Confession

I only use Uni-ball brand pens.

Think about it.

Heroes in a half-shell--Turtle Power!

Kids say (and think) the darndest things. And as a kid, I was definitely no exception to that rule.

I grew up as the BIGGEST Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) fan in the world. I think I have every TMNT action figure ever made (and can still name them all)! I also had the sewer, the Technodrome, the Turtle Blimp, the Turtle Tank, the Turtle Van, and the Rat King’s boat! Needless to say, my favorite animal when I was smaller was the turtle—even the ones that had never been exposed to radioactive ooze and grew to human size and learned karate from their father figure, and overgrown rat named Master Splinter. J

So in the days when my imagination was running wild with the thought of crime-fighting turtles, I saw them everywhere. From a long, straight stick that looked as though it could be a bo staff used by the one and only Donatello to my desire for the TMNT’s favorite food cheese pizza, I was interested in all things “turtles” and adamant in my desire for a world in which humans and turtles could peacefully coexist.

That’s why I was so excited when I discovered that my parents’ car came with an indicator on the dashboard that would let you know when you were approaching a turtle in the road so that you could avoid it! What a great way to save the lives of turtles crossing the road! The icon would light up when approaching a turtle in the road, emitting a red image of what the turtle would look like if not avoided. The image was of a turtle, upside-down on its shell, with a single drop of blood dropping from its tail. The dashboard icon has now become standard on all vehicles in order to further promote the harmony and peaceful coexistence of turtles and humans. You may recognize the icon as the image below.

Trix are for kids

I consider myself somewhat of a breakfast cereal connoisseur. From Grape Nuts and Raisin Bran to Fruity Pebbles and Cocoa Puffs—I LOVE THEM ALL!! I estimate that I’ve had cereal and milk for breakfast 90% of the mornings of my life (although they say that 87% of statistics are made up on the spot ;) ). And that’s why I wanted to let you, my faithful blog followers, know of the greatest cereal invention since Krisped Rice. It’s Cinnabon cereal! I bought some for Anna and me the other day, and the very next day I had to make another trip to the grocery store for an emergency Cinnabon cereal run! We have been guilty of not only eating Cinnabon cereal for breakfast, but for lunch and dinner as well! Go buy some Kellogg’s Cinnabon crunchy, cinnamon, multi-grain cereal….you’ll thank me later! (Trust me…I’m ten months away from being a doctorJ)

Top 10 Favorite Youtube Videos: Part II

There’s nothing better than a video that is so funny you nearly pee yourself from laughing. That’s why the Top 5 of my favorite Youtube videos are all of the humor genre. Enjoy.

5. World’s Worst Rap Battle

These two guys are pitted against one another in one of the most epic rap battles of all time. Never before have humans had such an incredible control of rhetoric. Be prepared to hear words sculpted into lyrics capable of bringing tears to thine eyes.

4. Dogs Dream Too

The first time I watched this was with Anna, and I’ve seriously never heard her laugh so hard in my life. It’s funny to imagine what the dog is dreaming about though.

3. “Whistles Go ‘Woo’”

I don’t even know how to set this video up…so simply enjoy. I just hate that “whistle-tips” never made their way to Memphis……………………………….NOT.

2. I Want the Gold

Seriously…if you’ve been around me for any extended period of time, you’ve probably heard me reference this video. I present to you the legendary leprechaun of Mobile, Alabama.

1. Trigon Insurance

Injured Bad

Karate

There aren’t many kids cuter than this one. Honestly, the kid’s so cute, I might go get some Trigon insurance right now……..

Honorable mention

Smashing Gamecube

As a lover of video games myself, I understand the love and affection that goes into these beloved video game systems. So I understand the emotions of the kid in this video. BUT it makes for a fantastic video. WARNING: this video contains occasional foul language.

So that's my Top 10! There's a lot of videos that are fantastic, but just didn't quite make the cut. It was really hard to narrow it down to 10. I do love Youtube videos though, so please post your favorites in a comment below!

Top 10 Favorite Youtube Videos

I love Youtube. I have watched so many videos on Youtube that it would probably embarrass me to know how many hours worth of videos I have viewed. I’m always viewing the up-and-coming potential viral videos, and usually when someone asks, “Hey Nathan have you seen that video of…”, no matter what follows, the answer is usually “Oh, yeah I’ve seen that.” So in honor of my Youtube obsession, I wanted to share with my devoted blog readers my personal Top 10 favorite Youtube videos. (Click the green, underlined text to view each video.)

10. Canon Rock <---Click here for the video!

This guy is a real “Guitar Hero”. He took one of my favorite classical songs, "Canon in D" by Johann Pachelbel, and made it.....awesome-er. I have definitely just sat and listened to this video over and over.

9. Acapella Covers

"Hide and Seek" by Imogen Heap

"Carry On My Wayward Son" by Kansas

I love listening to acapella groups on Youtube. One of my favorite groups is called the Achordants, which is an all-male acappella group from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. I couldn’t choose between these two songs, so I decided to keep them both. You’ll thank me later. :)

8. Slow-Mo

There’s nothing cooler than watching things in super slow-motion, whether it’s a water balloon popping, popcorn kernel bursting, or someone blowing a raspberry.

7. Dude Perfect

This guy has recently gotten a lot of attention, and you may have seen some of his shots on GMC commercials. I can’t imagine how many attempts it takes in order to finally make the shot, but the end result is always impressive.

6. Fast Food Folk Song

These guys are one of my favorite subscriptions on Youtube. Self-proclaimed “Internetainers”, Rhett and Link took their musical talents to the drive-thru.

~~Honorable Mention~~

Baby laughing

There are a lot of great baby-laugh videos on Youtube, but I tried to pick the best. I dare you to watch this video without laughing…or at least smiling.

Stay tuned for my Top 5 Favorite Youtube videos, you won't be disappointed. I mean, after all, with a name like Rucker it has to be good!

My Date with the Double Down

I had to have one. The amazing images of a sandwich with so much fried chicken that there's no room for a bun were haunting my every waking thought.

I debated the idea for weeks. But, like those kids locked in the room with the marshmallows, the temptation was too great. My determination and resolve soon gave way, and I allowed myself to become fully submerged in the giant vat of boiling grease that was soon to be my love affair with Colonel Sanders' newest creation: 540 calories, 32 grams of fat, and 1380 mg of sodium of glorious, deep-fried goodness--also known as the KFC Double Down.

The Double Down features two boneless chicken filets, two pieces of bacon, two slices of Monterey Jack and pepper jack cheese and Colonel's Sauce, with the tagline being, "This product is so meaty, there's no room for a bun." God Bless America!

I felt like I needed to train before my date with the Double Down, but instead decided that an aspirin as heart attack prophylaxis was probably more appropriate.

I also assembled a team to battle the beast alongside me--Brent Crenshaw (a proven veteran who had already slain the Double Down) and Clay Powell (who likes his KFC like he likes his women--hot and greasy).

The day came and the Double Down was all I imagined it would be. When given the option of getting the Double Down combo meal, I indifferently accepted. I mean, seriously, my blood is about to turn into sludge anyway, what are an additional 260 calories and 740 mg of sodium from potato wedges going to hurt?

I successfully downed every morsel of fried-goodness on my plate, and enjoyed every bit of it. I had done it...I had battled the beast known as the Double Down and won; I stared death in the face and lived to blog about it.

Our two year anniversary!

Two years ago today I was blessed to marry the love of my life, my high school sweetheart Anna Katherine Askew. Knowing that I would get to spend the rest of my life with someone as amazing as Anna was the greatest thought I had ever had, but actually living life with Anna for these past two years has been greater than I could ever have imagined. That old, sappy expression you always hear in movies when people say that “He/she makes me a better person” never really made sense to me until I met Anna. She is the warmest, happiest, kindest, most genuine, and most Godly woman that I’ve ever met and challenges me daily through her actions to become a better person…more like her…more like Christ. I love my Annie more with everyday that passes, and she is truly the greatest thing that has ever happened to me.

I’m not much of a country music fan, but there’s one song that reminds me so much of how I feel about Anna. It’s called “She’s Everything” by Brad Paisley, and the lyrics are posted below.

“She’s Everything” by Brad Paisley

She's a yellow pair of running shoes

A holey pair of jeans

She looks great in cheap sunglasses

She looks great in anything

She's I want a piece of chocolate

Take me to a movie

She's I can't find a thing to wear

Now and then she's moody

She's a Saturn with a sunroof

With her brown hair a-blowing

She's a soft place to land

And a good feeling knowing

She's a warm conversation

That I wouldn't miss for nothing

She's a fighter when she's mad

And she's a lover when she's loving

And she's everything I ever wanted

And everything I need

I talk about her, I go on and on and on

'Cause she's everything to me

She's a Saturday out on the town

And a church girl on Sunday

She's a cross around her neck

And a cuss word 'cause its Monday

She's a bubble bath and candles

Baby come and kiss me

She's a one glass of wine

And she's feeling kinda tipsy

She's the giver I wish I could be

And the stealer of the covers

She's a picture in my wallet

And my unborn children's mother

She's the hand that I'm holding

When I'm on my knees and praying

She's the answer to my prayer

And she's the song that I'm playing

And she's everything I ever wanted

And everything I need

I talk about her, I go on and on and on

'Cause she's everything to me

She's the voice I love to hear

And someday when I'm ninety

She's that wooden rocking chair

I want rocking right beside me

Everyday that passes

I only love her more

Yeah, she's the one

That I'd lay down my own life for

And she's everything I ever wanted

And everything I need

She's everything to me

Yeah she's everything to me

Free time?? What's that?!

Now that I'm officially finished with the worst school year of my life, I've been thinking of all the things that I am able to do since 14 hours of my day will no longer be required for studying. I compiled a list.

1) Blogs. Blogging definitely took a back seat to school. I have almost a dozen people who use this blog to satisfy almost all of their humor needs, and now, with Conan no longer hosting The Tonight Show, these people need me even more! I will not let you down again faithful subscribers...I apologize for getting my priorities mixed up.

2) Sleep. I averaged 1 or 2 nights a week in which I was actually able to go to bed at the same time as Anna. Schoolwork always carried over until well after Anna’s bedtime of 10:00, and I always found myself returning to my “study cave” after tucking Anna in and kissing her goodnight. I also averaged about 3 hours of sleep a night on the weekends immediately preceding my knowledge and comp exams. Not cool Pharmacy school…I’m definitely looking forward to regular sleep cycles.

3) Video games. Somewhat of a guilty pleasure of mine, I’m really going to utilize the next couple of weeks off from school to get my video game fix. I’m glad that I’ve now got this year of pharmacy school out of the way, so that I have more time for the important things in life…such as protecting the galaxy from genocide by the Reapers in Mass Effect. J

4) Dog tricks. It’s crazy how “crazy” I am about our 1 & ½ year old Schnauzer puppy Bella. One of my favorite things to do is impress company with her tricks. Thus far we have mastered the twist (where she spins around in circles at lightning fast speed), up (where she stands upright on her back feet), sit, lay-down, and rollover. Coming soon are play dead, high-five, and the 4-move checkmate.

5) Leisure reading. Since last August, I haven’t read because I wanted to…I read because I HAD to. Which is why this one may actually take a few weeks for me to start. For the last year, the thought of reading has been synonymous with some sort of Chinese water torture for me. It’s kind of sad that I can only claim to have read two books since August: Pharmacotherapy: A Pathophysiologic Approach by Joseph T. Dipiro, et al (2592 pages) and Applied Therapeutics: The Clinical Use of Drugs by Mary Anne Koda-Kimble, et al (3040 pages). Some pretty dry reading to say the least………….

So that’s my current, short-and-sweet list of my dreams and aspirations over the next couple of weeks. I’m excited to once again have time to blog--looking forward to entertaining you with my thoughts and stories!