You heard right...I gotta "coke guy"

So it all began last summer when Farm Chick and I were on a cruise in the Caribbean. We were walking out of the Jungle and what did we see...but a coke stand. I don't know if you know it, but Mexican coke is NOT the same as American coke. American coke is made with processed corn instead of REAL SUGAR!!! Those cokes that we had were DELICIOUS!!!!

Fast forward to several weeks ago; someone tipped me off that I could score some Mexican coke here in our home town. So I decided go buy some. They are 99 cents each, and let me tell you...I was soooooo excited!!!

So I bought four of them, and that same night Farm Chick and I decided that we should pop the tops of a couple of them. The problem is that we popped the tops at 10pm. Farm Chick and I haven't drank pop in a long while...barring that cruise coke, in years. Well lets just say that it wasn't a good idea. Because we got WOUND UP! We were laying in bed at 1am (2 hours after going to bed) just talking away, trying to figure out why we weren't the least bit tired?!!! That's what coke will do to you! (pun intended)!!

So a couple days later we're telling Pop about the coke that we had and what effect it had on us. He asked me "...where did you get the coke?" I replied, "...I got a guy..." He laughed and said, "wow, it sounds like you got a problem...a serious problem that you guys need help with!"

We decided to try the dark stuff again for a second time and see how far down the rabbit hole goes. This time though we started at 8pm so that we wouldn't be up so late with our problem. However, that did NOTHING. We were up again until 1am rambling on about stupid stuff and not being able to turn our minds off!

So this is a lesson for you kids out there...DON'T DO COKE! I'm sorry, I meant: DON'T DRINK COKE! Mexican coke that is! It'll make your mind do some crazy stuff!

So with that in mind, bottoms up!

The handyman gets befuddled...

I am NOT a mechanic; however my dad did raise me to have some knowledge about vehicles and how to make sure that I wouldn't get stranded or let the car blow up! Lessons like, how to jump start a car, how to change the oil, change the alternator, change the plugs and wires, and put on a spare tire. Those are some of the basics that I learned while under his tutelage.

Fast forward to this weekend. We (the whole family...Farm Chick, me, and all the cowboys) were a bit late going to take care of my grandmother for a while (she's needing 24 hour care these days). On our way there, a tire went completely flat while going 65 mph on the highway. CRAP! So I pulled over to the side of the road (it was a two lane road, so we didn't have the benefit of everyone coming on our side being able to just move over to the other lane...there might be someone coming). I hop out and realize I haven't changed a tire in this car yet.

Most of the time when I see a flat coming I'm able to air it up enough to get to the tire shop and just have it fixed, however this tire was a goner and I was going to have to put a spare on it to get to town. On this model of minivan the spare is between the passenger and driver seats under the car. You have to twist a nut in the floorboard just between the seats...(very weird placement), then you're supposed to be able to get the tire out and jack the car up and put the new tire on. However much to my chagrin, this tire would NOT come lose. Of course, the tire that was flat was the right front tire, that coupled with the placement of the spare made it nearly impossible to get ANY access to it! YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!!!

I have quite a few ME friends(mechanical engineer), this message is for you: "Don't be this stupid with things you do and make the end user so frustrated!"

In the end we had to call the tire shop and have them come get my tire off, go get a used tire, and come back and put that one on.  (all while we were on the side of the road) Then Farm Chick and I had to go back to our house, switch out all the car seats into the other car. She left in a hurry to relieve the grandma watcher and I headed to the shop so they could put a new tire on it. Instead of costing me $10, it cost me $135...that really stinks!

I have a very addictive personality...reasons to follow...

1. When I was in college I probably played various game systems around 20+ hours per week...I finished grand truismo (a very long race game). Upon graduating college my buddies back home didn't want to play HALO with me because I knew it like the back of my hand.  I was an ace sniper.

This is why I have not, nor never will have a gaming system in our house. I do not have an extra 40 hours per week to take away from my work, family, or sleep!!!

2. About a year ago Farm Chick and I got the first 5 seasons of the office and of an evening we would watch several episodes for our entertainment. The problem is that I CAN'T STOP WATCHING!! NO I MEAN IT...I LOSE SLEEP BECAUSE OF THIS! Recently we got the first season of Burn Notice (a spy show from USA that's terrific if you haven't seen it). Well I got it on a Friday and by the end of the following Monday evening we were DONE with the show...for those mathematically challenged folks...that's 12+ hours of fantastic sweet spy show screening!

3. We now are watching Big Bang theory and the sixth season of the office. Lord help us!

4. When I was planning my garden a couple of summers ago I spent all my evening hours with graph paper and gardening books arranging all the different vegetables and fruits in the perfect order. I probably spent over 100 hours just preparing to do something in that garden.

I have an addictive personality...there are many more things that I could list, but it wouldn't be productive and I've already gotten my point across.