Turkey Burgers

So I made turkey burgers for dinner tonight and thought I would share my recipe. I know what you are thinking... Matt, why aren't you posting this on your recipe blog? Because no one looks at that says I. I'll probably throw it up there too, but for now here it is:

Ingredients:
1.25 pounds of Ground Turkey
Half of a large red onion
1/4 pound of bacon
2 cloves of garlic
2 jalapeños
A-1 Steak Sauce to taste
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste

I start by cutting the bacon up into tiny little pieces, like bacon bits, and frying until crisp. Next, chop up your onion, jalapeños, and garlic. Drain the grease off of the bacon and let the bacon sit on paper towels until crisp and cool. Once cool, mix everything together and make into patties. And that's it. Fry or grill however you prefer. I used an electric skillet.




I topped mine with some sharp cheddar cheese, mayo (miracle whip really), ketchup, mustard, and pickles. They were quite tasty.




Enjoy!

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Views

Since the posting of my YouTube video on the Bok Tower website, it went from 54 views up to 119. I know this doesn't sound that exciting, but it is to me. Now all I need to do is figure out how to start making money doing this so I can quit my job.


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Technology

So I FaceTime'd with my brother Nick tonight and was just blown away. I had played with FaceTime a little when I first got my iPhone, but this is the first time I used it for a significant amount of time. Nick (it's really Katy's) got his iPad 2 today and we chatted via FaceTime for about an hour. This really is the freaking future. Nick was even able to stream a movie while we chatted. I know am a fanboy, but this really is an amazing machine. People that hate Apple will always try and find something wrong with their products, "It won't do this, or it won't do that.". I have had this since the day it came out and I have not once said that. It has lived up to the hype and then some. Does Apple make expensive computers? Yes. Do they make computers that almost always work? Yes. Is it worth paying more for the security of knowing that you will have little to no problems with their products? I think so. Do I like answering my own questions? Sometimes. :)


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I'm Famous!!!

Okay, maybe not yet, but I am on my way. Let me start at the beginning...
At the beginning of the year James, Tim, Tiff, Lauren, and myself went Geocaching at Bok Tower Gardens. If you aren't familiar with Geocaching, check out www.Geocaching.com or watch my videos on YouTube at www.youtube.com/mroberts795

So today, I got an email from a guy with the Bok Tower Gardens communications department. Here is what he said:

"I'm putting together our eNewsletter for Bok Tower Gardens and this time around we're doing a small write up about Geocaching. I was wondering, if you are agreeable, if you could send me some high resolution photos that appeared in the video for use on our website?
You're video was fantastic and I think it shows the true spirit of what geocaching is about!"

I of course said yes, and that I would send the photos tonight. He responded to thank me and offered to give me and my group a tour of the tower next time we come out. How awesome is that? So I sent him ten photos saying that I had more if he wanted them. I also told him that he can link my videos to the newsletter if he wants. Could this be my first step towards fame and fortune?

Probably not, but it's fun to dream.


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Murphy's Law

So Lauren and I have been talking a lot about vacation plans for the rest of the year, and have been getting excited. In May we have planned a little weekend trip to Sanibel to get away from reality for a couple of days. And then Murphy's Law rears it's ugly head.
The day after we book the trip, the battery in my truck dies. Not the worst thing that could happen, but it is definitely an unplanned wallet stinger. This has to happen to other people right? It can't just be me.
All my life it seems like just when I am making some headway, something knocks me back. Don't get me wrong, I'm not struggling now like I have in the past. I have definitely seen lean times. Well, figuratively speaking that is. :) Maybe I am just bad at life? Would my battery have died if I hadn't bought this iPad I am typing on?
This is not a new pattern in my life by the way. I have more examples. A month after I bought this truck, I lost my job. When I got my job at Barnes and Noble, back in the day, it was the same day Summer left. Granted, that ended up being a blessing in disguise for both of us in the long run, it was not fun the day it happened. I know everything happens according to God's plan. I can't help thinking that sometimes, God is distracted by other things in the world and my plan goes off track momentarily.
Did I really just blame my dead battery on the earthquake/tsunami/nuclear disaster in Japan? Yes. Yes I did. Am I serious? No. No I am not.
Okay, I have been sitting in this food court too long. How long could it possibly take to change a battery and do an oil change?



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Facebook Politics

So I have quite a few friends that enjoy starting political debates on Facebook. I have to admit that sometimes, my voyeuristic side comes out and I really enjoy reading them. I try very hard to not get caught in the middle of these, but every once in a while...

So I posted a quote earlier that I thought was amusing having to do with NPR. I did not intend to start anything, and it didn't get super heated, but it made me realize how passionate people are when it comes to some things. I don't think that is a bad thing by the way, I think it is a good thing. Ensuring people have the right to express their views means that I also have the same right. What bothers me is when it gets out of hand.

This has not happened on my page, and I hope that it never does, but I know some people that used to go at it politically so much on Facebook, that they don't even talk anymore. Now, it's not like they were best of friends to start with, but they were at one point in time, (high school) friends. It would really concern me if someone stopped talking to me because of my political views that may occasionally show up on FB. I am so much more than my political views. I like music. I really like movies. And I may have a bit of an addiction (that I am managing) to video games. But back to FB. This is the same website that allows you to "poke" people, and if I remember correctly, you could even throw a sheep at someone. Is this really the place for serious debate? Seriously, I'm asking. Is it? If so, by all means let us debate. But be forewarned... I may end up throwing a sheep at you.


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Are you sure?

Let me start by saying this is not directed to any one person. I would also like to point out that I love my girlfriend very much.

Why is it when women, young ladies, girls, (whatever the acceptable term is), ask me a question my answer is always followed by "Are you sure?"

Want to eat here for dinner?
Yes.
Are you sure?

Want to go to the store after this?
Yes.
Are you sure?

Can you switch your schedule to this, just for this week?
Yes.
Are you sure?

I could go on and on. Do I just look unsure when I answer these questions? Have I been so wishy washy in the past that this is an automatic response? Is it because the female is unsure and wants me to take the responsibility of saying no in case it turns out badly it will be on me? Do any of you guys out there experience this, or is it just me? Let this be a warning to all you ladies out there that read this, I'm going to start saying no.

Want to eat here for dinner?
Yes.
Are you sure?
Now that you mention it, I'm not sure. I would rather eat at this place that you don't like.

Want to go to the store after this?
Yes.
Are you sure?
Now that you mention it, I'm not sure. I would rather go and play video games for a few hours.

Can you switch your schedule to this, just for this week?
Yes.
Are you sure?
Now that you mention it, I'm not sure. I would rather work when I want to work and you can work around me.

Of course, I'm not that much of a jerk. Don't get me wrong, I'm kind of a jerk sometimes, but usually I'm a pretty easy going guy. So in the future, if you ask me a question and I answer definitively, let's assume I'm sure.


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Hmmm

So I was at work today and something happened and I thought to myself, "this would be something good to blog about." Here's the problem, I forgot what that was. I guess I need to start making notes about things to blog about. Oh well. They can't all be deep and insightful. Be good.


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Go Live

So, today was the day that a lot of us at work have been waiting for for a long time.

A little history for those that don't know: For several months I have been part of a data validation team at work. What's that mean? Since I have worked at SWFC we have used several different database systems to track our students. Admissions used two different ones, registrar, bursar, and financial aid used one, and financial aid also used a couple other systems. Someone realized that this is a pretty inefficient way to do things and started looking into other solutions. We finally settled on a program called "CampusVue." So back in October or November, I was asked (along with quite a few others) to be part of a data validation team to ensure that the new system matches the old systems. For many different reasons, the validating was not going well, so the higher ups re-evaluated the situation and decided to trim the team down to have only one person for each department. Everyone that got chosen was some sort of Director of something, or at least an Assistant Director of something. Except me. Because of my prior experience with Admissions, and my knowledge of the college (hehe, that rhymes) I was chosen as the "Subject Matter Expert" for Admissions.

That brings us to today. After many weeks and months of work, we went live with our new system. As with any large data migration, there are still a few kinks to work out, but I am really enjoying the way the new system works. I won't bore you with a lot of details, but let's just say once it is running smoothly our jobs will be a lot easier.

Hope everyone is well. I am doing my best to blog everyday. I just wish my life was more interesting. :)



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Spring Forward

I think today is the day of the year that I miss Phoenix the most. Why do we still do this? I never thought it was strange until I moved to Phoenix, and I realized how weird the rest (almost) of the country is. If your blanket is not as long as you want it, would you cut one end off and sew it on to the other side? Maybe this is so frustraing to me because I have a hard time waking up in the morning.

On another note, I went to Disney today with some of Lauren's family on her Mom's side. I know her Dad's side of the family pretty well, so this was a good chance to get to know the other side. I had a lot of fun. It has been years since I have been to the Magic Kingdom. It is definitely a lot of fun to watch a three year old experience Disney for the first time, but it is definitely not a park geared to adults. I did have fun though, don't get me wrong. I just don't see myself going there over the others any time soon. We got some video that I will edit and post at some point, so stay tuned. (Like anyone is actually reading this)

Well, off to bed. Excited for the "Go-Live" tomorrow. I imagine I will have a blog explaining that tomorrow night. Be good!


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What Does Plain Mean?

I met Patty and Brian for lunch at Panera today and had a weird thing happen. I eat there fairly often with them and I usually get the Italian Combo, plain add mustard. The last time I ordered that they put banana peppers on the sandwich. I said, "I'm sorry, but I wanted this plain." The girl making the sandwich said, "That is plain." I looked again and asked why there were peppers on it. "That's how they come, even when they are plain." I asked politely to have it made without peppers and went on with my life. Today when I ordered I told the cashier that same story and asked if they could please make it plain, no peppers. She said , no problem, plain is plain. I thanked her and waited for my sandwich. Which of course, had peppers on it. Am I going crazy? Does plain mean something different than it did a few weeks ago? How can anyone think that it's okay to put peppers on something that was ordered plain? Now I feel challenged to continue ordering that sandwich plain until I actually get a plain one.


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New Chapter

I am going to try and start a new chapter in my blogging life. I went back and read some of my old blogs and realized that I was blogging from a narcissistic place, looking for comments and interaction. Don't get me wrong, I still like attention. Now, I am going to just blog and if people read it, great. If not, so what. I haven't really decided what direction my blog will go yet, but that's okay too. Probably some life stuff. Maybe some reviews. Maybe some fiction. Who knows where this will end up. If you read it, I hope you like it. Thats all for now. Be good!


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