New Features

I know I haven't kept up my blogging lately. I started this while on materinty leave and since returning to work I don't have as much time. I added a couple new features on the right. One is the Banachi's Bookies Book Club which lets you know what we are currently reading. I will hopefully list all the books we have read soon, I just have to remember them. I also added Recent Rentals and Movies which lets you know what we have been watching. There are more to add to the list but again I have to remember them. I guess having a baby really does make me more forgetful.

NCAA March Madness

Yesterday was the start of the NCAA March Madness. I do not follow college or professional basketball, but I always participate in the March Madness pools. This year I have one bracket at work and the same one with my Brother's pool. With the first 16 games finished I am happy to say that I was only wrong on 2 of them which isn't bad considering I have never watched a game. I usually follow the seeds to determine who will win, but at work we get the upset points so I always throw in a couple of upsets just in case. Today Marquette and Wisconsin are both playing. I have Marquette winning the first and second round but I have Wisconsin losing in the first. I would love to see a WI team go all the way, but I just don't think it will happen this year. If you participate in a pool I wish you luck, but if you are in the pool with me than I hope I do better than you!

Flower arranging

This past December I took a free flower arranging class at the Milwaukee School of Flower Design. It was a 2 hour class and we learned a couple of cool techniques. The class was free but they really wanted people to sign up for all their classes which is more for people that want to go into the flower industry. I might be interested in a couple of their classes, but they are pretty expensive not to mention the flowers themselves.

Today I bought one bunch of flowers at the grocery store and I used the bouquet technique. I think it turned out pretty well, but it would have looked better if I bought two bunches. The technique was fairly easy to learn and now I can make bouquets if anyone needs one for a wedding. I don't buy flowers very often, but I saw these on sale for St. Patrick's Day which is coming up on Tuesday. Next time I buy flowers I will do another technique and post it on here.

I love the 80's!

About a year and a half ago 4-5 coworkers and I participated in 80's song of the week. This consisted of picking the best 80's song we could think of. Every Friday after lunch we would go to youtube and pull up our song so we could watch the video and listen to the song. We would then vote for our favorite and the winner would get to be the keeper of the Troll doll for the week. I won a couple times, but I think we all agreed that the best 80's song that was mentioned was "Do you really want to hurt me" by Culture Club. This went on for a couple months then it just stopped.

I've been thinking that I should start an 80's movie of the month club. Just like the music, the 80's provided quite an assortment of movies. I would probably start with a classic like "Stand By Me" or "The Breakfast Club" and then let everyone pick their favorite and pick one at random each month to watch. My mother-in-law actually rented "Short Circuit" a couple months ago. Number 5's alive!!! Ahh, the 80's!

Coincidence?

So today was my first day back at work and Jake's first day at daycare. I was able to get myself and Jake ready within the timeframe I was hoping for. Then when I turned the car on the song on the radio was none other than "I Heard it Through the Grapevine"! I think that is a good sign that I picked the right ringtone and that my day was going to be good.

My first day back to work went well even though it was only a 1/2 day. I had a dentist appt. and although I hadn't been there for 2 1/2 years I had no cavities and the dentist said my teeth were in great shape! Jake also had a good day at daycare and he is looking forward to going back tomorrow.

New Cell Phones

We went to Best Buy yesterday and signed up for new cell phones. We switched from Sprint to AT&T and we both got the LG Shine phone. Mine is silver and Jamie's is black. With the new phones we also downloaded new ringtones. Jamie went with the same annoying Pantera song he has had for the past two years. I was thinking of keeping the Four Tops "I Can't Help Myself" but decided it was time for a change. I was debating between Marvin Gaye's "I Heard it Through the Grapevine" or Steve Miller's "The Joker" but in the end the Grapevine won out.

I prefer to have a song that everyone knows. I do like some of the newer songs, but they tend to get overplayed on the radio and then they just become annoying. With the Four Tops, people in stores that heard my phone ring started smiling and some even told me that they liked the song (something I am sure Jamie has never had happen). I will have to see how people respond to the Grapevine, but I am pretty sure it will get a similar reaction.

R-rated movies

I was in line at the redbox and the woman in front of me was asking her son who looked no older than 8 what movie he wanted to rent. He wanted to see AVP: Alien vs Predator and her response was: "I don't know anything about that one, are you sure you want to see that more than The Dark Knight?" I really wanted to say something, but I held my tongue.

Jamie and I were just discussing how R-rated movies 10 yrs ago would be considered PG-13 these days. I know I saw R-rated movies before I was 17, but I think I was maybe 15 or 16. I think parents really need to watch the movie first to decide if it is appropriate for their children to see. I know my parents were pretty strict on the movies I was allowed to see, but that is their duty as parents.

I rented Australia tonight and Jamie fell asleep within the first 1/2 hour and I lost interest after the first 10 minutes. Maybe we will give it another shot tomorrow afternoon before we have to return it.

Happy Anniversary to Us!

Today Jamie and I are celebrating our 3 year anniversary. To celebrate we are going to dinner at Sabor Brazillian Churrascaria in downtown Milwaukee. Jamie and I have enjoyed these Brazillian type restaurants many times, but this will be our first time at Sabor. We have been to one in Colorado, Utah, Aruba and Cancun. I am sure we will have a great meal!

Lottery

I have always been a fan of the Wisconsin lottery. I love scratch off tickets and PowerBall. My Dad has always played the lottery so maybe that is how I got interested in it. I remember buying my first lottery ticket and thinking that I was cool. I haven't won very much, just a couple dollars every now and then. I was pretty dedicated to getting my PowerBall ticket every Wed and Sat, but recently I have forgotten. I also send in my losing tickets for the Super 2nd Chance Drawing. I haven't won that yet either. Some people think playing the lottery is throwing money away, but someone has to win eventually and why can't it be me someday? By buying a $1 lottery ticket every Wed and Sat is only about $100 a year and I know I've lost much more than that it the past year with my 401K. And think of all the good the lottery has done for the state of Wisconsin:

Since its beginning in 1988, the Wisconsin Lottery has managed the Lottery fund with the following results*:

Player Prizes
($4.690 billion or 56.2% of revenue)
At least 50% of total revenue must be dedicated to prize winnings.

Retailer Commissions
($475.36 million or 5.7% of revenue)
This money goes to Wisconsin businesses.

Operational Expenses
($558.4 million or 6.7% of revenue)
Expenses include staff salaries. The Lottery has operated well below the mandated limit of 10%.

Property Tax Relief
($2.622 billion or 31.4% of revenue)
This money has been returned to eligible Wisconsin taxpayers.

Over the years, the Wisconsin Lottery has generated more than $8.347 billion in total revenue. At least 95% of that revenue has gone back to the people of Wisconsin. That money stays in Wisconsin's economy for the good of everyone.

So play the lottery and support Wisconsin!