Christmas Day

Christmas Day

Another year of good health and happiness.

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Eve...

Christmas Present #23

Any questions?!?

@ThePitMaster

Christmas Present #24

ION Tape Express Portable Analog To Digital Cassette Converter

 

Been hunting for this bad boy for years. It transfers old school cassette tapes to MP3s, which you can then play on your computer, iPod, phone, or burn to a CD. So what's the big deal?!? We have a 60 minute cassette tape from our high school days of Christmas music. Best we can guess, it's probably from 1984. Back then, one or two FM stations played 36 hours of Christmas music. The "marathon" started at noon on Christmas Eve, and ended at midnight on Christmas night. That was it. Nothing at all like today where you can find stations playing the yuletide tunes starting the week of Thanksgiving.

Anyway, one year Our Dad came up with a brilliant idea. "Let's tape a couple of hours of the Christmas music on cassette and save it to enjoy next year." The following year, when we were probably 15 or 16, we decided to be a rebel and record our own Christmas tape! The next year we unsheathed it on December 1 and listened to it on our Walkman and in the car. By pure luck, 99% of the songs are absolutely timeless classics performed spectacularly. The tape became an annual Christmas thing. There were a couple of years when we had a car sans a tape deck. No problem. We just brought our boom box in the car with us (loaded with D batteries) and played the tape. For 30 years we've listened to that tape every December. No lie. No exaggeration. Now, the tradition is we listen to it in the car on December weekends.

For the past five years or so, we've worried that one of these advents the tape is going to get eaten by the cassette player we still have and/or the cassette player our 2005 Camry sports. (Sadly, The Wife's 2012 Volvo doesn't even have a tape deck.) So after procrastinating for years, we finally did some research last December and found the above model was rated as the best in the land. Of course, it was sold out. So yesterday we found it on Amazon and immediately clicked. Through the beauty of Amazon Prime, it will be here on Thursday. And we will transfer the cherished tape to an MP3 file, thus preserving it forever, as well as burn it into a CD.  (More about the tape another day, as it will undoubtedly appear on the Christmas present list here.)

@ThePitMaster

Christmas Present #25

This is a reprint from

 December 1, 2009

As we do every year, we will be posting a present to give/ask for every day between now and Christmas. Many are things you can actually go out and buy. Some are realistic in price. Alas, a few are financially unrealistic. (Last year an $8,000 Viking oven made the list.) This time of year truly is the best part of the calendar. People seem to be just a tad nicer. And if you have kids, how can you not relish the looks on their faces as they open presents in the early morning hours of December 25?!?

But we figured we would start this season off not with a gift that can be placed under the Christmas tree. Rather, we want to begin with something that all of us can give as well as receive. And it doesn't cost a penny.

It's called ... wait for it ... A Better Attitude.

And 99 percent of us can use one.

To bitch and moan is to be human. And we're not asking you stop bitching and moaning. Instead, we just ask that as a present to yourself, you bitch and moan less.

Think about it. A majority of us don't have much to truly bitch about. Feel tired and overworked?!? Tell that to someone who is terminally ill. Hate your boss?!? Tell that to someone on welfare. Think your house pales in comparison to others?!? We're guessing the father of a homeless family would love to call your house his own.

The Playmaker's Sister spent last Saturday night with her grandparents and aunt. When she came home from the sleepover, she did so with a new pair of UGGS -- complete with a price tag of $110. Unfortunately, she discovered a scuff mark on them. No worries, as her mom exchanged them the next day. This time, however, we discovered there was a small rip in one of the UGGS. The boots would be exchanged for flawless ones. But not until this coming weekend. Our daughter was devastated. She so wanted to wear the new kicks to school and was despondent that she would now have to wait a week. Later that same day, we took her to the grocery store to get some grub. In the front of the store was a Christmas tree that had angels on it that you could "adopt" for Christmas. The angels were local needy boys and girls. Adopting one means you give the gifts that are lifted on the angel card. We adopted a 15 year old girl and an 8 year old boy. (The girl wants a Target gift card. She will get one from us, plus a gift card to Aeropostale. The boy wants a gift card to GameStop. He will get that, plus one to the Gap.)

On the way home, we ripped into The Playmaker's Sister for being selfish and spoiled. We asked her if she thought anyone on that angel Christmas tree could afford UGGS. She, of course, knew the answer and where the conversation was headed. We told her just what we wrote above. That everyone complains -- even her father. But that none of us really have much to gripe about. It clearly resonated with her -- because within a minute or two she was back to her normal, cheerful self. And the UGGS have not been brought up since.

So we share that story not to thump our chest as father of the year. Instead, it's a simple lesson that most of us really, truly have nothing to bitch about. Let's all shut our mouths and improve our attitudes. (And if possible, try to help someone or some people who truly need it.)

And in the process, we will be giving ourselves and those around us a wonderful gift. And we will enjoy the Christmas season more than ever.

@ThePitMaster

Happy Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving. Probably our favorite day of the year (though the Day Before Thanksgiving is nearly its equal).  A holiday all about food, football and tradition that leads us into the Christmas season. Truly wonderful.
 
On the menu today: 

• 22 pound turkey smoked on the grill
• 18 pound turkey roasted in the oven (using Alton Brown's famous recipe)
• Cranberry Chutney (first time ever)
• Grilled asparagus (first time ever)
• Mashed potatoes & gravy
• Corn
• Cornbread stuffing with grilled sausage
• Regular stuffing
• Parker House Rolls
• Apps: kielbasa, chips & salsa, cheese & crackers, meatballs
• Desserts: apple pie, carrot cake, trifle

The legal pad says we are eating around 2:30. History has shown it will more likely be around 3:15. Added bonus-slash-probable-irritant is the fact the Eagles are on at 4:30 against the Cowgirls. (We did some pre-Christmas shopping and bought a Mark Sanchez shirt for The Playmaker, as well as an iPad Air for ........ wait for it ......... ourselves.) So three generations of Eagles fans, grandfather-son-grandson, will be camped out on the couch watching the game -- bloated and loaded with tryptophan. If the Eagles lose, it will still have been a great day. If they win -- we will talk about this Thanksgiving the rest of our lives. Honest. Either way, the three of us win.
 
And yes, as is our tradition, we will be updating the blog, as well as our Twitter feed, with food pictures all day.
 
Happy Thanksgiving!

 

@ThePitMaster

First R E A L day of summer...

Yes, we are back. Been busy with life. Coaching, teaching, coaching some more. But school ended yesterday at noon. So now we get to slow down and enjoy some relaxation.  As is our annual tradition on this day, here are some 90210 first day of summer videos. Enjoy!

Happy New Year!

Spent last night eating Chinese food, watching Johnny Heisman break Duke's spirit and banging out a record setting #76. At midnight we were finishing A Christmas Carol by the tree, listening to Johnny Mathis.