Remember Otter Pops? Back when I was a kid, they were the “go to” frozen treat during summer. Well, last weekend at Sams Club I discovered the manly version: Soda Pops. I succumbed to the impulse and purchased a box. This impulse purchase flies in the face of one of my resolutions for 2010: be healthier.

You see, I am a Dr. Pepper addict. I have been off of Dr. Pepper (and caffeine) since October 2009, but sometimes I crave the sweet taste of Dr. Pepper. That’s why I caved when I saw the Soda Pops. I checked the ingredients. No caffeine; just 35 calories from high fructose corn syrup and a bunch of artificial flavors and colors. Not healthy, but not as bad as can of Dr. Pepper. I’ll just have to moderate how many soda pops I eat.

Oh, and we let our boys try one yesterday…the  A&W Rootbeer flavored ones will be in high demand in our household.

Fight enemies to the end. That’s the 3rd Khan rule (read about the 1st and 2nd rules). Sounds easier than it really is. In today’s world, often we are encouraged to compromise, appease, or just give in. Well, I’m tired of it. When I’m right, I’m right…and it’s manly to stand up for what’s right and fight to the end.

Sometimes my kids are my enemy. They whine, they cry, and the beg for stuff. Junk food, stay up late, watch cartoons, not go to church…those are a few of our daily battles. I admit I have lost a few battles (damn kids), but I have some very important ones. A few months ago we took our 4 year old to Target. We were there to buy a few shirts. He found a Spider-Man shirt he wanted. No problem: we wanted to buy him a shirt, he found one we all liked – - win/win all around. Then it went downhill…he found some Spider-Man toys he wanted, too. The battle was on. We firmly told him no. The whining started. We warned him of the consequences of whining. He got worse and the tantrum set in. I wasn’t going to lose this battle. I took the Spider-Man shirt and put it back. I reminded him that was the consequence for not listening to Mom and Dad. His tantrum intensified and we just left the store without making the intended purchases.

I won the battle. Now, we remind him often of that experience. He knows Dad means business when we say “no” at the store.

Well, I finally made some progress on my first 2010 Resolution. I had a business trip to Orlando a month ago, so I broke out my copy of Dan Brown’s The Lost Symbol. I’ve read all of Dan Brown’s book up to this one. Some have been great (Angels & Demons), some have been good (The Da Vinci Code), and some have outright sucked (Deception Point).

So I had to read the latest Dan Brown work. It shouldn’t be a surprise, but The Lost Symbol follows the same formula as his other books:

• Something bad happens to a key person that knows Robert Langdon
• Robert somehow gets involved in the investigation
• Robert teams up with a friend/relative of the key person
• The weird bad guy is manipulating everybody
• A series of clues and symbols help Robert on his journey to unravel the mystery

Of course, there were some twists and turns throughout the plot that make the book fun to read. But I’m not here to write a review. I’m here to report on a goal that I set.

I started the book on a Sunday and finished within 5 days. I had a good time reading it. I felt a little smarter for having read it (even though it’s a novel). It got me pumped to read some more books. Mission accomplished. Now I just need to start the next book before I get lazy again.

Rule 2: Don’t Forget Your Debts

Debt: the necessary evil of modern life. We take out loans for education, for cars, and homes. Some people even have tons of unsecured debt. Some people can handle the debt and some can’t. A manly man knows how to manage his debt. A manly man honors his debt.

I have a few acquaintances that failed to manage or honor their debt. One family racked up tons of credit card debt. At the height of the housing bubble, they sold their house to cash out. They took the money and blew it on new cars and frivolous spending. Then a few years later there were broke and bankrupt. Now they can barely qualify to lease a home. They didn’t know how to manage their debt.

Another friend of mine bought a house at the peak of the housing bubble. He had no problem making the payments. However, after the bubble burst he was upside down on his mortgage (house was worth much less than he owed). His solution? A strategic default. He walked away from his house even though he could make the payments. He did not honor his debt.

I strive to manage and honor my debts. It’s the manly way. Last week we made our last car payment, and now our mortgage is the only debt we have. We bought a home near the peak of the bubble in 2006. I’m upside down on my mortgage (not by as much as some of our friends). It’s not a great feeling knowing our house isn’t worth what we owe, but my wife and I love our home and neighborhood. We know that if we stick with it, we’ll be back on top in a few years.

This is part two (of four) of my thoughts about Genghis Khan’s four laws. Part one can be read here.

This is part one (of four) in my attempt to explain why I think Genghis Khan’s four laws are manly and should be followed. These are lessons I want my sons to learn.

Rule 1: Don’t kill women or children

That’s a pretty simple law, and I’m sure Genghis meant that literally.  His men were warriors; so, he had to establish his army’s code of conduct. (Let’s just overlook that fact that he wiped several civilizations off the face of earth…that was just how he rolled.)  But how does this law apply to us, the modern man? Of course, there’s the “don’t kill” part of the law. If you don’t follow that one, you go to prison. Everyone gets that.

I believe a real man takes it one step farther. A real man loves his wife and children. A real man respects and listens to his wife and makes decisions with her. A real man teaches and disciplines (with love) his children. A real man protects his family from harm or danger.

Those aren’t novel ideas. It boggles my mind how many guys don’t live up to those simple standards. Hell, just look at the slimeballs we elect to office: Sanford, Spitzer, Ensign, Edwards, Clinton…and those are just the ones I can name off the top of my head. I could probably come up with similar lists of sports stars, celebrities, preachers, and businessmen if I really wanted to.

Please, be a man. Don’t kill women and children.

Today is Day 1 for working on my #3 2010  resolution.  Here’s what I packed for lunch:

• Salad (it was part of one of those bagged mixed greens salads)
• Baby carrots

That’s it.  Doesn’t sound like much to me.  I “manned it up” by adding a little turkey, some cherry tomatoes, and (probably too much) shredded cheese to the salad.  I’ve never been much of a salad eater, but this salad does look pretty good.

I just hope I don’t get hungry around 3 p.m.

I’m fat, and it’s all my fault.

In high school I was athletic and skinny. In fact, I was too skinny.  I wanted to gain weight back then.  I didn’t matter what I ate, I wouldn’t gain weight.  I finally got up to my perfect weight when I was 21.  But then it went downhill….big time.  After college, I had a job that required traveling and late nights.  That meant lots of free meals and desserts.  I quickly ballooned to where I am today.

Then I had a wake up call two years ago.  My dad had a triple-bypass (open heart surgery).  His years of unhealthy eating, lack of exercise, and uncontrolled weight gain finally caught up with him.  I saw the writing on the wall: if I didn’t change, I would end up like him.  (To his credit, he has completely changed his life since then.)  I changed my diet a little.  I stopped gaining weight, but I wasn’t losing it either.   Clearly, I had to do more.  So, last fall I stopped drinking soda.  That was tough.  I am/was addicted to Dr. Pepper.  I do feel healthier, but I only lost 5-10 pounds.

Thus, my third and final resolution for 2010 is to be healthier.

Every man needs a good hobby that challenges his skills.  Three years ago I found that hobby: Photography.

I admit that I wasn’t always a fan of photography.  I remember making fun of my best friend in high school because he signed up for a photo journalism class .  His first (and only?) assignment was taking photos of the girls badminton team.  As Homer J Simpson would say: Boring!

Then I got married.  To a scrapbooker.  You can’t scrapbook without photos.  So we got a our first digital camera in 2002.  It met our needs, but I still wasn’t a fan of taking photos.  It felt like a chore to me.  I took pictures because my wife needed them to scrapbook.  I was stuck in the boring world of point-and-shoot snapshots.

It all changed 3 years ago when my father-in-law bought a DSLR (Nikon D200).  He showed me some of the basics and I was hooked.  The ability to change lenses and tinker with settings to get amazing (and creative) photos made the whole thing click in my head.  The camera is a tool to control and capture creative memories and images.   We took the plunge and bought a Nikon D40x.  I’ve added several lenses since then.

The results have been very pleasing.  We have some great shots of our kids that just weren’t possible with our old point-and-shoot camera.  I’ve taken family potraits for some relatives.  I’m trying new techniques.  All but one of the headers on this website are my photos.  I’m having a blast with my camera.

However, my skills still aren’t where I want them to be.  With that in mind, my second resolution for 2010 is to take more and better photos.

It is manly to read books.  It is even manlier to read a wide range of books.

In the not too distant past, I loved reading books.  I read the Harry Potter books, Tom Clancy books, political books, self-help books, personal finance books, religious books, and the latest best seller novels.  My wife and I frequented a local used bookstore.   On more than one occasion, I purchased books at the airport bookstore because I forgot to bring one from home.

But something changed four years ago: I had kids and I let that part of me die.  It wasn’t my kids’ fault.  I still have time for fantasy baseball, video games, Netflix, and my TV shows.  It is my fault I stopped reading.  I got lazy.

Well, it’s time to change.  My first resolution for 2010 is to read more books.