This is Savior by Rise Against.
A blog of comedy, sports, music, videos, life's lessons, and prep interest
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Product Review: Shep Shirt
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| Photo from the Vineyard Vines website |
Retail Price: $98.50
This weekend, I tested out this shirt on Long Beach Island, New Jersey--at night temperatures dropped to the low 70's with a cool breeze coming in off of the ocean. I wore it around town and on the beach that night, and the shirt was great.
The Shep Shirt is extremely comfortable--much like that of the softest crew neck sweatshirt available. It fit great and was extremely comfortable all over. I'm 6'1" with a 34" waist, and a medium fit me perfectly. The small zipper lets air get to your body so it is great for summer nights--especially if you are going to be out on a boat. My only complaint was that I kept wanting to put my hands in the pockets of the Shep Shirt, which don't exist. If the retail price of $98.50 seems a bit steep for you, be patient; Vineyard Vines frequently has sales, so be sure sign up for their mailing list.
Also, if you're going to buy this shirt, be particularly careful of your girlfriend stealing it. I was constantly making note of where I had taken the shirt off so it didn't "accidentally" wind up in her luggage. However, ladies, Vineyard Vines now makes a female Shep Shirt so you won't have to keep trying to steal it from the man in your life. I would recommend this shirt to anyone.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Reflections on Crabbing
I learned a new skill over the weekend: crabbing. Now, I'd been fishing a couple of times before in my life. Each time consisted of waking up at 5:30 am (not a morning person), and standing on the bank of a lake with a stick in my hand. On the end of that stick was a worm. And guess what: I didn't catch anything. Ever.
So, on Sunday, when I was asked to go crabbing with Allison and her dad, I was a little unsure. The plan was to leave at 8:30 am, when the tide was low--low tide is helpful for catching crabs. Thankfully, an early morning thunderstorm pushed our expedition back until 10. Even when we got on the boat, I had no idea how to actually catch a crab.
We went out to the bay, to the marshes that surround it, and up and down the creeks in it--or "cricks" as the Tuckerton-ites would call them. The best water depth for catching a crab is about 4'. To measure the depth of the water, a very scientific device was used--the "depth-o-meter" as Allison's dad called it. What it actually was, was an old oar about 4' long that we would use to find spots in the water with a depth of close to the top of the depth-o-meter.
Allison's dad knew to read tides and use that to figure out where the crabs would actually be. Once we found a good location, we'd drop the anchor and set up shop. The bait was used was raw chicken/chicken fat. The chicken was tied to the end of a string with a weight, and the other end of the string, about 4-5' long, was tied to the boat. We threw off 8 pieces of bait at one time. The crabs would eventually come along and grab hold of the chicken. When checking one of the lines, it was apparent that a crab was attached at the other end by the weight. While one person slowly and steadily pulling the crab to the surface, another person would scoop on the crab in the net, and you've caught yourself a crab. When all was said and done, we caught 22 blue claw crabs.
Before we got started, I was pretty nervous that we'd catch nothing. Everyone in the boat was a bit pessimistic that the tide was too high for us to catch much of anything. It took a few minutes for the crabs to start biting, which I'm told is a while in terms of crabbing. The first crab I caught was the first fish I'd ever count in my life and it felt pretty good. By the end of the day, I was even pulling the line in and netting the crab on my own. It's a pretty nice sense of accomplishment. After almost 4 hours and 5 or 6 locations, we brought in 22 crabs for dinner--plus about 10 or 12 that we threw back for either being female or too small. When we got home, we boiled and cleaned our catch, and put them in the refrigerator. Six hours after catching, we were having some of the freshest seafood anyone can possibly have.
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| Allison and I ready to go catch some crabs. |
We went out to the bay, to the marshes that surround it, and up and down the creeks in it--or "cricks" as the Tuckerton-ites would call them. The best water depth for catching a crab is about 4'. To measure the depth of the water, a very scientific device was used--the "depth-o-meter" as Allison's dad called it. What it actually was, was an old oar about 4' long that we would use to find spots in the water with a depth of close to the top of the depth-o-meter.
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| Our catch--after we boiled them |
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| Cleaning the crabs |
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Song of the Day
I'm back! I hope everyone had a great 4th of July weekend. Today's song is Cornbread by Dave Matthews Band.
Friday, July 1, 2011
Songs of America Taking You into the Weekend
At about 3:30 today, I will begin my trip down to Tuckerton, New Jersey, where I will be spending my 4th of July weekend. While I'm there, I don't plan on updating my blog at all. Tuesday afternoon, I will be flying home to Indiana, and will continue to update from there. Since I won't be posting any new songs between now and Tuesday, I'm leaving y'all with my 5 favorite songs about America. Enjoy. Also, in the midst of all your festivities this weekend, remember that freedom isn't free. Many men and women gave their lives for this country, for its values, and for you. To them, I say thank you. This blog supports our troops in all of their efforts to keep us safe and free. God bless.
5. Arlington by Trace Adkins
4. Fortunate Son by Credence Clearwater Revival
3. Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue (The Angry American) by Toby Keith
2. God Bless the USA by Lee Greenwood
1. The Star Spangled Banner performed by Jim Cornelison of the Chicago Blackhawks
Okay, so I really like this song, too, so I'm adding it as a bonus. It's American Soldier by Toby Keith.
5. Arlington by Trace Adkins
4. Fortunate Son by Credence Clearwater Revival
3. Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue (The Angry American) by Toby Keith
2. God Bless the USA by Lee Greenwood
1. The Star Spangled Banner performed by Jim Cornelison of the Chicago Blackhawks
Okay, so I really like this song, too, so I'm adding it as a bonus. It's American Soldier by Toby Keith.
Pausing to Remember
July 1, 2004: Two young boys lost their lives in a tragic accident. Seven years ago, I was 16, and was looking forward to starting my junior year of high school. This is the story of how Clark Goerke and Ryan Morris lost their lives. Well, at least what I remember of it. I could look up the facts and details, but I feel the story would be better told going straight from memory.
I come from a pretty small town in Indiana--a town where most people know most people. I knew Clark, had had a few conversations with him, and most of my friends were friends with him. I think I had only met Ryan once in passing, but I knew who he was; and his girlfriend went to my church. If I remember correctly, they had gone to a party on the night of June 30, and had been drinking a little. Both guys were younger than me. I think Clark was going into 10th grade, and Ryan into 9th. They left the party, on a moped, very early in the morning of July 1. They drove down the road on the moped, reportedly without the lights on, and other cars reported that the driver, Clark, was playing chicken with them.
Eventually, the moped hit a truck, driven by Brian Feely, head on. I knew Brian to; I played hockey against him. He was either going into his senior year, or had just graduated from the public school that Clark and Ryan went to. Brian was high and/or drunk while he was driving his truck. The sound of the collision woke a neighbor who called the police.
I even know the man who called the police. He was the dad of someone I had been friends with in elementary school. When the police got to the scene, Brian said he didn't even know what he hit (the lights on the moped weren't on). The police found Clark's body first. For a while, they thought he was the only victim. A bloody shoe on the ground was their first indication that Clark wasn't the only one on the moped. After some more searching, they found Ryan in a tree.
It's one of those stories that is just a chain reaction of the wrong circumstances. If only one event had happened differently, maybe this tragedy never would've happened. If the lights on the moped had been on, maybe Brian would've seen the boys and avoided hitting them. If Brian had been sober, maybe he would've been alert enough to avoid the moped. Unfortunately, life doesn't give us what-ifs. The impact of this tragedy is still evident through messages that people pass along on Facebook, and other sources.
This holiday weekend, I hope everyone has fun and enjoys celebrating with their friends and family. Remember, though, there are no second chances in life--stay safe and make responsible decisions. The fire department will be busy enough responding to other people who have injured themselves with fireworks.
I come from a pretty small town in Indiana--a town where most people know most people. I knew Clark, had had a few conversations with him, and most of my friends were friends with him. I think I had only met Ryan once in passing, but I knew who he was; and his girlfriend went to my church. If I remember correctly, they had gone to a party on the night of June 30, and had been drinking a little. Both guys were younger than me. I think Clark was going into 10th grade, and Ryan into 9th. They left the party, on a moped, very early in the morning of July 1. They drove down the road on the moped, reportedly without the lights on, and other cars reported that the driver, Clark, was playing chicken with them.
Eventually, the moped hit a truck, driven by Brian Feely, head on. I knew Brian to; I played hockey against him. He was either going into his senior year, or had just graduated from the public school that Clark and Ryan went to. Brian was high and/or drunk while he was driving his truck. The sound of the collision woke a neighbor who called the police.
I even know the man who called the police. He was the dad of someone I had been friends with in elementary school. When the police got to the scene, Brian said he didn't even know what he hit (the lights on the moped weren't on). The police found Clark's body first. For a while, they thought he was the only victim. A bloody shoe on the ground was their first indication that Clark wasn't the only one on the moped. After some more searching, they found Ryan in a tree.
It's one of those stories that is just a chain reaction of the wrong circumstances. If only one event had happened differently, maybe this tragedy never would've happened. If the lights on the moped had been on, maybe Brian would've seen the boys and avoided hitting them. If Brian had been sober, maybe he would've been alert enough to avoid the moped. Unfortunately, life doesn't give us what-ifs. The impact of this tragedy is still evident through messages that people pass along on Facebook, and other sources.
This holiday weekend, I hope everyone has fun and enjoys celebrating with their friends and family. Remember, though, there are no second chances in life--stay safe and make responsible decisions. The fire department will be busy enough responding to other people who have injured themselves with fireworks.
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