Agnew's Mind He's got a long journey ahead of him.

Jon’s World Cups

    by Jon Hassinger

As long as I can remember, this was the standard size cup I required for nice glass of water. Perhaps a refill or two, but nothing more, nothing less.

Then I traded glass for plastic, due to the safety factor.

This and the next 2 cups were taken from the Koons' residence, after blurry Sunday-Funday exits.

And this is from Renee's short stint at a West Virginia University Sorority.

But now, I have found my true love:

Safe-Time Continuum

    by Jon Hassinger

Growing up in the Hassinger House, being late wasn't always your safest bet.

Breaking curfew, or not meeting back up with Mom in the Montgomeryville Mall, at the EXACT time we agreed upon two hours earlier, meant a huge guilt-trip along with a slight punishment.

Also, after several accidents and speeding tickets throughout my teen years, I have become a very safe and cautious driver.

I was 20 minutes early, on my drive into work, enjoying the local AM Sports Talk Station, 790 The Ticket, and a cup of High Test. I then saw cars in the lane to my left, on I-95, all begin to slam their breaks. I heard tires skidding from behind me. I immediately slowed to a crawl, and braced for impact.

A tiny 2002 Honda Civic, driven by a Jon H, from Pittsburgh, PA, merely months older than I, smashed into my life.

Two rental cars and Renee's Pathfinder later, it's still in the shop, exactly 2 weeks ago, today. Luckily, it wasn't my fault.

Let this be a lesson to all you teenagers out there:

"Being on-time, doesn't always mean you're safe."

UP NEXT:

Renee's take on the Buddy-Porch Incident...

Valore.

    by Jon Hassinger

Every once in a while, I'll pick up the mail for work...

I don't really mind, since it gives me time, to walk outside, and enjoy the beautiful weather.

The pretty palm trees. The clear blue sky..

Sometimes I'll just stand still, and breathe in the fresh air.

I mean c'mon, nothing like a nice stroll outside to get the blood flowing, before a long day's work.

Ahhhh... It's good to be alive.

It’s easy being Green.

    by Jon Hassinger

In these times, when everyone is doing their "best" to save the world, last Sunday, Renee and I decided to give these "Green Bags" a test.

The idea that a specific environmentally safe plastic-type bag, is not only safer for the planet, but keeps produce fresher, longer.

So we used grapes and strawberries, which as you know can have a short shelf-life.

Obviously you do the same prep-work you would do for all your fruit.

Clean and dry.

Don't these grapes look so damn good? Like in Ancient Egypt.

And then they are stored.

I must admit I had my doubts. But I was able to have 5-8 strawberries everyday at work for a mid-day snack, with no sings of mushiness. Renee actually finished off the last of them today, by the pool.

The grapes have barely been touched, only for a tiny bit I enjoyed last Wednesday, and the rest of the bunch, in perfect form.

Consensus: Worth it. Plus they are reusable.

HAPPY Birthday, to Me.

    by Jon Hassinger

Around 2 years ago, back in the Manayunk days, Renee decided to throw a whole bunch of veggies, some boneless pork chops, and a homemade broth, into a slow cooker. She let it simmer for around 3-4 hours.

Afterwords, what I ate was the most delicious meal I have ever tasted. Since then I have asked and asked for her to re-make this wonderful dish. But she refused, for fear of being unable to reproduce what I called "My favorite dinner, ever".

So yesterday, I used my birthday as a loop-hole to ONCE AGAIN, FINALLY, feast upon the Pork Chop Stew.

And like always, my fiance did not disappoint...

The Story of Sick-Jon Continues

    by Jon Hassinger

I used to make fun of germ freaks. I mean, if you don't build some sort of tolerance, a simple cough could kill you!

I ate from the community bowl of nuts Ben Stiller warns Jennifer Aniston about in "Along Came Polly". I used public rest rooms, and port-o-potties. And I still tried to shake people's hands during the "sign of peace" at Mass, even when everyone else was terrified of the swine flu. Now we all just wave, which I actually prefer because it's easier to connect with more people. But during the swine flu scare, I was not afraid!

I was never afraid of germs, until now. Until this:

This damn germ-trap has taken down 4 of my fellow Nature City employees over the past 2 weeks!

Sitting atop the water-cooler that everyone uses multiple times a day,this bowl comes in contact with our germ-ridden hands, a lot.

I'd grab some every morning when filling my water bottle, to start the day. Next thing I know, I had a 103 degree fever.

When I finally returned to work, first thing I did was fill my water bottle. And, as if by some habit, went to grab some of these unnamed candies. I stopped, and it all made sense.

I am terrified of all said situations previously stated.

New Book

    by Jon Hassinger

My buddy Bob went to space camp when he was younger, and fell in love with outer space. He's even held shuttle launch parties, because from some points down here in South Florida, you can watch the shuttle actually soar through the sky, and disappear into space. Which is pretty amazing.

However, this book, so far, focuses very loosely on all things space travel, and more tightly on, in certain circles, the rock-star life style of astronauts.

I'm on page 100, and so far, so good.