I know Blackstone griddles are not new out there, but they are new to me. I finally pulled the trigger and got one. The possibilities are endless for what I can now cook outside. I am very much looking forward to breaking this thing in and seeing what kind of delicious things I can make. I know the key is to season it and also to keep it relatively clean. Two things I tend to neglect with my grill. I clean it, but not as often as I’d like.

The Final Four occurred last night and if things break right, my oldest guy and I have a chance to win some money. Overall, it’s been a good tournament despite the lack of upsets. I think that is going to be the case moving forward with the NIL money out there. The smaller schools just can’t compete. I’ve been wrong before, but not about this one.

The baseball season officially starts on Saturday with Opening Day. We have practices this week and now move into baseball mode around the homestead. The eating two dinners and being out at the field every night begins. And I am absolutely looking forward to it.

Here’s to a productive week ahead.

Until next time.

Maybe it’s because spring is in the air and the outside is calling. Maybe it’s the fact that the winter is over and it’s lighter out a lot longer. Whatever it is, there are things to do all over the place.

Baseball is starting for the boys and I am in the mix with both of their teams. I am managing my older guy’s team. It’s his first year playing kid pitch and I am very excited to actually get to coach “regular” baseball. I am helping coach my little guy’s team. It will be his first year in coach pitch. They’re both looking forward to the season, which makes me look forward to it even more.

Things are going on at work, too. Not that there isn’t always something, but this month has a couple of major projects I’ve been working on either completing or picking up.

And I cannot forget about the spring work that needs to get done around the homestead. The yards needed to be cleaned up. Garden beds need mulching. The vegetable garden needs planning and starting. The back sliding door needs to be replaced, and other smaller things around the house. That’s the fun of home ownership.

I’m also going to start a running program this week. I’ve been kicking around the idea again for a while, but now feels right to try again. I’ve been working out pretty consistently so far this year, and with the weather getting nicer, it only seems right. I can feel I am getting stronger and slimmer, but the pounds seem to not be dropping as fast as I want them to be. I know it’s not all about the scale, but I can definitely say I am getting stronger and my cardiovascular health has significantly improved. I have no plans of stopping any time soon.

When things get this busy, I usually have a couple of days of dread and get in my head with how much stuff has to be done. Once that’s done and I can actually get the thoughts and things out of my head onto paper I prioritize them, get them scheduled, and eventually done. It happens every year at this time, and every year it gets easier to deal with. Not that it makes things less, but it makes it easier to know I have a system to handle these things.

I’m also trying to be more mindful of these types of things, and be where my feet are and trying to enjoy it all instead of looking at it in a complaining way. I know in 10 years, I will want to be back here at this time because I will be missing it, so I try to remind myself of that as much as possible. I’m not always successful, but I am trying. Having this outlet is also beneficial because it helps me get stuff down too.

This April marks the 15th anniversary of me starting this site. It’s evolved over the years from a blogspot site with beer reviews to whatever this is now. It’s been my place to get my thoughts out of my head and onto digital paper. Here’s to another 15 years.

Until next time.

The annual NCAA Tournament is one of my favorite events of the year when it comes to sports. It’s wall to wall basketball from 12pm to 12am from Thursday to Sunday.

As I’m typing this, Florida is playing Iowa (edited to add: the Gators ultimately lost). I have some rooting interest in this one because Florida is one of my final four teams. Duke, Arizona, and Michigan are the others with Duke coming out on top in my opinion. I know it’s rather dull and simple to pick all number one seeds, which they all are, but the every time I watched these teams play this year I felt each of them were the best team in the country. Because of that, they are the final four in my eyes.

Baseball is also starting this week and I could not be happier. Both of my fantasy baseball drafts are completed and both of my youth baseball teams are chosen. Practice starts next week and opening day is the weekend after Easter.

The Mets open up on Thursday against the Pirates. I will be going this year to join in the festivities. I am looking forward to seeing Paul Skenes pitch, and also looking forward to getting back to Citi Field.

On a personal note, I need to get back after it this week. Lots going on all over the place — work, kids, life — and I have been slacking recently with working out. Time to get back to it tomorrow morning.

Here’s to a good, productive week.

Until next time.

But before we get there, we have the World Baseball Classic to finish up. As I wrote this, the US is playing the Dominican Republic in the semis to see who advances to the championship on Tuesday.

Very good atmosphere and the game feels like it's more than an exhibition game. They all did. It's been a nice warm up for the actual MLB season which begins in about 10 days.

Not a very long one today. Have a good, productive week ahead.

Until next time.

The weather is going to get a little warmer over the next couple of days and then back to a kore seasonal temperature. Either way, baseball is officially back.

There are spring training games on television and on the grand stage, the World Baseball Classic. It's always great to watch meaningful baseball games in March. The United States team is stacked once again. Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and of course Japan, are also stacked.

The fans and crowds have been amazing to watch. So much passion. It's a precursor to the World Cup later this year when it comes to passion. But unlike soccer, America has a chance to win it all.

Not only is there major league baseball and the WBC, but I had my first fantasy baseball draft today. Fantasy baseball is one of my favorite hobbies. There are so many stats and different angles to play. And the fact that it's six months long, means it's a marathon not a sprint like fantasy football.

I also had my first ever youth baseball draft tonight too. I'm managing my oldest son's team this year in his first year in kid pitch. I've managed tee-ball teams and was an assistant coach on coach pitch teams, but this is closer to real baseball. My youngest is playing coach pitch this year and I will be helping out there. I'm thinking there will much more to come on these teams going forward.

Just know baseball is back.

Until next time.

I don't have anything against winter and cold weather. If I'm being honest, I actually like it. I like the snow too. What I'm not a big fan of is the current snow slop we have out there now. It dry grass is some areas, mud in others. While other spots are still all snow. We've gotten enough snow this winter and I'm ready for it to be done and melted.

Spring usually teases in March. It gets warm for a day or too and then back below freezing the next.

I'm looking forward to warmer weather this year because I am looking to expand my vegetable garden this year. I also have some spring projects I'm going to complete. Mainly building a long overdue shed in my backyard.

Not only am I looking forward to getting back out into the yard and doing some work, I'm looking forward to baseball season.

More on baseball next week. Have a good, productive week ahead.

Until next time.

Now I realize having a major snowstorm in NJ is not out of the ordinary but getting upwards of 18+” of snow is major. If we reach 12” that will be two storms in the last 30 days that have produced that much. And to think, we just saw the grass for a couple of days. We were even out in the yard playing catch with our gloves.

So much for that. It’s still winter after all, and apparently it’s not done yet.

I don’t mind the snow. It’s pretty peaceful and calming watching it fall. Especially when you don’t have to go out in it.

The dog loves it. She sprints around with no issues at all. She was out before trying to catch snow in her mouth. We’ll see how she does tomorrow morning because the worst of it is supposed to happen overnight. Her path is already cleared but I have a sneaking suspicion she is not going to want to come in at all.

The boys are already off tomorrow, and depending on how much we get, I wouldn’t be surprised if they get at least a delayed opening on Tuesday. That means they get to help me shovel tomorrow, and then go out and play in it.

On another note, can we get more important sporting events scheduled for 8am? Watching the US win gold in hockey this morning was fantastic for many reasons. Sports tends to bring people together. It’s amazing to me to see trolls and dumbasses on the internet not rooting for athletes who worked their whole lives to compete in these games because of their politics. They are from the US. I don’t care what your politics are, I’m still going to root for you, and will continue to do so.

Speaking of sports, it was nice to see the green grass of spring training baseball yesterday when I turned on SNY and watched the Mets. It means spring and warmer weather is close. Just don’t look outside in NJ.

Until next time.

As of this writing, me and the dog are the only two who haven't gotten it. And my fingers are crossed.

Today also didn't go as planned. Make that this whole week didn't go as planned. But that's life. That's how things are and there's nothing we can do about it.

The only thing we can do is control what we can control. Unfortunately, I need to do a better job at that and not let things knock me so easily off track.

I am happy to say that I made a commitment to myself at the beginning of the year to start producing more. I tried to convince myself that I can just skip this week and pick it up again next week. As you can see, I did not do that. I know this is nothing glamorous to many, but what it does do, in my opinion, is keep making deposits into doing things I say I'm going to do.

Keep the promises to yourself and things usually work out for the best. Even if it's not what you planned or expected.

I have also recommitted myself to working out. I have a nice program that I feel real good about and will be locking in starting tomorrow morning.

Writing this tonight and finishing today strong gives me confidence that I can be disciplined tomorrow and get my workout in and let the Comeback begin.

Until next time.

Speaking of the dog, she is fitting into the homestead nicely. She’s been here for a week and is already acclimated to the chaos we have here with the two boys. She has found her way to create her own chaos, so she is acclimating just fine. Nothing serious, just puppy stuff. I can’t believe she has only been here for a week because it feels much longer than that.

Today also marks the culmination of the NFL season with Super Bowl Sunday. I have always said that the Super Bowl is generally anticlimactic and never lives up to the hype.

I have a nice little menu planned out for the snacks today for the game. I’m trying to cook more things myself than eat the prepackaged snacks. Except for pizza rolls. Those are always going to be prepackaged. The menu includes spinach dip, wings, and some pizzas. I even bought some hot honey to go on the pepperoni pizza.

As for the game itself, I generally do not have a rooting interest, especially with the Jets sucking terribly. This year is a little different. I don’t like the Patriots and always thought Sam Darnold was a good QB who got screwed by being drafted by the Jets. Because of that, give me the Seahawks 28-21 over the Patriots.

The Super Bowl isn’t the only big sporting event going on. The Winter Olympics are happening in Italy right now as well, and we’ve been getting into it here with the boys. So far, the luge has been a big hit along with the big air snowboarding. I'm looking forward to the men’s hockey games starting on Thursday. The women’s hockey team looks to be as dominant as ever. These two weeks are great because everyone winds up coming together to root for the US in whatever sport is on.

On the personal side, one thing I am going to work on this week is getting back into my morning routine of working out. It’s been thrown off a little this week with the arrival of the dog. I’ve gotten them in, but not as consistent as I would like. That will change eventually with both me and her getting into more of a routine. On a positive note, I’ve began tracking my food intake and see how my day looks when it comes to eating. I also have been able to get her out for walks the last couple of days, so the movement for me is still there. I also notice myself being more flexible and adaptable with things which has not always been the case.

Good luck with your boxes, numbers, and bets today. Here’s to a productive, less cold week ahead.

Until next time.

She’s getting along nicely here at the house. She’s roughly fives months old (according to the rescue paperwork) and she made her way from Texas where she was being fostered on her way up to NJ. Her paperwork says she’s a Lab and Border Collie mix. I think she has some beagle in her, too. None of that matters really at this point. I will say, she has some cool colors -- brown, white, and a little black. She has a sort of Golden Retriever look too, but being a rescue, who knows.

She did very well in our snow covered backyard and we’re on our way to her being house broken. She even took a nap in her crate. We know there’s going to be some tough puppy times ahead, but we’re really excited that she’s ours.

Until next time.

Today is also the unofficial last Sunday of the NFL season. I know there is still the Super Bowl in two weeks, but today is the last Sunday with multiple games on until September.

It’s a shame I haven’t gotten to watch a meaningful NFL game in over 10 years because the Jets are terrible. I will get into this more in a later post, but for now, I will just mention it’s hard to pay attention to games when your team is not in it and know they don’t have a chance.

I got some good news on Friday when I had the stitches removed from my ear from the surgery I had the week before. I can start working out again, lightly. It’s better than nothing, so I will be getting back after it tomorrow morning, officially. Shoveling today will be the warm up. I tried to stay active the last week or so but it was hard because I had to keep where the surgery was done dry which means no showering and no sweating. Wearing a hat outside and walking causes me to sweat so I had to take it easy. I think overall I did well.

Previously, when I had gotten into a routine, my body and mental state were disturbed when I had to stop or miss a day. This time was different. Maybe it’s just me getting older and wiser, but I knew how to deal with it. It has actually helped me appreciate that I developed the habit because I missed it. I am looking forward to getting back after it this week and moving forward.

This post, much like many more in the future, did not have a real theme. It was more or less a brain dump for me of things in my head at the time of writing.

I plan to use this space a lot of times just like this post. It serves as a way to think through things and also a way to get things out of my head as almost a journal. It’s what I used to do on the old site and wanted to get back to it. I also have gotten the urge to post more on social media, but we will see if I actually get back to that or not. For now, writing these Sunday morning posts has allowed me to get back to creating and not just consuming which was my original goal of this all along.

Time to go and enjoy the snow.

Until next time.

Recently, I have tried to take a step back and look at these things with a different view. Every time I see a post or article like these, I look deeper and realize it’s literally just someone or some company trying to sell you on why you should spend your time and money on their product. And most of the time, their product is worthless or just a way to do things that probably aren’t much different than what you are doing now. Then you read the comments and half the people out there are either agreeing or arguing that their way is better. A lot of times, this shit is completely useless and after spending five minutes thinking about it, you realize it too.

I get that sometimes there may be some glimmer or morsel of information you can pick up from them, but mostly it’s the same regurgitated bullshit that people have been selling for as long as there have been self improvement advice and information out there. You know, the self help, self improvement gurus out there that if you look even 3 inches below the surface, you can see right through their bullshit and see that they are just trying to make money.

You don’t need their system to help you get things done, you need one that works for you in the stage of life that you are in. These things are in fact simple concepts, they’re just not easy to put into place and keep up with.

I’m not here to sell you on anything and don’t claim to be a productivity expert with a course. Frankly, I don’t care if you tell me what I am about to write is a complete waste of your time. That’s great. But here’s the thing, it works for me. And that is all that matters. I’m going to give an overview of my system that works for me, mostly because I have been thinking a lot about it recently. I usually do when the new year starts or when I have a lot of stuff to do. And both of those are true right now.

The first thing I usually do when I have a lot bumping around in my head, is do a brain dump. This is where I empty my brain of all the things that I can think of. I take about 30 minutes and dump out all my thoughts onto a piece of paper in a physical notebook or into a page in Notion or OneNote. From there I categorize all of the items and break them into sections and topics.

The next step is to then assign priority and see when they need to be completed. I then add them into my task manager - Todoist for personal items and Planner or ToDo for work. (On a separate note, I like to keep work and personal separate because I work for a company in an industry that is highly regulated with security for data. If I worked for myself or a company less regulated, I would combine them into one.) Once the items are in the task managers, I assign due dates to them. This step is important because it shows me what needs to be done in the near term and what things can be pushed off for a little. The key for the items that can wait is that they are on my to do list with a date in the future. It allows me to not keep them rattling around in my dome and allows me to know that I have accounted for them and will get to them when I need to.

Once the items are scheduled, now comes the hard part. Actually doing them. Planning is great, but if you don’t execute the tasks and complete them, you’re going to end up in the same place as when you started. A bunch of tasks and things that you have to do and no time to finish them all.

Once I have the tasks with due dates, I add them to my calendar in time blocks. There are many studies out there that show time blocking, when done correctly, helps you get things done. I don’t add specific tasks to my calendar, but instead batch the tasks together into one block so my brain can focus on that particular subject without having to switch between things and lose focus. That part is key. Plus, it’s taken me awhile to realize this, but everything always takes longer than you expect it to. That’s why figuring out which tasks can give you the most bang for you buck, and completing them first. It helps you build momentum and actually lets you feel like you accomplished things.

One more note about tasks, when you write them, they should be broken down into actionable steps. I find when I make things too vague or large — plan vacation— I usually don’t do too well with them. Break it down into smaller pieces. For example, decide where to go on vacation. Then book hotel, flight, etc. That way when you look at the tasks you don’t have to think more about it.

I do a couple of different planning sessions. I conduct a monthly planning session at the beginning of the month to see the big things coming down the road. I also conduct weekly planning sessions — Friday afternoon for the week ahead at work, and Sunday morning for my personal time. I know that these are locked in and that’s where I plan my week ahead from the big items in the monthly session. I also look and adjust the plans on a daily basis because things don’t always go as planned. As Mike Tyson said, “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.” (Not sure if it was exactly that, but you get the point.)

As a Dad, husband and director of technology, I know there’s a lot to do and things always pop up that are unexpected. I feel if you do not have a plan and fly by the seat of your pants, you get caught off guard and always work to put out fires and not move things down the field. I have resolved myself to always move the ball down field. Even if that is one yard at a time. Sometimes you get a big chunk play, other times you take a loss. The key is to keep moving forward and moving down field. Whether that means, rearranging and rescheduling things because a kid got sick, or there was an outage. If you don’t have a plan of what you want to do, you can’t adjust because everything becomes important. Fail to plan, plan to fail.

This is the system that works for me. As I said up top, I’m not here to sell you anything. This was more for me to reconfirm what my system is and how it works for me. Planning is key. And so is being flexible and not rigid. Life doesn’t care what your plan is, and will always throw curve balls. The idea is to have an idea of what needs to get done and when the curve balls are thrown, you can adjust.

I’m planning to go a little deeper into each of the software I use in my system in future posts. For now, this is what works.

Enjoy the football today and tomorrow because we are down to only six meaningful football games (college and NFL) left this season until September.

Until next time.

This is an important role in any household, and one especially for me because I really like food. Especially good food.

The role is not always an easy one. Especially living in the area I live in with a bunch of excellent takeout options that are only a phone call or online order away from being delivered. Add to that, the struggles of having a full time job and being a dad of two boys and the job is not as glamorous as it seems.

I have found that planning and having options throughout the week is what makes it a little easier to deal with. The planning is key because without a plan, you have nothing to go off of and it also means the decision on what to have is already made for me by me earlier in the week. Does this mean I am rigid and always stick to it? Of course not. But having burgers on hand means the night I was supposed to make shrimp scampi, but absolutely don’t feel like cooking or eating that, I can throw a couple of burgers on the grill and get out the air fryer for some fries.

The grocery shopping and having a pantry that can be accessed for multiple meals at any time is something I have learned that really helps. The key for me is having main proteins that I can make into many different dishes with different styles depending on what I am feeling.

I usually do the meal planning before groceries, that way I can get the food I need for the meals I planned. It also saves me from buying unnecessary things and with the price of groceries rising every day, this is a good thing.

The other key I have found, especially for nights I don’t feel like cooking, is to have meals be able to be stretched. It means making a whole chicken and getting two to three meals out of it. It means making soup or stew and eating leftovers. It means making soup and then adding pasta to it to make it a pasta dish instead of soup when eating leftovers. The more I have done this, the more I realize that leftovers are definitely a good thing, especially because you can re-purpose them in many different ways. When it doubt, a sandwich, wrap, or throwing it on pizza dough also helps.

I’ve tried to stick to a theme of upscale diner food. It’s simple, comfort food. It’s buying some good bread and have grilled cheese and homemade tomato soup. It’s seeing you have leftover steak or meat from tacos and throwing it onto a flatbread and making nacho pizza or cheesesteak pizza.

When it comes to my kids, I never liked the idea of making 3 different meals for everyone for dinner. I know what my kids will eat and will make something I know they will eat based off the ingredients I am using for the regular dinner. For example, tonight I am making chili for dinner, which both of my kids are not fans of. In this case, I take a little bit of the ground beef/turkey and the beans and put them to the side and make them into small tacos or burritos for them. I’m not making them separate dinners, just something different using the same ingredients I use for the main meal.

Does this work all the time? No. Absolutely not. That’s why having chicken nuggets and pasta on hand is always the go to when I know they won’t eat it. The air fryer has saved me on multiple occasions, and will continue to do so.

I’m not going to pretend I have this all figured out. I just know what works for me and my family. I also understand that this is not viable for everyone. I get it. We are in a calm period with evening activities right now. During baseball and soccer seasons, this plan gets refined because I am not able to cook every night when kids have to be out the door before dinner time.

I enjoy cooking, and eating, which is why I embrace this role and try to keep getting better at cooking and at making sure everyone is getting the food that they need to stay healthy.

Over the next couple of weeks, I am going to be sharing some of my recipes for food that I make. Stuff that my kids eat and food that is not difficult to make, but has some good flavor.

Until next time.

I used to be an athlete a long time ago. I remember what it felt like to move without thinking about my knees or wondering if I’d pay for it the next morning. But somewhere between my career in IT and the second kid, the “athlete” became a ghost, and it is time to correct that.

The Reality Check

Let’s be honest, the fitness influencer world is exhausting. I don’t have four hours a day to spend in a dimly lit warehouse gym, and I’m not chasing a six-pack for a beach photo. Although both of those would be fine, that’s not where I am in life with a demanding job and two boys at home.

My goals are more mission-critical than aesthetic. I want the cardiovascular capacity to sprint after my kids without needing a recovery period. I want the mental clarity to lead through a high-stakes deployment without the 3:00 PM brain fog. This isn’t about vanity and looking good (although that definitely is a plus), it’s about utility. I need my body to match the pace of my life.

The System

In the kitchen, mise en place means “everything in its place” before you start cooking. In IT, we call it the environment setup. For my fitness, focusing entirely on the inputs, the things I can control. That means my workouts, my nutrition, and my sleep.

If I manage the system, the results will eventually settle themselves. My current “v.1.0” system is simple.

• Workout every morning for at least 30 minutes.

• Walk outside everyday for at least 30 minutes, and get at least 8K steps a day.

• Eat as many whole foods as I can and limit processed foods.

I am going to be using Tony Horton’s Power of Four workout program. The program is designed around four pillars - Fitness, Nutrition, Supplements, and Mindfulness. These are four things I want to work on, so it seems like a great fit. The other good thing is, I can do these workouts in my living room, and don’t need to go to the gym to do so. By removing the friction of a commute to the gym and following a pre-built road map, I’m essentially automating the decision-making process.

The goal isn’t to lose 20 pounds, although that would be nice and will be a byproduct of the system (at least that’s the plan). The goal is to execute the system perfectly for seven days. Then do it again next week.

The Comeback Begins

There is a specific kind of ego hit that comes with being a former athlete. You remember what you used to be able to do, and it makes what you can actually do now, feel not so good.

There is a lot of power in the Day 1 mentality. It’s an admission that the old version of me is gone, and this new version is a rookie. I’m starting from scratch. People don’t actually relate to perfection, at least I know I don’t, and can see through it, especially on social media. People relate to the guy who is willing to look a little foolish because he’s tired of being tired.

This isn’t going to be a highlight reel. It’s the comeback.

Until next time.

Let’s be honest - life moves fast. Somewhere between the 9-to-5 and the bedtime routine, the extra stuff usually falls off the plate. That’s what happened with this site.

Heading into 2026, I am firing this thing back up and will use it to keep track of the work it takes to be a better dad, a decent cook, and a healthy human. This is where I’ll document the struggle and the wins—the Hops, the Homers, and the lessons learned in between.

I’m planning to use this space to keep myself honest about what I’m actually doing. That means raising two boys, being an IT leader at a credit union, and reclaiming my health as an out-of-shape former athlete. Most nights, it just means being the primary cook and trying not to burn dinner. It’s not a highlight reel, but it’s just the reality of training for life as a Dad while rooting for sports teams that can’t seem to win anything.

I’ll be posting here every Sunday (and maybe during the week). My goal is to move away from just consuming and getting back to actually creating something. I’m glad you’re here for the ride. You can also follow along on Instagram and Twitter.

Until next time.