My Blog Is Putting The Stack Marriage To The Test

Brian enters the living room. Erica is seated at the couch with her laptop in front of her.

Brian: What are you up to?

Erica: I can't talk to you right now. I'm reading what you wrote in your blog.

***

Now, one great feature of a blog is that it improves communication...but when you live in the same house...why would you want to read what someone is thinking on their blog? Why not try asking them?

Hmmm....I don't get it...but I'll let it slide. If there is one thing I've learned this summer, its never to piss off a pregnant woman, especially when it is above 80 degrees outside.

I love you Erica! :)

New Business Opportunity

I'm looking for people to be part of my new business venture. If you get in on the ground floor, I'd be willing to give you some nice stock options in my company. Want to know what you're getting into first? Allow me to explain.

Does this picture look familiar to you? You're in a hurry, and the last thing you want to do is stand in a long line. It could be the bank, the registry, the ticket counter, the check-out, hell, even a restaurant. Yes, standing in line is inevitable. Or, is it?

Not so with my new company. My staff will do all the waiting for you! We'll get there early to get the "good spots" in line, and then sell them to you for a reasonable price. Wanna be first in line at the restistry? $100.00! Want to have no wait at Applebees? $75.00. Late for work and need that Dunkin' Donuts Coffee? We'll get you to the front of the coffee line for only $10.00. When you are in a rush, call us! We'll be there!

I got this idea today after waiting in line for well over an hour to pay New Hampshire my state car registration fee (see an earlier post on not letting your auto registration go five months expired). The poeple in line thought it was a good idea!

Movie Review: Charlie & The Chocolate Factory

I'll admit, I was a bit skeptical of this movie from the previews. I'm not really a big Tim Burton fan, and I thought the movie was going to be a little dark and creepy.

Not so at all. There were parts of this movie that I thought made it better than the 1971 original. I would recommend you see this at some point, whether in theaters or as a rental.

Without giving away any important surprises (and there are a few), the remake movie spends a little more time developing the Willy Wonka character, and there are a few characters that were not in the other movie (such as Charlie Bucket's father).

All around, decent flick. Check it out.

Important Reminder!

This message is brought to you by the good people at the Stack Family.

Remember to check your cars for their inspection sticker due dates. If you don't do this, you may find yourself in some hot water.

Why would I tell you this? It just so happened today that a friendly police officer from Groveland told me that my sticker was just slightly overdue, five months to be exact.

I'm not sure how on Earth I would ever forget to do this, but I did.

Oh well.

Stack's Mystery Picture Game

Welcome to the first round of Stack's mystery game. Each week (OK, lets be honest...when I feel like it), I'll post a random picture from the internet and see who knows what it is. The winner gets a big..CONGRATULATIONS! But, no CAPS for you, Pam. I don't want to offend your new neighbors.

Can you correctly identify what this picture is?

Join The Mike Stack Challenge

For a baby boomer, my father has become pretty internet savvy over the last couple years. He can navigate the web, send and receive email, and even order things online. Not bad for a guy born in the 1940's who's two favorite sayings are "man alive" and "pitch it". Well, lets see just how internet savvy he really is.

Today, I sent him a link to my new website. Hopefully, he'll click it and see his mugshot staring at him. Dad, if you are reading this, lets see if you can figure out how to leave a comment about this post. Maybe it will even take a shot at me, your favorite son!

Give it a shot. Let's see what you're made of!

Any bets as to how long this will take him?

Celebrity Profile: Mackenzie Pinet

Name: Mackenzie Anna Pinet
DOB: April 6, 2004, in Methuen, MA.
Residence: Atkinson, NH

Favorite Color: Anything But White.
Favorite Music: The Wiggles
Favorite Food: Mac & Cheese
Favorite Toy: Uncle Brian's Cell Phone

Favorite Uncle: Uncle Brian
Favorite Place To Go: Uncle Brian's House.
Favorite Saying: Yet To Be Determined
Favorite Animal: Nookie the Dog
Dislikes: Cold Bathtubs, Walking in Grass, and Doing Laundry (hence the picture).

The Bank Won't Take My Money!

The bank won't take my pennies. So what if they are in "wrappers." It's money...why won't they take it.

They told me it is inconvenient for them to count my pennies. But if I brought in hundreds of big bills, they would count them!

Its discrimination I tell you!

How Many Email Addresses Do You Have?

I just finished checking my email. Why is that such a pain? Well, I have three email addresses. You can catch me at:

bstackbu@yahoo.com
bstackbu@hotmail.com
bstack@aps1.net

Why three? Well, it just sort of worked out that way. Yahoo is my main address, all the mail I WANT goes there. Hotmail is my junk address. All the mail I DON'T WANT and a few things I NEED go there. The problem is, I use it when I think some company is going to spam me, but I have to check it because that company might send me something I need. APS1 stands for Andover Public Schools...it is my work address. I wouldn't use this at all, but since everyone in the school system has one of these accounts, parents and teachers alike just send me stuff to that address assumming I check it. So, I have to keep on top of that site too.

So, I got to wondering, why not just forward everything to one account? I have one US Mail box at my house, and it sends me everything I WANT and everything I DON'T WANT. Why should it be any different for email?

I'm stumped. Thoughts?

Pope Hilarius....A New Home for an Old Post

With all this hysteria over Benedict XVI, our new Pope, I started to do a little research for ways I could give back to my beloved Cathloic Church. After all, its been a while since I’ve been to mass. So I thought, well, I could be a pope. I mean, I have good ideas, and people might listen to me. So, I looked into what I would have to do to become one. It turns out, this sort of thing happens often. They call themselves “antipopes”. According to the web encyclopedia Wikipdeia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antipope), “An antipope is one whose claim to being Pope is the result of a disputed or contested election. These antipopes were usually in opposition to a specific person chosen by the papal electors.” One of the last such antipopes was Benedict XIII in the 16th century. Hmm…this was getting a little too ironic. So, I’ve decided to start my campaign for antipope. I’ve decided to call myself Pope Hilarius II. (Named after Pope Hilarius who served in 461-468). Why would you want to elect me? Well, to start, I meet all Catholic Curch requirements (I am a baptised, confirmed Catholic male). Second of all, I have some great ideas. Here are just a few: Drive-Thru Confessionals. Sure we’d all go to confession if we had the time, but who has that kind of time anyway? Well, fear not, drive-thru’s are here. Pull up to the speaker, say your peace, and then drive up to the window to receive your pennance. Value Meals. It has always been such a pain to have to get up during mass, get your bread, and then go to a separate line for your wine. Wouldn’t it be great if you could get it all in one stop? And to sweeten the deal, wouldn’t it be great to offer value meals with more “tasty” options? How about a grilled host toast sandwich? Host fries? And why does wine have to be the only drink of choice? Didn’t they have beer back then? We could have holy beer, and even let you drink it out of that same golden chalice!Leather Recliners With Cup Holders. I can’t imagine anyone really enjoys sitting on those uncomfortable pews. I’d install leather recliners with cup holders (for the holy beer, of course) in all my churches. You’ll be able to enjoy mass in style.Club Seats At Churches. Following the trend at sporting arenas, I’d propose we install club seats at churches, which offer all the amenities you’d ever need at a mass: Personal massages, a fully stocked bar (with holy beer and wine, of course), and anything else you’d need. That would really bring in money for the church. Oh, and while we’re at it, why not sell the naming rights to the churches to bring in some extra cash? How would you like to attend the UPS Parish, or the St. Wendy’s Cathedral? Rent-A-Nun. If you had the chance, you’d pray all day for God to help you get that job promotion, or to help your favorite sports team win the big game. But who has time for that? Nuns do, and for $30 an hour ($180 for an 8-hour day), they are yours! They’ll do all the praying for you so you can get on with your life. What a deal! (And a moneymaker for the church). These are just some of the amazing ideas I have as I work to improve the Catholic Church. If you’d like to send me a donation to help me get started, you know where I live. The Fine Print: This blog posting is not meant to offend anyone, and should be taken for its humor value only!

How To Battle Rising Gas Prices

For the past ten years, I have

religiously filled my gas tank with "middle-grade" gasoline. Why, you ask? Well, for a variety of reasons. People always told me my engine would run better, the engine would stay cleaner, and I would get better mileage. Well, after watching one of those news magazine shows (I can't remember if it was Dateline, Primetime, or 60 Minutes), I now see that I've been wrong.

Most "newer" cars on the road today get no benefit from higher octane gases. Good old 87 octane is just right. So why do people like me continue to purchase the higher octane gas? I guess because we enjoy padding the pockets of the oil disributers.

Well, with the price of gas soaring (and owning 2 gas-guzzling SUV's), I'm making the switch to cheaper gas. Oh, and by the way, the news report also said there is no difference between name-brands and generic brands of gas either. So, to hell with you, Exxon, Mobile, and Sunoco. I'm sticking with good old Haffner's. It kicks!

Stack's First Thought Provoker

Here's something to ponder:

Imagine for a moment that you could dig a hole so deep, it went right through the Earth to the other side. Now, imagine dropping an object into the hole. Gravity would pull the object down. But what would happen when you reached the center of the Earth? Would the object just start levitating?

Hmmm.....

It's All In A Name

If we have a baby girl, Erica and I were tossing around the name Kaylee if it is a girl. The problam is, how do you spell it?

• Kaylee
• Kaylie
• Kali
• Kaleigh
• Kayley
• Kailie
• K-Lee

And I thought just AGREEING on the name would be hard enough!

Oh....no decision yet on boy's names. :)

Welcome to the Taj-Stack-Hall

Well, in just three more short weeks, Erica and I will be the proud new owners of this yellow cape in Plaistow. We can't wait to get started working on the baby's room.

I can't wait to try out that new riding lawn mower that we got in the deal.

Now, all we need to make our NH home complete is a beat-up car to put in the front yard. Anyone have one we can borrow?

Stack Burgers

How To Build The Perfect Stack Burger:

Start with good hamburger meat...like ground sirloin. Figure 1/4 pound per person, minimum. Add one egg per pund, steak sauce or BBQ sauce, finely chopped onion, garlic, freshly chopped parsley, salt, and pepper to taste. Other great additives include chopped mushrooms, grated cheese, mayo, or ground sausage. The sky is the limit. Mix with your hands, but do not overmix. If your mixture is too wet, add breadcrumbs as needed. Then form into patties and grill to perfection.