Ten Items To Survive A Hurricane - Wacky Style!

The media seems to be cashing in on Hurricane Irene, so I figured I would take a stab at it too.  These are some items that I do not want to be without during the hurricane.  

1.  Papa Mario's favorite boxed wine.  One of the beauties of this wine is there is a whole lot of it in a box, so even if the package store is closed for 3-4 days you should be ok, even though you may have to ration a bit!

2.  Baked Beans - there is no way you can survive with out many cans of Bush's Baked Beans.  These babies taste great, can be eaten cold or heated, and make for great sound and scent effects in the darkness of your non-electrified house.  For you men out there, don't expect to get these if you put them on the wifes survival list.  Get off your ass and pick them up yourself, you'll be glad you did!

3.  Kites - What the hell you might as well fly a kite with this kind of wind!  I wouldn't recommend anything too fancy as you will surely destroy the thing, but tell me it won't be fun flying the kite during the hurricane!  Please don't kill yourself with this stunt!




4.  Gasoline - You might as well go through the motions of getting gas for the piece of crap generator you have that hasn't run in 3 decades.  Trying to get the heap running during the blackout will keep you occupied and make you feel like a man.  By the time you get the thing running you'll have power again.  At least the generator will be ready for the next hurricane 30 years down the road!  The same applies to the chain saw.




5.  Propane for the gas grill - No brainer here - how the hell can you have a hurricane party without a grill to cook on.  Do not forget this or all of you electric stove people will be jonesing for a hot dog!

6.  Nothing goes with beans like this canned brown bread by B&M.  I totally love this stuff and only buy it when camping or getting ready to rough it for a while.  If you have never tried this stuff you have to give it a whirl.  Slice it up, butter it, and pan fry it on your grills side burner, you'll love it!  




7.  Ice - can't hurt to have a big ass cooler full of ice.  When your dumb ass blows up the generator you'll need to keep you essentials cold somehow. 
  This also helps to keep the beer cold at the hurricane party.







8.  Beer - Yes even though I am not drinking beer at the moment I think this is occassion enough to buy a case and celebrate the wind! Also you can't have a party without beer!  When I was a kid my buddy father used to suck these generic beers down by the case.  Wonder if you can still get them??

9.  Earplugs - you're gonna be stuck in the house for an extended period of time with a bunch of stir crazy kids.  Two of these little yellow beauties ought to make things a bit more enjoyable.








10.  Cards - Make sure you have a deck of cards.  I am not a big card player, but somehow these occasions just simply call for a card game of some sort, even if it is Go Fish with your kiddies!




You're Ready!


Happy Hurricane,


Wacky Dad

Fat Boy Rides For A Cure

All I want to say today is that I am the only guy that can ride his bicycle 135 miles in a weekend and gain 5 pounds in the process.  I am training my butt off for my annual one day 200 mile bike ride to wipe out pancreatic cancer, and it seems like the more I ride the fatter I get!  I am even dieting (ok maybe I fell off the wagon today) and have been extremely careful about what I have eaten.  When your'e logging a couple of hundred miles on the week I guess you expect a miracle to happen, but this damned spare tire around my belly just won't leave me!  Granted I have lost 21 pounds since May but I need more!  I would like to everyone to say a prayer for me to lose about 10 more pounds before September 17th, because I really don't want to ride all the way from Rhode Island to New Hampshire with an equivalent of two 5lb sugar bags on my back!  I don't even have the option to starve myself because then I don't have any energy to train!  Perhaps Ex-Lax is the answer!  Hmmmm, food for thought!

If you would like to support a fat man suffering to cure pancreatic cancer please visit the donation website below.  All proceeds will go to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network this year!  

http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/karenpettydoublecentury

Fatfully Yours,

Wacky Dad

  

My Wife - The Good Trout

This goes back a few years!  Thats a good
lookin' dame!

Well here I am only 3 days without my wife and kids and I am already finding myself rueing the quiet, alone time that I have.  I am some kind of strange creature!  I have always considered myself a loner, but take me away from my wife for a few days and I suddenly feel like a part of me is gone.  I don't know how to explain it...I have known my wife since I was 10 years old and have always loved her and only her.  As we have grown older and life has thrown countless curve balls at us, and we are trying to keep up with three kids, it isn't always easy to remember just how much you love someone.  Stress and "bustle" just isn't conducive to building a nurturing relationship, at least to this old meathead, but within two days of being apart from Cathy I really do miss her.  Of course I miss my kids too but the feeling is different.  Hell I don't know what the hell I'm trying to say, but when my wife is away, there is a piece of me that just ain't here.  I'm still me, but the world feels quiet and awkward without my partner.  I've found it is odd how much you rely on your partners strengths, and they rely on your strengths without really knowing it - at least until a part of the duo is missing.  I probably am not making a whole lot of sense here, but thats ok.  Love doesn't have to make sense - it just is.  I love my bride more than I know how to say, and I don't say it nearly enough.  For 28 years I have loved one woman, and I will die in love with the same woman.  Cathy - as I always say - "You're like a good trout, and I ain't throwing you back!"  What a charmer ehhh?!




Love From You're Wacky Husband,




Eric

Boxed Wine Really Is Good Says NY Times!

Vindicated!  There was a big article in the New York Times about boxed wine today and they were very complimentary of my favorite!  It even made the top ten!  Look for yourself if you don't believe me!  New York Times Article!

Would you let this guy pick out your next wine purchase?

I am not exactly a sophisticated connoiseur of wine.  I don't know what in the hell bouquet, dry, sweet, and all of that other fancy-dancy stuff means.  But I am here to tell you - if there is a fairly cheap wine, and it tastes good, I can sniff it out.  I love to sample lots of different bottles.  I start at the low-mid range of the pay scale and try all of them.  Surprisingly I have found many wines that I enjoyed that were relatively inexpensive.  In some cases, in a newly discovered brand, I would notice that over time as the brand caught on the prices would rise.  When this happens I move on to another search.  I find this to be a highly enjoyable way to sample many different brands and varieties of wine.  One of my first
wines that I fell in love with is Torresella Pinot Griot.  Again I don't know all of the names but I found this to be a really good bottle of wine for the money.  I drank quite a few bottles of this but noticed the price start to rise a bit as it caught on.  The search was on again!  Mommy's Time Out.  This was a nice tasting Pinot Grigiot wine and I believe I started buying it at 2 for $12.  Damn good wine for the money.  Eventually it went up a bit but it is still a great bottle of wine for the money and your wife will get a kick out of the name.  I like to bring it home when I know Cathy has had an exceptionally bad day.  Time for a time out!  Also a favorite of mine is Cellar No. 8 Merlot.  Very nice for the money.  Don't look for fancy terms from me - if your too cheap to take a chance on a $7 bottle of wine go read another blog!
     Next I got intrigued by the whole box wine phenomena.  It was first recommended  to me by my old buddy Billy.  If anyone knows his cheap booze it's Billy.  Anyway I went out and bought a box of Black Box Merlot.  I was skeptical at first but was soon won over by it's solid taste and consistency.  There was no bad aftertaste, no hangover, no "Ripple" or "Boone's" hangovers.  Just good product at a fair price.  Black box is about $19 for the equivalent of 3 bottles of wine.  Then I took a little turn to the dark side.


One night my 93 year old grandfather shows up with a box of "Almaden Mountain Burgundy".  This is like $12.50 for the equivalent of 5 bottles.  Definitely some bang for your buck!  My grandfather after testing out the black box and the new "Mountain Burgundy"  declared "I myself find this a more satisfying wine than the Black Box".  Keep in mind that this guy grew up in the depression with bathtub wine.  Well somehow I got hooked on the stuff and the price.  I always had a box on the top of the fridge and turned the handy little knob whenever I wanted a glass.  Heck it lasts forever when it's a five bottle equivalent!  Then one day I had a bottle of Cellar No. 8 and forgot what I was missing.  The Almaden actually wasn't all that satisfying!  Sorry Papa!  The problem was though, that I got accustomed to paying for the cheap box and not the bottle.  The search was on again for the "perfect box wine" - and this time I have delivered for all of my blog readers out there!  This stuff is hands down the best box wine I have had to date, and I stand by it 100%!  It is called Bodegas Osborne Seven, a Spanish Varietal.  At $16.99 a box and a 4 bottle equivalent this stuff is hands down the best box wine I have had and honestly trumps most bottle wines in its class as well.  I have to say that the octagonal box was what captured my imagination, but the wine inside is delicious!  I am extremely happy with this wine and will continue to buy it until the price starts to rise!  Once it hits $19 the search begins again!  What a way for a cheap skate to sample all kinds of fun wines and have a great time with it!  Drink up and please comment on your experiences with my favorites!


Cheers!


Wacky Dad     
     
P.S.  This is about as sophisticated as my dumb ass gets - don't expect it again any time soon!

Meatime Reverse Psychology!

Ever struggle getting your kid to eat?  I have to say the reverse psychology method really works incredibly on my 3 year old Mia, and has worked on all 3 kids.  Here is a quick video of how it's done!




It Doesn't get much easier than that folks.  Sorry about her eating habits - she takes after her mother! ; )


Happy Dinner,


Wacky Dad