End of Creation - A Poem by Thomas Brogan

End of Creation
by: Thomas Brogan

There will come a day when we will all have to choose.
Some of us will win, some will lose.

The choice will be simple to decide our fate,
Will we choose to keep peace of succumb to the hate?

When the leaders come together and hear us speak,
Will they be happy, or slap us on the cheek?

There may be one final stand for human survival,
It will take on faithful person to lead the revival.

Will we overcome the power and the fear?
Can we beat the awesome odds and find a cure?

When the cities have finally fallen to the ground,
A mushroom cloud of destruction will be seen all around.

The Earth will be a dark and desolate place,
Only the true believers will be saved, as they seek His face.

Ginger - A Natural Cure for Motion Sickness

So this past weekend I took my daughter to Adventureland to ride some rides and to relive my childhood glory. One of my concerns was now that I’m older, spinning rides and I don’t get along too well. I definitely wasn’t going to take Dramamine, because the last time I took that on a Cruise Ship I was a tired walking zombie. So I decided to go a more natural route. I went with a Ginger Pill. I had read in my Natural Health Magazine* that if you take a 250mg pill at least 15 minutes before your activity you should be covered. Well the only ginger pills I had around were 550mg, so I figured the more the better.

So we got to the park and one of the first rides my daughter wanted to ride was the Teacups. If you aren’t familiar with these, it’s basically a large tea cup that spins and spins. So a good first test. The results…………. No issues at all! My daughter had a blast, I had a blast and no motion sickness or nausea. So the next time you are looking to avoid nausea from motion sickness, give Ginger a try.

*Tests conducted on the television shows Mythbusters and Food Detectives also support the theory that Ginger is an effective treatment for the nausea caused by motion sickness.

Chick-fil-A Bites At Home - The Best Thing Ever!

I came home to a wonderful surprise Monday after work! My wife had just fried up some of the best tasting Chicken I have ever had! She found the recipe at the Iowa Girl Eats Website. The secret this wonderful dinner is letting the chicken soak in a marinade that includes pickle juice. This is essential because one of the great part of the Chick-fil-A sandwiches is the taste of pickle. So each little chicken bite tastes like sandwich with a pickle! Brilliant! Here's the Recipe, we omitted the dipping sauce used in the original recipes because they are so good that they don't even need any dip!

Ingredients:

2 large chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces and seasoned with salt & pepper
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup pickle juice
1 egg
1 1/4 cups flour
2 Tablespoons powdered sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup peanut oil, divided (or canola or vegetable oil)


Directions:

1. Whisk together egg, milk and pickle juice, and pour into a large ziplock bag or bowl. Add chicken pieces and marinate in the refrigerator for 2-4 hours.

2. Combine flour, powdered sugar, salt and pepper in a large ziplock bag. Shake to combine. Remove chicken from the marinade and add into the bag. Shake to coat the chicken completely.

3. Heat half the oil in a large skillet or dutch oven over medium-high heat (6 or 7 out of 10.) Test the oil by dropping in a bit of the flour mixture. If it sizzles, the oil is ready, if it pops, lower the temperature a bit.

4. Gently place chicken pieces into the oil with tongs. Do this in 2 batches, as you don’t want to overcrowd the pan. Cook the chicken for 3-4 minutes, or until golden brown on one side. Turn the chicken over and allow to cook for 3-4 more minutes. Remove to a paper-towel lined plate. Heat the remaining oil and continue with the other half of the chicken pieces.

ENJOY!

Couples Need Balance - My Guest Commentary

I was given the opportunity a couple of weeks ago to guest write for an article in the Des Moines Register. The title of the article was "Couples Need Balance". Here is my commentary from the article. To read the entire article click here.

“It’s funny how much your relationship changes when you have children. It’s almost as if you become one of the children to your wife, or at best, you are Lieutenant Daddy, just another soldier in the ranks that Major Mommy has to account for in the war we call ‘raising kids.’ One of the more notable changes is just getting some time with my wife. After spending eight hours of her day with a 1- and 3-year-old hanging all over her, the thing she wants most is some personal space. This means ‘Sorry Daddy, you will have to wait.’ Major Mommy also needs a break after a long day with the kids. So when I get home from work, the Major gets a break and the Lieutenant gets a set of orders. If I’m lucky, it was a good day and I open the door to a quiet house and a small set of orders. But, when there is a bad day, it’s like World War III erupting. I can usually hear the screaming and crying as I pull in. Should I just stay in the garage? I walk in, get mobbed by my two kids … and the orders begin. Set the table, pick up toys, put the clothes in the dryer and give me 50 push-ups. Fifty push-ups, maybe I exaggerate, but you get the idea. So, what can you, as a dad, do to combat being pushed aside for the kids and being designated as a common soldier? How can you become a partner again? I suggest two things. First, don’t take your wife’s actions or comments personally. This is no time to be sensitive. Let your ego go and try to be more understanding of the stress she endures. Second thing is to take charge. Don’t just go with the flow. Don’t wait for orders. Start doing things before you are told and watch how you regain your partnership and have a healthier relationship with your wife. You might even get that cuddle time again.”

Looking Back - Some of my Favorite Blogs from Years Past

I have been blogging since 2004! I decided to take a look back and find a few of my favorite blog posts over the years.

The Fridge

Free Beer at the Mall

The Red Hat Ladies

The Drinking Fountain Incident

Pizza Delivery and Cops

The Long Ride Home

The Colgate Curse

Bathroom Memoirs

Turning 30

Thank God for My Keychain

Lottery Tickets - The Worst Gift Idea?

Sometimes people will throw Lottery tickets in a with a card as part of a gift. For two reasons this is just plain crazy to me. 1. If that person doesn't win anything, you have just given them a useless piece of paper. What kind of gift is that? It's like giving them nothing. 2. What if they do win? What if they win big? Let's say $100,0000. That could have been you! All you had to do was keep the ticket for yourself. I wouldn't be able to handle that. I would eventually go crazy living with that on my mind. So take my advice. The next time you are running short on time and think about slipping in some lottery tickets with your gift...... Don't! Just give the person the $1.00 you would have spent on it and save your sanity.