He would have been 15 today… sometimes it’s still hard to believe it’s been almost 3 years. Happy Birthday Forrest. I still love and miss you. [][1]The pup back in 2002

[][1]Curb Appeal? Not so much. Thanksgiving 2009 involved family, a road trip, and lots of yard work. Although Yeni and I made yet another trip to Florida, we sadly did not get the opportunity to visit all our friends and family “on the list.” While traveling to sunny Fort Lauderdale, we took a pit-stop in Gainesville and checked out the house. The condition shocked us. It looked absolutely horrible and had what could only be described as negative curb appeal. We headed down to SoFla and knew we had to return and get down to business on some serious yardwork. Borrowing a chainsaw from the old man, we quickly got to work on the thickest of foliage decorating the house. ...

Every year, on the fourth Thursday in November, families across the United States gather to give thanks. Some years, the “thanks” flow easily. Other years, families struggle to find the a reason for celebration. Like so many before, this year brought us joy, sadness, and everything in-between. Life often gets compared to a roller coaster ride. A metaphor I’ve used, but truly don’t like. ...

I do. I really, really do. And thanks to a recent trip to Kentucky, I’ve visited a place that I’ve always wanted… Jim Beam. [][1]Fred visits Jim Beam in Kentucky If you haven’t done so… check out my article on Fat Freddy Says about the difference between Bourbon vs. Whiskey.

Did you know that the FTC believes they should police bloggers? It’s true… and well, long story short… here’s my FTC disclosure.

[][1]Yeni in her studio. 🙂 Lately, thanks to our newly purchased Kitchen-Aid mixer, I have been eating well — very well. Although I guess that depends on your definition of what “eating well” means. If it means eating low calorie, very healthy meals, then no. If it means eating delicious cakes and desserts that make your mouth water, then YES — I have been eating very well. Yeni loves those cake shows and well, I truly think she’s a natural....

[][1]My girl (with my grandmas rolling pin) It’s that time of the year again… the time where Fred decides to: Talk about himself in the third person Change the website design Look forward to Thanksgiving Digress Well, we all know that #3 and #4 happen all year long. Man I love some Thanksgiving. (uh oh, looks like I’m talking in the first person again) So what’s been happening? We recently purchased a Kitchen-Aid mixer; sadly, something Yeni and I always wanted. Well, maybe not so sad I guess. I mean we both love to cook and she’s been cooking up a storm. We’re talking homemade cannoli, homemade cakes with fondant, and did I mention everything is 100% homemade from scratch? I’ve only used the mixer a couple of times to make bread, but it really does keep with our theme: Dreams come true. Even the small dream of owning a Kitchen Aid mixer can come true. (pictures) Of course, all of these homemade amazing yummies isn’t helping me lose weight, but did I mention homemade cannoli? I mean Yeni is my dream girl already, but who knew she could make homemade cannoli?? ...

The great thing about government? No accountability for failure. [][1]Things that make you go hmmmmm

In the late 1800’s, after an explosion of immigration to the United States, a new metaphor started circulating — The Meting Pot. Referring to the fusion of different cultures, nationalities, backgrounds, and ethnicities, “The Melting Pot” became part of American culture in the early 1900’s. Although the metaphor intends to help create a national identity, many today see the phrase as antiquated and insulting. People want to keep their heritage, culture, traditions, and not be formed into a new being. In the late 1800’s, after an explosion of immigration to the United States, a new metaphor started circulating — The Meting Pot. Referring to the fusion of different cultures, nationalities, backgrounds, and ethnicities, “The Melting Pot” became part of American culture in the early 1900’s. Although the metaphor intends to help create a national identity, many today see the phrase as antiquated and insulting. People want to keep their heritage, culture, traditions, and not be formed into a new being. Personally, I like to look at the metaphor differently. I like to believe that the Melting Pot allows you to retain your uniqueness, but at the same time, not segregate you from the plate. Yes, the plate in this “Fred” metaphor is America. With this extremely long winded introduction, even more so than usual, I want to talk about exclusion, labeling, classification, and Fox News. Wait, Fox News?...

AstriCon officially ended on October 15th, but luckily… Yeni and I stayed on a couple of days to spend some “face-to-face” time with some of our VoIP pals (after all, it’s nice to shake hands with someone you talk to regularly but lives more than 2000 miles away). On the 16th, Yeni and I headed to the Glendale Harley-Davidson with David Duffett, and rented a couple of bikes. We headed north through some amazing country that well, I’d only seen in pictures. We saw cactus, we drove by mountains that looked like Big Thunder, and had a great meal at a dive off the beaten path. More importantly, we got to ride with David, who although it was the first time I had ridden with him, felt like we’d been riding together for years. Here’s a few movies…