Understanding the Struggle

Two Year Anniversary

Today is the two year anniversary of this blog Understanding the Struggle. It has been a fun time with random happenings, rants and just views on life. In the two years since I began this journey so many things have changed as life tends to deal anyone as the clock rounds lap after lap. It's been great and I look forward to continuing this another two years:-)

This marks post number 411.

What is success?

Please take two minutes and comment to me how you define success. Two minutes, a few sentences is all I ask...and yet, if you feel compelled please type till your fingers fall off. Career, family, or something else. What makes you feel successful? How do you define it? Let me know.

Homemade Pizza and Cake:-)

Today has been the day of cooking, no doubt. Charissa made the best pizza today, all from scratch. I've never had a homemade pizza, but I must say it's just like everything else you do at home. If done right, it blows away the competition aka pizza hut:-) This was done right, with a wheat crust to top it off.

Following that she put together a decadent chocolate cake that is so moist and rich...mmmm. I think I'm about to throw down another piece of pizza and some cake.

So the house is loaded with fresh, good homemade food and it's nice. Very nice.

Master Smith...the Pumpkin Carver!

Check out Master Smith's (inside joke) Pumpkin Carving Skills!!!

((Click Photo to see larger image))

Beef and Horseradish Sauce Sandwiches

After watching Barefoot Contessa yesterday I decided to make some Beef and Horseradish Sauce Sandwiches for Charissa's lunch this week. Before you go...awwww, how nice...this is the first time I've made her lunch and depending on how this turns out maybe the last. Na, it'll rock just like it did for Ina Garten!

One thing I know is that I'm not sure how much money this is really saving. This is upper echelon brown bagging it though. The meat alone was $36, which prompted the butcher to label me as the guy with the heavy wallet. Nice.

The thought of brown bagging it brings me back to my childhood. My mom used to pack some killer lunches when I was a kid! I remember being in 4th grade and taking homemade roast beef sandwiches, with lettuce, tomato, mayo and salt and pepper. It was real roast beef from the previous night, not that thin cut stuff everyone eats. It was so good! That with a frozen Pepsi, a bag of chips and a brownie...man, those were the days. Believe it or not, I'm not overweight either, ha!

So hopefully after I get done cooking Charissa will be toting something she will also remember for years. I mean, how many other Bank Managers are going to have filet mignon sandwiches tomorrow?:-D

Update: The filet of beef came out PERFECT!! I made a test sandwich and it ROCKS LIKE A GRAMMY AWARD WINNING ROCK BAND!! AWESOME!! Charissa's lunch is packed and ready to go!

Do you still Dress up?

Halloween is right around the corner and I was just wondering if any of you still dress up? I haven't in probably 20 years or so. I think in most part because I don't do the whole Halloween thing. Not a big fan of the witches and ghosts, etc. Sounds crazy, but I have my reasons.

This year though, we have a pumpkin and even candy for the little kids that might ring the doorbell. I even looked online for a costume...the problem is I waited until yesterday to look, ha!

So what about you? Are you dressing up this Halloween???

MacBook Pro...saaaafe! Kinda

So I got a call from Apple late this afternoon and motored over the the store to pick up my computer. I dropped it off Monday and picked up Friday. Not really that bad, honestly. However, the point is that it did break and it shouldn't have. Total cost of repairs was like $915 (They replaced the whole screen). I of course paid nothing due to the warranty. Thank goodness for warranties:-)

Back in business I am. It was kinda nice not being tied to the computer for the week though. I need to do that more often. Peace out!

MacBook Pro...Strike 2

I dropped my computer off Monday and it's Thursday.  Nothing.  Not a word from Apple.  Nothing.

They did give me a repair number that I can use to track the progress online.  The problem with this is it only shows three things:  When I brought it in, that it's currently being repaired (no further details beyond that), and it's ready for pickup.  Thanks Apple.  I'm not the brightest dude in the freakin world, but a buffoon knows when it was dropped off, that while it is there it is being repaired and when it's done you can come pick it up.  Seriously, whoever created that tracking system needs to have their computer taken away. 

Why not have a UPS system.  UPS shows you where the package is throughout its travel.  Apple could surely do this as well, but why spend more money when you don't have to.  Put out a cool commercial and load TV and Celebs down with the product and even a buffoon will go buy one.

Since it's strike 2, define a genius.  A genius is:  a person endowed with transcendent mental superiority.  Apple has its geniuses too, but turning my computer off and then back on and searching through a computer to see what the issue most likely is, IS NOT a genius.  It's regular.  They should call it the regular bar.  Hey, I'm gonna go see one of those regular dudes at Apple.  At least then the expectation isn't for them to actually fix something while you're there.

Hey, it's only strike 2.  Wonder how livid I'll be on Strike 3?  If times keeps running you'll see.  A PC a day keeps the freakin Apple Genius away!

NBA 2K7, Tiger Woods 07, Splinter Cell Double Agent

So I picked up a few new games for the XBox 360 yesterday.  NBA2K7, which is a TON better than NBA Live.  The only bad thing about this one was that I saw it today on my bro's 55-inch 1080i tv and was like holy cow it looks a ton better here than it does on my tv.  New TV?  Na, hopefully new house first.

Tiger Woods 07, keeping in tune with the new golfing trend I'm on.  The cool thing about this game is that Charissa gets involved and plays too.  Not too many things going on, so it's fun and kinda simple.  Charissa actually beat me in the long driving contest.  I might as well mention it here since she will surely bring it up if she sees ya:-)

Lastly, Tom Clancey's Splinter Cell Double Agent, which after a few minutes today I realized the game was much more involved than I probably want to deal with at this point in my life.  My brother might have gotten another free game here.  I won't pass judgment just yet though.  I will play it for another five minutes first;-)

The graphics on games keep getting better and better and I keep getting older and older.  Hey, video games are a lot better than a lot of things I could be doing.  Besides haven't you heard how they actually make you smarter...ha.  Someone can find a reason to be doing everything...lol.

EBGames.com

Street of Dreams

Yesterday, Charissa and I rode down the road a few minutes and paid our money to tour Bella Colina's Street of Dreams.  Ridiculous!  It was the first time since the hype began in 2004 that I had been out to Bella Colina and I have to say I was really impressed.  It shows that you can take any land, and with enough cash, turn it into a paradise.  Incredible for sure!

Read on to see the prices of the homes!