always returned on "Empty"

Yes, these are the tell tale signs of summer. I'm sure there are more....but I don't want to upset the delicate balance of nature and the change of seasons. I guess, in the end it's all very trivial...it's nice to have your "kids" around and its nice when your "kids" want to be around you. Yep, our kids will tell us they are big wheels at the Cracker factory, but for whatever reason, they can't recycle a cracker box.

(lygenztia *308) Bumper cars.....

Have you even seen a bumper sticker on a car and immediately knew that you and the driver could or could not be friends? The type of sticker a person places on their vehicle tells you everything about their personality. For example, the following is a small sampling:

"Baby on board" = Pretentious yuppy.
"Keep Calm and Chive on" = Cool dude/dudette and...we can be friends.
"dont text and drive" = Judgemental dickhead (yes, I know texting and drive is bad, but I don't need lectures about it from a sticker)
"wear your seatbelt" = Knob. 'nuff said.
"my other car is a ferrari" = The guy everybody avoids at a party.
"the best things in life aren't things" = Probably, someone with a crummy job pretending they are totally ok with it.
"i'm only speeding because I have to poop" = Confident, can laugh at themselves. We can be friends.
"Help! Mom farted and we can't get out" = Now, that's just hilarious. We can be friends.

Think about it. Next time you see a bumper sticker; read it and then take a look at the driver. It will tell you more than a psychological assessment conducted by a qualified medical practitioner.

#KCCO

(lygenztia *307) Agape...and agog?

Why do some people walk about with their mouth wide open? It's why we have lips, folks. That way, we can close our mouth when not breathing heavy, talking or eating.

Is it that hard to keep your jaw closed? Oh, too much effort, you say?...I guess their thinking is "i'll just give in to gravity, let my jaw drop and catch flies in my mouth whenever I am outside".

It's just plain weird. Opening you mouth is swell for kissing, eating, breathing heavy, drinking beer, talking...but not cool for walking around in public.

Shut it.

(lygenztia *306) Better than Christmas

First off, if you don't like Rib Fest we can't be friends and I want you off my blog. Now.

Now that the terms of engagement have been set....

I LOVE Rib Fest. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.....

1) No preparation required...show up; eat and drink
2) No planning required...show up; eat and drink
3) Spending time with good friends and family; eat and drink
4) Seeing old friends you haven't seen in a while and then with them; eat and drink
5) Enjoying the sense of community you experience while there and then; eat and drink
6) Knowing the profits go back to your community projects through the Rotary Club which makes me want to; eat and drink
7) Listening to local bands, some of which have gone on the become music stars all while you; eat and drink
8) No clean up required afterwards just; eat and drink
9) Watching families (young and old) have a great time as they; eat and drink

Typically, we walk up (NO DRINKING AND DRIVING FOLKS) and wind through the various streets. Always interesting, people are out on their front lawns talking about Rib Fest, waving at strangers as they walk by. Everyone knows its Rib Fest time and it always seems to put everyone in a good mood.

Yup, Rib Fest. Better than Christmas.

(lygenztia *305) Travel buddies!

My significant other and I do a fair bit of travelling. Sometimes, we travel in a large group, sometimes with another couple and sometimes just the two of us.

When you travel in a large group, everyone is familiar and you are very comfortable in your surroundings. You tend to "stick together" in a pack. So, you tend to meet few "travel buddies".

When you are in a small group, you tend to meet more "travel buddies". I think this is because you appear more approachable to other travelers.

When you are travelling with "just" your spouse (or significant other) you always meet other people. Why? Well, that one is easy...you want to expand the conversation. (unless, you are that "weird couple" on the bus ride to the resort that everyone avoids)

At the resort you meet the nicest people (because alcohol makes everyone cool) have the best time ever and spend the week getting closer to your "travel buddies". Next, of course you exchange e-mail and Facebook, Twitter, etc.

That's where it gets funny, because lets's be honest here...after the return plane lands you never hear from your "travel buddies" again. Oh, you might creep each others Facebook, but that's about it. And, that's ok. It's kind of like that cute person you dated in the summer years ago, but then you broke up when you went off to school.

Good times, great memories....but some things should stay where they were.

(lygenztia *304) Ooooh...i'm so mad

Why do men that ride Harley Davidson motorcycles always snarl and frown when they ride their bikes? The bikes are beautiful (but sometimes all too loud), so why get all pissy pants angry when riding? I thought riding motorcycles was fun and....enjoyable.

If you ever see a Harley rider at an intersection, they will have a great big frown on their face. Maybe, they are trying to look "bad to the bone". Maybe they are angry at how much they paid for their motorcycle. If you watch, you will notice that motorcycle riders on other makes of bikes don't drive around grimacing and frowning.

I dunno, I don't get it.

So, turn that frown upside down Charlie Brown. You don't need to convince the rest of us that you are tough, or scary. Your fancy leather chaps already scream out everything we need to know about you.