Brogan's Blog

How hard can it be to eat 6 saltine crackers in a minute. Doesn't sound hard. Of course you have to do it without any liquids. So can't down water after each one. So I imagine your mouth would get pretty dried out. But could I do it? Eating saltine crackers without water is hard because they quickly absorb saliva, turning them into a dry, crumbly mass that is difficult to swallow. The crackers are a simple starch, and without saliva to lubricate and break them down, they become like chewing paper and can be difficult to move down the throat. According to Guinness World Records the most eaten was 6 officially. But I saw many other videos out there where people got up to 12 crackers eaten in a minute. But I will stick with trying to go for 6 and see if I can even do that. Well here we go:

Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cakes - Is there anything better?

I went to the grocery store this past weekend (October 25th) and what did I see that caught my eye? Boxes of Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cakes?! Was it a dream? It's way too early for Christmas treats? Right? Wrong. After poking myself to make sure I was awake, I grabbed a couple boxes to take home and devour. These are not healthy at all, but I love them. It's my vice. I don't do drugs, but I need the little tree cakes! Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cakes are one of the most iconic snacks around. Even though the classic scalloped tree shape wasn’t introduced until 2012, nothing says “Christmastime” quite like these festive treats! Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cakes were introduced in 1985 and have since become an iconic holiday snack. Originally, they were triangular with a chocolate trunk, but the design was changed in 2012 to the scalloped, evergreen shape we know today. This year the Little Debbie Christmas tree cake is celebrating it's 40th anniversary of t...

Champions: A Great Movie with A Great Story

I finally got a chance to watch Champions the other day. The movie came out in 2023, so it took me awhile, but it was worth the wait. I appreciated the fact being an Iowan, that the main character was a coach in Iowa to start the movie. The movie is a sports comedy-drama starring Woody Harrelson as a disgraced minor-league basketball coach sentenced to community service coaching a team of players with intellectual disabilities. The film is an English-language remake of the 2018 Spanish movie Campeones. Marcus Marakovich (played by Woody Harrelson), a hot-headed basketball coach in Iowa, loses his job after a public altercation with the head coach of the team. Following a DUI, he is given a choice by a judge of jail time or 90 days of community service coaching a Special Olympics basketball team called "The Friends". Initially reluctant, Marcus's perspective begins to change as he gets to know the diverse group of players and helps them hone their skills. The team's...

Tipping at Starbucks

Does everyone expect a tip now? It seems like more and more people are expecting a tip from me and with the economy being the way it is, I have no more money to give them. Just yesterday I went to three places where a tip was expected. The first was the hair salon to get my hair did. I've never really understood tipping the stylist. I think they get paid a pretty good hourly rate, don't they? But, what it really comes down to is fear. If I don't tip well, will they botch my haircut the next time around? Will I leave with a big chunk of hair missing from the back of my head? Will they shave the word "cheapskate" back there? So then I go out the dinner at Centro. Some great food by the way. So here I see why we tip. The servers get paid a small hourly wage and depend on tips as part of the salary. But here's a question. Would I rather eat somewhere where I didn't have to tip and the food prices were higher? Or would I rather have the choice ...

Bear Grylls: Could You Survive?

I first started watching Bear Grylls in Man vs Wild in 2006. In the show Bear strands himself in different remote places, shows you how to survive and find your way back to civilization. I loved the show, always wondering to myself if I could survive in different areas. I mean some of the survival things he showed using simple things always were amazing. Of course the things he ate on the show always made me wonder if I was starving if I could eat. For example in a cold frozen landscape during an episode of Man vs. Wild in Siberia, the only thing available was a dead yak. Bear chose to eat the yak's eyeball, which was full of blood and fluid. He said it was one of the worst things he has ever eaten. So if he thought it was horrible, it had to be! So watching it on TV is one thing. But could I actually survive if a helicopter just dropped me in the middle of nowhere. Let's be honest, probably not. LOL. Just camping at a campground that's 10 miles out of town is a chore. I...

The Yule Cat - A Christmas Tradition

While traditional Christmas folklore characters are typically friendly—just think of the many incarnations of St Nicolas—in Iceland there’s a character that sounds quite terrifying. The Yule Cat (Jólakötturin) is a huge, vicious creature that lurks in the snowy countryside. Jólakötturinn is the Icelandic Yule Cat or Christmas Cat. He is not a nice cat at all. In fact, he might eat you! This character is tied to an Icelandic tradition in which those who finished all their work on time received new clothes for Christmas, while those who were lazy did not (although this is mainly a threat). To encourage children to work hard, parents told the tale of the Yule Cat, saying that Jólakötturinn could tell who the lazy children were because they did not have at least one new item of clothing for Christmas—and these children would be sacrificed to the Yule Cat. This reminder tends to spur children into doing their chores! A poem written about the cat ends with a suggestion that children he...

Guinness Fun Facts: Did You Know?

As someone with Irish roots, I was always intrigued by Guinness when I hit the drinking age. It's one of those beers you just got to have. And yes, it tastes good. I have always said one day, I will get to Ireland, go to Brogan's Bars in Dublin and have myself a Guinness. But until then, I can learn more about the wonderful drink. Join in and learn these fun 10 facts about Guinness. 1. There really is a small ball in your Guinness can. It’s actually a Guinness widget that’s working hard to replicate the draught experience in a can. When a Guinness can is popped open, a small amount of beer and nitrogen, which is trapped in the widget, is forced out to create the famous creamy head that you’d expect if your Guinness was poured for you from a tap. 2. The water used for Dublin-brewed Guinness comes from the Wicklow Mountains, County Wicklow is known colloquially as the 'Garden of Ireland'. 3. More than 160,000 pints of Guinness are lost every year in facial hair. Guinnes...

Parking Ramp Stories

I was running right on time today for work. When I say right on time I mean I will sit down at my desk, right at 8am. Then I hit the parking ramp. On any other day, this would have been no problem. But today I had been caught up in some heavy traffic so I was cutting it a bit close. I would definitely have to put some pride in my stride and haul my butt fast through the skywalk. So I pull into the gate at the bottom of the ramp. Usually around this time everybody else is putting in that extra effort and have already made it to their desk, so the ramp is all mine. Nope......not today. I have a mini van that has pulled into the gate right before me. The stalls are right next to each other and both lead up into the ramp. I know I need to beat this car. I could tell that this would be a very slow person. At this point the mini van and my car are lined up like two horses ready to run the race of a life time. I put my card in, it does not work. I try again......nothing. I look over and ...

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