Suburban Home

Housewives

2011-09-19T22:41:00.000-07:00

Well, I've been a housewife for about 3 weeks now. Househusband, to be exact, but who's splitting hairs when you don't have to work? I guess the main point to make is that I identify a bit with the common housewife now, especially those staying home with kids while their spouse is away. Everybody thinks they know the positives to staying at home, and while there are definitely some, there are some negatives as well.

1. Guilt. You feel guilty not being at work. I know there's a reason I don't have a job right now, but it doesn't help assuage the feeling of guilt. Part of the reason for staying home is so Mandy will have flexibility with her schedule for the next couple months. Opening a new store isn't easy, and she may have some early mornings and late nights, hopefully I can help her out by being there for her and the kids.

2. It's not as free of a schedule as you think. Once my wife leaves around 7:45, I get up and get Lexi ready for school. I then take her out to the bus stop at 8:30. She gets home at 3:45, which is definitely a nice chunk of time, but somehow as soon as noon hits, you start thinking about how quickly the afternoon will pass, and every idea of something you wanted to get done dissolves with the idea that there's not enough time before you have to march back out to the bus stop.

3. Is Noah enjoying his alone time with Dad? He told M. the other day that he was, and he definitely gets time for video games and tv, but is he getting enough growth out of this? He doesn't interact with other kids like he does at daycare, and while I try to get out and visit places, he gets bored easily with running errands.

4. I do like being here when Lexi gets home. We often read as soon as she gets home, or we go to the park, where I can let the kids play. Sometimes the playground is full of other kids, and it's a nice opportunity for my own kids to be around children they don't know. It's fun to watch them be hesitant at first, then open up and start playing with others. Until they start telling the other kids they should come home with us, because we have cookies and games. I tried to tell Lexi that that was kind of creepy, but she didn't get it.

5. I have a ton of things to do, but never seem to get anything done. Today I cleaned the house. We're having M's co-workers over on Wed. for a barbecue, and hey, what else was I doing all day anyway? I had her make me a list of projects, and this should give me something good to work on.

Noah is 4

2010-11-21T22:37:00.000-08:00

I can hardly believe it, a 4 year old and a soon to be 6 year old.

Yesterday I was looking at Noah, I didn't say anything, and he gives me this weird look and says, "What?", like I'm acting weird or something. I'm like, "Nothing". A minute later I look at him again, he gives me the same funny look and says, "What?" Nothing, I said, I'm just looking at you. He thinks I'm crazy.

22

2010-09-08T09:43:00.000-07:00

Today in the car Noah was playing with a new toy.

"Daddy, this is 22."

"What do you mean?"

He holds up the toy and on the bottom it's marked '22'.

Not bad for a 3 year old that thinks he's yellow years old.

Big Girl

2010-09-07T23:50:00.000-07:00

Wow, tomorrow is Lexi's first day of Kindergarten. It really is hard to fathom how quickly 5 years have gone by. Today we dropped off supplies at her classroom, and tomorrow we'll drop her off at the front of the building and pick her up 2 hours later.

It's a big day for all of us /shudder.

2010-08-24T13:55:00.000-07:00

RIP Alex Chilton

2010-03-17T20:16:00.000-07:00

"Here's a revision that's kind of minor, it's just a little town down in Indochina" - Bangkok

The sad thing is, I thought he was already dead, but he was only 59.

If the name doesn't ring a bell, you'd probably at recognize him as the singer from the Box Tops with the hit song, "The Letter".

If it does ring a bell, you probably already know.

Happy Birthday, Lexi

2010-02-17T20:31:00.000-08:00

Five years.

Five short years.

Sometimes it feels like 10, but usually more like 1 or 2. The time just flies past like nobody's business.

I remember that first night, Swedish Hospital, just the 3 of us. They got the bed, I got the chair. It was such a blur, such a lack of sleep that you didn't really know what was happening at any time. Changing diapers, feeding her, and sitting around until they finally released us late the next afternoon.

The first time I had to drop her off at daycare at 3 months old. It just seemed so cruel. Now it's such a relief sometimes, to know that they're going to be playing with other kids and eating a couple of square meals, compared to whatever slop I throw together for them.

Her first tooth, steps, words. Her first scrapes and tumbles. Her first smile and her first bath.

It's amazing how scared you can be with the first child, thinking of all the awful things that you are sure are going to happen any day now...it's just a matter of time. By the time her little brother was born, you're fine giving him a shard of glass and a lighter and just letting him go for it.

The time she was only maybe 6 months old and was throwing everything up for days, we took her to the emergency room and fed her by the dropper full. The doctor says, "Everything's fine, as long as she's not dehydrated". That's what I pretty much say all the time, but the wife never takes my word for it.

The first time she slept through the night all the way. Now THAT was a good night.

I'm not going to win any best-parenting contest anytime soon, but I will love that girl with all my heart for the rest of my life.

Happy birthday, babe.

March 6th and 7th

2010-02-15T21:03:00.000-08:00

My wife is working that Wednesday and taking the weekend off. I cannot forget this.

A little treat

2009-11-21T22:15:00.000-08:00

For those of you who still check this site. I tend to post more on Facebook now that I joined it a few weeks ago. Here's a video from Noah's 3rd birthday party today.

Happy Halloween

2009-10-30T21:01:00.000-07:00

Bubbles the Powerpuff Girl and Black Spiderman. Oops, from right to left that is.

Noah's fashion style

2009-10-10T22:26:00.000-07:00

I didn't get a picture, but Noah dressed himself today. He had some of those swishy gym pants on, but they're about 3 inches too short, so they look like capris. Then he put on a Spiderman shirt, with a Batman shirt over the top (both are the exact same color of blue). Then he had Batman socks on, with Spiderman sandals over those.

Noah loves his superheroes.

Let's try this one

2009-10-10T22:24:00.000-07:00

This is from last year, but maybe you'll get an idea of how closely Joe Rospars resembles me.
I just need new glasses (which I now have, that are more like his), and more facial hair (which I now have). Damn he's good looking.

Well now, mom, anything to tell me about my twin brother separated at birth?

My Doppelganger

2009-10-10T22:21:00.000-07:00

Bro-in-law Jeff sent me a link to myself. At least I thought it was myself when I opened it. I was thinking, "Hmm, when did I buy that suit?" Judge for yourself.

If you don't know what I look like, it's sort of like the guy on the right. His name is Joe Rospars. I'm looking for a picture of me that's recent and haven't come up with anything yet.

Happy Birthday Sister

2009-08-31T20:39:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty sure I'm the worst brother in history, since her birthday was yesterday. I haven't phoned her yet. I don't think I did last year either, and next year isn't looking so good. I don't know what it is with me. General aversion to telephones? Birthdays?

Since her birthday is in August, as mine is, it was the one birthday I've always remembered pretty much my whole life. Except yesterday. Sorry hon!

Curiosity Almost Killed the Cat

2009-08-23T20:37:00.000-07:00

Truman didn't come home last night. He left the house in the morning, as we left to take the kids to a sleepover. We didn't think much of it.

We didn't see him all day, come to think of it, as we were in and out of the house a lot during the day. After dinner it dawned on us that something might be wrong. Every 30 minutes one of us would go to the front door and call for him.

Nothing.

Today I was at work, but called home at noon to see if he'd turned up yet. Nope. The wiffer had driven around the neighborhood a little, hoping to catch a glimpse of him, or at least a corpse, maybe get a little closure. I wondered what was worse, him getting run over, or him being locked up in somebody's basement, the subject of grotesque little Frankencat experiments. My mind did run a little wild.

The kids were home when I got off work today, and they were going on about how they missed Truman. Lexi said we should go to the pet store and get another pet and name him Truman. Suddenly, out the back door, we hear a meow! There he was, just as if nothing had happened.

A minute later there was a knock at the front door. The lady from next door was apologizing, saying Truman was locked in her car's trunk. I think she had been unloading groceries and he jumped inside. That's her story anyway. I didn't see any stitches or electrical burns, but I wouldn't be too surprised to learn she'd been at least experimenting a little on the poor fella.

God Bless Les Paul

2009-08-18T23:21:00.000-07:00

I know I'm a little late...was in Seattle for the weekend and got very ill indeed. If you've played an electric guitar, then give this guy your thanks.

No comment necessary

2009-07-18T21:08:00.001-07:00

You don't need to tell us

2009-07-18T20:57:00.000-07:00

A couple days ago, Billy Mays came on the tv with a commercial for the Slider Station, a little stove-top grill that makes mini-hamburgers.

Lexi looked up and said, "We have that".

A minute later, as Billy was further extolling said Slider Station, Lexi said, "You don't need to tell us! We already know!".

I couldn't help but laugh.

A Whale

2009-07-13T23:48:00.001-07:00

Looking for a book...

2009-07-12T19:58:00.000-07:00

I'm looking for a book. A specific book, entitled, "A History of Wenatchee, the Apple Capital of the World". The problem is, it's a pretty rare book, and usually goes for around $85 to 100 dollars.
I was able to check out a copy of it in Seattle, and it's a pretty detailed history of my hometown. If you see a copy for cheap, lemme know :)

One of the things the book mentions is the old Spanish Castle along the Columbia River. When I went home for hunting season last year my uncle Rick and my Dad told me stories of visiting the Spanish Castle when they were kids. Apparently this guy built it for his wife, then they put in a dam and it was buried underwater. They told me of the guy's son who flew an airplane there and they used to play in it. At least I think that's how the story goes. I wish I knew more about it. This picture is of the foundation of the Spanish Castle.

After some more Googling, I found this about the castle:

"TRINIDAD -- The development being proposed for the Columbia River, four miles west of Trinidad, is across the river and slightly north from where a cattle baron built a large home, known as the Spanish Castle, 89 years ago.
Construction of Spanish Castle was completed in 1918 at a cost of more than $20,000 by Lester Coffin, according to reports in The Wenatchee Daily World.
Coffin and his brother were Yakima-based cattlemen and "lords of the Tarpiscan range who counted their horses, cattle and sheep by the thousands," according to a May 21, 1927 World article.
Coffin dreamed for years of having a home along the Columbia River, resembling the residence of a Mexican president of the early 1900s.
The location he chose, on the river at the mouth of Tarpiscan Creek, was two miles into Kittitas County from the Kittitas-Chelan County line. It was remote and almost inaccessible.
An earlier rock house at the site had burned. Construction materials for the new house were hauled in over the rough Colockum Pass Road in covered wagons. Some materials were brought in from across the river.
The house had 13 to 17 rooms, including a spacious entrance hall, a reception room, living room, five bedrooms, two bathrooms and an indoor pool. Coffin didn't get to enjoy it. Just a few days after it was done, he died in a Wenatchee hospital.

Cool video

2009-07-09T20:10:00.001-07:00

Irony vs. Coincidence

2009-06-30T19:48:00.000-07:00

It grates every time I hear someone confuse these two things. Here is a little lesson I stole from another website because she says it so much better than I can (good thing it's not a link to stealing from websites, eh?). I'm thinking of adding a new word to the dictionary that would make these two terms interchangeable. Maybe Ironidence, or Coincidic.

from ehow.com

Step 1

The definition of irony according to the online Webster dictionary is: incongruity between the actual result of a sequence of events and the normal or expected result.
Step 2

Keeping the meaning of irony in mind, realize that in a nutshell it means that a situation turns out exactly opposite of what you would expect.
Step 3

Recognize verbal irony when someone makes a statement like "Nice weather we're having out there" when it is pouring down rain and lightening outside. The opposite of what is said is what is meant.
Step 4

Recognize an example of situational irony when a man makes his living examining air bags in a factory to make sure that they are in working order, but dies in a car wreck because he failed to check his own airbag.
Step 5

Recognize dramatic irony when an audience is aware that a situation is a certain way, but the character in that play or movie is unaware of that situation. The character is going to be surprised or upset in the end because the result is going to be the opposite of what the character expects.
Step 6

Another example of irony would be a lady writing a song called Ironic but there really aren't any ironic examples in her song. Well, a few of her examples may qualify.
Step 7

The definition of coincidence according to the online Webster dictionary is: the occurrence of events that happen at the same time by accident but seem to have some connection.
Step 8

An example of coincidence would be seeing a friend in another town you both happen to be visiting at the same time.
Step 9

Another example of a coincidence would be that you are thinking of your husband and decide to call him. You pick up the phone to call him but he is trying to call you at the same time.

Grocery Store Maps

2009-06-29T20:44:00.001-07:00

Why doesn't ever grocery store have a map of what's in each aisle? Why God, why?

I was going to make a map for my wife last Christmas because I knew she would love it. Then I forgot about it. She just told me that she made a list the other day when she was grocery shopping and it reminded me that I had these pictures. Maybe a future business venture?

The worst movie I saw last week

2009-06-28T19:40:00.000-07:00

Let the Right One In...

I wish I were a more articulate man, so that I might articulate how god-awful this movie really was.

Let's just sum it up thusly:

Don't let this one in to your dvd player.

The Current State of Things

2009-06-26T19:48:00.000-07:00

MJ is dead and I don't feel any emotion about it at all. Not that I expected to, but I guess if anything it's maybe just relief that we don't ever have to hear about him again. He did it to himself. You know what...you wanna live the childhood that you never had? Do it privately. Don't be a freak then say that people just don't understand you.

The thing that boggles my mind is that there are people out there that care. Or that are pretending to care. I understand the tributes and news stories, but people that you would expect to be making fun of the guy are talking about what a tragic loss this is. When was Michael Jackson last relevant--1992? In Romania? Probably the only person's death I could care less about is Ed McMahon (d'oh!).

In happier news, we had a great Father's Day. Lexi made me some ties from white paper she colored on then laminated. I even wore one to work last Sunday. I'll see if I can't get some pictures up. The night before I had just remarked that I certainly hoped I wouldn't get any ties for Father's Day, but I was thrilled when I saw these. And my wonderful wife bought me a speaker system for the ipod that I can use at work.

Last Saturday we also went to the Tigard Balloon Festival for the first time since we've lived here. It was a blast. I'm not lying.

First off, my wife woke up at 4.30 because we'd heard you need to get there early, because there are tons of people. I got up closer to 5, and by the time we'd left here it was probably 5.15. Got there at 5.30 (it's only a couple miles away at Cook Park). I'm pretty sure we were the first ones there. Ok, there were a few people milling about, but I'd say one would be safe to arrive at 6.30 and not miss anything. They have a pancake breakfast, so we got some p-cakes and coffee and found a table where we could watch the festivities.

The festivities really just consisted of watching them blow up hot air balloons, then proceeding to fly away in the hot air balloons. It was really neat though. I'd never seen them close up before, and the kids had a blast. Two hours later, they'd all flown away and we flew the coop as well. I wa hoping to go home and right back to bed, but kids never seem to want to do the same as the adults. That night we were able to drop the kids off at the babysitter's and go out for dinner to the Outback. I know it's not that exciting, but I haven't been to the Outback in years and the Bloomin' Onion was calling. Hmm, now that I write this, it's calling my name again.

Haystack Rock -- Cannon Beach -- Yes, the rock from Goonies!!!

2009-05-28T23:27:00.000-07:00

Park Pics

2009-05-28T23:25:00.000-07:00

Fresh Prince

2009-05-19T20:47:00.000-07:00

See more funny videos and TBT Videos at Today's Big Thing.

Noah, Future Supermodel

2009-05-17T00:12:00.000-07:00

Went to a party for Tia, and the kids didn't have swimsuits, so Noah borrowed one of Tia's. Here are the (hilarious) results.

The wife is...

2009-05-10T20:26:00.000-07:00

restructuring her closet, after taking out a crapload of old clothes to get rid of. I'm not going to get in the way of her 'restructuring', because it is Mother's Day, after all.

Happy Mother's Day to all you mothers out there, including my wonderful wife and my fantastic mother. Happy Mother's Day to everybody out there that has a mother. Happy Mother's Day to anybody I might've missed.

I wish I could blame

2009-04-22T19:25:00.000-07:00

the lack of posting on my allergies...so I will.

Stupid allergies.

Another Video

2009-03-11T21:53:00.000-07:00

New Toothbrushes

2009-03-07T21:31:00.000-08:00

I use antlers in all of my decorating...

2009-03-07T21:20:00.000-08:00

Rippped down a cupboard a few nights ago. It's the one that hung over the peninsula separating the kitchen from the family room. It's a shame to lose the storage space, but it hung low enough that you had to duck to talk to people in the other room. It opens it up a lot now.

Now to get the time to finish pulling down the wallpaper in the kitchen, patch up the ceiling, and paint the whole mess.

One man and 3 babies

2009-03-07T08:39:00.000-08:00

I'm watching the kids today while the wifey's at work. Their friend Tia is coming over this morning and she's going to spend the night.

Any bets on how long I can last without losing it?

Ted Nugget, get off my stage!

2009-02-28T20:36:00.001-08:00

A woman I work with was telling me about her son playing the video game Rock Band recently. He was in the other room and she heard him yell, "Get off my stage, Ted Nugget".

It took her a minute to realize she was talking about Ted Nugent.

Hilarious.

Bath Time Beards

2009-02-28T08:57:00.001-08:00

Ok, really, last ones

2009-02-16T22:24:00.001-08:00

Last ones

2009-02-16T22:22:00.001-08:00

From our friend Steph, Allie's Mother:

Couple More

2009-02-15T20:44:00.000-08:00

Grandma bought the 3 matching outfits for the girls. They were super excited about them. Noah was disgusted by this rampant consumerism and showed his distaste by wearing only a diaper, a dirty t-shirt, and socks.

Lexi's Birthday Party

2009-02-15T20:18:00.000-08:00

So we had 4 kids yesterday for Lexi's 4th Birthday Party. Two of our own, along with Tia and Allie, her two best friends. Her birthday isn't officially until Tuesday, but it was the best time for a sleepover. Allie didn't sleep over, but Tia did. Horrible idea, that.

Ok, it wasn't horrible at all, it was exactly what I expected. Getting 4 kids to settle down at the end of the night isn't easy, but they did well. Here are the pictures.

Valentine's Day Outfits

2009-02-15T20:16:00.001-08:00

20 years on

2009-02-13T20:09:00.000-08:00

Last time I was home to see the parents I bought this cd second hand after not listening to the cassette for at least a good 15 years or so. I was somewhat amazed to see how well it held up and how much I still loved it. I say still, though I remember hating it when it first came out. It was the exact opposite of what everybody was expecting as a follow up to the debut album, License to Ill.

10 out of 10.

the best in mens clothing
visit paulsboutique.beastieboys.com

2009's starting off rather dull

2009-02-08T20:21:00.000-08:00

And it's not just because Coldplay are on the Grammy's right now (rim shot!).

I've been thinking, but not about anything worth sharing.

Yes, the leaky pipe is still holding. I learned from the best. Now if my in-laws would only tell their daughter how great I am. I've even got the beard going to prove it.

Heard this on the comedy station the other day, "Wouldn't the Republicans be pissed if they one day found out that stem cells cured homosexuality?" I forget who said it.

Mitch Hedberg said, "I like an escalator because an escalator can never break, it can only become stairs. There would never be an escalator temporarily out of order sign, only an escalator temporarily stairs. Sorry for the convenience."

Kids are still hilarious. They yearn to go to restaurants to eat these days. They've been pretty good too, so it's been a not-horrible experience. We were at teh Cheesecake Factory the other night and Noah told the waitress, "I want soup, please!" Lexi's 4th birthday is in a week and she's very excited. I said something about her being four the other day and she told me, "I'm not 4, I'm only 3 1/2". She's very literal. She's been reading Charlotte's Web with Mandy then got to watch the movie which she barely paid attention to. She just liked mommy reading to her.

The kids are loving Scooby Doo the most though. You can't even turn on a Spongebob, it's just Scooby and the rest of the Mystery, Inc. gang. Every once in awhile Noah will say, "I love Velma", or "I love Freddy". There are some great Scooby Doo cartoons. And there are some absolutely terrible ones.

I think the kids are messing with me though. Every once in awhile I'm pretty sure they're saying swear words to see if I notice, but when I ask them what they say they won't admit it. They're mumble-swearers.

Finally found Herman Hesse's 'Knulp' at Powell's yesterday. I've been looking for it for years, but it's usually about 35-50 dollars; I was able to get a used copy for only 10 dollars. The kids were not the best bookstore shoppers. I think I might have done some mumble-swearing.

Any questions? I thoght not.

2009-02-01T10:51:00.001-08:00

Manly Man

2009-01-28T20:24:00.000-08:00

My wife didn't think I could do it. She said we should just pay someone to have it done.

She's probably right, but I did it anyway. We'll see how it looks tomorrow, but I think it's fixed.

Thanks to my dad for teaching me how to fix a leaky pipe many, many years ago.

It took me only 6ish hours. Here are my tips on how to do it (the wrong way):

1. Go buy a shovel.
2. Come home and dig up where you think the hole is.
3. Fill in the hole where the leak was not, and try another one.
4. Fill in the second hole and dig up the first one again.
5. Make the first hole a lot bigger and hope you're eventually gonna find that hole.
5b. Cry a little when you realize the leak is coming from underneath the driveway concrete.
6. Look up the number for a leak detection place that will charge you $300.00 to laugh at you when they see your two holes and still couldn't find it.
6b. Keep digging because you don't want to pay the 300 dollars. Rejoice when you see the water gushing out of the hole and hit the white pipe.
7. The leak was at a connection where a pvc pipe turned into a metal pipe. Makes you wonder if just replacing that connection is going to be durable enough, but oh well.
8. Go to the store and buy the stuff you need to fix the pipe now that you know what kind of leak it is.
9. Go back to the store after you get home and realize you forgot one very important connecting piece.
10. Fix the leak.
11. Go back after showering and doing a load of laundry and see that the pipe is solid.
12. Go to bed and hope in the morning the street won't be covered in water.

Look, a 12 step program. Oh my back.

New Year, Resolved

2009-01-19T20:58:00.000-08:00

You see, last year I made a resolution to write more on this blog. And I think overall I did a pretty good job.

This year I did not resolve to do it. And I've done a pretty good job of it. Only 4 posts in January. Not good.

It hasn't been an extraordinarily busy month really, I just haven't gotten around to it. Here's why (in pictures):

Haystack Rock

2009-01-13T22:14:00.001-08:00

Goonies!!!!!

Olliemae Coombe

2009-01-06T21:58:00.000-08:00

Olliemae Coombe 1909 ~ 2008 Olliemae Hansen Coombe, went home to her mom and dad, her husband Frank, and her many sisters and brothers on December 27, 2008 in Lake Shore, Utah at the home of Janice and Sam Clayson, just barely missing her 100th birthday.She was born on Jan. 10, 1909 in Goshen, Utah to Charley F. and Carolina Holmstead Hansen. Even though she had no children of her own, she had many nieces and nephews, whom she considered her children. She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband and 13 brothers and sisters. She is survived by her many nieces and nephews. Those in the area are Janice (Sam) Clayson, Lake Shore; Leah R. Bonney, Santaquin; Guy (Jr.) and Hannah Marie Farley, Salem; Ferl (Bob) Dillenbeck, Pleasant Grove; Doug (Aileen) Hansen, Orem; and Ed (Deanna) Hansen, Payson. The family would like to thank Janice and Sam Clayson and family for their care and devotion they have given Olliemae these past years. They would also like to thank Alpine Hospice for the wonderful and considerate care they have given her, Jason, Yvonne, Shannon, Mary Ann, Tyler and Matt. Funeral services will be Friday, January 2nd at 11 a.m. at the Holladay Brown Funeral Home, 66 South 300 East, Santaquin, with a viewing one hour prior to services. Burial, Goshen Cemetery. Condolences may be sent to the family at www.holladaybrown.com

Aunt Ollie was a good friend of mine. She wasn't really my aunt. She was my grandma Vera's aunt. When my Dad dropped me off at college, we went by Olliemae's house and she fried us up some ham and eggs. Every time I'd go to visit her after that she always seemed to have some ham in the fridge for me.

I didn't go there often, probably once every month or two for about 3-4 years. It was always nice to just relax, catch up on the latest family news, watch her favorite Utah Jazz basketball games, and just enjoy each others' company.

Aunt Ollie could be a crotchety old lady too. She was always critical of idiots and morons (which is why we got along so well) and loved to talk about how everybody's always in too much of a hurry and just need to slow down and enjoy life. We could sit there in silence and just enjoy the peace. I haven't talked to Aunt Ollie in years. I think I called her once several years ago and I don't think she really remembered who I was exactly, but that's ok, we enjoyed the time together that we had.

I really thought she'd live to be 100.

Rest in peace, Aunt Ollie. We love you very, very much.

Cleaned the garage today

2009-01-04T20:54:00.000-08:00

It wasn't exactly a resolution for the new year, but it sure felt like it.

Took me about 4 hours. Mostly going through my archives, winnowing out the 'not so necessary' part of my boxes. I'm down to about 4 boxes of personal stuff in there now.

Woohoo!

Simple Rules

2008-12-27T21:17:00.000-08:00

Blogging is so easy now that I found Youtube.

2008-12-27T20:30:00.000-08:00

Anyway, i thougout this was good. My new resolution for 2009 is to not fix my spelling errors.

This won't mean much to most of you. To some it will mean 9th grade and Ms. Cole's boob-rubbing.

2008-12-26T22:15:00.001-08:00

Stevie Washington, the angry youth.

Born to Die!

New Yorx, New York.

The turn of the century.

All crime!!

The Adventures Stevie and Zoya

Year in Video...

2008-12-23T22:13:00.001-08:00

Superguy

2008-12-22T22:04:00.000-08:00

I fixed the washing machine today.

I feel like Superman.

We washed a load of laundry last night and noticed it wouldn't drain. Tried messing with it a bit but nothing was working. Tonight I turned it on its side, pulled some hoses off, and voila! One of Lexi's Spongebob socks had gotten stuck inside a little filter located just off the main engine. Got out the needlenose pliers and got the sock out, re-assemebled the machine and it purred like a kitten.

Next up, painting the kitchen! I wish I had the paint, this week would have been a perfect time, what with being stuck inside and all.

Real Snow

2008-12-22T14:43:00.000-08:00

Ok, so these pics are real snow in the backyards. I was lying when I posted the pics yesterday and tried to pass them off as my own. I don't know how to sculpt dragons, and I don't wear a hat when I jog.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

2008-12-22T11:38:00.000-08:00

Oops, this is supposed to go to a short video my wife made of the kids, but it's not working right now. I'll try again later.

Snow - Extreme Edition

2008-12-21T13:36:00.001-08:00

It snowed here yesterday. I got a little stir crazy inside, so I went jogging.

While jogging, I ran past these snow leopard grizzlies. I thought they were going to eat me, but apparently they only eat pizza.

Then I worked on the car a bit so I could plow the roads around my house. Apparently the city of Tigard doesn't own a snowplow. I think they don't even have any friends to borrow one from, cause I have not seen a single snowplow in a week.

Then I built a snow palace and some huge creatures and a japanese elf? It was crazy, I attracted a huge crowd. I finally had to send them home so I could get some more snow jogging done.

Hope your Sunday was as awesome as mine.

New Birthday Presents

2008-12-16T22:40:00.001-08:00

Somebody's been watching Christmas specials...

2008-12-16T22:37:00.000-08:00

Two more

2008-12-14T14:48:00.000-08:00

It has a hard time uploading more than two photos at a time for some reason, hence two-picture posts. I've been having a hard time taking pictures lately, for some reason they're always coming out blurry. The wife insists I have a temporary palsy that only strikes when I'm taking pictures, so I've been focusing more on focusing. Can't do anything about the devil eyes on Noah though. Here they're practicing their bubble beards. Amateurs.

Bathtime Shenanigans

2008-12-14T14:44:00.000-08:00

Proudly displaying their pioneer heritage, Brigham and Jedediah Smith.

Snowfall!

2008-12-14T14:38:00.000-08:00

Got our first snowfall of the year. We won't get much here in Portland, but it's always fun while it lasts. It's late afternoon now and still falling, probably 3-4" last time I checked. Lexi lasted 5 minutes outside, Noah 10. The cat loved it too.

Lexi woke me up at 8.30 this morning, ecstatic. "Mommy, come look! I'm so glad I looked out my window this morning! Daddy, come look, I'm not even kidding, you've got to see what's outside my window!".

Couple more pics

2008-12-12T22:26:00.000-08:00

Tried to do 4 photos last night but only two came up. Here we go:

2008-12-12T22:24:00.000-08:00

For any tabletop gaming nerdy millionaire

This is at the top of my christmas list. Not like i have any nerdy friends to warrant its awesomeness. But it rocks.

Just some pics

2008-12-11T20:20:00.000-08:00

The easy way to post...

Not so deep thoughts

2008-12-10T23:23:00.000-08:00

1. I was looking up the origin of the word Cologne, and, as I surmised, it comes from the city of Cologne, Germany. But in Germany they don't ever call it cologne, nor is it called Koln, the German way to pronounce the name of the city. It's too late to look up what they really call it, but it's odd.

2. I wish every grocery store had a map available of its aisles. Either at the store or online. I would pay $1.00 for a map of my local grocery store. Maybe 2, but no more than 2 dollars at the most.

3. I forgot number 3. I'll think of it tomorrow.

KORG DS

2008-12-09T21:39:00.000-08:00

Cool little piece of software for the Nintendo DS

And the little guy in action...

Yes, it's on my christmas list.

funny kids, not mine

2008-12-07T22:23:00.001-08:00

Bookmarks

2008-12-07T21:36:00.000-08:00

A list of my bookmarks from the top to the bottom:

The Great Whatsi t - Started by a friend from college and some other friends mainly on the east coast. I usually make it a point to visit there every couple of days at least.
PimpStyle2000 - My friend Kent's site. Friends since high school, it's been a little on the slow side at this site lately, but still some funny people hang out there.
Bank of America - Really? You need me to tell you what this one is?
Mystatcounter - Tells me how many times my mom has checked out this site today. When she's visiting me my number of visitors drops by 90%.
Suburban Home - If you click this link you're gonna get summa that deja vu.
Pitchfork - I used to visit this site all the time for new music ideas. Now I just check it out to see if any famous musicians have died recently.
Woot - Sweet site that offers closeouts and special deals. Usually one per day, starting at 10 pm p.s.t. Sometimes there's a woot-off which goes for a couple days and the same item stays up until it sells out before a new one is posted.
Woot T-shirt - Same thing but for shirts.
The World According to Wayne - Wayne is a friend of mine from back in the days of playing Everquest, so probably about the year 2000, 2001. My character was a female so he was trying to flirt me up but I had to tell him to stop. We've been friends ever since. He doesn't update his blog enough, but I'm sure he loves bacon like I do.
Jeffrey Dinsmore - My brother in law. Coolest dude on the west coast with the awesomest wife. Buy his book, he'll thank you for it.
MySpace.com - I don't really remember to check this one but once every month or two. Mainly to keep in touch with my friend Chris, but since he only checks it every couple of months, we never really connect.
Penny Arcade - Video Game/Geekery site. Check it out every once in awhile. Home to the Child's Play charity which is a bunch of gamers that give to children's hospital.
Kotaku - Another video game site I check out regularly.
i wish god were alive to see this - Not sure where I picked this one up, but it's great to see the world through someone else's eyes sometimes.
Etsy.com - Great place with home-made crafts.
100 hour board - A place where you ask a question and they answer it within 100 hours. Beware, it's full of Mormons.
New York Times food section - Food stuffs
Apartment Therapy - Good place for some inspiration for decorating I will never do.
Zenni Optical - $10.00 Eyeglasses. Seriously.
The Sartorialist - Style Inspiration. See 'Apartment Therapy' above.
Sexwithfarmanimals.com - just kidding ma!

That's what I do in my spare time.

Any idiot...

2008-12-07T14:02:00.000-08:00

"Any idiot can face a crisis, it's the day-to-day living that wears you out."

- Anton Chekov

Fisherman's Friend

2008-12-06T17:16:00.000-08:00

Oh, you don't know what Fisherman's Friend is? How sad is that. Check this out.

Fisherman's Friend Website

The best things ever to keep you from coughing. Even though my Dad's always been a Sucrets man himself. They're not always easy to find, usually near the cough drop section, but rarely directly 'in' the cough drop section. For some reason I can never find the good flavors, usually just the default 'original extra strong'. The aniseed are the best, but oh well; I'll take what I can get.

The Life and Times of Tim

2008-12-06T17:14:00.000-08:00

I kept seeing the ads for this on HBO but it didn't look all that great. But last night we watched a couple and they're pretty funny. A little hit or miss at times, but there were some choke-on-your-Fisherman's Friend moments to be had.

Boobie-Straps

2008-12-03T21:15:00.000-08:00

Lexi's (and Noah's by extension) new favorite word is boobie-straps to mean bra. They both love to put a bra around their neck and dance around.

Tonight I gave them each a Hershey's Kiss and they took the wrappers and held them up to their chests like little bras, yelling, "Boobie-straps, boobie-straps!".

Kids are nuts-o.

Oh yeah, so is the bacon bra.

Oldie but a Goodie

2008-11-25T20:34:00.001-08:00

My nephews, Gary and Asa. Not sure how long ago this was, probably some 12-odd years ago.

Hey brother, could you spare 25 billion?

2008-11-19T20:39:00.000-08:00

Really? The auto industry suddenly need 25 billion dollars to stay afloat?

Hey American auto-industry:

Suck it.

Hunting Pics

2008-11-07T20:54:00.000-08:00

1. Rabbit Rock. As a kid this was a sign that we were getting to the end of the paved road and leaving civilization for good. It seemed like it took another 2 hours after we hit the dirt road, but last week it only took about 40 minutes.

2. View from the top under the power lines. Not really 'the top' as in there isn't anything higher, since the picture makes it look pretty tame. This is where I used to go with my dad early in the morning to watch the sun rise. While I wasn't terribly excited about getting up early this time, I did make it out of bed early at least once, and we went back under the power lines to watch the sun rise over Quincy. I forgot to eat a Ding Dong though.

3. Uncle Larry and Uncle Lynn. Probably shooting the shit. The family has an old army tent they erect in the middle of all the motorhomes/trailers. You can see more of it in picture #5. What you don't see is the wood burning stove in there that kept us all warm all night and helped us cook our food. As a kid we had one generator that all the trailers used at night to provide electricity. Now, everbody had their own. There must've been 5-6 of them for 10 trailers. Nobody was really hurting much for the basics, though the shower could've used a little more pressure and the hot tub really wasn't warm enough for my tastes.

4. My bed on the left. My brother's on the right. Can you guess why I didn't sleep well? Twin bed, sleeping bag, whiskey. I think I mentioned Gary's snoring, and the silence all around us was unnerving as well. And I missed the kids screaming and crying so much I just couldn't fall asleep.

5. Gramma Smith, Uncle Larry hidden behind her, my nephew Gary Jr., Cousin Tim, Cousin Chuck, and Dad doing a little two-step in the foreground.

Did I mention eating the liver?

No hunting pics yet

2008-11-05T21:16:00.000-08:00

I know you're all waiting for the photos of the deer head hanging from the front of my Mini Cooper, but they're not online yet. Gimme a little more time.

Noah's favorite words right now: boobies and dammit

I used to think it was funny. Until he said it about five times in a row while picking them up at daycare. I tried telling everyone he was speaking German. Damit is a real word auf Deutsch, but I don't think anyone was having it.

I can't type much, Lexi's having her friend Tia over for a sleepover and I have a headache that grows by the minute.

By the way, a hearty thank you to the country for voting for change. Thank you for not screwing it up. Too bad California had to go and try to ruin a good thing.

Just a couple pictures from the files...

2008-10-20T22:27:00.001-07:00

I'm Sorry

2008-10-20T22:16:00.001-07:00

Lexi called this "Snot Paste"

Fairy Tales

2008-10-20T22:06:00.000-07:00

I've been telling Lexi the story of Little Red Riding hood the past few nights. What I remember of it anyway. I'm afraid my versions are going to somehow ruin her life when she grows up and realizes that her versions of fairy tales are so totally different than everybody else's.

Anyway, after hearing the story a couple of times, she's started asking questions.

"Did the guy just chop the wolf's head off or did he cut his arms off too?"

"Did her grandma get to eat some soup?"

"But was her grandma still sick?" (this is after I tell her the wolf ate the grandma)

Lexi was relating a story to her mother this evening while lying in bed, and in the middle of the story she asks, "When you were in the rain today did you wear a jacket with a hood?"

"Yes, I sure did", said her mother.

"Good", said Lexi, then continued on with her story.

It's funny to see how her brain works these days.

Ugh

2008-10-19T23:22:00.000-07:00

Ugh, lookit this. He didn't get bacon on it!

Monthly Roundup

2008-10-18T23:46:00.000-07:00

Here's what's going on now:

1. My computer is on the fritz. Microsoft Vista sucks. Don't get it. It's terrible and I wish I had never tried it. I got it to be able to play the newest games thinking it would be helpful (Microsoft told me it would be, and I believed them like the fool I am). The problem is, Nvidia, who makes my graphics card, decided not to actually care that Vista work with their graphics cards.

I guess in a way it's good. I don't feel like I spend that much time playing games, but probably more than I need to, so it's nice to take a step back now and again.

3. I learned how to count

4. That was a joke.

5. I'm enjoying my new job change. It's been making me very tired though. I used to have two days a week where I dropped the kids off then had the morning free until my closing shift, but now I work either 7-4 or 8-5 every day, so I've been very tired. Some nights the past two weeks I've been in bed by 8.30 and even then been trying hard to stay awake that late.

6. Kids and I made cookies today. It was my wife's fault. She bought sugar cookie mix and cookie cutters and told me how great this fun activity would be. Yeah right. The only fun thing was fattening the kids up all morning then sticking them in the oven. Then decorating the house with frosting and licorice whips. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha

7. Did I mention deer hunting next week? Yep, true that. Haven't been in 20 years, since I was 15. Not sure if I should go get long underwear, probably should I guess. I'm so not prepared. I've spent the past 20 years buying green and beige clothes, and now it turns out if I wear those into the woods I have a much better chance of getting shot. I've started preparing a mental list of things I need.

- Clothes (obvious)
- Gun (wish list)
- Bow and arrow (wish list but more realistic than gun)
- BB gun (this I could maybe do)
- Orange clothes, maybe earmuffs and hat
- Knife (I'm thinking Rambo knife but might just do that Swiss Army knife if I can find it. I may want to whittle something)
- Big bottle of whiskey (self-explanatory?)
- guitar (maybe two in case there's an accident after drinking the whiskey)
- Video games (portable, though batter won't last a whole week)
- Books/magazines (preferably on what to do if you're shot in the woods. Jack London probably wrote such a book)
- Long underwear

It's getting late and I'm going to bed. Carving pumpkins tomorrow. yay.

New Outlook on Life

2008-10-14T22:41:00.000-07:00

I've finally figured it all out...

If you find everybody to be stupid then pretty soon you'll drown yourself in a sea of stupidity. If you avoid every retail store where you had bad service, then you'll never have any places to shop again. So I'm hereby granting a pardon to everybody on 'my list'. A one time pardon, you hear me, assholes!

In extreme cases I might still hold a grudge, but I'm going to try to keep it to two days for people, one month for retail establishments.

I'm even giving up my boycott of Best Buy.

A clean slate, let's start afresh and get over the little details of the crapweasels that annoy us day in and day out.

Tell you what though, I'm not forgiving CEOs. Screw those guys.

Has it always been this bad?

2008-09-26T10:47:00.000-07:00

Question: Has the world always been in such a bad situation? It seems like the news is always so glum these days. But when I stop to think about it, I can't remember it ever being extremely happy in any way. Are things worse now than 5 years ago, or 10, or 50? Maybe I just haven't been paying enough attention...I dunno.

Dear Mom, part II

2008-09-25T21:18:00.000-07:00

Oh yeah, went to the dentist today. It's been awhile (years). No cavities, things looked good.

Not a fan of the dentist's office.

Thanks Mom!

2008-09-25T19:52:00.000-07:00

Nothing like a good phone conversation with your mother to remind you that you haven't written on your blog in awhile. I guess happy birthday/anniversary posts don't really count...though I tried.

Thing is, there are some new things happening lately that I've been meaning to post about, so here goes.

1. We're moving to South Dakota this October.

2. I'm going back to school to become a dentist.

3. I'm lying about both these things.

Here's what's really happening:

1. Noah's learned to climb out of his crib. He actually learned months ago, but the first time he did, he fell and hurt his arm, so he's not been climbing out since. But three days ago he was just standing in our doorway all of a sudden while I was getting ready for work. My first thought..."Shit, now it's on".

So the last few nights have been a nightmare, trying to get him to stay in bed. We pulled down the front of his crib to convert it into a toddler bed, which he seems to like, but the freedom is too much for him. I liken it to what would happen if we legalized pot: The first few days would just be too much freedom for most people. But eventually you'll get tired of it and just go to sleep.

The worst part is that he cries for me, making me feel responsible for his unhappiness at being being baby-gated into his room. It wouldn't be so bad if he was crying for mommy.

2. I'm switching jobs at my company. I've spent the last 3 years out on the sales floor, prior to which I was running the show in the back of house. But I've learned that sales really aren't my thing. I've actually known that for the past 3 years, but the money was pretty good. I've gotten tired of never knowing how you'll do with your commissions though, and it will be nice to have a steadier paycheck. Plus I won't have to work nights twice a week anymore, which will make all of us happier. I guess. I kind of like closing shifts, it gives me time to do grocery shopping and Goodwill trips, but I'll just have to find time elsewhere.

3. Is anybody else pissed at the financial institutions that have gotten themselves into some messed up situation? These are the same places that over the last few years you'd keep hearing about how they were giving these huge bonuses to their CEO's, even to those that were quit/fired. The same CEO's that got them into such messed up situations. Now they're in the deep shit and Bush wants to bail them out?

How about taking 700 billion dollars and paying everybody's credit cards off? The banks own the credit cards, so they'd be getting the 700 billion dollars in payments. Fair deal? Seems fair to me.
Now I understand how banks went under in the Depression. People start thinking that maybe the banks aren't smart enough to take care of their money. And if my bank can't make wise choices about how many millions they give their shitty decision making, thieving, low down, rotten CEO's, I'm not going to be keeping my money there anymore either.

Happy Anniversary

2008-09-16T12:01:00.000-07:00

To my lovely wife, happy anniversary darling.

She's an absolute saint for putting up with me.

I love you.

Chicks

2008-09-12T22:06:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday

2008-08-30T15:00:00.000-07:00

Happy birthday to my big sis. She's 37 now and olddddd!

J/k hon. Congratulations on all the great achievements you've made over the past few years. Well, over your whole life really. Who would've thought you'd go so far.

Love to you and the family,

Me

Either/Or

2008-08-29T22:43:00.000-07:00

Click here for link

If you're too lazy to click it, it's a link to a story today on YahooNews.com

Headline reads:

Little-Known Palin May Be Benefit or Bust for McCain's Campaign

Good to know they have their bases covered.

DNC

2008-08-29T11:40:00.001-07:00

I enjoyed watching the Democratic National Convention this past week. I wasn't actually hovering around the t.v. watching it all, but managed to watch a few speeches here and there. I guess I always thought there was more going on at these conventions. I assumed that during the day everyone gathered around and had symposiums on what the strategy should be, etc, rather than just having a big four day party, but whatever...

Obama's speech last night was great. I say this from the perspective of an ordinary, run-of-the-mill citizen. Someone mentioned that they felt like they were being an activist just by listening to him speak, and I echo this sentiment. I don't think he's perfect by any means, and his ideas and promises seem maybe a smidgen too far-reaching, but I think that's the point, that someone actually has ideas of changing the dank political scene that we've been miring in for years and years.

I've been cynical about politics since I was a kid. I did a report on Nixon as a kid, not knowing anything about him, and learning about how he was booted out of office. I figured he didn't do anything worse than any other president, he just happened to get caught. And this opinion has never changed.

But it's nice to see someone come along and offer up some hope. Some hope that things can change, and though it will not likely be a rosy walk in the park, at least we can get back on the right path towards being a great nation. It's been a long time since I was proud of my country. I know that usually when people say this they get lambasted for it by the right wingers, but it's true. Nobody can be proud of a being a nation of fat-assed blowhards being led by a nincompoop. And if you can then I feel sorry for you.

And this year I'm actually excited to vote. The last time I was excited to vote was in 1992 when I was 19 and voted for my first president. I'm a little ashamed to say that I voted for Perot, even after he had dropped out of the race then re-entered, but I've always been a little out there. I just felt like the traditional two party candidates weren't heading the right way either. I've voted a few times since then, but never with any degree of excitement that I could get behind one candidate or the other.

I don't think McCain would be the worst president either. I don't think he has much vision for changing things though. I think it will be politics as usual with him. Not necessarily as bad as it's been under Bush, but I don't feel any excitement from him. I do worry that he's too old to actually feel any excitement anymore. I'm 35 and I rarely feel any vim and vigor, he's twice my age and must just be happy to get some coffee and be alive each day, let alone try to change the course of a stagnant nation.

I do worry about his vp pick too. I mean, what a strange choice. Have you ever heard of this lady? I don't much follow politics, but at least I had heard of Joe Biden. I've heard of Alaska, but not this Palin lady. C'mon McCain, do you think everybody's stupid enough to suddenly vote for you because you chose a woman? There weren't any other women that people had heard of that you could have chosen? WTF?

Oh well, we shall see. I'm nervous about the election. I think the Democrats are like your hometown team, they can always mess it up. They may get overconfident and fall apart. I think everybody that supports Obama has to feel this way right now. He's managed to pull through to this point, but you can always mess things up. Maybe that's the true American way.

Awesome Possum

2008-08-28T21:51:00.000-07:00

Random Stuff

2008-08-16T21:33:00.000-07:00

-From a web report about Michael Phelps : "Phelps’ seventh world record in his personal Great Haul of China."

Ha ha, Great Haul of China. Those sportswriters can be hilarious.

-Watched Batman - Dark Knight last week. Not hilarious. Too long. Too much action moving too fast for this old geezer. Maybe a 7 out of 10. I remember liking the first one quite a bit.

Had a funny moment while watching it though. We went to the 5.30 showing, so it was pretty empty, out in Clio, Michigan. Probably 10 people in the theatre overall. Just before the movie starts, two older guys, probably 50's or slightly older, come up and sit in the aisle and seats right behind us. Right behind us. Then they talk. They talk through the last preview and on into the opening of the movie. Not talking the whole time, just random, inane statements. Like when they're talking about Harvey Dent, one of the guys says, "Oh that's Aaron Eckhart, he's a good actor".

We both shush them a time or two, but they're still at it. Finally we both turn around, but the wife starts pounding the back of her seat, and goes, "Guys, do you mind! Stop talking". They're both like, "Oh." and didn't make a peep after. Way to go wife.

You never know what's gonna happen in that situation. Like are they gonna be assholes and keep talking just to bug you? Apparently they just figured talking during a movie was ok and this was the first they heard that it is not.

After the movie I heard them in the restroom near me and I was expecting them to be talking about 'that bitch in front of us'. Instead they just sounded like a couple of old movie nerds, talking about how much the movie offers up to think about. One guy gave it about a 7/10, same as me!

-One of the favorite things Lexi says right now is amn't. I'll say she's a little joker or something and she'll say, "No I amn't". Maybe this is common for kids, but it gets me every time.

-I've been digging the Olympics lately. Not actually watching them, though I had it on for a couple hours this morning and was watching some on the plane last night. I don't get caught up in the whole Olympic fever and patriotism and medal count, but I think they're cool. It's nice to see people who do get caught up in something big like that.

I'm amazed at some of the structures that get built for Olympics. That Swim Cube is cool. I went the Olympic Stadium in Munich back when I was a kid and that was cool too. Just some nice architecture, lots of cool design rather than just a slab of concrete. I don't even think it's bad for them to be in China. I mean, they aren't the politically correct games. Maybe the Chinese are pretty much assholes in the whole 'freedom' concept, but they're just the Olympics. If they start vying to give out the Nobel Peace Prizes in Beijing, then I'll riot.

-Michigan is lovely this time of year. We had a great trip. The kids loved loved loved seeing their Grandma and Grandpa. We saw lots of relatives in the Dinsmore family, maybe a few more than is wise, as there is no way I can remember who's who now.

Grandpa D built a swing/playset in the backyard just for Lexi and Noah and they loved it and abused it to no end. Not sure how much sand ended up staying in the sand box and how much ended up on the lawn. They took tractor rides on in the backyard on the riding lawnmower, and Daddy loved Grandpa's massage chair. Used it so much my spine was actually tender the next day.

The kids' Great Grandma Peg turned 90 this year and there was a big shindig for her. That was nice. Uncle Jeff and Aunt Sarah were there from California, which made it just that much nicer as well. The four of us took a little trip up to Frankfort/Elberta, which is on northern Lake Michigan, along with a couple of other cousins. Just went overnight, but we went on one of those alpine slides at a place called Crystal Mountain, then went to Sleeping Bear Dunes. It was beautiful weather and beautiful country.

I ended up getting a little flu bug for a couple of days. Not sure exactly what it was, but was laid up in bed off and on for a day or two. Had a pounding head the whole time. Luckily it was nearer the end of the trip after most the action had taken place, but I still felt bad for ruining the good time. Luckily it was mostly better in time for the trip home, as we had to drive to Detroit, take a bus to the airport, take two planes, then another shuttle to the car. The kids were mostly good on the plane, but it's not easy traveling with kids. Thank goodness all the passengers around us were good humored. Thank you fellow travelers!!!

Taking a Break

2008-08-06T22:47:00.000-07:00

It's been too tough posting as much as I do, so I'm gonna slow it down a bit.

Heading to Michigan for a week, so you're gonna have to get along without me for a short while.

I'll return to my regular updates when I get back.

My dilemma...

2008-07-19T15:38:00.000-07:00

So I'm home alone with the kids, and M went to work at 11, so the kids were still in their pajamas. It's 3.30 and they're still in their pajamas. The wife's not home until after their bedtime. So, isn't it in everybody's best interest to just keep them in their pajamas all day? I mean, there is an energy crisis going on and we don't want to waste valuable resources right now. Am I right? If I'm wrong you may be a terrorist or oil company owner.

Dead Cat

2008-07-19T15:33:00.000-07:00

No, cat's not dead.

Yet.

Lexi's going crazy jumping on the bed beside me. I told her not to get too crazy and jump on the cat. She said, "Yeah cause we don't want a dead cat".

Hmm, I'm getting an idea.

The cat was sick last week. It was strange, he all of a sudden started limping one night, and it seemed to be getting worse, so M took him to the vet. They charged us $350.00 to take x-rays and do blood work, only to tell us that he had a fever but nothing was physically wrong otherwise.

I'm glad M was the one with him, because I don't know that I would have paid that much. I mean, the cat only cost us about $30.00 initially, and there are a LOT of cats out there that don't have fevers and limps. Really though, couldn't the vet have maybe mentioned waiting a day to see what happened before jumping into all the lab work and x-rays?

This cat is getting more and more precious to me each and every day that we sink money into him. Pretty soon he's gonna poop gold for us I'm sure.

The worst part is that now I'm afraid to even touch him when he's scratching and clawing my hands at night, because I don't want to have to take him back for more x-rays.

Had brunch with Ed Begley Jr. yesterday...

2008-07-07T21:28:00.000-07:00

Well, I had brunch near Ed Begley Jr. yesterday. Went to the Old Wives' Tales restaurant for brunch to meet up with some old acquaintances who were visiting from Seattle. While waiting for them, we were playing in a little playroom set aside for kids, and this older gentleman was playing with another little boy. I was thinking he had a familiar look to him, but I'm the type of person that would never recognize a celebrity if they were standing right next to me (which he was).

It wasn't until we were seated at the table with our friends, when one of them wrote 'Ed Begley' on a napkin and showed it to us. I thought he was just saying that the guy looked like E.B.

Nope, it was the real deal. He's looking a little older these days. Not surprising, of course. I guess he'll just always be John 'Stumpy' Pepys to me, the original drummer for Spinal Tap.

Probably forgot most of 'em...

2008-07-05T14:48:00.000-07:00

1) Look at the list and bold those you have read.
2) Italicize those you intend to read
3) Underline the books you LOVE.

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6 The Bible
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare (not every single word, but close)
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19 The Time Traveller’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot (only read half, only bolded half)
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
34 Emma - Jane Austen
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - C.S. Lewis
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving (this is a must read book if you have never read it.)
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52 Dune - Frank Herbert
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones’ Diary - Helen Fielding
69 Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses - James Joyce (who knows what it's actually about though)
76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80 Possession - AS Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte’s Web - EB White
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl

I'm not sure where the list comes from...I got it from my Wayne.

2008-06-28T21:49:00.000-07:00

Sorry I didn't learn how to embed those previous videos. I'm now an old hand at it.

edit: Now I did.