National Chocolate Covered Anything Day

There are a lot of mixed reactions out there about “National Chocolate Covered Anything Day.”

Some love it and go after it with a sense of humor.
http://frazierfauxpaus.blogspot.com/2009/12/national-chocolate-covered-anything-day.html

Others think it stupid and go after it with a sense of humor. http://www.chocablog.com/news/national-chocolate-covered-anything-day/

Me. I love chocolate every day. Just a little to melt in my mouth and taste. I’ve mentioned this just a few days ago. But here we are now and I didn’t know that this day was coming. What a great surprise!

Personally I like to keep my chocolate in the freezer. It gives me a nice crunch when I eat it. I use to be able to keep chocolate in my freezer for months at a time and eat it slowly. That is until I go married. Our first Christmas together my wife bought me a candy cane filled with M&Ms. I was at the end of my need for chocolate for the holidays faze, so I put it in the freezer. In March I was craving and went to look for it. I emptied out the freezer and could not find my chocolate. So I went to my wife. She said it was gone the first period she had after Christmas.

Now I hide my chocolate in many places around the house. My wife and kids are always trying to look for it. They think it is a game. I just want my daily chocolate fix in peace. I do share so it is not as if I’m a scrooge hiding my treats away for just me. I just get ticked when I go for my treat and what should have been a month supply is gone.

Back to National Chocolate Covered Anything Day. If you try any crazy chocolate covered something, let me know.

My favorite always will be chocolate covered strawberries, followed be chocolate covered bacon, and of course chocolate covered Ritz crackers and pretzels.

Enjoy National Chocolate Covered Anything Day today and tomorrow, and maybe a little the day after that.

dr. siegal s cookie diet

Cookie diet? It caught me eye. I am not big on fad diets or the latest exercise scam, however I have had a constant diet plan. The result is I have been the same paint size for the last 18 years. The great thing is I do eat what I love. (Chocolate once a day almost). The real trick to a diet is moderation.
Moderation in my diet means I can have a Hersey’s kiss or a small bit size chunk of chocolate, or a cookie. Eating it is a ritual for me. I put it in my mouth and let it melt as I spread it over my tongue. My kid can eat a big candy bar faster than it takes me to savor every bit of my treat. The other day I asked her if she tasted it when she wolfed hers down. She couldn’t remember.
So I like good things, and can eat cookies and other great sweats, so, as I said the cookie diet caught my eye. However I was very disappointed. Here is what I found:
“Eat cookies whenever you want--and still lose weight! But don't picture sugar cookies with sprinkles and gingerbread men, these are not your regular cookies. Dr. Siegal has created the "Cookie Diet"--which is a weight-loss system that helps control hunger with cookies and shakes.”
More prepackaged junk with a high sticker price- no thanks Dr. Siegal. The only way to maintain weight is to reduce calories and increase activity. Do not be afraid to feel hungry. If you eat healthy and add a few treats in the mix, and drink lots of water you’ll loose weight and maintain your figure, like me. Cookie diet, I am fine without it.

Now give me a kiss.

Petfinder Pet for Christmas

“My grandpa is getting me a puppy for Christmas.” Jerry proclaimed loudly. Jerry is nine, cruel to animals and can hardly take care of himself. The thought of him with a puppy scares me because I know this kid, and when he is angry he will hurt that animal.

Getting or giving someone a puppy for Christmas might seem like a good idea, but the truth is many of these pets end up in shelters because people had no idea how time consuming the pet would be, or worst yet, someone like Jerry gets one.

Besides who wants a puppy anyway? I’m a cat lover. And all of our cats were rescued off the streets of Kansas City. We had five and at times they are a pain, and others cute love balls.

We started with three brothers from the same litter. We had to catch them, and then get them fixed. Two of the brothers died, after ten plus years, and the last is still with us after fifteen years.

Our other two younger ones, around seven or eight, both forced their way into our homes. One moved into my garden after a November snow storm. We felt sorry for her and tried to coax her into our warm home. It took a week, but one day she walked into the house and let us pet and feed her. When we tried to put her back out she hissed at us. So she has been a permanent part of the family since. A few weeks later word was out that we took in strays, and a big black cat moved in. He had several homes and he moved around to each. The other family left the neighborhood so we became his permanent residence.
I could go on about our pets and some great stories. But I digress from my focus here- getting a pet for Christmas. If you're tempted to get a pet for the holidays, Petfinder is encouraging people to foster animals over the holidays.
Petfinder is a great resource for care and love of your animals.
Don’t for get to spay and neuter, and really consider the time and energy that having to care for a cat or puppy will take. It’s rewarding and fun to have a pet when you have that time and energy. But it’s bad for the animals when you don’t.

Batman: Arkham Asylum to get a sequel

No date or platforms were revealed. There hasn’t been an official name set up yet. Its website, ArkhamHasMoved.com, doesn't offer any hints. Some are referring to it as Arkham Asylum 2.

VGA'S 2009: Batman Arkham Asylum 2 World Premiere Trailer

Hot game arounf the corner. Have you checked out the video teaser at you tube yet.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rM7uO2u0oRM

Red Sox Tickets go on Sale Today.

Looking for that perfect Christmas Gift, get Red Sox Tickets. Last year people spent three to four hours on line waiting for tickets for the spring training games. Those went on sale last week.

Main 2010 tickets sales opened this morning. Don’t wait to long as other Red Sox fans will be snagging them fast.

There have been some complints with the team and ticket prices. Those with Red Sox season tickets always get the best price.

Mark Stoops the Choice?

Arizona defensive coordinator Mark Stoops and Alabama linebackers coach Sal Sunseri were the front-runners for FSU’s next defensive coordinator. It seems that Jimbo Fisher has leaked his pick. The last word was that Mark Stoops was chosen to replace longtime defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews, “sources” confirmed Friday. Mark Stoops is in his sixth year at Arizona and has two decades of coaching experience. Is this a good choice for FSU? Is it a good choice for Stoops? There won’t be any moves until sometime after the Gator Bowl, so there’s plenty of time for everyone to reconsider.

Hanukkah 2009

Today the Jewish Festival of Lights, Hanukkah, begins. It is an eight-day celebration, (sundown 11 December to sundown 19 December 2009), with lots of food, family, tradition and spirituality.

The festival began after the victorious revolt against Antiochus Epiphanes IV between 167 and 165 BCE. Antiochus outlawed Jewish worship and sacrifices, while forcing the worship of the Greek gods on the population. Mattathias, the high priest in Jerusalem, killed a Hellenistic Jew who was trying to offer a sacrifice to the Greek gods. He and his five sons fled into the wilderness. Mattathias died a year later and his son, Judah Maccabee, continued to gather an army and wage gorilla warfare.

Following the victory, the Temple in Jerusalem was cleansed and rededicated for Jewish Worship. During that time the Menorah, the large seven pronged candlestick, burned for eight days without the daily need for refilling of oil. It was a sign of G_d’s blessing and provision. During the Festival, there are candles that are lit and fried foods eaten in remembrance of the miracle of both the Maccabeean victory and the provision of the oil for the lamp.

Jerusalem continued to have troubles as the five sons of Mattathias took turns at leadership. Each was either assassinated or died in battle. There was some calm after the death of the youngest Maccabee around 129 BEC. However, in the time since the cleansing of the Temple in Jerusalem, foreign governments did not interfere with Jewish worship until the Fall of Jerusalem in 70 CE.

Obama Accepts Peace Prize

How many Noble Peace Prize winners can you remember? Can you name the last ten? How about the last two? How about the current winner? Wither or not you agree with the Norwegian Committee’s choice for the Peace Prize, without doubt many Americans will remember at least one person who won it.

President Obama said that he was "surprised and deeply humbled" by the decision of the Norwegian Nobel Committee to award him the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize. Yet he was realistic when it came to having his own troops abroad. Obama told his audience in Oslo's City Hall, "I face the world as it is, and cannot stand idle in the face of threats to the American people" He lauded Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr., preachers of nonviolent action, but he added, "A nonviolent movement could not have halted Hitler's armies. Negotiations cannot convince al-Qaida's leaders to lay down their arms."

His boldly proclaimed, "To say that force is sometimes necessary is not a call to cynicism, it is a recognition of history."

The decision that the Nobel Peace Prize for 2009 be awarded to President Barack Obama was based on his efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples. The Committee has attached special importance to Obama's vision of and work for a world without nuclear weapons.

The Nobel Peace Prize is funded by the massive wealth of Alfred B. Nobel (21 October 1833 - 10 December 1896). He was a chemist, engineer, innovator, armaments manufacturer and the inventor of dynamite. He owned Bofors, a major armaments manufacturer, which he had redirected from its previous role as an iron and steel mill. Nobel held 355 different patents, dynamite being the most famous.

In 1888 a French News paper published a premature obituary. The obituary condemned Nobel for the inventions of dynamite saying that the “mercant of death is dead,“ and that "Dr. Alfred Nobel, who became rich by finding ways to kill more people faster than ever before, died yesterday." Not wanting to be remembered that way he used his enormous fortune to institute the Nobel Peace Prize.