Today is my parent's anniversary. They are now married 44 years and going strong. I was talking to my Mom a couple days ago and she said she had forgotten their anniversary was this week. They had planned on coming up, but my sister spazzed out something fierce and I believe it scared mom enough to cancel her plans. It's just as well, I am probably working tonight, Wife is working all day Saturday, Boy is working all day Saturday. Only Chubs has a free weekend, but he is a party in a bottle right there.
My mom did say they might come up Saturday, once my sister is appeased. But then my Dad had plans to watch the big fight, and there is no way I am paying $100 to watch 2 idiots punch each other. The last thing I want is my Dad sitting there butthurt cause I won't cough up the cash to see the fight when my brother will pay for it right next door to his house.
I guess we take for granted that the two of them are still together, even Wife's parents are still together. That seems like such a rare thing, nowadays. I don't think a single friend that Boy brought over growing up, had both parents together. We haven't met Chubs' friends but I believe it is more of the same. I see them as good role models, yes they argued and even fought a bit in the earlier years, but they also worked through their differences and stayed together for the sake of family unity. Wife and I have argued and fought, but we are mature enough to know family is more important than our own selfish pursuits.
I guess we'll be taking them to eat this weekend, if they do show up. Do you buy them a gift? I am not sure, I am going to say the meal is a nice enough gift. It feels so good to be working OT again, to the point that I can treat if I feel like doing so. This is part of the reason we are selling the big house, I want to be the man, regularly.
I just have to figure out where to take them now. My dad is not a fan of the Brazilian Steakhouse, Chubs was already asking for it, and Wife says I sullied our little Italian place, so I guess we'll be trying a new place this weekend.
Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad, I love you.
Thursday, April 30, 2015
4/30/15 Touch This?
Touch is one of our five senses. We need it to communicate with the world as much as we need our sight, hearing, taste and smell. It is a weird sense in that we are always encouraged to taste different foods, go to different places so you can see different things and eat different foods, but then when it comes to touching, we are kind of discouraged from using it as much.
As babies, we are supposed to be touched, studies have been done in orphanages with babies that were held and touched and babies that were not and those that were held and touched grow up to be much more productive people. As soon as we become conscious though of what we are touching, we are then kicked into a world of Do Not Touch. Do not touch the hot fire, do not touch the electric wires, do not touch the ass of that hot chick bent over just so.
I think too much is made of the Do Not Touch your coworker in the work environment, I guess the rules exist because at some point, somebody went too far, but I believe things work themselves out. I have been with the same group going on 19+ years. It is very normal to get a hug from one of the ladies there, I guess we are a family of sorts. Even with the guys, we joke around a lot and we routinely push each other or "fake" box landing punches not to hurt but I believe as part of being human and needing that connection specially since we are here twelve hours at a time.
Chubs at home needs to be hugged, even just driving from school or to lunch, if I put my hand on his chair and graze his hair, he will push his head up, like a cat, looking for that rub on the head. Wife and I greet each other with a kiss and I do a boob grab 90% of the time. Boy has always been the little robot that could, but if he needs a hug he will just come and drop on any one of us, even Chubs and demand to be hugged. He is all bony, but we know what he needs. And then of course Girlie, who's folks left for the other side of the country. She comes and visits once a week or so and I feel she always needs a hug, being that she is alone here now.
I have come a long way, my family was never touchy-feely. Wife has made me much more comfortable hugging people, but enough of that, come here let me smell you, sniffffff!!!!! :)
As babies, we are supposed to be touched, studies have been done in orphanages with babies that were held and touched and babies that were not and those that were held and touched grow up to be much more productive people. As soon as we become conscious though of what we are touching, we are then kicked into a world of Do Not Touch. Do not touch the hot fire, do not touch the electric wires, do not touch the ass of that hot chick bent over just so.
I think too much is made of the Do Not Touch your coworker in the work environment, I guess the rules exist because at some point, somebody went too far, but I believe things work themselves out. I have been with the same group going on 19+ years. It is very normal to get a hug from one of the ladies there, I guess we are a family of sorts. Even with the guys, we joke around a lot and we routinely push each other or "fake" box landing punches not to hurt but I believe as part of being human and needing that connection specially since we are here twelve hours at a time.
Chubs at home needs to be hugged, even just driving from school or to lunch, if I put my hand on his chair and graze his hair, he will push his head up, like a cat, looking for that rub on the head. Wife and I greet each other with a kiss and I do a boob grab 90% of the time. Boy has always been the little robot that could, but if he needs a hug he will just come and drop on any one of us, even Chubs and demand to be hugged. He is all bony, but we know what he needs. And then of course Girlie, who's folks left for the other side of the country. She comes and visits once a week or so and I feel she always needs a hug, being that she is alone here now.
I have come a long way, my family was never touchy-feely. Wife has made me much more comfortable hugging people, but enough of that, come here let me smell you, sniffffff!!!!! :)
Wednesday, April 29, 2015
4/29/15 What To Do When They Cuss At You Out Of The Blue?
Shall I paint a picture? I am working my butt off, I was trained two or three weeks ago how to run a tool I had not run in about four years. I am doing alright, I am thrown into the deep end and have been imaging most everything we are doing for a big project we have going with a large company here. I have now worked two weekends where I work Friday and Sunday plus all week, every night a twelve hour shift. Check is going to be great this week with 140 hours for a two week period.
I barely reach out, I am kept on a very tight leash by work and my commitments. Everything I do is done in a rush to try and buy a couple minutes for myself. Last week, I talked to my Mom, she suggested it had been awhile since they've seen us, maybe they'll come up this weekend. I said sure, it would be fun, I love seeing my folks, what could I have done wrong?
Tonight as I am splayed open running control knobs with my feet, with my left arm, and maneuvering computer to catch images with my right arm, my sister texts "you all don't give a shit that I wanted to plan something for my mother in her hometown." What do you say to that? I told her I was working on my mind reading skills but they still aren't that good, and then I told her to put some soap in her mouth because I don't cuss when I text her. Yes, I have a potty mouth like nobody's business, but in writing I try not to sound like a baboon.
I was left wondering if I had missed something, I hadn't communicated with her since she was cursing at me when I called my Mom on Easter that we couldn't go because I didn't want to leave Boy here in town alone. Then one brother (the one that lived with me) added "this is the first I hear of this, tell me what you need." then five minutes later my other brother added "you haven't said anything, tell me what you need."
After she got our attention, she didn't respond anymore. As I keep whining, we are in the process of selling our house, I am as busy as I have been in quite a while at work, plus Chubs still goes to school and I pick him up and feed him plus Wife has her own things that she needs me doing, post haste. There are basically two restaurants in our hometown, not including Pizza Hut, but I'll give her benefit of the doubt. If she wants to go out of town, and Mom is already headed this way, shouldn't it be easy enough to follow her? Austin has quite a few more choices for restaurants, if you want to take OUR parents out to eat.
I barely reach out, I am kept on a very tight leash by work and my commitments. Everything I do is done in a rush to try and buy a couple minutes for myself. Last week, I talked to my Mom, she suggested it had been awhile since they've seen us, maybe they'll come up this weekend. I said sure, it would be fun, I love seeing my folks, what could I have done wrong?
Tonight as I am splayed open running control knobs with my feet, with my left arm, and maneuvering computer to catch images with my right arm, my sister texts "you all don't give a shit that I wanted to plan something for my mother in her hometown." What do you say to that? I told her I was working on my mind reading skills but they still aren't that good, and then I told her to put some soap in her mouth because I don't cuss when I text her. Yes, I have a potty mouth like nobody's business, but in writing I try not to sound like a baboon.
I was left wondering if I had missed something, I hadn't communicated with her since she was cursing at me when I called my Mom on Easter that we couldn't go because I didn't want to leave Boy here in town alone. Then one brother (the one that lived with me) added "this is the first I hear of this, tell me what you need." then five minutes later my other brother added "you haven't said anything, tell me what you need."
After she got our attention, she didn't respond anymore. As I keep whining, we are in the process of selling our house, I am as busy as I have been in quite a while at work, plus Chubs still goes to school and I pick him up and feed him plus Wife has her own things that she needs me doing, post haste. There are basically two restaurants in our hometown, not including Pizza Hut, but I'll give her benefit of the doubt. If she wants to go out of town, and Mom is already headed this way, shouldn't it be easy enough to follow her? Austin has quite a few more choices for restaurants, if you want to take OUR parents out to eat.
Tuesday, April 28, 2015
4/28/15 Confused By Movies and Shows?
I am currently re-watching Scrubs on Netflix per Boy's request. He swears he loves it more than anything, says he's seen it about 4-5 times, just on a loop. It is nine seasons and each season has at least 20 episodes, so it is a bit of show to get through.
I always liked watching it, and I love that a lot of the actors seemed to have migrated over to Cougartown. My problem when we were watching it once a week like back in the old days and now in "binge" mode is that it is supposed to be a comedy but about every three or four episodes leaves me in tears. Even knowing it is going to happen a second time around, I let the show take me on that journey, I kind of hate it and like it at the same time. Last night was a very heartbreaking one, Brendan Fraser (The Mummy) was a guest star and basically is like the best friend of Dr. Cox who is the tough but good doctor training JD who the show focuses on, primarily. The whole show has the Brendan character annoying Cox throughout the hospital and he keeps talking about the wife making a big deal for their kid's first birthday. Cox seems overwhelmed, a patient of JD dies after Cox gave him some advice and distracted him to do stuff for him. There is a lot of built up tension and ends outside where for a second it seems like they are headed to a park, Cox still arguing with Brendan, but in reality they are at the cemetery and the Brendan character has died. Episode was done very well, can't help but waterworks.
There was a movie that worked in a different direction for me way back in the 90's. Falling Down, with Michael Douglas. I went and saw it at the movies, not knowing anything about it, just walked in. To me, Michael Douglas was Romancing The Stone, Jewel of the Nile, even War of the Roses, quirky comedies with action and a little violence. I assumed for the first 40 minutes of the movie that it was a comedy. Michael Douglas character was having a nervous breakdown and getting more violent throughout the movie. I still remember laughing out loud on a couple of scenes but I was the only one laughing, I don't recall it being a good enough movie to watch again, but I have always been curious as to whether it was such a bad movie, maybe it was comical by accident. I believe the main character gets shot by the cops in a standoff, so ending sucked. This movie has always bothered me though, now it's off my chest at least.
Back to Scrubs, got like 6 more seasons, and 2 hours on my shift.
I always liked watching it, and I love that a lot of the actors seemed to have migrated over to Cougartown. My problem when we were watching it once a week like back in the old days and now in "binge" mode is that it is supposed to be a comedy but about every three or four episodes leaves me in tears. Even knowing it is going to happen a second time around, I let the show take me on that journey, I kind of hate it and like it at the same time. Last night was a very heartbreaking one, Brendan Fraser (The Mummy) was a guest star and basically is like the best friend of Dr. Cox who is the tough but good doctor training JD who the show focuses on, primarily. The whole show has the Brendan character annoying Cox throughout the hospital and he keeps talking about the wife making a big deal for their kid's first birthday. Cox seems overwhelmed, a patient of JD dies after Cox gave him some advice and distracted him to do stuff for him. There is a lot of built up tension and ends outside where for a second it seems like they are headed to a park, Cox still arguing with Brendan, but in reality they are at the cemetery and the Brendan character has died. Episode was done very well, can't help but waterworks.
There was a movie that worked in a different direction for me way back in the 90's. Falling Down, with Michael Douglas. I went and saw it at the movies, not knowing anything about it, just walked in. To me, Michael Douglas was Romancing The Stone, Jewel of the Nile, even War of the Roses, quirky comedies with action and a little violence. I assumed for the first 40 minutes of the movie that it was a comedy. Michael Douglas character was having a nervous breakdown and getting more violent throughout the movie. I still remember laughing out loud on a couple of scenes but I was the only one laughing, I don't recall it being a good enough movie to watch again, but I have always been curious as to whether it was such a bad movie, maybe it was comical by accident. I believe the main character gets shot by the cops in a standoff, so ending sucked. This movie has always bothered me though, now it's off my chest at least.
Back to Scrubs, got like 6 more seasons, and 2 hours on my shift.
Sunday, April 26, 2015
4/27/15 Don't Sundays Suck?
As a person that expects the world to be awake 24/7, I have always hated Sundays. As far back as the 90's when I would go to visit my folks and drive back on a Sunday evening, the music was always off on the normal radio stations. Even they put on a "best of" show or Casey Kasem's weekly top 40, which I listened to but didn't really appreciate.
More stores are open now, but there was a time when it was just expected that the stores stayed closed on Sundays. Any shopping would just have to wait for when we are supposed to be at work or at school, genius thinking there, Numbnuts.
I would probably be more accustomed to being off if I had a job that only worked Monday through Friday, but we have a Fab that runs 24/7 even through holidays, so I start feeling more people should be at work if I am. Why not? It allows more people to be employed, it allows the customers to not have to all crowd a store in on a Saturday. Who would notice if a store at the mall was closed on a Monday? Who goes shopping at the mall during the week?
Then there is the napping. I guess if there's nothing to do might as well nap and sleep part of the day away. I'm guilty of it too, I will take a nap once or twice a year, but then I get to hear "golly Lazy, you're gonna waste the whole day asleep?" So it goes.
But working on a Sunday feels a little like cheating, I start the work week already 12 hours ahead of everybody, and to me it's fun thinking I might hit another 70+ hour work week. Plus I know the project I'm working on has a maximum span of about two months, so I will hit it hard, make some extra cash for our Disney trip coming up, and try my hardest not to complain.
The other thing that's a downer is Boy heads back to San Marcos, even Chubs had already pooped and showered by 4:30pm, he was pretty much ready for bed. And since Wife has been working on Saturdays, she is extra grumpy, so she too was ready for bed by 8:00pm (either that or she's getting tired of my fat ass). The only thing left was for me to head to work so everyone could get to their appointed activity of inactivity.
More stores are open now, but there was a time when it was just expected that the stores stayed closed on Sundays. Any shopping would just have to wait for when we are supposed to be at work or at school, genius thinking there, Numbnuts.
I would probably be more accustomed to being off if I had a job that only worked Monday through Friday, but we have a Fab that runs 24/7 even through holidays, so I start feeling more people should be at work if I am. Why not? It allows more people to be employed, it allows the customers to not have to all crowd a store in on a Saturday. Who would notice if a store at the mall was closed on a Monday? Who goes shopping at the mall during the week?
Then there is the napping. I guess if there's nothing to do might as well nap and sleep part of the day away. I'm guilty of it too, I will take a nap once or twice a year, but then I get to hear "golly Lazy, you're gonna waste the whole day asleep?" So it goes.
But working on a Sunday feels a little like cheating, I start the work week already 12 hours ahead of everybody, and to me it's fun thinking I might hit another 70+ hour work week. Plus I know the project I'm working on has a maximum span of about two months, so I will hit it hard, make some extra cash for our Disney trip coming up, and try my hardest not to complain.
The other thing that's a downer is Boy heads back to San Marcos, even Chubs had already pooped and showered by 4:30pm, he was pretty much ready for bed. And since Wife has been working on Saturdays, she is extra grumpy, so she too was ready for bed by 8:00pm (either that or she's getting tired of my fat ass). The only thing left was for me to head to work so everyone could get to their appointed activity of inactivity.
4/26/15 Started Decluttering?
Today was the first day it felt like we are putting in the effort to move. My in-laws came to town and they worked non-stop for about six hours to get garage to an acceptable level. There is still much to do but at least we are moving forward.
My first goal was to cut the grass, Wifey had a couple of cuts the last few weeks and she has been busting my chops that I'm not doing my fair share. I cut the front yard and trimmed it while the in-laws tore through the stuff in the garage. I think it is easier for outsiders to do the work because to me, none of that stuff was trash, but after seven plus years, this stuff is not making it back in the house.
My father-in-law has his truck full of stuff at this moment. He loves going to Goodwills and buying stuff, this must have been like that without having to pay. There were supplies, clothes, old electronics, he is taking our electric lawn mower, which I never really liked.
Currently, there is a secondary pile which they will come back for and a pile of stuff in black trash bags which they considered trash. I honestly would rather not see, because I did not see any of this as trash. The stuff that is left can now be taken to our storage unit to remove even more volume.
Once this is gone, we can start staging our stuff in garage for removal from the house. We are going to keep a minimum amount of stuff here, and I would prefer to take pictures of our house with the rooms mostly empty. The realtor will be taking the pictures for use in advertising our house to the masss,
Honestly, we need to go order carpeting for the other house too. I went over to let a foundation guy do some measuring, he found no serious problems so we can proceed. Every renter we've had has had dogs, and the poor carpet has paid the price. Oh well, lesson learned.
My goal is to install new carpet, get a professional to smooth out the cracks in the walls, get whole house painted, install new water heater and install new central air with new air ducts since heater has been broke for over a year.
My first goal was to cut the grass, Wifey had a couple of cuts the last few weeks and she has been busting my chops that I'm not doing my fair share. I cut the front yard and trimmed it while the in-laws tore through the stuff in the garage. I think it is easier for outsiders to do the work because to me, none of that stuff was trash, but after seven plus years, this stuff is not making it back in the house.
My father-in-law has his truck full of stuff at this moment. He loves going to Goodwills and buying stuff, this must have been like that without having to pay. There were supplies, clothes, old electronics, he is taking our electric lawn mower, which I never really liked.
Currently, there is a secondary pile which they will come back for and a pile of stuff in black trash bags which they considered trash. I honestly would rather not see, because I did not see any of this as trash. The stuff that is left can now be taken to our storage unit to remove even more volume.
Once this is gone, we can start staging our stuff in garage for removal from the house. We are going to keep a minimum amount of stuff here, and I would prefer to take pictures of our house with the rooms mostly empty. The realtor will be taking the pictures for use in advertising our house to the masss,
Honestly, we need to go order carpeting for the other house too. I went over to let a foundation guy do some measuring, he found no serious problems so we can proceed. Every renter we've had has had dogs, and the poor carpet has paid the price. Oh well, lesson learned.
My goal is to install new carpet, get a professional to smooth out the cracks in the walls, get whole house painted, install new water heater and install new central air with new air ducts since heater has been broke for over a year.
Saturday, April 25, 2015
4/25/15 Good Deeds, Just Do Them?
I am the first to realize that doing good for others is a royal waste of time. Rare is the effort returned, but I don't think we that do good can help ourselves. Wife has been on her little soapbox (do high pitched whiny wife voice here) "we can't afford them, we don't need them, it's just a waste of money...." It gets to the point that I don't want to hear the histrionics of Wife. 26 years together, I know what she is going to say to most anything I do.
Today Chubs and I headed to the mall, her assumption was that I had ulterior motives for myself, but I have been working a lot of OT lately and I wanted to get something nice for my lady. She had been complaining for a couple months that she can't find her good sunglasses. When I hear something like this, I instinctively go to replace said item. She was all meep meep meep no. I went and got her what I thought were nice Coach oversized sunglasses, what the gals are wearing nowadays.
For like 10 seconds the cat got her tongue. Wow, yes, those of you that know her, she was quiet for a few moments..... victory never tasted so good. I think she liked them, I didn't really get a thank you, but I did have to run off to work.
It was nice to eat at food court in mall, Usually, we stay in Southpark Meadows, so a change of view was good. Being I have worked back to back 70 hour weeks and next week is lining up the same way, any change in pattern is appreciated.
Wife works again tomorrow morning, she is starting to feel the drain of working six days a week. She, at least has a summer to look forward to. I do not get that kind of break. But it is OK. She did get a Ford Explorer as a car rental to ferry some kids to whatever is going on tomorrow. That Explorer is pretty nice. Leather seats, sunroof, navigation screen, third row seating for a max of 7 people. Once we move, this is what I'll be looking for for Wifey. I think I will keep the bug as our convertible and back up car, she can have the first new car we buy. Why? Well because she deserves it, as the hens on FB always say.
Today Chubs and I headed to the mall, her assumption was that I had ulterior motives for myself, but I have been working a lot of OT lately and I wanted to get something nice for my lady. She had been complaining for a couple months that she can't find her good sunglasses. When I hear something like this, I instinctively go to replace said item. She was all meep meep meep no. I went and got her what I thought were nice Coach oversized sunglasses, what the gals are wearing nowadays.
For like 10 seconds the cat got her tongue. Wow, yes, those of you that know her, she was quiet for a few moments..... victory never tasted so good. I think she liked them, I didn't really get a thank you, but I did have to run off to work.
It was nice to eat at food court in mall, Usually, we stay in Southpark Meadows, so a change of view was good. Being I have worked back to back 70 hour weeks and next week is lining up the same way, any change in pattern is appreciated.
Wife works again tomorrow morning, she is starting to feel the drain of working six days a week. She, at least has a summer to look forward to. I do not get that kind of break. But it is OK. She did get a Ford Explorer as a car rental to ferry some kids to whatever is going on tomorrow. That Explorer is pretty nice. Leather seats, sunroof, navigation screen, third row seating for a max of 7 people. Once we move, this is what I'll be looking for for Wifey. I think I will keep the bug as our convertible and back up car, she can have the first new car we buy. Why? Well because she deserves it, as the hens on FB always say.
Thursday, April 23, 2015
4/24/15 Who's Sapping My Energy?
I am at work, struggling to stay awake at 9:30pm on a Wednesday. What gives? I know I went to bed as quickly as possible and I was asleep by 6:50am. I then slept through until 2:00pm. That is roughly 7 hours and 10 min. I have been on nights almost 19 years, I am not sure if it is age or the stresss of moving, but I am struggling to stay awake.
Wife called me that she was going to bed at 9:40pm. She has always stayed up with me, while I eat and we watch a show or two. It was fine, my plate was waiting for me in microwave, I ate and watched some of the Spurs game. They managed to win in overtime, a win is a win.
For about the last 6 months though, I have a hard time driving back to work after lunch. I don't know if it is the same routine night after night, or old age, but I am about fifteen minutes away and sometimes I am fighting myself to drive straight here in the parking lot.
I've had ideas of cutting out the dinner at night and going to the gym here at work, but that is when Wife and I see each other during the week.
Even doing my work. I find myself falling asleep, sometimes at 7:30pm, when I've only been here a couple hours. I believe the process of moving gets us contemplating everything. Wife has been boxing up things in the evenings. I see our last eight years being taken in reverse as things get taken down. Some things we debated this wall or that, apparently, it did not matter as ultimately, it all comes down. I haven't really gotten into the spirit of decluttering because to me that means removing any imprint that we had on the house. Soon, strangers will be combing through, seeing if what was good enough for me could possibly be good enough for them.
I know it has to happen and it will, but it is very intrusive. I will probably carry the scar of moving for a longer time than my wife. To her, it was just a building that was too much for us. Up until two months ago, I was sure this was our home.
But maybe the house has been killing me slowly, maybe once we move, I'll have more free time to start working out again, to go biking like I used to ten years ago. Of course, I'm already getting the you better not do this and you better not do that from friends and wife, so who knows. I've always had this slight notion that I really live a sheltered life. I act like the man, but really I'm this slow person who doesn't work in high tech, but maybe I am Mopboy. I imagine I drive this oversized Excursion when in reality I get dropped off in a little yellow bus. That is sure how the people closest to me address me.
Wife called me that she was going to bed at 9:40pm. She has always stayed up with me, while I eat and we watch a show or two. It was fine, my plate was waiting for me in microwave, I ate and watched some of the Spurs game. They managed to win in overtime, a win is a win.
For about the last 6 months though, I have a hard time driving back to work after lunch. I don't know if it is the same routine night after night, or old age, but I am about fifteen minutes away and sometimes I am fighting myself to drive straight here in the parking lot.
I've had ideas of cutting out the dinner at night and going to the gym here at work, but that is when Wife and I see each other during the week.
Even doing my work. I find myself falling asleep, sometimes at 7:30pm, when I've only been here a couple hours. I believe the process of moving gets us contemplating everything. Wife has been boxing up things in the evenings. I see our last eight years being taken in reverse as things get taken down. Some things we debated this wall or that, apparently, it did not matter as ultimately, it all comes down. I haven't really gotten into the spirit of decluttering because to me that means removing any imprint that we had on the house. Soon, strangers will be combing through, seeing if what was good enough for me could possibly be good enough for them.
I know it has to happen and it will, but it is very intrusive. I will probably carry the scar of moving for a longer time than my wife. To her, it was just a building that was too much for us. Up until two months ago, I was sure this was our home.
But maybe the house has been killing me slowly, maybe once we move, I'll have more free time to start working out again, to go biking like I used to ten years ago. Of course, I'm already getting the you better not do this and you better not do that from friends and wife, so who knows. I've always had this slight notion that I really live a sheltered life. I act like the man, but really I'm this slow person who doesn't work in high tech, but maybe I am Mopboy. I imagine I drive this oversized Excursion when in reality I get dropped off in a little yellow bus. That is sure how the people closest to me address me.
4/23/15 A B.S. Is BS?
Having another discussion here with my favorite coworker. He fires off with "do you think you're better for having a degree?" Of course, you have to retort back with "no, a degree does not make me better." He quickly took the defensive position that ok, degrees open doors, but here we both are. You have a degree and I don't and we both do the same job. Ten to fifteen years ago I would have gotten defensive and fired back with a "yeah, but I still make more money, so whatever."
Age has taught me that the degree was part training for a profession but it was also a full on opportunity to discover about who you are. I took five years to get my BS in chemistry. The first two years were at a junior college where I commuted from my folk's home, drove the bus the second year. I then spent three years at UT in Austin to complete my degree. This was the first time living away from home and truly for the first time had to learn to rely on myself and the connections I made as far as completing my courses.
Another thing a degree does is force you to expand and look into other fields. I had to take classes in Art History, Psychology, French (3 semesters), among other "time wasters". Yes, to a cynic, this was a horrible waste of time. But to a lifelong pursuit of knowledge, it was just a glimpse into a museum, it was an introduction into a culture I never considered caring about. Learning does not end at 18, when you graduate high school. It is something that interesting people do all their lives. Just this year, I have read five or six books. I have another 2-3 that I dabble with but are too dense to tackle on the shitter. This doesn't even touch on the magazines I constantly go through, tutorials on youtube, documentaries on Netflix about how people live, where they live, what they eat.
As you can see, the interesting things in my life aren't even related to the countless classes of geometry, physics, calculus, and oh so many chemistry classes I went through. I am not even sure what I learned in any one class transfers to real world usefulness, but here I am, in my 40's. I am doing alright, people tell me I'm a smart guy, I am satisfied being called a smart-ass, personally. My boys are both very aware of what Daddy does. To them, I am a scientist, and they both want to grow up and contribute like I do. That is the best thing I can take out of my life choices. Whatever I have done, my boys see as a good enough example that they are following in my footsteps.
I cannot answer whether a degree is a waste of money and time. I certainly feel like a better person for having gone through the process of being "indoctrinated" in a system of higher learning. That reminds me, it's about time to go to the bookstore.
Age has taught me that the degree was part training for a profession but it was also a full on opportunity to discover about who you are. I took five years to get my BS in chemistry. The first two years were at a junior college where I commuted from my folk's home, drove the bus the second year. I then spent three years at UT in Austin to complete my degree. This was the first time living away from home and truly for the first time had to learn to rely on myself and the connections I made as far as completing my courses.
Another thing a degree does is force you to expand and look into other fields. I had to take classes in Art History, Psychology, French (3 semesters), among other "time wasters". Yes, to a cynic, this was a horrible waste of time. But to a lifelong pursuit of knowledge, it was just a glimpse into a museum, it was an introduction into a culture I never considered caring about. Learning does not end at 18, when you graduate high school. It is something that interesting people do all their lives. Just this year, I have read five or six books. I have another 2-3 that I dabble with but are too dense to tackle on the shitter. This doesn't even touch on the magazines I constantly go through, tutorials on youtube, documentaries on Netflix about how people live, where they live, what they eat.
As you can see, the interesting things in my life aren't even related to the countless classes of geometry, physics, calculus, and oh so many chemistry classes I went through. I am not even sure what I learned in any one class transfers to real world usefulness, but here I am, in my 40's. I am doing alright, people tell me I'm a smart guy, I am satisfied being called a smart-ass, personally. My boys are both very aware of what Daddy does. To them, I am a scientist, and they both want to grow up and contribute like I do. That is the best thing I can take out of my life choices. Whatever I have done, my boys see as a good enough example that they are following in my footsteps.
I cannot answer whether a degree is a waste of money and time. I certainly feel like a better person for having gone through the process of being "indoctrinated" in a system of higher learning. That reminds me, it's about time to go to the bookstore.
Wednesday, April 22, 2015
4/22/15 One Mom To Rule Them All?
Today is my Mom's birthday. She is a wonderful person, loved by all, easily has more Facebook friends than me, as proof. She was a teacher in our youth and eventually became a counselor as I got into high school. She is the reason the four of us siblings graduated top 5% from high school and all got college degrees. I know, degrees don't make people better, but they do help, Naysayers.
Growing up, she always encouraged us to think for ourselves and be creative in whatever way came naturally. This might be her only thing she might want to take back, as I started questioning religion and now am comfortable saying I am atheist. This now hurts my mom's feelings, which is a little confusing because she is the one who taught us to question everything. She would prefer I believe in something, I say I believe in gravity. I have faith the sun will be there in the morning.
I am the only one that got out of my Mom's orbit but not because I wanted, it just happens that in order to work in a high tech world, you have to live where the jobs are. We live three hours away, and they do come visit every three-four weeks. My two brothers and sister live within half a football field from Mom. My brother, working out of Laredo, commutes daily, roughly three hours on road, but he bought the house next to our folks. My sister, now an assistant principal, bought the lot behind my folk's house and her and her hubby built a beautiful brick house there. My other brother, who lived with me a few years is living at home currently.
As recently as a year ago, Mom still asks if I don't think of going back, I could always teach chemistry at the high school. It would probably be good for us to move to a small town, as our lives are always in high gear, but I get paid too much to just quit.
With the passing of my grandma a few years ago, my Mom has taken more of the lead as far as being the family Matriarch. She is well suited for the role, as her house is generally where we have always gathered as a family. She has two sisters in town and one who lives 40 miles away and one brother in town and another who lives in San Antonio. I think she feels locked in to her role as the center of activity, whether she likes it or not. We always invite them for the holidays, like Thanksgiving, but she has always insisted that she needs to be there, to keep everyone else together.
I am glad she has most of her grandkids a few feet away as they are the focus of her life, nowadays. I wish my boys lived closer, to spend more time with her, growing up I did learn a lot from her. I joke around about being a perve and all that but at my core, everyone knows I am a good and honest person and that is a reflection of the upbringing I had. Thanks for the lessons Mom, I love you.
Growing up, she always encouraged us to think for ourselves and be creative in whatever way came naturally. This might be her only thing she might want to take back, as I started questioning religion and now am comfortable saying I am atheist. This now hurts my mom's feelings, which is a little confusing because she is the one who taught us to question everything. She would prefer I believe in something, I say I believe in gravity. I have faith the sun will be there in the morning.
I am the only one that got out of my Mom's orbit but not because I wanted, it just happens that in order to work in a high tech world, you have to live where the jobs are. We live three hours away, and they do come visit every three-four weeks. My two brothers and sister live within half a football field from Mom. My brother, working out of Laredo, commutes daily, roughly three hours on road, but he bought the house next to our folks. My sister, now an assistant principal, bought the lot behind my folk's house and her and her hubby built a beautiful brick house there. My other brother, who lived with me a few years is living at home currently.
As recently as a year ago, Mom still asks if I don't think of going back, I could always teach chemistry at the high school. It would probably be good for us to move to a small town, as our lives are always in high gear, but I get paid too much to just quit.
With the passing of my grandma a few years ago, my Mom has taken more of the lead as far as being the family Matriarch. She is well suited for the role, as her house is generally where we have always gathered as a family. She has two sisters in town and one who lives 40 miles away and one brother in town and another who lives in San Antonio. I think she feels locked in to her role as the center of activity, whether she likes it or not. We always invite them for the holidays, like Thanksgiving, but she has always insisted that she needs to be there, to keep everyone else together.
I am glad she has most of her grandkids a few feet away as they are the focus of her life, nowadays. I wish my boys lived closer, to spend more time with her, growing up I did learn a lot from her. I joke around about being a perve and all that but at my core, everyone knows I am a good and honest person and that is a reflection of the upbringing I had. Thanks for the lessons Mom, I love you.
Monday, April 20, 2015
4/21/15 Missed 4/20 Day, Awww Man?
Saw a joke somewhere this weekend, if your employee asks for Monday off, he's probably a stoner, urine trouble Dude. Monday was 4/20, which somehow got designated the smoke out time in the afternoon for the marijuana fans. I have never tried it, I am always in too much of a rush to do anything as time wasteful as smoking something then sitting around and contemplating what if's and what ought's.
I don't have a problem with whoever wants to do whatever. The movies certainly try to glamourize it. They show all these creative types and getting high makes them more creative. The sad fact is the people I know in reality that do whatever are usually stunted and one or two sentences talking with them is all you need to know they like the herb. But party on!!!
The closest I've been to it is at several concerts. There used to be big open all day concerts back in the 90's in my beloved Southpark Meadows. Back before the Wal-Marts and the Targets took over. I remember watching Pearl Jam and Blues Traveler and The Dave Mathews Band, all had their fair share of smoking going on in the crowd. Those were days of less stress for me, so I might have been affected more and maybe even enjoyed the feeling while at the event.
I haven't even been to a concert in ten years or so. I had a neighbor who kept telling me he was gonna get me high, I just smiled and said mmm-hmmm. All I can think of stuff like that is it would have been a good excuse to grope his wife, now ex-wife. Otherwise, why do we need to be out of our right minds? That's the same thought I have for alcohol. I'll get drunk with anyone, specially in the hot tub, but there will be some hand slapping, otherwise I see no point in it.
So it goes, I'll be me, probably best kept in my boring neutral setting, even better if I'm at work. But if you think you wanna party, I'm willing, I even know the rules "puff puff pass" just don't go crying when you end up with a finger in the hoo-haa and a hemorrhoid as a souvenir of the good times we can't remember.
I don't have a problem with whoever wants to do whatever. The movies certainly try to glamourize it. They show all these creative types and getting high makes them more creative. The sad fact is the people I know in reality that do whatever are usually stunted and one or two sentences talking with them is all you need to know they like the herb. But party on!!!
The closest I've been to it is at several concerts. There used to be big open all day concerts back in the 90's in my beloved Southpark Meadows. Back before the Wal-Marts and the Targets took over. I remember watching Pearl Jam and Blues Traveler and The Dave Mathews Band, all had their fair share of smoking going on in the crowd. Those were days of less stress for me, so I might have been affected more and maybe even enjoyed the feeling while at the event.
I haven't even been to a concert in ten years or so. I had a neighbor who kept telling me he was gonna get me high, I just smiled and said mmm-hmmm. All I can think of stuff like that is it would have been a good excuse to grope his wife, now ex-wife. Otherwise, why do we need to be out of our right minds? That's the same thought I have for alcohol. I'll get drunk with anyone, specially in the hot tub, but there will be some hand slapping, otherwise I see no point in it.
So it goes, I'll be me, probably best kept in my boring neutral setting, even better if I'm at work. But if you think you wanna party, I'm willing, I even know the rules "puff puff pass" just don't go crying when you end up with a finger in the hoo-haa and a hemorrhoid as a souvenir of the good times we can't remember.
Sunday, April 19, 2015
4/20/15 Dinner With Boy?
Wife and Chubs were gone Friday night, and I was expecting Boy to be busy with his crew. But it is nearing the end of the semester and the nerdy consortium goes in study mode big time. So Boy came home, and suggested we go out and have a manly steak dinner.
I was weary at first as he hasn't seemed to want to spend much time with us the whole semester, but I said great. Of course, before this, we needed to go buy some electronics. He managed to drop his phone into a puddle of water and even though he had a case that tripled the weight of his phone, all metal and fancy, water still got in. So he took my upgrade which I've been holding onto because I really like my phone. I can now wait until September to upgrade my phone, as that is when he would have been eligible. Still, to his credit, he chose an S5 Samsung phone for $1.08. I was half expecting him to try and talk me up to a newer model.
We ate lunch at Poke E Joe's, BBQ, pretty good. They are changing the way you order and I am not sure I like it. You order now at a register, tell them what you want and pay there. Used to be, you'd walk with a tray, cafeteria style and point at the food. I think they are aiming to increase their tips. They then bring you the food to the table. I can't treat it like a fancy sit down dinner if we order standing up and get our own drinks. I am unsure on whether you tip in this situation. You don't tip at the fast food places, why here?
I then went to work at about 5:30pm until 9:45pm or so. We met at Longhorn Steakhouse, I had told him about 9:30, like a good little robot, he was there at 9:30pm sharp. I texted him from work that I needed a little more time, as usual. Mostly, because Wife has called right at 9:30pm to tell me to be nice to Boy and converse and be a human and all those good things. I was just thinking "woman, get off the phone so I can get going!"
Dinner was actually very good. We talked about his internship attempts, how it's going in his classes, shows we watch on Netflix, then Wife called to break the flow, just to make sure we are talking and getting along. I thought this a little rude because she was cutting into our conversation time to make sure we conversated.... people are strange. Like I do with Chubs every day, I used to eat with Boy every day after school. We are perfectly capable of getting along without the Missus. She needs to have a little more faith in us. It was good, we both had sirloins, medium well. Man, we love cow!
I was weary at first as he hasn't seemed to want to spend much time with us the whole semester, but I said great. Of course, before this, we needed to go buy some electronics. He managed to drop his phone into a puddle of water and even though he had a case that tripled the weight of his phone, all metal and fancy, water still got in. So he took my upgrade which I've been holding onto because I really like my phone. I can now wait until September to upgrade my phone, as that is when he would have been eligible. Still, to his credit, he chose an S5 Samsung phone for $1.08. I was half expecting him to try and talk me up to a newer model.
We ate lunch at Poke E Joe's, BBQ, pretty good. They are changing the way you order and I am not sure I like it. You order now at a register, tell them what you want and pay there. Used to be, you'd walk with a tray, cafeteria style and point at the food. I think they are aiming to increase their tips. They then bring you the food to the table. I can't treat it like a fancy sit down dinner if we order standing up and get our own drinks. I am unsure on whether you tip in this situation. You don't tip at the fast food places, why here?
I then went to work at about 5:30pm until 9:45pm or so. We met at Longhorn Steakhouse, I had told him about 9:30, like a good little robot, he was there at 9:30pm sharp. I texted him from work that I needed a little more time, as usual. Mostly, because Wife has called right at 9:30pm to tell me to be nice to Boy and converse and be a human and all those good things. I was just thinking "woman, get off the phone so I can get going!"
Dinner was actually very good. We talked about his internship attempts, how it's going in his classes, shows we watch on Netflix, then Wife called to break the flow, just to make sure we are talking and getting along. I thought this a little rude because she was cutting into our conversation time to make sure we conversated.... people are strange. Like I do with Chubs every day, I used to eat with Boy every day after school. We are perfectly capable of getting along without the Missus. She needs to have a little more faith in us. It was good, we both had sirloins, medium well. Man, we love cow!
Saturday, April 18, 2015
4/19/15 Are We Too Greedy?
I am starting to like Mr. Energy Drink. He has opinions and I am welcome to listen to them whenever I push his buttons. He got upset last night when we started discussing how we should do more for our planet. Anything grandiose like that turns me off, as I'm not going to clean along a highway or any of those silly activities.
He got to a fever pitch when he declared that the only solution per the powers that be is to colonize another planet, such as Mars. I said that's a good start if we can manage that. He looked at me like I smelled and said so you are ok with humans going all across the universe using up the resources of every planet we can reach?
I say yes. If there are no other smarter beings in this vast universe and we are the top of the pyramid, then yes, we get to do what we want. His anger comes from knowing that the only people that benefit from things like that are the top 1%. We humans shouldn't get to consume everything and ruin the planet. We should be eliminated. I cannot agree with that sentiment. Now I do believe that people don't need to have families the size of basketball teams, these families consume way more than their fair share of the planet. But it is not illegal, much as he points at my Excursion and it is burning a hole in the ozone. I say maybe, but I am not doing anything illegal. They could put a painful enough tax on vehicles these size and then I would probably react accordingly, but the state says pay $81 a year and do whatever. I say cool beans.
This worked on our house, taxes have climbed to an uncomfortable level, for me. Somebody else will say, ehh, doesn't bother me. I say good, buy me out.
That book on sins was great when it came to greed. It says humans are too greedy. We want it all, and we don't care at what cost, as long as we get our way. We wage wars to gain territories that aren't ours, we steal others' property if we deem it valuable enough, Sometimes we just sacrifice our free time in pursuit of more. Here I am on a Friday night working twelve hours I don't need to, plus I'll do it again on Sunday night. This has been an ongoing thing for me going on 18years. I want money more than I earn, so I come in for OT anytime it is available. My wife similarly, is on a campus tour overnight. This pays her extra, which we are planning on using to go to Disney. There is light at the end of the tunnel, at least for her. I keep plugging away ad infinitum or they send me home.
He got to a fever pitch when he declared that the only solution per the powers that be is to colonize another planet, such as Mars. I said that's a good start if we can manage that. He looked at me like I smelled and said so you are ok with humans going all across the universe using up the resources of every planet we can reach?
I say yes. If there are no other smarter beings in this vast universe and we are the top of the pyramid, then yes, we get to do what we want. His anger comes from knowing that the only people that benefit from things like that are the top 1%. We humans shouldn't get to consume everything and ruin the planet. We should be eliminated. I cannot agree with that sentiment. Now I do believe that people don't need to have families the size of basketball teams, these families consume way more than their fair share of the planet. But it is not illegal, much as he points at my Excursion and it is burning a hole in the ozone. I say maybe, but I am not doing anything illegal. They could put a painful enough tax on vehicles these size and then I would probably react accordingly, but the state says pay $81 a year and do whatever. I say cool beans.
This worked on our house, taxes have climbed to an uncomfortable level, for me. Somebody else will say, ehh, doesn't bother me. I say good, buy me out.
That book on sins was great when it came to greed. It says humans are too greedy. We want it all, and we don't care at what cost, as long as we get our way. We wage wars to gain territories that aren't ours, we steal others' property if we deem it valuable enough, Sometimes we just sacrifice our free time in pursuit of more. Here I am on a Friday night working twelve hours I don't need to, plus I'll do it again on Sunday night. This has been an ongoing thing for me going on 18years. I want money more than I earn, so I come in for OT anytime it is available. My wife similarly, is on a campus tour overnight. This pays her extra, which we are planning on using to go to Disney. There is light at the end of the tunnel, at least for her. I keep plugging away ad infinitum or they send me home.
Friday, April 17, 2015
4/18/15 Why Don't We Listen To Jazz?
As a society, why don't we embrace jazz music, which is credited as an American created style of music? I was listening to a long Dave Brubeck recording on youtube, his famous song is Take Five, it is in countless movies, instantly recognizable. At some point in the youtube clip, it cuts into a short interview and he starts talking about people having had 30 years of 4/4 beat music back in 1954. He thinks it's time for the masses to start listening to music in 5/4, they are working in 7/8 time. This music has a swingy feel to it. It is not standard back and forth stuff. Their style is creative and not standard repetitive stuff.
It's one of those nights, now I find myself listening to some bossa nova which is still in the jazz section. It is a Brazilian music popularized in the 50's and 60's. It is a fusion of samba and jazz, to be correct.
I got a taste of jazz in high school, as I was in the jazz band. It was very different from the big marching band efforts or the symphonic band which focused on playing certain classics. I was lucky in the jazz band that I always ended up with solos, which is when we would get to showcase our abilities, nothing better than having the crowd listen to something that came from within you. I do wish their had been a way to continue playing, as it was something I was good at and did enjoy doing. Other than one semester at the junior college, I have not handled a saxophone since graduating high school back in 1989.
Wife will listen to it with me, but I don't find that people look to play it. It is not as intrusive as modern pop music when it is played in stores, so it works like at the mall, but usually it gets drowned out by the ambient noise. The managers have to have confidence in it and turn it up when they commit to playing it. I think it engages parts of the brain. Ultimately, it must be good for you. Anything that forces the mind to engage and decipher has to be a positive thing. Maybe I need to go down to a music store and see about getting me a saxophone.
It's one of those nights, now I find myself listening to some bossa nova which is still in the jazz section. It is a Brazilian music popularized in the 50's and 60's. It is a fusion of samba and jazz, to be correct.
I got a taste of jazz in high school, as I was in the jazz band. It was very different from the big marching band efforts or the symphonic band which focused on playing certain classics. I was lucky in the jazz band that I always ended up with solos, which is when we would get to showcase our abilities, nothing better than having the crowd listen to something that came from within you. I do wish their had been a way to continue playing, as it was something I was good at and did enjoy doing. Other than one semester at the junior college, I have not handled a saxophone since graduating high school back in 1989.
Wife will listen to it with me, but I don't find that people look to play it. It is not as intrusive as modern pop music when it is played in stores, so it works like at the mall, but usually it gets drowned out by the ambient noise. The managers have to have confidence in it and turn it up when they commit to playing it. I think it engages parts of the brain. Ultimately, it must be good for you. Anything that forces the mind to engage and decipher has to be a positive thing. Maybe I need to go down to a music store and see about getting me a saxophone.
4/17/15 Insecurity Goes Around Like The Flu?
My buddy, the walking energy drink just came in and asked me if other people are saying what I say. I've told him a couple times to quit talking to himself out loud. He took it in stride, for example, yesterday. He goes on a bit, and says it's like me singing out loud. I only pay attention halfway as I am usually trying to text and listen to music. What I want from him is silence. He asks me a lot of questions pertaining to the work he is doing, which makes me stop what I am doing. Occasionally, he is on a roll and doing his own thing, but he starts talking to himself, so I stop my music and say "what was that?" or "huh?". Half the time he doesn't even hear me. Right now, shift has almost ended, I haven't talked to him in three-four hours he comes asking who else questions his talking out loud. I have to remind him that I am messing with him half the time, because he is the kind of guy that needs constant verbage going on. I think he was satisfied with me saying he was alright.
But aren't we all insecure at one point or another? I was renting a storage unit and the girl working there is probably 25. I am explaining that we are "downsizing". I am sure she gives two shits about my situation but I felt a little like a "loser" explaining myself. I have no reason to feel this way, it's not like I lost my job and we are going to end up on the street. We have a perfectly good smaller house that we are moving to because we decided it would be best thing for us.
I notice the insecurity in Chubs. He has these STAAR tests at school and he wants to tell me about how nervous he gets and what if he fails. I just remind him that he always does well and as long as he gives it his 100%, he'll be fine.
Does being insecure happen more to people who have time to sit and think? I have way too much time here at work where I am just staring at screens doing their thing. Sometimes, I don't feel like listening to music or watching Netflix, which is when I start thinking. Do people let me get away with murder because I am so whiny, they'd rather not hear me drone? Or am I so awesome, that if I decide to steal your cookie, you know I deserve it anyway? At full confidence, I am sure everyone on the planet owes me at least a boob grope. Luckily for most, usually I feel like I owe the people around me, so I play it more subtle.
It must be awesome to be a dim bulb. No thoughts like these bother people that don't think. They just do, like a reptile. Consequences be damned.
But aren't we all insecure at one point or another? I was renting a storage unit and the girl working there is probably 25. I am explaining that we are "downsizing". I am sure she gives two shits about my situation but I felt a little like a "loser" explaining myself. I have no reason to feel this way, it's not like I lost my job and we are going to end up on the street. We have a perfectly good smaller house that we are moving to because we decided it would be best thing for us.
I notice the insecurity in Chubs. He has these STAAR tests at school and he wants to tell me about how nervous he gets and what if he fails. I just remind him that he always does well and as long as he gives it his 100%, he'll be fine.
Does being insecure happen more to people who have time to sit and think? I have way too much time here at work where I am just staring at screens doing their thing. Sometimes, I don't feel like listening to music or watching Netflix, which is when I start thinking. Do people let me get away with murder because I am so whiny, they'd rather not hear me drone? Or am I so awesome, that if I decide to steal your cookie, you know I deserve it anyway? At full confidence, I am sure everyone on the planet owes me at least a boob grope. Luckily for most, usually I feel like I owe the people around me, so I play it more subtle.
It must be awesome to be a dim bulb. No thoughts like these bother people that don't think. They just do, like a reptile. Consequences be damned.
Thursday, April 16, 2015
4/16/15 Ads Really Work?
I am not sure if the world is getting smaller or we have less choices, but more and more places we do business have cool little jingles/slogans that help know who we are talking about. Chubs and I went to Jimmy John's Subs yesterday. Their slogan or ads pitch that they are fast. Not necessarily good or great, but fast. They limit you to like five sub combos, with or without veggies. By the time I paid and put away my card, one of the subs was already done. I was impressed in that it was pretty quick.
My wife called a foundation repair for our smaller house which has a slight crack. I kept thinking Centex was a house builder, Wife said they have those commercials and then I remembered "we'll shoot you straight, we're on the level." That's punny, I like that, from a company that fixes cement foundations.
Boy, in high school frequently wore suits, he must have about ten in his closet. He was a big fan of Men's Wearhouse and their slogan "You're going to like the way you look, I guarantee it." Now in college he's adopted the more relaxed slacker look, but still no shorts.
I find myself staring at the pork which we eat more frequently now, thanks to beef being so expensive, pork likes to say they are "the other white meat". A lot of pork does cook white, but not all of it. We have friends who won't eat pork because according to them it is harder to digest. I don't even know how to respond to that.
I like most of the insurance companies efforts. Flo kicks butt for Progressive, Nationwide is on your side, State Farm's "like a good neighbor, State Farm is there" is a little dated. Geico has a bunch of different campaigns. The Gecko is solid, but I really liked the cavemen. Specially when they had spun off and gotten a half hour show, and I just read Nick Kroll who is hilarious on The League was one of the cavemen, back when he was new.
I'm not sure where I'm going with this, but it seems that to get attention, companies need a catchy slogan. Mine is simple, "I am a whore for the mightly dollar."
My wife called a foundation repair for our smaller house which has a slight crack. I kept thinking Centex was a house builder, Wife said they have those commercials and then I remembered "we'll shoot you straight, we're on the level." That's punny, I like that, from a company that fixes cement foundations.
Boy, in high school frequently wore suits, he must have about ten in his closet. He was a big fan of Men's Wearhouse and their slogan "You're going to like the way you look, I guarantee it." Now in college he's adopted the more relaxed slacker look, but still no shorts.
I find myself staring at the pork which we eat more frequently now, thanks to beef being so expensive, pork likes to say they are "the other white meat". A lot of pork does cook white, but not all of it. We have friends who won't eat pork because according to them it is harder to digest. I don't even know how to respond to that.
I like most of the insurance companies efforts. Flo kicks butt for Progressive, Nationwide is on your side, State Farm's "like a good neighbor, State Farm is there" is a little dated. Geico has a bunch of different campaigns. The Gecko is solid, but I really liked the cavemen. Specially when they had spun off and gotten a half hour show, and I just read Nick Kroll who is hilarious on The League was one of the cavemen, back when he was new.
I'm not sure where I'm going with this, but it seems that to get attention, companies need a catchy slogan. Mine is simple, "I am a whore for the mightly dollar."
Wednesday, April 15, 2015
4/15/15 The Old Man And The Sea?
I read through this book in like three-four days. It is supposed to be Ernest Hemingway's best work, since it won him a Nobel Prize for Literature in 1954. The story is only 98 pages long, but the story is so good that I found it hard to put down. I read another collection of his and I was not moved, but this one had me a little teary eyed at the end.
The old man is an old fisherman who has spent his life fishing the Gulf of Mexico in different capacities. He is in a small skiff now in his old age. The story picks up on the old man's 84th day without catching a fish, I guess one that can be sold to a market. His best friend is a boy who grew up fishing with him since five years old. The man has taught him everything he can teach an apprentice, and the boy loves and cares for the man, almost as a son. He helps him in the evenings to dock and store his boat and belongings and then comes around to check on him to make sure he has some food to eat. It is apparent that the man lives to fish. And talk a little of baseball.
It is the man's 85th day, and he determines this is a lucky omen. The boy brings him some bait to use, the boy has to work on a bigger ship per his family's request, I only assume he is helping to provide for them. The old man sets out determined to go farther than is customary on his skiff. He goes where the ocean drops a mile deep and hooks onto a behemoth.
The story then goes on a journey. The old man hooks a marlin longer than his skiff, and it tests the old man's stamina, his mental wherewithal, and his skills at survival. Just when you think things are turning around for the old man, new obstacles show up. In the end, the man loses his prize, but gains adulation of the other fishermen who didn't take him seriously anymore.
He is left a heap of a man after returning to land, but some positive words from the boy and the old man is ready to head back out to sea. This was a story of man vs. beast but at the same time man vs. himself as it took more of the man not going crazy as he was dragged by the huge fish for three days before giving up the good fight.
The old man is an old fisherman who has spent his life fishing the Gulf of Mexico in different capacities. He is in a small skiff now in his old age. The story picks up on the old man's 84th day without catching a fish, I guess one that can be sold to a market. His best friend is a boy who grew up fishing with him since five years old. The man has taught him everything he can teach an apprentice, and the boy loves and cares for the man, almost as a son. He helps him in the evenings to dock and store his boat and belongings and then comes around to check on him to make sure he has some food to eat. It is apparent that the man lives to fish. And talk a little of baseball.
It is the man's 85th day, and he determines this is a lucky omen. The boy brings him some bait to use, the boy has to work on a bigger ship per his family's request, I only assume he is helping to provide for them. The old man sets out determined to go farther than is customary on his skiff. He goes where the ocean drops a mile deep and hooks onto a behemoth.
The story then goes on a journey. The old man hooks a marlin longer than his skiff, and it tests the old man's stamina, his mental wherewithal, and his skills at survival. Just when you think things are turning around for the old man, new obstacles show up. In the end, the man loses his prize, but gains adulation of the other fishermen who didn't take him seriously anymore.
He is left a heap of a man after returning to land, but some positive words from the boy and the old man is ready to head back out to sea. This was a story of man vs. beast but at the same time man vs. himself as it took more of the man not going crazy as he was dragged by the huge fish for three days before giving up the good fight.
Monday, April 13, 2015
4/14/15 I Thought We Had Hectic Lives?
Man, I know things will slow down once the move happens, but dammit. I did end up falling asleep around 6am which is normal for me and waking around 2pm. Chubs was still asleep, so I woke him, but we were moving at a Saturday moorning pace, with just the two of us at home. I drank a cup of coffee so slowly that the last gulp was cold and I forced it down "glup" cause mama didn't raise no quitter.
Wife texted she was on her way back from A&M around 5pm, I thought good, I'll shower and take care of some quicky chores. I have a Kierig coffee machine but I am cheap, I use regular Folger's in those refillable plastic filter thingies. My coworker suggested using the paper filters in it to ease cleaning and they really do help. I ran out Saturday morning, so I went to go buy some, along with a new "mouse" for my laptop, the old one broke, I wanna blame Boy, but I'm not sure. Then I also needed deodorant. Wow, I had run out of Degree, the white powdery cream one and used the clear variety that Wife accidentally bought. Woohoo, I showered Friday night and I swear, it was like I tucked a whataburger with onions in my armpits. I thought that smell left me in junior high or high school, dammit!!!!
I thought the three things were going to require three store visits, but Target came through like a champ so Chubs and I were home about ten minutes before the tornado arrived. I don't know if Wife had a couple of those five hour energy drinks, but it wasn't "hi Babe, how was your day?" It was ok, the realtor called blah blah this, are we going to Home Depot, I need bins to start taking things off the wall, tacky this tacky that, gaudy gaudy, realtor lady also said..... I of course snapped, it's what I do. "Slow the F down!! I don't care what the realtor said, i'll sell house at a loss. It is 6:30pm on a Saturday, you haven't even gone to pee after being gone all day. Take a deep breath."
We ended up walking around Home Depot for like two hours, got bins and paint and stuff. Boy came home right as we were walking out, he and Chubs stayed home during this time. We then picked them up, ate Italien per Boy's request, meal was very nice. Restaurant is Mandiola's, it is behind the Cheddar's on William Cannon and MoPAC. It is a really cute place, both our folks have gone and liked it. We came home, saw a couple shows on DVR, and we were out by 1am.
Today was a blur, got up around 2pm, because I was gonna work around 5pm. We went and ate at Don Dario's, Wife was hesitant because they killed somebody there a couple weeks ago. I said shooter or whatever is probably gone. Chubs surprised me and said food is to die for. By the time we were done, drove to look at renting a storage spot to start taking stuff out of house, but they were closed, came home, pooped and off to work. Only worked nine hours, so I am home writing this around 4:30am. I'm sure it's gonna be busy busy until we sign house off to some californians.
Wife texted she was on her way back from A&M around 5pm, I thought good, I'll shower and take care of some quicky chores. I have a Kierig coffee machine but I am cheap, I use regular Folger's in those refillable plastic filter thingies. My coworker suggested using the paper filters in it to ease cleaning and they really do help. I ran out Saturday morning, so I went to go buy some, along with a new "mouse" for my laptop, the old one broke, I wanna blame Boy, but I'm not sure. Then I also needed deodorant. Wow, I had run out of Degree, the white powdery cream one and used the clear variety that Wife accidentally bought. Woohoo, I showered Friday night and I swear, it was like I tucked a whataburger with onions in my armpits. I thought that smell left me in junior high or high school, dammit!!!!
I thought the three things were going to require three store visits, but Target came through like a champ so Chubs and I were home about ten minutes before the tornado arrived. I don't know if Wife had a couple of those five hour energy drinks, but it wasn't "hi Babe, how was your day?" It was ok, the realtor called blah blah this, are we going to Home Depot, I need bins to start taking things off the wall, tacky this tacky that, gaudy gaudy, realtor lady also said..... I of course snapped, it's what I do. "Slow the F down!! I don't care what the realtor said, i'll sell house at a loss. It is 6:30pm on a Saturday, you haven't even gone to pee after being gone all day. Take a deep breath."
We ended up walking around Home Depot for like two hours, got bins and paint and stuff. Boy came home right as we were walking out, he and Chubs stayed home during this time. We then picked them up, ate Italien per Boy's request, meal was very nice. Restaurant is Mandiola's, it is behind the Cheddar's on William Cannon and MoPAC. It is a really cute place, both our folks have gone and liked it. We came home, saw a couple shows on DVR, and we were out by 1am.
Today was a blur, got up around 2pm, because I was gonna work around 5pm. We went and ate at Don Dario's, Wife was hesitant because they killed somebody there a couple weeks ago. I said shooter or whatever is probably gone. Chubs surprised me and said food is to die for. By the time we were done, drove to look at renting a storage spot to start taking stuff out of house, but they were closed, came home, pooped and off to work. Only worked nine hours, so I am home writing this around 4:30am. I'm sure it's gonna be busy busy until we sign house off to some californians.
4/13/15 Wife Working Weekends?
Wife is snoring away like an industrial saw right now, it is 4:52am (friday night). I fell asleep when we got home around 10:30pm, but woke at 2:00am with too much energy to fall back asleep. I don't have a need to get some sleep, I know i'll be able to sleep until 1:00pm or so.
She is doing another campus tour, this one to Texas A&M, gig 'em! (that ain't no Hook 'Em Horns!) She's been in her position as homeless liason for something like eight years. Every year, it's another pack of bright doe-eyed kids she takes under her wings, like a mama duck and exposes them to the grandeur of higher education. She hits all the colleges and universities in the area. Two weeks ago it was UTSA, a month ago it was Tx. State, next week she goes on an overnighter to Texas A&M in Corpus Christi.
This is all great for the high school kids, but it kinda sucks for us. It throws the weekends off. She'll get home tomorrow at 6:00pm, but she'll be tired, so we won't do much. The only good thing (for us), is that she gets paid extra, and this is how we are financing our way back to Disney this summer.
So she'll be working and Boy will be at Alamo Drafthouse, leaving me and Chubs to fill the day. It is supposed to be rainy, but we'll see. He was up until 4:30am, I went in and turned off his TV. This means that hopefully tomorrow he lets me sleep at least until noon. I am already thinking I want some pan dulce from a mexican bakery we didn't go to today. They sell some decent tacos so we'll probably do brunch there.
Since we are now in moving mode, Wife said I will be cleaning the pool, I think I'll be at Rooms To Go looking at smaller bedroom sets for at least Chubs. I am kind of thinking twin beds with trundle bed that pulls out from underneath, so my parents can sleep there when they come. These are just ideas, not sure I want to jam king sized beds in their small rooms over there, but it would be cheaper. There is also idea of a bed up above over a work station, so Chubs could have a desk and stuff under a full sized bed and his bed up around six feet high. I don't think my Mom or Dad would be able to use it though.
I wish it was football season, basketball isn't interesting until playoff time, and I just can't get into baseball. Rainy weather and wife gone sounds perfect to sit around and watch some sports. Ehh, who am I kidding, I'll be watching HGTV, but now it'll be research, not for enjoyment.
She is doing another campus tour, this one to Texas A&M, gig 'em! (that ain't no Hook 'Em Horns!) She's been in her position as homeless liason for something like eight years. Every year, it's another pack of bright doe-eyed kids she takes under her wings, like a mama duck and exposes them to the grandeur of higher education. She hits all the colleges and universities in the area. Two weeks ago it was UTSA, a month ago it was Tx. State, next week she goes on an overnighter to Texas A&M in Corpus Christi.
This is all great for the high school kids, but it kinda sucks for us. It throws the weekends off. She'll get home tomorrow at 6:00pm, but she'll be tired, so we won't do much. The only good thing (for us), is that she gets paid extra, and this is how we are financing our way back to Disney this summer.
So she'll be working and Boy will be at Alamo Drafthouse, leaving me and Chubs to fill the day. It is supposed to be rainy, but we'll see. He was up until 4:30am, I went in and turned off his TV. This means that hopefully tomorrow he lets me sleep at least until noon. I am already thinking I want some pan dulce from a mexican bakery we didn't go to today. They sell some decent tacos so we'll probably do brunch there.
Since we are now in moving mode, Wife said I will be cleaning the pool, I think I'll be at Rooms To Go looking at smaller bedroom sets for at least Chubs. I am kind of thinking twin beds with trundle bed that pulls out from underneath, so my parents can sleep there when they come. These are just ideas, not sure I want to jam king sized beds in their small rooms over there, but it would be cheaper. There is also idea of a bed up above over a work station, so Chubs could have a desk and stuff under a full sized bed and his bed up around six feet high. I don't think my Mom or Dad would be able to use it though.
I wish it was football season, basketball isn't interesting until playoff time, and I just can't get into baseball. Rainy weather and wife gone sounds perfect to sit around and watch some sports. Ehh, who am I kidding, I'll be watching HGTV, but now it'll be research, not for enjoyment.
Saturday, April 11, 2015
4/12/15 The Seven Deadly Sins?
I just finished reading a delicious little book, The Seven Deadly Sins, A Celebration Of Virtue and Vice. It takes a look at the seven recognized sins and explored by seven separate authors.
Todd McEwan looks at sloth. He looks at different aspects of his life and decides whether things are slothful, lazy, or something else. He plays around with the word dawdling which I love. In conclusion, he decides that he cannot breakdown slothfulness, because the truly slothful have left no records. They are too lazy.
John Sutherland studies wrath in a different way. He makes it seem acceptible as it is the only sin God is charged with "God is a rightous judge, a God who expresses his wrath every day." He then spends a good deal of his section bringing up examples of when people showed wrath in classic literature, such as Achilles in The Illiad. Or even Ahab being consumed with wrath in Moby Dick after the white whale cost him a boat and a leg. He goes on to use other examples from Shakespeare to even some modern movies where wrath plays a vivid role.
Ali Smith for envy. She looks at it in a very personal way. Her story looks at a couple discussing/arguing the fact that one partner is allergic to mold and the other "accidentally" leaves a piece of fruit in the trash can which over time, develops a little mold and causes the sick spouse to declare that the other person is secretly jealous and trying in fact to killtheir loved one. This goes back and forth. This only works because the sick spouse is studying psychology so they are immersed in the study of the subconscious. This all goes back to when one is born and Mother introduces milk from he breasts. One is a good breast, other is a bad breast. Each finally tells a tale, the best storytelleris then deemed the winner in the argument.
Martin Rowson for Gluttony. He is obviously a cartoonist and treats his sin as a cartoon series, looking at gluttony as a fat guy and gluttony through a very rich man. There is no dialogue, but the cartoon windows show everything done in excess, from the sucking dry of the ocean to the modern monstrosity of commerce to feed the masses. The fat guy dies and the rich guy is then served his massive heart in a very gross and inhumane way of preparing the food.
Dylan Evans explores through greed. Has some strong points on it still being the sin looked at as a sin. The others through cultural change are not so bad, such as gluttony being a psychological problem. He then explains how greed is key to a capitalist system. If we humans weren't greedy, then communisn could have succeeded. He compares communism to being part of a hive, and thus the whole is more important than the individual, and that is not how us humans think, not in america.
David Flusfeder breaks down lust, again as a personal story. He goes into great detail about an encounter with a girl who he develops a crush, she is gay, so their love cannot be brought to fruition, but their date through a carnival and set in the 80s is interesting. His description that lust begins with appetite. There is something predatory, a desire to possess the object, but whereas love can take the object as an abstraction (a lover ignore's flaws in another), the object of lust is perceived in its full physicality.
Nicola Barker finally writes about vanity. This part confused me. It started as if you're reading the book online, complete with instructions, such as to go to next section, think of an orange or blink your eyes if you agree. It ends up taking a weird turn where the writer is explaining of when they were duped by an online person who pretended to be younger but were really "immortal" and old. I honestly did not get this section.
I did very much enjoy the book overall. I especially enjoyed the sections of lust and envy, possibly because I relate but probably because they were told as real first person stories. Book was around 200 pages, so it made for a quick read, and knowing it was broken into different authors kept me wanting to get to next section to experience a different writer's style.
David Flusfeder breaks down lust, again as a personal story. He goes into great detail about an encounter with a girl who he develops a crush, she is gay, so their love cannot be brought to fruition, but their date through a carnival and set in the 80s is interesting. His description that lust begins with appetite. There is something predatory, a desire to possess the object, but whereas love can take the object as an abstraction (a lover ignore's flaws in another), the object of lust is perceived in its full physicality.
Nicola Barker finally writes about vanity. This part confused me. It started as if you're reading the book online, complete with instructions, such as to go to next section, think of an orange or blink your eyes if you agree. It ends up taking a weird turn where the writer is explaining of when they were duped by an online person who pretended to be younger but were really "immortal" and old. I honestly did not get this section.
I did very much enjoy the book overall. I especially enjoyed the sections of lust and envy, possibly because I relate but probably because they were told as real first person stories. Book was around 200 pages, so it made for a quick read, and knowing it was broken into different authors kept me wanting to get to next section to experience a different writer's style.
Friday, April 10, 2015
4/11/15 Pandora's Box Opened, Now What?
I talked to my Mom today, she asked about Boy and what he thought about us downsizing houses. Honestly, we haven't told him we are officially starting the process of moving. He doesn't live with us, and it doesn't seem he is coming back. His words have been, if we move back to our small house, I will just stay in San Marcos permanently.
I don't care for this kind of talk, but then, last time we were talking about him doing internships this summer, He has one of interest in Seguin. They smelt metal scraps and make rebar and other metal components to sell to companies. This sounds like a great opportunity and the student in his class that told him about it said he got paid in the $18.00 range and works part time. This of course gets Boy excited. He said he would quit at Alamo Drafthouse and work there. Some quick math on my part and whoah!! If you quit Alamo, which is only reason you come to Austin, and you then work south of where you live, we will never see you, Little Shit! He just shrugs and says "well yeah." But it's an internship, "you don't expect me to just work at the movies until I graduate."
My thought was yes, you get me free tickets and discounts when we eat. But of course, he is 21, I can't force him to come back home, I certainly can't slow down his learning/opportunity curve. So blahhhh, I have to encourage/support in stuff that pushes him further away from us.
I told my Mom, what you did by offering to pay for a portion of his rent was grease our little pig. Now we can't catch him and put him back in the house. I guess it's just as well. We'll keep a bedroom for him/ act as a guestroom, maybe he gets an internship in town and he needs to pee at our house, once in a while.
Things are moving so fast now, his grades are holding steady, and they all seem good, so I can't really complain. Wife is in "SELL THE HOUSE" mode. Every conversation is realtor said this, realtor said that.... ughhh, "how was your day? just to try and slow her down. She was going on and on today, I had to ask did you even go to work, all your talking about is selling the house and her coworker that she loves so much is out of town and she was going on and on.
I really wish I had that fast forward remote from that Adam Sandler movie. I know I'll be fine once we are settled, but all this commotion makes me nervous and irritable, so sorry if I'm a dick over the next couple of months. There is a light at the end of the tunnel, finally.
I don't care for this kind of talk, but then, last time we were talking about him doing internships this summer, He has one of interest in Seguin. They smelt metal scraps and make rebar and other metal components to sell to companies. This sounds like a great opportunity and the student in his class that told him about it said he got paid in the $18.00 range and works part time. This of course gets Boy excited. He said he would quit at Alamo Drafthouse and work there. Some quick math on my part and whoah!! If you quit Alamo, which is only reason you come to Austin, and you then work south of where you live, we will never see you, Little Shit! He just shrugs and says "well yeah." But it's an internship, "you don't expect me to just work at the movies until I graduate."
My thought was yes, you get me free tickets and discounts when we eat. But of course, he is 21, I can't force him to come back home, I certainly can't slow down his learning/opportunity curve. So blahhhh, I have to encourage/support in stuff that pushes him further away from us.
I told my Mom, what you did by offering to pay for a portion of his rent was grease our little pig. Now we can't catch him and put him back in the house. I guess it's just as well. We'll keep a bedroom for him/ act as a guestroom, maybe he gets an internship in town and he needs to pee at our house, once in a while.
Things are moving so fast now, his grades are holding steady, and they all seem good, so I can't really complain. Wife is in "SELL THE HOUSE" mode. Every conversation is realtor said this, realtor said that.... ughhh, "how was your day? just to try and slow her down. She was going on and on today, I had to ask did you even go to work, all your talking about is selling the house and her coworker that she loves so much is out of town and she was going on and on.
I really wish I had that fast forward remote from that Adam Sandler movie. I know I'll be fine once we are settled, but all this commotion makes me nervous and irritable, so sorry if I'm a dick over the next couple of months. There is a light at the end of the tunnel, finally.
Thursday, April 9, 2015
4/10/15 What Do The Grownups Fear?
I am listening to Of Monsters and Men and I thought what are monsters to me, nowadays? As an adult there are few things to really fear. Knowing there is no "cucuy" under the bed is a relief when your kid is scared, but the things that scare us, are really much worse.
I fear losing my job and then by default losing most everything we have built into what we call our life. I can't look at any one thing I own and say I absolutely care about this one thing, because things are just things. But combined, they are the journey we have been going through together as a family. The furniture we bought Boy signified we accepted he was a growing up, and I bought it with the slight realization that if he chose to leave, like I did my folks' home, he might be taking that bed and that dresser with him.
The table, lame as it sounds, I took a cue from King Arthur and bought a large round table. I talk a lot of silly crap about being the man of the house, but we are all equals when we sit to eat. What would I be without my wife, not a husband, or without my boys, not a father. We don't eat often on it, but we do sit there and gather with friends, and family. The table was a good decision, I hope people feel welcome whenever they join us for a meal.
Another thing I am starting to fear is our vehicles. None of them is new at this point, and recently my truck started up with transmission problems. It is going to cost a pretty penny to fix. Wife is driving around in a 2005 bug and I am driving our 2004 Excursion, which I did not want to be a daily driver, but no choice now. It's not that I care about them being old, It's that I fear my wife getting stranded by the side of the road, running back and forth for her job. I worry about going out of town and my vehicle giving out. Last week I changed the oil at Jiffy Lube because Ford said it was too late in the day to do it. They did something to the oil filter or maybe it was just a bad one from the factory, but I lost most of the oil, running to New Braunfels and back. If the trip had been a little further and I had run dry, then what? I certainly cannot afford a new vehicle right now. We were driving back at night and we had quite the trail of smoke, I realized what was happening but I was scared to stop and not be able to get going again. When I refilled it at home, it needed about four quarts, so I was down to two quarts before some big catastrophe.
These are some of the little things that scare me. Not being able to be the man of the house and doing the right things. So we will move to our smaller house, then if we do have a layoff, the other spouse can carry the load for awhile, and we can start looking into buying some new vehicles. Wife was driving a new vehicle every two years when we first got married, and maybe that is a bit much, but that is the kind of service you're supposed to get from a Big Mando.
I fear losing my job and then by default losing most everything we have built into what we call our life. I can't look at any one thing I own and say I absolutely care about this one thing, because things are just things. But combined, they are the journey we have been going through together as a family. The furniture we bought Boy signified we accepted he was a growing up, and I bought it with the slight realization that if he chose to leave, like I did my folks' home, he might be taking that bed and that dresser with him.
The table, lame as it sounds, I took a cue from King Arthur and bought a large round table. I talk a lot of silly crap about being the man of the house, but we are all equals when we sit to eat. What would I be without my wife, not a husband, or without my boys, not a father. We don't eat often on it, but we do sit there and gather with friends, and family. The table was a good decision, I hope people feel welcome whenever they join us for a meal.
Another thing I am starting to fear is our vehicles. None of them is new at this point, and recently my truck started up with transmission problems. It is going to cost a pretty penny to fix. Wife is driving around in a 2005 bug and I am driving our 2004 Excursion, which I did not want to be a daily driver, but no choice now. It's not that I care about them being old, It's that I fear my wife getting stranded by the side of the road, running back and forth for her job. I worry about going out of town and my vehicle giving out. Last week I changed the oil at Jiffy Lube because Ford said it was too late in the day to do it. They did something to the oil filter or maybe it was just a bad one from the factory, but I lost most of the oil, running to New Braunfels and back. If the trip had been a little further and I had run dry, then what? I certainly cannot afford a new vehicle right now. We were driving back at night and we had quite the trail of smoke, I realized what was happening but I was scared to stop and not be able to get going again. When I refilled it at home, it needed about four quarts, so I was down to two quarts before some big catastrophe.
These are some of the little things that scare me. Not being able to be the man of the house and doing the right things. So we will move to our smaller house, then if we do have a layoff, the other spouse can carry the load for awhile, and we can start looking into buying some new vehicles. Wife was driving a new vehicle every two years when we first got married, and maybe that is a bit much, but that is the kind of service you're supposed to get from a Big Mando.
Wednesday, April 8, 2015
4/9/15 We're Downsizing Homes?
It sucks personally, but it was just a matter of time. I am waving the white flag, giving up the battle with my ego. We are going to sell our bigger house. I feel I am climbing uphill and somebody keeps putting bricks in my backpack. I can't see the horizon and shit has gotten too heavy to continue.
This downfall started quietly enough but I do believe my son going to college is slowly adding to our credit debt. We keep putting his tuitions on different credit cards because it is more than his loans that he can get, and Boy dragged his feet applying for his loans at least once. Then we buy all his books on whatever credit card is nearest. Another big blow to make sure we failed was the taxes just kept creeping up. Last year we saw an increase of roughly $300, and right when my brother who had been living with us left back home, taking his $600 a month stipend I used to enjoy. I sacrificed my beautiful F250 I had gotten in 2010. The payment was right at $589/mo. so it made sense, but then Boy needed a vehicle to drive daily to Tx. State, and we got him the Jeep for $379/mo. And then to add insult to injury, out of the blue, my supervisor cut my pay eight glorious hours of OT every paycheck. This was the final nail on the coffin.
I tried staying positive and for the most part there was OT above my normal work, so we've been able to keep crawling, but it has been difficult. This past February for the first time ever, I went two paychecks back to back where I had no extra OT and my checks looked naked and weak. Luckily, we had gotten our income tax and we floated by. Some OT here and there, but I just cannot continue stressing over money. I don't enjoy being cheap when my folks come up, trying to go to cheaper places than we normally like. Also, my Mom, trying to help out grandson #1 offered to pay a portion of the rent in an apartment his friends are in, then luckily, his other grandparents decided they'd match the amount. That is great, but now it is only Wife and Chubs in the house during the week.
I don't know if we'll be able to get $100,000 in profit from selling the house, but it should be in that neighborhood, so we will pay off all credit debts and start fresh. Add to that, our mortgage payment will now be a very affordable $850 instead of $3200 and whatever else we don't pay off, I will focus on taking care off, post haste.
I already sense tension with my loving wifey. She wants everything gutted and redone in old house starting with kitchen before we even move back, I am happy with new carpet and maybe painting the walls. We shall find a happy medium, after all, we've been arguing with each other for 27 years, I think we can come to a decent compromise.
This downfall started quietly enough but I do believe my son going to college is slowly adding to our credit debt. We keep putting his tuitions on different credit cards because it is more than his loans that he can get, and Boy dragged his feet applying for his loans at least once. Then we buy all his books on whatever credit card is nearest. Another big blow to make sure we failed was the taxes just kept creeping up. Last year we saw an increase of roughly $300, and right when my brother who had been living with us left back home, taking his $600 a month stipend I used to enjoy. I sacrificed my beautiful F250 I had gotten in 2010. The payment was right at $589/mo. so it made sense, but then Boy needed a vehicle to drive daily to Tx. State, and we got him the Jeep for $379/mo. And then to add insult to injury, out of the blue, my supervisor cut my pay eight glorious hours of OT every paycheck. This was the final nail on the coffin.
I tried staying positive and for the most part there was OT above my normal work, so we've been able to keep crawling, but it has been difficult. This past February for the first time ever, I went two paychecks back to back where I had no extra OT and my checks looked naked and weak. Luckily, we had gotten our income tax and we floated by. Some OT here and there, but I just cannot continue stressing over money. I don't enjoy being cheap when my folks come up, trying to go to cheaper places than we normally like. Also, my Mom, trying to help out grandson #1 offered to pay a portion of the rent in an apartment his friends are in, then luckily, his other grandparents decided they'd match the amount. That is great, but now it is only Wife and Chubs in the house during the week.
I don't know if we'll be able to get $100,000 in profit from selling the house, but it should be in that neighborhood, so we will pay off all credit debts and start fresh. Add to that, our mortgage payment will now be a very affordable $850 instead of $3200 and whatever else we don't pay off, I will focus on taking care off, post haste.
I already sense tension with my loving wifey. She wants everything gutted and redone in old house starting with kitchen before we even move back, I am happy with new carpet and maybe painting the walls. We shall find a happy medium, after all, we've been arguing with each other for 27 years, I think we can come to a decent compromise.
Tuesday, April 7, 2015
4/8/15 Who Really Cares About The Illegals?
I was at another rousing discussion with the Monster Energy Drink in pants. While discussing the ins and outs of strippers, we touched on the illegal Mexicans who come and work over here. I honestly don't care either way, as my hero Adam Carolla once said if it doesn't make you money or it doesn't make you happy, why argue a point?
I will maintain that arguing with this guy is kind of fun as he takes a stand and digs in. But back to the point, I believe that if our government really cared, they would just penalize the home builders, the restaurants, the farmers, whoever holds the money. They are in fact responsible for this crime, not the illegals, who merely come over looking to fill a niche that our society has created. Everyone walks around believing they are special, that the participation awards they got in fifth grade mattered. I did three summers with my uncle at $5 an hour installing roof after roof after roof. I was actually excited and even got an old truck running that my parents had kind of ignored so I could use it to dispose of the old shingles, which my uncle would pay me like $10 more per job.
My only problem with illegals is that they do not pay taxes and then when the time comes, they end up using social services, if they spit out a kid or two or five (come on, us beaners love to reproduce), then society is left to pay for those kids to go to school, to go to the doctor, or anything else I never get for free. I'm not talking out my butt either, my wife works with this population in her school district, it is a very real thing, and as complex as it is, it is allowed to survive, by the powers that be.
So again, I ask, who really cares? We end up getting a cheaper house built, the fruits and vegetables we eat are slightly cheaper, even eating in restaurants as often as we do is made affordable by the rich guys up top allowing this practice to continue. So what happens? Oh, they make a lot of noise, the republican kind, all sorts of good ole boys run down to the border thinking their gonna shoot some brown folk, but in reality, nothing changed. As far as I know, the borders bleed as much as they always used to. Cheap labor for the rich, God Bless America,
I will maintain that arguing with this guy is kind of fun as he takes a stand and digs in. But back to the point, I believe that if our government really cared, they would just penalize the home builders, the restaurants, the farmers, whoever holds the money. They are in fact responsible for this crime, not the illegals, who merely come over looking to fill a niche that our society has created. Everyone walks around believing they are special, that the participation awards they got in fifth grade mattered. I did three summers with my uncle at $5 an hour installing roof after roof after roof. I was actually excited and even got an old truck running that my parents had kind of ignored so I could use it to dispose of the old shingles, which my uncle would pay me like $10 more per job.
My only problem with illegals is that they do not pay taxes and then when the time comes, they end up using social services, if they spit out a kid or two or five (come on, us beaners love to reproduce), then society is left to pay for those kids to go to school, to go to the doctor, or anything else I never get for free. I'm not talking out my butt either, my wife works with this population in her school district, it is a very real thing, and as complex as it is, it is allowed to survive, by the powers that be.
So again, I ask, who really cares? We end up getting a cheaper house built, the fruits and vegetables we eat are slightly cheaper, even eating in restaurants as often as we do is made affordable by the rich guys up top allowing this practice to continue. So what happens? Oh, they make a lot of noise, the republican kind, all sorts of good ole boys run down to the border thinking their gonna shoot some brown folk, but in reality, nothing changed. As far as I know, the borders bleed as much as they always used to. Cheap labor for the rich, God Bless America,
Monday, April 6, 2015
4/7/15 Garfunkel And Oates Are Awesome?
I just saw this show on Netflix a couple weeks ago. I had heard of them awhile back. I was also familiar with Oates from her appearances on Scrubs, Kate Micucci, tiny gal, always plays a ukulele and smart little songs. The other gal, Garfunkel is played by Riki Lindhome, hot blond, but doesn't use it to any advantage on the show.
It is weird that the two would be friends in a real world. Kate is accused of having Peter Pan syndrome in one of the episodes and seems to spend most of her free time playing and making puppets of different sizes. Riki is the more successful in the show, playing Bimbo #2 or roles like that in various small movies. They show a clip of their work, and she is topless or ends up topless in all of her roles, boxed out, of course, for our safety. This has nothing to do with their girl band, but the show spends time sending them to auditions and stuff like that.
The series only lasts eight half hour episodes so it went by very quick. There are a lot of guest appearances by familiar faces. Natasha Leggero was in about half the episodes, Busy Philipps was in two, even Weird Al Yankovic appeared in an episode.
This show reminded me of the Tenacious D episodes with Jack Black and Kyle Gass, where the duo spend the better part of their days trying to get gigs and then coming up with new songs to showcase that night or that episode.
The songs are admittedly risqué, and border on dirty. If you go and look for them on YouTube, then you will find even more dirtier songs than they play on their show. I love the risk taking by shows like these, as I understand it, Garfunkel and Oates have existed for a few years, I remember them getting mentioned on the Carolla Show a long time back, like 2009. I believe more and more shows like this are showing TV that TV is becoming outdated. These gals have existed as a band for six years before I heard of them enough to want to listen to them, and now I can't get enough. They are on Youtube, and Netflix. From what I understand, these acts can tour and make plenty of money that way. It won't be long before Netflix starts competing with the other channels Emmys and Golden Globes because they, like HBO are putting out great product. Here's hoping it continues into the future.
It is weird that the two would be friends in a real world. Kate is accused of having Peter Pan syndrome in one of the episodes and seems to spend most of her free time playing and making puppets of different sizes. Riki is the more successful in the show, playing Bimbo #2 or roles like that in various small movies. They show a clip of their work, and she is topless or ends up topless in all of her roles, boxed out, of course, for our safety. This has nothing to do with their girl band, but the show spends time sending them to auditions and stuff like that.
The series only lasts eight half hour episodes so it went by very quick. There are a lot of guest appearances by familiar faces. Natasha Leggero was in about half the episodes, Busy Philipps was in two, even Weird Al Yankovic appeared in an episode.
This show reminded me of the Tenacious D episodes with Jack Black and Kyle Gass, where the duo spend the better part of their days trying to get gigs and then coming up with new songs to showcase that night or that episode.
The songs are admittedly risqué, and border on dirty. If you go and look for them on YouTube, then you will find even more dirtier songs than they play on their show. I love the risk taking by shows like these, as I understand it, Garfunkel and Oates have existed for a few years, I remember them getting mentioned on the Carolla Show a long time back, like 2009. I believe more and more shows like this are showing TV that TV is becoming outdated. These gals have existed as a band for six years before I heard of them enough to want to listen to them, and now I can't get enough. They are on Youtube, and Netflix. From what I understand, these acts can tour and make plenty of money that way. It won't be long before Netflix starts competing with the other channels Emmys and Golden Globes because they, like HBO are putting out great product. Here's hoping it continues into the future.
Sunday, April 5, 2015
4/6/15 Who Am I Hurting?
I was arguing, although he would say debating this past week with my coworker, that guy that resembles an energy drink in pants. I wasn't saying anything interesting in particular, except I miss working with an old crew. These were men, in my eyes. Our crew was our supervisor who I really looked up to and who had an interest in making me a better person. It is the only professional relationship which felt like the movies, I worked with him side by side, he gave me pointers on what to expect and let me make decisions on my own. He was gradually training me to become a supervisor like he was, but then our company collapsed and he was let go, and in order for me to survive, I jumped to my current group, which has been a good fit.
But I digress, for three years or so, I would hang with him, and the 4-5 maintenance technicians, these were the guys that kept the tools running, in their "shop". There were also 25-30 operators in the group. This crew made the etch team. There would also be an equivalent photo, diffusion, and implant crew. These are the main modules in a fab, just as a quick FYI. The operators were stuck running the tools, but the rest of us only jumped to work when there was a problem. From the shop, we had all sorts of computers and phones where we kept in contact with the operators, making sure the etch module kept running and didn't become the bottleneck for the rest of the fab.
As men eventually do, we started going to dinner as a group, usually to steak restaurants, and then if things were slow, sometimes we'd go hang in a strip club. This would happen once a month, towards the end of the three years. It wasn't an all the time thing.
Back to my coworker, this set him off. He was snapping that these places only serve to use women and they end up there because of the abuse they have encountered in their youth. For a man to enjoy this, he must then be okay with knowing that women are abused and accepting of this practice. If we simply boycotted these establishments, the women would go and find better jobs that didn't degrade them. My counter is that ok, but then the girls dancing don't walk out of that life and land in a cushy job like we have. They end up flipping burgers for minimum wage. He said good, at least they have their dignity. I said "Dude, that is not even realistic, how will somebody be ok with $7 an hour when they have been making $300 a night shaking their butts?"
I always argue I am a whore for my money. I will work as much OT as they will let me. If we get busy, I don't have a problem putting in 70 hour weeks. We are in a lab environment, there are chemicals, the tools have radiation tags on them. I am sure I am reducing my life time by doing what I do. Working nights, now for 19 years, is not good for me either. But I do it because it pays a little more. So, boo hoo, a stripper gets touched a little more than she likes. She does the job voluntarily, nobody put a gun to her head. Same with me, I could be a teacher, or something entirely different.
His logic is that he has four sisters and he respects women. I said good, I have a sister and I never went into a strip club thinking "I'm here whores, please me." No! I go in fascinated that this is even allowed. Some of those women might be the victims of abuse, but nobody is sitting in there looking sad and crying in a corner. Those women are working the men, squeezing them like dish rags, trying to get any and all the money out of them.
He then had some scenario that because guys go in there and treat women that way in there, they then come out thinking they can do that with any female. Strip clubs create the monsters of society, is how I understood that rationalization. I said, for a time, I went any chance I got, in college I'd even go because of the buffet they would offer, think shitty wings and some sad salad. But today I work mostly with women and they all seem to like me. I am friendly but professional. They bring me cake and cookies and all sorts of treats all the time. I am even getting hugged daily now, which I thoroughly enjoy, but I keep my hands up high.
I cannot agree that the strip club has made me any sort of monster. I honestly haven't been in one in probably ten years, and that is OK. I don't find that I miss them, but they were fun, way back when.
But I digress, for three years or so, I would hang with him, and the 4-5 maintenance technicians, these were the guys that kept the tools running, in their "shop". There were also 25-30 operators in the group. This crew made the etch team. There would also be an equivalent photo, diffusion, and implant crew. These are the main modules in a fab, just as a quick FYI. The operators were stuck running the tools, but the rest of us only jumped to work when there was a problem. From the shop, we had all sorts of computers and phones where we kept in contact with the operators, making sure the etch module kept running and didn't become the bottleneck for the rest of the fab.
As men eventually do, we started going to dinner as a group, usually to steak restaurants, and then if things were slow, sometimes we'd go hang in a strip club. This would happen once a month, towards the end of the three years. It wasn't an all the time thing.
Back to my coworker, this set him off. He was snapping that these places only serve to use women and they end up there because of the abuse they have encountered in their youth. For a man to enjoy this, he must then be okay with knowing that women are abused and accepting of this practice. If we simply boycotted these establishments, the women would go and find better jobs that didn't degrade them. My counter is that ok, but then the girls dancing don't walk out of that life and land in a cushy job like we have. They end up flipping burgers for minimum wage. He said good, at least they have their dignity. I said "Dude, that is not even realistic, how will somebody be ok with $7 an hour when they have been making $300 a night shaking their butts?"
I always argue I am a whore for my money. I will work as much OT as they will let me. If we get busy, I don't have a problem putting in 70 hour weeks. We are in a lab environment, there are chemicals, the tools have radiation tags on them. I am sure I am reducing my life time by doing what I do. Working nights, now for 19 years, is not good for me either. But I do it because it pays a little more. So, boo hoo, a stripper gets touched a little more than she likes. She does the job voluntarily, nobody put a gun to her head. Same with me, I could be a teacher, or something entirely different.
His logic is that he has four sisters and he respects women. I said good, I have a sister and I never went into a strip club thinking "I'm here whores, please me." No! I go in fascinated that this is even allowed. Some of those women might be the victims of abuse, but nobody is sitting in there looking sad and crying in a corner. Those women are working the men, squeezing them like dish rags, trying to get any and all the money out of them.
He then had some scenario that because guys go in there and treat women that way in there, they then come out thinking they can do that with any female. Strip clubs create the monsters of society, is how I understood that rationalization. I said, for a time, I went any chance I got, in college I'd even go because of the buffet they would offer, think shitty wings and some sad salad. But today I work mostly with women and they all seem to like me. I am friendly but professional. They bring me cake and cookies and all sorts of treats all the time. I am even getting hugged daily now, which I thoroughly enjoy, but I keep my hands up high.
I cannot agree that the strip club has made me any sort of monster. I honestly haven't been in one in probably ten years, and that is OK. I don't find that I miss them, but they were fun, way back when.
4/5/15 What Does Easter Mean To Me?
I am not religious, Wife will say she is, but there is not much church visiting for us. I should feel weird celebrating a religious holiday, but I manage to get over it. We focus on the fun side of the holiday. There are candies to disperse, Wife has gotten out of hand some years with the easter baskets, they seem like they are competing with the Christmas tree in the amount of toys and stuff the boys get. They don't mind, so it continues.
Another big thing to the celebration is sitting with family dressed up slightly better than usual and grilling some dead animal meats. I say dressing slightly better because I am very comfortable in a wife beater, but it is nicer to have sleeves for the occasional pictures that might end up on FB. Nothing brings the family closer than the smell of the grill burning and charring some cow or chicken. This year is going to be a little different, we always go to my Mom's, but since Boy is working on the weekends, he has asked us to stay so he won't be alone. We are probably going to forego our usual thing and make the best of it by grilling here by ourselves.
As I had said in a previous blog, we do love the cascarones, these are decorative hollow egg shells
filled with confetti and broken on the heads of our fellow friends and family members. Wife used to tell me growing up, her cousins would fill the eggs with whatever they had, sometimes, to be funny, there'd be an egg filled with flour, or dirt. Yeah, that sucks. Confetti just falls off after you shake your hair a bit. Plus confetti looks pretty with its bright colors, stuck in a pretty girl's hair.
It might be a good weekend to go catch a movie. We haven't gone since Jupiter Ascending, with Mila Kunis. Good movie, and idea of an alien race populating random planets sounds plausible. I'm not sure what movies are out though.
Whatever we end up doing, first and foremost, my boys have to feel loved and cared for, second Wife has to feel like she is the most important woman in my life, that reminds me "Hey Babe, go in the kitchen and start making some tortillas, Jesus loves tortillas!!" I kid. We will be together though, and that is always job one. So like I tell my boys and wife daily, "love you, and be careful out there."
Another big thing to the celebration is sitting with family dressed up slightly better than usual and grilling some dead animal meats. I say dressing slightly better because I am very comfortable in a wife beater, but it is nicer to have sleeves for the occasional pictures that might end up on FB. Nothing brings the family closer than the smell of the grill burning and charring some cow or chicken. This year is going to be a little different, we always go to my Mom's, but since Boy is working on the weekends, he has asked us to stay so he won't be alone. We are probably going to forego our usual thing and make the best of it by grilling here by ourselves.
As I had said in a previous blog, we do love the cascarones, these are decorative hollow egg shells
filled with confetti and broken on the heads of our fellow friends and family members. Wife used to tell me growing up, her cousins would fill the eggs with whatever they had, sometimes, to be funny, there'd be an egg filled with flour, or dirt. Yeah, that sucks. Confetti just falls off after you shake your hair a bit. Plus confetti looks pretty with its bright colors, stuck in a pretty girl's hair.
It might be a good weekend to go catch a movie. We haven't gone since Jupiter Ascending, with Mila Kunis. Good movie, and idea of an alien race populating random planets sounds plausible. I'm not sure what movies are out though.
Whatever we end up doing, first and foremost, my boys have to feel loved and cared for, second Wife has to feel like she is the most important woman in my life, that reminds me "Hey Babe, go in the kitchen and start making some tortillas, Jesus loves tortillas!!" I kid. We will be together though, and that is always job one. So like I tell my boys and wife daily, "love you, and be careful out there."
Saturday, April 4, 2015
4/4/15 There Can Be Only One?
As mentioned earlier, JC finally got the battle he had always wanted but was too immature to get. He would be fighting the gods of Greece. Their team consisted of Zeus, Neptune,
Aphrodite, and Apollo. Jesus had the Holy Trinity and Hops. The battle lasted a long time, but ultimately he outwitted Neptune by walking on water, Neptune could not slow him down with his water waves. Apollo tried outsmarting him, but anything he could do, JC would do better. His beard finally helped fell Apollo, and he retired back to Olympus. Aphrodite proved no match, as she tried using her advantages, ole JC never did seem to respond to the ladies. She was quite harmless to him.
Zeus, though, fought like a true god, he used everything in his arsenal, he was blasting lightning bolts and thunder storms and this is how JC lost his Hops. In a slight retreat, Zeus charged forth with a blast of his thunder bolt, Hops, ever the loyal friend, dove in front to take the million watt zap, JC managed to catch one of his hind legs as he jumped but the rest of Hops was smoted. As he was evaporated, he tossed his last cascaron to Jesus, which Jesus used to attack Zeus as he was recharging for another zap. He hit Zeus right in the temple, and that is a tender spot on the head, even in a god, that will send you to sleep for a millennia.
So Jesus kept the hind legs of Hops, made a decorative chain, and hung it around his neck, Hops became the patron saint of delivering cascarones, for he delivered the one cascaron that ended that most unforgettable battle that was so charged, it retired the game for a long time.
Jesus, upon reflecting what had transpired, decided that it was time to maybe go back to civilization. He would keep the scraggly beard as a reminder of his times spent in youth, the fun times with Hops by his side. He did keep his parlor tricks which he used when necessity called. Maybe some none believer needed a bit of a push, he'd walk out on a lake and do a little jig, never getting wet.
Maybe he'd attend a party, he didn't have to carry wine, he just converted the water to wine, made a great house warming gift. Plus the party never ended with JC in the house. Have him cut your cake, and even a small bundt cake could feed everyone around the neighborhood.
With acts like this, it was no wonder, people started following him. But that is another story, one that everybody already knows. I just fill in the stuff you didn't know.
Aphrodite, and Apollo. Jesus had the Holy Trinity and Hops. The battle lasted a long time, but ultimately he outwitted Neptune by walking on water, Neptune could not slow him down with his water waves. Apollo tried outsmarting him, but anything he could do, JC would do better. His beard finally helped fell Apollo, and he retired back to Olympus. Aphrodite proved no match, as she tried using her advantages, ole JC never did seem to respond to the ladies. She was quite harmless to him.
Zeus, though, fought like a true god, he used everything in his arsenal, he was blasting lightning bolts and thunder storms and this is how JC lost his Hops. In a slight retreat, Zeus charged forth with a blast of his thunder bolt, Hops, ever the loyal friend, dove in front to take the million watt zap, JC managed to catch one of his hind legs as he jumped but the rest of Hops was smoted. As he was evaporated, he tossed his last cascaron to Jesus, which Jesus used to attack Zeus as he was recharging for another zap. He hit Zeus right in the temple, and that is a tender spot on the head, even in a god, that will send you to sleep for a millennia.
So Jesus kept the hind legs of Hops, made a decorative chain, and hung it around his neck, Hops became the patron saint of delivering cascarones, for he delivered the one cascaron that ended that most unforgettable battle that was so charged, it retired the game for a long time.
Jesus, upon reflecting what had transpired, decided that it was time to maybe go back to civilization. He would keep the scraggly beard as a reminder of his times spent in youth, the fun times with Hops by his side. He did keep his parlor tricks which he used when necessity called. Maybe some none believer needed a bit of a push, he'd walk out on a lake and do a little jig, never getting wet.
Maybe he'd attend a party, he didn't have to carry wine, he just converted the water to wine, made a great house warming gift. Plus the party never ended with JC in the house. Have him cut your cake, and even a small bundt cake could feed everyone around the neighborhood.
With acts like this, it was no wonder, people started following him. But that is another story, one that everybody already knows. I just fill in the stuff you didn't know.
Thursday, April 2, 2015
4/3/15 Where Do Cascarones Come From?
I just spent the better part of the last ten years researching this question. I've traveled to the four corners of the planet, by plane, boat, car, goat, one time a lady carried me in a wheelbarrow for a little bit... But at last, I have solved the age old question, Cascarones were the fourth gift brought to Jesus by the Four Wise Men. Arnulfo, the fourth Wise Man was removed, because, well Arnulfo don't sound wise in the Good Book. He brought along assorted games, one was cascarones. Whereby you take the shell of some flying beast, decorate it, fill it with shiny material and then bash in a loved ones head with it. He also brought Jesus his one true pet, a rabbit, named Hops. Jesus grew up and sure myrrh and frankincense and the other thing were important, but he loved his cascarones. Hops and big J would spend half the year killing any flying baby creature, chickens, dodos, ostriches for their shells. The decorations were ornate. He is the reason dodos went extinct, I think. They have only recently been discovered, carbon dating puts them at approximately the right age. If you know the right people, there is a collection at the Smithsonian, they can be seen there.
You will not want to believe me, but I also discovered what JC was doing all those years he disappears from the Good Book, ages 12 to 30. He joined an elite group of teens who tried to turn Cascarones- The Game, into the soccer of its times. He was tremendous, what with his ability to run on water and get whole opposing teams drunk before a contest by converting their jugs of water into wine. Plus he only needed a small piece of sandwich and he always could miraculously feed his whole group, so they traveled light. Of course, Hops would run the course with him, JC felt luckier with Hops around and there were no rules of who could be on the battlefield.
Slowly, Jesus became a man on those fields. Before he knew it, he had invented a look, the Hipster look, scraggly beard, unkempt hair, weighing about 120lbs, who spent his days playing games and nights decorating his shells. At thirty, he finally got the battle he was looking for, against the gods of Greece. That would change the rest of his life, and he would eventually lose the one friend he had with him since birth. It was this death that made him retire, the game was cancelled, and until recently had been banned for 2000 years. He went back to complete his destiny, although he was Jesus, he knew it would be rough.
You will not want to believe me, but I also discovered what JC was doing all those years he disappears from the Good Book, ages 12 to 30. He joined an elite group of teens who tried to turn Cascarones- The Game, into the soccer of its times. He was tremendous, what with his ability to run on water and get whole opposing teams drunk before a contest by converting their jugs of water into wine. Plus he only needed a small piece of sandwich and he always could miraculously feed his whole group, so they traveled light. Of course, Hops would run the course with him, JC felt luckier with Hops around and there were no rules of who could be on the battlefield.
Slowly, Jesus became a man on those fields. Before he knew it, he had invented a look, the Hipster look, scraggly beard, unkempt hair, weighing about 120lbs, who spent his days playing games and nights decorating his shells. At thirty, he finally got the battle he was looking for, against the gods of Greece. That would change the rest of his life, and he would eventually lose the one friend he had with him since birth. It was this death that made him retire, the game was cancelled, and until recently had been banned for 2000 years. He went back to complete his destiny, although he was Jesus, he knew it would be rough.
4/2/15 Happy Birthday To Thee?
Ay-ya-yai. God forbid you forget someone's birthday in this day and age. And with us freaking beaner families, there's a person a day, if you want to extend far back enough. Here's another catch, when birthdays are during the week, we sometimes celebrate on the weekend. But you have to also remember to call them on their actual birthday, or you get a big boo.
Since the start of the year, there has been one birthday after another, we can eat cake every weekend, if we are willing to travel to either my hometown where my family lives or to San Antonio where Wife's family lives. Fill in the requisite Hallmark Holiday, ie. Valentine's Day or St Patrick's Day and now you know why Mexicans are so prone to diabetes, it's all the birthday/celebration cake.
We made kind of a big deal with Boy, but he turned 21 this year. We had both grandparents come up, and whoever else could and we had a big lunch at Pappadeaux, then on his actual birthday, he came down with his roommates and we ate at Longhorn Steakhouse, then he had to party with his roommates the following weekend without his parents. We figure he'll be done celebrating his 21st bday sometime around Halloween, fingers crossed.
Here's another one, this weekend we met our in-laws halfway to San Antonio for their anniversary, and had BBQ in New Braunfels, Cooper's BBQ or something like that. Very good meat. We tried to do something like this last year for my folks, but Wife tried getting my sister to rally the troops, but she was busy finishing her Master's Degree, maybe this year can be different. I had a whole leftover tray of brisquet and sausage links which I was secretly salivating cause I was going to enjoy like a fat greedy hog, but we picked up Boy (he was taking a break from his bday celebrating sunday evening) and when we went to drop him off, deadpans, can I have the meat? "Fudge!!, of course Mijo. I want you to eat" What else could my fat ass say?
Of course this weekend is the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, we gots to get our BBQ on with family and break some cascarones, cause Jesus was all about cascarones and smashing people upside the head. We're in a weird stage though, the older people are all handi-capable so you don't want to abuse them too much and the kids are all babies, so you don't want to whack them on the head and risk hurting their skulls. There aren't any teenagers, the ones everyone enjoys beating up.
So Happy Birthday to one and all, if I forgot you it's because I suck, you are the best person that ever did walk the earth. Your grace and poise belong on television, your velvety smooth voice should be doing voice-over work "In a world...". All you family members I still don't know your names, I love you, any in-laws I might have forgotten "you're in my heart, you're in my soul...". All you olden friends with the big hoo-has, I miss and love you all too.
Since the start of the year, there has been one birthday after another, we can eat cake every weekend, if we are willing to travel to either my hometown where my family lives or to San Antonio where Wife's family lives. Fill in the requisite Hallmark Holiday, ie. Valentine's Day or St Patrick's Day and now you know why Mexicans are so prone to diabetes, it's all the birthday/celebration cake.
We made kind of a big deal with Boy, but he turned 21 this year. We had both grandparents come up, and whoever else could and we had a big lunch at Pappadeaux, then on his actual birthday, he came down with his roommates and we ate at Longhorn Steakhouse, then he had to party with his roommates the following weekend without his parents. We figure he'll be done celebrating his 21st bday sometime around Halloween, fingers crossed.
Here's another one, this weekend we met our in-laws halfway to San Antonio for their anniversary, and had BBQ in New Braunfels, Cooper's BBQ or something like that. Very good meat. We tried to do something like this last year for my folks, but Wife tried getting my sister to rally the troops, but she was busy finishing her Master's Degree, maybe this year can be different. I had a whole leftover tray of brisquet and sausage links which I was secretly salivating cause I was going to enjoy like a fat greedy hog, but we picked up Boy (he was taking a break from his bday celebrating sunday evening) and when we went to drop him off, deadpans, can I have the meat? "Fudge!!, of course Mijo. I want you to eat" What else could my fat ass say?
Of course this weekend is the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, we gots to get our BBQ on with family and break some cascarones, cause Jesus was all about cascarones and smashing people upside the head. We're in a weird stage though, the older people are all handi-capable so you don't want to abuse them too much and the kids are all babies, so you don't want to whack them on the head and risk hurting their skulls. There aren't any teenagers, the ones everyone enjoys beating up.
So Happy Birthday to one and all, if I forgot you it's because I suck, you are the best person that ever did walk the earth. Your grace and poise belong on television, your velvety smooth voice should be doing voice-over work "In a world...". All you family members I still don't know your names, I love you, any in-laws I might have forgotten "you're in my heart, you're in my soul...". All you olden friends with the big hoo-has, I miss and love you all too.
Wednesday, April 1, 2015
4/1/15 April Fools, Donkeys?
April Fool's is a day to joke
So watch your partner when they cry "we're broke!"
I really hate when my boy's cry wolf, "I've hurt my toe!"
I roll my eyes, and say "come on Bro"...
I guess as a special day, it's better than St. Patrick's Day,
all day long drinking beer and trying to play
but if you don't wear green you will get pinched
go ahead, try it, see if you don't get lynched.
It has to also be better than Groundhog's Day
a rodent's shadow, for that we pray?
Good god, we are a goofy sort
how desparate for entertainment that this we do as sport?
You want another, how about Arbor Day?
a holiday to plant trees? you don't say.
I say that sounds rather stupid
but we did give a day for dear old Cupid.
How about Boxing Day, but not in the USA?
What's that, you say hip hip hooray!?!?
It is celebrated the day after Christmas on the 26,
employers get to give their servants mixes of treats and tricks.
So when I wake up, I won't believe when my wife calls that we won with our lottery ticket
I'll double check before I call my boss and tell him where he can stick it.
All I know is that I can see you with the camera on your phone
your undies are showing and it smells like you been sitting on the throne
Gotcha!!! April Fool's Day!
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