This morning I woke up to the usual regimen… baby crying… time for the bottle! I fed my son (who is 11 1/2 weeks old) while my wife slept in. Currently, he sleeps in a bassinet and hasn’t graduated to his crib yet. That means half his crib is filled with stuffed animals from friends, family members, showers etc.

After he eats, I change him, kiss him, tell him daddy loves him etc and then the funny part comes… My wife bought him to wind up mobile for his crib and we lay him in there and wind it up and he LOVES it! His feet kick, he smiles (almost giggles) and his arms go wild! While he was enjoying his mobile, and also knowing that his graduation to his crib is coming this week, I felt I should go through some of the toys piled in it.

I ran across a Care Bear still in the box. When you push his tummy he giggles and says, “That tickles!” Push it again and he says, “I Love you…” very cute… I figured I better open it up and let him squeeze it.. after all, it was a gift to him! So I opened the box and the Care Bear slid out ever so swiftly… NOT. What I saw amazed me beyond belief. This little 10″ bear was wired into the box using 5 (yes FIVE) steel wires and black plastic panels… on top of that, the wires were bent over and covered with some sort of clear packaging tape.

As I stood there struggling with the “harnesses” I became a little angry at the company… then as I thought more, that anger turned toward thieves. After all, thieves are what drove the company to do this! I pictured some idiot who could afford to buy the “less than $10 bear” stuffing it into his/her shirt and then getting to their car and laughing. Next, they would throw it in their back window and run off to tell their friends… this was the reason why I was standing there struggling with security measures that would impress fort Knox! This was also why this bear most likely cost $1-$2 more for whoever purchased it…

My speed picked up as the steam starting rolling out of my ears, knowing my son was waiting for me to place the bear into his arms (not really… he was too worried about his mobile), but the thought of him waiting made me steam a bit more.. and for some reason I kind of liked it that way this morning. Just one of those days!

Then out of nowhere, my thoughts started changing. As I finally freed the bear from the wire cable’s clutches (I was just short of running to the garage for bolt cutters by the way) I began thinking about the other side of the coin. I thought about the people who really couldn’t afford to buy this bear for their kids. Now I am NOT condoning stealing in any way shape or form, so please don’t feel I am.

As I handed the bear to my son, I wondered how many kids were filled with joy when their parents (who stole it) handed them this very same bear… after all, is it the kid’s fault it was stolen? So instead of being angry at the thief, I (for a short while) felt happiness for the children. For that short time, I didn’t mind dealing with the cables.

I know what you are saying, you have that wrong! But really, I do have a point, at least I think so. This one goes back to my line up of sports fan rants, but it actually doesn’t bother me that much, just makes me laugh. In fact, I have caught myself doing this at times. If you do this, hopefully now after reading this you can laugh at yourself every time you do it.

Do you, or do you have friends that always say “we” or “us” when referring to their favorite sports team? I find this most often when people are talking about the team from the college they attended. Talking about the recent game you hear “Yeah we really played some great defense in that third quarter.” Or, for an upcoming game, “If we can just move the ball on first down, we have a good chance of winning that bowl game.”

So, did I miss that part of the game when you were on the field? Do have a place on the sideline next to the coach you haven’t been telling me about? I didn’t know they let 40 years old out of shape guys on the field these days. Wow, I’m really impressed now. Lines such as these are always a great laugh at the expense of the armchair quarterback.

Hey, being a loyal alum is a great thing, and I am glad you are right there into the game each week. It just cracks me up that you use words like you are actually part of the team. Schools definitely don’t mind, though, as long as you keep sending in your booster dues, they will get you as close as possible to the team and staff. Those booster parties that bring in team members and coaches for you to rub shoulders with…they know exactly what they are doing. You know too, you just enjoy it so much that you are willing to part with the dollars to be there. So, everyone is happy.

It’s big business, no doubt about it. Whether college or professional, sports is a not just big business, it’s huge. Just think of all those talk radios, pre-game, post-game and all week following shows that debate everything down to the lineman’s hand position when he sets up for the play. These avid fans eat up every bit of it. Hey, if we want to win the next game, we have to do the research and know what we are talking about.

Whether you are living in the land of “usetacould” or, more than likely, the land of “never was,” you have your rights. Hey, if that’s what floats your boat, be happy, I’m all for it. Just don’t get mad when I am happy making jokes at your expense. Go, team.

During the summer I enjoy driving my little convertible, for the sun, the air, etc. If I have to get in the car and drive, having the top down makes it so much more enjoyable. That is until I get behind a vehicle that is out of tune and belching out a big black cloud of exhaust.

Vehicles, in general, are ruining our air, so I will not argue that point. Cars with combustible engines are a great convenience and a necessary evil in our current way of life, so I am not saying we should all ditch them and walk. We should minimize our driving as much as possible. What I am ranting about today is the car so far out of tune or burning oil that the noxious fumes are stepped up to a level that is obvious to everyone around.

You’ve all seen it, right? Looking up ahead you see a cloud of smoke that is so think you think a car must be on fire up ahead. Inevitably you catch up to this vehicle as it’s top speed hovers around 35 mph in the current state of disrepair, only to see that smoke is billowing out of the exhaust and perhaps even under the car. Not a car on fire, but one that should be.

I am sensitive to those that may be at financial wit’s end, so car repairs are not exactly up on the priority list. But, when a car gets to this state, it is a hazard to the point that you either need to do something about it or park it.

The worst seems to be when the diesel trucks get out of tune. When those bad boys stomp on the gas at an intersection you’d think you had teleported to a monster truck rally with the smoke and noise coming out of that thing.

I am grateful my state requires annual safety and emission inspections. It may be a pain to get done, but at least I know that the majority of cars on the road have had to pass at least a minimum level of safety and output level to be on the road. Those cars that are so obnoxiously over polluting (if that is a word) will either be forced off the road or be fixed unless they drive without a license. In any case, it will catch up with them soon.

Getting soft, pink lips is an indication that you have good health, especially if your shade is one which is natural. With that said, there are a lot of ways in order for you to be able to achieve this. One of these is to get LipSense lipstick’s pink shades, as they have reviewed on lipcarespot. While indeed, their lipsticks can help you to achieve that nice, pink, healthy glow that we want on our lips, it also matters that we take care of our lips when we are not wearing any lipstick. What are some of these natural remedies that we can make use of at home with some natural ingredients? Let’s find out below.

Pomegranate Seeds

To help fight discoloration and pigmentation, crush these pomegranate seeds with some cold milk cream, or malai. Form these into a paste, apply it on the lips, and then leave on for 10 minutes. Afterwards, wash it off with some warm water. It is advised that this would be done for 2 to 3 times a week. This is effective due to a natural component of pomegranate, which is punicalagins, which will help reduce production of melanin, which is the culprit behind dark lips.

Cocoa and Chocolate

This can be yummy, and indeed a fun way to keep your lips looking lovely! All that you need is a teaspoon of cocoa butter, 2 squares of dark chocolate that’s unsweetened, and a Vitamin E Capsule. All you have to do is melt the chocolate, mix the Vitamin E after putting it out of the capsule, and mix all of it up and then leave it on for 10 to 15 minutes. Afterwards, rinse it off with lukewarm water. This works because of the antioxidants that can be found in chocolates that are known to help delay aging.