Matt's Place

2008-07-16T18:09:00.001-05:00

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Dave & Buster's

2008-07-15T22:26:00.007-05:00

I flew to Pittsburgh last Thursday to spend a long weekend with my sister Rachel, her husband Pete & my niece Abby.

We ate at FuddRucker's. They have really good hamburger's and I had a delicious strawberry shake.

We had a great time at Dave & Buster's. We found a game where you are a jockey and Abby loved riding the horses. We played a trivia game, where 8 players compete, it was a fun way to get a lot of tickets. We used the tickets to get a battery operated bunny that hopped around and a bear for Abby.

Happy 4th of July!

2008-07-03T20:21:00.001-05:00

See more funny videos at CollegeHumor

Irritating

2008-07-01T17:03:00.004-05:00

It's been one of those days, I don't know if it is the heat or just what. But, it was an interesting day. I had a call from a lady who was having trouble getting connected to the internet, now to me, a "normal" person would call their internet provider first to make sure things were ok on their end. But, she didn't want to call them. She told me she had internet thru AT&T and that they just deducted her payment out of her account, that she never saw a bill and wouldn't know what number to call. I asked her if she had a phone book. She must have gotten it figured out, because she didn't call back.

Later in the day I got a call from a guy who has called me once a year for about 5 years. The first year he called he said that our ad was about to expire and needed an ok to go ahead and renew it. I said yes, which I shouldn't have done. It turned out it was a scam, it was something we'd never advertised in and we got bill after bill, before they finally got the hint that we weren't going to pay. But, about once a year, I get this call...Hi this is so and so and it's time to renew your ad, my line has become I'm not interested and if you call me again I'll turn you into the Attorney General. They hang up right away.

Estes Park Colorado

2008-06-20T20:08:00.014-05:00

I took a few days off to head to the mountains. I left last Friday afternoon and spent the weekend in Fort Collins with relatives. On Monday, my Uncle Den, and I drove to Estes Park and spent time working on my Grandmother's vacation rental home. There was plenty of work to do on the house, power washing, then brushing the wood. Then we started priming, which took two coats. Unfortunately, I didn't have enough time to stay and help with the actual painting, but we got a lot done. We also took time to do some fun things, like eat out and walk the streets of Estes Park. On Tuesday afternoon we went into Rocky Mountain National Park and walked around Bear Lake. If you are ever planning a trip to Estes Park and looking for a place to stay, here is the link to the house

Having fun at Grand Lake in N.E. Oklahoma

2008-06-09T12:26:00.021-05:00

I had a great time at Grand Lake. We went out on the 25' boat and Boogie Boarded, and Tube'd. We tried out a couple of jet skii's Sunday morning and Niles wound up purchasing this one.

Me boogie boarding....sort of

The owner of Cobalt Boats' home...

My cousin Brett boogie boarding

My Uncle, Niles, works for Cobalt Boats in Neodesha. The owner of the company had him come to Grand Lake to work on 3 of his boats. He had a 25', 30' and 45'. This is the 45'.

Royals Game

2008-06-03T17:13:00.003-05:00

So, it wasn't that long ago (ok over 20 years) that the Royals won the World Series. They have had their struggles since then, but it is still really fun to go to Kauffman Stadium and watch a game. We enjoyed stadium food, including $6.25 Polish Sausage's, Nachos, Popcorn and Sunflower seeds. That's what we got to do last Saturday night. Coming into the game, the Royals had lost 12 in a row. But, we saw them win 4-2! I believe having us there helped them win, that's what fans are supposed to think, am I right?!!

Relay For Life

2008-05-29T16:25:00.007-05:00

We had a bake sale and duck sale fundraiser today at work to benefit the Relay for Life. At last count we'd sold over 80 ducks & nearly all the food was gone. Many people donated food and there were a lot of people who stopped by. Thank you to everyone!

Inspirational

2008-05-26T08:53:00.002-05:00

Why do they come? Why do they hang around to watch the slowest high school cross-country runner in America? Why do they want to see a kid finish the 3.1 miles in 51 minutes when the winner did it in 16? Why do they nearly break their wrists applauding a junior who valls flat on his face almost every race? Why do they hug a teenager who could be beaten by any other kd running backward?

Why do they do it? Why do all his teammates go back out on the course and run the last 10 minutes of every race with him? Why do other teams do it to? And the girls' teams? Why run all the way back out there to pace a kid running like a tortoise with bunions?

Why?

Because Ben Comen never quits.

See, Ben has a heart just slightly larger than the Chicago Hyatt. He also has cerebral palsy. The disease doesn't mess with his intelect--he gets A's and B's--but it seizes his muscles and contorts his body and gives him the balance of a Times Square drunk. Yet there he is, competing for the Hanna High cross-country team in Anderson, S.C., dragging that wracked body over rocks and fallen branches and ditches. Andy people ask, Why?

"Because I feel like I've been put here to set an example," says Ben, 16. "Anybody can find something they can do--and do it well. I like to show people that you can either stop trying or you can pick yourself up and keep going. It's just more fun to keep going."

It must be, because faced with what Ben faces, most of us would quit.

Imagine what it feels like for Ben to watch his perfectly healthy twin, Alex, or his younger brother, Chris, run like rabbits for Hanna High, while Ben runs like a man whacking through the Amazon thicket. Imagine never beating anybody to the finish line. IMagine dragging along that stubborn left side, pulling that unbending tire iron of a leg around to the front and pogosticking off it to get back to his right.

Worse, he lifts his feet so little that he trips on anything--a Twinkie-sized rock, a licorice-thick

branch, the cracks between linoleum tiles. But, he won't let anybody help him up. "It messes up my flow," he says, He's not embarassed, just mad.

Worst, he falls hard. His brain can't send signals fast enough for his arms to cushion his fall, so he often smacks his head or his face or his shoulder. Sometimes his mom, Joan, can't watch.

"I've been coaching cross-country for 31 years," says Hanna's Chuch Parker, "and I've never met anyone with the drive that Ben has, I don't think there's an inch of that kid I haven't had to bandage up."

But never before Ben finishes the race. Like Rocky Marciano, Ben finishes bloody and bruised, but never beaten. Oh, he always loses--Ben barely finishes ahead of the sunset, forget other runners. But he hasn't quit once. Through rain, wind or welt, he always crosses the finish line.

Lord, it's some sight when he ges there: Ben clunking his way home, shepherded by all those kids, while the cheerleaders screech and the parents try to holler encouragement, only to find nothing coming out of their voice boxes.

The other day Ben was coming in with his huge army, Ben's Friends, his face stoplight red and tortured, that laborious gait eating up the earth inch by inch, when hefell not 10 yards from the line. There was a gasp from the parents and a second of silence from the kids. But then Ben went through the 15 second process of getting his bloody knees under him, his balance back and forward motion going again--and he finished. From the roar you'd have thought he just won Boston.

"Words can't describe that moment," says his mom. "I saw grown men just stand there and cry."

Ben can get to you that way. This is a kid who builds wheelchair ramps for Easter Seals, spends nights helping at an assisted-livign home, mans a drill for Habitat for Humanity, devotes hours to holding the hand of a disabled neighbor, Miss Jessie, and plans to run a marathon and become a doctor. Boy, the youth of today, huh

Oh,, one aside: Hanna High is also the home of a mentally challenged man known as Radio, who has been the football team's assistant for more than 30 years. Radio gained national attention in a 1996 Sports Illustrated story by Gary Smith and is the hero of a major motion picture.

Feel like you could use a little dose of humanity? Get yourself to Hanna. And while you're there, go outand join Ben's Friends.
You'll be amazed what a little jog can do for your heart.

--Rick Reilley

Sports Illustrated October 20, 2003

Summer Sport Bowling

2008-05-16T11:26:00.005-05:00

This summer at Pinsetters they are having a Thursday night league. Every week we have a new oil pattern to try to adjust to. What I like are the names of the patterns, last week it was Highway to Hell & last night it was Dead Man Walking. Kind of makes you wonder who's job it is to come up with these names...I'm waiting for the Brown Chicken Brown Cow oil pattern.
I did pretty well a week ago, averaging 173. But, last night was a different story, I averaged a 133.

The Smoking gun...

2008-05-14T18:09:00.005-05:00

Some of you may remember back during football season when CJ & Rhys "decorated" my car with KU stuff. It was a funny prank and I'm all for pranks, in college I may (or may not) have been a part of some missing goalposts, and for Hells Bells playing during the new clock dedication. Anyway, they had probably thought that I had forgotten about it, that was part of my plan...to lul them into a false sense of security. With the help from some friends I made the plan to drive to Manhattan today to put some fake bullet hole stickers on CJ's truck, at the same time I had Rhys' co-workers putting them on her car. One of CJ's co-worker's was in on the prank, I needed her to get CJ outside to see her car. This co-worker, we'll call her Sissy to protect her identity, was kind enough to move her car, which was parked directly in front of CJ's. So, when they came walking out she would be able to clearly see the front of her car. We were somewhat disappointed, because the bullet stickers resembled bird poop, so CJ didn't really fall for it like we'd hoped. But, about 5 I got a call from Rhys, she totally thought someone had shot up her car.
It really is fun to have good friends to pick on....who have a sense of humor and know that we pick on them because we care.

New (to me) Furniture!

2008-04-21T18:49:00.006-05:00

Thanks to Connie & Jamie, I have gotten new, gently used, furniture. It really fills up my living room, and the colors fit nicely in my house. The couch is a burgandy color and it is two pieces, it is 110" long, and is very comfortable. The chair is nice and big enough to take a nap in!

Rhys' First Day...

2008-04-17T14:05:00.004-05:00

So, if you've checked Rhys' blog today, you know that she got off to an interesting start at her new job...(check out her blog if you haven't heard the story). CJ & I decided it would be fun to get her something to help curtail her spilling problem. I found a huge KU plastic mug with a big handle and a tight lid. I had some help wrapping it and then found a card and took it to Rhys at her new office. Rhys wasn't there, but I've heard thru the grapevine, that she liked it.

Enjoy your new job Rhys, & try not to spill anything!!

If I Can't See Out of My Left Eye Tomorrow...

2008-04-16T20:10:00.002-05:00

Yoshi was itching a lot tonight and it had been a while since I had used Frontline flea & tick on him. So, I put him on the counter and was opening the applicator when he tried to jump down, I reached for him and the applicator opened and some got in my left eye. I took out my contact and flushed my eye with water...but, if I can't see tomorrow I'll know why. I did get the rest of it on Yoshi.

Yoshi's Haircut

2008-04-15T17:04:00.005-05:00

I took Yoshi to Court Street Veterinary care today for a haircut. His hair was really getting long and making it hard for him to see out. It's funny how different he looks after the haircut...

810 Zone

2008-04-14T09:31:00.002-05:00

If you ever have the chance to go to the 810 Zone in KC, I highly recommend it. Except for the $5 beers, it is a great place to watch a game. It has three floors, 81 flat screen tv's and two tv's that were 12' x 15'. The top floor has pool tables and video games. We were there for the KU North Carolina game and it was a festive environment. http://www.810zone.com/Default.aspx

Abby

2008-03-27T16:35:00.006-05:00

Abby really loves to smile. She's also learning to crawl and so Rachel & Pete have been busy getting things up off the floor. She likes to give those wet, baby kisses too!

NCAA Brackets Made Easy with Bracket-O-Matic

2008-03-19T18:18:00.001-05:00

It's almost here, tomorrow the NCAA tournament tips off. I know, technically it tipped off Tuesday night. But who are we kidding North Carolina is going to dismantle Mount St. Mary's. So, if you haven't filled out a bracket yet, you better get it done. It's always fun to see how your picks come out, there are the inevitable upsets. Enjoy the basketball!!

Mascot Fight at the 2008 Summit League Championship

2008-03-12T18:27:00.001-05:00

You gotta love mascots...

Erin Andrews does the Wabash

2008-03-05T18:00:00.001-06:00

Go State!

Knight Rider

2008-02-19T08:15:00.003-06:00

If you are ever tempted to watch the new Night Rider tv show, don't bother. It had some of the worst acting I've ever seen & the fight sequences were edited weird and didn't make any sense. Not to mention the actually brought David Hasselhoff back at the end of the show. That is 1/2 an hour of my life I will never get back.

Have you seen my dog?

2008-02-19T08:10:00.002-06:00

I gave Yoshi a bath the other day and he looks so different when he is wet!! He doesn't seem to mind too much, I think the water got a little too cool for him at one point, but I warmed it back up.

On other dog issues, I have some big neighbor dogs that like to use my yard to poop in. So, I did some research online and one of the suggestions was to put coffee grounds in your yard, that the smell would cause the dogs to not want to poop in your yard. I bought some coffee last night and went out and spread it around the yard. It's worth a try...right?

Abby

2008-02-12T08:18:00.001-06:00

?

2008-02-07T16:34:00.000-06:00

We saw this sign on our way to Nashville. I guess if you're a senior and you don't have a shower...

K-State

2008-01-30T08:47:00.001-06:00

Could this be the year? It hasn't happened since 1983, that K-State has beaten KU in Manhattan. That's a rediculous streak, that I'm hoping ends tonight, on my birthday! I think it will be a really close game, I'm going with my heart and predicting a KSU 81-75 win.

Go State!!!

Uncle Matt & Abby

2008-01-30T08:14:00.000-06:00

Giving Blood

2008-01-29T16:46:00.000-06:00

So, I went and gave blood today. I try to give as often as I can, I have that O-Negative type of blood that is compatible with most people. I had an appointment for 11:30, I got there at 11:20, hoping that I would get thru a little faster. Two hours later I was done. Two hours... are you kidding me?! They have gone to a computer system that lets you touch the screen to answer the questions, which should speed things up, but evidently it doesn't. I just don't understand why it has to take so long, I think they are discouraging a lot of people from giving. I know it is making me think twice about going.

Nelson's Landing

2008-01-14T09:25:00.000-06:00

I went to Nelson's Landing for the first time Saturday night. It was packed and we waited for over an hour to get our food. There was one waitress trying to keep up with 8 tables, I don't think they expected to be that busy. When she did bring our food she didn't have our appetizers, she showed us our ticket and they were marked off, which she said meant we had gotten them. But, we hadn't--so she gave them to us for free. They had a projection TV that we watched K-State beat Oklahoma on, and two other smaller tv's in the room we were in. The atmosphere was good, if you go, I would make sure you had plenty of time...

Things that bother me at sporting events

2008-01-10T08:19:00.000-06:00

I hate the wave, who came up with that? One section stands up and then sits down and then the next section is supposed to do the same thing all the way around the arena. As Adam Sandler's mom said in the Waterboy "it's of the devil".

Another thing that bothers me at basketball games is when someone fouls out and as they walk to the bench the crowd does the LEFT, RIGHT, LEFT, RIGHT thing as he walks to the bench then as he sits down the crowd yells SIT DOWN! I just think it's dumb.

Now it's your turn, tell me what bothers you at sporting events.

My house

2008-01-09T10:42:00.000-06:00

I thought some of you might like to see the inside of my home. I really enjoy having my own place! If you are ever in the area, feel free to stop by.

A few more Christmas pics

2007-12-31T10:21:00.000-06:00

Christmas 2007

2007-12-26T08:19:00.001-06:00

Slideshow December 2007

2007-12-24T14:26:00.001-06:00

Hey check out this slideshow that Rebecca made.
It is really cool!

Abigail Joy

2007-12-24T08:19:00.001-06:00

There's something very special about a baby, especially around Christmas time. She's celebrating her 4 month birthday today!

Central Office's Bowling Party

2007-12-20T08:40:00.000-06:00

On December 1st, we rented Pinsetter's bowling center for our Central Office Christmas party. Everyone had a fun time, they turned off the lights and we moonlight bowled. We ate a lot of stuffed olives, and then enjoyed hamburgers and fries or soup and grilled cheese sandwhiches.

Abby

2007-12-17T08:30:00.000-06:00

My sister Rachel and her husband Peter and their daughter Abby are here for the holidays. We are having a great time being together as a family. Abby is such a good baby and I'm enjoying spending time with her.

2007-12-14T09:49:00.001-06:00

Puppy

2007-12-14T08:20:00.000-06:00

I got a 13 week old Shihtzu puppy yesterday. I have named him Yoshi. He's been a lot of fun so far. Rhys volunteered to puppy-sit while I bowled last night, and she and her two dogs wore him out. He woke me up about 2am and had to go outside. Then he didn't want to go back in his kennel, but eventually he went back to sleep.

Titans Game

2007-12-13T08:23:00.000-06:00

Thanks to Jamie & Connie Jordan, Sean Baker & I were able to go to the Titans game against the Chargers. It was a cloudy, warm, day & we even got rained on some. We were all disappointed with the way the game turned out, but we had a blast. There is something about that stadium food!

Bowflex

2007-12-06T08:43:00.001-06:00

I found a great deal on a Bowflex on E-Bay and decided to order it. My goal is to start now, before new years and then I'm hoping it won't be a typical New Year's resolution that I would break. It came in in 7 boxes over the course of two days. I'm not the best with tools...so it took me a while, but I think it came out ok. I worked out with it for the first time this morning.

Thanksgiving Reunion

2007-11-24T11:29:00.000-06:00

On Thanksgiving we had our annual reunion. This year it was at the Baptist Church's Fellowship Hall. We had over 90 people attend. There was lots of food, altho, by the time I got thru the line the turkey was nearly gone. But, we did have plenty of mashed potatoes. I especially enjoyed the apple pie!

Japan

2007-11-24T09:00:00.000-06:00

I took a trip a few years ago to visit my sister and brother in law in Japan. We had a great time, I experienced some new foods--the blowfish, and learned a lot about their culture. It was an amazing trip, if you ever get a chance to travel abroad...go for it!