Recess Coaches...Really?!?!

I heard on the new this morning that St. Paul (along with several other schools across the country) are now hiring "recess coaches." What is a recess coach you ask? Well it is someone the school hires to provide the students with "structured play" during recess time. Oh and the price tag per school; a meager $60,000 - SERIOUSLY?!?! $60K! That is waaay too much for a school to pay to have someone show kids how to play at recess...as if kids need an adult so show them how to play! To top it all off, the St. Paul school district is facing a $25 million...yep million budget deficit this year! And some politicians in Washington don't think we need education reform...imagine how many other programs are out there that make no sense and yet we are stuck paying for...

Remember when you could actually play at recess? You know...just as kids...without someone telling you what to play and how to play it? I think it is better for children to have unstructured playtime...let them create their own games, form their own teams...too much of kids' lives nowadays is controlled and structured - where is their chance to be creative?

How did we survive as kids growing up without a recess coach? Our recess time must have been hell!

Check out the Star Tribune article here.

ONLY the Japanese...

Yep..the Japanese have officially invented a device that lets you kiss over the internet...so hot...

http://www.cnn.com/2011/TECH/innovation/05/05/computer.kiss.device/index.html

Why Don't You Coddle Kids More, NY...

I was reading the news over lunch and I came across this article...about New York state putting certain childhood games on a warning list (i.e. play at your own risk) for summer camps, school, etc...Keep in mind that this new regulation requires that ANY NY camp that wants campers to play the games below will be required to pay a $200 registration fee and have medical staff on hand. How dumb is that?

Games/activities on the warning list:
* Capture the Flag
* Crab Soccer
* Dodgeball
* Wiffle Ball
* Flag Tag
* Flag Football
* Ga Ga
* Kickball
* Nuk-em
* Red Rover
* Steal the Bacon
* Tag (all varieties) --- I nearly lol'd when I saw tag...I mean really?!?!

I am not sure what Ga Ga, Nuk-em and Steal the Bacon are, but I cannot believe that the other games made the warning list...seriously! As a kid we were encouraged to go out and play tag, kickball, red rover, etc. at school during recess and now they are considered dangerous?!?!

First they complain about kids being overweight and not playing outside and getting proper amounts of exercise. Now, they are putting warnings and penalizing summer camps that encourage these same kids to engage in childhood games...these lawmakers should focus on more economic recovery and less on this nanny state intrusion!

I Kan Spel Gud!

I do not consider myself to be the best speller...not by a long shot, but I try my best to spell words correctly when posting to Facebook, Twitter, etc....I'll give you a second to wade through my FB posts to find some misspellings...happy now? OK :)

I came across this funny web page that gives a humorous look at common misspellings...enjoy!

10 Words You Need to Stop Misspelling

Only in Minnesota...

Only in Minnesota would you have the opportunity to purchase this Groupon...in MARCH!:

Gourmet Chicken Soup Care Package...http://www.groupon.com/minneapolis-stpaul/

Please winter...please, please, please oh please END!

On a better note, Dan and I saw "Battle: Los Angeles" last night...great action-packed movie. No the greatest story, but if you like action and alien invasions (sort of like "Independence Day") then you will enjoy this movie =)

Fuahhh?!?!? Snow?!?!?!

Weather.com status update for Minneapolis...

"WINTER ALERT: 3-5 in of snow over the next 36 hours"

Seriously?!?! It is March 22...MARCH! We should be getting nice sunny spring-like weather!

/double facepalm

Homeless or Shameless?

Call me cold-hearted, but there is something that just irritates me about people who ask for money on highway off-ramps...especially when they clearly look like they are going to spend it on alcohol or drugs or both. Take yesterday evening, for example...

I was driving home from work, listening to the radio on the updates from Wisconsin :) when I came to the exit for Maple Grove. As I pulled up to the stop light to turn left towards the apartment I noticed there was a guy with a sign that read "Need Food." Of course, the sign was scribbled in all caps as though a 5-year old wrote it...actually I apologize for that, I shouldn't have insulted all the 5-year olds out there. Anywhoo...as I pulled up to the stoplight and to the begging hobo, I couldn't help feeling annoyed...for several reasons.

First of all this guy was probably not much older than I am - maybe middle to late 20's. I understand these are tough economic times, but someone at this age should not have to resort to begging for money on the street - you are young and the amount of opportunities in life are endless for you.

Secondly, this guy was dressed like he didn't have money problems at all. He had a nice, warm winter jacket on (I understand he could have gotten this donated or something), but he was also sporting a very nice pair of Nike's and some nice looking sunglasses...the big bug-eye ones like you would see on a metro kind of guy. My point is that he didn't look like he was homeless or that he needed money...at all.

Finally, and this was the kicker. As I pulled closer and closer to where he was standing I noticed something in his hand...yup a smartphone. Not just any smartphone, but an iphone. How on God's green earth could someone be that bold as to ask for money when they can afford to purchase an iphone and that data plan? Hmm?!?

The worst part of all this is that I saw some schmuck actually give this guy some money!!! Honestly....did this guy ACTUALLY think that he was going to buy food with this money? lol, some people are so naive...they give their fellow man a little too much credit sometimes.

After the Dentist

Maybe I am weird...or paranoid...or maybe both - that wasn't a question so don't answer that - but seriously every time I go to the dentist my teeth hurt and they didn't hurt beforehand! Take today for instance...I went in for a routine cleaning - no issues and now my teeth hurt! I wish they didn't poke around so dang much and irritate my gums! Grrr...stop touching my gums if you keep telling me "you have very healthy gums!"

I think they are trying to create issues so that I come back later! They are worse than lawyers I tell ya! o.O did I say that?!?! nah - just kidding!

Trustworthiness of Beards

Something to ponder the next time you run into a guy with a beard...
 

Here is the link to see it larger--- Trustworthiness of Beards

The Best Thing About Modern Birthdays!

Email Freebies!

I am not talking about those stupid emails you get that say something like "ZOMG take this survey and get a free iPod, iPad and $1,000,000!" No, I am talking about the emails you get by signing up on a company's website - Starbucks and The Cheesecake Factory, for example.

I discovered the joys of birthday freebies from Caribou Coffee a couple of years ago. I was browsing Caribou's websites to see what drinks they had and I saw a link that said something like "Register with Caribou and receive a free Caribou Coffee on your birthday!" So I signed up - it was completely free and sure enough on my birthday I received an email with a coupon for a free coffee - any type and any size!

Needless to say ever since that moment I have signed up to some of my favorite spots - Caribou, Starbucks, Dunn Bros, The Cheesecake Factory, Buca's, Cold Stone Creamery, The Melting Pot and The Old Spaghetti Factory. Yeah...I know...that's a lot of places, but trust me I don't go to each place every year...except for the coffee places! I am going to be so amped up this evening...lol! The one downside from signing up for this kind of thing is that every once and a while (like twice a year or something) I get emails form these places asking me to check out their new menu items...yawn.

If you have never signed up for something like this then you are missing out! After all, who doesn't like a free coffee form their favorite coffee place each year on their birthday?!?!

Ethel Strikes Again!

Yet another great quote from Ethel - the office admin...

- Dyson Vacuum/Shag Carpet -

"I'm telling you those Dyson vacuums sure know how to suck! I got into a fight with my shag carpet once with one and instead of just turning it off I threw out my back trying to pull it off!"

Milwaukee Named "Drunkest City" in America

I guess congratulations are in order for our neighbor to the east...Milwaukee, Wisconsin, which was named the 'drunkest city' in America! According to the study nearly 7% of Milwaukeeans can be classified as heavy drinkers. Another 21.8 percent were found to be binge drinkers, meaning they consumed five or more drinks in a single sitting. Who knew that Wisconsinites liked to drink?!?!

Check out the article.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone! I hope that everyone was able to enjoy the holiday and spend time with their family!

Christmas was great this year! Amanda and I were able to spend time with our families and enjoy a great vacation relaxing in Florida! Though the weather was a little cooler than we would have liked (low to mid 60's some days) we still managed to get a little tan from our 5 day stay in The Keys!

Highlights: 
 * Warmer weather than MN!
 * Humidity! I almost forgot was it felt like!
 * Sun and sun tan! My nose is still a little red.
 * Amazing views! I had always thought the opening to CSI: Miami was color-enhanced...but the water actually looks that amazing!
 * Swimming! Though the temps were a little cooler the pools were heated!
 * DOLPHINS! ZOMG Amanda went nuts over the dolphins! I have to admit, though that the dolphins they had at the resort were really cool! We got some good pics and video of the dolphins with the trainers.
 *  Great food! yes, we can get great food in MN, but the breakfast they had laid our for us was perfect! Anything you wanted every morning! And the fish!!! yum yum!

I will post some pictures on Facebook later this week.