Last minute Father's Day gift idea - for brand new and expecting dads

A few weeks ago I was at the NYC Baby show along with the guys from the NY City Dads Group as we manned the Dad's Lounge. A haven for dads to chat with other dads, get off their feet and perhaps change a baby. 

What I noticed at the show that diaper bags have evolved from the days when we first needed one. Well the choices for moms have really evolved. But dads were still in the Stone Age of an overgrown messanger bag or a genetic diaper bag in camouflage. But EC Knox is making a bag that is both practical and stylish and one that make dads proud in their role as parent. 

We know the bag looks cool but what's under the hood. A removable liner that can be washed, replaced even removed so the bag grows with dad a stylish messenger bag after the days of carrying around diapers and spare pants are done. Inner carabiner holds keys and your collection of #1 Dad keychains. It also has a flashlight for particularly desperate midnight searches for that one special pacifier the little screamer demands. And exterior and interior bottle holder, a little milk for the little one on the outside and a little something for papa on the inside. 

We want every dad to feel needed, and stylish. So one of you will win the Ellision Diaper bag, enter HERE. 

Goal Cloud

I read somewhere, I really wish I knew where. About making a visual representation of things you want to accomplish. It makes it more real for you.

So I went out and got some post it notes and a sharpie and started writing. I was sitting in a parking lot at 9am writing down goals big ones, little ones, ones that can be achieved by doing one thing, and ones that will take a long time for me to be convinced that they are done.

I'll keep adding as things come to me. And I'll chronicle some of them here. And some I'll save for myself or to be published elsewhere. But anything to keep myself accountable to being a better and more effective Niel.

FOCUS

I watched a video about blogging recently called Blogging Made Simple by Ruth Soukup while at the gym "Reclaiming the Throne" and what not. And I realized that one of the things that I am not doing is focusing my content. This blog is about parenting, but there is a lot of other stuff that I have been posting. So to maintain focus on the parenting content that you want to read, I have started two sub blogs one for gaming and the other for scouting. There is not any new content on either page yet, the gaming site will launch on Tuesday March 6th while the scouting one goes live this Friday March 2nd. I will continue to post parenting content here.

TableTop Tuesday special edition: Two games I'm looking forward to playing.

This past week I went to the 115th international Toy Fair and saw lots of cool things and tried out a lot of neat games. But by far the two games I can't wait to play more of are. Cookie Scouts vs Aliens and Get the MacGuffin. 

The first game is a cooperative game where you and your troop of Cookie Scouts need to sell cookies around town, earn merit badges and transport a thermonuclear weapon all before the twin is overrun by aliens. It's light it's fun and I really like playing as a team. The game is from Topside Games and is available now. 

The other game which will be available in April is from the mad genius himself Andy Looney of Looney Labs. this absurd card game is both overly complicated and completely simple all at the same time. For me when I tested the game out, even though I was already eliminated, the highlight was when one of the players sought and got advice on how to win from Andy himself. I can't wait to take a deeper dive. 

Tabletop Tuesday - Utter Nonsense

It was a cold and snowy Saturday night when my regular game night group met up for a night of trying out some new games. One became an instant favorite, the other one not so much. This is the story of the latter.



Utter Nonsense is an ok game... it's just not for me. Or for the other three people sitting around that glass covered table. We played the “Naughty” version. Basically, the players are each dealt seven cards with very topical statements. This is my first problem with this game. A year from now many of those cards will seem so irrelevant or totally nonsensical. I like an evergreen element in a game. I want to be able to pick up a game five years later and play it.

One player acts as the judge. He or she plays a card that describes an accent that all of the players need to read one of their cards in. Then the judge picks one player as the winner. This was problem number two. Having one judge leads to picking a winner based on factors not necessarily based on gameplay. Artificially choosing a winner to keep the game going, or to appease a complaining player or whatever. Perhaps if all the players vote on which one was best the results would be fairer.

I think that perhaps my group is too old for this game and that a younger crowd might like it a little better. Actually, I could see this being pretty entertaining to watch if it were improv comics playing the game. I’ll say this my pirate impression is dead on. But my Donald Trump was a bad impression of bad impressions of Donald Trump. I was a little uncomfortable with some of the subject matter, especially in mixed company. I know that there is an entire generation of card games that pride themselves in outrageous language. But for me, it just didn't work.

The game has easy rules, and you can start playing as soon as you sit down at the table. I could see how people could really like this game. Perhaps in addition to us being too old (late 30s early 40s ... not that old), we were also to sober to really get the most out of the game.

Note: I was given a copy of Utter Nonsense to facilitate this review but all opinions are my own.

Let me AXE you a question

Like many days in my life, I was sitting behind my phone scrolling through Facebook, then I saw something magical. I had followed a video link and went down the rabbit hole. And there it was the most awesome video ever. 

Jason Mamoa (Khal Drogo from 9 episodes of Game of Thrones ...I refuse to call him Aquaman from the garbage fire that was Justice League) was in what looked like a place where you interrogate hostages. He takes a big swing of beer, then picks up an axe and hurls it towards a target on a wooden wall. Bullseye. 

I knew that I had to do that. 

I immediately searched for axe throwing places. Nothing close enough to make an hours worth of throwing worth the drive. I lamented. And then did what any sane person would do. I bought some throwing axes on Amazon. They were clearly too small for me(and what I would learn later, way too light). But I set up a target in the backyard, I threw a little. The kids threw a little. It was alright. 

Then a few days before thanksgiving this year, I saw a Facebook ad about a axe throwing place that was opening in Brooklyn. What! So I contacted them and I was invited over to the soft opening. 

After a lot of scheduling problems for interested “axers” I arrived at the Gowanus location of KickAxe on a snowy Saturday morning with three friends. We signed in and waited for our lanes to be ready. The waiting area was sort of a gentrified hunting lodge. But in a good way. Someone invested a lot of money to make this place look perfect I said to my friends. There was even a giant blue ox right outside. 

When it was our turn we went to one of the 10 or so axe lanes. The lanes which are two targets that are fenced in with thick artificial grass on the floor. And a large stump to hold the axes. We were given an “Axpert” to guide us. Though he was not allowed to throw, he gave us tips on how to stand and hold an axe. 

It's harder than Jason Mamoa makes it look. We were using estwing hand axes. It was very hard for me to throw them lightly enough. I had to switch to a one-handed throwing style. We started sticking some but it was infrequent and a little frustrating. A little bit into our session I asked if we could switch to the bigger axes that were in other lanes. And boy did it make a difference. The heavier head of the axe stuck in the wood like crazy. I'm glad to say my team (the troop 327 alumni association axe throwing team) won both games we played (30 and Moose). 

While they claim children as young as 7 can throw, I think it might be frustrating for them. My seven year old has a good arm, but I don't think he could throw an axe (even the lighter one) high and far enough, with the needed force to hit the target. A lot different than the “range” I made inbetween the swing set and the trampoline. 

It was so much fun. I can't wait to go back again and unleash my inner Khal.

Note: I went to the KickAxe soft opening and our group threw for free but there was no expectation of any reciprocation. All opinions remain my own. 

Leaving a legacy

I was sitting in a dimly lit bar in Lower manhattan alongside several scout leaders. All of us had spent the day at our council’s Training Extravaganza, usually called TreX, and we were reflecting on a fun day of learning and teaching. It was on that stool with a cold beer in hand that I verbalized something I was thinking all day long. 

About eight years ago I took a Scoutmaster training course, even though at that point I had been a volunteer leader for about 17 years and my days as Scoutmaster were long over. But it was invigorating and recharged my battery. I soon joined our district’s training team. And it was great, our team was filled with people from that initial course and run by the guy who ran the course, a former biker/tattoo artist/lead singer nicknamed Hawk. He was, and is, a larger than life character and he got us to teach courses on cold Saturday mornings, on consecutive Wednesday evenings. But he never asked any of us to do things he wouldn’t. 

Was our training team part, biker gang, part cult and part a well organized group of knowledgeable volunteers. Yes. We used to joke that the only way you got out of the training team was in a box. But during the next few years I helped train hundreds of leaders, both in our district and council wide at events like TreX.

I was encouraged to take Woodbadge, which is an advanced leadership/management course. It was amazing and I wanted more. I ended up staffing the course two times. I hope to do it again. 

As I walked into the Borough of Manhattan Community College, where TreX was taking place on that cold frozen Saturday morning. I kept running into people who I had trained over the years. Most were taking classes but a few were instructing courses. I was teaching a course called Introduction to Leadership Skills for Troops. The room had about 17 young men and another seven adults, looking to take that knowledge back and run the course for their troops. I have taught this course for at least six years in a row, last year I taught it in front of nearly 50 people (this year there were two sessions of the course and our combined total was about 60 people). It's a pretty popular course, they were asking me if I was willing to do it again nearly six months ago. 

I imagined the cascade of influence that I have had over those people and then the influence they have all had on the young people who they are leading. And I thought back to my own scout leaders and trainers. And wow, its pretty overwhelming. 

So as I sat at that bar, next to someone I taught how to build giant fires. And across from newish scout leaders who were in the most recent Woodbadge course I staffed. We all talked about why we do this. One guy mentioned watching his son standing up to a bully. Another mentioned that there was no one else to do it. And when I was asked, why i did it all the training and etc. I thought about watching my son lead his den of his friends. And how much pride I had it in that. But it came out as “I don’t know it's just what I do.” Then I talked about all of the people over the years that I had trained and that is part of it, I am building a legacy that goes way beyond me and that I never will be (nor really desire to be) acknowledged. Apparently building better leaders is just part of who I am.

Note: Everyone who influenced me along the way John, Lee, Barbara, Tom, Miguel, another John, Joey, yet another John, Scott, Fred, Kris, Donna, Dawn, Gary and Tim (and countless others) you are all part of that legacy because without your part in this all I wouldn't be the leader I am today. 

Tabletop Tuesday - COBRA PAW

If there is one thing you need to know about my kids is my son loves cats and my daughter is so competitive she will cut you. So it was a natural fit when I brought home the game Cobra Paw.

Cobra Paw which if you just looked at the packaging you would assume it is some ninja cat themed mahjong game. In actuality, it is a speed and skill based matching game. A set of domino-like markers are spread out in the middle of the table, then dice are rolled. The dice have the same symbols that are on the dominoes when you see the same pattern come up you reach out with your paw and drag the corresponding tile into your pile. This goes on until all of the tiles have been claimed. But before this happens the games gets sneaky and cutthroat, players can steal tiles from each other's piles. All legal. Yes, there will be fights. Still all legal.

The game is very easy to pick up and like with a lot of matching games, older kids will overmatch their younger siblings. Which may frustrate them. Another nice feature is you can play the game one-on-one (very useful when you have a younger sibling pouting in the other room about the game being unfair).

Cobra Paw looks great and can be enjoyed by people of all ages.


NOTE - I bought my copy of Cobra Paw and was not influenced by anyone for this review.

A guide to scouting.

Starting this month BSA councils across the nation will be rolling out the Family Scouting to Cub Scout packs. Basically girls will be allowed in the Cub Scouts. So there will be a lot of content produced by the media about it. And while most people who read those articles and watch those reports won't notice, there are many of us who immediately dismiss the work when there are inaccuracies in basic facts Here is a brief nomenclature guide.

Cub Scouts - A program for children from kindergarten to fifth grade.

Boy Scouts - A program for boys ages 11-17.

Venturing - A coed program for young adults ages 14 (13 if completed 8th grade) through 20.

BSA (Boy Scouts of America) - The national governing body that oversees the Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts and several smaller co-ed programs for older children.

Chartered Organization - A local institution that sponsors scouting in their community. They “own” the Pack or Troop.

Girl Scouts - A non related organization that serves girls from Kindergarten to the end of high school. Often abbreviated as GSUSA.

Pack - The top tier of a localized Cub Scout group.

Den - The smaller groups of age/grade separated groups of Cub Scouts in a Pack.

Troop  - The top tier of a localized Boy Scout group.

Cubmaster - An adult (over 21) who is the overall leader of a Cub Scout pack.

Den Leader - An adult (Over 21) who is in charge of a Cub Scout Den. Formerly Den Mother but now both men and women serve in this capacity.

Scoutmaster - The adult leader of a Boy Scout Troop, must be over 21.

Assistant Scoutmaster - Additional Boy Scout adult leaders, they must be at least 18 years old.

Senior Patrol Leader - The top youth (ages 17 and under) leader of a Boy Scout troop. Boy Scout troops are run by their youth leaders.

Eagle - The highest rank a Boy Scout may earn. A scout must earn 21 merit badges, and lead a service project before his 18th birthday.

Boy Scout motto - Be Prepared

Cub Scout motto - Do your best

Scout Law - A twelve point pledge that all phases of scouting use. A Scout is Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean, and Reverent.

Scout Oath - All phases of scouting say the same oath or promise. On my honor, I will do my best To do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law; To help other people at all times; To keep myself physically strong, mentally awake and morally straight.

As of January 1st 2018, Cub Scout packs will have three membership options.
Option 1 - Boy only Packs
Option 2 - Co-ed Packs with single gendered Dens
Option 3 - Girl only Packs.

Boy Scout Troops are not accepting girls at this time, but will be announcing their plan by 2019.

TableTop Tuesday - Zendo

I was so excited when my copy of Zendo arrived in the mail. I tore into the box and saw the array of multi colored pyramids, rectangular prisms, and what can be best described as pie slices, there were beads and blocks, and of course two instruction manuals. This was going to be way more complicated than I imagined.

I had lunch with my board game people, and I was telling them about the game. Someone suggested I watch a youtube video about how to play. So before I went out for game night I watched a few Zendo tutorials and I got the basic gist of it, but when they started going into complexities (book 2 stuff) I was just lost. But like most games from Looney Labs it makes more sense when you actually play it. So that's what we did, and it totally made sense. And was awesomely fun, and that was the opinion of people who earlier that day were throwing axes.

One player is the moderator (or teacher) and he/she draws a card that has a secret instruction for making a structure. They build the simple structure and a second structure that does not follow the secret rules. They mark the correct structure with a white bead and a black bead for the decoy. The players (students) one by one build a structure.they can ask the teacher if their structure is correct or they can ask all the players to take a poll. Everyone votes on whether the structure follows the rule. And all those who vote correctly get a guessing cube. The structure gets marked either way, and if the player has a guessing cube they can guess what the secret is. If the guess is wrong the moderator builds another structure using the secret rule. This goes on until one of the players figures out the secret rule.

Some of them are tricky some are pretty simple but its really fun. And yes I know that description of the game sounds insane. But it's way better experience than read about. Trust me.

The original rules to the game were published in 2001 by Kory Heath , who also wrote the game Werewolf. Looney Labs released a boxed set in 2003, but those are out of print. This latest version, removes the religious terminology from the previous editions. But that doesn't affect game play in anyway.

Another thing that is great about this game is that there is virtually no setup. The “setup” is part of the game. It is really fun and I will be including it in our game night rotation for sure. This is definitely an early in the evening game, while everyone’s facilities are all there because you do need to concentrate and think logically.

This is easily one of the top two or three games I have played this year. It is available now, go get it. No seriously go get a copy.

The structure with the white bead is correct. The one with the black bead is incorrect. Leave a comment with your hypothesis of what the secret rule is. First one to figure it out will win a surprise prize. 

DISCLOSURE: Looney Labs gave me a copy of Zendo to facilitate this review, but all opinions are my own.

The Punisher on Netflix

I kept reading how amazing The Punisher on Netflix is. And having enjoyed a lot of the Netflix Marvel shows (Luke Cage, Jessica Jones and Iron Fist ... in that order) I decided to give it a chance. I can had never read The Punisher, Punisher War Journal or any of the other Punisher titles that Marvel would publish throughout the 1980s and 90s, so I had no frame of reference when I began to watch The Punisher as a clean slate. And I was not disappointed.

Having no preconceived opinions on the character and the universe, I was able to enjoy the show for what it is. This isn't a spoiler but, the show is really violent. You don't expect a guy called The Punisher to be someone who talks things out.



The basic story is Frank Castle is a Marine Corp vet (now of deployments in the Middle East, as opposed to the comic book Frank Castle who got his PTSD in the jungles of Vietnam) who after the murder of his family, seeks revenge on all of those who were involved. This happens before the series and is often referenced to. Frank Castle died before the series began, at least that is what the general public is lead to believe.

But he was very much alive, living a low key life as laborer Peter Castiglione. He was waiting to find the last few people on his list. He then learns about a vast conspiracy that involved him, which forces him to come out from the shadows guns a blazing. Seriously.

There is a grittiness and tone that I haven't seen much on TV since the early seasons of Sons of Anarchy. Frank who despite his very violent nature is kind hearted and has a strong sense of morality that drives his every move. Frank is played by Walking Dead alum Jon Bernthal and he makes a seemingly uncomplicated guy, into someone you really care about. The show is really well acted and the other characters are full and as 3 three dimensional as you can get in 13 episodes.

While this show exists in the main Marvel Cinematic Universe, and The Punisher appeared in episodes of Daredevil season 2, you can watch this show without having seen a second of any of the other shows and not miss a step. Which is what I did not like about The Defenders, since I didn't finish watching Daredevil I was extremely lost.

Not to be too spoilery, but the show ends in a way that there is a perfect setup for a second season, also while wrapping up this story perfectly. I know a show is really worth my time, when I finish binging it and am mad that I have to wait probably a year to see more.

Note: This is a totally independent review, I was not compensated by #Marvel or #Netflix ... but I'm open to working with them.

Tabletop Tuesday - Holiday Guide

With the holidays coming up, you may be at wits end what to get for one of your kids, a niece or nephew, holiday grab bag, nerdy friend or what not. So your pal Niel is here to help you. These are some of the games that I reviewed this year as part of my Table Top Tuesday series. They are all fun (for kids and adults). I haven’t been compensated for this list, it’s just a suggestion. So enjoy some non-screen time with those you love ... or slightly like this holiday season.

Great for little kids

Simon’s Cat: A really fun sequential matching game with adorably humorous cats.

Great for Bigger Kids

Snappy Dressers: A matching game featuring hipster sloths, deer and other well dressed animals.
Build or Boom: A race to build complex structures before your opponent can. And then blow up their structure.
Happy Salmon: A race to get rid of all your cards, not for the timid.

Great for Teens and Adults

Expedition the Roleplaying card Game: A great roleplaying game that you can play without reading hundreds and hundreds of pages of players guides.
Hanabi: A cooperative game where all the players work together to put on the grandest firework display.
Math Fluxx: The latest version of the FLUXX franchise. The card game with both no rules ... and a million rules.

Hold on

There is a tendency in our society to look to take care of others first. After looking after all those who depend on us, working, and running errands there seems to be no time for yourself. But without giving yourself an hour or so of "you" time every now and then you are just a robot doing task after task after task. Also when you are going through stressful and anxiety filled times in your life, you need to slip away from your reality for even a short time to recharge your battery.

Kind of falling into both of those scenarios I went searching for that time. That's when I found out about floating. And then when I did the research about that I found out about cuddling.Wait, what? Yes, cuddling. It's a thing and it's not as weird as you would imagine. I contacted Cuddlist which is one of the most reputable places to find professional cuddlers. I was intrigued, are people actually doing this? And yes apparently in droves. The founders of the organization have set up a strict screening process for the “cuddlists” which includes training (which is overseen by one of the co-founders) and a strict code of conduct that both parties have to agree to adhere to, which involves dress code, inappropriate touching etc.

The idea is that people are lacking in touch. And that is very important to a person's well being, think about a newborn and how much they need and thrive on being held. It's no different for adults. And since they have been very clear to eliminate anything sexual in the process, people are free to be held or hold someone in a non-threatening platonic way. Kind of like therapy but with fewer words. Though when I tried it there was a lot of talking.


I arrived at the place and I was nervous. I didn’t really know what was going to happen. I was greeted at the door by Ella, who by trade is a public school teacher. She had started cuddling on the side, but after a particularly tough school year, she took a year off and is now cuddling full time. She showed me the way to the bathroom, and I changed into gym clothes, she was wearing a nice pair of pajamas.

We sat on a big comfy sofa and talked for a little while. We went over the code of conduct, she turned on some quiet but invigorating music. It was the score for the movie Amelie. And then she put her head on my chest. After a few minutes I felt at ease, it was much like when you had to acclimate to the sensory deprivation tank.

The session which was an hour was really nice. It's hard to describe it in words. Kind of like falling asleep on a sofa with a cat you like asleep in the crook of your arm if you like cats. It was comfortable and un-judged. Ella who is also a graphic artist has a really easy manner about her. It was a very profound and familiar experience but not anything inappropriate, and that was great because that was what I was hoping to get out of the experience. She told me most of her clients are partnered but are so busy with real life they don't get all the touch they need at home and are not looking for an affair or what not.

Most of the clients at Cuddlist are male, Ella thinks that women, moms, in particular, could benefit from cuddling since they do so much for others and not themselves. Cuddlist employees over 100 trained cuddlists (both female and male). Since Cuddlist launched in January of 2016, they have spread throughout the country, but mostly concentrated in more how do you say progressive areas. If you are curious it is worth the small investment in yourself.

Note: Cuddlist was nice enough to provide me with a free session to use as research for this post, but all opinions are my own.

SPECIAL DEAL FOR MY NYC AREA READERS (or anyone willing to travel to NYC) - Go to Ella’s page and mention Great Moments in Bad Parenting in the notes section and you will receive $10 off of an hour session.

Tabletop Tuesday - Happy Salmon

POUND IT! POUND IT! HAPPY SALMON! HAPPY SALMON! HAPPY SALMON!

To the uninitiated, that sounds really really untoward. But for those of us who have been lucky enough to play Happy Salmon from NorthStar Games games, it brings a smile to your face. A word of warning, this is not a quiet game or a game for the overly shy. It is a game that rewards excitement and punishes timidness.

Each player is given a stack of cards the cards have four commands, Pound It, High 5, Reverse and Happy Salmon. The goal is to get rid of all of your cards first. You give a read set go and you try to match another player who is trying to get rid of the same card, and you have to act out the card do discard it. So pound it is a simple fist bump, high five is super self-explanatory and reverse means you need to physically move where you are standing around the table. Sitting is really not recommended. And lastly the games namesake the happy salmon. Players clasp each other’s arm and then make flap their hand like a fish tail. All the players are shouting all at once so it’s very chaotic and super loud. Which is pretty fun.

Would I recommend playing this in a hotel late at night? Do you want to meet your neighbors, then maybe? But it is perfect to play in a common area of a hotel. Fun for kids … and adults. A great game to play at camp with scouts or even as an activity with scouts at one of their meetings. When I would have by Tiger scouts (1st graders) play it they loved the action and no one really cared who actually won the game.

One of the more fun games that I have played all year.

NOTE: I was given a copy of Happy Salmon by NorthStar Games for use in facilitating this review, but as always all opinions are my own.

I'm thankful for ... brands

Our regular programming will return next Monday. This week I reflect on things I'm thankful for. 

Yes, I am so clever I am being thankful for brands here on Black Friday. But without all the brands I have had the honor of working with during this past year, I don't know where my brand is. Thank you for sending me checks, but also thank you for helping me do fun things with my kids and sometimes leaving my comfort zone. I won't list them all but know that I am humbled that both major national brands and local businesses have chosen to work with me. I hope that I can continue to work with you and other brands in the future.

What is great about working with brands is they are becoming more and more receptive to a dad's point of view. And while I am more than happy to write straight from the brand bible, I really like being able to weave a brand's message into a story I want to tell. So thanks for allowing me to make sponsored content actually readable.

I'm thankful for ... Nugget and the little guy

 

Our regular programming will return next Monday. This week I reflect on things I'm thankful for. 

On top of being so awesome, both in your completely different ways. I am taken back by the things I learn about you guys every single day. You are tough, resilient, adaptable and are turning into amazing little people.  Nothing in this world makes me prouder or more thankful than being your father.

I'm thankful for ... Scouting

Our regular programming will return next Monday. This week I reflect on things I'm thankful for. 



A year ago, I left  Woodbadge course N2-388-16 abruptly on day 4. There was a family crisis going on and I needed to be home. We got back on a path to eliminate most of that crisis. And I contacted the course director of the next course and asked about getting on the staff. He really wanted to choose as many newcomers as he could but said he would get back to me. A few months later I got the email and immediately said yes. The course N2-640-17 was a masterpiece, yes we were behind schedule all the time. And yes that ticket pajama party lasted until 3am, and then the next night was until at least 2am, but it was great. The best Woodbadge experience I ever had. I'm going to write more about it at a later date but just wow.

And back at my home units, I have never been prouder of my team. They have stepped up in their roles and have added other roles to build up our overall group. When I was at a parents night and there were rows of blue shirts looking at me (or off into the distance) as I talked about registration I thought in a few years there are going to be rows and rows of brown shirts and it starts here. We have to keep doing what we are doing on the Pack side and keep working on the troop side. We won't be denied.

I'm thankful for ... my friends

Our regular programming will return next Monday. This week I reflect on things I'm thankful for. 


Friends are great to have. And I am very lucky to have a great group of friends. I have gone through a tough time this year and I have been lifted by my friends, two in particular. One who was constantly on top of me, keeping me distracted and caffeinated. Another who kept a little bit of distance, but was clandestinely checking up on me every day. I knew about that because the other guy can be sloppy. Both ways were exactly what I needed. You guys will never know because I don't have the words, how much you helped. So if I win a lottery and one day a boat is parked out in front of your house ... it is from me.

And to a friend from long ago ... I hope we are on a road to becoming friends again. 

I'm thankful for ... dad bloggers

Our regular programming will return next Monday. This week I reflect on things I'm thankful for. 

To all my fellow dad blogger/vloggers/male identifying influencers ... basically, anyone in the Dad Bloggers Facebook group that Oren started, thank you, guys. You have been an inspiration to me to work harder, even when I haven't felt like it. You have been a bar I strive to reach for. You guys have hooked me up with great contacts that have helped me do awesome things. You guys (well two of you) have an awesome podcast that I really really like and speaks to me on a professional and personal way (I'm sure others of you have podcasts too but I don't listen to them). 

I also want to thank you guys for not being competitors but for being a real community. A community that is there for each other, like you guys were there for me when I needed it. 

Our time has not come yet. But we are ready at that door to smash it down ... together.

Thanksgiving conversation starters

Since no one wants to spend thanksgiving arguing with your uncle Bill about politics. And sitting in total silence while your family shovels yams and cranberry sauce into their mouths is really awful. Here are a few fun facts to break the awkward silence.

Turkey legs


According to Disney it's estimated that guests consume more than 1.6 million turkey drumsticks every year at Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort. Unfortunately, there is no data from the other hotbed of turkey drumstick consuming the renaissance faire. No food goes better with both waiting online for Splash Mountain or watching the joust.

The champ is here

World-renowned hot dog eater Joey Chestnut is also the record holder for turkey eating. In 2014 Chestnut ate 9.35 pounds of turkey meat, off the bird, in 10 minutes. He also holds the world record for shrimp cocktail, matzoh balls, deep fried asparagus, pork ribs, and hard-boiled eggs.

 Not as old as you think

This is not the 396th anniversary of the first Thanksgiving. Nope. Yes the surviving pilgrims from the Mayflower did have a harvest banquet with the Native people near Plymouth Rock in 1621. But it did not become a federal holiday until 1863 when President Lincoln established it.

Add a side of pigskin 


Since the NFL started in 1920 there have been games on Thanksgiving. The Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys have played home games on Thanksgiving since 1934 and 1966 respectively.

So are turkeys from the country Turkey? Aka a mistaken identity 


No. The wild turkeys that are native to North America, were brought back to Europe. Where they were mistakenly called Turkeys. They looked like a bird that had originally been brought into a Europe by the Ottoman Empire from East Africa, which was known as the Turkey Cock or Turkey Hen.

The wrath of the Turducken™

While you would think stuffing a duck and a chicken into a turkey was invented over a case or three of beer. It was actually invented by chef Paul Prudhomme in the 1970s. He trademarked the name on 1986.

Thanksgiving around the world 

With the exception of Canada who celebrates Thanksgiving in October, this holiday is strictly and uniquely an American holiday, so there are not traditions from around the globe. See also the Fourth of July.

Now, if these facts don't break the awkward silences that we often associate with spending time with extended family, there is always wine. Lots and lots of wine.