How a Weekend at Bed and Breakfast Almost Turned Awkward

So Pam and I have become big fans of fun weekends away, guess it's the fun of not having kids yet.  Last year I was looking for a place over near Dawsonville, GA and went to my favorite travel site, Kayak.com.   These were the top 3 choices and the 3rd one "Paradise Valley Resort" look really nice complete with a pool and walking trails when you click on the description.  Looks pretty innocent right?

So I was about to call and make a reservation when I thought to Google it.  There you quickly learn, "Paradise Valley Resort & Club is Georgia's Premier Clothing Optional Resort!"  They even have a promotional video and events like a "clothing optional" 5K.  The website and video are pretty tame, but I guess we'll say "viewer discretion advised."

So I guess beware of listings on Kayak, Expedia and the such as evidently "nudist colony" wasn't important enough to make the description.  We ended-up at a nice bed and breakfast down the road, but it sparked some fun conversation with my wife and other couples as to what we would have done had we shown up with a reservation we couldn't cancel.  Stay and lock the doors?  Eat the loss and go down the street to a hotel?  I guess we'll never know what we would have done or the reaction to the surprise we would have had, but still makes for a good story based on this alone!

Marriage Advice From Famous People?

Volleyball Star Gabrielle Reece Ignited Controversy with Marriage Advice Saying Being ‘Submissive’ is a Sign of Strength.  I think many people read these verses wrong thinking this is only the job of the woman.  I even had Starting Point girls say that if they were expected to believe that they were walking.  I think we're all called to be submissive to each other, putting others before ourselves, husbands and wives.  Keep in mind although it doesn't say explicitly, "husbands be submissive to your wives" in the Bible, it does call on them to love their wives like Jesus loved the church.  Keep in mind he was willing to die for it, that's a far cry from woman get me a beer.  I think we're surrounded by selfishness and it's even encouraged in our culture, so anything contrary to it sticks out.  Well it's up to each couple to determine what works for them, but a little less selfishness is probably something we all could benefit from.

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Aaron Rodgers has an amazaing arm, Tom Wrigglesworth not so much...

The NFL schedule came out last night and the NFL draft is only a week away, so even though it's spring, I've got football on the brain.  Aaron Rodgers is a funny man from his photo bombing every captain's picture to his State Farm commercials to his witty tweets.  In one of those commercials you may have caught British comedian Tom Wrigglesworth.  I first saw Tom on the show Outrageous Acts of Science as a comedic scientific expert commentator (yep, he's funny and smart).  It was a few weeks later when some sports radio guys noticed a resemblance to Aaron Rodgers and then it took on a life of it's own when Tom got his own State Farm commercial.  You can see a video below where Tom visits Green Bay and frequently gets mistaken for Aaron.  It also gives you a flavor of the area where I grew up.



So Tom is a funny and smart guy, but I think Mr. Wrigglesworth would struggle to do this!

For Earth Day I'm Turning Over a New Leaf!

OK, I actually bought a new Leaf and I'm very excited!  I needed a new car as my old one was on the verge of needing several multiples in repairs more than what it was worth, so we decided to take the plunge.  I'd like to say it's all "green" thinking, but economics were a huge part with gas savings and the $12,500 in tax credits we'll get.  I've always been OK with owning "different" cars from my 1988 Hyundai Excel (before Hyundai was good) to a Mazda RX-8 with a rotary engine to a VW Jetta diesel, so I'm more excited than worried about owning a bit of an oddity.  The 84 mile range makes you plan a bit more, but the car is a cathedral to technology with all the creature comforts you could want in a commuter car.  I admit I have some initial range anxiety, but a fast charger for home and work with my predictable route should make that go away pretty quick.  I also pass a Nissan dealership going to work and I can always do a 5 minute quick charge there in a pinch.  Sure its a bit inconvenient, but the gas savings in our checking account and the $12,500 in tax credits in January will happily have me put up with a few inconveniences.

Me, Pam and Leafy

Speaking of tax credits, it's sad to see Georgia's $5,000 tax credit probably disappearing July 1st, but what's worse is the new $200 fee on electric vehicles up from $35.  The fee is meant to offset the lost tax from EV owners not buying gas and paying gas tax to fund the transportation budget, but I think the amount is a bit unfair.  $200 is more than the gas taxes paid by an average Georgia resident driving a large SUV getting 15 miles per gallon!  I agree EV owners should have to pay something, but $100 like a standard car seems much more reasonable.  I think the gas tax system worked great for a long time, the more you drove the more you paid toward road upkeep, but alternative fuel vehicles are a huge disruption to this system.  See the chart below to see what you pay in gas tax every year:

http://www.myajc.com/news/annual-gas-tax/

I love my Leaf already, Pam and I call her Leafy.  If you want a great car at a great price the Nissan Leaf is an awesome choice provided you can get over any "range anxiety" issues.  Well my electric car adventure begins, look for updates coming soon!

Who was the real Jesus?

As Easter approaches it's interesting to think of the real historical Jesus really was.  In Western culture he's often depicted as one step removed from a surfer dude, but based on the area of the world he was born in the reality was quite different.  In fact Jesus would probably stand a good chance of being "randomly selected" at airport security or a homeless guy.  So when you picture Jesus what do you see, the guy on the left or the guy on the right?

Of course there are a couple of funny Hollywood takes too:

As Easter approaches it's good to think about who the real Jesus was and maybe it changes how we view those who look a bit different than us.