Category: Manliness

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What every happened to Cadbury Chocolate?

Chocolate Cheesecake like you never had before!

Laura’s birthday is coming up and she requested a Chocolate & Peanut butter Cheesecake. Sounded simple enough, I had vowed not to open a  coveted  10 lb. block of Peter’s Chocolate as it only came in this single serving size. ahem…

My plan was to find a ‘well konched’ chocolate alternative like Cadbury for my needs… but I couldn’t find it at Albertson’s anywhere? And the locals didn’t know where it had gone? So, I did discover that it still existed and here hangs a story of modern times of mergers and acquisitions.  Hershey holds the license in the United States.

So, I looked for something acceptable and found a couple of bags of plain milk chocolate miniatures made by Mars, Inc. under the  title of Dove... should be good.

By the way, the easy part of turning a chocolate cheesecake into a peanut butter cheesecake is rather simple. Divide the cheesecake mixture into two sections (depending on how much of one virsus the other you prefer… I like a 2/3 chocolate section and 1/3 peanut butter section).. after you pour the chocolate mixture into the pan, then in a swirling motion pour the peanutbutter mixture into the chocolate mixture leaving a spiral trail…. then bake.

We learn something new every day… I am glad Cadbury is still here… somewhere.

Roger Freberg

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Jenny Craig Stars!

One of the Hundreds of Jenny Craig Stars!

I do want to get a fam picture … I am missing Kristin who was doing some sort of Frisbee pt today… at least that is the rumor. In the meantime, I am seen above with part of my family and me and my picture at jenny Craig!
Our local San Luis Obispo  Jenny Craig  is justifiable proud of their many clients who are succeeding at the challenges of developing a smaller envelop for themselves. Laura has maintained her ‘weight loss’ for a year on Jenny… and Karen, Kristin and I are still making progress… we each continue to set our goals lower and lower. Don’t worry… only our chubby friends think we’re ‘going thin.’ ha!

Recently, our local Jenny branch named me ‘client of the month’… how cool is that for doing what I needed to do anyway?

Roger

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riding the cancer bull one more time

Leroy Sievers riding the cancer bull one more time

Leroy has been writing a  blog for NPR  on his rodeo through cancer… something he himself has recently referred to as ‘bull riding.’ It is clear that he has a huge following and support… which although we all really fight this battle alone… because even the people we love are not always there at 3 am… still, this must be a source of comfort.

How people face death is often the true measure of who we are.

take another ride.

Roger

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My Green Vehicle

Kristin Loves My or Her Harley
Well, here I am sitting on my ‘green’ vehicle… I like to sneer at all those ‘gas guzzling’ Prius’s and Hybrid polluters! Ha!

Now, I am quite a different man since I had my last few pictures on my bike… say… a hundred pounds or so…. and I had quite a beard, too. I guess I am into my skinny old white dude phase. Besides, I don’t get as many tickets looking like this. Thanks Jenny Craig!

I am virtually finished with my ‘save the spa house’ project… remember the roof caved in?
It was a lot harder to do than it looks!

For all you Harley riders out there… ‘stay upright!’

Roger Freberg

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Cal Poly needs more than a PR makeover

Cal Poly has a lot to learn by doing right
Years ago, I had an opportunity to review one of the first “Yankelovich Monitors” in the 70’s. Daniel Yankelovich is brilliant. I think his strength has always been in identifying trends, not necessarily how these trends can best be used to help your business, political strategy or public relations effort. The best person to apply his observations is the person or company involved.

So, what does Daniel Yankelovich have to do with making Cal Poly better? Actually, he has published in a couple of areas that would help them a lot… if they thought honestly about some of their problems.

The Role of Colleges in an Era of Mistrust. With Isabella Furth.
The Chronicle of Higher Education/Chronicle Review. September 16, 2005.

Ferment and Change: Higher Education in 2015.
The Chronicle of Higher Education/ Chronicle Review. November 25, 2005.

The trends and issues faced by Cal Poly appear clearly in these two articles… here are his 10 points ( check out the first article posted above for a further explanation):

1) Avoid ethically neutral or value-free stands, which in a climate of mistrust are viewed as deceitful.

2) Recognize that more is expected from privileged institutions.

3) Recognize that silence, denial and closed doors are almost always interpreted as evidence of bad faith.

4) Do not believe you will be given the benefit of the doubt.

5) Work out your positions on emotionally laden issues in advance and communicate them within the institution.

6) Be mindful that anything but plain talk is suspicious.

7) Recognize that being ‘good people’ and ‘good motives’ are not enough.

8) Respond to the public’s genuine hunger for information.

9) Build Trust.

10) Make a genuine effort to making the institution better than you found it.

I don’t know whether or not Cal Poly can escape the problems that are ingrained in their campus culture… but if they could, this is where they need to start… and here is a starting reading list.

Roger Freberg