Alpena Bar Crawl

Well, I was headed up to Alpena, MI to the cabin for a day or two, mostly to job hunt, but also to get out of the city and do something different. My original Plan was to go from Monday afternoon until Wednesday evening or even Thursday morning. But those plans changed a little when my buddy Fraggle expressed interest in going as well. He had a class with a test on Monday night and a Job interview (along with a drug screen after) so we then planned to leave after that. So we got on the road about 3pm on Tuesday. After a little on the road we decided that we were getting a little thirsty for a beer so we then had the great idea of having a little pub crawl to Alpena! We ended up stopping at three places with two beers at each joint with about a half hour between them. Here is a little about each place.

Pat’s Bar – Rose City
I didn’t get a picture for this place because I hadn’t gotten the idea for the pub crawl blog yet and we went a different way home so I couldn’t snap one then. This place had a nice set-up. Kind of long and not so thin, with the bar and kitchen along one side with tables and pool tables in the middle and along the other side with Karaoke/band stage at one end. There was a small group of locals with the reality TV show “coyote ugly” on the tube. We had two High life bottles a piece. The bartender was “up north cute” as I like to say. Pretty cool, I would stop there again.

Big T’s Roadhouse – Mio
(pics are from my phone so they aren't that great)
Here is Fraggle standing next to the sign, what a name! This place was way cool and seemed like it could be a rowdy place! It was kinda L shaped with a pool table at one end, stage in the middle corner, with a ping pong table at the other end. It was getting a little later in the afternoon so there was your hardcore whisky drinkers sittin’ at one end and a “starting to get rowdy” group sitting at 4 tables that were put together. This place didn’t have bottles so we went with two Bud drafts. Again the bartender was “up north cute!” We chatted with the whisky drinkers a little about the snow commin’ in and what not and really faught the urge to play Club Keno (I never win so I quit playing). We got a coupel weird looks because we had our cell phones out and sending text messages and what not… City Boys I guess.

Wild Turkey Saloon – Fairview (I think)




This place was small and cozy, the heat was up but it felt good ‘cause it was a little nipple out. It looked as if they bought a bunch of tables and stuff from a hooter’s that was closed. The bartender, not so cute but she was young and looked like she liked to party, said we looked too cute not to card! A little more chat with the locals this time, asking where the places to be were and where to go when we get to Alpena. They were extremely helpful, the bad news was that there wasn’t another place from there to the cabin, but the good news was that there was a place in Alpena that has Ladies Night on Tuesday night!

So then we get to the cabin, started a fire in the furnace and turned the water on. It was my first time turning it on by myself but it turned out good. I just had a little problem with a pipe connection where the washer fell on the ground, but good ol’ Fraggle found it!

Then we wanted to hit up what I thought was called the Spratt Tavern but it is now called the Hub Bar or something. We weren’t there for very long because there was about 10 people in there, and all dudes that looked like they could kick our asses!
Next was Bogoart’s, the place that supposedly had ladies night. It was pretty busy, there was a couple groups of people, a couple cuties, and Karaoke! We sang it up for a while trying to get the place fired up but it wasn’t working. There wasn’t very many other people singing but it was fun, everybody was like, “Who are these tools?”

Fraggle singin'



We had fun, even managed to make a couple friends. One was an older woman, or seemed to be. Fraggle said that she was actually a man, very possible, she said that she was a singer and traveled all over the world singing with the likes of Madonna and James Brown amongst others, but oddly enough, she wouldn’t do any karaoke.

Fraggle and the Man lady


And there was a group of younger peeps who invited us to the next bar. Kind of difficult directions but we found it. The Sports Page. Kinda plane Jane, a lot of younger peeps. We played pool and chatted with a couple ladies.

Then it was time to go home. It was a little difficult journey. First we weren’t familiar with the area and we were turned around a little with the crazy directions to the last bar. It took us two stops and two city maps to finally find Werth Rd where the cabin is. It was about a 25 min trip that took us about an hour. But we finally made it. A couple Yakedoc shots and a couple nite cap beers later we were off to bed.
Overall it was a great trip, I didn’t get as much done in the job hunting field as I hoped because we didn’t end up with that much time, we were trying to get back to a rugby meeting by 6pm that night. I did get a paper with a couple leads for employment and saw a good couple few box cutter super shops like Home Depot and what not to look at.
We caught the snow storm on the way home so it took a while and we didn’t make the meeting, oh-well.

Definitely a great trip, we are actually thinking about doing it again this weekend because yet another rugby match was cancelled if anybody is interested!

We’ll see what’s up.

J.O.B. News and What Not

Finally! High speed internet at my parent’s crib! They bought a new bomb ass computer this week and we just got it hooked up.

I haven’t heard of much from my job prospects, but I will continue to call and e-mail till I do. There is the Plasma Center possition, Holy Cross children services, and ESL Tutor at SVSU. I have had recient aspiration to look for employment in Las Vegas… That’s right, Vegas baby!

You can’t notice, but I just had to take a quick break to catch the tearjearker ending to one of my favorite movies “Mr. Holland’s Opus.” Where he is surprised with a going away thingie and they have the first performance of his composition.

Regardless of the non communication with my hpoeful future employers, I started working this week! I subbed (past tence of substitute teaching) three times this week and it was great. It’s pretty cool subbing at your old high school. It’s a lot easier than somewhere you are not familiar with. Mrs. Dupis hooked me up with a lot of days at the high school and I even have a couple jobs for the middle school as well in the next few weeks.

I am still tryin’ to get my money from Wall Street Institute, but I do have new information. They have been closed for the last week or so due to change on management. The corporate bought then back so they are no longer a franchise. I was assured that I would get my money, if not I will have to bother the big doggs and find out of there is any legal action I can take.

I leave you with a Deep Thought by Jack Handy;

“As the evening sky faded from a salmon color to a sort of flint gray, I thought back to the salmon I caught that morning, and how gray he was, and how I named him Flint.”

We’ll see what’s up

Le-who-sa-her!

Sorry, it has been a while since my last entry and the reason is nothing really new has been happening and I didn’t want to blog about feeling like a 26 year old looser living at my parent’s house without a penny to my name. I stress feeling because I know I am not a looser, because I do have a lot going for me, but still…

I will hopefully be able to start substitute teaching by the end of the week so at least I will have some income but I am waiting for a call back from a new plasma center opening up in the Nasty called Telecris Plasma Recourses. I saw an ad in the paper for a job fair that they were having. I went in with a resume and what not, they wanted us to fill in an application as well and they were doing a basic screen with the people that were there to see if they were qualified for which positions. They wanted to talk to each of the people for about 15 min, but I chatted with them for almost 45 min before one of the HR people said that I should came back because we were taking up too much time. After the original screen they said that that they would like me for two positions and that since one of the big dog regional dudes was there they wanted me to talk to him as well and we kinda started an interview. I killed in there as I always do in interviews, they really liked my international experiences and the other thing they liked was that I have been a donor for the last 7 years. I really played that card and said that I was familiar with the processes and what not that goes on in a center and all that chazz. They said that if they don’t get a hold of me in a week to call them back, tomorrow is a week.

I’ve been going out more than I had liked, mostly due to being back in town and catching up with a lot of people. Frequenting the Carrollton water holes (Heck’s, Smokey’s, and Bruce’s mostly) and the occasional Old Town or Bay City places. The problem is that I literally don’t have any money but my buddies insist on catching up and footin’ the bill (Mucho Gracias Heidi and Bishop, and I snagged $2 from my old buddy Jason J. last Thursday too for one last picture). Yea, my new Thursday night hang out is with Jason sittin’ at the end of the bar at Heck’s. We haven’t hung in a grip…that’s right, I said grip! A lot due to me moving away and going our separate ways, but also a lot to do with an incident with his little sis a few years back. So if you wanna kick it with us, we'll be at Heck's on Thursday night.

Not much more to say. Now back to sleeping in and watching movies all day!

Oh! I forgot to mention that I still haven’t got my last two weeks of pay from pinche Wall Street Institute back in MX. I really need it bad because I am way late on my credit card bills and I am getting SCREWWWWWWWWED big time. It was supposed to be wired last Tuesday, I sent an e-mail today so we will see when I get a reply, and I’m kinda pissed about that!

We’ll see what’s up.

We made it to Chicago!

Well, we left Wednesday morning and just pulled into Karin and Pat's crib in Chicago on Friday night. Again, it wasn't a bad trip. Rather boring, I opted to drive most of the way bacause it was way more exciting than sitting there doing nothing, plus the driver got to choose which music we listened to, although my choices still had to be approved (my classic rock was nearly completely shut down (Meatloaf, Led Zepplin, Pink Floyd, Stones, The Who, and The Doors to name a few that were off limits, while I had to sit through the Chicksy Dicks!). The highlight of the trip was driving through the home of American Idol Carrie Underwood somewhere in Oklahoma (there was a sign), shows you how exciting it was.

I still have a couple hours to the Nasty to get through before I am finally home. My parents are comming to Chi-Town tomorrow and will bring me back on Sunday. Anybody got something to do for the Super Bowl?

We'll see what's up.

Ferris Sucks... International!

Awight, check this. I had a couple beers set aside for myself tonight, my last Mexican beer night if you will. Anyways, I went through them pretty quick and was in the mood for more. So it was about 1a.m. and I strolled on down to the Hotel bar. I wasn’t sure if I was going to score (some beers, what’s on your mind) but….

Since I was ready for bed, I had my under-shirt on that I was wearing all day… Today it happened to be “FERRIS SUCKS FOREVER” (because they do, don’t forget… Ferris Sucks, Ferris Still Sucks, and Ferris Sucks Again) pertaining to Ferris State University, and how much they suck! Little did I know, there was a FSU grad hangin’ in the bar!

I walked up, and the dudes at the table (the only dudes at the bar) were speaking English and saying to their boy… “Didn’t you go to Ferris?” And I was like, “Ferris in MI, I went to Grand Valley!” So I sat down, had a couple brew-ha-has. It was just crazy to make fun of FSU peeps in Mexico (you suck Cartman!). I was happy because they were hangin’ on my balls for my Spanish skills and in the back of my head I was making fun of them ‘cause they were dorks… but alas, someone to drink with… instead of drinking alone… Hi my name is Keith… you know the rest.

Anywho… Peace and bootie grease… I’m on my way home, see you in a few.

Peace and Bootie Grease!

Well, just over a week left and we are outta here! I happy to make the move home but a little sad that I am going to leave a lot of good friends I have made here and my students as well. Such is life!

If you haven’t noticed I haven’t been on-line very frequently lately. That’s because Karinski called in advance to cancel the internet on the 31st, but they shut it off on the same day, which was like 2 weeks ago. It kinda sucks having to wait till I get to work to check my shizzy but I have been playing a lot of Minesweeper and Spider Solitaire! So my next post might not be for a while, but I do have an option for an audio blog from the phone so I might try that out on the road.

Still not exactly finalized on our plans for driving back as to where to stay and what not but I think we might be making it as fast as we can’ maybe a three day trip, bur we’ll see.

Oh – I am looking for a job, so if anybody has any options for me. It’s not really important what or where at this point but I am looking.

Not much time since I am working so I’ll keep it short.

We’ll see what’s up.

Movin' Back!

Well, its pseudo official, my last day of work is on the 31st of this month and we will be making the trek home on Feb 1, 2007, and hopefully not be on the road for Super Bowl XLI on the 4th. I hope to make it to GR for Inferno’s birthday on the same day, but we’ll have to see, most likely only make it to Chicago. I’m not sure if I want to make the trip as quick as we can or spend a couple nights in cities that I’ve never hung out in like Monterrey, San Antonio, St. Louis. Depends on how we feel when we get on the road I guess. The cool thing is that the trip will be expensed so we can stay at nice hotels and what not!

As far as when I get back, I will be in Saginaw/Bay City. I am going to try and get into Consumers Energy and get back into school. But plans can always change and there are several other opportunities that I can pursue. I like to go with the flow and usually don’t like to plan things out, because it seems that they always change anyway.

I started training again last week. For the first time in several months I might add. I was really sore even though I dogged it quite a bit. I didn’t want to over do it and be so sore that I wouldn’t be able to function for three days. I plan to go whenever I can until we bust up. There was a 7s tourney pretty close to where we live but I had to work so I didn’t play, just watched and drank beer! It was cool because there were little dudes playing, there was a team of under privileged kids from Mexico City. It looked like they were between 6 and 12 years old. I’ve never even seen kids that young play in the states.

There are matches each of the next two weekends we will still be here and I want to get back on the pitch and get my self ready for the spring season back home with the Tri-City Barbarians.

We’ll see what’s up.

I'm back!

Well, I survived yet another back home binge and got home safely Thursday night. I was supposed to arrive in Mexico City at about 1:30 pm but they were looking for volunteers to give up their tickets and get on a later flight so I did. In exchange they flew me 1st class to Huston and then Mexico City along with a $300 voucher same as cash good for up to 1 year. My body was so tired I literally slept every every moment I could, in the plane, airport, and the bus. I kept having wicked dreams of sleeping through the boarding and missing my flights and ending up with other peoples carry-ons. I would wake up in a sweat freaking out and rushed to see a clock (I didn't have a watch), but everything was all good.

I decided to put my body through detox for a while, which was a difficult decision due to me flying 1st class and having wine and beer at my finger tips, but I refused and just drank water the whole time.

It was a little different finally getting home because if actually felt like I was home, and not on a long trip away from home. Kinda funny because we will be moving back in a month or so. It felt so good to finally sit on my spot on my couch and finally sleep in a bed (not my parents couch or Joey Joe Jo’s futon).

I got a lot of pictures and a couple stories to tell, along with future plans panning out, but I have to get the pics on photobucket first. I just wanted to let everybody know that I am back in Mexico and back on a computer (while I was at home there wasn’t very much access to a computer, Kyle and Inferno don’t even have cable let alone internet and my parents have dial up and a slow computer so I didn’t even bother).

We’ll see what’s up.

2006 Mexico Year in Review

Karin put a bunch of pics and video together of all the chazz we've been doing since we came to Mexico last November. Tip goes up to one of my best years!

We'll see what's up.

Perfect Fantasy Week (6-0) and Plans

In week 14 of the NFL season, I finally recorded a perfect 6-0 record in my 6 fantasy football leagues! One was a dramatic Monday night comeback to defeat the 8th ranked team to take the 8th and final playoff spot!

Well, less than a week before I make the trip home for the Holidays! I fly into Chicago on the night of the 17th and fly back on January 4th. With the exception of my Labor Day quick weekend boozefest, I haven’t been home since May. Then it will only be a short stay before I move back for good in February.

I have yet to figure out what I am going to do when I move back but at least I have been thinking about it. I think either way, I will go back to school. Either to get teacher certified or for my Masters in Psychology. I was going to go for my teacher certification because there was a accelerated program at SVSU that I was interested in, but after talking to them a few times, it won’t be very accelerated because I don’t have a teachable Major, and if I am going to go back for 2 years, I mine as well for my masters. The question is, Where?

What I would like to do is spend some time living in Alpena, MI (North East Lower Peninsula), find a job in children services (there is a non-profit organization who I worked with in Saginaw that is up there), substitute teach, referee/umpire/coach sports (one of my career goals is to be a D-I/professional referee/umpire and you gotta start somewhere), and maybe even start a rugby club. I have a place to live at my families hunting cabin just outside the city and living expenses will be very low. It would be a nice easy life in a small town atmosphere that I always wanted to try.

But I will explore my options in Grand Rapids and the Tri-Cities area (Saginaw/Bay City/Midland) if anybody has any connections. I wish I had a bunch of money to travel Europe!

We’ll see what’s up.

I leave you with a Deep Thought by Jack Handy:
“I bet a fun thing would be to go way back in time to where there was going to be an eclipse and tell the cave men, "If I have come to destroy you, may the sun be blotted out from the sky." Just then the eclipse would start, and they'd probably try to kill you or something, but then you could explain about the rotation of the moon and all, and everyone would get a good laugh.”

John Stewart on the Political Probems in Mexico

Just came across this video about the "two presidents in MX" from the Daily Show, and wanted to share!

You know when...?

You know when I know when I am drunk? OK, here’s my theory. I know when I am drunk when… Well, let’s lay some groundwork at the beginning. When I start drinking I can usually have about 3-4 beers without breaking the seal (A.K.A. asking about a horse, A.K.A draining the weasel, A.K.A. taking a piss), and that’s the norm. But after a couple few, you start to have to ask about a horse about the same frequency that you need another brew-ha-ha, so when you get up to ask about a horse you get another brew-ha-ha. Then, the first time that you have to get up to ask about a horse when your beer isn’t empty… you are drunk!

What's up with people in parades?

I think that people in parades are cocky. They think that they attracted an audience, but really it's just people waiting to cross the street! I could attract a crowd too if I stood in everybody’s way!

- Mitch Hedberg

Thanksgiving shizzy-shizzerton

Happy Thanksgiving!


It has been cold, really cold, here the past week. I guess a lot has to do with me having to work every morning this week so I have to deal with it, but when you think of Mexico you don’t think of 30 degree weather! Usually I get to sleep through it. At night it gets down to the 30’s but it is still pretty warm during the day due to the sun (60’s-70’s). I’ve been sleeping good as hell, I love it when it is cold, I even still run my fan. The reason is that we are so high in elevation, like 8,790 feet! It’s supposed to be a colder winter than usual and some say that there is a chance for snow! I doubt it.

Outside of having to work on Thanksgiving, it was pretty cool. Yes, I had to work, but I did request that I work in the morning so I can cook dinner. We had 10 guests over for dinner and I must say that the chef was AMAZING….it was me! I love cooking for people. I made a bomb ass turkey and all the basic fixin’s; corn, mashed potatoes (from scratch mind you), stuffing (Karin smuggles a box of stove top from the states), and gravy. We had cheese cake and a huge chocolate cake for desert, along with beers and football.

I was a little cheesed off because Karinski couldn’t make my all time favorite dessert in Strawberry Pretzel Dessert because we can’t find pretzels anywhere. Karin also was having a fit because she couldn’t find any biscuits to make.

It was the first celebration of Thanksgiving for all of our guests and we did our family tradition where everybody says that they are thankful for and what not. For some reason Karin wanted everybody to take self portraits of themselves so you can see all of our guests as well as other pics (Thanksgiving pics). After every body left Karin and I were watching some woody wood pecker cartoons and she was cracking up at the name of the villain of the episode “Dirty McNasty.” It was pretty funny, she has a pic of him at her blog (link on the right).

There is a 7’s tourney in Peubla, a town just south east of Mexico City, tomorrow but I don’t think that we’ll make it. They are meeting way early and I don’t know exactly where or how to get where they are meeting. They are meeting at 7:30 (we would have to leave at like 6am) and at a random McDonalds off a HUGE road. Too much trouble for this guy.

So, I will spend my Friday night cleaning up from yesterday without help because Karin conveniently came home with a migraine!

I leave you with another deep thought by Jack Handy:

“I think a good novel would be where a bunch of men on a ship are looking for a whale. They look and look, but you know what? They never find him. And you know why they never find him? It doesn't say. The book leaves it up to you, the reader, to decide. Then at the very end, there's a page you can lick, and it tastes like Kool-Aid.”

Win one for BO!

For those of you who haven't heard the news yet, Bo Schembechler passed away this morning just before noon. He is a great icon for Michigan Football. There are several great articles about his career and what he did for the Wolverines. Here are some links:

NY Times - Bo Schembechler, Football Great of Michigan, Dies
SI.com - Bo Schembechler dies
SI.com - Somber Scene in Ann Arbor
Wikipedia - Bo Schembechler

I never really remember watching him on the side lines, but I don’t think that I would have needed to see that to understand the importance he had on the University of Michigan and College football in general. He and Woodey Hayes (Wikipedia – Woody Hayes, 1951 - 1978), the famed coach for Ohio State, boosted this rivalry to a whole new level. I am a sucker for rich sports history and legends, and this game it all!

This news adds a whole new dimension to this already action packed rivalry game. For Michigan, I think that “The Game” is no longer about beating OSU, an undefeated season, Big Ten Title, or the right to play for the National Championship. It is a game about “The coach.” A Disney story like script that this rivalry seems to be following continues with the death of “The Godfather” of Michigan Football passing only hours before arguably the biggest game in college football pitting the most storied rival in sports history along with the #1 and #2 ranked teams in the country battling to continue an undefeated season and an undisputed spot in the National Championship game. With both of the storied coaches coaching the game from up above.

"He was a legend that the student athletes not only heard about, but could see, touch, and feel him. He was still an integral part of U of M football even thought he wasn't the coach and had a profound influence on them still today." (NFL Network)

As “Huge” a sports radio personality in Grand Rapids said, “this seems as if OSU and Michigan are two countries at battle and Michigan just lost their King.”


I have a few question's:
Can OSU match the intensity that Michigan will bring to “The Game?”

Is this the biggest game...EVER, at any time in history, in any sport?

Should they introduce some sort of trophy for this game, and naming it something like “The Schembechler-Hayes Torphy?”

What about renaming Michigan Stadium after Bo Schembechler?

I look forward to your comments.


Win one for BO!

Medical Use for Tequila!

My New Favorite Mexican Dish

I had to work on Saturday so I missed the 7’s tourney, but I went after work to catch the last match. We chilled for a little bit, had some beers, and then went to eat. My buddy Bondi (short for arbondiga, or meatball) ordered my new favorite dish, Tlayuda. It comes from Oaxaca and it is AWESOME! It’s like a big Mexican pizza (like Taco Bell, but infinitely better). There was a large flat hard shell with beans spread over it, then there were sections of different meats (arranchera, chicken, chorizo…) with Oaxaca cheese and avocado. I wanted to take some pictures but Karinski has the camera in the states. But I did find it at Wikipedia. Here is the link: Tlayuda - Wikipedia. Check it out.

I had plans to go to Mexico City after to party but the dudes who I usually party and stay with weren’t there so I just came home (Hey Ofo and Nico, if you are reading, where were you?). I also had plans to go to the Bombonera (Toluca Red Devil’s stadium) for their Sunday match against Cruz Azul but my buddy from work never called me. So I just sat on the couch all day watching football yelling at my fantasy players.

I leave you with a deep thought by Jack Handy:
At first I thought, if I were Superman, a perfect secret identity would be "Clark Kent, Dentist," because you could save money on tooth X-rays. But then I thought, if a patient said, "How's my back tooth?" and you just looked at it with your X-ray vision and said, "Oh it's okay," then the patient would probably say, "Aren't you going to take an X-ray, stupid?" and you'd say, "Aw fuck you, get outta here," and then he probably wouldn't even pay his bill.

We’ll see what’s up.

Halloween and El Dia de los Muertos

I did get to dress up for Halloween. There was a party at my school and I had to wear a costume all day. It was pretty awkward teaching classes with my (Karin’s) cool sherrif fit. Check it out. Oh-yea, my pumpkin was cooler than Karin’s (even though I had lines on it that I didn't use)!





El dia de los muertos was incredible. On my way home from work Wednesday night there was gobs and gobs of people at the cemetery. When I got home I told Karin, "Put some clothes on 'cause were going to the cemetary!" She was all busy packing and what not and wasn't going to go but I was like I'm goin! I just wanted to experience what the deal was. She finally came around and we busted up. It is the tradition to visit loved ones that have gone before them. The graves were all above ground. Karin said that they were like the ones in New Orleans, they were either concrete box thingies or just plain dirt mounds. They decorate the graves with flowers and candles and offer things to them that they liked during their lives (music, food, alcohol, candy, ect.), there was candles all over the place. The place was packed, there was food and flower stands set up in front. It was an incredible experience that I think everybody should have it. Just seeing something that is sooo weird to our culture, but so normal to the people here. We didn’t get very many good pics because we didn’t know how kosher it was to take them but check ‘em out. There is a movie clip that shows a good view of a decorated grave.



Candles throught the cemetary






Me gettin' some good ass Tacos!


Check out more el dia de los muertos stuff from the market here.

We'll see what's up!

You Know What I Don't Understand...?

Why do they call it taking a dump, when your not really taking a dump, your leaving a dump...

-Beavis (from Beavis and Butthead)

Sorry for the random quote/thought but it is so true, just thought that I'd write something, and maybe get some laughs!

I fell like a kid!

Ordoñez’s walk of 3 run Homer in game 4 of the American League Championship to sweap the A’s to go to the World Series for the first time in 22 years!

I didn't bet but still exciting as hell! I actually teared in happieness and remembrence from the old days when I was a kid rootin' for for the likes of sweet Lou, Trammie, Gibbie, ol' Jack, then Cecil, Rob Deere, and Mickey Tettleton. Beggin' the old man to buy me the $1 grab bag at baseball memories wishing for the life of me that I'll get the Tigers. When baseball and how many dingers the Tiges hit was the only thing that mattered, my first Tiger game at Tige stadium with my old man and his old man, and trading all my A's to the Brushabers (Kurt and Todd) for the Tiger greats. Those were the days. What a great game, a simple game!

Just wanted to share! I feel like a kid again!