Yes, the Mr. Critical family is on day 12 of their “No TV November”. Mr. Critical and Mrs. Wonderful made it a plan to not watch any TV in November. The exceptions being 1. Titan’s football games, and 2. family movie night.

Last night’s entertainment included an incomplete game of checkers with teams matched up based on combined weight. Yes, weight. Let’s just say it was Mr. Critical and youngest against Mrs. Wonderful and eldest two. We learned that our matched weights also matched our abilities in what turned out to be a near draw in checkers.

Second on the list for last night’s entertainment was Scrabble. House rules are still in flux but we managed to do well with three letter words and an occasional proper noun. By products of the game? Math and Spelling. Something we all could be better at.

Having no TV has lent itself to me wandering in circles around the house looking for something to do. Then to the fridge for something to eat, and ultimately me finding a neglected book to read then off to bed at an earlier than normal time. Part of that can be blamed on the time change – I’ve been waking up at 4:30 am all week … with nothing to watch on TV.

I’m prone to be an over-thinker. Surprise! I know, I know … just call me Captain Obvious. Well, I’m also inclined to over-think my over-thinking, and that often produces realizations that I then have to confront in myself.

In the past few weeks I’ve found myself in this mode of looking at me from the outside. It’s somewhat of a personal assessment of looking at patterns in my life and actions which not only seem to define me but have brought me to where I am today. Yikes, this topic is already feeling a bit heavy for a Monday morning.

One thing that stands out today is my ability and tendency to be categorical in my thinking, striving always to eliminate ambiguity – leaving no question about what is right and what is wrong. Raising three boys tends to enable that a bit, too. My boys are exploring and testing what is right and what is wrong. My wife and I are working to develop their understanding of right and wrong. But, that also means we have to live that out and model that, and that’s a tough one in and of itself.

I find it a bit interesting how as I get older the blacks are blacker and the whites are whiter, and there are less and less opportunities for gray. My convictions get stronger, my thinking more rigid and my patience shorter for differences in right and wrong.

Does that mean I’m intolerant? Yes, I confess. I’m intolerant … to things I hold to be right or wrong. I don’t tolerate stealing. I’m no fun. I don’t tolerate disrespectful language. I’m so uncool. I don’t tolerate an hourly employee texting friends and checking in on Facebook during company time. I guess that officially makes me old fashioned.

Does that mean I lack empathy? Yes, when circumstances are such that a viable option is available. I’m going to have a hard time being empathetic to someone who is asking for a hand-out when they are more than capable of getting up and making a living themselves. I’m so cold hearted. I lack empathy for the person talking about how much they need to get done and don’t have time for this or that but are up to date on all the latest sitcoms and celebrity love triangles. I’m so mean. I have no empathy for Ken and Barbie talking about money woes when they live in a mansion-sized house with a pool and have their kids in private schools. Uh, oh … I may have crossed the line on that one.

Oh, but what about you Mr. Critical? What gives you the right to be so harsh and judgmental? Actually, nothing. I’ve got nothing. I’m much worse off. You see, I’m the guy with double standards. I’m the one who is so hard lined that I’ll stop at a stop sign in the middle of nowhere … but, I’m also the one who will go through the drive thru at the bank with five transactions when the sign clearly says “four transaction limit.” I’m the one that will over-tip the waiter if I camp out longer than it takes to eat my meal … but, I’ll ”flow with traffic” at 76 miles per hour in a 70 MPH zone. I’m editing my really bad transgressions to keep me from looking too bad. Seriously, I could spend days on other contrasting scenarios, but I think you get the point.

What’s my justification? What gives me the power to decide what is right and what is wrong? I find myself saying “oh, this won’t matter” or “that’s a dumb rule”. Mr. Critical thinks he knows what is best. We’ll, the fact of the matter is that he does know what’s best … for him. But, to think that he knows what’s best for everyone is outright arrogance. Oooooo-Eeeeee, I stink! (Reminds me a bit of what’s going on in Washington DC, but I don’t really want to go there right now.)

What’s worse is I’m the guy handing out advice for what YOU should be doing to take care of your mess instead of me looking at MY own messes and taking care of them. I’ve got more mess than I know what to do with. But it’s sooo much easier to look at everyone else’s mess and fix it. It’s like a friend told me, I’ve got a knack for “over simplifying someone else’s problems and over complicating my own.”

So, what does Mr. Critical need to do about his alter ego Mr. Hypocritical? That’s a tough one. I’ve actually been fighting him quite a bit lately and what I’m finding is that to win, Mr. Critical is becoming more and more categorical. Yes, more black and white … taking my five transactions into the bank rather than the drive thru and respecting speed limits (thanks to the help of my three boys who often ask “are you driving the speed limit?”), changing my eating habits and using kind words with my wife. The list goes on and on.

Ultimately, my desire is to do the right thing. I want to lead by example. I want my actions to reflect my heart … and my heart constantly needs work. From there I hope my actions will show love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control … not all that Mr. Hypocritical yuckiness.

– My name is Kyle Dreier, and I am Mr. Critical.

ps. Somehow I find time to enjoy a sitcom now and then.

I’m one that thoroughly enjoys pointing out what could be better. I find myself more often than not spending a lot of time complaining and offering what I think is a better way, rather than using my feet to actually make a difference.

I voted today. It took me a total of 30 minutes from the time I left my desk to the time I sat down to do this blog entry. Granted, I choose a time when crowds would be small … I was one of three voters in the facility. (Apparently 2:00 on a Thursday is a good time to go for early voting.)

So, now what? We’ll, even though today was “just” a primary it is a start to my desire to get some good change in our system we call government. I’m so tired of the government thinking they have to be everyone’s savior.

Today I heard on the news that “unemployed won’t have to wait any longer for their extended benefits.” I’m sorry to sound so harsh but they shouldn’t be “waiting” on anything! They should be out there trying to generate some income. My goodness, there is always a way to make a buck … get out there and do it.

I myself am worn thin. I’m working very diligently to keep my head above water and provide for my family. What’s dragging me down more than anything is the taxes, paperwork, licenses, etc that are required of me as a small business owner. It feels like a boxing match where I get hit on the left then the right then below the belt. No wonder almost half of the US population is on the receiving side of tax dollars rather than on the contributing side, it’s stinkin’ hard to swim with government weights around your ankles.

So, once again I’m finding myself complaining. But at least I earned the right – I voted today. What did you do?

I am Mr. Critical.

Here in Fieldstone Farms we saw quite a bit of water. Our house was an effected but many of our neighbors on adjacent streets were not as lucky. You can see some photos from walking around the block here. See Photos.

Bear with me a moment while I have my bad mood.

This morning I pulled into the drive thru window at one our the local Regions bank branches. I had to decide  which one of the four open lanes I would choose. Third one. Not another car in sight. I took off my sunglasses (because that’s what you’re supposed to do at banks now), I inserted my nicely organized deposits (one check per deposit slip neatly paper-clipped together) and sent it through the magic money tube. Five deposits on their way to be added to one of my accounts there.

The teller processed my deposits and politely asked if there was anything else I needed. “No thank you.” Then she informed me that there is a “three transaction limit” for the drive thru and that next time I could “put all the checks on one deposit slip.”

That’s nice advice, I guess, but I like do my deposits as one check per deposit slip. It makes my bookkeeping easier … because it’s all about me.

Maybe it’s me, when I heard “three transaction limit?” I thought “Really?” Then I thought OK” … I can see how that would be important during lunch hour when cars are stacked up in all four lanes with people needing to do business, get lunch and get back to work. Even at that, we’re talking deposits here. I wasn’t asking for my weekly paycheck to be cashed and counted out in fives and ones.

I’ll admit, it’s much more convenient for me to see things from my point of view than someone else’s. She didn’t enforce the policy, thankfully, but was it necessary to point it out? Maybe she thought she was doing me a favor so next time I wouldn’t have to fill out a separate slip for each deposit.

Forgive me for my poor attitude but I often think it’s unfortunate how sometimes people “doing their job” gets in the way of them “using their brain”.

There. It’s off my chest. I feel better now.

Watch out … grumpy old man (Mr Critical) on the loose.

(In the spirit of full disclosure, I admit that my review/opinion herein may contain some bias. You see, I had the opportunity to spend a long day with some of the Red Pony staff while doing an extensive food photography session. My experience that day revealed that they are a great team, working together, committed to exceptional fare and service. But enough about that, let’s talk about last night.)

Last night, the day before Valentine’s Day mind you, Amy and I had the pleasure of a 6:00 seating at Red Pony Restaurant on Main Street in Franklin, Tennessee. I don’t know about you, but for us, when we’ve got someone to watch the kids all night we’re going to go someplace special … and we’ve been pining to go to Red Pony for as long as we’ve know about it.

If you’ve ever had the leisure of walking up and down Main Street Franklin then you know it’s filled with charm, history and a moderate dose of cuteness. Red Pony adds an element of eclecticness to the mix. The feel at Red Pony is progressive, artsy and even a little metro hep urbanism – I’ll leave the interpretation of that to your own imagination.

When our waiter asked if we’d eaten there before you could see from from his expression that we were up for a great experience. Unannounced he brought a little something to the table that we’d likely never know how to order … Gnocchi (“no-key”, I think). These little dumpling-like mini-balls were set in a cream sauce and were just waiting for our approval. They got it. These were really a fun little treat. Normally these are made from potato but these were light – made from a pastry base. What a great little surprise for us.

So, what to order? Earl, our attentive waiter, informed us of a beef spring roll which was not on the menu. I’m always up for something “not on the menu”, especially food with any Asian influence. To me “not on the menu” means the chef (Chef Jason in this case) had a whim and intentionally made this an offering for this special evening. Chef Jason has an impressive pedigree (I know this because I “googled” him) so I’m up for any fare he dreams up. So how was this beef spring roll? It was yummy. Even though I’m not usually a spring roll fan, I enjoyed the freshness, the flavor, the texture and it helped set the stage for what would be the main performance … Flounder.

Well, Flounder for me that is. Amy was much more adventurous and went for the Seafood Paella. More on the Paella in a minute. The Flounder was spectacular. I can’t find a single thing to criticize … and that’s what I do being Mr. Critical and all. It was flaky but not dry. It was light but not bland. It was topped with tender crab meat … who can resist that! There was a creamy sauce of some kind but just a little. Not enough to mask any of the other flavors. This was all on a bed of fresh shavings of squash and zucchini. The last bite was just as splendid as the first. Throughout the entree I would get a little hit of fresh black pepper every now and then. This is definitely up for a repeat performance. Oh, and I didn’t even mention the assumed … the presentation was very nice.

Amy and her Paella … this I have to convey second hand. While I’m a fan of the ingredients in Paella – rice, shrimp, muscles, etc – I didn’t try any of hers – I was too busy enjoying my Flounder. Paella to me looks like a seafood version of “goulash” … basically dump a bunch of good stuff together to make it more good. She said it had a bit of a kick, which is probably expected since it has some Spanish origins. All in all, Amy didn’t show any signs of remorse with her choice. She stopped just shy of licking the bowl clean. If you know my wife you know that would be a funny sight. Did I mention that Amy also had a nice spinach salad? I guess she had been saving up her appetite for the evening. She said the salad was very good as well. Nothing too fancy, just fresh, good and … well, good.

So, with all this fine food now represented by empty plates, what would we be considering for dessert? This is an easy choice for me. Actually, I came predisposed to their creme brulee. You see, on the day of our photo shoot I managed to clean off a spoon that contained some creme brulee and then learned it was worthy of my taste buds. It’s smooth, it doesn’t leave a pasty, sticky film on the roof of your mouth and it even has some fresh vanilla bean seeds in the base. You know, the tiny little black specs. It had the right amount of caramelized sugar to break through. Tap, tap, tap … break. It had the right smoothness. It had the right flavor. However … and this is the only “however” from our evening at Red Pony … Amy and I both concur that creme brulee should be served either warm or at room temperature. We have a very high bar set for creme brulee. In fact, all creme brulees are measured against the Raspberry Creme Brulee we experienced at The Mansion on Turtle Creek in Dallas, Texas. I believe Chef Dean Fearing was the Executive Chef at the time. The Red Pony creme brulee is just a bit shy of the Holy Grail of Creme Brulees.

You’d think we’d be done by now, but as a nice way to cleanse our palette Earl brought us a couple slices of Asian pear with thin slices of Parmesan cheese. What a neat flavor combination. A couple bites and that topped off our wonderful evening. Thanks to Red Pony, Chef Jason and his entire staff for a very nice evening for me and my hard working wife and mother of three boys.

– Kyle Dreier
Mr. Critical

note: I am a Nashville based Food Photographer. If you want to see some of the food photography from our shoot at Red Pony then go here: www.dreier.com

I’ve noticed on a few specific products where shrinkage is intentional. Have you noticed it? Ice cream … I’m seeing what used to be a 1/2 gallon is now often 1/3 gallon.

I was surprised the other day when I went for my long time favorite … Nabisco Graham Crackers … suddenly I’m seeing that they fit all to well into a glass of milk. Upon further inspection indeed they have reduced the size dramatically. The box appears to be the same as there is a great deal of movement of the contents.

I feel deceived, cheated and disappointed. The disappointed part is that I won’t really get the opportunity to teach my boys the art of breaking graham crackers on the perf so optimal milk dunking can be performed.

What next? I bet a gallon of milk will not be a gallon of milk.

I’m sick, tired and just pretty much peeved at the idea that the government is going to ’save’ our economy.

Our economic system was setup with checks and balances (supply/demand) to work out any issues relative to the buying and selling of goods and the sustainability of companies. Get out of the way!

What the Washington DC politicians are trying to sell us as a “stimulus” package is nothing more than a SPENDING package. Stop it!

I’m fed up. I run three small businesses. I have to operate within my means. I have to provide services which are of value. I have to navigate change. I have to watch my bottom lines. I’m not alone. I don’t think I’m going out on a limb to say that small business is what keeps the economy going.

What if the government were to make the tough decisions we have to make with our personal budgets and with our small businesses. Cut spending. Do without. Let people go. Adapt. Instead, it feels like our government is going the direction a selfish adolescent would go with an attitude of entitlement and lack of fiscal responsibility.

I’m SICK OF IT!

I’m writing my senators Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker to tell them to simply vote against ANY that increases spending. Just stop it. Stop spending. Stop trying to distribute money. Stop. Stop. Stop!

There are a lot of “good” programs that should lose funding. It’s a time of tough decisions. I believe the great and worthy programs would survive through other means if forced to. Yes, I may be naive but I’d rather test it than head down the road we’re headed … broke at a country!

Get out of my pocket. Get out of the way. Let the strength of our economic system cycle through this downturn and watch as people adjust, businesses adjust and see that less government is better.

- Kyle Dreier
always Mr. Critical