Updatin' Like Crazy

Here's a quick rundown of the recent goings on in my marvelous microcosm


ENGAGEMENT and more!!!
My brother John recently asked his girlfriend Lauren to marry him and she was kind enough to oblige...Jon Jon is getting married!!!! We are all very excited for him:) And if that wasn't enough great news for him, the betrothed couple also purchased a home as well!!! How very wonderful!

FERTILE MYRTLE
My sister just found out a couple of weeks ago that she is pregnant with her third child. Blaze (my nephew) has quite a job ahead of him as big brother to Carol Ann, Heather, and the soon-to-be-named sibling on the way!

For he's a jolly good fellow...
Big John had a birthday. What a great way to spend family night. The birthday boy is the one in the feather boa.

What Horse? I didn't see no stinkin' horse!
Last weekend was the Spring Steeplechase here in Aiken. Family and close friends were on hand to make this years "Ritali" population quadruple from last year's attendance. Truckloads of sunblock were on hand to fight the harmful UV attack from our precious solar system's star. It was used liberally and I am happy to say that Polly and I came out with little to no sunburn at all. We also hydrated ourselves with plenty of beer (there's water in beer, right?). Wagering for the weekend didn't go very well at all. I was the first player out of the poker game the night before the races and didn't win a single pot on any of the horses I picked.

Funny Pants Week (AKA White Male Executive Mecca)
Master's Week descends upon the CSRA next week. Hundreds of thousands will converge upon this region to see the Azalea's, Amen Corner, and the manicured lawns of the Augusta National. Houses will be rented, parties will rage, and cigars will be smoked...most importantly it is a break for my wife Polly. She gets some time to herself next week:)


Anyway, that's the rundown for now...later people.

I Heart Wikipedia- The Grog Post

Avast maties, scrub the poop deck and hoist the sails!

I said "poop"

Let me describe the evolution of a blog post:
Today I began with an idea of what I was going to write about. I thought I should do a preemptive, St. Patrick's Day Eve post describing some of the traditions associated with this holiday. I would of course mention beer, green beer, the Irish, whiskey, parties, parades, and snakes in this lil' post 'o mine. My mind jumped to something I recalled from John Leguizamo's One-Man show, "Freak" where he encountered a group of drunken Irish brothers whom he nicknamed, Grog, Ale, Mead, Killian, Guinness, and Stout. I began to think, "I don't know what Grog is."

Wikipedia to the rescue.

While I still am not sure about what Grog is exactly (from what I could gather it had something to do with dilution of rum with fresh water and citrus juices), what I did learn is the history of this drink has a direct relation to why the British are sometimes referred to as limeys.

In an effort to ration rum, British sailors on board with Admiral Edward Vernon often cut the rum with water and limes or other citrus juices. This practice also made them one of the more healthy because unbeknownst to them, the sailors were fending off diseases, mainly scurvy, by consuming vitamin C in their "Grog." Hence, British sailors were referred to as "limeys" because of all the limes they would consume with their rum concoction. Although "limey" is derogatory nomenclature, it holds an inherent value of blind luck and intelligence

  "A mighty bowl on deck he drew.
 And filled it to the brink;
 Such drank the Burford's gallant crew,
 And such the gods shall drink,
 The sacred robe which Vernon wore
 Was drenched within the same;
 And hence his virtues guard our shore,
 And Grog derives its name."

Learnt sumptin new e'ry day.


coming tomorrow- the St. Patty's Day Post

Pi Day

Today is my birthday!!! No, really, it is...

For all of you math geeks out there, today is a day to celebrate...

It is Pi day. March 14th. Like April 20th (4/20) for potheads, today is a day for math nerds to unite, have a party and calculate...stuff. If you want to really geek out, you'll have your Pi part today at 1:59

The only thing I remember about Pi is that when you multiply it times the square of the circle's radius, you have the area of the circle. Pi r squared. Combine that with the Pythagorean Theorem and that is all I learned from high school geometry.

For those of you who care what the number Pi is to 49 places, here you go...

3.14159 26535 89793 23846 26433 83279 50288 41971 69399 37510

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Zoe Watch...number 3???

I think the last time I posted about Zoe was titled, "Zoe Watch...numero 2" or something like that. Seems that I haven't mentioned her in any recent posts and thought it would be a good one to start with.

On Friday, my wife and I took our youngest dog, Zoe to her vet appointment which was the last round of "puppy shots." The last two shots protect her from Parvo and Rabies. Also, after weighing her, we found out that Zoe is a healthy 6.2lbs and her rectal temperature was normal, so she's got that going for her. As far as personality, Zoe is still hard-headed. She eats her sister's food, poops when she's angry, and is still chewing things that she shouldn't. She is sleeping through the night and has learned how to "sit".
Overall, we are very happy with how she is doing. She is still fearless when taking on her sister Lilly who outweighs her by at least 10lbs. However, when she wants down from the couch she whines like a baby...go figure.


March is a busy month for the Riede's. Birthdays, Horses, and McFly's...oh my!! Posts with pictures to come: Triple Crown Street Fair, St. Patrick's Day, Aiken Trials, Steeple Chase, just to name a few. Back with more!!!

Love the mullet you crafty bastard.

Through the Looking Glass

My absence has gone on long enough, time to blog...

Many years ago I started on a path that continues on today...my journey into hipster stardom has now peaked with the addition of square-framed, rimless on the bottom eyeglasses to my accessory ensemble. Armed with my iPod, ripped jeans (due to wear, not factory torn), a vintage t (one size too small), and now the specs have I have not rounded out my outfit. The amazing thing about any accessory, be it glasses, a wedding ring, body piercings, or children (it is sad to think of kids as accessories, but that's just how some parents view their children) is that they give you various credibility with that particular subculture. Married couples typically gravitate towards other married couples, those that have children often arrange activities with other parents, and people with nose rings are mostly found hanging out with another bearing a body piercing of some sort. These groups are reminiscent of high school cliques without the overbearing issue of popularity, although some groups do think they are better than others. I guess my point is that we surround ourselves with people that are going through the same problems and sharing our achievements and failures with them. These people understand us and can truly sympathize with our struggles. They can offer wisdom and insight as well as serve as an outlet for frustration.

I haven't truly gotten used to my looking glass yet, but I am getting there. However, I feel a certain bond now with the rest of the eyeglass wearing world.