Thursday, July 9, 2009

The Shot Block

Shortly after meeting Jeff in 1997, I was introduced to the shot block by his family. Some of you may be familiar with this party pleaser, but for those of you who are not, I will explain and provide instruction.

1. The first and most important part is the "puck & suck" stand that has been constructed to hold the enormous block of ice. There are 2 such contraptions in Jeff's family. One lives in Akron, OH, and the other in Charlotte, NC.
As you can see, it's construction is pretty simple. All it requires is a slope to get the alcohol of your choice down into your mouth. The step is not necessary, but is very handy, as most are not tall enough to comfortably pour without some vertical assistance.

2. The ice block. This requires massive feats of strength and also some further construction of a device to properly lift the ice. Please refer to photo. You must supply your own strong men for this step.3. Next, the tracks for the yummy beverages have to be cut out with a router. It is best to make a small reservoir at the top of both tracks and then use a gentle "squiggle" motion down to the bottom of the block. Otherwise alcohol will shoot down the block at top speed into your gullet with a high risk for chokage. This would be bad. Please follow the proper precautions when working with any and all power tools. Alcohol and power tools=fun...what?, I mean danger. Very bad! Please refer to photo #3.4. This is the fun step. 2 people step up to the bottom of the block, pucker up, and await their icy cool beverage to slide on down. Placing towels on nails on either side of the puck & suck stand is recommended for drippage. Please refer to the photos below to get a load of the action.5. Hygiene factor. "Everyone puts their lips on this ice? That's gross!" you say. Well to you, my friend, loosen up and have a few drinks. Life is short so enjoy it while it lasts.

As an added bonus, there was a large potato cannon at this year's party. I think the best part was that the name on the side was "Potato Delivery Systems". Quite a high-tech weapon in my opinion.

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Me and My Crafty Mommy

My creativity seems to go in spurts, or should I say during times when I'm not bogged down by other life committments. Well, over the 4th of July weekend, I had a few extra days off that led to some new and some tried-and-true recreations of previous designs I have done. I also received a box from my mom with her new-found addiction...crocheted bath poufs. I have to make fun of her though because when she first started making them she called them "pouf" like it rhymed with "woof". So of course, I teased her relentlessly about them, and we have to joke about it every time we refer to them. So here are some of my latest creations as well as my mom's "poufs"!

Friday, July 3, 2009

Photographic Hilarity

Recently, my friend Vicki, pointed me in the direction of a fantastic site called awkwardfamilyphotos.com. They update it on almost a daily basis, so it really needs to bookmarked and checked frequently to get the most benefit from it. There have been a few pictures that have struck me, but one in particular today merited being reposted here. It is strikingly remarkable in regard to a picture of mine in my last blog post. Just take a look. A glimpse of the future perhaps?