Good viewing

Clearly trying to fill the gap caused by the writer's strike, NBC has come up with yet another winner. My Dad Is Better Than Your Dad is like American Gladiators starring the average dad...with a few exceptions. To start the show, the dads came out in unitards for an event called 'Alphabet Soup'. The goal of the game is for them to crawl into a bowl of green sludge to search for letters to spell out a key word. Falling repeatedly on the slippery surface, their perseverance was put to the test - especially when their bratty child is screaming "Come on, daddy! Hurry up!"
If you thought that there wouldn't be trash talking because little kids are involved...you would be wrong. In fact, most of it was done by the kids. To the parent of a competitor, one snotty kid yelled "You're gonna lose!" I was really hoping that the other kids would gang up on her and take her out, but they just watched respectively.
Now for those of you thinking that it's not fair to go by athletic ability alone, never fear. There was a quizzing lightning round that asked the tough questions like 'what temperature does water freeze at?' and 'who is Spongebob Squarepants' girlfriend?' Remarkably, the dads knew the answer to the Spongebob question and not the one about freezing water.
The best part of the show was when they brought out a van with 'The Scorpion Kings' painted on the side. It was highly entertaining watching the tough Navy Seal dad squeal like a little girl when he had to carry scorpions from a conveyor belt over to an aquarium.
All in all it was a fairly entertaining show, but I have to say that I am so thankful that the writer's strike is over and great programs are going to return to television soon.

John "Pap" Ungerman 1927-2008

Last Thursday was a bittersweet day in our family. My Pappy, who had been suffering from various health challenges, left us and went to be with the Lord. We realized that his home going was for the best - he isn't in pain anymore, he's rejoicing in Heaven, and he was reunited with his sweetheart on Valentine's Day (my grandmother passed away 20 years ago). But there is still that very human part of us that still wants him to be here with us. And with good reason - my Pappy was one of a kind.
Greeting everyone with a smile and an emphatic "Hey Duke" or "Hi Dear", Pap never met a soul he didn't like.
One of his greatest joys in life was spending time with his family. Looking back, I can't remember a sporting event, school play, or concert that Pap wasn't there for. You couldn't wipe the smile or look of pride off of his face when he was watching his grandkids on the soccer field, basketball court, or stage.
And when it came to traveling, all you had to do was say the word and Pap was game for a trip to Disney World, the beach, Atlantic City, and especially Vegas.
Always a connoisseur of the finer things in life, Pap loved old movies, musicals, episodes of Seinfeld ("Ahh, great show!"), and let's not forget The Three Stooges (nyuk, nyuk, nyuk).
With too many memories and great stories to write about, suffice it to say that Pap was loved, will be greatly missed, and will never be forgotten.