7 Distinctive Facts

You may have noticed in the comments section (and judging by the number of comments, you haven't) that my good friend Kam "tagged" me. This means that I now have to list seven distinctive facts about myself. Here we go:

Fact #1: Carl's Jr. was the Arnold's of my teenage years.

On "Happy Days," everybody went to Arnold's to hang out. Even the guys who were too old to hang out with high schoolers were there. In Turlock, California (the key to the San Joaquin Valley, by the way), we had.......Carl's Jr.

Oh, yes, the home of the Double Western Bacon Cheeseburger and criss-cut fries was where we congregated on Friday and Saturday nights. The parking lot was full of cars. The Carl's was situated in a long, inter-connected strip mall, and the entire lot was full of cars. We would head there after football and basketball games. Sometimes we would eat, other times just chat. Often times, we would meet at Carl's, and then figure out where the real party was and head out. CJ's was the glue that held the social scene of Turlock together.

This is not the actual T-Town Carl's Jr, but it does look strikingly similar

Fact #2: The Hero Worship of George Brett.

I grew up in St. Joseph, Missouri - approximately an hour north of Kansas City. My formative years came during the glory days of the Kansas City Royals. They made the playoffs practically every year, went to the World Series twice, and won the World Championship in the magical year of 1985. The mainstay of the team was George Brett. My hero.

I wanted to be George. I think I still do. He was a first ballot Hall of Famer. It is unconfirmed he walked on water, but I think it did happened. I recieved a great biography of George the year he was inducted in Cooperstown as a gift(it was placed in a place of honor in Cade's nursery). April and I went to his restaurant on the Plaza in KC, and we came away with the souvenir t-shirt.

The classic lefty swing

I think it is almost unfortunate that George is probably best remembered for the Pine Tar incident. My favorite Brett moment is Game 3 of the 1980 ALCS when he went third deck off Goose Gossage.

Brett calmly approaching the umpire after being called out for too much pine tar on his bat

Fact #3: I drink Diet Mountain Dew for breakfast

I won't lie to you. Diet Mountain Dew is by far the best beverage in the history of liquids. It can just be consumed at any time, any place. If I have said it once, I have said it a thousand times: DMD is the nectar of the gods.

My breakfast consists of a power bar of some sort, and the DMD. Hey, some people get their caffeine fix from coffee. I prefer my pop. I guess it would be more socially acceptable to have a $4.00 Mocha Light Frappacino with no whip every morning (which would not necessarily be a bad thing), but I am that secure with my DMD.

Fact #4: Hootie Rules

Everyone has their own personal tastes and preferences when it comes to music. My brother-in-law is beyond a die-hard U2 fan. A guy I work with loves The Police. I get that. I respect that. But Hootie and the Blowfish is head and shoulders above all other recording artists. You heard me, McCartney. I have seen them in concert multiple times, therefore I say this with 100% certainty.

Darius Rucker and the boys

You can try to convince me otherwise, but you would be wasting your breath. Look through the music archives and you won't find a better song than "Let Her Cry." #1 All-Time. Top of the Charts. Just throw in Cracked Rear View, put it on song #3, and thank me later.

Cracked Rear View

Fact #5: My Favorite Writer is........ Bill Simmons?

Shakespeare, Hemingway, and Faulkner? All hacks. Bill Simmons puts them all to shame. Do you really think that the first three writers mentioned could create entire columns based upon the Cobra Kai from the Karate Kid? Only Bill Simmons can accomplish this feat.

Simmons is known as the Sports Guy, and he writes a bi-weekly coloumn for espn.com. He blends sports with pop culture refrences. He specializes in dropping characters and quotes from 80's and 90's movies in his coloumn, which is right up my alley. My only knock on Simmons is that he concentrates too much on the Boston area sports teams. He is a New England native and die hard Red Sox, Patriots, and Celtics fan. But at least he admits it. If I was a big time writer for espn, I would be doing the same thing for the Chiefs.

Fact #6: My Better Half really is my better half

I am so lucky to have married April. She is the best thing to ever happen to me. Beautiful and smart are just the tip of the iceberg. I love her so much, and she is the best mother to Cade. It is unbelievable to think it has already been 6 and a half years since we have been married. The time really does fly.

The Big Day (8/12/01)

April does such an outstanding job at making our house a home. It has been quite a large undertaking with our new digs in RSM, and her vision is really taking shape. And she makes great homemade salsa.

Christmas 2006

Fact #7: I am THAT Dad

I wouldn't go so far as to call me a "Little League Dad," but I have no problem in steering Cade into the world of sports. He knows the Angels quite well, and has become a Kansas State fan (he loves Willie the Wildcat). He is just now starting to catching a ball, and is able to throw it back. Unfortunately, he is right handed.

Celebrating the kickoff to the 2006 NFL Season

April rolls her eyes, but I have supplied him with various jerseys. Chiefs.....check. Wildcats......check. Angels.......check. I even find random Target and Old Navy shirts that have Tigers and Bulldogs on them (for Pacific and Turlock High respectively). Even though Cade has shown more talent in the musical arts (you should hear him sing Sandler's The Hanukkah song), he will be putting on all sorts of uniforms in the years to come.

This happens every time the Chiefs lose

Two favorite things: 1) the Angels shirt 2) Popsicles from the Ice Cream Man

Although I didn't play soccer, I was an orange wearin' Tiger. Cade is just 16 years away from being a UOP Diaper Dandy

This Bulldog logo from Target is a dead ringer for the THS Bulldog. You gotta love the "Tarjay"

This was Day 1. Granted, the lid was courtesy Uncle [b], but the precedent was set.

Seven facts were requested, and seven facts were delivered. I feel that we are all now so much closer. Peas and carrots.

The Cats Will Rise Again

You would think this would have been a terrific weekend. Veteran's Day allowed for a 3-day vacation. The weather in OC has been outstanding. But, sadly, this weekend turned sour. And quickly.

The Kansas State-Nebraska game Saturday morning absolutely killed my weekend. To put this in context, it was not easy growing up a K-State fan. Sports Illustrated did an article in the '80's calling K-State "Futility U." It was deemed the worst football program in the nation. The Wildcats went 4-40-1 from 1984-1988. This was a difficult pill to swallow. My parents went to Kansas State. My grandfather played for the Cats back in the 1930's. And I was raised on the Cats. We would take trips to Manhattan, KS to watch games. I had K-State t-shirts, sweatshirts, posters, and socks. Yes, socks. But it was tough rooting for a loser.

For years, this was the mascot, Willie the Wildcat. Lovable: yes. Intimidating: not so much

Throughout these lean years, Nebraska was always piling it on. In fact, Nebraska beat K-State 29 straight years. That is over a generation of blowouts. Not even Britney has been a train wreck for 29 years.

Nicely done, Brit. Nicely done.

But things started to change when Coach Snyder was hired in 1989. Immediately, he shook things up. Willie took a backseat. Snyder replaced the friendly critter with a logo that inspired the Wildcat Nation: The PowerCat.

With the addition of Snyder, and the PowerCat in 1989, K-State made the most dramatic turnaround in college football history. Sports Illustrated called Snyder a miracle worker. The Cats suddenly went to 11 consecutive bowl games, and even made Martin Gramatica a star.

Automatica Gramatica

During this reign of excellence, Kansas State broke the drought against Nebraska. The Huskers could not even defeat the Cats in Manhatten during an eight year span. Nebraska fans complained that KSU was running up the score during a big win. Life was good.

The Dali Lama

Big Hitter the Lama

Which brings us to this year. Coach Snyder retired two seasons ago, and the Cats have been up and down. The glory days may be gone, but we have beaten Texas two straight years. As for Nebraska, they are in complete disarray. Last week, Kansas scored 76 points on the Huskers. Their much maligned coach has his head on the chopping block. Their starting quarterback is hurt. An easy "W" for the Cats, right? Wrong. Nebraska decides to show up on Saturday, and drops a 73 point bomb on the Cats in Lincoln. 73? Is this 2007, or 1987? Holy schnikes.

Kansas State is now in jeopardy of missing out on a bowl. That is no beuno. They need to beat either Missouri or Fresno State to become bowl eligible. Missouri may be a tall task, and going to Bulldog Stadium in Fresno could prove to be difficult. I would be happy with a split. But would a 6-6 (3-5) record be attractive to any bowl? Texas Bowl? Insight.com Bowl?

Even if this season ends without a bowl game, there is one future Wildcat who will be rooting on the Purple and the White:

Caden. He is standing on the K-State stool that belonged to Paul Fairbank, who played end for KSU during the 1930-31 seasons

Thanks J-Dog Nuz

Several posts have been dedicated to the various projects undertaken here at the RSM abode. A special note of thanks was given to Gary Becker, the father-in-law / Schneider.

It was then pointed out to me that additional shout-outs are due. This makes perfect sense, because this was a definite team effort. And, more importantly, my skills in the home improvement arena are.......limited. April does not trust me with a power tool. Although she does have a masters, knowing that heavy machinery and I are incompatible does not require an advanced degree. For example, it was a cause for celebration when I successfully replaced my car's taillight.

First and foremost, Jaren Nuzman deserves major props for his crown molding skills. He has the knowledge, the skills, and the tools for just about any job. We have utilized his handiwork on both the condo and this place.

The master in action

This man would be jealous of J-Dog's expertise

Relax, all right? My old man is a television repairman, he's got this ultimate set of tools. I can fix it.

Examples of the crown moldings

It is amazing how quickly Jaren can put the crown up, even with all the angles.

Just a snippet of crown in this little nook of the kitchen (pre-backsplash)

Living room crown

The two master craftsmen admire their labor.

And to think Jaren will work for salsa and touchdown taco dip. And a little Cake Batter from the Coldstone.

The Splash is Back

The backsplash is installed! Very nice. The tile we chose is actaully made of bricks recycled from old buildings. This brings a little color into the mix.

The company in charge of the backsplash told us that our brick was such a new product, that supply was limited. Our shipment might not be ready until December. But, luckily, we got the call last week. Installation city.

We are now inches away from the completion of the remodel. We only have to add some decorative items on the countertop and some window treatments. And when I say "we," I mean April. I am asked for only a token opinion, which is what the good lord intended.

Up close and Personal

The brick and the granite

Bon Appetit

The whole picture

Just waiting for Spaghetti-o Surprise Dinners

Too bad it will never be this clean again

Ghosts of Halloween Past

Cade is becoming a pro at the whole Halloween thing. To witness his domination of the night of the living dead, you can scroll down to the Halloween post. But it was not always this way. He has had years to perfect his trick-or-treating techniques. It is crazy to think that this was his 3rd spooky adventure. So let us revisit where we have been:

2005: Year of the Dragon

No, it is not Bruce Lee Roy, but it is a spooky dragon.

The whole Halloween experience was a little overwhelming for a 5 month old. He was a bit of a dragon in the headlights.......................get it?........dra..........c'mon people.

Luckily, Cade had his family to help pull him through that trying first Halloween. Which brings us to Halloween Numero Dos:

2006: Swashbuckle City

Johnny Depp has got nothin' on this pirate

This kid will break down your door, loot, and pillage

After dragons and pirates we find ourselves in 2007. See the below post for the King of the Jungle.

Halloween 2007

We did not have a cowardly lion on Halloween night. Caden Paul had no troubles during his trick-or-treating adventure. He really had a great time. We stuck to our neighborhood, which is so kid-friendly. Although we only went through half of the neighborhood, Cade's Spiderman candy bucket was FILLED. It seems our boy had zero problems going for seconds at each door. Being the little charmer that he is, the neighbors indulged his sweet tooth with a smile.

Uncle [b] tagged along and took some great photos. His are marked with the beckersblog.com [b] logo.

Our little horeshoe cul-de-sac was the perfect place for the Little Man to roam. The people were so nice, and there were more than a few lawn decorations. This kind of thing makes me wonder what Christmas will be like.

Casper.....Caden. Caden......Casper.

The smoke effects were inspired.

Taking a break on the Pumpkin Wall of Fame

As I mentioned, Cade showed no shame during his candy grab. As he would reach into candy bowls, he would say, "There you go!"

schmoozing for the double dip

The kids in our neighborhood are just tremendous with Cade. They are so sweet. We really feel we moved onto the right street.

Cade's very first stop of the night: right next door

This is Noah filling up Cade's bucket. Cade always wants to go and see Noah.

And speaking of kids, Cade did not go solo last night. He had a hot date: A Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader. Our friends, the Runyans, brought their daughter, Gracen, along for the fun.

I think I heard Cade say, "How you doin?"

Cade had a wonderful time. He was even in such a good mood, he did not complain after we limited his candy intake to one lollipop.

The Spoils of Victory

I thought this was kind of fun. I took the one on top. The end result is on Uncle [b]'s blog. Check out the full and unfiltered blog at http://www.beckersblog.com/index.cfm