He Loves You and He Needs Money…He Always Needs Money

The late George Carlin sums up religion the best way I know how yet, I pay the money.

Religion has actually convinced people that there’s an invisible man living in the sky who watches everything you do, every minute of every day. And the invisible man has a special list of ten things he does not want you to do. And if you do any of these ten things, he has a special place, full of fire and smoke and burning and torture and anguish, where he will send you to live and suffer and burn and choke and scream and cry forever and ever ’til the end of time!

But He loves you. He loves you, and He needs money! He always needs money! He’s all-powerful, all-perfect, all-knowing, and all-wise, somehow just can’t handle money!

The Side Street Where I Played Baseball, Football, and Got into Trouble

Thanks to Google Streetview, I was able to find and document the side street I grew up on. Located in West Park, a suburb of Cleveland, this section of pavement means a lot to me. It’s where I spent most of my summer vacations playing baseball, football, hide and go seek, and generally just getting in trouble.

I sure do miss these days of my youth. I was one of the oldest and most athletic kids in my neighborhood. Moving away was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, but if we didn’t, I likely would have dropped out of high school. The Cleveland public school system is terrible, it’s as if the people who attended school didn’t care about education. During my first day at the new school, it was a completely different (better) experience.

In any case, playing on the side street was incredibly annoying. Between normal traffic and the mail trucks, it was hard to play baseball or anything else on the street, but we managed. It’s been about 15-16 years since I’ve visited this street. It’s also been that long since I’ve tried to get in touch with any of my original friends. I’m making a pledge to change that this Summer when I make a return visit.

View of the entire street
The Center of the street where a bunch of cracks converge is home plate
The sewer grate is first base
Second base was the large crack in the middle of the road
The sewer grate is third base

 

The Quest for an Addicting Deviled Egg Recipe

I spent the better part of this past weekend figuring out an addicting Deviled Egg recipe that rivals my sister’s. The first one I tried is by Rockin Robin.

I didn’t add onions or horseradish and by the time we mixed the egg yolks together, I could tell it wasn’t going to be good. My instincts were right, as it wasn’t that great.

On the second try, I used Hellman’s recipe. Everything was coming along nicely until I added the 1/4 tsp. salt, which ruined the mixture. It was too salty and nothing I tried could overcome the saltiness

On my third try, I used a recipe from Food.com by Nurslinda.

There are two distinct differences in this recipe. The first is that it uses Miracle Whip instead of Mayo. I realize there are Mayo purists out there, but Miracle Whip definitely provides a missing element in this dish. Second, I added two tablespoons of French’s regular yellow mustard instead of 1 teaspoon. While the mixture is delicious, it’s the sprinkle of salt and pepper on each finished egg that makes it perfect.

My Delicious Easter Deviled Eggs

My Delicious Easter Deviled Eggs

My sister makes killer deviled eggs which to me, is the kind that are addicting where you can’t eat just one. I think I may have found a recipe to rival hers!

It’s Been 13 Years Since Layne Staley Left Us

A few days ago (April 5th), it was the 13th anniversary of the day Layne Staley, the lead singer of Alice in Chains passed away due to a drug overdose. Staley had a unique voice which matched up perfectly with the grunge rock era of the 90s. However, the MTV Unplugged session the band recorded in 1996 would be remembered as one of his best and last performances of all time.

Although it’s a bit late, here is the entire MTV Unplugged session from 1996 with high quality audio. The performance was one of the band’s final appearances with vocalist, Layne Staley. R.I.P. Layne, I miss your voice man, you left us too soon.

P.S. I’ve determined that there is no volume level too high for Nutshell.

Lyrics to Nutshell. Song by Alice in Chain

We chase misprinted lies
We face the path of time
And yet I fight
And yet I fight
This battle all alone
No one to cry to
No place to call home
Oooh…Oooh…
Oooh…Oooh…

My gift of self is raped
My privacy is raked
And yet I find
And yet I find
Repeating in my head
If I can’t be my own
I’d feel better dead
Oooh…Oooh…
Oooh…Oooh…

Lost in Fog with No Lighthouse

My mind is cloudy. I have no sense of direction. I need clarity, but do not know who or what can give it to me. I need a renewed sense of drive, passion, desire, fuel for the once raging fire that is now just embers. I need to step off this path I’m on and try another to reach a destination I don’t have or know about. Suffice to say, I’m fucked. 

P.S. I couldn’t sleep very well so by the time I went to bed, I saw the fog in my head was also outside. 

   

   

But This is What The Post Title Should Be

The purpose of this post is to save a draft with a post title, then edit the post title and hit publish to see if the changed title is pushed out to social networks through publicize.

Nope, it’s broken and doesn’t work the way it should.  The correct post title shows up on the front page when published, but the previous title gets sent out across social media sites.

The Rejuvinating Smell of Rain

It’s almost 2AM here in Northern Ohio and when I let the dog out, I discovered there’s a misty rain falling. There’s something about the middle of the night and the smell of rain. Don’t get me wrong, the smell of rain in general is a calming scent, but paired with the middle of the night, it’s quite a relaxing experience.

So, after the dog did her business, I shut the lights off and went back outside to enjoy it. After a harsh Winter in northern Ohio, a misty rain at nearly 60 degrees feels wonderful. It also smells great. If you’ve been wondering why rain has a smell, check out this science clip by It’s Okay To Be Smart.