There's an on and off switch for men and women. It's one of the biggest differences between the genders.
When a man goes to work, he turns on the work switch. When he leaves, he cuts it off. When a woman goes to work, the work switch is still on from yesterday. When she leaves, the switch is still on. When a man gets home he turns on the at home switch. When a woman gets home she has both the at work and at home switch on. So the woman wants to talk about what happened at work because their at work switch is still on. But the man has already turned that switch off and is now looking to focus on being at home.
This probably has something to do with why women are multi-taskers and men arn't. Men do one thing at a time, they focus on that one thing and when it's done they move on. Women focus on many things at once and even when something is done they still think about it.
I once heard someone describe a man's brain as like cubby holes. You can take something out, but you have to put it back in it's cubby hole before you can take something out of another cubby hole. There's a cubby hole for work, family, etc. A woman's brain is like speghetti, it's all jumbled up and work, friends, family is all mixed together.
I think it's pretty important to understand these differences if you're going to be in a relationship, especially a marriage. If you don't understand it then you will get frustrated. If you do, it will help you.
JB
Monday, January 31, 2011
Thursday, January 27, 2011
I'm probably the only person who thinks about this but...
The other day I was watching a TV show. The character had two steaks in his hand. His kids claimed they were now vegans and they wouldn't eat meat so he threw the steaks into the woods in disgust. This really bothered me because he just threw away two perfectly good steaks. Now, I know it's just TV and those steaks were just a prop, they were never going to even cook them. But it just bothers me. And then that character walked off and I could help but think, isn't he going to wash his hands? - he was touching the raw steak with his bare hands. Then he got into a car and I was thinking - he just touched the door handle with the same hand he had the steaks in!
Now this type of irrational thinking is probably about as wierd as the hoarders I wrote about yesterday, but I just can't help it. I may be the only person who notices, but in all TV shows and movies, when a character gets out of the car they always leave the door open! They'll be running after the love of their life, they get to the parking lot and leave the door open as they run after that person. Well, at this climax of the movie I'm thinking about how they left the car door open with the keys in the ignition and someone could easily steal the car.
Maybe I'm a little OCD. Each dish we have has a certain spot it goes in the dishwasher, I don't like for a dish to be in the wrong spot. I don't have to lock the door three times before I can walk away from it or anything, but maybe me thinking about these stupid things while I'm watching film is probably akin to my 25% OCD-ness.
JB
Now this type of irrational thinking is probably about as wierd as the hoarders I wrote about yesterday, but I just can't help it. I may be the only person who notices, but in all TV shows and movies, when a character gets out of the car they always leave the door open! They'll be running after the love of their life, they get to the parking lot and leave the door open as they run after that person. Well, at this climax of the movie I'm thinking about how they left the car door open with the keys in the ignition and someone could easily steal the car.
Maybe I'm a little OCD. Each dish we have has a certain spot it goes in the dishwasher, I don't like for a dish to be in the wrong spot. I don't have to lock the door three times before I can walk away from it or anything, but maybe me thinking about these stupid things while I'm watching film is probably akin to my 25% OCD-ness.
JB
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Hoarders
There are a lot of people out there who are hoarders. Our neighbors say that the lady who lived here before us was a hoarder. It is pretty gross to thing that someone will keep everything that comes into their house regarless of if it's useable, sanitary, or hazardous. I've seen TV programs about compulsive hoarding, it's shocking.
If there is an opposite of a hoarder, then that would be me. I don't like to have anything in the house that is no longer useful. I want to sell anything of value that I don't use anymore on craigslist or eBay. If it has no value then I want to throw it away. I think I would rather have an empty house with only stuff I like than a fully furnished house with stuff I don't like. I'm not sure if that makes me as weird as a hoarder, but at least I know I'm not as gross.
I think hoarding is an addiction, and I don't have any disire to be close to it. I'm not into the 'green' craze, but one thing I will say for it is that those people are after a clean, crisp living experience. I'm all for that, get rid of the litter, the mess, and the stuff we don't use anymore.
JB
If there is an opposite of a hoarder, then that would be me. I don't like to have anything in the house that is no longer useful. I want to sell anything of value that I don't use anymore on craigslist or eBay. If it has no value then I want to throw it away. I think I would rather have an empty house with only stuff I like than a fully furnished house with stuff I don't like. I'm not sure if that makes me as weird as a hoarder, but at least I know I'm not as gross.
I think hoarding is an addiction, and I don't have any disire to be close to it. I'm not into the 'green' craze, but one thing I will say for it is that those people are after a clean, crisp living experience. I'm all for that, get rid of the litter, the mess, and the stuff we don't use anymore.
JB
Monday, January 24, 2011
If You Want to Hear God Laugh, Tell Him Your Plans
Everybody's got plans. Everybody thinks they know what will happen or when it will happen. Everybody figures on where they'll be when they get to certain points in life. But it doesn't work out like that. The only one who knows where you're going and how you are going to get there is God.
Life is kind of like a maze. Maybe one of those human mazes with the 10' walls you can't see over. I went to one of those mazes in Panama City one time, they had 4 checkpoints in the center of the maze and to complete it you had to get a stamp from the attendant at all 4 checkpoints. It's kind of like life that way. You start out with a plan...you think you know where to go and you're smart so you'll figure it out with relative ease and make it through just like you planned. But you run into a wall and have to turn around..then another...then another. God has a bird-eye view and knows exactly where you need to go. And once you hit that 4th or 5th wall you look up to him and say, 'I need your help'. Then he guides you to the first checkpoint.
Now you've gotten over that problem and your on to the next one. But instead of using God you go back into the same mindset as the first time. And maybe you find the second checkpoint all on your own. You feel some accomplishment...and you feel good about your achievement. Then you start towards the third checkpoint and your really confident and feeling good about life. You hit a wall, and another, and another. This time it's worse than at the beginning.
So you think back and reflect on what you did to get out of the first problem you had. So you get God's help. He tells you which way to go...you feel good because you're relying on Him to guide you though and it's all coming together. Then you get to the third checkpoint and you hand the attendant your card for the stamp. But she says this is the fourth checkpoint and you'll have to go back and find the third...it doesn't count if it's out of order. And now you feel down, how could God let me down? You see your friend who has finished the maze and they are receiving a prize for finishing first...but you know they took shortcuts and cheated. Why do good things happen to bad people? They didn't have faith in God, they went their own way and found happiness...I went God's way and found disappointment.
So you reach a point where everyone you arrived with is finishing and your still half way done, wandering around the maze. You're thinking it can't get much worse for you, maybe you should just take one of those exit doors and quit. What is the point? You had all these plans and expectations and nothing has worked out like you wanted it to. So you throw your hands up and figure they only way to get out of this mess without being a quitter is to just put some more faith in God and hope he doesn't steer to the wrong checkpoint again.
As your walking up to the third checkpoint you meet someone who has been in the maze for longer than you have. They were frustrated for a long time, and they realized they needed God to help them through each checkpoint. They are so excited about God's faithfulness to them that you are inspired to continue following God's instructions. As you approach the fourth checkpoint you reflect back on your life. It didn't turn out like you had planned, but you are content with your life because of the peace of mind you had between the third and fourth checkpoints when you cast your worries to God and relied on His leadership. You had the companionship of this friend from the third checkpoint who helped you through the struggles you had.
When you hand your card to the attendant at the fourth checkpoint they tell you that you're the 10,000th person to finish the maze and you've won a prize even greater than the person who won your group. After all of the frustrations and struggles, you actually ended up with the best prize. Looking back, you become aware of how God lead you to the wrong checkpoint so you would meet that great person, and get that great prize. Your plan was to finish first, God's plan was for you to finish the maze like He planned. And since He has a bird-eye view, he was willing to guide you through the whole thing.
It's okay to have goals and plans for your life. But to hold onto them with the death grip is the wrong idea. What you think is the right path might be different from God's path. I think I'll trust my life to the direction of the one who created me, and the earth I live on, and who gave me everything and everyone in my life.
JB
Life is kind of like a maze. Maybe one of those human mazes with the 10' walls you can't see over. I went to one of those mazes in Panama City one time, they had 4 checkpoints in the center of the maze and to complete it you had to get a stamp from the attendant at all 4 checkpoints. It's kind of like life that way. You start out with a plan...you think you know where to go and you're smart so you'll figure it out with relative ease and make it through just like you planned. But you run into a wall and have to turn around..then another...then another. God has a bird-eye view and knows exactly where you need to go. And once you hit that 4th or 5th wall you look up to him and say, 'I need your help'. Then he guides you to the first checkpoint.
Now you've gotten over that problem and your on to the next one. But instead of using God you go back into the same mindset as the first time. And maybe you find the second checkpoint all on your own. You feel some accomplishment...and you feel good about your achievement. Then you start towards the third checkpoint and your really confident and feeling good about life. You hit a wall, and another, and another. This time it's worse than at the beginning.
So you think back and reflect on what you did to get out of the first problem you had. So you get God's help. He tells you which way to go...you feel good because you're relying on Him to guide you though and it's all coming together. Then you get to the third checkpoint and you hand the attendant your card for the stamp. But she says this is the fourth checkpoint and you'll have to go back and find the third...it doesn't count if it's out of order. And now you feel down, how could God let me down? You see your friend who has finished the maze and they are receiving a prize for finishing first...but you know they took shortcuts and cheated. Why do good things happen to bad people? They didn't have faith in God, they went their own way and found happiness...I went God's way and found disappointment.
So you reach a point where everyone you arrived with is finishing and your still half way done, wandering around the maze. You're thinking it can't get much worse for you, maybe you should just take one of those exit doors and quit. What is the point? You had all these plans and expectations and nothing has worked out like you wanted it to. So you throw your hands up and figure they only way to get out of this mess without being a quitter is to just put some more faith in God and hope he doesn't steer to the wrong checkpoint again.
As your walking up to the third checkpoint you meet someone who has been in the maze for longer than you have. They were frustrated for a long time, and they realized they needed God to help them through each checkpoint. They are so excited about God's faithfulness to them that you are inspired to continue following God's instructions. As you approach the fourth checkpoint you reflect back on your life. It didn't turn out like you had planned, but you are content with your life because of the peace of mind you had between the third and fourth checkpoints when you cast your worries to God and relied on His leadership. You had the companionship of this friend from the third checkpoint who helped you through the struggles you had.
When you hand your card to the attendant at the fourth checkpoint they tell you that you're the 10,000th person to finish the maze and you've won a prize even greater than the person who won your group. After all of the frustrations and struggles, you actually ended up with the best prize. Looking back, you become aware of how God lead you to the wrong checkpoint so you would meet that great person, and get that great prize. Your plan was to finish first, God's plan was for you to finish the maze like He planned. And since He has a bird-eye view, he was willing to guide you through the whole thing.
It's okay to have goals and plans for your life. But to hold onto them with the death grip is the wrong idea. What you think is the right path might be different from God's path. I think I'll trust my life to the direction of the one who created me, and the earth I live on, and who gave me everything and everyone in my life.
JB
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Snow
Snow, I don't care for it. The snow just cleared up at my house. A week and a half of snow.
First the snow comes, and it's cool because we don't get much of it. But after one day I'm tired of it. And usually it melts on day two because we don't have temperatures to sustain 1" of it. Day two is the worst though because it's sunny outside but everything is wet. It's just not a good feeling to me.
Well now you take the winter storm that just hit Atlanta. Snow on the ground for 10 days. 5 days of ice, slipping and sliding and I couldn't leave my house for the first 3 days. Then 5 days of thaw. Wetness everywhere. It's sunny, but everything is wet. One day of snow per year...that's all I want. And just two weeks of winter.
JB
First the snow comes, and it's cool because we don't get much of it. But after one day I'm tired of it. And usually it melts on day two because we don't have temperatures to sustain 1" of it. Day two is the worst though because it's sunny outside but everything is wet. It's just not a good feeling to me.
Well now you take the winter storm that just hit Atlanta. Snow on the ground for 10 days. 5 days of ice, slipping and sliding and I couldn't leave my house for the first 3 days. Then 5 days of thaw. Wetness everywhere. It's sunny, but everything is wet. One day of snow per year...that's all I want. And just two weeks of winter.
JB
Friday, January 21, 2011
Tipping
Maybe this weekend you are going out to eat. So, you're probably wondering what I think about how to tip a waiter. Well, here is my take.
I generally like to give close to 20% if the service was good. If the service was just okay, maybe 16-17%, mediocre I'll go with 15%, and if it's just plain bad then it could be 5-10%.
If the bill is less than $15, then com'n...give more than 15-20%. It is pretty lousy to give a $1.80 tip for anything. You took up that waiter's time, it's not their fault you ordered the cheapest thing on the menu and a water. When we go to Chili's or something you end up with a bill for $23 and you wonder about what the appropriate tip should be. Well, if you go with 15% you're looking at $3.45...since I took up a table for 45 minutes that seems pretty cheap. You just have to go over 20% here and give a solid $5 tip.
The $30-50 meals are easy, 15-20% based on service. Then you get to the nice meal that comes with a $75 price tag. Of course the service was good, it's a nice restaurant. Should you go with 20%? That's $15! It makes your bill $90...now your talking about major money on this meal. If the meal is over $50 then you have to revert back to 15% for sake of your wallet.
In the scenario where the service was awful and it was it lead to an aggravating experience waiting on a refill, the food, or just to get the bill....then no tip! I've probably only done this 3 or 4 times in my life, but if the service is terrible why should I give that person money? I've had plenty of poor experiences and given 10-15%, but when it goes beyond poor and into horrible...leaving no tip is a good way of saying they are not good at their job.
When you get takeout Chinese and they hand you the receipt to sign, there is no need to tip. The job of a waiter is to prepare a drink for me and then bring it to me. Provide me with silverware and napkins. Bring me the food and then clean up the mess I made. Then after I leave they are going to wash the dishes I used as well. When I go pick up the food I am getting none of those services. I drove to the restaurant just like I would have if I were sitting down. Then I'm going to take it home, prepare my own drink and use my own silverware. I'm going to open the box myself and clean the dishes when I'm through. There is no reason to tip the cashier just for collecting my money!
When you go to the sandwich shop and they give you the same receipt with a tip line, same thing goes...no tip. They prepared the food, and I am paying for it. Otherwise I stood in a line while they prepared it and I am going to serve myself. Now if someone comes by my table and refills my cup and takes my plate then sure, leave a dollar or two because they are providing a service.
I try not to be too cheap with tipping, but there are always lines that I draw. You have to remember that waiters don't really make a wage, they earn on tips. If you're eating alone at a table for two then you are going to spend less so don't just give them $1.50 because it was 15 or 20%...consider they let you sit there when they could have had two people and more money would have been spent thereby giving them a bigger tip. Always think about how most of this country is built around the service industry, if you are not manufacturing or fabricating something, you are providing a service...and you expect to be paid for that service like everyone else.
JB
I generally like to give close to 20% if the service was good. If the service was just okay, maybe 16-17%, mediocre I'll go with 15%, and if it's just plain bad then it could be 5-10%.
If the bill is less than $15, then com'n...give more than 15-20%. It is pretty lousy to give a $1.80 tip for anything. You took up that waiter's time, it's not their fault you ordered the cheapest thing on the menu and a water. When we go to Chili's or something you end up with a bill for $23 and you wonder about what the appropriate tip should be. Well, if you go with 15% you're looking at $3.45...since I took up a table for 45 minutes that seems pretty cheap. You just have to go over 20% here and give a solid $5 tip.
The $30-50 meals are easy, 15-20% based on service. Then you get to the nice meal that comes with a $75 price tag. Of course the service was good, it's a nice restaurant. Should you go with 20%? That's $15! It makes your bill $90...now your talking about major money on this meal. If the meal is over $50 then you have to revert back to 15% for sake of your wallet.
In the scenario where the service was awful and it was it lead to an aggravating experience waiting on a refill, the food, or just to get the bill....then no tip! I've probably only done this 3 or 4 times in my life, but if the service is terrible why should I give that person money? I've had plenty of poor experiences and given 10-15%, but when it goes beyond poor and into horrible...leaving no tip is a good way of saying they are not good at their job.
When you get takeout Chinese and they hand you the receipt to sign, there is no need to tip. The job of a waiter is to prepare a drink for me and then bring it to me. Provide me with silverware and napkins. Bring me the food and then clean up the mess I made. Then after I leave they are going to wash the dishes I used as well. When I go pick up the food I am getting none of those services. I drove to the restaurant just like I would have if I were sitting down. Then I'm going to take it home, prepare my own drink and use my own silverware. I'm going to open the box myself and clean the dishes when I'm through. There is no reason to tip the cashier just for collecting my money!
When you go to the sandwich shop and they give you the same receipt with a tip line, same thing goes...no tip. They prepared the food, and I am paying for it. Otherwise I stood in a line while they prepared it and I am going to serve myself. Now if someone comes by my table and refills my cup and takes my plate then sure, leave a dollar or two because they are providing a service.
I try not to be too cheap with tipping, but there are always lines that I draw. You have to remember that waiters don't really make a wage, they earn on tips. If you're eating alone at a table for two then you are going to spend less so don't just give them $1.50 because it was 15 or 20%...consider they let you sit there when they could have had two people and more money would have been spent thereby giving them a bigger tip. Always think about how most of this country is built around the service industry, if you are not manufacturing or fabricating something, you are providing a service...and you expect to be paid for that service like everyone else.
JB
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Coffee Milkshake
This is good.
Make however many cups of coffee you want (1 cup makes one milkshake). Per every cup of coffee you made, mix one packet of hot chocolate mix and one tablespoon of sugar together with the hot coffee. Then pour it into ice trays and let it freeze for 4-5 hours.
Once they are now coffee ice cubes, put them in a blender and per every cup of coffee pour in 1/4 cup of heavy cream, and a teaspoon of vanilla extract. Blend it together and there you have it...a coffee milkshake. No need to go to Starbucks.
JB
Make however many cups of coffee you want (1 cup makes one milkshake). Per every cup of coffee you made, mix one packet of hot chocolate mix and one tablespoon of sugar together with the hot coffee. Then pour it into ice trays and let it freeze for 4-5 hours.
Once they are now coffee ice cubes, put them in a blender and per every cup of coffee pour in 1/4 cup of heavy cream, and a teaspoon of vanilla extract. Blend it together and there you have it...a coffee milkshake. No need to go to Starbucks.
JB
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