Some of the things I've done

June 2015: I performed my first oil change on my car. I did a lot of oil and fuel filter research and came to the conclusion that you should buy your own oil with the recommended viscosity (Mine is 5W-20) and to buy 5 quarts of Mobile 1 synthetic for $23.88 at Walmart. Pennzoil synthetic is also fine. Then also get a Motorcraft, Mobile 1, Bosch, or Wik filter, also found at Walmart for $4-$11. Then just call around to local shops and see how much they will charge just for labor if you have your own oil and filter. It should be between $15-27 for labor. This gives you a Full Synthetic oil change (vs the cheap conventional or blended oil) with a much better filter than the cheap filters they give you at Jiffy Lube and Firestone for a total cost of $45-60. (Or do it yourself, but you'll need ramps or jacks, a funnel, wrench for the oil plug, strap wrench to get the old filter off, an oil pan, and two jugs for the 5 quarts of old oil which you will have to give to a Jiffy Lube or Firestone along witht he old oil filter, for free, for proper recycling.

I also got in the top 25% at Leon's triathlon. (Top 40% for my gender and age group.)

May 2015: I now have memberships to the Museum of Science and Industry as well as Adler Planetarium

October 2014: Went to a credit card processing seminar at Motor City Casino in Detroit, then traveled to Providence, Rhode Island and toured the State Building the day before Obama visited the city. I got my picture with the painting of George Washington that is used on the quarter and the podium Obama would be speaking from in that room. I also had a personal tour by the caretaker of the First Baptist Church in the US and it lasted over two hours because there was so much history about the state, the people, and founder of Providence. Also went to New York and saw "On The Town" at the Lyric Theater on Broadway and saw "Dirty Dancing" at the Fox Theater in St. Louis the week after.

Fall 2014: Volunteered at and ran the Chicago 8 mile Super Spartan Race, then ran the 15 mile Beast then 7 mile Ohio Sprint Spartan Races back to back a weekend or two later. Also competed in the Sprint distance Chicago Triathlon (since the Olympic was sold out.)

Fall 2014: Traveled to Yellowstone National Park. Got to do a morning run and see four of the primary geysers vent while we passed them. We were among the very few people that were allowed to walk up to the roof of the Yellowstone Lodge and raise the flags on the top of the building.

August/March 2014: Traveled to Germany, Switzerland, Italy, and Greece. Sparta was small. Athens was huge. Italian and Greek public bathrooms didn't have TP or running faucet water. The tax rates in Italy are so high, business do all they can to avoid paying any tax.

Late January 2014: Watched Forks Over Knives and Food Inc. at the suggestion of two friends. It basically associates meat, corn, and sweeteners for obesity, cancer,  I immediately changed my diet, with the help of a vegan friend that had lost a lot of fat, to include massive amounts of vegetables and reduced my meat and dairy intake. Though, if someone makes the meatloaf from Better Homes and Gardens, I will totally eat the whole thing. A few weeks later, after dropping 7 lbs, I craved meat and pizza so badly, I gained it all back in few days.

January 2014: Went on a tour of the Lemp Mansion, allegedly one of the most haunted houses in the world. Several members of the beer barron's family died in the house, as did children when it was converted to a foster home.

December 2013: Visited my grandparents in New York, saw my first Broadway play "A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder", saw the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Natural History, and bartered with street vendors.

August/September 2013: Competed in the Olympic distance Chicago Triathlon and then I toured Ireland, Scotland, and England. It was pretty awesome.

March 2013, I recorded a 13 minute, very detailed comparison between the Dyson DC23 and the Dyson DC39, $300-$600 vacuum cleaners. I posted it, and it exploded. So I learned how to activate Google AdSense in October and made $200 in four months from ad revenue (minus taxes). I gotta make more videos.

February 2013, I became webmaster for a group of healthcare risk managers.

August 2012, a friend asked if I wanted to go to Pigeon Forge for a week long vacation. I got to plan it, and we did just about everything there was to do there, except hike the Smokey Mountains. We flew over the Smokey Mountains in a 1927 open cockpit biplane, flew in a Bell helicopter to see some more sights, and I went Zorbing three times. We also did flips and somersaults on zip lines, went outlet mall shopping, saw an air museum with a replica of the Air Wolf helicopter, which is a retro TV show similar to Knight Rider, but with a helicopter, that I coincidentally had just watched on Hulu the week before. We also went to Dollywood (basically a themed Six Flags). Good times.

June 2012 involved going to Washington D.C. and getting my picture with Clarence Thomas from the Supreme Court as well as the Sergeant Major of the U.S. Army Raymond F. Chandler III, toured the Capitol building and White House, visited Mt. Vernon (George Washington's estate), and went to several Smithsonian museums. The day I got back, I went sailing on Lake Michigan.

May 2012, I ran the Soldier Field 10 mile at an average pace of 8:01 minutes/mile. Then I walked/jogged another 9 miles with a friend an hour later. The next day I biked 42 miles during Bike the Drive and another 10 to hang out with a friend later on. The day after that, my roommates and I used a Living Social deal and played paintball for 5 hours outdoors. That has to be a personal record.

In April 2012, I was selling someone a MacBook Pro and instead of grabbing his wallet he grabbed a revolver and said to give him the computer and he tried to grab it. There is a story there that involves me slobbering on his arm. I ended up selling the MacBook Pro to someone else who brought cash an hour later. One of the most random stories you may hear.

In March 2011, just to say I did, I played amateur "ghost hunter" in the Morse Mill mansion thanks to Groupon.
 
Later, I compiled some numbers that tracked the average cost of ownership of over 10 different vehicles, including depreciation, annual fuel cost based on fuel economy, insurance, maintenance and repairs on that make and model, etc. (Who does that? Right?) Some brands cost a lot more to maintain than others. If you are curious how much it would cost to buy and maintain a 2007 Nissan Altima for 5 years, check it out by clicking the link. http://www.edmunds.com/nissan/altima/2007/tco.html?style=100822188

February of 2011, went on a winter survival camping outing in 8 degree weather using only a blue tarp and some twine I'd tied between two trees for my shelter. I had heard about ultra light backpacking (not using tents) and felt like trying it. I used to help out with my brother's Boy Scout troop as an adult leader before I moved out here.

10/10/10 was my first day on a actual road bike, I rode 100 miles for TrailNet's Century Bike Ride. It took me less than 10 hours (including a few 30 minute to hour long breaks). Easy to remember. Right? I'd used the same 24" kid's size mountain bike from the age of twelve through college and had been on one 20 mile ride before that. I had carried one of my friends who didn't have a bike on the back pegs I'd installed on mine so a group of us could hang out by a lake in college.

Fall 2010: Went to California and hiked Half Dome Mountain in Yosemite, backpacked and slept on the top of a mountain in a backpacking tent. Stayed in San Fransisco in one of the pastel buildings on an extreme sloping road. Visited Pier 39, toured the WWII submarine, and saw an Irish relative. Toured the Ripley's Believe It Or Not!

References you should know

When talking with people, they may say some strange things that make no sense. In actuality, if you both know what the reference is, it can be hilarious! So you need to brush up on the things that could be referenced.

I'd like to update this page with more popular references, but I just got introduced to the BadLipReading channel on YouTube and some of these are pretty great.

WARNING: The content below may get stuck in your head.

Ok, all of the BadLipReading songs are much funnier if you look in the comments section and watch the original video before they stripped the audio and added their own lyrics and music.

Russian Unicorn is just funny, a little inappropriate though for some people.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjaZNYSt7o0
"I've got a porcupine called Zazoom, he leaves his scent on people's graves."
"I had a cold one time, then I licked myself."
"The night is young now baby, we can shoot a Russian Unicorn. "
"We're gonna do it on the couch while my roomie's out... hiking."
"So take it off and bite your tongue."
"A Hot Pocket for twenty cents is a deal any day of the week."
"I pee peed in your glove. Soon you'll start to smell it."
"I don't want the keys to your van. What I need is a rare, vermilion, Ukrainian unicorn."
"I should not have ate those Cajun rice and beans."
"Them strawberries look juicy."
"I've got your Barbie zuchini. Happy Monsoon Day."
"I poisoned my dog so he can't keep chasing that baby giraffe."
"I'm gonna save a mental kitty."

Spoof on the Black Eyed Peas called "Everybody Poops"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQTW7Pd1vqc
Possible Quotes
"Everybody poops and if they don't they're an android and should be destroyed."
Or just shouting out, "Piano!"-shout randomly
"Hero!"-shout randomly
"Dumping my log"
"Poo poo"

Spoof of Party in the USA by Miley Cirus called "Black Umbrella"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ii5IUihNuno
"Windmill".... totally randomly
"Black Umbrella" (on tune drawing out the 'l's)
"We smoking the right stuff"
"Extra lemon in my Diet Snapple makes a girl happy, oh yeah. That's right."
"They got me jamming from head to toe"
"Gonna have a bonfire tonight"
"Why did they treat me like I didn't understand trigonometry and ti chi, inverse cosine there's never gonna be a better padiwan than me"
"Tiny Timmy Tokyo"
"And I'm pregnant" (smile)
"Get dumb and bang a wizard"
"Let's buy two big industrial sized windmills? I already got one.Who needs three? Well the first one, I broke it."
"Samurai"
"I'm trying to find my shrimp in the cabbage patch. Pink spaghetti"
"I'm flying and my crew is on the floor"


Though not a BadLipReading video, I was in confusion and shock watching this video. My ears were thrown off by the tone deafness.


Hot Problems
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__HeE6NWmDE
I really can't tell if these girls are tone deaf and trying or doing a decent parody of these types of songs.
I can't keep a straight face...
"Hot girls we have problems too, we're just like you, except we're hot...hot...hot"
"The whole world needs to open their eyes, and realize were not perfect and sometimes we lie.. just kidding. We're perfect."

Don't leave your computer unlocked in a bank in Mexico.

Someone from a Mexican bank showed me a common practice in Mexico for not password locking your computer when you are away.
Someone, generally the co-worker next to you, will see your computer logged on and you not there, so they will quickly log onto their coworker's e-mail and send an e-mail to their own e-mail saying, "Breakfast tomorrow is on me!" Then he or she will go back to his computer and forward that e-mail to all 20 people in the team with the additional comment, "Maria is happy to pay for/bring breakfast tomorrow." 
Then the person who left their computer unlocked brings tacos and quesadillas for everyone. (I asked him how would people think of you if you brought a box of cereal and told people to bring their own milk? Culturally, he said, you don't pull something like that.)
The purpose of this practice is to make sure people are in compliance with the policy to never leave their computers logged on when they are away.

Meatloaf recipe

Better Homes and Gardens new cook book

Flying fish restaurant

notes from Lutheran conference

A men's gold ring can sell for $200-600 dollars when melted down. Only sell jewelry to an independent jeweler, not a chain like Jared, that are certified and a member of certain organizations. They will take a 25% cut. The meltdown process takes a lot of money to set up per batch, so you get a better price when you sell a lot.

Peru, Mexico-YouTube

Whatsmissionu.com-ongoing web training

The Bible on Trial- video lhm

When someone asks a question, get to the root of it before blurting out an answer. Ask, "That's a good question. Why do you ask?" If they ask if people that commit suicide can go to heaven, find out if they had a family member go through that or if they are considering it. Then think about the law and gospel answers.

Rightnow.org has a funny video about a fire station with excuses not to go out and help people when the alarm goes off.

Dating/Relationship tips from WebMD

http://www.webmd.com/sex-relationships/slideshow-18-secrets-guys-wish-you-knew
-look at secret 3 of 18

"Men Take Commitment Seriously

Men have a reputation for being afraid to commit. But the evidence suggests men take marriage seriously. They may take longer to commit because they want to make sure they are onboard for good. In a survey of currently married men, 90% say they would marry the same woman again."

--
I came across this interesting statement that girls should take under consideration when a guy they like and that likes them back but is not ready to say, "You are perfect for me. Will you like to be in an exclusive relationship with me?" (Read "I want to stop meeting other girls.") He kind of has to keep meeting and talking with other people so he's confident you're the right fit so he feels sure about committing. Asking a guy to commit before he is ready is like telling him he has 30 seconds to decide if he wants to buy a $400,000 home with the same person living in it every single day for 70 years without taking a look at the inside of other houses. Then the girl says, "You can look but not touch others" which is interpreted as, "You can look at the outside of other houses on the market, but if you go in another house to look around, this house will be taken off the market for good, and all my friends with houses they may want to sell you will not ever offer them to you. You'll get a bad reputation, and become less datable in my social circles and my friends' social circles. You need to officially decline my offer before looking at other options. This is scary. $400,000 is a lot of money and 70 years is kind of long.

However, there are guys in the "player" phase of their life too. That may be a bit different.

My two cents is to ask yourself if you enjoy the person for who they are right now, including their current priorities (which are likely to be different than yours). If you like them for who they are at this moment in their life, just enjoy them for who they are. The alternatives are to leave them alone forever, or just keep in general contact until both of your priorities change to match (but don't put your life on hold. They may get snatched up by someone else, never change, or change in a way that doesn't make you comfortable as well.)



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I do wonder about the traditional expectation for men to ask women out vs women asking men. Hanging out


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Another few tips from the page were...

"Men Say "I Love You" With Actions

Some men prefer to express their feelings through actions rather than words. Your guy may say "I love you" by fixing things around the house, tidying up the yard, or even taking out the trash -- anything that makes your world a better place."

--So like making you a milkshake, warming up a pizza for you, giving you chilled filtered water, folding his clothes, etc. are all ways of saying, "I care."

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Shared Activities Form Bonds

"Men strengthen their relationships primarily through shared activities more than by sharing thoughts or feelings. For many men, activities like sports and sex make them feel closer to their partner."

---Well, I have heard that plenty of marriages are strained by a lack of intimacy. In only one case of a couple living together, it was the girl that didn't feel they were doing it often enough. She then left him thinking he must be cheating on her. Generally speaking, it seems that guys are the ones that tend to be more irritable if there is not much intimacy.
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Men Learn From Their Fathers

If you want to know how a man will act in a relationship, get to know his dad. Some say men learn about their relationship role by watching and listening to their fathers. How they are with each other and how the father relates to the mother can predict how a man will relate to his wife.

---While not always the case, I can see that I picked up some things from my dad, like feeling a sense of accomplishment when finances are going well, even if no one else knows. Feeling good about security knowing life insurance is in place and that there are assets that can be sold off in case something happens to him/me. Also, if someone says "You're a terrible dad." or something, it can be taken personally because a lot of effort is put into attempts to be considered a good one. He buys tickets to shows because he thinks that's a treat and a way to show he cares though some people appreciate it less than him. He bought a Lincoln Town Car because he has the perception that it is a luxury vehicle and cares about his family. That makes sense to him because if he ever decides to drive to New York, he is thinking he wants to transport his larger parents in a comfortable vehicle and he thinks that is his duty as a son. I say I also have the duty to the environment and my finances to not buy a car that gets 18 miles to the gallon, but hey, we both have things we value. I am considering a Nissan Altima with plush leather seats because I want people to feel comfortable when riding with me, and I guess I too am willing to sacrifice some fuel efficiency for additional space and comfort. So maybe we are more alike than I thought. SO in summary, I think this is how my dad thinks he takes care of the family.

-A lot of life insurance
-Tops off the gas for all the cars when he is home on the weekend
-Gets oil changes regularly from Jiffy Lube (they are friendly, but have probably cost us some money in free advise)
-He'd buy groceries from Sam's Club to supplement the food from Aldi's my mom buys. She won't buy soda, and kids crave soda, so he taught us how to price shop for soda, food, and other things because buying the best value is an important life skill to him.
-He also used to take the kids out to eat at Sam's after church and Sunday school believing it was quality time. Instead of buying a pre-made pizza for like $12 at Sam's, he'd tell us to pick out a $9 frozen one from Sam's (exact same pizza) and ask the pizza place in Sam's to warm it up for us which they would do for free. That way we save $3 a week.
-A large comfortable house with room for his parents to stay if they visit (Pull out sofa, spare cots) I mean he bought a 5 bedroom 2.5 bath when there were only 3 people in the family. He also wanted a two door garage so both cars could be protected from storms. He believes in protecting his assets.
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"Men Let Go Faster Than Women

Women tend to remember negative experiences longer and may have lingering feelings of stress, anxiety, or sadness. In contrast, men are less likely to dwell on unpleasant events and tend to move on more quickly. So while you may still want to talk about last night's argument, your guy may have already forgotten about it."

-True that brother. Ever been in a situation where a girl lists off things you've done or not done in the past year that she didn't appreciate, and you're stuck with only vague generalizations of things she could work on (just in case she asks what she could do to improve herself after listing the things you need to be aware of) because you can't even remember what you had for dinner? Seriously, just smile and enjoy what you have. If a girl becomes a nag or constantly brings up things from the past, she may not be worth keeping around. Be glad you didn't marry her, right? Not many guys could handle that every day.

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"Men Don't Pick Up on Subtle Cues

Men are more likely to miss subtle signals like tone of voice or facial expressions. And they are especially likely to miss sadness on a woman's face. If you want to make sure your guy gets the message, be direct."

--Thank you! Besides, if we do pick up that you're sad, we may likely assume it's our fault and what guy wants to hear what he did now... again? I guess it depends on the relationship. Also, if someone is down, do you let them stay down by asking them to talk about it? Or do you try to change the subject so they can be happy like you? It's probably situational. But girls should not expect guys to pick up on stuff. You'll probably be disappointed. I almost want to say have low expectations, but then again, I don't want the girl of my dreams to settle for a guy that can't care about her the way I am capable of, but choose not to be around people I am unsure of. I'm willing to do so much for the right person. But I don't want to do so much for the wrong person because she'd never want to leave me when i found the right person, or it would break her heart, and I don't want to break someone's heart. I may be taking this whole dating thing too seriously.

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"Men Respond to Appreciation

Showing appreciation for your guy can make a big difference in the way he acts. Take parenting. Studies show that fathers are more involved in care-giving when their wives value their involvement and see them as competent."

--I get all smiley, proud, and stuff when I feel appreciated. It's a bit silly, but it feels good and then I'm more likely to do stuff like that again.

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"Men Think About Sex ... A Lot

OK, so maybe this one is no secret. The majority of men under age 60 think about sex at least once a day, compared with only a quarter of women. And that's not all. Men fantasize about sex nearly twice as often as women do, and their fantasies are much more varied. They also think more about casual sex than women do. But thinking is not the same as doing."

--That's down from once every 60 seconds, another statistical rumor I heard.

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"He Likes It When You Initiate Sex

Most guys feel as though they're the ones who always initiate sex. But they also like to be pursued and wish their partner would take the lead more often. Don't be shy about letting your guy know you're in the mood. Initiating sex some of the time may lead to a higher level of satisfaction for both of you."

--Imagine if someone you liked pushed you up against the wall, put her arms around your head and back and said..."For the next 30 minutes, you're mine" or something like that... Now stop imagining. That's about as close as you'll probably get to that happening if you're a guy. Girls don't seem to initiate physical things. If a guy initiates it all the time, he gets worried that he's doing it too often, not enough, being too forceful, not being forceful enough, etc.

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Men Like Pleasing Their Partner

"Your pleasure is important to your man. But he won't know what you want unless you tell him. Too many women feel uncomfortable talking about what they like and don't like. If you can tell him clearly in a way that doesn't bruise his ego, he'll listen. Because he knows he'll feel good if you feel good."

--How would you feel if your partner made you feel amazing, but she herself was like, "Eh". It's just kind of wrong. It makes you feel self-centered and worried she'll think you're self-centered or "just a boy being a boy". Ahhh! Of course faking is bad too (if we know) because we still feel like we aren't capable of something, especially when we are willing to try. Ok, fine. Sometimes, perhaps most of the time, it can be all about us and that's perfectly great. But every single time? It may make us wonder if it is more of a chore for you than something you enjoy.

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"Men May Stray When Needs Aren't Met

If a man doesn't feel loved and appreciated in his relationship, he may turn elsewhere for satisfaction. For one man, that may mean burying himself in work. Another may develop a fixation on sports or video games. And some men cheat. To avoid this, partners need to work together to meet each other's needs."

--I've heard this before. Of course, you have to know what a guy's needs are and accept them, or logically convince him otherwise, but don't be optimistic.

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"He's Vested in You

Most men realize there's a lot to lose if a long-term relationship goes sour – not just each other's company, but the entire life you've built together. If you're willing to work to strengthen your marriage, chances are your man will be, too."

--Is being accusational really helping to work things out? If not, why do girls have a tendency to do that? Fortunately I haven't had to really deal with this much in the past few years.