Restrooms...The Best of

Ahhh, such a nice quiet place. No one around to disturb me. I unfold the newspaper and see who died in Iraq today. The lighting a nice white light, but not too bright. The tile and most of the fixtures are clean. The lock on the door to this stall works. The toilet paper is 2-ply and the planets have all aligned for me.

You see, I like to seek out nice, quiet, comfortable restrooms in the places I go. I go out of my way to go to the better restrooms. Most places you go, you cannot have peace and quiet. Sometimes you pay 50 cents to use a public toilet which is a hole in the ground. Sometimes you find a small oasis of glimmering porcelain and tile for nothing. Whether I am at work, the middle of a forest, or a school, I seek a certain type of comfortable restroom.

First I must define my type of restroom:
1) No interruptions
2) Quiet
3) Clean, preferably because it is not used often
4) Spacious
5) Ambient lighting
6) Plenty of 2-ply toilet paper
7) Reading material *(Possible left over papers or magazines are a plus)
8) Finally the most important thing... it is there when you need it

So here are some of my favorite restrooms and the reasons why.

--Pittsburg University, Kansas, Top floor of Physics Department:
The restroom is quiet and newly renovated. It has it all, doors that lock, coat hangers, and hell, nobody goes to the physics department anyways.

--Pittsburg University, Kansas, Student Welcoming Center:
This restroom is so shiny and new that I wear my sunglasses when using this facility.
It is the restroom that all perspective students families will use, so they keep it really clean to keep attendance up. It can be a bit busy at times, but is normally a nice place to visit.

--Pittsburg University, Kansas, Basement of library:
Here is one of my favorites because of its location and complete lack of intruders. It may not be clean or have good lighting, but the peace and quiet is worth it. Also, a bonus of great bathroom wall graffiti is present here, such as...

"This is a tee pee
for a pee pee.
Not a wig wam
to beat your tom-tom. "

"If you tinkle and you sprinkle, Be a sweetie wipe the seatie."

"Please do not throw cigarette butts in the toilet. It makes them soggy and hard to light."
-----
Now some other places besides my current school.

--University of Kansas:
A quiet but very dark restroom is located in the basement of Bailey Hall. The best thing is that it is near a bus stop when you most need it.

--Also, here at KU, you have to pee in the ground floor men's restroom in Allen Field house, the home of the Kansas Jayhawk basketball team. A large trough so you can't miss is fun when you're camping out for the next game.

--When you gotta go, you gotta go, right? I paid 50 cents to use a small toilet facility on a mountain in Turkey near some Greek ruins. It was a relief to have it there.

--Another place I spend time and work at is the Cottey College Department of Chemistry. As an all girls school, the men's restroom are very quiet and clean. They are so quiet, that when another man does walk in, it startles me.

--Finally, my very favorite restroom of them all...
The Great Outdoors! The last time I used the world as my toilet was a few weeks ago. I was returning from Lawrence, KS to Nevada, MO. I drove by a wildlife reservation in the middle of nowhere. I had to go. So, I pulled onto a dirt road that led me to a small lake filled with migrating ducks and geese. I stood on a levee and did my business while watching the waterfowl, and enjoyed the sounds of nature.

Like George on Seinfeld, I like my restrooms a certain way. I may even seem a bit crazy for even thinking about it, but, hey, it's me.

Since this is such a hot blog topic, I know you want to learn more, so here are some links to other restroom sites:

101 Favorite Restrooms

World Toilet Organization

Backyard Bird Count Results

Below are the birds counted for the
Great Backyard Bird Count
(in my yard) on Feb 19, 2006.

Species-Count:

Mourning Dove -1
Red-bellied Woodpecker -1
Downy Woodpecker -2
Blue Jay -1
Black-capped Chickadee -1
Carolina Wren -1
European Starling -45 (a flock)
American Tree Sparrow -11
White-throated Sparrow -2
White-crowned Sparrow -15
Dark-eyed Junco -5
Northern Cardinal -5
Red-winged Blackbird -4
House Finch -1
American Goldfinch - 9

My Niece, Cassie

This little alien
is my newest niece.

Ain't it cute?




And this is her brother,
my Nephew, Matt at Padres game.

Matt is one of my favorite nephews.

I love you Matt and Cassie!

The Great Backyard Bird Count

I like to watch birds. I am not an avid bird watcher, but I do enjoy watching them as I am outdoors or looking out a window at my feeders.

This weekend, February 17-20, is the Great Backyard Bird Count. Click on the link if you want to count the birds in your yard for a few minutes on Sunday or Monday and submit the data to a national database. Monday the 2oth of February is the last day. Check out the site to find out how to submit your data.

Anyone can do it. I have about twenty species that frequent my home feeder here in Missouri.

Besides, the Olympics are a bit boring since the snowboarding is done. So, you might as well turn off the TV take a look out your window for the rare Dodo bird or two.

Happy birding, and I'll post my count of birds, because I know you care! Hah hah.

Blog tag, I'm it

People put this crap up on their blogs for some reason and I have become a victim of this "Meme" thing. Zoe the Cat tagged me, so here it is...

Four Jobs I've Had:
1. Pig farm pig-pen inspector
2. Fishing Guide and Instructor
3. Subway sandwich artist
4. Chemistry tutor

Four Movies I Can Watch Over and Over:
1. Office Space
2. The Best of Road-Runner, pt. 1
3. Better Off Dead
4. Revenge of the Nerds

Four Places I Have Lived:
1. Nevada, MO
2. Mesa, AZ
3. Auburn, CA
4. Izmir, Turkey (for a summer)

Four TV shows I Love:
1. Seinfeld
2. My Name is Earl
3. Office
4. Seinfeld, again


Four Places I have Vacationed:
1. Turkey
2. Baja, Mexico, Rancho Leonero
3. British Columbia
4. Sugar Land, TX

Four of My Favorite Dishes:
1. Quesadillas
2. Enchiladas (also as casserole)
3. Steamed Dumplings
4. Big, juicy, smoky, Cheeseburger

Four Sites I Visit Daily:
1. National Weather Service, Springfield, MO
2. Zoe the Cat (I just like to see a cat in a sink)
3. Twelve Two Two Fondue (Warning: Some stories make no sense)
4. Geocache.com (Get lost looking for crap you'll never find)

Four Places I'd Rather Be Now:
1. Lawrence, KS
2. Fishing in Baja, Mexico
3. Italy for the Olympics
4. The Bahamas with the Bob and Tom show

Five People I'm Tagging:
----Nobody

I hate the flu!

Today is day 5 of being sick with something like the flu or bad strep throat. I had a really sore throat which I don't remember having with the flu. But who cares when you are dying, right?

Anyways, I am somewhat better now. Funny things happen when you have a fever. I found Kleenex all over the house. I remember siting in a chair staring at the walls for who knows how long. I try to tell my hands to do something simple like get a drink of water. My hand then just pours the water down the front of my shirt, not even close to my mouth. I am really clumsy when I am sick. I would laugh if it didn't hurt so much.

My sweetheart called me sometimes to make sure I was alive. My mom made sure I was ok too. It sure helps to remember there are people wanting you to feel better when you don't think you ever will.

Don't care about the Superbowl, but there was a Family Guy marathon on FOX.

Tomorrow is Monday, so I guess I will try to reintroduce myself to society. Ready or not, here I come a little more brain damaged...

Wallace and Gromit -The Soccermatic

Wallace and Gromit from 1tom2go on Vimeo.

Newest "What's the Difference"

You may ask, "What's the difference between a dwarf and a midget?"

Well, you see a dwarf is a person who has a physical or genetic condition so he/she can't grow at a normal rate. According to Little People of America they commonly are 4'10" tall. Sometimes dwarfism means that the arms and legs may be shorter than average. No medical treatment is available for dwarfism.

The term midget is normally a negative description of a person. Formally, midget is someone who is shorter than average, but is proportional to an average person. Because this may be caused by a hormone imbalance, it can be treated medically.

Both seem to be called dwarfs now. The term midget is gone, except to describe something.

One interesting fact is that some little people elect to undergo "limb-lengthening" surgery.

Christy Ruhe stood 4-foot-3 before choosing to undergo a leg-lengthening process that broke her bowed legs, then stretched and straightened them to make her seven inches taller. See pictures from her painful, but gratifying experience. Limb-lengthening surgery is controversial among dwarfs, and it is painful. Still, many choose to undergo the bone-breaking and difficult therapy to gain inches in height. One patient who made this decision, Christy Ruhe, allowed an Associated Press reporter and photographer to closely follow her two-year progress. This is her story.
(Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4242093/ )

Sounds a little medieval!

My brother, David

I normally will write humor (debatable), satire, and general informative type stuff. I want to keep it light and easy to read. I also want to inform those of you that know or care about me.

Today, January 27, is my brother's birthday. My brother, David Lee passed away at an early age of 26 almost five years ago on Jan. 13, 2001. So today is very sobering for me.

My brother had trouble much of his life with alcohol and then drugs. Heroin was what got him eventually. Really, his death was probably the best thing for someone in so much pain from the addiction. I think of him often. Every-time I hear someone struggling with an addiction or appears to be in the grips of some substance or alcohol, I think of Dave. I still have some guilt about what I "could" have done. I wish I could have taken him somewhere, away from all this. But the reality is that he chose the path. My family loved and still love him. We really did our best to help him get out of that lifestyle.

My brother passing has given me a different view on life. I use his death to remind and motivate me to be better, if not for myself, at least for him. I miss having Dave around, we all do. Often, I start thinking how lucky I am to be here, with a family, girlfriend, extended family, that care so much about me.

Happy Birthday Dave

Letter of Recomendation?

[A stolen joke for you]

Bob Smith, my assistant programmer, can always be found
hard at work in his cubicle. Bob works independently, without
wasting company time talking to colleagues. Bob never
thinks twice about assisting fellow employees, and he always
finishes given assignments on time. Often, Bob takes extended
measures to complete his work, sometimes skipping coffee
breaks. Bob is an individual who has absolutely no
vanity in spite of his high accomplishments and profound
knowledge in his field. I firmly believe that Bob can be
classified as a high-caliber employee, the type that cannot be
dispensed with. Consequently, I duly recommend that Bob be
promoted to executive management, and a proposal will be
executed as soon as possible.

Regards,
Project Leader

KEEP READING...Shortly thereafter, the HR department received the
following memo from the Project Leader:
Sorry, but that idiot was reading over my shoulder
while I wrote the report sent to you earlier today. Kindly read only the odd numbered lines for my assessment.

Regards,
Project Leader

IPOD ME

It was the early 1980's and I used my first Apple computer. It was an Apple IIe. It was in the computer lab at my school in California. We used these funny floppy disks and were told not to put them into toasters. I spent my spare time after school learning to use these computers. Several years later, I became a MAC addict.

Then Apple faded away and I became a PC person. The user Windows interfaces were nice and the world changed. My world became a non Apple/MAC world.

Years later, after I thought the Apple company was a fossil, I own an Apple product. I recieved an IPOD shuffle for xmas (Oops, I mean CHRISTmas). It is awesome! I load it up and run, walk, work, or chill. Apple made it back into my life and many people.

I watched an interview with a Sony (i.e. bulky Sony Walkman) executive. The interviewer held up an IPOD and said, "What did this little guy do to you?" The Sony Man blushed and said, "Yeah, we really missed the boat on that one," in a serious understatement. Now I have some Sony Walkman fossils.

So as I am tapping my foot to some latin hip-hop, grooving to Bob Marley, or strutting to Ella Fitzgerald's "Baby it's Cold Outside", I will try not to be rude and act like no-one else exists to me.

Dim Sum Time

I made some Dim Sum steamed dumplings today. Mmm they were good. Below is the recipe I used to make some good stuff.
------------
Steamed Pork Dumplings (For about 15 dumplings or 2 people)

Wraps:
I buy the round wraps at the store used for pot-stickers and dumplings.

Filling:
1. ¼ lb. ground pork
2. A couple dashes of 5 Spice Powder
3. ½ Tbls Soy sauce
4. A couple dashes of salt
5. 2 tsp Sesame Oil
6. ¼ cup chopped scallions
7. ½ tsp finely chopped fresh ginger

In a medium size mixing bowl, add the uncooked ground pork, the chopped scallions, ginger, and the rest of the filling. Mix well using a spoon or you can use your hands. When the filling is mixed well, then on a cutting board or other surface you will prepare to wrap the dumplings.

Get a small drinking glass and fill it with warm water. Place it near where you will wrap. The water is used to seal the edges of the dough wrappers. Lay out a wrap and using a small spoon or knife, scoop out about 1/2 tablespoon of filling into the center of the wrap. You can use more filling, depending on the wrapping technique or size.

After the filling is on wrap, wet the edges of the wrap using your finger.
Now, fold the wrap in half and seal the edges by pinching lightly. Pick it up so the fold is vertical, then pinch tiny pleats around the seam of the wrapping. Tap the dumpling on a flat surface so it will stand up on its own. Go online and check it out and find methods you like.
Now place in a steamer elevated above the water (like vegetables). Coat the bottom of steamer where you will place the dumplings with oil. Steam for about 15 minutes on high or medium high heat covered.

[Makes Approx. 15 dumplings]

---- ----- ---- ----
Soy Sauce style Dipping Sauce:
Use this basic, simple dip for Shanghai Spring Rolls, fried or steamed dumplings, Wontons, and Cantonese Egg Rolls. Makes 1/2 cup

Ingredients:
1/3 Cup Soy sauce
2 Tbls. Rice vinegar
2 tsp. sugar (or to taste)
2 Tbls. finely minced fresh ginger
1 Tbls. finely minced garlic
*Optional* 2 tsps. Hot Chili Oil or Hot Chili Sauce

What's the Difference?

I received some great Christmas gifts this year. I got some great stuff I wanted, such as an IPOD shuffle and a new camera (my last camera was stolen from baggage on airline). I received the odd stuff: tie-down straps for things in my truck, liquor chocolates, bubble bath, and a Merrill Lynch key-chain clock.

I also was given a great book called "What's the Difference?" It explains all those little nagging questions we have about the subtle differences between things. On the cover it states, "How to tell things apart that are confusingly close."

I needed this a long time ago! I learning when I was younger that the prefix in means not. So when I heard my parents talking, "Tom's grades are inadequate" then I would go incognito. If someone, such as my algebra teacher, said "You are incorrect" I would believe that she was saying I was wrong. Little did I know my universe was about to fall apart.

I witnessed a speech were the person stated that another person was invaluable to some project. I thought, "Well that's a rude thing to say." I was twenty-eight years old! What the heck do you mean that invaluable is the same a valuable? I thought myself to be fairly literate and educated to know this, but obviously I had wasted my youth learning the meaning of words. My parents were teachers for God's sake! What other words did I not know the real meaning to?

How about flammable? Can you say inflammable? A bunch a malarkey! If you think I am confused you don't even know the half of it. INCONCIEVABLE!

Sorry, let's get back to the book, "What's the Difference?" I found that I did know some of it, but not as much as I thought. Can you tell me the difference between a hobo, a bum, and a tramp? Right. How about Seltzer, club soda, and tonic water? No?

I don't like the bitter taste of tonic water, so I remember it well. I also did an analytic chemical analysis of tonic water to find the unknown concentration of quinine in it. I found in my research that it was the quinine that gave it the bitter taste. I know a little about these but the book clarifies it nicely. The book adds that the bark extract, quinine, is medicinal and was originally added to help prevent malaria. The other two drinks are just water infused with CO2, but club soda also has some NaHCO3 (baking soda) in it as well.

Finally, you say then what is the difference between me and a barking moonbat? Well, if you don't know then...

Feeding the giraffe a milkbone

I Shoveled Horse Manure to Get Here!

Every story has an interesting angle or side to it.

This is that side of how I got to Phoenix, AZ to run the 2006 P.F. Chang's Rock and Roll marathon.

I promised to do hard labor for that person who bought my airline ticket. I told her, "Whatever you want me to do, I'll do." I arrived in Phoenix and we drove to New River, my girlfriend's Aunt's home. The place was a modest home in the desert. One of her cats squeeked like a mouse. The coyotes would run around howling or yipping loudly every night. When I would go out to jog at dusk, they would tell me to watch out for the coyotes (jokingly, I think).

I relaxed and trained for a couple of days. I went to Out of Africa wild animal park. I fed a giraffe with my mouth, several times. My dad and girlfriend accompanied me. We had a great time.

Now the story gets interesting. Saturday came and it was time for me to earn my keep. I was assigned some jobs. A full day of light farm chores...scooping lots and lots of poop! I raked and shoveled horse manure into a 6 foot high pile for 2 hours. For another hour or so, I cleaned out a chicken coop and replaced the straw. I raked and shoveled up what seemed like years of dog crap. Two of the dogs liked one area and while it was a lot of crap, it was easy to pick up. The third dog, Tina, is little and is more particular about the poo location. Also, the little ones are harder to scoop. So, an hour later, I started working on rabbit proofing the garden area. I placed a fence around some of the garden. A day later, it seems I may have trapped a rabbit in the garden. Oops.

The next day I ran the half marathon feeling great!

I lacked only one thing:

A t-shirt that said, "I shoveled manure to get here!"

Another 13.1 mile run!

I just got done running another 1/2 marathon in Phoenix, AZ. The P.F. Chang's Rock and Roll Marathons are AWESOME! My time was 2 hours and 29 minutes. That is 11 minutes and 25 seconds per mile. A little slow for a person my age. My step-father, Bill, also did it in just under 3 hours. Also, he is 69 years old!

It felt so great this year. The weather in the Phoenix valley is so great in the winter compared to the Midwest states. I placed 10,772 place. There was about 20,000 other 1/2 marathons runners.

The 1/2 marathon world record was broken by a Two-time Olympic gold medalist, Haile Gebrselassie of Ethiopia. He did it in a mere 58 minutes and 55 seconds.

I was only an hour and a half behind him!

Well, maybe with a little training next year...