On Tuesday, after work, I stopped by the local grocery store.  I needed a few items and was in a hurry to get in and get out.  As I walked to the store, a man approached me.  He apologized for bothering me and explained that he was laid off and has two kids.  He asked if I had a dollar or two I could spare.

Almost instinctively, I felt the urge to ignore him and walk on.  Perhaps mumble something about not having any money on me as I quickened my pace.  Then, for a split second, I thought to myself: What if I was in his position?  What if I was laid off and my family rendered homeless?  What if my best bet to put food on the table for my children was to ask for money from strangers?

I told him I didn’t think I had much cash, but fished a couple of dollars out of my wallet to give him.  I wished him luck and we went our separate ways.  As I did so, I felt a wave of sadness that I couldn’t do more to help him.

Sure, the guy could have been lying to me.  He could have taken my cash and gone directly to a nearby liquor store instead of buying food for his kids.  Maybe he doesn’t even have any children.  I’m a big believer of taking a person at their word, though.  A bit naïve?  Perhaps, but I’d rather assume the best about someone and be proven wrong than assume the worst of people from the outset.

I hope that, that night, his family was able to eat, in part, thanks to the money I gave him.  I also hope that his luck turns around and he is able to find work soon.

My Aloha Friday question for today is: Have you ever had someone down on their luck ask you for money?  If so, what did you do?  If not, what would you do?

Don’t forget to enter my $25 EdenFantasys giveaway!

P.S. If you haven’t already, go visit FollowerHQ and let me know what you think of my Twitter application.

P.P.S. For a bit of fun, try my other Twitter Application, Rout. It’s a +F in Fun!

Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this fun for Friday. Please be sure to head over to her blog to say hello and sign the linky there if you are participating.

Aloha #123

Disclaimer: The “Money – banknotes and coin” clipart above is from OpenClipArt.org.

When I was young, I kept a journal.  In it, I wrote about all of the private thoughts, fears, and feelings that I felt I couldn’t tell anyone.  Well, that was the general idea.  By "kept a journal", I really mean I wrote in it for about a week, rediscovered it a month later, wrote in it once more and then forgot about it for another three months.  I was never very good with writing things with paper and pen.  My love of writing only flourished when I was first introduced to computers.

Fast forward to the present.  Sometimes there things we feel the need to write about that we just can’t blog about.  Perhaps family members read your blog or perhaps the issue crosses a TMI boundary.  However, despite these misgivings, there might still be an urge to write about it, just not in a public manner.  After all, writing is a very good way of organizing your thoughts on matters.

At one time, I considered setting up a private WordPress blog for my son for this very purpose.  He could use it to express his thoughts on anything and everything.  The posts would not be publicly visible.  After all, he’s only 8 and doesn’t need a public blog.  However, B and I would be able to read it.  I actually got it all set up, but never showed him it.  Perhaps when he’s older he’ll use it.

As for me, I’m thinking of setting up a private blog for some of my thoughts.  They might be matters that I don’t feel comfortable shouting out to a random mix of strangers, friends and family.  They might be matters that I feel don’t interest my TechyDad.com audience (or my Twitter or Google+ followers).  Or perhaps it is something that has been on my mind that might be a blog post at some point, but hasn’t been fully fleshed out yet.  In any event, it would be nice to have a place to record my thoughts privately and a non-public blog seems ideal.

My Aloha Friday question for today is: Have you ever had a journal or a private blog to record your thoughts?

P.S. If you haven’t already, go visit FollowerHQ and let me know what you think of my Twitter application.

P.P.S. For a bit of fun, try my other Twitter Application, Rout. It’s a +F in Fun!

Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this fun for Friday. Please be sure to head over to her blog to say hello and sign the linky there if you are participating.

Aloha #122

Disclaimer: The “Paper,Write,Pen” clipart above is from OpenClipArt.org.

On Tuesday, I went to the dentist.  As usual, my teeth were fine.  They just needed their semi-annual cleaning.  However, also as usual, came the awful question: "Have you been flossing?"  This was followed by my embarrassment-filled: "No."

Don’t get me wrong.  I don’t have anything against flossing.  I know that it is good for my teeth and gums.  I just can’t seem to work it into my routine, though.  I’ll floss for a few days after my checkup.  Then I forget about it completely until a few days before my next checkup.

My Aloha Friday question for today is: How good are you with flossing?  Do you floss every day?

P.S. If you haven’t already, go visit FollowerHQ and let me know what you think of my Twitter application.

P.P.S. For a bit of fun, try my other Twitter Application, Rout. It’s a +F in Fun!

Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this fun for Friday. Please be sure to head over to her blog to say hello and sign the linky there if you are participating.

Aloha #121

Disclaimer: The “open mouth” clipart above is from OpenClipArt.org.

Saturday was the day.  After a few weeks of looking, we had bought bunk beds a couple of days ago.  Now, it was time for the boys to say good-bye to their existing beds: NHL, his twin bed, and JSL, his toddler bed.

After saying goodbye, we took their stuffed animals off and packed them away in large bags.  Since these are the same bags we use for garbage, we took care to let the boys know that the garbage bags were simply the best storage method and by no means meant the stuffed animals were being thrown away,  Then, their sheets, blankets and pillows were removed.

I took apart JSLs toddler bed first.  It’s a converted crib and the only bed he’s ever known (at home at least).  After that, I leaned NHL’s mattress against the wall, put the box spring in a bag and stored it and the frame in the basement.  All this took me about two hours.  I was sure it would take much longer.

After cleaning the area up (dust bunnies love hard-to-reach areas), their room was ready.  Later that day, the Raymour and Flanigan truck arrived.  The kids could hardly contain themselves.

Two guys came and quickly set up the bunks.  Meanwhile, the kids were watching intently.  They loved seeing the bed get constructed.  The men putting the bed together were wonderful and didn’t seem to mind the boys over-attention.  Nor did they say anything when JSL asked "Daddy, why does that man not have any hair" or when he responded to my request to explain later with "But daddy, he’s got NO HAIR!!!"

Before we knew it, the beds were put together and the boys were all too eager to try them out.  That’s not to say that there hasn’t been adjustments needed.  NHL is a bit nervous sleeping on the top bunk.  JSL can’t see his night light.  I think once these adjustments are over, though, I’m sure they’ll love their new bunk beds.

My Aloha Friday question for today is: Have you ever had bunk beds?  Would you rather sleep on the top or bottom bunk?

P.S. If you haven’t already, go visit FollowerHQ and let me know what you think of my Twitter application.

P.P.S. For a bit of fun, try my other Twitter Application, Rout. It’s a +F in Fun!

Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this fun for Friday. Please be sure to head over to her blog to say hello and sign the linky there if you are participating.

Aloha #120

Yesterday, I recounted how well I did with my New Year’s goals.  Short answer: Not that well on many, but very well on others.  Today, I want to know how you did.

My Aloha Friday question for today is: How well did you do on your New Year’s Resolutions/Goals?  Did you stick to them or were they tossed aside?

P.S. If you haven’t already, go visit FollowerHQ and let me know what you think of my Twitter application.

P.P.S. For a bit of fun, try my other Twitter Application, Rout. It’s a +F in Fun!

Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this fun for Friday. Please be sure to head over to her blog to say hello and sign the linky there if you are participating.

Aloha #119

This time of year, Christmas just seems to take over.  Christmas decorations go up in every store.  Christmas music blares 24/7 from the radio stations.  Television stations trot out the Christmas specials and movies.

Since we celebrate Chanukah, and not Christmas, this XMas overdrive can get tiring quickly.  We tend to avoid the stores (admittedly, partly because of the crowds), turn off the radios, and change the channel from the Christmas specials.  Once in awhile, we’ll find a Chanukah special, but they are few and far between.

However, in all of this Christmas hoopla, there is actually a Christmas movie that I love: The Nightmare Before Christmas.  I just love the tale of Jack Skellington kidnaping Santa Claus (or “Sandy Claws” as Jack calls him) so he can make Christmas in his own image.

Recently, I introduced the boys to this movie.  I was apprehensive at first, worrying that they would be scared of Halloween Town’s spooky residents.  Instead, my boys were instantly hooked.  Since then, we’ve all been singing “The Oogy Boogy Song” as well as the other tunes sung during the movie.  I think I’m going to have to buy the Nightmare Before Christmas soundtrack so we can rock out to it more.

My Aloha Friday question for today is: Do you have a favorite non-conventional holiday movie/special?

P.S. If you haven’t already, go visit FollowerHQ and let me know what you think of my Twitter application.

P.P.S. For a bit of fun, try my other Twitter Application, Rout. It’s a +F in Fun!

Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this fun for Friday. Please be sure to head over to her blog to say hello and sign the linky there if you are participating.

Aloha #117

During Thanksgiving, sometime between the end of the meal and the beginning of dessert, everyone split up to do different things.  I sat down and searched for something interesting on TV.  That’s when I spotted it.  Ghostbusters.  Sure, it was on a non-premium cable channel and, thus, censored, but still – It’s Ghostbusters!

As I settled in, NHL and JSL began to inquire to see what I was watching.  At first, they were upset that I wasn’t watching one of *their* programs.  How dare dad not keep the TV glued to Nick Jr even when they weren’t in the room.  But then B told them of Stay Puft.  After that, they kept bugging me as to when the giant marshmallow man would appear.  When he finally did show, they cheered at his appearance and over his destruction and spillage on top of Walter Peck.

In short, my kids were instant Ghostbusters fans.  I had a quandary, though.  Dare I show the full, uncensored Ghostbusters to NHL?  JSL might be too young, but NHL might love it.  On the other hand, I worried.  Not about the violence, but about the cursing.

NHL has heard cursing before.  I’m sure he’s heard it in his school and he’s heard a word or three pop out of B’s mouth.  (I’m a bit of a freak in that I never curse… Well, except for that one time I tried to get a reaction out of my friend by saying the C word which caused him to almost drive off the road.  Reaction achieved!)  But would NHL’s watching of movies with curses cause his language to reach for the potty?  Is he, at 8, too young for movies with salty language?

My Aloha Friday question for today is: How old do you think a child should be before they watch a movie that contains cursing?

P.S. If you haven’t already, go visit FollowerHQ and let me know what you think of my Twitter application.

P.P.S. For a bit of fun, try my other Twitter Application, Rout. It’s a +F in Fun!

Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this fun for Friday. Please be sure to head over to her blog to say hello and sign the linky there if you are participating.

Aloha #116

As I sit here writing this post, my stomach is filled to the brim.  I couldn’t eat another bite.  I’ve indulged in turkey, gravy, cranberry sauce, sweet potato casserole, stuffing, Asian salad, chocolate rugalech, pumpkin chocolate chip cake, and dark chocolate peanut butter banana ice cream.  I can’t eat any more.  I can’t even think about food.

Ok, maybe I can think about food a little bit.  Thanksgiving, to me, always means certain dishes.  It just doesn’t feel like Thanksgiving otherwise.  Of course, one is turkey and another is stuffing.  The dish that most says “Thanksgiving” to me, though, is sweet potato casserole.

Growing up, my mother and I seemed to have a ritual.  Every year, she would make a sweet potato casserole topped with marshmallows.  Every year, I would eat the marshmallows and leave the “yucky” sweet potatoes behind.  Every year, my mom would bug me to try a little bit of sweet potato.  I never would.

One year, I had enough of being bugged.  I decided to just give in, take a taste, and show my mother just how disgusting those sweet potatoes were.  I took a small bite and… loved them!  I couldn’t believe how great they tasted.  I went from skimming the casserole for the marshmallows to eating the whole thing.  (My portion, that is, not the entire casserole.)

My Aloha Friday question for today is: What Thanksgiving food brings back memories?

P.S. If you haven’t already, go visit FollowerHQ and let me know what you think of my Twitter application.

Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this fun for Friday. Please be sure to head over to her blog to say hello and sign the linky there if you are participating.

Aloha #115

There are days when the various pressures I face get to be too much.  Though I try to keep a strong, stable face to the world, I’ll often feel like I just want to retreat to a dark corner and cry for a few hours.  With that feeling invariably comes a small voice that tells me “Real men don’t cry.  Real men hide their feelings and show as little emotion as possible.”

I know that society tells us that men who cry are wimps and guys who push their feelings down deep are strong, but I think it’s the other way around.  I’ve done the whole hide-what-you-are feeling thing.  It doesn’t make you strong.  It just makes bad feelings fester in you until they either explode or poison you (or your relationships).  I think men who are comfortable enough to cry are the stronger of the two groups.  They’re the ones who stand up to the Real Man Stereotype and shatter it.

My Aloha Friday question for today is: Do you think any less of a man if he admits that he cries?  Also, have you ever felt like hiding in a dark corner and crying?  What do you do when you feel this way?

P.S. If you haven’t already, go visit FollowerHQ and let me know what you think of my Twitter application.

Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this fun for Friday. Please be sure to head over to her blog to say hello and sign the linky there if you are participating.

Aloha #114

After Netflix shot itself in the foot repeatedly, we began to reassess our subscription.  I still think that both the streaming and mailed DVD offerings are nice.  I like the immediacy of streaming and the depth of their DVD selection.  However, given the recent price hike combined with economic circumstances, we just couldn’t keep both.  In the end, we decided to keep streaming (for now) and get rid of our DVD queue.  (We’ll just rely more on free DVD rentals from our local library.)

Although our DVD plan has ended, Netflix allows you to keep your DVDs out for a limited time before sending them back.  Currently, we have Captain America: The First Avenger and one of the Batman: The Animated Series DVDs.  By Saturday, we should be done with these and ready to send them back.  Then, our mail will no longer see any of those little red envelopes.  Part of me is really sad about this.

My Aloha Friday question for today is: Do you subscribe to a DVD rental service (either Netflix or some other?  If Netflix, has the recent price increase made you change your subscription?

P.S. Happy 111111 Day. Or, if you know binary, Happy 63 Day!

P.P.S. If you haven’t already, go visit FollowerHQ and let me know what you think of my Twitter application.

Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this fun for Friday. Please be sure to head over to her blog to say hello and sign the linky there if you are participating.

Aloha #113