Staying strong through temptation

Ever notice when you are walking down the cookie aisle there is one bag that seems to be staring you down, sending subliminal messages, saying you want me... you need me... take me home with you and eat me before dinner?

Yeah me neither!


So while I was walking through the aisles at the local grocery mart I stopped and stared down the aisle with all the cookies. I was at the end looking all the way to the other end when the aisle started getting longer. All the bags of cookies had eyes that seemed to beckon to me.

Yes I am a guy... this wasn't the chocolate isle. I do the same thing in the camping section at Wal-Mart.

Then one bag jumped out of it's place into my cart. I couldn't believe my eyes. It had tendrils that wrapped themselves around the metal bars. This bag of cookies was going no where.

Much to my dismay, I knew that I shouldn't buy these tasty morsels that can only be described as... OREOs. I was in a bitter bitter struggle between the yummy goodness of the cream filling and the 4 friggin' dollars they would cost me.

Then... out of the corner of my eye there was a bright shinning light. Like the light of thousands of candles. It was my savior come to free me from the terrible grasp of sandwich cookie hell.

It was... the generic version for a dollar fifty. I was saved!

Until next time. :)

If it were a snake... it would have bit me.

Have you ever head that phrase, "if it were a snake it wold have bit ya"?

I have been privy to a few things that have just made me appreciate the creative genius of some people. Everyday people pass things by that look completely normal but are in fact not. Since I was a young boy I have been fascinated with things that are hidden right out in plane sight. Like secret doorways, stair cases, and viewing holes. Most recently I have come across several containers that didn't look like containers. They were chameleon containers. They matched their background not only in color but in shape, size, and were sometimes adorned with objects found in the general area. The military would call this cover and concealment.

Simply put it is something that appears to be one thing but in fact is another. I stumbled upon several of these items today and found that.............
they weren't government conspiracy objects or spy gear or anything like that. They were just simply containers of different sorts. Kind of cool if you ask me.

The wheels are turning though... I have my eyes open.

Blue Balls Bouncing

Man my butt hurts!

That is not the thing a guy should say with a title like the one I have, but there is a good reason for both. My butt hurts because it has been a while since I have ran or worked out. And the Blue Balls that were Bouncing were racquet balls.

I went to the racquet ball court with three guys. Bob, Tom, and Greg all have their own racquet ball racquets and gloves. Upon sight of these I knew I was in trouble because I don't have either. I had to "borrow" a racquet from the gym. Anyone who has ever borrowed public equipment knows that it is shoddy at best... but I dealt with it. It was fun to just be able to play.

It is a common occurrence that the little blue rubber ball makes contact with you body at high velocity. It doesn't hurt too bad but it does sting a little. Friend Bob has a serve that bounces off the wall right above his partners head... or right next to his partners head... or off his partners head. It all depends where his partner is standing. So while playing with Bob, Tom, and Greg it is imperative that you keep an eye out for the ball and be able to move very quickly.

Greg, whom was on Bob's team, can not move quick enough. This was proven by several blue balls smacking him in the head, shoulder, and gut. Poor, poor Greg...what did he do to deserve that kind of punishment. I'll tell you what he did. He stood still.

Now Tom and I got our fair share of smacks with the ball but I think Greg got hit the most and Bob got hit the worst. I remember tattooing Bob on two occasions. One hit him square in the left calf and left a wasp sting sized welt immediately after impact. The other time was a neer miss. Bob served and I returned it hard and low. Low and hard enough to fly straight between Bobs legs... hit the crotch of his shorts... and still make it to the wall. To Bob's relief his plumbing was not hit but it was rattled a bit from the concussion of the crotch shot.

I like racquet ball and hope to some day have my own racquet and the ability to play regularly.

Troubles on the cheesewagon

I just found out that Peridot was having trouble with some of the kids on the bus. They were making fun of her name. Typical kid stuff but it irritates me none the less. My first reaction is to contact the school and talk to the bus driver but I know that it will only make things worse if I do those things. The other option that I see is to teach her how to deal with people like that. She will have to learn sometime... I guess now is better than later. So against my better judgement I have devised a few things that she can say to the other kids to shut them down. I know that P wont like to say them because she truly is a Gem. She doesn't like to be mean to anyone except Diamond, but that is to be expected.

What do you tell your child to say to other kids that is within a healthy criteria of phrases that will diffuse a situation instead of fuel it? There are the classic phrases like "your momma" or "whatever". There is a new one that seems to work well. I learned it from a friend and it is mostly used in jest but I think it might work. If someone calls you a name just say "So's your face". I mean... what can any one say back to that except the same thing. Then when they do say it back you can laugh at them and say "You're sooooo original" then shake your head and walk away. Or talk to someone else if your on the bus.

It has been my experience that if someone is picking on you, all that needs done is for you to point out one of their flaws to the group. Then the group will begin picking on them and you can walk away with your pride intact.

But does a child think like that? I don't think so. In a world where social standing is so important one little put down can be devastating. Especially if you don't have the confidence to tell yourself that they are just hating on you and that what they say doesn't really matter. How do you teach a child confidence? I think it is by giving them the tools to handle bullies.

I think it is time to start teaching my girls how to defend themselves both emotionally and physically.

Intro to the Rawx

Hello to all my current fans... which are none as of yet. I am Granite. I have chosen this name to remain anonymous. My family consists of three gems. My wife Topaz, and my daughters Peridot and Diamond. Instead of typing out their names every single time I will refer to them affectionately as T, P, and D. I plan to share insights, opinions, and beliefs here and still have a little fun. I hope that I don't offend anyone. If I do... well, that's why I choose to be anonymous.