Just Another Crazy Night In Ireland

I have had some pretty funny experiences while traveling. I would like to dedicate this next blog to my good friend Callie. I thought long and hard this week while I have been sick on what to write about, and I landed on one night I had in Dublin, Ireland.



This is a picture of me and my good friend Callie while in Ireland. We had a great day doing all the touristy things like the Guinness Factory, Book of Kells, Dublin Castle, etc. We (Callie, Josh and I) were staying in Dublin. Not really knowing what to expect, we found a random place to stay in the city and asked for a 4 bedroom. If you have every stayed in a hostel you know that rooms can range from one bed to 20+ beds.

A tip I learned from a friend is if you’re staying in a hostel you want to do 2 things. One: take a bed sheet from home and sew it into a sleeping bag so you can bring it to the hostel and sleep in it. This will help you not get bed bugs. Two: Always have what you can’t afford to lose on you at all times. So back to Ireland, it was our second night in the hostel and the three of us were all deciding on what we should do that night. Dublin is known for having a great night life and we had gone out the night before and listened to some great traditional Irish music.

We were all talking and our door starts to open so I of course grab my belongings and hold tight thinking, “I am not giving up without a fight.” Who walks in? Blazej a Polish man who lived and worked in Ireland (what we came to find out is that a lot of people live in hostels and just move from room to room). When we first met Blazej, we found out right away that he loved Callie’s blond hair and he loved the idea that we were from the United States. Right when he walked in we all got quiet. We did introductions and then he told us that he was meeting some friends at a pub that was close by. He wanted to know if Callie wanted to come and said Josh and I could join too. The conversation then went as followed:

Me: Yeah that would be fun, where would we go?

Blazej: A place called Fibber Magee’s.

Me: Sounds Irish, I am in.

Callie: Kennedy we should think about this, we don’t know him and I don’t want to go.

Me: He said it was close we will be fine, we have Josh.

Josh: I don’t care what we do.

Me: I want to go out.

Callie: I don’t want to go out, I am tired (Typical Cal) .

Blazej: Callie you either stay with me here alone or you come out with all of us (in a polish accent).

Callie: Ok we can go out.

Blazej: Good I will buy you all drinks.

This started one of the weirdest nights of my life. So right away there were RED FLAGS.

1st Red Flag – Everyone in Europe dresses up when they go out, he was in jeans and a sweatshirt and was ready to go.

2nd Red Flag – He said it was a close pub, 15 min later and counting while still in the cab we were all thinking “Where are we going?” “Was this stupid?” “What street is our hostel on?”

On a side note, I love all kinds of music, all kinds but heavy metal/screaming music. So we walk into Fibber Magee’s and we find a spot to sit right away which was good. We all sit down and Blazej ordered the first round of drinks for all of us. We drank a lot of Rebel beer and took different shots all nights (grass weed shot?).



So everything was fine and then Jared and Josh2 showed up who were Blazej friends. Jared was from Poland and Josh2 was from Spain. Right when they showed up Blazej came back with some shots and said, “Oh great, the live band is starting". All of a sudden the music started and it was death metal. Now the sweatshirts made sense.



It was a good thing we were far away from the music because I don’t think I would have made it very long if we were close. After I got past the screaming and the EXTREME amount of gothic people walking in the door, I started to have more fun. In the middle of the night as Blazej had his arm around Callie the conversation went as followed:

Blazej: Callie I love you.

Callie: Josh please make sure he doesn’t rape me tonight.

Josh: What do you want me to do sleep with my eye open?

Blazej: Let me buy you all another shot.

Callie: Kennedy whatever happens I am not taking the shot he gives me it has a date rape in it I know it does.

Kennedy: Just switch the shot around.

Blazej comes back and Callie makes some comment and he turns and she switches his shot with her so that she won’t get the date rape shot. Soon after he wants to take a picture with Callie to remember the “love of his life”, the picture is as followed:



This might be my favorite picture of Callie ever. When I looked at these pictures the next morning I laughed so hard. Her face about sums up our night . Now I know that Callie would be mad if I didn’t tell this story. The story is as followed:

Callie really likes popcorn and I am not really that big of fan of it. At some/most bars in the states if they have popcorn it’s free. At this heavy metal Irish pub it was not free. She got popcorn at the bar for everyone to share and once it ran out she asked me if I would go get her more. The conversation went as followed:

Callie: Kennedy please go get me more popcorn.

Me: No I don’t want any popcorn you can go get it.

Callie: Please Ken just get me some more.

Me: No, you can go get it.

Callie: Ken you don’t have to pay for it its free refills.

Me: Yeah I am still good you can go get it.

Callie: Come on please.

Me: Fine!! I will go get you some freaken popcorn Cal.

Me (to the bartender): Hey my friend got some popcorn and this is her tub and she wants me to get her, her free refill.

Bartender: What are you talking about? (Irish accent).

Me (yelling over the yelling): My friend Callie she is sitting right over there and she ordered this and wants her FREE refill.
Bartender: Why would I give you free popcorn, we don’t have free refills, you have to pay for more popcorn.

I look over and the whole table is laughing at me. Let’s just say Callie got her own popcorn after that and everyone was laughing at me the whole night. That was one of my random nights while in Dublin Ireland.

The SPK hits again…or does it?

I have never been a fan of scary movies but I have always been a fan of shows like Law and Order, CSI, and Criminal Minds. Lately Hulu.com has become one of my new friends. I started watching Criminal Minds the other day, and 2 episodes and 2 hours later I realized I have not showered and I have not even been outside. I heard Darla whimpering so I decided to cave in and take her on a run so we could both get some fresh air. Now I am not sure if any of you watch Criminal Minds but it’s a show about the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU). The team's focus is on serial killers, but they tend to concentrate more on the criminal and not the crime itself. Let’s just say the show is intense.

I grab my keys to lock the door and let Darla out. So Darla and I start off on our walk, we both have done this walk a lot so we both know the drill; she heads to the right and we walk from there. If she doesn’t go in the street I keep her off the leash. We go on our walk and everything’s fine. We do our normal sprints at the end of the run which is more or less me sprinting for like 3 seconds and her shooting past me. Then I turn around like, I am going to run fast again, and she sprints past me again. I have to say my sprints are getting longer though.

I see another big dog coming down the street and that’s when I decide its time to head home. I call Darla and like a good puppy she comes running, probably because she was as thirsty as I was. I come around the corner to see my house and there’s a white painter van and trailer in front of my house that wasn’t there before.

I will be honest, my first thought was, “That van is dirty”. My second thought was, “Holy cow there is a serial killer in my house who is acting like a painter”. My third thought was, “Crap I didn’t lock the door”.

I look around to see if I can see a neighbor that I could give that, “Please help me look too in case something happens”. I don’t see anyone; I then have this conversation in my head.

“Kennedy stop being stupid, no one is in the house.”

“Some people who have painter trucks are really painters.”

“At least I have Darla in case something happens, maybe she will save me and then she could get on TV as the Dog that saved the girl from the (SPK) Serial Painter Killer.”

I get to the door and walk inside. I say, “Hello”. No one answers back. I tell myself to stop being silly and just walk around the house and make sure. I acted calm and collected having Darla by my side going into each room and basically saying “clear” like they do on TV.

I last looked in my roommate Jenna’s room when I hear a knock on the door which basically makes me pee in my pants like I did when I was a little kid playing baseball and was up to bat for the first time. Okay, I didn’t actually pee in my pants today but the knock on the door did get my heart pumping again. I go to the door and Darla is barking which is weird because the dog doesn’t usually bark. I look through the door and see the “painter”. I thought to myself, no way is he going to take me hostage right at my door step. I take a moment and then open the door. The conversation goes as follows.

Him - “Hello, How are you doing today?”

Me – (hum, maybe he’s not a painter) “Fine, how are you?”

Him – “What’s your name?”

Me – (Why do you want to know?) “KC” (that’s what I tell people when they ask me at the door because it’s not really lying but its not giving the whole truth)

Him – “Well KC, have you found Jesus?”

Me – (So I have been waiting for someone to say this to me ever since the movie New In Town came out. I wanted to say and I quote this from the movie “I didn’t know he was missing”, that’s not what came out) “Yea we are tight” (I think we were both taken back from this answer)

Him – “Well that’s great. I am from the Loomis United Church of Christ inviting you to come to one of our services”

Me- “Thanks, I have been there”

Him – “Oh that’s great, I hope to see you there on Sunday”

Me – “Ok” (I didn’t have the heart to tell him I go to St. Peter & Paul)

So it ends up there was no serial killer in my house that was disguised as a painter. The moral of this story is don’t watch Criminal Minds and then leave your house unlocked with an unmarked white van in front of the house. The end.

Mini, How-to’s

So when I moved to California, one of the first things I started to realize is that weather people in California must not have a very exciting work life. In Wisconsin you have huge storms, snow, rain, cold, high winds, crazy temperatures etc. In California it’s usually sunny, sunny with some clouds or light rain. So it was very funny when it snowed the other night for the first time in many years in the Valley. It made me smile not only because I feel like it's not the holidays without snow, but also for those weather guys and giving them the opportunity to say something other than sun. That being said, that has nothing to do with what I am going to write about today. Today I am going to write on different small HOW TO topics.

How to Tell Someone you're Not Interested
1. Make yourself scarce – hide and avoid them
2. Tell them it’s just not the right time in life right now for you to be in a relationship.
3. Be Honest – say you don’t like them.


How to Greet People at Your First Introduction
1. Smile
2. Say Hello, how are you?
3. Be the first to start up a conversation about a small topic i.e. weather
4. Be yourself
5. Don’t let your attention drift onto something else, stay focused
6. Find common ground or a common interest
7. Give off positive vibes and make the other person feel special


How to Play Fantasy Football
1. Find a public league to join or create your own private league – leagues can be formed at NFL.com, yahoo sports, and or CBSsportsline.com.
2. Figure out as much as you can about different players. This can be done by going online and seeing projected stats of who’s hot and who is not.
3. Draft your fantasy team according to your league rules. The standard line up is usually one quarterback, two wide receivers, two running backs, a tight end, a kicker, a team’s defense and then 5-6 people on your bench. You can have anywhere between 6 to 12 of your friends/strangers playing. Each week you play a different team/person.
4. Pick your starting lineup each week based on what team in your league you're playing and take into consideration the opponent's of your individual players.
5. Whatever site you create your league on then tells you how many points you get each week. For example, lets say the running back you picked ran 10 yards that equals one point. If your quarterback passes a touchdown that is 6 points.
6. You will receive points for your offensive and defensive players based on things like touchdowns, tackles, sacks, catches and yards run.
7. Win by getting more points that your opponent for that week. Then you have playoffs to determine the champion of the league.


How to clean up after you put dish soap in the dishwasher
1. The way you tell you put the wrong dish soap in is when there are suds and water coming out of your dishwasher.
2. Turn off the dishwasher and get things under control.
3. You grab a bunch of towels and soak up all the water and suds.
4. Open dishwasher and try to scoop out as much water and suds as you can from the back.
5. Sprinkle table salt into the suds.
6. Drop ice cubes into bottom to cool the water
7. Put a cup or two of white vinegar in the dish washer
8. Run dishwasher and hope for the best, you may have to run the dishwasher a couple of times.


How to Jump Start a Dead Car Battery
1. Line up both cars as close as you can to each other, but not touching. Make sure both cars are in park and turned off with everything unplugged.
2. Open up the hoods of the cars. Find the positive (+) and negative (-) terminals on both cars. They should be clearly marked. Usually positive is red and negative is black.
3. If the battery is cracked you need to stop and just get a new battery.
4. Get your cable out of your trunk. Connect one end of the positive cable (+) to the other end of the positive dead battery. Do the same for the negative (-). Start with the good battery and then connect it to the bad battery so no sparks are created.
5. Start the “good” car and let it run for a couple minutes. You may need to adjust the jumper cable to get better results.
6. Try to turn on dead car and hopefully it will start. You should then run your car 7. for awhile to get the juices flowing. A new battery may be needed.


How to eat healthy
1. Protein (found in fish, meat, poultry, dairy products, eggs, nuts, and beans)
2. Fat (found in animal and dairy products, nuts, and oils)
3. Carbohydrates (found in fruits, vegetables, pasta, rice, grains, beans and other legumes, and sweets)
4. Vitamins (such as vitamins A, B, C, D, E, and K)
5. Minerals (such as calcium, potassium, and iron)
6. Water

*Eat a balance of 1-6 and you will be a healthy eater.


How to fall asleep fast
1. Let yourself clear your mind and try not to think of problems or issues going on.
2. Close your eyes and breath in and out for 3 seconds then repeat.
3. Release the stress in your body. Tighten up your face for a couple seconds and then release your face muscles. Do this for the rest of your body. Continue to focus on breathing.
4. Continue until you fall asleep.

Things That Dont Make Sense!!

So I am going to answer some questions people have asked me, hope it helps.

1. To be a follower means you like to follow my blog, it’s really not hard to set up so feel free if you would like. Just click follow button.

2. I found out that when I publish a new blog I can have a message sent to your email address. So if you do like my blog and want to know when I publish a new one please let me know and I can add you to the list.

3. Anyone can comment after a blog even if you are not a follower.

4. If anyone wants me to write about something specific please let me know.

This blog is going to be a little bit different than the rest. I am still going to be doing research but its going to be more or less research with friends. If I asked you and you gave me your input in regards to this blog, thank you. I was lying in bed the other night trying to think of new things to write about. Sometimes I think of an idea but I have to ask myself would others be interested in this. I was lying in bed and I was starting to think about candy canes and how great they are and then I thought about what I am going to dream about tonight and I hoped that candy canes were in my dream. Then that turned into me wondering if blind people can see their dreams? Here is to my first random blog!

That being said here is my list of things that don’t make sense:

1. Why people in the NBA get paid so much yet they really only play the last 2 minutes of each game. Teachers work so hard all day and get paid very little.

2. Why Facebook changes its format once people are finally used to the new one. - RJ

3. Why whenever you see construction workers working, there is never a time when they are all working at one time, one or more or all are always on a break.

4. Why people who say they are in love with someone would cheat on them. Don’t get it.

5. What Balloon Boy and his family were thinking.

6. People who say, “I feel badly” it is I feel bad. You don’t say I feel madly or I feel sadly do you. (Cough Steph)

7. Why Miley Cyrus is so famous.

8. Why when you are chewing food and think of something to say, it then take you longer to chew that food than normal. - Dan

9. How about in the winter when it's not snowing you can always find a snow plow, but when it is snowing and you should see them out and about they are nowhere to be found. – Liz

10. This kid on YouTube - (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OBlgSz8sSM) You have to check it out!!

11. Why do toothpaste commercials never show people actually brushing their teeth with toothpaste. – RJ

12, Why someone would take a medicine that has side effects which are worse than the actual thing they are taking the medicine for; like an asthma medicine that increase your risk of dying from asthma attacks. - Matt

13. Whenever someone is comparing two things that aren't alike someone will always chime in by saying, "That's like comparing apples with oranges", as if to say you can't compare those things because they aren't anything alike.

14. The phrase - Pleased as punch – don’t get it.

15. Why there is no light in the freezer.

16. Why young or old everyone still loves to push the elevator buttons.

17. If the temperature is 0 out today and it’s going to be twice as cold tomorrow, how cold will it be? – Rachel

18. If Barbie is so popular, why do we have to buy her friends? – Kate

19. Why Twilight is very addicting. I have some serious doubts about the quality of the writing or the originality of the plot lines. - Emily

20. When you blow in a dogs face he/she moves away, doesn't like it. The moment you get into the car the dog sticks his/her head out the window.

This wine is Dynamic, wouldn't you say?

(Wine Part 2 brought to you by Quamut)

Do you ever listen to people talking about wine and say to yourself, “What do you mean the structure has body? Or the wine has an unripe texture?” These are both different ways to talk about wine. Do you try wines sometimes and when someone asks you what you like about it you can’t really describe it? Well I am here to share with you different ways to, “talk about wine” or a quick blast of wine terminology. This way maybe at your next party when you’re with your friends you can be the one saying, “the firmness of this wine is great”. Alright, so the book says that there are four main “sensations” to describe wine: structure, aromatics, texture and overall experience.

Structure: (sweetness, acidity, tannins and alcohol) These are all qualities that make the structure of the wine; the best wines will have a combination of all four of them.

Sweetness – Wines can be sweet and then wines can also be dry, “off-dry” wines are in-between the two extremes.

Acidity – This is an important aspect to both red and white wine, although it’s more important to white wine. Acidity is sometimes said to be the “backbone” of the white wine because it’s what gives it its “firmness”. The terms usually associated with white wine are “tart” or “crisp”. If a wine has very little acidity it’s called “soft”. Not enough acidity is “flabby”.

Example:

Me - “Trudy how do you like that white wine?”

Trudy - “Well it’s a great summer wine, very crisp”

Tannins – So acidity is to white wine as tannins is to red wine. I am going to take this right from Quamut. “Tannins are molecules that exist naturally in grape skins, stems and seeds; they give red wine its trademark puckering sensation in the hollow between your cheeks and gums”. “Astringent” is when a wine is high with tannins, if they are in the middle its “hard” or “firm” if a wine has low tannins its known as “soft”. Hopefully you guys are still with me.

Body - The next is the body or the alcohol content. The amount of “honk-a-hall” as my sister used to call it, determines the body or weight of the wine. The higher the amount of alcohol you say, “This wine is full of body”. There is full bodied, medium bodied or light bodied wine.

Example:

Me – “Trudy how do you like that red wine?”

Trudy – “Well Kennedy, I like this wine a lot, I can already tell it is very full bodied”

Aromatics:
When you attend a wine tasting, they always tell you to smell the wine before you taste. This is because wines are very complex. When you smell a wine it “goes through your nasal cavity at the back of your mouth”, so it is important for when you do taste the wine. There are so many different terms used and it is so complex that they still don’t have a universal standard for wine aromas. So until they do, you are able to say whatever flavors come to mind when you smell a wine.

Common ones are: burnt, floral, fruity, herbal, earthy, cinnamon, grass, rosemary.
Uncommon ones are: horsey, manure, stewed.

Example

Me – “Trudy do you like that wine?”

Trudy – “Thank you for asking Kennedy, yes it has a very woody taste to it”. (That’s what she said)



Texture:
Texture is also known as “mouthfeel” is the tactile sensations you feel while drinking wine. The Australian Wine Research Institute came up with different ways to describe wine:

-Particulate: talc, wed clay, powder, dusty
-Surface Smoothness: furry, fine emery, velvet, suede, silk
-Complex: soft, supple, fleshy, rich
-Drying: numbing, parching, dry
-Dynamic: pucker, chewy, grippy, adhesive
-Harsh: hard, aggressive
-Unripe: resinous, sappy, green
-Weight: watery, thin, full
-Texture: syrupy, creamy
-Heat: hot, warm
-Irritation: chili, pepper, tingle, prickle

Overall Experience:
The overall experience is what allows someone to describe all three of the items listed above. It is something wine-o’s like to talk about. The “complexity” of a wine is how it can change or grow over the time it takes to swallow or the idea that wine is so multi-layered that textures can change over time. A “straightforward” wine is a wine that doesn’t change a lot. That being said, both are good wines it just all depends on what you like.

The “length” is very distinct in a wine. When a wine gives you a blast of flavor but then it dies as you swallow it's called “short”. When a wine gives off an after taste or lingers it’s called a “finish”. The “depth” is the dimension and power of it's flavor. Both of the wines (complex and straightforward) can have depth as long as the flavor is thriving and strong. The “typicity” is if a wine is in the same family or same type i.e. sharing basic characteristics vs. an outlier wine that is more or less on its own.

Me: “Trudy do you like the wine?”

Trudy: “Yes Kennedy, although I wish the finish of the wine was stronger.”

I will also add in because people have asked me before, “How can you tell if I wine is bad?”

Cork is shriveled or wet
Smells like rotten eggs
Smells like nail polish remover
Smells like card board
Tastes flat, dusty, stale, rotten or vinegary


*All information can be found on Quamut.com

New “Funemployed” in the United States

Unemployment is one of the hot topics in today’s economy that everyone is thinking and talking about. Slappy White says that the, “Trouble with unemployment is that the minute you wake up in the morning you're on the job.” Right around this time last year I came to California not knowing anyone and without a job. Some people thought I was crazy, and well I thought I was a little crazy too. As my dad has always said to me, “Kennedy it’s not what you know, but who you know.” So what do I do? I move to a place where I didn’t know anyone.

When I first started looking for jobs last year, I looked at all of the normal job sites and I drove around and asked people if they were hiring. I was luckily able to find a job shortly after I moved out here. Once I found a job, ironically job searching became my full-time job. I became a recruiter for an IT Company called One Stream. Not knowing anything, I learned from the ground up. I became specialized in sourcing, networking and building/maintaining relationships with IT Professionals (Software Engineers) throughout the Bay Area.

I would like to give helpful insights and tips for the unemployed from what I have learned. That being said, being jobless is hard. It’s very embarrassing, somewhat boring, discouraging and scary. I came across a good article while doing a little research on people who are unemployed today. It is about 7 different people and their lives and how they are dealing with being jobless in different ways. Here is the link so you can read their stories.

http://nymag.com/news/business/53153/

Some of the information below comes from my own experience, but some is also from other people I have spoken to or read about.

For those of you who are unemployed I will try to give you some hope:
-As Alan Greenspan said, “I’m pretty sure we have already seen the bottom," so the only way to go now is up. Working for the staffing division I know that a lot of people are now starting to hire or will be hiring this New Year.
-When you are unemployed you have a lot of time to think about what you really want to do and you find out a lot about yourself, both good and bad.
-You have more free time to get things done that you have put off. i.e. work out, finish that project, go back to school
-You’re able to reinvent yourself.
-Gain the realization of what is really needed and who is important in your life.

Tips for the unemployed:
-Try not to put too much pressure on yourself.
-Remind yourself that you only need one job not a million. It may only be one phone call or one interview away so try not to get discouraged
-Keep your head on straight with a realistic sense of optimism. Keep focused on the goal at hand
-Schedule your job search like you would schedule a meeting everyday. Make a goal of how many jobs you’re going to apply for each day. In today’s economy they say that for every 15 jobs you apply for you will hear back from 1 or 2.
-Make yourself stand out. The hardest part of the job search is just getting the initial interview. You need to let that person know you want the job and why you are good for the job and you can start yesterday.
-If you know you want to work for a certain company call them and talk to their HR person. If they are not hiring keep in contact.
-Let people know how to find you. LinkedIn, Facebook, phone number, email address etc.
-Network!!! Keep in touch with people; you don’t realize how many people you know until you think about it.
-Remind yourself that it is your job search, not your friends' or your family's, but yours. In the end you have to do what you have to do.
-Have Faith and don’t give up.

I asked a few people how to avoid unemployment:
Jason- “Stay in school...be on the 10 year program.”
Johanna - “The way to avoid unemployment is to go live in another country."
Becky – “Find a good company and work hard.”

These are just some helpful hints that I wanted to pass on. For those of you who are working, keep it up and for those of who you are not, remember it just takes one call. It’s a hard out there, but there are jobs, they just need to be found.
.

7 States In The United States

A couple weeks ago I went to visit two of my close friends in Seattle. The trip was great. I was able to see the Space Needle, Seattle Aquarium, Pikes Place Market, and I was even able to attend a Seattle Seahawks football game (Fact: voted loudest NFL stadium). I am sad to say I did not have my camera on the trip (it was taken by a blind guy), so I am unable to put up pictures. For those of you who didn’t know, Seattle is in the great state of Washington. It is also home to Grey's Anatomy (I tried to find a hospital but I did get a picture with McDreamy) and Twilight (Edward and Jacob). When I think of Washington I think of rain and when I think of California I think of sun. I was talking to some friends the other day about state perceptions. I think they got mad because I told them when I think of California I think…Sun, Golden Gate, Beach and Vineyards. My friend said well don’t you think of the Gold Rush? I said, “Yeah I think I heard there was gold here once,” haha.

I thought it would be fun to do a little research on different states in the USA by looking at the perception of each state and then also their interesting facts. Here are some fun trivia facts about a couple different states. (50states.com)

Wisconsin- (had to start off with this one)
May Have Known:
-Dairy capital, Farms, Cheese, Beer, Cold Weather, Packers, ice fishing, Badgers, Lake Superior, Mississippi River

May Not Have Known:
-Milwaukee is home of Harley Davidson Motorcycles.
-Wisconsin visitors and residents enjoy the state's 7,446 streams and rivers. End-to-end they'd stretch 26,767 miles. That is more than enough to circle the globe at the equator.
-Noah's Ark in Wisconsin Dells is the nation's largest water-themed park.
-Frank Lloyd Wright was born in Richland Center on June 8, 1867.
-Wisconsin's top industry is tourism.

California:
May Have Known:
-Movie Stars, Beaches, Warm Weather, Gold Rush, Expensive Things, San Francisco, LA, Big Trees, Sun

May Not Have Known:
-California contains the lowest and the highest points in the continental U.S.
-California is home to the oldest, largest and tallest living things. The bristlecone pines of the eastern Sierras are 4,600 years old, General Sherman Tree in Sequoia National Park is the largest and California coastal redwoods are the tallest.
-One out of every eight United States residents lives in California.
-If California's economic size were measured by itself to other countries, it would rank the 7th largest economy in the world.

Washington:
May Have Known:
-Mild Temperature, Rain, Fog, Starbucks, Space Needle, Pikes Place Market, Microsoft, Evergreen State, Mt. Rainer, Greys Anatomy, Apples

May Not Have Known:
-Washington was named after George Washington, the first President of the United States, and is the only U.S. state named after a president.
-The Lewis and Clark expedition entered the state on October 10, 1805.
-The percentage of non-religious people in Washington is the highest of any state, and church membership is among the lowest of all states.
-Popular games Pictionary, Pickle-ball, and Cranium were all invented in Washington.
-The highest point in Washington is Mount Rainier. It was named after Peter Rainier, a British soldier who fought against the Americans in the Revolutionary War.

Kentucky:
May Have Known:
Fried Chicken, Louisville, Horse Racing, college basketball

May Not Have Known:
-Cheeseburgers were first served in 1934 at Kaolin's restaurant in Louisville.
-The song "Happy Birthday to You" was the creation of two Louisville sisters in 1893.
-The first town in the United States to be named for the first president was Washington. It was named in 1780.
-The world's largest free-swinging bell known as the World Peace Bell is on permanent display in Newport.

Louisiana:
May Have Known:
-New Orleans, Jazz, Mardi Gras, Jambalaya, Gumbo, Street Music, Dancing, French, Katrina, Sugar Cane, Bayou

May Not Have Known:
-Louisiana is the only state in the union that does not have counties. Its political subdivisions are called parishes.
-Milk was adopted as the official drink of Louisiana in 1983.
-Baton Rouge was the site of the only battle fought outside of the original 13 colonies during the American Revolution.
-Louisiana is the largest producer of oysters in the United States.

Vermont:
May Have Known:
-Fall, Maple Syrup, Ben and Jerry’s, IBM, Museums, Lake Champlain

May Not Have Known:
-With a population of fewer than nine thousand people, Montpelier, Vermont is the smallest state capital in the U.S..
-Until 1996, Vermont was the only state without a Wal-Mart.
-Vermont does not sell alcohol to out of state licenses, you must have a liquor ID in order to purchase alcohol at liquor stores and grocery stores.
-In ratio of cows to people, Vermont has the greatest number of dairy cows in the country.

Texas:
May Have Known:
-Size, Cowboys, Alamo, Oil, Cotton, Texas Rangers, Lone Star State, Football, Big Hats

May Not Have Known:
-More wool comes from the state of Texas than any other state in the United States.
-Austin is considered the live music capital of the world.
-Dr Pepper was invented in Waco in 1885.
-The armadillo is the official state mammal.
-Texas possesses three of the top ten most populous cities in the United States. These towns are Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio.

Here are just some states. I will do more in a future blog. Enjoy!!

The Great Hunt

How to Hunt…There are many different types of hunting. Since I can remember my dad would go out with his hunting buddies and his bow or a gun and coming back with a deer (Bambi) or a turkey (if he is lucky ha-ha). Hunting has been around for thousands of years. It started as a form of survival of the fittest, where the men would go out to hunt with spears made of wood or stone to bring back food for the family. Today is has evolved to more of a sport, where hunters are using specialized bow and arrows and guns. Although hunting is very exciting, this type of hunting is not exactly what I am going to be talking about. Some of you may know and some of you may not, but there is a little thing called Mullet Hunting.

History of the Mullet:
The mullet dates back to the 19th century or even farther, but the mullet that we all have grown to love (or dislike) first appeared in the 60’s when pop singer Tom Jones rocked it. Merriam-Webster defines The Mullet as “a hairstyle in which the hair is short on the sides and top and long at the back". It is also known as business in the front and party in the back. It did not become really popular until the early 80’s, and I only really know one person who has a mullet today and Steve said to me, “A mullet is more than a hair cut, it’s a lifestyle”.

Mullet Accessories:
Moustaches
Scraggly Beards
Goatees
Sunglasses
Lack of showering

Type of Mullets: There are tons of mullets, more than I can even list. Here are the main types of Mullets you will come across.


Mullet – Male Mullet


Femullets – Female mullets


Chullets – Child Mullets


Skullets – Bald people mullets


Rat Tailluts – Mullets with a rat tale

How to Mullet Hunt:
Stealth Mode: This is where you take a picture from a far away distance. You can stand behind trees or cars while taking the picture so you are not seen.
Result: Picture may be unclear or far away.

Bait Mode: This is the most common form of any type of human “picture hunting” (Anna). A person will first have their friend stand by the mullet, you then pretend like you’re taking a picture of your friend (bait). However, you really focus the photo on the mullet. You are able to get up close and personal.
Result: Closer up picture, but mullet may not be looking at the camera

Guerilla Mode: This is where you walk straight up to a mullet and snap a picture right in their face. The prize is you are able to get a more bewildered look. There are different things you can do after you take the picture; act like you didn’t mean to take it or you can walk/run away.
Result: Experts say you get the good results from this type of hunting; it’s the closest you can get to the mullet.

Call Out Mode: This is where you ask someone to take a picture with them. If you are really daring you can ask them to turn to the side to get the full affect.
Result: Very good results, best angles are found here.

Where do I find a Mullet? Now you may be saying to yourself, “Kennedy, where can I go mullet hunting?”
-Amusement parks
-Water Parks
-Wal-Mart
-Small or large County Fairs
-Really any place where there are a lot of “white trash” people



*Information found on MulletJunky.com*

What is the definition of a good wine? It should start and end with a smile. - William Sokolin

(Wine Part 1) Wine is a naturally occurring product that has been around for more than 6,000 years, ever since people learned how to ferment grapes. Since I have moved to California, I have been to both Napa and Sonoma numerous times and gone on different wine tours and participated in many different tastings. I have had many discussions related to how wine is made and the different types of wine that exist. Now although wine is not my favorite drink (milk is), I would have to say it is my favorite alcoholic drink now that I am older. The parties I now attend I try to stay away from the shots and hard alcohol and stick to wine or beer (unless I am at Laurens parent’s house where a shot of patron is a tradition).

I did a little research by asking some vineyard owners/tour guides questions, and found my facts from Quamut. The first thing that I have learned is how wine is made. The total process of making wine is very easy but the “details are difficult” when it comes to turning grapes into the perfect wine.

The steps include:

-Grow grapes
-Pick the grapes
-Crush the grapes
-Collect grapes in fermentation cask (yeast transforms the sugar in the juice into alcohol – called fermentation)
-Wine matures in casks
-Age wine in bottles


Sonoma, California

That all sounds so easy right? Well, I am not going to say I know everything about wine, and if I was talking to my parents or my friend Emily I would look like I know next to nothing. That being said, I was interested in what makes a “good wine”. I have always been told a higher price doesn’t automatically mean it’s a better wine. So how is a good wine made?

“The Grape” – The type of grapes used to make wine determine the character of the wine. There are different types of grapes that make different types of wine, i.e. white wine vs. red wine. The same type of grape can have different characteristics, “Pinot Noir grapes taste different from wine made from cabernet Savignon grapes”.
“Environment” – Sunshine, humidity, rainfall, soil and temperature all affect wines taste and character. There are many vineyards that use the same grape but because they are in a different location the taste can be totally different. Then you can also have the same grape on the same land, but a different year can yield a very different taste.
“Cask Material” – There are two different types of casks which serve for different purposes. There are stainless steal casks which are nonreactive and used to let wine keep a fruity flavor. Then you have the oak casks which lessen the fruit and pass on an oaky or nutty flavor. This also gives the wine a smooth texture.
“Aging Time” - Aging is very important for different wines; the amount of aging depends on the type of wine. A wine will improve with age until it reaches a peak and then it will decline in taste.

Then you have different types of wines:

Red Wine Traits:
Flavors: strong and rich
Color: dark purple to full red to russet brown
How to make: crush black (purple) grapes and leave the juice with the skin on for a few days to a few weeks. The skin gives the wine its color and structure.

White Wine Traits:
Flavors: delicate in flavor and served chilled
Color: pale yellow to deep gold to pale green
How to make: crush “white grapes” (pale yellow)

Rose Wine (Blush):
Flavors: refreshing chilled to about 60 degrees
Color: light red to pink blush
How to make: Blush’s are made from red wine grapes but only left with the skin for a couple hours.

Sparkling Wines:
Flavors: fresh and bubbly
Color: pale yellow to deep gold
How to make: They do the first stage of fermentation and then they put it through a second stage of fermentation adding sugar and yeast to create carbon dioxide bubbles. Sparkling wines are usually made from white grapes.


Natural Progression of Wine Drinking:
I have had friends who don’t drink wine ask me, which is better white or red? When I first started drinking wine I started with white and now I prefer red wine. Doing more research I found out that there is a natural progression to wine drinking with the more wine you drink and the more you deepen your taste buds. Typically one starts out with a sweet white, then moves on to a dry white, then gets into sweet red and eventually progresses to a dry red. They say that once you develop a taste for the tannins in red wine, whites are not as pleasing as they were before. I believe that you should just drink what you enjoy, because to each it's own.


Sonoma, California

So there you have it, I will keep expanding on your wine knowledge next time.
*all this information can be found at Quamut.com

Fun Wine Facts:
-Ninety-two percent of California wineries produce fewer than 100,000 cases per year. Sixty percent produce fewer than 25,000 cases.
-Egg whites, bull’s blood, and gelatin have all been used as fining agents to remove suspended particles from wine before bottling. Egg whites are still commonly used.
-The Napa Valley crop described in 1889 newspapers as the finest of its kind grown in the U.S. was hops.

Health Care...bah. Who needs it??

Sorry it has been awhile, my parents were in town.

If anyone knows me they know I enjoy talking/debating politics. I think it comes from my love of competition. When it comes to debates, there are four things that need to happen for it be successful.

1. Passion/opinion for a topic
2. Facts regarding the stance
3. Ability to communicate
4. Ability to see both sides

I was on debate teams in college for the Student Economic Society and have been debating throughout my whole life to anyone who will take an opposing side. I enjoy debating not to change someone’s mind, but to maybe allow both of us to understand or see both sides. The big question that people are facing today is, "Should all Americans be provided with Health Insurance?" A lot of people are very passionate about each side being either for or against the Obama’s Universal Health Care Plan. The problem is most Americans right now are very confused about what is really going on. I hear a lot of people saying, “I don’t know enough about it”. So I am going to try to provide both facts and some opinions on the health care bill and reform.

After researching a little bit more, I am coming across more and more information for the argument that we actually are already paying for Universal Health Care we are just not getting anything out of it. The problem that we face in today’s society is that people who don’t have insurance are typically people who can’t pay premiums. One thing that a lot of private insurance agencies are doing is not allowing anyone who is at risk of getting sick to be covered. The people who are getting coverage are healthy and young. Even in the workplace, deductibles and copays are getting so high that people are actually paying for their own health care.

60% of people who have insurance already are having it paid for by the taxpayer’s people on Medicare, Medicaid, Veteran Administration or those employed by the Federal Government, States, County and towns (Sam Smith). Another way taxpayers are already paying for Universal Health Care is due to ‘patient dumping’ which is “The practice of only treating patients that can pay” (Babylon Free Dictionary) so the rest go to the ER. There is a wide range of people who need the ER, for minor items such as flu or strep to larger problems like drug addiction and alcoholism. Hospitals have no choice but to put those costs on the people who can pay.

That being said, I have realized how long this blog could be. I don’t want to turn into a blogger who writes on and on so you stop reading. Here are some facts about health care for both sides.

I would like to start off by providing you the bill, it's really long ha-ha.
http://help.senate.gov/BAI09A84_xml.pdf

Pros:
-Everybody can have health insurance if they want it. Not just ER visits ,but they are able to see a General Doctor too.
-In the long run, this will help reduce medical costs so they don’t keep rising. People say that their kids will be paying in the future; they are going to be paying either way with the constant rise in health care.
-Reduce medical bankruptcy. There will no longer be caps on coverage so insurance agencies can no long say, “We are done helping you; you’re on your own now”.
-Increased competition from public option, non-profit, state-specific corporations. This will help lower costs and provide better service.
-Medications are given a set price.
-Creates a healthier population as a whole.
-Individuals will not be able to be denied coverage on the basis of a preexisting condition.
-You get to choose if you want it or not. If you want to stay with your private insurance agency then you can.
-The plan is geared to find wasteful spending and recycle it back into the plan.
-People with terminal illnesses will get coverage.

Cons:
-It is going to cost money. For the first 10 years it will cost $100 billion a year. This is how much it cost for a year in the Iraq War.
-There is going to be something called an Individual Mandate. This means you have to buy health insurance, and if you don’t you will have a 2% tax increase. This will be subsidized, but depending on your situation there is no guarantee.
-Tax Increase on very high income people. If you make more than a half a million you will have about a 1% tax increase. This money will go to one organization so you will not have a choice on who is helped.
-Atheistic appeal of hospitals may go away.
-Takes huge profit from health insurance companies.

Pros and Cons (Some view as good some view as bad)
-Increase in government involvement. The government already plays a big part in health care so it really wouldn’t be too different.
-Large employers may also have to offer health insurance to more of their employees. If they do not, they may have to pay some extra tax.
-Progress and change

One thing I have heard is that by changing the health care system we will no longer be the “best health care system in the world”. In 2000 the World Health Organization (WHO) came up with a way to measure the quality of health care.

-Health Level: 25%
-Health Distribution: 25%
-Health Responsiveness: 12.5%
-Responsiveness Distribution: 12.5%
-Financial Fairness: 25%

The WHO poll was taken in 2000 and 40 countries were ranked. The United States came in 15th for overall quality of health care. The Commonwealth Fund ranked the U.S 19th and stated that the US has the highest infant mortality rate of all developed countries. The United States is the only wealthy developed country that does not offer Health Care. CNN reported that medical bills resort to 60% of the U.S. bankruptcy’s, 75% of those people had health insurance. The WHO also reports that the United States Ranks 20th for Overall Life Expectancy. So for those people who like to compare Canada and France to the US, they in fact have a much higher life expectancy than the United States. Facts are facts. I do want to point out that America has great medical schools, research programs and people do come from all over the world for care in the United States for specialized procedures.

We need to find a way to insure every American. Not a lot of people can disagree with that. "At a time of foreclosures and job losses, the last worry anyone needs is whether they can get thoughtful care with appropriate follow-up if an emergency befalls them.” (Dr. Patrick Whelan) (www.Familydoctormag.com) The other thing we cant have happen is, “Expensive enterprise of medical care doesn’t become a new pork barrel of inefficiency.” (Dr. Patrick Whelan) The third thing is cost efficiency, “Tremendous efficiencies are possible because they are currently being achieved by our economic competitors around the world. The United States currently has the developed world’s most inefficient system, costing more than twice as much as other systems while performing poorly on many health indices.” (Dr. Patrick Whelan) I hope this helps some of you clear up both sides. This is a very messy topic and I try to see both sides, but bottom line is our current health care system is not working. Something needs to happen, progress needs to happen, and we can no longer just keep waiting.

Importance of Travel

Belize

“I see my path, but I don’t know where it leads. Not knowing where I am going is what inspires me to travel it.” -Rosalia de Castro

I have also been able to travel with friends and family throughout my whole life. I have lived in three different states and two different countries. I was able to spend a semester in Scotland traveling all over Europe and I also studied in Belize/Guatemala. Although going to Europe is great, I have also been on some great trips that are only a couple hours from my home. Not only is travel a form of escape and relaxation, which I feel like everyone needs in their life, it’s also a way to branch out and test yourself and your boundaries.


Dukes Palace that I lived in while in Scotland

Once you’ve decided you want to travel, you have to choose what type of traveler you want to be. There is educational travel, spiritual travel, work travel, vacation travel, and/or random travel. There is also a difference between being a traveler and being a tourist.

Traveler: Typically are in a place for an extended period of time taking long vacations or sabbaticals. They don’t have their camera on their hip the whole trip. They visit the “unknown” places. Tourist: Are in it for the short run. They enjoy seeing all the “hot spots” and/or lying by the beach all day.

Although reading about places is interesting, by experiencing the place you can learn more about the place and yourself. Since moving to California, I have realized that there are many different types of people in this world. There are people who like “things” and people who like “experiences”. A good question to ask yourself is, “What do you want to define who you are?”

Major things you take away from traveling:
- Knowledge about different cultures, foods and climates
- Obtain a better understanding about who you are
- Gain a better understanding about what you want out of life
- Increase appreciation for your own country (Ranch Dressing for me)
- Attain a feeling that everything is new and that the possibilities are endless
- Develop big picture thinking
- Boost your independence
- Gain patience and cultural understanding

So for those of you who enjoy having that large screen TV (invite me over) over taking a trip, remember all the awesome things you can get out of traveling. If you are the “things” person and that’s how you like it, that’s all good too. Remember that everything you do everyday defines and shapes who you are and want to be.

How to scare kids.....without being a stalker

I thought I would start off with an easy how to topic. This topic can go in many different directions. I am going to try to focus on something that most people don’t do on a daily basis. So how to make a frozen pizza would be out of the picture.

If there was one thing I learned about this past weekend it was that I am getting older. I am no longer spending my Halloween at the bars downtown in whatever city I may be living in at that moment. Oh no no no, I am spending my time (past week) building and running (with my roommates) a haunted house in our garage. While the little kids were going through the haunted house last weekend, I heard one little girl say, “How did you make this?” and my friend answered back, “With time and money”.

Although my roommate Jenna is someone who just happens to have a million Halloween decorations in her possession, I still never realized how much time it takes to set up a haunted house. I will take you step by step on HOW TO make/run a haunted house.

Step 1. Find two roommates who are obsessed with Halloween. Lauren was the supervisor, Jenna was project manager and I was in charge of advertising.

Step 2. Create a blueprint in regards to the layout of the haunted house and what stations you want to have.

Step 3. Create a “kill room” outline in the garage with black painter’s tarp. Make hallways with the black tarp leaving hidden hallways for people to stand in to scare people.

Step 4. Build different stations. The stations we created were:
a. Spooky Forest: Make large tress, and above them hang brown paper branches with purple lights attached. We also had fake spiders and bats hanging down and taped spooky eyes all around.
b. Witches Kitchen: An interactive touch station with maggots (rice), eye balls (grapes), hearts (pealed tomatoes), and Goblin Guts (macaroni with cornstarch and water). Then hire a stand-in Witch (Steph) to say, “Hello my children, would you like to touch my last victim’s eye balls?”
c. Haunted Hallway: Use foam poster board and cut out different size frames which are taped onto the black tarp. Then people with masks stand still in the frames, and when people walk by they say, “Boo!”
d. Mad Scientist Laboratory: Use a black light and have a bunch of different sized glasses with water in them. You then take highlighters apart and stick them in the water which allows for a glowing affect when put next to the black light. Put a couple fake feet and hands in the area with gray mice all over and you are set. Then you ask your boyfriend to dress up like a mad scientist and have him scare the little kids.
e. Ghostly Graveyard: For this you just need fake graves and a roommate whose parents have a life size skeleton. With a smoke machine and strobe lights it can be pretty freaky. Then you put a coffin (refrigerator box) at the end with Danny jumping out of it.

Step 5. Print off 75 flyers advertising for the haunted house and use up two lunches passing out the flyers to every neighbor within 1 mile.

Step 6. Make sure you have secured top actors who show up before the haunted house opens.

Step 7. Wait till 7:00pm and hope kids show up.

Step 8. Finish at 9:00pm and start the after party complete with a dance party.

The haunted house went off without a hitch. I am surprised at how much got done in the last hour before it opened. We had a lot of fun and the neighbors all asked if we were doing it again next year. So if you’re not going to the bars and would like to venture out and try something new, I would suggest a haunted house.

I will be putting up pictures soon. Sorry my camera was stolen by a blind person that night but I will be getting it back soon.

My Elevator Story

My Elevator Story: My name is Kennedy…I grew up in Madison, Wisconsin, and went to school at the University of Wisconsin – River Falls. About a year ago I moved to Northern California to start a new adventure. I have two homes one in Loomis and one in San Franciscoon the weekends. I love to try new things and enjoy meeting new people.

I have read many blogs over the years and I have finally decided to write my own. Why? Because I love to learn, be creative and express to others my thoughts. A lot of people who write blogs (well ones that I have read) start out by saying they have had a love for writing since a young age or they are in fact writers by profession. Let’s just say I am totally different than those people.

The first time I remember ever writing a story I had so many spelling errors that my teacher had my mom come in to meet with her. I got diagnosed with dyslexia days later. Since then I have gone through “treatments” to help me with my dyslexia and I am happy to say I am now a college graduate (in business not English lets not get ahead of ourselves). I will admit I still need to put up the “L’s” with my hands to figure out which way is left and right.

I guess it’s time to tell everyone what I will be writing about. I have thought about this for awhile now. I was told by many people that this can make or break a blog and since I plan on my blog making me millions I need to get it right. This blog will not totally be about me. I am going to talk about four different topics: travel, food and wine, politics and how to. All things I love.

In school I always loved doing research and preferred writing papers instead of taking tests. There are two things I hope to bring to this blog: information and humor. I am also a big fan of Wikipedia (not only because they were one of my clients at work, but I just love the quick fix or blast of knowledge). I know people view Wikipedia as not a “valid source” but I am good friends with the Director of Engineering and I am hear to tell you that 90% (made up number) of the information found on the Wiki sites is pretty valid. That being said I would still never cite Wikipedia as a source. I guess my quest is to be that quick fix or blast of knowledge in peoples lives daily, as so many blogs I read daily are for me.

I would love any feedback in regards to the blogs I write and or future topics you maybe would like me to discuss. Any comments or emails would be appreciated.