Christmas Eve 2015

Anthony and I had a few guests on Christmas Eve at our house. Anthony's aunt JoAnn, his brother Michael, and Michael's girlfriend Serena.

Anthony made some delicious eats, we swapped presents, had some laughs, and enjoyed their company.

JoAnn is staying in our guest room for about a week during the holidays. It's fun to have the space to have someone stay here. Lucky is not so sure about it though, he doesn't know what to do with himself having another person use the bathroom that he hides in during the day. He's doing as well as he can under the circumstances of having some chaos in the house while being the head case that he always is.

Merry Christmas Eve!

JoAnn and Anthony in their holiday headgear
enjoy a little drink from a little cup

Anthony, JoAnn, and the fat headed one

Our fireplace mantle decked out with presents.
Note the ghetto cardboard wind blocker I put
into the fireplace hole to keep the cold air out.
That's how us poor people do.

Holiday selfie with the fur child

Holiday table set up by Anthony

JoAnn muggin' with her mug

Cloud Atlas DVD gift

Anthony the elf opens his first gift

Anthony opens his big gift:
iPad Mini

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

Happy face

I got a present!

An iPhone holder for the poomobile

Opening my big gift

Amazon gift card!

Michael and Serena pay us a visit

Michael transforms into Father Christmas

Showing off our Christmas head gear

Anthony bought a telescoping stick that has mistletoe on the end.
Serena and Michael take advantage

Anthony found Michael's 49er stocking in a box in our house
when we moved in and resurrected it for this Christmas

Opening more gifts

Zombie Chia

Anthony was super excited to open this Walking Dead action figure

Michael explains why his thumb hurts.
The thumb met a rose bush and the rose bush won.

Movie theater gift card

Photo Booth Kit
My photos will be even sillier!

Showing off the photo booth kit

Showing them how the selfie screen works on my Sony RX100 3 camera

Anthony baked brownies and I frosted them with green frosting.
I added holiday sprinkles!

What's 28 inches tall and eats hay?

I booked a segment on the TV show today that included a mini-horse. We've had these on the show before but it doesn't happen often. It's not like a horse gallops into the studio every day.

I shot a selfie with the horse, named Billy Idol due to it's long white mane. I was a little slow hitting the shutter because approximately one second before the picture you'll see below, it leaned over and nuzzled my head.

It still was cute and fun though.

Billy Idol (the mini-horse) and Ken Carr
Good luck guessing which one eats hay.

Valentine's Day candy is on display on December 20

Anthony and I wrapped up another weekend with dinner and a trip to the grocery store.

Tonight's dinner was at Jersey Mike's, the sandwich place on Grant Road near Tanque Verde. We then went to the usual grocery store we shop at -- Walmart Neighborhood Market on Broadway.

The one unusual thing about tonight's excursion was at the grocery store. It's December 20th and Walmart Market already has a bunch of Valentine's Day candy out on display. I haven't even made it to Christmas yet and I'm already feeling the pressure of Valentine's Day. I hope I can sleep tonight.




Jersey Mike's on Grant Road in Tucson

My choice was the Chicken Bacon Ranch Cheese Steak sandwich.
I also got Miss Vickie's chips.
Shout out to Miss Vickie, we've had her as a guest
twice on the TV show talking about her cookbook.

Anthony in a sweater and hat at Jersey Mike's.
It's winter in Tucson you know.

Quaker Quinoa granola bars at Walmart Market.
Quinoa is like little ball bearings of starch.

Plastic dinosaur on the floor at Walmart Market.
Clean up on aisle five

Nobody drinks coffee plain anymore.
Thanks to Coffee-mate, it can now taste
like Snickerdoodle or chocolate chip cookies.

I'll make mincemeat out of you!



Someone left a big jar of cheese balls with the cookies.
It's like looking at a cheese ball's butt.

It's December 20th and just in time, the folks at
Walmart Market got the Valentine's Day candy out.
Whew.

Someone left a sack of green beans from the produce department
at the check out next to the candy bars.
A wise decision.
Candy bars will make you happier.

Here's a candy bar that knows Anthony well:
"Impatient"

Yooooo Anthony, I found this for you.
"Drama Mama"

First visit to Raising Cane's

After attending my company's holiday party, Anthony and I had dinner at Raising Cane's at Broadway and Wilmot here in Tucson on our trip home.

I get curious about new restaurants. It's been open for a few weeks and I wanted to try it out. Specifically, new restaurants that I feel are in my price range. The bill for both of us came to $14.86 which made my wallet happy.

I was a bit underwhelmed. The chicken fingers (I have no idea why they are called that since chickens have no fingers) were fine. Not exciting, but fine. They have a dipping sauce that didn't have much flavor to it but it seemed to be mayonnaise based with some kind of seasoning. It reminded me of the fry sauce I tried a few times when I lived in Utah in the 1990's.

The French fries were the standard crinkle cut variety and bland. I had to go get ketchup.

The highlight of the basket of food was the bread / toast. That was pretty tasty. Overall, I'd rate the food a 6 out of a possible 10.

The ambience of the restaurant did stand out a bit. It has some character including a disco ball that hangs near the cash registers where you order.

Anthony brought half of his dinner home so he could eat it for Sunday breakfast. There's nothing quite like cold chicken and fries to start a day.

Raising Cane's at Broadway and Wilmot in Tucson

Anthony stabs his drink with a straw

Selfie of me drinking Diet Coke through a straw



Toast, fries, chicken, and Cane's sauce

Disco ball hanging in the restaurant.
Ridiculousness



There's my name on the wall:
"What are 'ya... chicKEN?"

Company Holiday Party 2015

The company I work for hasn't had a holiday party in years but we had one tonight. The party was at Reid Park Zoo in the Conservation Center.

The zoo has their Zoolights event going on in the evenings and Anthony and I walked around for a bit so I could shoot some photos. They don't have most animals out for display during Zoolights but we did see camels. The camels were giving people rides and it made me laugh when Anthony announced that he thought they were stinky. I suggested we go for a ride on one but my idea was quickly shot down. He's not the adventurous type.

At the party there was a selfie wall with some fun things to put on for a photo, there was a bar, and some raffle prizes. Anthony and I both won and I chose an envelope that had car wash coupons. Anthony received a Home Depot gift card. We'll both be able to put these items to good use.

I had fun shooting some photos and mingling with my co-workers. I also ate two cookies. That was exciting because I really like cookies.

Spread of appetizers

Balls in a glass.
Sounds like a date I've had

Cookies! I ate two of them.



Tina and Jesse

Ken and Anthony selfie

Zach, Erica, Anthony

My fat head, Zach, Erica

Anthony, Ina
Bonus: Photo bomb featuring Tina's finger in her eye

Zoo lights at Reid Park Zoo

More Zoo lights at Reid Park Zoo

Even more zoo lights

Strands of lights in the trees

It's a camel!
Anthony didn't want to take a ride.
Sad face.

Camera shy camel

The Zoo lights are pretty

Hippos

Flowers, ladybug, leaf

This shooting star was choreographed to music

Anthony, and Alex who was scared of the cheese

Live green snake on display in the conservation center

Veronica found something that Alex said kind of funny

I wanted to go in this door but they didn't believe me
when I said that I qualified as an animal

Live turtle on display in the conservation center

Heather made me feel loved.
Or, at least tolerated.



Crowd photo at the party

Mike and his daughter

Leslie and Ina at the selfie wall

Alex, Stephanie, Jason

Jesse, Tina, Heather, Greg

Acknowledging some folks who worked hard on the party



Alex won a s'mores kit in the raffle drawing

I won car wash coupons.
The poomobile will have a Merry Christmas.

Anthony shows off the Home Depot gift card he won
while Jesse the chucklehead photo bombs behind him

Mix and mingle to the jingling beat

Alex gets cozy with an elf, Santa, and Mrs. Claus

The Morning Blend crew takes a turn at the selfie wall.
I moustache you something...