Happy New Year to all my family and friends. Last year was not a great year, but wasn’t the worse for me either. There are things I wanted to do, but never did. Like my friend Timon said: “You gotta put your behind in the past.”  Wait, that should be ”Put the past behind you.” Oh how I love The Lion the King. Ha!

So that’s move this blog post along, I have things to-do before I go to work, yes, I get to work today, but at least it’s time and half.

Here are the three big goals I want to achieve concur this year. These might sound like your typical resolutions and that is your opinion, but don’t tell me everyone does them and fails, because that is not the type of attitude I’m going to have this year.

Start living a more healthier and active life.
I’m not going to go on a diet, well Weight Watchers is probably consider a diet but to me it’s not your typical weight loss program. I’m going to take it slow and work my way towards my average weight goal. Will I accomplish this by the end of 2012? Likely not, but it’s the journey that is going to get me there and this is one journey I can’t wait to start. I also plan to start being more active. This being in the form of running, walking, hiking, bicycling, etc.

Obtain drivers license.
Yes, you read that correctly. I’m twenty-nine and do not have my drivers license. Long story short: little boy gets run over, is in hospital, when is older gets behind a real and starts to freak out. When I go behind the wheel I imagine myself hitting and running over someone like I was when I was little and I get nervous. I need to break this and this year is the year where I take the necessary course and practice with someone that is not a family member or friend and obtains my Connecticut drivers license.

Studio Onyx re-launch
My portfolio and web design business website has been down for around four months now, right after I finished my latest client. I wanted to bring new life to it and so removed everything to start fresh. This is exactly what I’m doing. It’s currently in the Photoshop phase and soon I will start coding and the re-launch will be near. My target date is February, but I’m thinking April-ish.

I want to end this post by asking you what goals/resolutions do you have in mind for 2012? Leave a comment below and let me.

Happy New Years everyone!

• The Lion King (Blu-Ray)
• Kirby’s Return to Dreamland (Wii)
• Sonic Ultimate Genesis Collection (PS3)
• M&Ms Kart Racing* (Wii)
• Sony PS3 Media/Blu-ray Disc Remote Control
• Amazon Gift Certificate for $50
• Amazon Kindle (1st Generation)
• Gnomeo & Juliet (Blu-Ray)
• $25 Stop & Shop Gift Card
• $25 Subway Gift Card
• Bad Cat 2012 Page-a-Day Calendar
• Jim Shore Christmas Heartwood Creek from Enesco Cat
• Jim Shore for Enesco Mickey Mouse Garden Gnome
• Black 11 Piece Cutlery Set With Oak Block by Cambridge
• Multicolor 6 Piece Steak Knife Set With Drawer Oak Block
• $50 Cash
• $400 off my school loan

* Save your self the money and do not purchase the M&Ms Kart Racing. Gus and I tried playing it and it was just horrible. Not worth the full-price or even the used priced at most video game stores.

Thursday, Gus and I left the apartment around 5PM and got there a little after eight. The goal was to leave directly from work when I got out at three, but we had to run to Target and Stop & Shop. We had to get cat litter because the product we had purchased earlier in the week the cat’s were not using at all. So we picked up Tidy Cats, because ALL the cats use it. Then we ran to Stop and Shop, because I didn’t have time to get to Buckland Hills Mall to get my mom her Build A Bear gift cards. Luckily, Stop & Shop had them available. So grateful that most grocery stores now carry a massive selection of gift cards.

Friday, my mom worked five to nine in the morning, so she was able to work to work without losing a full days worth of pay. This worked out because Gus and I were able to sleep in for a bit. My mom got home at nine-thirty and brought home half-and-half cookies from the best bakery in town. These are the best cookies and are worth price. Then we had to go get all the stuff for Saturday’s [Christmas] dinner. We ended going to Amsterdam, where there was a Wal-mart and Price Chopper. So that made for a easy shopping day. Before all that though we stopped at Jo Ann’s Fabric and Craft store to pick-up a gift card for Gus’ mom.

It was noon and we were hungry, hungry is probably an understatement. We were thinking of going to Taco Bell, but to be honest, Taco Bell’s food sucks now and Gus and I could get Taco Bell anytime we wanted to here. Gus, remembered this place that we enjoyed last time we were up called Big Mikes. My mom and I got two hot dogs each, with mustard, sauerkraut and meat sauce, while Gus got a rodeo burger which had BBQ sauce and onion rings on top. We all spilt french that had gravy and mozzarella cheese melted on them. One word about those fries … amazing. If you haven’t tried french fries and gravy you don’t know what you are missing.

After lunch we headed home, dropped off the groceries and then had to go back out so that we could pick-up our grinders (subs) for dinner. We got them at Futon Street Deli. Their grinders were amazing, just the way remember them when I lived back home. That evening, we had some drinks and watched Britney Spears’ The Femme Fatale Tour. It was an early night for all of us.

Saturday, we were all up by 4:30 Why?! Who knows, but my mom and I were able to prep most of the Christmas dinner. Afterwards though, we decided that needed to take a nap. That’s what happens when you get up early. After taking our cat nap we got up and exchanged our Christmas gifts. I will post what I received this year for Christmas in another post sometime on Sunday or Monday.

The rest of the day consisted of eating and watching movies (Gnomeo & Juliet, The Lion King and Jack Frost). Here’s a list of what we had for lunch and then what we had for dinner. All of the food was delish!

Lunch Menu:
Chips and Dips
Cheese  and Crackers
Deviled eggs
Dill Dip in a bread bowl, with cucumbers to dip and the top of the bread
Little Sausages
Pizza Crescent Roll-up

Dinner Menu:
Ham
Mom’s Mac & Cheese
Grandma Rice’s Apple Salad
Drinks

On a side note, I want to let you know that at some point I will post the recipes to the M&C and the Apple Salad. Both are very easy to make and are extremely easy to prepare.

Saturday night, we ended watching a whole lot of Storage Wars. We were all in bed by nine and then Sunday morning rolled around. We got up at about six and, Gus and I started to pack our stuff and put everything into the car to leave. We had a small breakfast and took some photographs before left. We said our goodbyes and then Gus and I were were on the road again, heading back to Connecticut.

Overall, this trip was great, like they always are. I really wish I could see my mom more though. Each time I leave, it’s hard to say goodbye, because we have such a great time together. I don’t know what I would do without her. Love you momma!

I have a lot of things I need to take care of before I leave, but I also have to work Monday through Wednesday, the night shifts at work and Thursday morning I work 9:30 to 3 and take off to New York then. So during the non-working hours I will have to clean, bake, pack, etc, leaving no time for blogging.

Don’t worry though. I’m hoping to have some photographs from the trip posted when I get back. I will see you all next week!

I’m giving something to others and knowing that they enjoyed it puts a smile on my face. This year I’ve decided that I’m going to make Peanut Butter Blossoms (like last year), but this year I’m going to try something I’ve never done before, fudge.

Yup, that sweet and rich food that makes your mouth water. Each year I go and purchase three big chunks of it at The Big E, which puts a big $15 into their pockets and not mine, but this year I didn’t purchase any, because I wasn’t in the mood. However, the past couple of days I got a craving for it and thought this would be the perfect time to learn how to make it.

This is what my co-workers will be getting at work, family will be getting some along with their real Christmas gifts, and few others as well.  Once the fudge and cookies are completed, I will post the recipes on a new blog post along with photographs. I will be making some of it in the next day or so, because I need to spilt up the baking so I don’t have to do it all at once. Co-workers and friends first and then family will get their on Christmas. So it shouldn’t be long for the recipes and photographs to surface on the blog.

When we got home, I was very disappointed. The portions were smaller, the vegetable egg roll being the biggest or in this case the smallest rolls I’ve ever seen. They were literally the size of my finger and had hardly any filling. Each roll cost me $1.50! What the hell!?

A few weeks ago I had got the craving, but instead of spending the money, I made it all. I invited my friend, Guy over as well. On Saturday he picked me from work and we came back to my place where we both started the process. It does help to have someone helping you. Next time though I figured there is a lot of prep work that I could do ahead of time to save time. Here’s what we made:

Sweet and Sour Chicken
This my friends is the real deal. You won’t get any better than this when it comes to your local Chinese restaurant and in my opinion is the better. I will defiantly be making it again.

• Recipe can be found at Total Noms

Fried Rice
Another new recipe that came out wonderful. It was great and I can see myself just eating it without anything or even by adding baked chicken you’d have another meal.

• Recipe can be found at Total Noms

Baked Vegetable Egg Rolls
I had made these once before and they were a huge hit with Gus and I. I knew that since I was making the sweet and sour chicken with fried rice that I would have to make these vegetable egg rolls again. Trust me when I say that these are 100% better than any take-out place. Bigger and full of wonderful ingredients. The best part is they are baked and not fried, which makes them a healthier option.

• Recipe can be found at For the Love of Cooking 

Overall I would give this meal a 10/10 because everything was just perfect. I’m hoping to try some other Chinese dishes in the future, but for now I’m happy with these three amazing recipes. 

Before I moved to Massachusetts, I wasn’t a “big guy”. I was pretty average and was able to fit in a large shirt and a size forty-two waist. Now, it’s a 2XL and a size forty-six and now some my forty-six pants are starting to feel snug. Not cool!

To be honest, I don’t know I got to where I am today. Yes, food obviously, but what trigged it? Home sickness? The fact I could buy any type of food? Going out to restaurants frequently? Portion control? To answer those questions, yes and a lot more.

Once I started at Big Y, I had money to purchase any type of junk food I wanted. Everyday on break it was two slices of pepperoni pizza and a soft drink. When my roommate, Guy made dinner I would eat more than one serving. When I started making friends we would eat out a lot, I’m talking three to four times a week. Like most of you know, restaurant portions aren’t exactly one serving of food.

My food and soda consumption has gone overboard and I need to do something about it and fast. The New Year is upon us and like most American’s I can make the resolution to loss weight, but who I am kidding? Resolutions for most American’s never work out and I’m not about to say I’m going to and not commit.

Instead, I’m going to start now and do this in baby steps. The problem I see is everyone starts their weight-loss resolution, but try’s to do everything at once. Cut out all the junk food, exercise six days a week, etc. Well, it can’t be done that way and I know for me it would never work.

So starting tomorrow, I’m going to start and cut back on the soda consumption. If I can cut soda out of my life daily, I know it will play a big part with my weight loss.

What I’m going to do is create a weight loss section on my blog. You’ll find a link in the navigation above, there everything will be documented. To help me keep motivated I will be carrying a small notebook, which I will be keeping track of how much soda I consumed in that day. At the end of the day I will log it in the weight loss section.

Once I get this under control, I can start to work on the next issue and go from there. I hope you will take this journey with me. It’s really going to be tough and I will need all the support I can get. Here’s to a better life and a new me.

See that adorable face in the photograph to your? That would be Creamsicle, the newest addition to our family.

We picked him/her up at Gus’ moms house. I say him/her because right now we don’t the sex of that precious face. This is one of about eight cats/kitties that have been in her background since late summer. We believe they are her neighbors and don’t think they are taken care of the. So she has feeding them and playing with them each and everyday. Well now with winter coming around and the fear that there are wild animals in the neighborhood, she doesn’t think that they will be around much longer. The plan is to get them all to ASPCA or another animal shelter so they can be all adopted and live the life they all deserve.

We picked up this little gal/guy this afternoon and brought it home. So far Ms. Mae and Lucky are doing well with Creamsicle. They both hissed once and that’s been it. So we are hoping this will be an easy transition for both cats. Creamsicle, is in the cage for a couple of days. This way the Ms. Mae and Lucky and see it and not do any harm to it. After those couple of days we will let him/her out to see what happens.

A couple of months of ago I purchased JasonLoucks.net, where I would have launched my web design portfolio, but things have come up where I don’t know if that will be happening. The major reason is I think I’ve come to the point where I don’t want to do it anymore. I’ve been doing this since I was 17, if you know me from back in the day you know that I started my first website for the Queen of Pop, Britney Spears, titled The Britney Spears Kingdom. Since then I’ve been growing has a designer and a coder.

However, in today’s world, this industry is growing fast and it’s really hard to compete with others. I know a lot of web designers out there that have far better skill sets than I do. They have the knowledge that is needed, the knowledge I don’t have. Yes, I have it at my finger tips but for me I don’t understand it. How can I move forward if I don’t understand something?

In the end this will be good. I can focus on things that I need to focus in my life first. This is the beginning of a new chapter. I have plans for this blog and my life. I hope you will take this journey with me.