Beats and Beer Friday

It's been a few weeks since I've had Beats and Beer Friday but I've drank/will be drinking too much good beer and listening to too much good music to skip it again this week.

Here are my latest recommendations:

Beats

Big K.R.I.T. - Return of 4 Eva

It is too damn hot outside. It's the kind of hot where you don't even want to be outdoors, you just want to be inside, with the A/C blasting and slouching around on a comfortable couch or chair, cold drink in hand. Big K.R.I.T.'s Return of 4 Eva mixtape is the perfect music for lazy, laid back summer days. With a slow, molasses-like flow and a Southern drawl reminiscent of the late Pimp C (R.I.P.), this isn't your cookie-cutter, four to the floor dance club hip-hop. Big K.R.I.T.'s sample-driven, bass-thumping production (done by the man himself) takes it back a few years to the days of Southern hip-hop originators like UGK, Eightball & MJG, Goodie Mob, etc. It's hard not to listen to this mixtape and not take a trip into the past, and I mean that in the most complimentary fashion.



Recommended songs: R4 Theme Song, Dreamin, Made Alot, Get Right

Return of 4 Eva is a FREE mixtape that you can download here. While you're at it, you can follow Big K.R.I.T. on Twitter and Like him on Facebook.

Beer

Nebraska Brewing Company - Fathead

I know, I featured a beer from a Nebraska brewery last time; but what can I say, I was able to bring back quite a haul of beer from my recent trip to Omaha, and I couldn't NOT write about Fathead because it has easily become one of my new favorite beers.

Part of Nebraska Brewing Company's Reserve Series, Fathead is a barley wine that has been barrel aged. It has a pretty incredible balance of sweet and malty flavors, with just enough of a whiskey note to make it noticeable without being overpowering. It's definitely a boozy beer at over 11% ABV, but in drinking it you aren't overwhelmed with an alcohol taste. Thought barley wines may not be standard hot weather beer, this was an incredible sipper of a beer when I had it recently. I love that it's a 'big beer', but isn't so convoluted with ingredients that it makes the beer muddled and unenjoyable. It seems like the recent big beer trend has made a lot of breweries focus on putting as much crap as possible into their beers. Fathead is big, but simple at the same time. Does that make sense?

Quite frankly, I think I would love to enjoy a bottle of Fathead again while listening to Return of 4 Eva; forget syrup, I've got barley wine.

Check out Nebraska Brewing Company's website, follow them on Twitter and Like them on Facebook.

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A Pacifier Addiction PSA

Pacifier Addiction is no joke. Every day, pacifiers destroy children and their families worldwide. Join me in my pursuit to bring awareness to this disease that is taking over our babies' lives. Watch the video below and learn about the warning signs so you can identify the pacifier addict in your own home. Together, we can make a difference!




Disclaimer: The above video is meant to be satirical and does not reflect my true beliefs. I do not think pacifier addiction is a real problem. I had a binky until I was 4 and I turned out okay...right?!

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Girls: Embrace Your Inner Nerd!

I read a great article today from Brittney Wilson at My Reality Tech called 'Little Girls Need to Learn to Code'. The article talked about the lack of females in the technology world, and noted that by teaching girls about technology at a young age, parents could be setting their daughters up to have lucrative, successful careers. Not only that, but they will be contributing to an increased representation of empowered women in the world of technology. Simply put: Techie Girl Power!

This article got me to thinking; I'm obviously a technology nerd myself. By no means am I a hardcore coder, but I have dabbled in it and through my daily personal and professional life, I am constantly using technology and exploring new aspects of it. Now, I don't intend to sit my daughter down and push coding lessons upon her. Let's face it, web coding is an 'acquired taste' regardless of whether you are a boy or a girl. However, as she grows, if she happens to start displaying some of her father's nerdier tendencies, I will support her every step of the way. And if she ultimately decides she wants to pursue a career in something that might typically be described as nerdy, then I will celebrate it and cheer her on.

Dammit! Another Improper Neutralization of Special Elements error!

There's no denying that over the past few decades, women have made amazing strides in the professional world, and little girls now live in a world where they really do have the opportunity to do anything they want to do. However, there still exists a lot of pressure on young girls to fulfill the standard 'girly girl' mold. For every powerful woman like Anita Borg (founder of the Institute for Women and Technology) that took the 'less-traveled path' in life, there's a dozen cookie-cutter dimwits like Paris Hilton who convince young girls that the important things in life are money, partying, and dogs that fit in purses.

Now, of course, Ava could ultimately have no desire to pursue the nerdier side of life. She has shown a fair share of 'girly girl' tendencies thus far, so as far as I know, she may have every desire to be a cheerleader and yearn for the title of prom queen. Fair enough. As I said, I will support her with every ounce of my being. But regardless of what path she chooses in life, I will always remind her of one thing: You have the freedom to do whatever you want with your life. Pay no attention to what others tell you to do or what others tell you is the 'right' way. If she wants to be a web developer, so be it. Maybe she'll want to be an engineer. Maybe she'll throw everybody off and decide she wants to be a Air Force pilot. A botanist. An artist. The options are infinite, and that's important for her to know.

This blog post serves as my official call for all little girls out there to embrace whatever calling or desire they have inside of them. Regardless of how outside the box or nerdy it may seem, reach out to it with open arms and explore it. You owe it to yourself to do what you love, even if it's not the typical 'girl fare'. Of course, if enough of you start pursuing these careers, maybe the tables will eventually be turned and your love WILL become typical girl fare.

And on the same note, to you parents: support your daughters! It's that simple. Be there for them and give them your confidence and love no matter what they hope to accomplish. Now of course, there are extreme exceptions: if your daughter's goal is to start a successful meth lab, it's okay to intervene and put your foot down. But I digress; the important message is that our daughters have incredible educational and professional opportunities available to them now. Let's do everything we can as mothers and fathers to not only ensure that they succeed, but ensure they succeed while doing something they truly love, regardless of how it might be labeled.

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It's A Mom's Mom's Mom's World

Look Moms, I'm not trying to start anything. In fact, my beef isn't even with you. I love all of you. Well, almost all of you (the ones regularly featured on Nancy Grace are an exception). Without Moms, us Dads would be nothing. In fact, we wouldn't even exist as fathers if it wasn't for your intense physical and emotional labor. But as an involved parent who actively seeks out information, advice and community engagement on the topic of parenting, I've found one truth to be self-evident:

Dads are getting the short end of the stick.

Whether it's online (both websites and social media), in print ads or on television, fathers just seem to get no respect (feel free to repeat this sentence in a Rodney Dangerfield voice). As I continue to dive deeper and deeper into the Dad blogiverse, I've found that we are a strong and constantly growing demographic. There are many fantastic Dad blogs and Dad-centric information sites started by fathers who clearly have a passion for fatherhood and family. But part of that is because we've HAD to do it. Nobody else is providing a venue for us, so we've created our own individual sites to encourage participation, speak our minds and let our voice be heard since nobody seems to want to welcome it.

Let's face it: the big-name companies and brands have shafted us. I'm not going to name names, but if you have ever sought out information on parenting or products for babies and children, you know what I mean. Mom this. Mom that. Mom Central. Mom Gear. Mom Chat. Mommy Blogs. Momoirs of a Geisha. Xavier's School for Gifted Momsters. No matter which website you turn to, there's a special area, if not multiple areas, devoted to the livelihood of Moms. And then there's social media. Oh, the Mom-centric social media universe. It's almost sickening how much fathers are blatantly disregarded, when we could instead be encouraged to participate and bring another important perspective to the discussion.

Papa's Got A Brand New Diaper Bag

So what about Dads? Don't we matter? I have a newsflash for all of you parenting and child-product-related companies out there: expecting fathers have questions too. We are scared shitless of what's happening during pregnancy, even though we may not be carrying the child. And once we have the child? Yep, still have questions. Still looking for answers, still looking for a way to identify and learn as we navigate through parenthood. Why does nobody seem capable or prepared to meet this desire? Additionally, believe it or not, Dads do in fact spend money on and research products for our children. In fact, though I can only speak for myself, I do a LOT of online research about products before I buy them. But few major websites have 'Dad Essentials', or 'Dad Product Corner'. But you can sure as hell bet that they are there for Moms.

And then of course, there are the classic television ads with a father nowhere in sight, or the one that does exist is a bumbling idiot who seems to be barely functional. I'd say that I'm boycotting all the brands that over-focus on Moms and neglect Dads, but I don't think there'd be any products left for me to try. Dads change diapers. Dads dress and feed their kids. Dads play with their kids. Dads even clean the house! (I know, jaw-dropper) As hard is might be for you modern-day 'Mad Men' to believe, there are involved fathers out there that would scream for joy to see a commercial geared towards Dads instead of the run-of-the-mill, cheesy Mom-centric ad.

Look, I'm in Marketing. I get it. The Mom (and especially Stay-At-Home-Mom) segment is the Marketing executive's dream target audience. And you know what, I'm not wanting to take anything away from Moms. I recognize that they make significant household decisions, that they play an integral role in family life and are especially inclined to be involved with brands they use and participate in online communities. But companies and brands better start recognizing that Dads play an important role in our childrens' lives as well, and we deserve a bit of attention too.

I brought up my frustrations on Twitter today to one website in particular. They responded by noting that they do have one blog written by a father on their website. Yep, ONE Dad blog. You know how many blogs they host that are written by mothers? TWELVE. Now does that seem like balanced coverage to you? Look, I'm not even asking for a 50-50 split here. If we could hit the 25% mark and have 3 blogs representing fathers on this site, I'd be jumping for joy.

Maybe I'm being overly sensitive. Maybe as an especially involved, proud father, I'm irrationally expecting my needs to be met by parenting websites and child product brands. But then again, is that irrational? Is it so unfair to expect the scales to be slightly tipped so that fatherhood can be given a little bit more recognition and coverage? I would tend to say no. And I believe there's an army of Dad bloggers standing strongly behind me that would agree.

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Doggie Doo Giveaway Winner!

Thank you to everyone who checked out my recent Doggie Doo review, and an extra special thanks to those who entered the giveaway for a chance to win their own Doggie Doo game! After assigning sequential numbers to each valid entry and using random.org to select a number, entry #15 was selected, which belongs to (drumroll please)...

Cheryl aka @sleepyheadedmom!

Congratulations Cheryl, I will be contacting you shortly to get your shipping information so I can pass it along to the folks at Goliath Games!

If you didn't win, or are just interested in checking out Doggie Doo for yourself, look for it to hit store shelves on August 1st!

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If My Toddler Tweeted

Every day I wonder what exactly is going through my daughter's head. Today though, as I tweeted my own thoughts (excessively, I'm sure), that curiosity went a little farther and I said to myself "What would she tweet about if she had the dexterity and mental capability to do so?" Below is a fictional account of what a day's worth of tweets might look like coming from my 20-month-old.

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7:02 AM: "Good morning tweeps! Could totally sleep for another hour, but going to stress everyone out and wake up now, LOL!"

7:14 AM: "Oh great, bananas and toast for breakfast AGAIN. Can't wait til I'm able to speak so I can tell my dad to make me some pancakes! #Overit"

7:38 AM: "Anyone else really getting into Jake and the Neverland Pirates this season? @DisneyChannel is killing it with this show! #YoHoHo"

8:07 AM: "Mom just took my binky away. Said I can have it again at nap time. About. To raise. HELL!"

8:51 AM: "OMG YES. RT @SesameStreet Retweet this message for your chance to win an all-expenses paid trip to meet Elmo!"

10:17 AM: "Just left Mommy & Me class. Met the cutest guy there, but he's only 15 months and I didn't even get his name (he can't talk). UGH."

11:03 AM: "RT this if you hate it when your parents tell you 'No no!' #TeamDoItAnyway"

11:27 AM: "Does anybody else have these vacuum monsters at their house? Seriously freaks me out. I don't trust that thing at all!"

11:59 AM: "At Deanna Rose Farmstead. I love the animals at the place, but why does it smell like the inside of my Diaper Genie? #NoseplugsPlease"

12:42 PM: "Suddenly feeling so exhausted..."

3:04 PM: "WOW, I totally passed out LOL! Oh well, up and ready to take on the rest of the day. Sidewalk chalk, anyone? #Leggo"

3:12 PM: "Someone please explain why cars can't be drawn on? And why I have to hold hands whenever I walk somewhere? I swear, I can't do ANYTHING."

3:55 PM: "Before I forget, #FF some of my fav brands: @Pampers @GracoBaby @BabyEinstein @ToysRUs @Britax @OldNavy (love their tops!)"

4:19 PM: "Just made Mom read 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar' for like the 9th time LOL. What can I say, I love that page with all the food!"

5:37 PM: "Daddy just got home. Where does he go all day anyway? Oh well, I've got a giant poop I'm about ready to unload for him. Start the countdown!"

5:46 PM: "Mission Dirty Diaper Accomplished! Take that, @AFOMOBlog!"

6:25: PM: "About to get into the bath. Realized I should have saved that poop for the tub. Darn it! #IllDoItTomorrow"

6:32 PM: "What do you guys think about these two red things on our chests? I guess they are called 'Nee nees'? Seriously, so weird!"

7:04 PM: "Oh jeez, Dad's filming me again. Making me pretend to be a rapper or whatever. He's so easily entertained! #BabyLife"

7:48 PM: "Milk in one hand, binky in the other. Getting rocked with my favorite blanket. Life is good. Goodnight everyone, tweet you tomorrow"

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Ava Does An Ice Cube Impression

It's Friday. Who do you think of when you hear the word 'Friday' (don't say Rebecca Black)? That's right, rapper/actor Ice Cube. Who is working on a killer impression of Ice Cube? My daughter. Check the video below, I think you'll get a laugh or two. And if anyone knows Ice Cube and wants to pass this on to him, maybe he'll give us our own sitcom.

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Safety vs. Privacy - The TSA Debate

Over the past few months, the TSA has come under heavy fire from the media and the general public alike. Social media has proven to be a significant forum for US citizens to air their frustrations with the new strict airport security measures, which include body scanning and full-body pat downs that seem to have no distinct boundaries in terms of who they can be used on.

It seems like whenever the clamor from one TSA news story finally dampens, another story pops up and the flames are simply fanned yet again, growing larger and larger.

In the most recent story, Andrea Fornella Abbott was arrested in the Nashville airport for first refusing to go through the body scanners, and then going ballistic on TSA agents when they were going to give her daughter a pat-down search (the daughter's exact age hasn't been released, but she's said to be 'young').

My feelings on this situation and the TSA fiasco in general are incredibly mixed.

As a parent, I sympathize with Abbott for getting upset about her daughter being subjected to a pat-down search. The pat-downs are definitely the most hotly debated aspect of the new security measures, and various stories, photos and videos have surfaced on the Internet that seem to indicate that they aren't being dealt out in a very logical fashion. Between a 95-year-old cancer-stricken woman who supposedly had to remove her adult diaper to an 8-month-old baby being patted down at my own hometown airport, the one thing that seems to be missing from these strict, calculated security procedures is common sense.

I'll be honest; if I were to be flying tomorrow and my daughter got randomly picked for a pat-down search, I'd probably flip out too. Pat me down. Please. I'm a grown man, I can at least comprehend what's going on and why. But to subject young kids who can't understand the procedure to an unnecessary pat down search seems horribly wrong. We raise our children teaching them that strangers touching their bodies is wrong, yet at the airport we are supposed to stand idly by and watch it happen and call it right. I have GOT to believe there's an alternative route that the TSA can take for screening young children to ensure safety of passengers. Do I understand that the government is trying to cover all of their bases to prevent any slip-ups? Yes. Do I think that doing full-body pat-downs of kids is necessary to cover these bases? No.

There's my skeptical side of it all. But to counter that, the common sense and logic in me doesn't understand why Abbott would even bother booking a flight if she wasn't prepared to deal with these potential scenarios during security screening. Let's face it, these procedures aren't new. If my memory (and the Internet) serves me correctly, body scanners were introduced in Fall of 2010. So coming up on a year after they were introduced, why would you even bother flying if you were opposed to a body scan? Quite frankly, Abbott's daughter probably wasn't even being considered for a pat-down until her mother freaked out and refused to go through the body scanner. She raised suspicion of the agents, and rightfully so. In fact, here is the TSA's explanation of pat-downs from their website, which in this scenario, they followed:

"Pat-downs are used to resolve alarms at the checkpoint, including those triggered by metal detectors and AIT units. Pat-downs are also used when a person opts out of AIT screening in order to detect potentially dangerous and prohibited items. Because pat-downs are specifically used to resolve alarms and prevent dangerous items from going on a plane, the vast majority of passengers will not receive a pat-down at the checkpoint."

People, face the facts: for the time being, body scanning isn't going anywhere. If you aren't prepared to go through one, then DON'T FLY. It's that simple.

Now before anyone cries foul, I'm not siding completely with the TSA here. There are two sides to every (well, almost every) story, and I believe that in this situation, there is fault on both sides. Abbott should have gone through the body scanner. And if she didn't want to do that, she should never have bought an airline ticket in the first place.

As for the TSA, I get that their response to the situation was probably just following protocol. A woman freaks out at the scanner and raises eyebrows. Everyone in her party had to get screened as a result, I get it. But as I noted above, I don't agree with young children getting pat-downs. And quite frankly, I think it's a little upsetting that the government hasn't made more of an attempt to recognize the public outcry in these situations. Every news story is met with the same canned response that the agents were following protocol. Fair enough, but maybe the protocol for children should be different. Following protocol gets a thumbs up in my book. The agents are remembering their training and doing things as advised. That's good! But it doesn't mean the PROCEDURE is good.

I'll be flying alone in September, and am fully prepared to walk through the body scanner without an issue. Hell, if a few TSA agents need to look at my bits and pieces in order to prevent someone else from potentially putting my life in danger, they can look all day as far as I'm concerned.

But when the time comes for my first trip with my daughter, I may be avoiding air travel. If news stories are still constantly popping up about children getting patted down, there's a good chance my daughter will instead be introduced to the classic road trip. Here we come, Wally World!

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An Open Letter to Keebler

I am weird. And I have an insatiable sweet tooth. So when my favorite Keebler cookie suddenly disappears everywhere around town, what do you expect is going to happen? Yes, I submitted a bizarre note on their website looking for an explanation of the matter (I would have inquired on a FB or Twitter page, but they surprisingly don't seem to have one). See below.

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Have Cheesecake Middles been discontinued, or has distribution just stopped to the Kansas City area? These little bites of heaven use to make me cry fudgy tears of joy on a regular basis, but all of a sudden, I couldn't find them when I took a trip to the store recently. I immediately felt a lump in my throat when I saw that empty spot on the shelf with little cookie tumbleweeds blowing by. My beloved Cheesecake Middles were nowhere to be found.

Anywhere.

Not at Target. Not at the grocery stores. They were suddenly missing. My hunt continued for weeks, until just recently when I visited the cookie aisle and instead saw MINT CREME MIDDLES.

Please don't tell me you have stopped production on those delicious cheesecakey delights to instead produce God-forsaken, chocolate toothpaste circles. What a travesty.

If you plan to begin distributing Cheesecake Middles to Kansas City again, great! Please let me know when they will arrive and I will set up a pup tent outside the closest location in order to welcome their arrival as soon as the truck arrives (please warn your truck driver to not be alarmed or stab me).

If that is NOT the case, all I can say is that you have disappointed me, Keebler. You had a National Treasure (not the Nicolas Cage kind) in Cheesecake Middles and you threw it all away. And for what? Some high-level exec who likes the taste of mint better? Those health freaks at the USDA who claim that cookies and cheesecake shouldn't be enjoyed simultaneously in one harmonious bite? Psh. Give me a break.

Assuming you haven't already liquidated any remaining inventory of Cheesecake Middles, I've included my mailing address, so you can feel free to mail me any packages that are taking up room in your warehouse and preventing you from meeting your LEAN manufacturing standards.

Rest assured, even if I were to die a Cheesecake Middle-induced death, I would still sing your praises in my final minutes on Earth, as I clutch my last Cheesecake Middle and whisper "God..Bless...Keebler..."

I trust that you will make the right decision.

Just looking at this picture makes Mandy Moore's "Cry" start playing in my head.

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Life - Just a Long Game of Super Mario Brothers

One conversation I already dread as a parent is having to explain to my daughter why bad things happen to good people. To be perfectly honest, I don't know that there's any answer I could ever give that I'd be fully satisfied with. Quite frankly, I don't KNOW why bad things happen to good people, other than the blanket fact that bad things happen to everybody. Last night, though, I posted a status on Google+ (I know, I'm so social media cool!) that got me thinking. I compared major life disruptions to losing your last life in Super Mario Brothers while battling Bowser on the last level. Without any continues.

Yes, I am a huge old-school video game nerd. Super Mario Brothers specifically holds a special place in my heart. I have fond memories of sneaking downstairs at the crack of dawn so I could fire up the NES or SNES (don't forget to blow in the game cartridge first!) and sit down for some uninterrupted Mario sessions. I anticipate that in a few years, when my daughter has the dexterity and patience, that I will show her Super Mario Brothers and wrangle her into playing some games with me.

And if I'm able to, and she develops an affinity for the game like I did, then maybe I can explain life's hardships a little more easily...by comparing it to Super Mario Brothers.

Sure, at first thought it might seem like a terrible metaphor, even a cop out. But look at the facts: Mario has been battling for years, decades even, to keep rescuing the same girl. He has kept his eyes on a single goal, and despite the fact that he's constantly getting crap thrown his way and obstacles put in front of him, he's never said 'Screw it, I'm finding myself another Princess. Keep her, Bowser!'

The struggles of Mario to endure and overcome undeserved trouble are a fictional reflection of the stuff that good people have to deal with on a regular basis in real life. Sure, we aren't trying to rescue Princesses, but each of us regularly encounters a struggle and some form of Bowser that we have to defeat. And it's never as easy as zooming from World 1 to World 8. Oh no. Solving the problems that approach us in life requires various levels of work and often, overcoming smaller struggles on the way.

Let's zoom in on the big picture for a moment and take a few specific examples from the Mario universe. Remember Goombas? Those stupid little fanged mushroom creatures that waddle around constantly? They probably have never set anyone back significantly in Mario, but they sure are a pain in the ass. We encounter Goombas every day of our lives, even as kids. Forget your lunch at home again? Goomba. Got a bad grade on your Social Studies test even though you studied for hours? Goomba. You only made the B team in volleyball even though you were better than the other girls? Goomba. (I don't know why I assume Ava will play volleyball, but I'm using it for the sake of an example here)

The day Ava starts dating will be like a giant Bullet Bill coming at me head on.

But, like Mario, as we get older, we see an increase in the difficulty of our 'levels' as well as the number of obstacles we have to face. Remember Bullet Bill? Nothing was more frustrating than coming across those perched guns. They just stare you in the face, and you know trouble is coming at some point. But how you'll respond and how you'll come out of it is completely up in the air. High school is like a full-on assault from Bullet Bills. Between teachers, athletics, peer pressure, social expectations, puberty, learning to drive, and preparing for college, you have dozens of Bullet Bills firing at you day after day, and all you can do is jump through them the best you can. Chances are, you're gonna get hit once in a while. All you can do is pick yourself up, brush yourself off and chalk it up to inexperience. Run back into the firing range and do it all over again, this time with a little earned wisdom.

And then there's adulthood. Remember the Koopa Kids in Super Mario Brothers 3? The little underlings that served as mini-bosses of each level, trying to prevent you from making progress and ultimately just pestering you? Welcome to the corporate world. I'm only 26 and I've already dealt with my share of Koopa Kids. Instead of spinning turtle shells and flaming balls, though, in real life we get to deal with spinning lies and flaming egos.

Meet your Middle Management team!

Of course, these are just a few examples. And these don't even represent some of the worst things that may happen to us in our lifetimes. Losses of family members and jobs, ended relationships, money issues and more may face us and try to break us. The beautiful thing about real life, though? We don't have to worry about the number of lives we've built up or the number of Continues we have left. The day we are born, we are given the special code (Game Genie, anyone?) that grants us unlimited opportunities to bounce back and keep pushing through our hardships.

The fact is, none of us will ever completely defeat our Bowser. We won't even see him. We live our lives in an eternal game of Super Mario Brothers, advancing world by world, level by level, each day of our lives. I'm not trying to get preachy with this post. I'm really just wracking my brain trying to figure out how to best explain to a child why crappy stuff happens. And you know what, maybe I'm even trying to figure out how to explain it to myself. Until then, I'm just going to keep on living my life, doing the best to handle all the Koopas, Bob-ombs, Chain Chomps and Thwomps that are thrown at me.

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Beats and Beer Friday

This weeks Beats and Beer Friday selections are centered on two things that have special places in my heart; Nebraska and the local Kansas City hip-hop scene. I went to school at Creighton University in Omaha, so in a way, I consider it a second home. And of course, as a hip-hop fiend, any good local music gets a huge amount of support from me.

Beats: Hozey-T - Who's The New Guy?

Who's The New Guy? is by no means a new album. It was released in 2008, but has remained one of my favorite albums from a local hip-hop artist and still sees frequent play on my iPod. I've been revisiting it since last night, though, because Hozey-T just released his first new song (entitled #WIN, can be downloaded here) since this freshman effort of his dropped 3 years ago.




I won't ramble on about this album, all I can say is that it is really, really good. Hozey-T has an incredibly unique flow that he's able to skillfully customize to whatever beat he's rapping over.

For me, the highlights from 'Who's The New Guy?' include I'm Dope, KC Shuffle, Places To Go, Rise and I'm Made. You can download the mp3 album for only 5 bucks over at CD Baby, so why not make this album your music for the weekend?

You can follow Hozey-T on Twitter, and check out his website.


Beer: Lucky Bucket Certified Evil

I'll admit, when I was in college in Omaha, I was completely clueless when it came to craft beer. Most of what I drank was in cheap 30-packs and had 'Light' in the name. That has changed with time, though, and as I make the trip back to my old stomping grounds, I'm looking forward to stocking up on some of the Nebraska beers that I once neglected.

One of the breweries I intend to get beer from is Lucky Bucket. Lucky Bucket Brewing out of La Vista, Nebraska is fairly new, opening in 2008. They only offer 3 beers (a lager, an IPA, and a Belgian strong ale), but I have been fortunate enough to try all of them. By far, my favorite of the three has been Certified Evil, a Belgian strong ale.

I was able to try Certified Evil at the Parkville Microfest, and was immediately filled with both joy and anger. Joy at how delicious the beer was, and anger at the fact that it's not distributed down here in Kansas City. But finally, my frustration can be temporarily assuaged with my trip up to Nebraska to grab myself some Certified Evil to enjoy at home.

If you are fortunate enough to live in the area where Lucky Bucket distributes, grab yourself some Certified Evil. Otherwise, harass your local liquor store about carrying their products. Maybe if we bother enough people, we can encourage Lucky Bucket to continue expanding their distribution.

You can find Lucky Bucket on Facebook and Twitter. Also check out their website.

Cheers!

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My Daughter Can Do Tricks, Wanna See?

I've come to realize that toddlers are not much different than trick dogs.

Okay, so maybe when parents show off their child's accomplishments, it's not presented EXACTLY like that. But there are some funny parallels between the way we indirectly brag about our kids' talents and the way a proud dog owner displays their pet's ability to follow commands.

Last night, I took a short video clip of one of my daughter's most recent 'tricks'. We slick her hair back after a bath, call her Vampire Baby and tell her to go 'BLAH!' like Dracula. I know, we are strange. But as I sat there shooting the video of us prodding her to keep saying 'BLAH!' (I think I even had her hiss at one point), it got me to thinking about all the strange things that parents put on display as their young kids are developing.

I'll be frank: Amanda and I are both weird. Admittedly, I am MUCH weirder. We are also both very fun and have great senses of humor. This has led us to teach Ava lots of unique, funny things to show off to people in order to make them laugh.

There really are a lot of similarities between parents and a puppy owner trying to train their pet to do 'outside the box' tricks. Sit, roll over and shake are all great and good. But every pet owner wants to have that dog that can do something Youtube-worthy. You know, walk on it's hind legs or ice skate or do a triple gainer off the high dive. Every pet owner wishes they could be on Letterman's 'Stupid Pet Tricks', and similarly, most parents want to have people saying 'Did you see what _____ & ______'s kid can do?'

In addition to the aforementioned 'Vampire Baby', here's a handful of examples of the "tricks" that we've taught Ava over the past few months. Some are bizarre, some are pretty standard for toddlers, but either way, they are all things that we take pride in and love to show off to our family and friends.

"Hip-hop!" - When someone yells out hip-hop, Ava quickly crosses her arms in an old-school Run-DMC-esque pose. Yes, I am fully responsible for this one.

"What does _______ say?" - The list of animals continues to grow on this one. We've got puppies (Fuff!), horses (Brrrr!), cows (Moo!), ducks (Cack!), and probably the newest and most entertaining of all: Mommy (No no no no no!).

"Go swimming!" - This is a bathtub trick, so it doesn't get shown off like the others, but it's still hilarious to see her flip to her stomach and kick her feet.

These guys' arm crosses have nothing on my daughter's hip-hop stance.

Beatboxing - Previously posted in a video for Wordless Wednesday, I love to watch her mimic beatboxing. Too funny.

"Rock and roll!" - A close relative of 'Hip-hop!', when we yell out Rock and Roll, Ava sticks out her tongue like Gene Simmons.

"Can you jump?" - She tries so hard, but just hasn't quite reached liftoff yet. But watching her intensity as she bends those knees and gets high up on her toes is adorable.

"Toot?" - Always met with a scrunch-faced grunting on her part.

"Be a zombie!" - Still a work in progress, but the ultimate goal is to have her raise her arms and front of her and groan (maybe when she's a bit older I'll modify it and have her say 'BRAAAAINS!').

"Step on the bugs!" - New as of yesterday when I got home from work. She lifts her leg high in the air then stomps it down in a thunderous death strike.

That's just a sampling of the 'Stupid Toddler Tricks' that we like to show off. I'm sure there are plenty that I forgot, and I'm sure we will constantly be adding to her repertoire as she gets older and is more able to follow instructions.

Sure, maybe we parents of younger kids can act like puppy owners showing off new tricks sometimes. And when we can't do it in person, we take photos and videos and flood people's inboxes, Facebook newsfeeds, etc. But in both situations, the principle is the same: pride. We are incredibly proud of our daughter, and behind each one of those silly little tricks is subtle bragging about how funny, cute and well-developed our little girl is.

So go ahead parents. Keep on teaching that child of yours tricks and showing them off to the world. I certainly won't judge you..until you start putting them on a leash, that is.

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Wordless Wednesday - My Daughter, The Beatboxer

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They make WHAT for babies?

Before I became a dad, I was pretty naive to just how much baby-related 'stuff' there was out there. One of the challenges on those first few pre-baby shopping trips is trying to separate the necessary items from the frivolous crap, especially when you are assaulted with new products that you never even knew existed. Here are 10 items (some helpful, others absurd) that I've learned about over the past couple years that I was surprised to discover.

1) Newborn mittens

Previously unbeknownst to me, newborns apparently come out of the womb like rabid wolverines, prepared to claw their own faces raw. To remedy the situation, someone invented these miniature little mittens that slip over a baby's hands. I understand the functional purpose, but these things are still kind of weird. And they never stay on, so you end up spending half of your day securing mittens to your child. And I still can't understand why nobody has designed newborn mittens that look like boxing gloves (note to self, patent this idea IMMEDIATELY).

Given their tendency to claw, hospitals should issue this costume to all newborns upon birth.

2) Diaper booster pads

When my daughter started having constant issues with wetting the bed, even in 'night diapers', I had to find a solution other than taping sponges to her body and having her sleep in the bathtub. After some Internet research (God bless you, Google) I found out about diaper booster pads. These things are essentially baby maxi pads that absorb pee. Very bizarre, but strangely effective.

3) Crib rail guards

When babies are teething, they are like little gophers. My daughter was no exception, and her crib's paint job has the damage to prove it. I was pretty surprised when I found out that they make rail guards for cribs, specifically to protect against the gnashing teeth of babies. Between the scratching and chewing, you'd think we were dealing with puppies here..

4) Potty training targets

Obviously, since I have a daughter, I won't be able to use these, but I pray that I have a son someday so I can experience the joy of buying these little colorful toilet targets for practicing aim. And let's be honest, I really want to get them for myself so I can have fun shooting my pee stream at these and pretending I'm blasting spaceships with a laser (yes, these are the things that go through my head).

5) Pee pee teepees

Another boy-related item, but I was still in awe when I first saw these at the store. I mean, just read this description: "This tent-like device…is used to cover your baby’s penis during the action-packed diaper changes to prevent you from getting sprayed by his pee." I love that the changes are described as "action-packed". I just imagine parents dressed in Hurt Locker-esque bomb disposal suits, slowly unfastening a diaper, then rushing in like "QUICK, THE TEEPEE, NOW NOW NOW!"

6) Sleep positioners

I know that babies are supposed to sleep on their backs, and these positioners reduce the risk of SIDS and yadda yadda, but good lord these things look uncomfortable. Every time I see a picture of these positioners online, the baby "model" is staring off in the distance angrily, probably thinking "Somebody get me the hell out of here or I'm going to start scratching some faces."

This baby is already plotting how he'll get revenge on his parents for putting him in this thing.

7) Shopping cart cover

I had never heard of these, but I'm glad they exist after reading that 72% of shopping carts have fecal matter on them. Seriously people? Is it that much work to wash your hands between pooping and going to the grocery store? Anyway, these covers are pretty cool, although they are a huge pain in the ass to get secured to the cart. As if taking a baby shopping wasn't involved enough, these things kind of add insult to injury.

8) Baby wraps

I had heard of baby backpacks/baby carriers, but never these bizarre-looking wraps. When a parent is wearing one, it looks like their shirt came alive and snatched the baby up in order to eat it. Supposedly these provide better support and comfort for the parent, but I think I'd be willing to accept a little back soreness if it meant I didn't have to look like a goon in a baby-snatching sari.

Don't even try to tell me that this guy is wearing this thing voluntarily.

9) Wipes warmer

Give me a break. I'm convinced that babies whose parents use wipes warmers are destined to grow up and be on 'My Super Sweet 16', demanding that they get a Mercedes for their birthday. Newsflash parents, you were born with two built-in wipes warmers: your hands. And if your baby is already prissy about getting their butt cleaned with a cool/room temperature wipe, you are in for a long, long ride. Might as well start filling out the application for boarding school now.

10) Nursing covers

I guess for some reason, I always assumed that nursing mothers just whipped their boob out in public with no sense of shame or modesty. Quite frankly, I think nursing covers kind of look like reversed superhero capes. Somebody should make a red nursing cover with the big yellow Superman 'S', that way when a mom is done nursing, she can just flip it around to her back and look totally badass.

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