I can’t wait until Halloween! Last year I raised the bar pretty high. I got the bright idea to go from simply passing out candy to turning my garage into a miniature haunted house. Pretty cool, right? That’s the blueprint on the left. Basically I hang up large black vinyl drop cloths to create a short dark maze, add a lot of flashing lights (purple circles) and smoke from a fog machine, play some scary music in the background, and then add in as many props as I can. Oh yeah, and my Dad occasionally jumps out at you from around the corner (skulls). The haunted house was a big hit last year from small children to adults, so I’ve made several improvements and we’re going full steam ahead again this year. Unfortunately, as much as I'd love … [Read more...] about Weekend Wind Down 10/27/2012 – Welcome to the MMD Haunted House!
Weekend Wind Down
Weekend Wind Down 10/20/2012 – Back Home
There is nothing like being back home after a long business trip. This week I was traveling the east side of the country through NY State and then back through Canada. Everything was going smoothly until I hit the 401 highway to come home and got stuck in a wallop of traffic. I could not believe how business the road was on a Friday. Even the service station I stopped at for a quick bite was busier than a mall on Christmas Eve. Who knew that’s where everyone hangs out? … [Read more...] about Weekend Wind Down 10/20/2012 – Back Home
Weekend Wind Down 10/13/2012 – Going to the Lego Kids Fest
We’re going to make the dreams of our two kids come true this weekend by taking them to the promise-land: We’re going to the Lego Kids Fest! If you don’t know what that is, think of something like an “auto show” but everything is made out of Legos. There’s going to be classes from Master Lego builders, a museum, challenges, a huge brick pile, races, etc. My kids might explode when they get there. It’s going to be awesome. … [Read more...] about Weekend Wind Down 10/13/2012 – Going to the Lego Kids Fest
Weekend Wind Down 9/29/2012 – Angry with SB1040!
MMD is very mad right now. There are two things you don’t mess with when it comes to MMD: 1) My family, 2) My money. Right now, the state of Michigan is messing with both! According to a new law that was passed in our state called Senate Bill 1040 or SB1040, all public school employees are going to have their pension plans altered (aka reduced). The best part is that they let you decide how – by choosing from one of four somewhat convoluted choices. Isn’t that nice – would you like to cut off your thumb, ear, or toe? … [Read more...] about Weekend Wind Down 9/29/2012 – Angry with SB1040!
Weekend Wind Down 9/22/2012 – Terrible Scary Movies
I absolutely love scary movies! Especially around Halloween time. And I wish I had some good recommendations of recent movies for you to rent, but I don’t. Redbox has really been letting me down lately. Here’s a few terrible scary movies for you to avoid: • I remembered Silent House from the previews when it first came out, and I was looking forward to this one. At first when the movie started, it had a lot of potential. But then it just got kind of weird, a little boring, and worst of all – not very scary. • Next I tried to sort the Redbox movies by reviews and go with the highest rated one. A B-movie by some independent company called the The Haunting of Whaley House was up there, so I decided to give it that one a shot. I should have … [Read more...] about Weekend Wind Down 9/22/2012 – Terrible Scary Movies
Weekend Wind Down 9/15/2012 – MMD vs Phone Service
It was only a month ago that Mrs MMD finally decided after all this time to get a smart phone with a data plan and the whole nine yards. So we signed up for a new plan from Sprint and things were going good. Then out of nowhere this week, she’s no longer able to make or receive calls anymore. So twice I had to call, do the whole pull the battery out and put it back in, and waste a few hours talking with tech support. The end result: The phone still doesn’t work! As if one phone problem wasn’t enough, then our Vonage router started giving us problems. So I devoted yet another hour on the phone with the Vonage tech support going through their motions as well - pushing the reset button, unhooking cables, etc. Why does it always seem like … [Read more...] about Weekend Wind Down 9/15/2012 – MMD vs Phone Service
Weekend Wind Down 9/08/2012 – Starting the Soccer Season
As if going back to school wasn't bad enough, why don’t we cram one more activity in this week – let’s also start up soccer practice! That’s right. Not only did the kids (and wife) head back to school on Tuesday, they also headed right back outside for the start of the Fall soccer season in our community. We’ve already had our first game yesterday and another one this morning. When it rains, it pours! (Please whether – don’t really rain!) But it’s all good. The kids are getting so much better and having a lot of fun with it! … [Read more...] about Weekend Wind Down 9/08/2012 – Starting the Soccer Season
Weekend Wind Down 9/02/2012 – Labor Day Weekend
Sorry if I blew your mind posting on Sunday rather than Saturday, but that’s how I roll this weekend. We're taking this easy! Its Labor Day break, and that means one extra day off work! Yea! Did anyone else catch the Clint Eastwood Republican Convention speech? What was up with that? First of all, the poor guy looks to be +100 years old. Couldn't someone have combed his hair before he got up there? And he seemed to lose track of his own jokes at times. I’m not sure what they were trying to accomplish with this. … [Read more...] about Weekend Wind Down 9/02/2012 – Labor Day Weekend
