Well. They’re not all Halloween themed. But they’re all mazes. I messed around with some of them in PicsArt and Instagram.
Try a few. Get the solutions on your social media of choice. Tag me in it. I’m always @AiXeLsyD13 unless someone is being a butthole and takes it first for some reason even though it’s my handle across all platforms.
Share them too. This may be a fun Halloween activity for the kids or for the whole family.
I wish I could follow that advice. Wading through the temperamental pool that is social media, one occasionally finds a bright spot in a news story. I thought I found that with an article posted by a local news channel notifying those that aren’t already in the know about the significance of teal pumpkins. It subtly linked to this cool little video:
Simple enough, right?
It’s a brief article explaining the significance and the history of the Teal Pumpkin Project. If you go through to the FARE website, you an even get free activities and advice for non-food treats. We have participated since 2014, and I have written about it before.
Then, I read the comments.
Some people are garbage. I mean, I know that is harsh, and I know what we are supposed to be kind to everyone, but that can be a struggle when people out themselves as disgusting human beings. Did these people not ever watch Mister Rogers?
I think this is why they are teaching kids these days to “Be The I in Kind” or to Be the kind kid. They’re not going to pick it up at home if these are the mentoring adults.
I had a few replies that still stand.
To some nut job making this political:
Just so I can understand, how do any of the following (totally optional) things ruin your holiday, and just exactly how are they associated with liberals?
1. Putting out a symbol to indicate that your house is safe for food allergies.
2. Providing nut and/or gluten free treats, and maybe even non-food treats in addition to whatever you normally provide.
3. Displaying compassion and empathy to others already afflicted with a life-altering medical condition.
4. Teaching others by example how to be kind to others.
I never did get a direct reply there.
To the uniformed, absolutely resisting this new information:
No one is forcing you to buy a teal pumpkin or to pass out allergen safe treats. The article is just to inform you of the meaning so you don’t buy one as a decoration just because it matches your cold frozen emotionless heart.
Just some more advice:
We have been doing this for years. Having food allergies myself, dining out, social gatherings, and many events can be a harrowing experience.
We have 3 separate bowls… traditional things like Reese’s Peanut Butter cups, nut-free stuff like Smarties, and a bowl of totally non-food treats like pencils, stickers, little toys, etc.
We help spread awareness, the toys go as well as the candy, and hopefully we teach a bit of kindness and empathy.
I don’t even have the energy to get into the “it’s been a tradition for hundreds of years” comment. I think candy and trick or treating weren’t a thing until about the 1920’s in the United States… so that’s ONE hundred years ago at best. The push for chocolate was after WWII’s rationing… So, kick it back to 70 or so years. Earlier Celtic/Samhain traditions probably didn’t involve candy, but what do I know?
So please, this year, show a little compassion, empathy, and kindness. Pass the word along to your friends, family, and neighbors. You don’t have to preach about it, but you can lead by example. Also, learn to recognize the signs of an allergic reaction for yourself, your friends, and your community. You may help save someone’s life! That is, if it doesn’t inconvenience you in any way or support the grand liberal agenda.
I don’t have a theme. I don’t generally draw cartoons or pictures with my mazes. Can just plain mazes be a thing, like adult coloring books? There are a ton of neat maze creators that I follow on Instagram or Twitter or wherever. Mine are probably the most boring. Someone used to solve them by blacking in everything from the dead ends back to an open end, leaving only the “good” path open. That seems like it would be relaxing.
Another maze. Is this one boring? Send me a solution.
This is mainly a re-post/revision of a Facebook status. I’m still in awe, even a few days later.
You probably read about it, saw it, or heard it in WTAE, WPXI, or KDKA. You may have even seen it somewhere else. This woman (in a feat worthy of “Florida Man”) walked into a Walmart to relieve herself. The problem with that is that she did it not only in the produce section, but on some produce. Potatoes. I personally like my potatoes mashed, not micturated.
I have so many thoughts about this.
The BEST part is that Walmart✻ had to release a statement assuring that they threw out the produce and disinfected the area. I mean, silly of me to assume that would be the case.
I have seen some Walmart bathrooms, and I may have supported this choice in this instance. They also close for “cleaning” often.
She doesn’t remember doing it? How did she find out? Did she see herself on Facebook? Did someone call and tell her? There needs to be a TV show that reenacts such shenanigans. (Sounds like she saw herself on TV. Imagine going to get a haircut, then calling the lawyer, then going to the police. Or maybe the lawyer prompted the haircut?)
How do you overcome “stagefright?” I like to pee alone, not in public.
I want a T-shirt with her picture in the middle of the Walmart star logo with the caption “I put the P in potato!”
Grace Under (Bladder) Pressure
I hope she didn’t drive to or from the Walmart.
I have been drunk, but never blackout drunk. I’m in awe. I wonder if in 2019 she can turn this into becoming a social media celebrity?
I hope she gets whatever ind of help she needs, and I hope no one bought the pee-tatoes unknowingly. Although, they may grow in poop… So, there is that. I would definitely advise her to have a trusted friend or handler with her at all times while drinking. I can’t imagine having to deal with the aftermath.
I remember posting a video on the now-defunct PittsburghBeat.com one time about this naked dude who while high on PCP after running from a stripper’s house ran across the divided highway on Banksville Road and ended up being tasered (again, while naked) by police and taken to the extremely cold ground in the snow. Months or years later, the guy sent an email asking for it to be taken down so he could move on with life. It mentioned but didn’t really threaten legal action. After all, it was a news story I dunno how you could “scrub” it. But, I can see the whole thing not boding well if a prospective employer were to Google you before hiring.
She may be a queen on People of Walmart.
This reminded me of an R. Kelly meme, and a song:
The only other song I remember about pee is an AiXeLsyD one, and I can’t shamelessly self promote something that is probably less embarrassing that peeing on potatoes in Walmart, can they?
Here are potatoes from my garden this year, no one has peed on them:
In parting, I call for your comments. Please share your favorite potato recipes (like this or this), your favorite drinking stories, or your favorite pee/Grace Brown/Walmart/Potatoes jokes.
So I think someone, probably most likely the zoo, missed a huge opportunity to house and name 3 recently liberated alligators in Pittsburgh’s South Hills.
The three alligators were recently released into the wilds of the urban jungle by some wildly intelligent human(s?) on the South Side, in Beechview, and in Carrick.
I confess I haven’t even read all the stories. Who needs facts when you have Facebook comments?
I’m sure KDKA, WTAE, & WPXI glossed over the hard-hitting facts and went right for speculation and didn’t sensationalize or fearmonger at all like they do every time we get a drop of rain. I did see a link to a recap, but there was a video and ain’t nobody got time for that. Looks like the Humane Society took care of these things and got them to a Sanctuary.
These three amigos, or Amigators if you will, should have been named Alleghator, Monogagator, & Ohiodile and been given their own small replica of the point to swim around in. I mean, they could play in the fountain, sunbathe in a stadium, and even ride a mini-incline.
Yes, I know alligators and crocodiles are entirely unrelated. Shh. Don’t ruin it.
Concept Art for Three Amigators Enclosure
I did some more.
Hit the links below the embedded Instagram post if you’re interested in downloading them to try your hand at completing them.
What are you waiting for?
Repost on social media and tag me @AiXeLsyD13, or email it to world.and.lunar.domination@gmail.com!
…And Out Comes The Dookie
It’s a new social media game.
Combine two albums you dig into one… just like some record executive or intern did once upon a time with Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II, combining the “best” tracks of each to make one pointless album.
I would suggest that you do two albums. It can be different artists or the same.
If you want to be crazy try to keep the run time to a “real” album length. I think Records hold 44 minutes of music and CD’s 74 or so? About an hour would be good.
You can keep the artists separate like a split, or mix it all up.
Hell, you can combine 3 or more albums. I am a fan of anarchy. Just play. Here in the comments, or online. Use PicsArt or something similar to make an album cover if so inclined.
You can explain why you chose the tracks, or just let the mix speak for itself.
Just play. Spread it. Have fun.
We used to do stuff sort of like this on PittsburghBeat.com.
Here’s my fist offering; Rancid’s …And Out Come The Wolves mashed with Green Day’s Dookie;
| 01. | Rancid | “Maxwell Murder” |
| 02. | Green Day | “Longview” |
| 03. | Rancid | “Roots Radicals” |
| 04. | Green Day | “Welcome to Paradise” |
| 05. | Rancid | “Time Bomb” |
| 06. | Green Day | “Pulling Teeth” |
| 07. | Rancid | “Olympia WA.” |
| 08. | Green Day | “Basket Case” |
| 09. | Rancid | “Lock, Step & Gone” |
| 10. | Green Day | “She” |
| 11. | Rancid | “Ruby Soho” |
| 12. | Green Day | “When I Come Around” |
| 13. | Rancid | “Journey to the End of the East Bay” |
| 14. | Green Day | “Emenius Sleepus” |
| 15. | Rancid | “She’s Automatic” |
| 16. | Green Day | “In the End” |
| 17. | Rancid | “Old Friend” |
| 18. | Green Day | “F.O.D.” |
| 19. | Rancid | “As Wicked” |
| 20. | Green Day | “All by Myself” |
I sort of mixed up the tracks because why not? They do appear in album order. The run time is just over 50 minutes. (Thanks Wikipedia & Google Sheets.)
Now, you do one. Encourage others. Show me what ya got. I feel like I sort of did this once before already.
I dunno why I group them in 7’s.
This is one of my favorites. My grandma made it a lot when I was growing up. I have my own variation.
[If you’re like my wife and you just want the damn recipe and not my life story, check out this post.]
Ham, Green Bean, & Potato Soup
Mine includes beer. Grandma made it every once in a while with cabbage. I suppose you could add carrots and/or onions. Maybe garbanzi beans too? Becky the awesome cook at camp makes it with noodle-style dumplings (I did try it that way once too), and some people make it wholly and horribly incorrectly with a creamy soup base. I have no idea why you would do that to this meal.
I don’t know what to call this. We always just called it “ham, beans, and potatoes” which is somewhat cumbersome… and could be about 4,000,000,000 other soups. In fact, I don’t even know if this is a soup or a stew. Both? Neither? What is the difference, anyway?
A lot of the time this would be made with leftover ham from Christmas, Easter, or whenever. When the hankering strikes now, I go to ham steaks with the little bone in. I don’t have a strict recipe, it’s more of a method.
This time, I put some Ham broth base (which can be a pain in the rear to find in the store sometimes) made slightly weaker than the directions, one cube each of chicken & beef bullion, a bottle of Yuengling Traditional Lager (I have used Straub American Amber for this too), and water in the pot and started it to boil on high. (Perhaps obviously if I had a leftover ham, I would start by boiling the bone and make the broth from that, add bullion if/as needed.) I also popped in some minched garlic, onion powder, and season-all, salt, and black pepper.
Then I cubed up 2 ham steaks, added them to the mix,.
Then I washed n’ cut up a not quite a 5 lb. bag of russet potatoes, and added that to the mix. (I have used Yukon Gold before and they’re delicious, but they seem to break down to starch easier.)
Then, I cheated and popped open 2 bags of microwave/steam ready fresh green beans, rinsed, then snapped/chopped, and added them to the mix. When i came to a boil, I popped it down to 8 on the burner dial, and let it boil for 20 minutes.
Then, I let it simmer on 2 for another 20 minutes, then I put it on low until dinner time.
Ham n’ Bean n; Tater Stew
We served it with fresh baked buttered bread form the local grocery store. The kids seemed to actually eat dinner this evening too, and they’re rather picky lately. Sometimes I make it the night before, this is the kind of stuff that’s always better the next day. I’m not sure if it’s Irish, German, American, or all of the above.
Do you make something like this? Post your variation(s) in the comments below.
I posted the text below in two different Aldi fan boards on Facebook. I thought I’d also share here. Text slightly altered, spelling mistakes corrected. I feel like I make meatloaf different every time. How do you do yours?
🛒🍴🥩
Full disclosure, most of this was not from Aldi, but it all could have been. It all was cooked in the oven at 400°.
The meatloaf went in first, for an hour and a half. The potatoes went right on the rack at the one hour and 15 minute mark, and the brussels sprouts and carrots went in at the hour mark. Maybe 55 min.? I did crank it to 425° at that point but in hindshight didn’t need to. I flipped the potatoes when the veggies went in, and at the 15 min. mark I put sauce on top of the meatloaves and stirred the sprouts n’ carrots.
The potatoes were just washed, poked, rubbed in EVOO & spices.
The sprouts & carrots where just cut up, drizzled with EVOO, salt, pepper, & bacon crumbles.
The meatloaf was 3 lbs. of 85/15, an egg, french fried onions, club crackers, spices, ketchup, A-1 (the Aldi stuff works too, I have used it in the past), a squeeze of spicy brown mustard, minced garlic, spices (I just grab stuff off the rack & go), shredded cheese, and bacon crumbles.
I broke it into two loaves, cooked in a glass dish on top of two slices of bread each. It absorbs the grease & prevents burning on the bottom.
The sauce/glaze was mostly ketchup, some A-1, a dash of mustard, plus some cheese and bacon crumbles.
Probably not a meal for the health-conscious.😁
I think I do meatloaf slightly different every time. I have used marinara and Parmesan, put hard boiled eggs whole in the middle, wrapped in a bacon weave, added mushrooms & onions, used ranch or french onion soup packets, chunks of bread, added milk, & more.
I know it’s one both kids will eat unless I get too crazy.
How do you do your meatloaf?
World (and Lunar) Domination 
