I'm Thinking Arby's

Is there a better fast food place then Arby's?

My answer to that question would be an emphatic NO! For my money, no fast food place can compete with a good Arby's Roast Beef Sandwich and Curly Fries. Sure, Wendy's has its moments, as does KFC. But Arby's brings its A game daily. My current favorite is the French Dip & Swiss Toasted Sub. For some reason, it's better than almost any French Dip you can get at a any of the chain restaurants.

Another reason Arby's is the best is their kids meals. Rather than put a stupid plastic toy in them, they put a game that actually challenges the brain. One time, the kids got a nice glider toy in their kids meal. Another time, David got a small DK book on Arctic Animals...he still likes to look at that book.

Well, now that I'm hungry...I'm thinking Arby's.

Book Review: "The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel"

A couple of weeks ago, we were in Barnes and Noble and I said to my wife..."I need a good adventure book." She went straight to the teen section and pulled 3 books. The one I chose was "The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel", by Michael Scott.

My wife is a genius! "The Alchemyst" is a fast paced adventure, full of magic, warriors, myths and legends. Michael Scott uses just about every legend, from ancient Egyptian Goddesses, to Atlantis, to King Arthur to weave a terrific story set in and around 2007 San Francisco. Being that Scott is Irish, some of the mythological beings are of Irish Lore, and require a little digging if you want to find out more.

"The Alchemyst" follows twin 15 year olds, Sophie and Josh Newman as they discover a world of magic and mystery after they witness their friend Nick Fleming and his wife Perry get into a magical dual with the infamous Dr. John Dee. When Perry is captured, Fleming tells the kids that they are in grave danger because of what they have seen. He tells them he is really Nicholas Flamel, one of the great Alchemysts of all time, born in Paris, France in 1330. From there, the story takes off and doesn't stop, even on the last page. I can't say more without giving too much away.

Every character in this book, with the exceptions of Sophie and Josh, are based on myths and legends from around the world. For example, Nicholas Flamel, did live in Paris in the 1300's, and was rumored, along with his wife Perenelle, to be immortal. This rumor got started because upon their deaths, their tomb was raided and found empty. If you remember, Flamel was also mentioned by J.K. Rowling in the first Harry Potter Book. The use of characters and legends we all know make for a very fun read. It's also fun if you don't know them...you can do research if you are a nerd like me.

"The Alchemyst" is the first in a planned 6 book series. Books 2 and 3 are available now, and I'm already working on Book 2, "The Magician". If you are a fan of books like Harry Potter, then I think you'll really like "The Alchemyst".

We are a Conservative Nation!

That title line may come as a shock to anybody who has watched recent US elections. But it doesn't to me. I've been arguing since 2005 that we haven't had very many real conservative candidates in recent years. Basically, it's been a choice between far left liberals (democrats) and moderate liberals (republicans). And, frankly, the democrats are better at being liberal than the republicans are.

But a recent Gallup Poll found that 40% of Americans describe themselves as conservative. Only 21% of Americans describe themselves as liberal, while 35% say they are moderate. Given that 60% of all moderates are really liberals who won't admit it, that means there is still 54% of the vote available to anyone who would run as a straight up, unabashed fiscal and social conservative.

I'm talking real conservatism here, based on the Constitution and the idea of limited government and freedom for the people. If we get a candidate like that in 2012, Barack Obama won't stand a chance of a 2nd term.

Back from Vacation!

We got back from our week long vacation this afternoon around 3 p.m. We made good time today...as a man, I love to say that.

Overall, we had a great week off. We saw a lot of family, ate lots of good food, and I got to play a fair amount of golf. Though, my play was terrible. However, even a bad day of the golf course is better than my best day at the office. ; - )

Some of the highlights of my week:

• Playing Nintendo Wii with my wife and kids.
• Taking my kids to Melgaard Park in Aberdeen, SD.
• Celebrating Amanda's birthday with family on Sunday.
• Sleeping in!
• Achieving pro status as a bowler on Wii Sports.
• Eating 16 buffalo wings at Shenanigan's in Aberdeen, SD...and not breaking a sweat. I've still got it!
• Going to a Bull Head Fish Fry at Buffalo Lake in extreme Northeast South Dakota. It was DELICIOUS!
• Taking my dog for several long walks.
• Playing 54 holes of golf.
• Seeing most of my mom's side of the family yesterday.
• Learning about GPS guidance systems on Tractors from my cousins who are engineers/farmers. Yes, I am an engineering nerd!
• Reading a new book...blog post to come on that later in the week.

Lots of other really good family times, too numerous to mention.

One other really good thing about vacation is I totally don't pay attention to what is going on in the world, which is probably a good thing. I hear that we sent some Gitmo Detainees to Bermuda. I don't even know what to say about that. I also read that the Iranian President probably stole an election...why are we surprised about that? Free elections in Iran are a joke, anybody with common sense knows that.

Anyway...it was a great week! It's good to be back home, though getting up early and going to work tomorrow will be tough. I'm sure I will have a lot to catch up on, and we have a busy week ahead on the home front. But having such a great week last week makes everything seem worth it.