7/31/16 A New Soul For Wife?

    Just as I said during the week, I don't like to dick around when there are problems in my life.  Last week Wife started her job and on Tuesday she had to call my folks that her VW Bug wouldn't start.  My folks showed up with jumpers and got the car going.  Dad went to Walmart and bought a new battery and $158 dollars later, it seemed problem had been solved.  Well, no.  She was headed out to the local Dairy Queen (because what else is there in a small town?) to buy dinner or a snack and the service engine light came on.  I mean come on, it's the first goddamn week and already two issues?  The service engine light didn't seem to affect the car negatively, it still ran, but my folks wanted to play it safe, so they told her to take their car the rest of the week.  Wife was off Friday, so she headed home on Thursday night.  But my folks were on standby in case the car died in their vicinity, then my inlaws were put on red alert while she drove through San Antonio and its surrounding area.  Finally, I had to be ready in case the car gave out past New Braunfels or so.  Luckily, there were no actual problems, but it was nerve wracking to be at work not knowing if she would make it the whole way.
    Friday, I wanted to change the subject, Wife had said we would drop off Bug at VW and she take the Excursion.  It seemed ok to me, but she was already dreading the higher gas consumption.  So we headed off to see some personal watercraft, and yes I need to buy me a pair of those things, but what I saw online at $5200 was quickly discarded because of my girth.  The guy said it will be better if you buy a bigger jetski with a stronger engine.  So now I was looking at either a Yamaha or a Seadoo in the $11, 999.  I did not want to hear that, but I guess that is reality.  We left after looking around some more, but my ego was deflated.
    I did the only thing I know to do when I have been insulted, I went to spend money.  I told Wife I was going to go to Kia and buy her a Soul which she had already decided in her head is what she wanted to do.  She said they won't let you, you already have the truck and Boy's vehicle.  I said "watcha!'  We came back south and stopped at the Kia place.  Wife had said I don't care for leather, or navigation, or sunroof, or anything showy.  I just want a barebones $13,000 vehicle.  Get me air conditioning and XM radio since there are no radio stations out there.  I said cool, I was thinking the less we spend on this car, the quicker my Seadoo becomes a reality.  We test drove a white one that was very base, over to their back up lot and he had a mocha colored Soul there that Wife seemed to like, but she didn't approach it to peek in the windows or anything like that.  I told the guy, we need to drive it, let's go get the key.  We headed back to the main dealership, and Wife slowly gravitated to the one Kia Soul sitting up by the building by itself, and you could tell it was different by the two tone roof, the vehicle was cream colored, but the roof was black and it had two large sun-roofs.  The leather was pretty and brown, like a baseball glove.  The navigation screen was at least as big as what my truck has.  I has pretty much every bell and whistle Kia puts on its vehicles.  It got too late Friday to complete the deal.  We had tentatively agreed to numbers but then when I started teasing Wife that she was just like me and she too needed all the crap she says I don't need, she said "Fine, we'll go back tomorrow and cancel the car."  I said don't be like that, but then Boy walked in pretty much making fun just like I had about needing her car to have everything like Daddies.  I was sure she was done, just to prove to us she is not petty like us.  She called the sales guy who said we had already signed papers and had given money.  Wife said we didn't sign any contract papers, we can back out, and after discussing it, it is just too much money to pay for a small vehicle.  I was not expecting him to lower the price as much as they did, but they lowered the car another $4000, and that made it very hard for Wife to say no.  The car is parked outside now.  Yeaih Wife!!!  I hope she is happy with her car for a long time, it is fun to drive.

7/30/16 Cousins, Nice or Nuisance?

    I frequently see a cheesy logo that says something like "cousins are your first best friends" and I think ehh.  Growing up, we only had one other pair of cousins on my mother's side and I did enjoy the older boy's company.  He was like an exotic thing to have around.  He acted like an adult I always remember, he carried a knife in his pocket, and he was not really afraid of being left alone.  Now older, I realize he had parent's who were divorcing and maybe he had to be tougher as they lived in apartments where tons of kids ran around like feral cats.  He wasn't living a protected life like we were.  Anyways, I liked his style, always thought he was cool, we just did not hang around enough, but it was a treat when he would come spend the night.  He had a sister, but growing up girls, you know, are pretty useless to boys.  I was never close to her.
    My dad's side of the family actually had a bunch of cousins my age, but we just never hung with them.  The uncles all liked to get drunk and it wasn't uncommon for them to throw punches at each other, so my mom kept us away. for the most part.  My favorite uncle on dad's side had four kids, we would see them like every other week or so.  They were the ones who grew up being the track stars, so what do you think we played when we went over there?  Tag.  It sucked, they were all skinny and fast, we were built like Chubs and not particularly fond of being outside, but we had good moments.  There were more cousins, my dad's older brother had like ten kids, but the wife was in an insane asylum or something, and I guess because of this, I couldn't even say where they lived.  One of the sons was a classmate of mine, and we would say hi to each other, maybe visit on Christmas day, but we never got the chance to spend time together.  The younger brother had a son who would have been about my age, but he lived in Eagle Pass, which was 45 minutes away, and that was too far back in the day for any kinds of normal visits.  We might swing by if we went to the mall up there, but going out of town was special, we didn't do it just to visit.
    I guess the thought of cousins comes up because Chubs is now face to face and soaking in cousin love 24/4-5 and he isn't a fan of that much closeness.  He used to get excited when his cousins were coming for a visit, but he knew that was for a couple days and they would leave at some point.  He has gotten older and he likes his "me" time.  He is a pre-teen, and maybe it is just a part of becoming a teenager where he wants to be left alone.  They came back Friday night and he was filling me in on how many ways his cousins overreact like babies do.  He said they might be driving past a store and his older younger cousin will scream (they scream as their normal voice level) to grandma to stop and get him a toy.  Grandma will say no, and all of a sudden the kid will sulk.
    He did say his girl cousin was cool, she is like nine months older than him, and she is also in the pre-teen phase, so he likes that she hardly talks is what Wife gathered.  He has not had much of a chance to interact with the other side of the family this summer.  After we got back from Florida, my brother in law with the four kids took off on his vacation, then Wife had been distracted by working the last few days in Bastrop, and what not.  The other cousin near his age had gone with his other grandma and he left for Colorado for a bit.  The older brother is more Boy's age, so they don't really hang out.
    So I have mixed feelings about that whole "cousins are your first best friends" business.  We had a bunch of kids in our neighborhood, and my older younger brother and I could be outside from morning to night and have company from somebody around us, so we didn't have to wait on family to come visit.  nowadays, we live in a neighborhood with hardly any kids, as a result, Chubs has grown up like a miniature adult, as my dental hygienist told me this week, he is so cute, walks in with me and just sits there quietly waiting.
   

7/29/16 Appreciating The Quiet Times?

    Cake is enjoyable because we only have it during special times, maybe a birthday or a holiday.  Now, we have gone through periods that we have so much cake in the fridge we don't even bother having a slice because it's just too much.  Right now, I have three kinds of cake in the fridge (and I wonder why I'm a fat fuck?!).  I didn't buy them, Wife did.  She buys coconut for me, and chocolate cake for the boys, those smallish cakes that come in a square box from the freezer.  Then my mom had come up last weekend and bought my brother a "tres leches" cake which I find kind of disgusting, I mean it is wet bread to me.  About half of that cake remains, and I am not touching it, except maybe to throw away Sunday night.
    Almost got lost in my own analogy.  Wife is my cake now.  Not seeing her all week, I actually miss her nonstop yapping and lecturing.  I am glad she is coming home tonight and I am only working four hours.  I don't think tonight will be a "get to your side of the bed night, I might want me a slice of that big girl with a glass of water."  Usually, I used to think "ehh, I'll get some tomorrow, when I'm not so stuffed from dinner..."  Now, I better partake of my husbandly duties when I can because she is not available 24/7.
    Since I have done all the chores, and the house is clean, we can do whatever we want.  We could go out for a late night dinner, or just run and get some snacks and stay up late watching TV.  I wouldn't mind running to Katy Mills Mall either Friday or Saturday, she's a big baller now, making that fat cash for Daddy.  I am sure we are going to go look at cars too, but I think we have that problem solved.
    Chubs spent some time with my mom's pup and he is over the idea of wanting a dog of his own.  He noticed how demanding a pet would be.  That is the greatest thing that could have happened, as I didn't want a dog in our house.  He is a smart boy, just a matter of time before he starts asking for something else.  He did kind of tell me he needs a bigger TV in his room down there.  My mom has a small tube TV that might be 20 inches.  He has a 48 inch TV in his room up here, he thinks he needs a bigger TV to see things better, plus he needs connections to plug in his Xbox and Wii.  Always something, since Wife will be taking the Excursion this weekend, I am sure we will fill it with all sorts of goodies for them and the comforts that they are accustomed to.

7/28/16 Freaking Service Engine Soon Light?

    Why can't shit just be cool for a little while?  I am doing a pretty good job of keeping the house in one piece, even getting ahead, tonight during lunch, I got a load going in the washer, so there isn't much to do in the washing department when Wife gets here tomorrow.  I have kept the kitchen clean and last night during lunch I even started cleaning the pantry out.  Meanwhile, that asshole of a car that Wife is driving is fucking with me.  Yesterday, the battery died.  Fine, Wife called my folks, and my Dad was even a hero and went and bought a new battery and installed it for Wife.  Cool!! Nope, As soon as that was fixed, the stupid Service Engine Soon Light came on.  That car had been rock solid since we got it from my mom and did a couple things to it.  Why does shit wait until I can't reach it, to become a nuisance?
    I thought Wife wanted to just get a new car this weekend, and that might be a challenge because I got my truck last September, and we bought Boy another vehicle just a month ago.  His Jeep was being a piece of crap. I started looking through online places like Maxwellford.com for vehicles we might like.  I want a Ford Escape or another Ford Edge for her, Wife would like a Kia Soul, which seems a little ehhh to me.  They might be good enough little vehicles, but they seem cheap to me, they consistently stay under $20,000, even loaded. 
    Wife has some money coming to her, so waiting until it comes in sounds great to me.  She is getting paid for writing some stuff for a group she knows, then because of when she is changing schools, she will get an extra check from the old school on top of getting paid at her new school, so there will be some more extra money.  If we can manage to get $4000-$5000 for the bug, I would be happy.  My Mom actually mentioned this past weekend that she wouldn't mind buying it back from us.  I said "sold!" $5000.  She said that was too much, I said that is what we bought it from you and then we went and did like $8000 in repairs, starting with a new convertible top.  The conversation mysteriously changed, if we can drag our feet, perhaps I will get my 5Gs back from my mother.
    In the meantime, we do have options, Wife said she would take the Excursion this week.  I suggested she just do a round robin and alternate all the vehicles, that way no one car gets all the mileage abuse.  She could also take my truck, then Boy's Edge.  That way each car would only go down to Crystal City one week a month.  That is only about 5 times for each vehicle between now and Christmas break.  The Bug is going into the shop, where I am sure the Service Engine Soon light will cost me $500, at least.

7/27/16 Flossing And Brushing Like A Boss?

    I got a surprise reminder today to go to the dentist.  If I had looked at my phone, I would have noticed the appointment, but I generally don't look at my plans, normally, I just go to work.  The part that sucked is that I had already gone to Home Depot and I had stayed up late to fix some leaking hoses coming out of the air conditioning.  Every time we go to grab the large trashcans to take to the street, we have to step through a muddy section where the hoses discharge their water.  I connected them with a T shaped connector and a third hose to send the water away from where the fence gate is.  Then, because I was feeling heroic, I continued in the bathroom.  I bought some cleaning stuff and sprayed it on the walls.  Like the Mr. Bubbles stuff, that is supposed to clean all by itself, well, it really didn't do much of anything.  I scrubbed and scrubbed and made it a little better, but usually we clean the standup shower with SOS pads.  I just didn't feel like scrubbing that hard and getting down on my hands and knees.
    By the time I was done with all the foolishness, it was past 9:00am.  I thought great, I'm sleeping until 4:00pm, if I feel like it.  Well no, I get up around 2:00pm because my phone was flashing with some messages.  First off, Wife was going to go to lunch, but her car would not start.  My parents ran down, jumped the bug, left Wife my Mom's car, and they took the bug and bought it a new battery.  I hope that was it, I know the heat can destroy a battery, and I don't recall changing it the last two years.  This only got my Wife talking about getting a new car sooner than we planned.  Oh well, maybe this weekend, when she comes up, if we can swing it.  The other message was the dentist, and I figured even though I wanted to sleep late, I hate rescheduling stuff like that.  I got up, took a quick shower, and then had to run down and look for a dentist card from our new insurance.  I hate changing that stuff, but our company seems to be doing it once a year, to save a couple of nickels.
    Anyways, the dentist was fine, other than the dentist thinking I am going to have to replace one of my fillings soon, it is starting to detach.  Not bad, considering I got all my feelings sometime in high school back in my teens.  I got a quick clean and a treatment with fluoride that I didn't ask for, but they were happy to charge me an extra $30.  This was then followed by having lunch with Boy at Bill Miller and then off to work.  I tell you, no time to sit and miss Wife and Chubs.

7/26/16 Just Needed To Get Busy?

    Well, no more moping around the house.  Mondays suck for everybody, mostly because we go back to work.  I was up late messing with the clothes, but everything got put away, the beds all have clean sheets, and I even managed to clean the kitchen and vacuum today.  Wife and I did discuss getting some maid service, but I think I can stay on top of things.  The only snag I see is Boy and my brother.  They both suck at cleaning their respective bathrooms.  It will be a cold day in hell before I start cleaning after my brother, and Boy is getting real close to tasting Croc with his butt.  With Wife gone, both lazy asses are going to have to act like actual human beings.  My brother actually wanted to argue with me about cleaning the restroom.  How can someone have such big balls as to say, "yeah, I use the restroom, but occasionally you might too, so I don't want to clean it."  I was complaining with my workout partner today and he suggested that if I was going to do it, charge both of them $50 to clean for them.  I might just go ahead and do that, make it part of my Seadoo fund.
    I got up around 3:00pm and the house was quiet, Boy was at campus doing his summer research job, my brother works nights, but instead of coming home and sleeping, he stays up until about 2:00pm, then goes to sleep.  I ate cereal, watched some porn and stuff, then I remembered I told myself I was going to vacuum, so I did.  My next big cleaning task will be to clean out the pantry.  I want it to be really usable.  I don't understand why we keep the 12-packs of soda up on the half wall in view of everything, same with the coffee, the bread, and assorted other things.  I want my kitchen magazine beautiful, and it will get there, even if I have to choke out my two numbskulls.
    I noticed from vacuuming that our carpet is past its prime.  It has huge spots of soda or coffee all over the place.  Sounds weird, but we have now been in the house almost nine years, so the carpet is that old.  As soon as we start saving a little of Wife's new salary, I told her I am going to start replacing floors, one room at a time, she agreed it is time.
    Before I knew it, I was running late to meet my coworker at the gym, and once onsite at work, it is just one thing after another until the weekend.  I worked until after 11:00pm, then I went to lunch.  Boy was having a get together so I am sure I get to clean up after him tomorrow when I get up.  I can complain all I want, but I didn't really have time to sit back and miss Wife or Chubs, I was just too busy.

7/25/16 The Silence Is Deafening?

    We're here, Wife actually is gone with my Chubs.  There was some crying Saturday night, but the wheels are rolling and all we can do is go for a ride.  I know we will get used to our new normal in a matter of weeks, but them leaving today was a little tear inducing.
    First of all, my folks were here, and I got up around noon to help them load their car and send them off.  They wanted to leave ahead of Wife to get a chance to do some last minute cleaning.  It was good, as it gave us a chance to have lunch just the four of us.  Boy happened to come home early from work, so I showered and let Chubs choose a lunch place.  He chose Zaxby's, which I still say is one of our new favorites.  While we ate, he managed to get me to buy him one more video game for the road.  We know there is a Game Stop over by Mod Pizza in Kyle, so we headed there.  We putzed around there for a minute, but it was full of gaming junkies, so Chubs got his game and we had to head out.  It really is hard to say goodbye to the ones you love.  We were all a little choked up and quiet, and just like that we jumped into separate cars.  It didn't help that it was over 100 degrees and there was no shade in that parking lot.  Boy and I headed back to Austin and they were on their way down south.
    I did what I could to make her as comfortable as possible.  She has a couple new pillows, new sheets for the bed they'll be using, a new fan, a new laptop for work and printer, so she doesn't have to rely on Mom's set up, if she even has one.  Boy took her car on Thursday for an oil change, and they had washed the car on Thursday as well.  She has a couple new outfits to look nice for her new job, and she is carrying the support of virtually everybody she knows professionally.
    I was going to tear the house upside down and start cleaning like I always have said I could.  Instead, I laid down and slept about three hours.  I finally woke to a text she had arrived safely, around 7:00pm.  She started harassing me to make sure and feed Boy, and other stuff.  I had to tell her to stop it.  She agreed.  They went for a drive, stopping at the Dairy Queen, which is one of a handful of choices they got now.
    I was going to start cleaning our room, but got distracted dealing with the clothes over by the washer and dryer.  Since I was going to wash, I stripped the guest bed, and Chub's bed and ours.  I am writing this at 4:20am and I am still waiting on the last load in the dryer.  But it gave me something to do, I also cleaned the kitchen, which needed tidying up after my parents visited, they love sitting there drinking coffee, tearing at bread and making crumbs.  It was no big deal, I just had a handful of cups to wash, and to wipe down the counters.  I think I can keep up with the house, I'll vacuum tomorrow downstairs, and then maybe again on Friday, before Wife gets here. 
    I asked Boy while driving back to Austin what he thought of Mama going and working out of town.  He thought it sucked, he doesn't like that we are going to be apart, but he also said Bastrop sucked for not giving her an opportunity to climb up.  He understands that it has been ten years she has been trying to get promoted, and this is like the first chance that came around.  He is just hopeful that it won't take too long for her to get back, maybe after 1 year.  We were also fine, as we ended up eating at Sonic around 10:00pm.  I know it was late, but I knew I was going to be up until about 5:00am.  He also said he didn't have to go to bed early, he was expected on campus around 11:00am. 

7/24/16 Final Dinner Before The Storm, Estancia Churrascaria?

    Saturday was technically the last day We hung out as Austinites for awhile.  Sunday starts a new challenge for us, as Wife will finally head on down to her new job.  We spent the day doing our favorite thing, shopping, and then we ate at our favorite fancy dinner.  I am a little nervous not knowing what new things are around the bend, but even if Wife was still working in town, nothing is guaranteed.
    With my folks here, it wasn't a straight shot to the mall, we started by stopping at the UPS store so my mom could send some things back.  We also stopped at World Market, my Mom loves that place, so she could get some coffees and wines.  My brother was with us and he requested we drop him off at any bookstore, which I did at the Barnes and Noble Bookstore.
    Once we got to the mall, we split off from my Mom and she went off to do her own thing, while we did some last minute shopping for things to make Wife's life a little better.  First of all, she has a bad habit of carrying her pillows wherever we go.  Since I don't want her doing that week in and week out, I told her to just get a couple new pillows and leave them down there.  This will save on her carrying stuff back and forth.  She has already bought a new make up set for over there, which will save her from carrying all her make up stuff back and forth.  Since she was going to need new pillowcases, I got smart and bought a set of sheets for the bed Chubs is going to be using.  It is a full mattress, and the set came with two pillow cases, and luckily, they had more in the same pattern, so we bought two more, so the four new pillows they bought each has a new case to go with it.  We didn't necessarily need a new quilt, but they were having a sale and we bought one for our bed.  We have been using our winter comforter and that thing is just plain hot.  Both of us end up shoving it between us and creating a wall that separates us.  We had a large quilt we used, but we set it up on the guest bed, and we just never claimed it back for us.  Quilts are not as warm as comforters, I presume, at least the ones we have used in the past have seemed to work out that way.  While at the mall, we also got a handful of clothes for Chubs, he will have a dress code down there.  At least he will be allowed to wear shorts, so he can be comfortable from the heat.
    Before long, it was approaching 7:00pm and we figured we needed to get going, if we were going to go to our restaurant.  We had to run back for my brother at the bookstore, then we ran home to pick up Boy, who had been working and offer my Dad a last chance to join us.  He is weird sometimes, just doesn't like leaving the house.  We left him behind and we were on our way by 8:00pm or so.
    That restaurant is just the best.  We did a quick run around the salad bar, it is a really good salad bar, but it can't compare to the meats.  Before long, we were in meat heaven, they just quietly keep coming around with more and more meat until you retreat or you flip your little card over to red.  My Mom got a full plate of salad from the bar, but probably ate 1/4 of what was on there.  The meat is too much, not to mention the basket of little breads, the banana things to wash down the taste of meat, and the polenta.  I ordered an alcoholic drink that was almost too strong, but I kept sucking on it because it had tiny bits of pineapple and strawberries and oranges which tasted fresh.  It is not a cheap place to eat, for the six of us and they counted Chubs as an adult, it was over $400, but it is something we enjoy once or twice a year.  We had promised Chubs we would go when school ended, and I delivered. 
    I am going to miss my little ham, but he still has a few weeks of summer in him, he should have fun playing with his cousins and hopefully getting a little wet outside.  Wife wants to be sad, but we both know it is a new challenge for her and she will meet it head on.

7/23/16 Busy Friday Afternoon?

    This happens to be the final weekend before Wife heads to her new job.  My folks came up to celebrate my brother's birthday, which was Friday.  They showed up around 3:00pm, which was perfect, as I got up at 2:00pm and was able to shower and dress before they arrived.  It was so hot when they arrived that I didn't want to leave the house, and luckily Mom didn't want to leave without my brother since it was his day.  She got him up and we hung out another hour or so while he got ready, then we went out to go and eat.
    My brother chose Mandola's, and since we have plans of a meat coma tomorrow, it seemed perfect.  Before we got to order there was probably a 20 to 30 min wait in line.  It was very odd that as soon as we got to the counter a kid tells us that we have a choice, we can either sit outside in the patio, or we can hold up the line for 10 to 20 minutes while people get up and leave.  I got pissed and responded back to the kid "are you fucking high?"  Wife quickly told me to stop cussing, but it was 5:00pm and about 103 outside.  What really pissed me off is that right before we ordered there was a big table for six people that was taken by a couple with a baby.  I told the waitress it was stupid to sit that fucking couple on that table when she could have sat us there, not that it mattered.  There was a small table available, of course you don't tell Mr. and Mrs. Whitey to move, you suggest to the Mexicans to sit outside.  At this point, the pretty naïve blonde girl behind the counter asked for our order, I said no, we are not going to order and then hope a table opens up while we wait.  We can hold up the whole line, I don't give a rat's ass.  At this point, the waitress said she would get a table and set it up for us.  I said ok, but waited until I actually saw a table before telling Wife to go ahead and order.  We got a folding picnic table set up on the floor and it looked pretty shitty, but they threw a black cloth over it which I guess made it ok.
    The food was great, after all that BS.  Wife ordered a shrimp scampi with fettuccine noodles that was just so awesome.  The bread we get before the meal is usually stale, but fresh it is so much better.  Anyways, my dad wanted to go home, as usual, after the meal, so we ran back to the house.  By this time, it was about 8:30pm.  We headed to Central Market to get a birthday cake, and along with that we got some other pastries and sweets.  Along with Central Market, we also went into the store next door.  I always enjoy this store, and I wish I could buy more stuff there, but I am not outdoorsy enough. 
    We finally made it home around 10:30, and sang happy birthday to my brother, and drank some coffee.  I spent some time showing Wife some YouTube videos with the Seadoo Spark, which has become my latest obsession.  I want a pair of Seadoo's, to go fishing with my dad, or to just run around with Wife and the boys.  Boy tells me it is a stupid use of our money, I just tell him to shut it, I know he would want to borrow them with his friends.  First I have to wait and make sure Wife gets a better newer ride, then I can be a little selfish.

7/22/16 What Will I Do Whilst I Live Alone? (Poem)

What will I do, while I live alone

will I seize the day and make it my own

or will I cower in fear and forget that I'm grown?

I might conquer a fear and in silence write a great book

or shake in my boots and realize my whole life Wife took.

I shan't be dramatic, for it has never been my style

productivity be my mistress I shall create new things while I smile.

But who will cook my breakfast, lunch, and dinner?

goddammit you whiny Beaner, this is your chance to finally get thinner!

A lady we talked to said it would be great

every weekend will be like you and the wife are going on a date.

They do say "absence makes the heart grow fonder"

We must focus on the opportunity that Wife must not squander.

She is now a Director with bigger responsibilities to boot

maybe I can help her relax by massaging her foot.

I don't know what to say but she starts in four days

just like that, our life is in its next phase.

I do have plans to go daily to the gym

if anything when Wife comes back, I will be trim.

I'm buying me a table saw for projects galore

changing out the floors is something I have in store.

Of course, all this is because Wife will make more money

House projects she is for, but I better not go out and get funny.

I really want a new boat but that qualifies as comedy for my boys

they insist I should know better than to spend our hard earned money on overpriced toys.

But if I must live alone, I refuse to get the shaft

I promise myself a shiny new personal watercraft.

7/21/16 The Big Short? (Netflix Movie)

    I just finished seeing The Big Short, and it was a great movie.  It is probably the best role I have seen Steve Carrell perform.  It focuses around the big Wall Street meltdown of 2007-2008.  A few really smart people figured out what was going on and profited very well after jumping through some big hurdles.  The story is told much like Deadpool where the characters break the fourth wall and talk to the audience.  I personally like this type of movie.  It also reminded me of Wolf of Wall Street, and even had a cameo from Margot Robbie, the hot chick that marries Leo DiCaprio.
    The movie starts out low key, kind of explaining how banking became more interesting, when they let them become more creative with what they did to bank loans, such as packaging them.  It then moves forward a few years and we are introduced to Michael Burry who is the genius that breaks down the numbers and notices that not everything labeled AAA is worthy of having the AAA label.  He then figures it is just a matter of time and starts shorting all over Wall Street, to the tune of $1.3billion dollars.  The aggressive group led by Steve Carrell stumbles into the game because someone dialed a wrong number.  They follow up and end up profiting serious money.  The third group to profit is two guys starting a business from their garage and they accidentally stumble on one of the reports done by the first guy, Burry, and they then go all in with the $30 million they have to invest.
    There is a weird point in early 2007 when the market has all the signs it should be collapsing, but nobody is letting it happen.  Curiously, this is when we bought our house, in May 2007.  We were approved in 20 minutes for a $340,000 loan on a Sunday afternoon, with only a $500.  At closing we even managed to get our $500 back.  I don't know that we would have been able to get into such a big house if the rules weren't so lax.  The market held on for another year, but we felt it in 2008, that's when we discovered what a furlough was.  A furlough is when you work just enough to collect unemployment and still remain employed, it was all a tricky math, but it only lasted 3-4 months.  I remember being told things would change and we would never have OT again and by the end of the year, I was back to normal working too much and never being home.
    Anyways, back in the movie, the team led by Carrell head down to Florida and visit new communities and they see the reality.  They discover people have been buying houses under their dogs names, strippers with multiple homes, the poor getting cheated.  They follow this up with a trip to Vegas to a convention and discover just how inept and incompetent the experts really are.
    In the end, there is a collapse, but the US government quickly steps in and rescues the banks.  Although everyone who went along for the ride and shorted the housing market made out like bandits and got rich, they still were left with a dirty taste in their mouths knowing the US economy almost collapsed.  It was so fast paced, I almost want to watch it again, but it is a 2 hour plus movie.

7/20/16 A Weed Named Rose? (Parable)

    This here is a tale of Billy Joe a Rose, and pride.  Billy Joe thought himself a smart man, thought he could change things if he applied himself as he was capable of doing.  One mellow afternoon about five years ago he decided to venture on a fool's errand.  After watching Rudy one too many times perhaps, and thinking he could change the world, he gathered his tools and went to planting and growing the most beautiful rose in all the land.  He would be proud of his rose, after all, he had grown other things and likened himself to a man with a green thumb.  He was familiar with this type of plant they grew all around him, he insisted this one to be different.  Scholars, thieves and lawyers all told him otherwise, they said you are trying to grow a weed in an expensive vase, it is a waste of time.  There is no point to putting so much energy into such an ordinary plant, look they grow by the side of the road, he paid them no mind.  He had gathered the best soil, and the purest water, only the most pristine minerals and only the best display case would do.
    But every season it seemed like the same thing, what looked promising in the beginning, always turned to one excuse or another.  He laid the blame upon himself and swore he would make the necessary changes, whatever it took, he would be right.  Another season would pass, this year it was the water, too much.  He got an idea, I will put my flower to compete in a smaller fair, less pressure, maybe she will finally bloom like I know she can.  Nope, even at the amateur level, when the sun shone the brightest on her green leaves, they would wilt, and she would shrivel.
    There was nothing more for Billy Joe to do, but label himself a failure.  He gathered what he saw now but the weeds that he had been trying to make flourish and flung them to the back part of his lawn.  He figured he would finish them off with the lawn mower next time.  A strange thing happened though, the weed gradually became stronger, now with room to roam and stretch, its vines took off and we could see that this was never going to be a flower to grow and take pride in.  This was a weed that would produce its own beauty, maybe not in the sense of taking center stage on the dining room table on Easter Sunday, but the kind of beauty that is admired from afar.
    It pained Billy Joe, but he learned a lesson too, just because there is beauty in something wild, does not mean it is meant for you to claim as your domain and try to control it.  Know your plants well, some are weeds that will grow fast and wild and decorate a meadow, while others are truly artisanal and require the upkeep of an expert and someone who will one day present them for all to be displayed as a center of attention.

7/19/16 Possibility Of Having A Full House, Post Wife Moving?

    Boy mentioned yesterday that his male roommate might be getting a job with Google here in the next few weeks, and since the job is here in town, if I would mind if they stayed with us.  This would mean he would be coming back and he would be bringing me two more roommates.  Although my initial gut feeling is no, I don't want anyone in the house, I can't think of a good reason to say no.  Wife says this way the house is not empty at night, they would be there at night.  I was ready to agree, but then their pets were brought up.  I have no love for pets, they stink up a house and if I have been dragging my feet for my own son, I am going to drag them even more for Boy's friends.  So there it is, y'all can stay with us, but no pets I told them.  Chubs mutters in with if you pay more, you can bring one in, I turn to him and tell him to shut up.  He runs out of the room.  Boy's friends love their dog, I offer to take it for a run by attaching his leash to my bumper, a la National Lampoon's Vacation, but they did not find it funny.  The girl asked "what is the matter with you?  I said "hey, I am trying to help, y'all need a place to stay."  I had already figured they weren't staying with us, pet people need pets around.
    For now, it looks like it'll just be me and my brother during the week, Boy needs to find an apartment, but they are waiting until the last minute because he likes to make things as stressful as possible.  Instead of finding something right now, nah, they'll wait until the week before school is fixing to start and then wonder why nothing is available.  I really want the extra room in our house, and I would like to move the pool table into that room.  Wife suggested the middle bedroom upstairs, it would look cool if it was open and the upstairs became more inviting that way with a third living area.  I would like to make the current spot where we have the pool table and official living room or maybe a library, and go all the way around with books.  I love books, even when everybody has moved to e-readers.
    The bed in that room is already slated to go with Wife, she has a room my mom is cleaning for her, she just needs to take a bed, since I will be going down on supposedly alternating weekends, I might as well have a good place to sleep.  If I play my cards right, this is when I can buy the king size bed made out of twin mattresses.  We already have the motor things that go up and down, if she takes our king mattress, I can replace it with twin mattresses and nobody will be the wiser.

We have this:



I want this:

7/18/16 Getting Ready To Kick Wife To The Curb?

    Wife has one more week to hang out and relax.  Next Monday she begins a new job in a new land.  I will give her the proverbial boot to the ass and send her flying three hours in a south westerly direction.  It has been a weird summer to be sure.  We had our vacation to Florida, then we have been in a holding pattern, the superintendent loved her, but they had chosen a different person, then TEA convened and said no to their first selection.  Wife ended up getting called while we were in Florida, and offered the position.  My family was more interested in shaking their conservative cold finger at me saying I would be taking the opportunity to act like a bachelor, but eventually (I think) each congratulated her in their own way.
    Today, the feeling of leaving is in the air.  The superintendent told her to show up next Monday to start getting organized.  Chubs will be going with her, he hasn't really visited with either set of grandparents, and he should go hang out.  We went out today and she got a new laptop, along with a printer, and stuff you would need to work from home.  She is not sure what will be called on her, but at least she should be prepared.  The boys took advantage of the Best Buy charge and both threw in whatever latest video game they need.  I simply got a new HDMI cord, which I am sure Boy stole one of mine.  I have a Y splitter in the living room and had both the cable box and the Blue Ray DVD connected to it.  Last time we went to watch movies, one of my wires was gone, and although Boy was the last one to mess with those wires, he insists he knows nothing.
    After Best Buy, we ran down to Mod Pizza, we can't get enough, it is so good.  After eating, I forced Wife into the Mattress Firm store next to the pizza place, over in Kyle, across the street from the HEB.  My thinking is that although it might be as quick as a year, she could be stuck down there for two or three years.  I say she might as well be comfortable, and get a good mattress.  My folks are providing two rooms, one for her and one for Chubs.  Chub's room already has an older full size bed, but Wife needs a bed for the room she will be occupying.  I had thought of just taking one of our older beds, we do have four king size beds, and letting her use that, but we stopped sleeping on them for a reason.  Plus, if we are to believe good advertising, those mattresses weigh twice as much from dead skin and dander.  Commercials blow a lot of hot air up our asses!!!
    Wife did not want to spend another thousand just yet, so we are holding up on the decision.  I think this will be exciting and different and sad and a challenge.  I look forward to it.  We talked to a realtor who said she was separated like that with her husband, he had a good job in Dallas, she was here in Austin and every weekend was like a honeymoon.  When you only see each other for a couple days a week, there isn't time for nitpicking at bullshit.  My in-laws did it too before completely moving to San Antonio, and even my folks were similar since my dad was a truck driver and was gone most of the week.
    If any Grima Wormtongues start whispering in Wife's ear to cause trouble they will be kicked squarely in the ass.  You know who I am talking to, yes you.

7/17/16 To The Winner, Go The Spoils?

    With Wife getting her new job, I feel like some spending is in order.  Today we took a drive, and I saw some things I might want.  We basically drove down the frontage of I-35 one direction and then came back on the other.  Our first stop was at a place I thought sold granite countertops.  They only sold tile, but the guy I talked to said they were going to start carrying granite in a couple of weeks.  I still managed to like some of their tile, specifically the new tile that looks like a wood pattern.  I like this for the kitchen, that way we don't have to worry if it gets wet, it won't get damaged.  When we would hot tub, we did get the floor wet, and then there's always water from the faucet, or a spilled glass.
    The next stop was at Palm Harbor Homes, to look at some mobile homes.  I have been tossing around the idea of trading in our RV for a mobile home, to set up on our land by Canyon Lake.  They had different units in the $50s, $60s, and $70s.  The unit in the $50,000 range had 2 bedrooms, and 2 baths along with a kitchen, dining area and living room.  The unit in the $60,000 range had a third bedroom.  I really liked the other unit in the $70,000 range, because it had a fourth bedroom and a separate living area, that the kids could use as a game room.  I would be content with the idea of a 2 bedroom unit, but Wife reminded me the land is only half ours, and maybe with my brother in law, we could buy a bigger unit.
    I remembered there was a store that sells motorcycles, mopeds, and even personal watercraft.  I would love to own two of those jetskis.  They carry Yamaha products, and the guy said they ranged from $9500 to $13500, depending on what accessories and stuff.  This sounds a little pricey, but it got me thinking.  I asked if they took trades and he said yes, but boats are usually handled by their store in San Antonio.  In my head, I see them giving me about $5000 for my boat, then  I can raise the other half from now until next spring.  I would love to own 1 then 2 jetskis, they would be shorter than a boat, so they would fit in the garage  I don't know if my dad would still be spry enough to ride one, but I gotta imagine they would be great to go fishing in, since they can get into that skinny water.
    While we were there, I wasn't taking Wife too seriously, but she got all excited in her head to get a scooter for Boy to get around campus.  I did not think he would be cool with it, and so as soon as I asked him, he said no.
    After all this daydreaming, we went to one of Wife's stores and she bought some new blouses for her new job.  She was showing me a couple days ago that she had like thirteen other shirts she had not worn for work, but were in her closet and new.  While she shopped there, I ran over to Home Depot, my mom had said she would benefit from a fan, so I got her a new one.  I also got her some new outlet cords as my mom's house is short of outlets and since it has bothered me the last couple times, some new water aerators for the sink in the bathroom.  It was jammed with something and the water just sprays out wildly.  It would be nice to fix this, since she will be using it regularly.
    We ended the night at Longhorn Steakhouse.  We were going to BBQ, but it was so hot all day long, by the time it was eating time, we figured this would be nicer.  It was.

7/16/16 House Shopping To The West?

    We did not have much to do Friday afternoon, so we went house shopping.  After getting a taste last week after we went to Salt Lick, I wanted to see what else is out there for us.  What we found is that we would have to travel quite a bit.  During the week, I found a "Sweetwater" community and I really liked one their model homes, not knowing it was priced over $1,000,000.  The website said the houses were from the $500,000.  Although that used to sound like a huge amount of money, lately it sounds doable.  First of all, our house is being appraised by the city at $430,000.  If we got lucky and sold for a $150,000 profit, rolling that back into a new house means we would only be financing $350,000, very similar to our current house.
    I really did like that the expensive house was in a gated community within the community.  I have seen this before in other master planned communities where there might be a primary gate to get through, then a secondary gate for a street or section, usually for the higher end customers.  River Oaks and Drees were the higher end neighbors.  We saw a different builder, outside of the gated community, but ultimately, the whole community is on Hwy71 past the turn to Lakeway on 620.  I could not imagine driving more than an hour coming and going.
    So we left that location and saw another on Hamilton Pool road.  It was a long drive though on that road before the houses popped up, but they are on their final phase and if we do move, it wouldn't be until Wife gets a job back here in a couple years.
    Of course, the reason I am even considering the move is because in my head, the whole greenbelt behind our house is flooded with homeless people.  This may or may not be true, but I have a feeling that is what will be the case in a few years. 
    After looking at a handful of houses, maybe I should slow down and reconsider and appreciate what we got.  I have liked the idea of changing all the carpeting to wood, converting one of the bedrooms into a game room, like the model home was set up in this community, and doing a couple other fixes.  I would love to change the rails and balusters to iron and oak, like the nicer homes have.  Maybe a newer fence with some electric fencing on top would be enough to make me feel safe enough here, along with some big new lights aimed at the greenbelt.  I do love the convenience of where we live right now.

7/15/16 Quietly Waiting?

    Wife has been waiting to sign her new contract very patiently.  She agreed to take the job while we were in Florida a couple weeks ago, but then we got back and the superintendent said they were going to be shut down for the 4th of July week.  This actually sounds good, because next year when she is employed there, we can plan our vacation for the week of 4th of July.
    Wife is now gone for the second week in a row where she leaves on an overnight trip and I stay behind because I am working.  Last week she took her folks down to visit the Basilica of our Lady of San Juan Del Valle, a catholic church my folks have visited over the years.  It's the type of church people make promises to visit in times of need.  I remember my folks making a promise to go when a dog we had was bitten by a snake, in turn the dog then kind of nibbled on my brother before we knew what was going on with the dog.  My parents were afraid it was rabies and they feared my brother would have needed the then painful treatment of like 20 shots to prevent the rabies from forming in my brother, or something like that, we were young.
    This week she left Wednesday night to go hang out at her parents, then she is leaving early in the morning to La Pryor to sign her contract and since she is not yet starting, coming back to San Antonio.  If I end up working a full night, Chubs and her will spend another night, if I just work a four hour shift, then they will come back Thursday evening.
    I want to be a rock, but it is going to be a change.  Last week, I just picked up Whataburger for dinner, letting Boy fend for himself, as he had friends over.  Tonight, he was alone, so I invited him to eat, first at TGIF, but he said nah.  We ended up getting Whataburger again, which is fine with me, but I gotta get into some variety or fall into some new habits.  I keep hearing they are moving the gym to my building, and that would be perfect.  Once Boy is back in his apartment in San Marcos, and Wife and Chubs are living in Crystal City during the week, I would like to just workout every night, hopefully lose some weight and stay onsite instead of running around.
    The other interesting tidbit is Wife took Boy's new ride.  It is going to be a little give and take for awhile.  We got Boy basically a new vehicle (2015 Ford Edge with ~10,000 miles), but he sits in San Marcos all week and rides the bus to school.  Meanwhile, Wife is driving an 11 year old vehicle three hours away with Chubs.  She is the one who needs the new vehicle now.  My plan is to save up quickly and buy another small SUV maybe a year old, with low miles for her, unless Boy wants it.  At least we have a new vehicle she can use right now.  If she needed, she could take my truck too, but she keeps saying she doesn't want to drive anything too big.

7/14/16 The Fundamentals Of Caring? (Movie- Netflix)

    I saw this movie the other night, knowing it was going to be one of those tear jerker independent types.  I prefer watching these at work because I will weep like a little girl and I honestly don't like Wife looking at me like something is wrong, freaking unfeeling robot that she is.
    Paul Rudd plays a caregiver who has just gotten certified and it is obvious right away something is wrong with him.  He is detached from life, his wife wants a divorce and has wanted one for some time, but he cannot bring himself to do it.  After completing his certifications to be a caregiver, he is placed with an older teen, maybe kid approaching 20-ish with muscular dystrophy.  The kid is a bit odd in his sense of humor, but the two of them click.
    Trevor, the boy has been living life in a very structured way, eating the same things every day for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, watches the same shows every day, and goes to the park the same day for the same amount of time once a week.  Rudd's character, Ben, eventually challenges him to break the mold and venture out on an adventure.  The mom is a nervous wreck, but she will be going on a weeklong training seminar for work, and that is when Ben tell Trevor it is the perfect time to go.  Trevor has been obsessed with tracking where the hot chick from TV goes and reports, so Ben suggests they actually go and see these sites live.  Along the way they pick up Dot, played by Selena Gomez, who I had not seen act before and she was quite likable as the runaway misguided teen.  They also pick up a pregnant lady headed to her mom who's car breaks down.  Trevor wants to give her a ride, if only to extend the time in the car with Dot, who he has a crush on.
    The story is simple and quick, the road trip is the best part.  We learn Ben's past he is having trouble with is he accidentally caused the death of his kid.  He may or may not have put the car in gear and while getting the groceries out from the back, the car rolls back and we are to understand the kid gets crushed and Ben just gets to run towards him, and not do much about it.  It is an accident or a manufacturer defect, but Ben has blamed himself, and only through the journey and opening up with Trevor does he finally forgive himself.  The end finds Ben writing again, he was a writer, and he finally signs the paperwork for his ex-wife so they can move on.
    I personally like little movies like this, even when I know I am going to cry a little bit.  I feel like they teach something about being human.  We need each other, even when we think we have this hard outer coating, it is good to remember we are human and we are better for it by celebrating life together.

7/13/16 Transients Are Going To Ruin Southpark Meadows?

    I think there are too many hobos/transients operating the streets.  Sunday night, I got the urge to go to Walmart late for some nighttime snacks, it's summer, the kids and Wife are up.  Driving through the parking lot, there is one group after another in the grassy areas of people who look to be living there.  I have gotten used to the panhandling, it must be good, otherwise they would move along.  Thank you to the idiots that give them money, by the way.  Most of these guys out there are in their 30's, they could be working, but somehow figured this is a better use of their time.
    A couple years ago I felt like the house we are in was our last house, now I am thinking we need to move further west.  I don't want to sound like a dick, but I know they are living in the greenbelt behind our house.  Last night, we were in the living room at almost 2:00am watching Orange Is The New Black with Wife, and all of a sudden we heard a loud thud.  We hear it during the day, and always assume it is birds smacking into the windows.  I don't believe birds fly much at night, and bats are too sophisticated to hit a wall, we do have bats.  I was then thinking maybe a very large cricket, but what if it was a hobo testing to see if we would react?  We quickly turned on the lights in the backyard, I wasn't about to open the door, why give them a path inside, if they are armed with a knife?  I then went upstairs andstared out into the greenbelt but we couldn't really see anything.  It shook us, though.  Later, in bed, Wife remembered we have cameras outside, in the back it points from the corner of the patio past the door and keeps an eye to the windows in the back.  Luckily, we did not notice any figures, we could see in the video where we turn on the lights, so we were in the right time frame.
    We had eaten at Salt Lick Saturday and on the way home, we stopped and looked at some houses out there.  We were surprised they weren't more expensive.  Since the valuation of our house keeps increasing yearly, at this point, the city values our house over $400,000, we could make a tidy profit to help us buy a house out there and bring the mortgage to around what we are paying right now.  I don't want to be mean but hobos are not going to be trying to get into a gated community 15-20 miles out of town, it's just not convenient.  That could be our newest plan, after Wife does her duty down south, when she comes back, we celebrate by moving to a nicer neighborhood.  It's gonna be that or I'm going to start booby trapping the backyard with fishing wire and maybe even barb wire along the top of my fence.

7/12/16 Big Lou's Pizza Was Big?

    We went to Big Lou's this weekend, and I was not impressed, at all.  There was an hour long wait just to order our pizza.  After we ordered, there was another hour long plus wait.  It is the middle of summer, so we were waiting in about 100 degree weather outside.  The entrance has a metal roof and there are tons of fans inches from the roof which blow hot air.  It was seriously cooler between the fans where the air did not hit you.  It was crazy hot and the amount of people waiting made it even crazier. 
    We went with our old friend's, Girlie's mom and husband.  They took a truckload of people in their vehicle and then we took our old neighbor, and her daughter with us.  We got a chance to get caught up, we hadn't talked since the last time we ran into each other in Corpus Christi.  It was nice, we go weeks or months without talking, yet we can always pick right up and it feels smooth as if we were talking the night before.
    Big Lou's Pizza is next to Big Lou's Burger and they also sell a giant burger, but today we were hunting for pizza.  The pure size of the pizza is pretty impressive.  I think we got the 42 inch pizza and they go to 62 inch and then 82 inch, but that one requires advanced notice.  As big and picture worthy the size, the quality of the pizza wasn't really there.  It would take a special oven to handle that type of pizza, the edges were almost crispy while the middle was kind of warm and cooked, but nowhere near crispy.  They do give you a long silver platter to put the slices on, a round plate would not work.  By the time we were done, there were maybe 6 slices of pizza left and I wanted nothing to do with them.
    While we sat at the bar waiting, I was scared of being told to move, so I ordered a beer.  It was probably the first beer I ever ordered at a bar, honestly, I wasn't sure if after he served it, he was going to say $1, $10, or $30.  The bar is a weird place.  It happened to be happy hour, Wife noticed.  My beer was a very cheap $2.53 cents.  I then saw a lady order a huge drink in those novelty giant martini glasses and that drink was $32.  Who determines the prices at a bar?  We managed to sit there in the corner, me nursing that beer until they sat us down.  We went from one warm part of the restaurant to another.  As soon as I ate my third and final slice I told Wife, I am going to go outside and cool off in the sun.  There was a breeze in the shade, away from their fans where it was ok to stand, but I did tell Wife, never again.  Well, maybe in the fall when the temperature drops into the 70s.

7/11/16 Independence Day 2 Was Entertaining?

    Independence Day 2 was a pretty good summer movie.  If you liked the first one, this was what the second part would have looked like.  I would have liked to have seen Will Smith, he had such a great run of summer blockbusters.  Most all the old heroes were back.  Jeff Goldblum, his dad, the old president Bill Pullman, and the kids from the first one are pretty much the heroes this time around. 
    This movie picks up 20 years after the first one, the world beat the aliens in 1996, and we took as much technology as we could from them.  We have laser weapons, and our planes and ships all fly with their technology.  All is going well, until a "mother ship" hears the distress signal far off in space and comes around to finish the job.  The goal of the aliens is to steal the molten core of a planet to use in their weapons development and to destroy enemy planets.  Right before the enemy shows up, an enemy of theirs is looking for other helpful alien forms who could help them conquer the aliens.  Since it shows up looking like an alien, we blow it up post haste.  the alien survives in a bubble and eventually communicates with some of the earthlings.
    This attack is different than the first one where they first tested the humans before bringing down ships that were a couple miles in size.  This time around it is one large mother ship, over 3000 miles in diameter.  They try the same initial things, going at it with some thermonuclear devices, which they expect and counter pretty easily.  They then come up with a plan to draw the mother alien out, so they can attack her.  All the kids from the first one are first rate pilots, which is a little cheesy to me, but it keeps them involved.
    Data from the Star Trek movies has been in a coma for the 20 years after being taken over by the alien in the first movie.  Most of the aliens caught have also been mostly comatose.  Everything changes when the new mother ship approaches.  Somehow, the aliens are connected and they are hooting and hollering in their prisons because "mama" is coming to save them.  All the people that had contact in the first movie with the aliens, have dreams or visions and they too react weirdly when the mother alien gets rowdy.  Upon waking up from his 20 year coma, Data goes right back to the lab, and starts contributing to figuring out how to save the world.
    They use the other alien as a decoy to draw the mother alien out, and she comes at it with a vengeance.  Sacrifices are made, we cry, humans probably win, I don't want to give it all away.  There is an interesting new development, not sure if they are going to run with it, but the other alien mentions they have a secret planet where they have been training and gathering materials to attack the bad aliens, apparently, they have been destroying planets for a long time.  It seems like a handful of humans are going to go with the alien to get in on some training and then attack the aliens out in space.  Boy mentioned he read they were making a trilogy out of it, I don't know if that means from the first one in 1996 or the next movie starts a trilogy, but it could be a fun ride if they go with it.

7/10/16 Hiding From The Water?

    I have always loved summertime.  Girls run around in bikinis, more than half naked, just to get wet, what's not to like?  In the spring it seemed great, specially with the constant rains, hearing the lakes were filling back up to even over 100% full.  What could go wrong, this would be the best summer.  Then we heard about flesh eating bacteria on the coast.  By the third report of someone getting infected, we have heard enough.  My in-laws keep asking "when are you coming to Rockport?"  We just act like we're still busy with this and that.  I am a little afraid. 
    If that is not bad enough, Schlitterbahn has now had some reports of an outbreak of some staph infections, although I just went on their Facebook page and they are saying that was made up, there have been no reports to the area hospitals, so I am not sure.  On the other hand, our friends said they went 4th of July, and it was so packed all they could do was enjoy the wave pool, so even if we wanted to pay the $150 a head for the season tickets, I'm not sure we would have a Master Blaster good time.
    Here's a weird one, thinking about going to the area lakes, most of the lakes along the Colorado River are closed this summer due to too much rain.  The lakes have been flooded for awhile now and they are slowly bringing down those water levels by opening the dams to let water run downstream.  Opening the dams is causing rushing waters, so that is another safety concern for swimmers, and because the water is so much higher than normal, visibility through the water is still hard as the water remains murky.
    We are down to the pool in our backyard, which is ok.  We have about outgrown it, but if it is just us, we are fine.  Our friends were here last night and I sat outside for a minute, almost decided to jump in when the kids came all excited outside that they were going to jump in the water.  I don't want to be creepy and be in the water with a bunch of tweeners, so I backed off, then after they spent twenty minutes getting dressed, they backed off from the idea, it was too dark outside for them.  I should take the time to clean the hot tub, that is really my first love, when it comes to sitting in water.  It is not really dirty, just dirt and dust settle on the bottom because it is always open to the elements.
    Anyhow, we are almost halfway through the summer, and at this point I would take a river if it isn't contaminated.  Girlie was talking to Wife about a watering hole in Kyle that is open until 9pm.  That sounds like the kind of place that could be fun, but we shall see.
    Wife will remind me we have tickets to Aquatica, but I hate getting soaked wet, then walking around with thousands of peeps to watch shows.  What are you, Sea world or a water park?  They need to decide what they are.

7/9/16 Orange Is The New Black, 4th Season Rocked? (Netflix show)

    I just finished binge watching OITNB this week, and it was such an awesome season.  I laughed, I cried, I felt their hope, and felt their loss.  Even now, a day later I am tearing up at the thought of the last episode.  I won't give anything away, but as many new faces that joined the cast, some good characters were lost.
    The season picked up where the last one ended.  The girls are swimming in the lake, Vauss (Hot Donna) is under attack, and it is an intense start.  Caputo is under fire to get everything under control, and he brings in some heavies from the male prison, and eventually some veterans who have no problem abusing the inmates not just sexually but in creepy weird ways and looking the other way.
    Caputo starts seeing how "evil" corporate is as they take every opportunity to make as much from every prisoner yet take huge strides to avoid helping them in any way.  Even when one of them dies, corporate lets her body sit for days while they figure out the best strategy to avoid any blame going upstream.  Some old familiar faces make cameo appearances, it was overall perfect.
    With the doubling of the prison population, we start seeing factions form along race lines.  For some reason Dominicans and Puerto Ricans are the only "Mexicans" mentioned, but they become the biggest group by numbers and they start pushing their weight around.  A handful of white girls are trying to start a white power group, hating on everything that they see oppressing them.  Finally, the black girls are another large group, and although nobody is really trying to become a gang, Piper, because she is a way bigger pain in the ass than she realizes. puts it out in the air, rather "whispers" in the right ears and before you know it, people cannot assemble with groups of more than four or risk being labeled a gang and paying for it.
    Piper has a huge attitude thinking she is "gansta" since she sold her lover out and sent her to the maximum security prison, until Red rephrases what she did and makes her realize she is someone who can't be trusted.  Suddenly, she is walking in fear for her life from the Dominicans who have fallen under the leadership of Diaz, a previously quiet seemingly harmless mama who was busted for carrying drugs for a boyfriend.  She wants into Piper's panty business, but Piper just to be a dick, says no.  Piper is the one in the beginning that took us into prison, and we rooted for her, but she is such a short sighted individual with horrible self control.  She makes mistake after mistake, barely remembering she was to do her time quietly and get out.
    There promises to be even bigger drama next year, as they have started building a new dorm, not to ease crowding in the current ones, but to bring in another 100 "head of cattle".  Now that Litchfield is a for profit prison, the more heads, the more money.  It is a funny notion that the people sitting on the board have not even seen the inside of the prisons, yet they get to make decisions that directly affect the girls in a multitude of different ways.

7/8/16 Payback Is A MoFo?

    Is anyone surprised at what happened in Dallas tonight?  It has been building, it was just a matter of time.  I am sure none of the police officers chosen by the two snipers was intentional, it was mostly because they represent a police force that has not been acting honorably.  It has almost become a daily story, hearing about another altercation in a different part of the country where some unarmed individual of a minority persuasion gets taken under arrest and the individual gets beat to within inches of his life or his life gets taken. 
    I honestly don't know which side to believe.  I watch tons of videos on YouTube with police chases and shows like Cops and Criminals Behaving Badly, and yes police officers end up beating the crap out of the individual who ran, but maybe if he didn't run or he didn't resist.  I wouldn't snap the way some of these guys yell at police officers to my boss, yet when pulled over, many times the person will act like they are being bothered at home.  I always think good, kick his ass for having a shitty attitude.  Last weekend, we saw Straight Out Of Compton, and the way the LAPD was shown to act to black people in the "hood" was grotesque.  I can't say it was real, but I understood where Ice Cube and the rest of them came up with the energy to hate the whole police system.  But again, this was a movie, and from the eyes of someone who got rich singing about how bad cops are.
    I keep telling Wife that it shouldn't surprise us with all the attacks by ISIS or rebel muslims blowing up and attacking innocent people with their bombs, eventually some American Extremists are going to flip the script and start targeting innocent muslim families, much like tonight.  It has to happen, the primitive response in us is "an eye for an eye".  When the story broke, Wife called me and was explaining that the snipers were black and they were shooting at people at a black demonstration, which did not make sense to me.  First of all, snipers are usually white males, but this did not have so much to do with snipers as two people taking shots at police officers from a distance.
    I find this very worrisome and sad.  For the most part, I believe police officers are well meaning and good.  I have only talked to a handful of police officers in uniform a few times, mostly at my son's school, and they were always positive and smiling.  They have a shitty job, to enforce the rules that keep us acting like a society.  It is the rules which stop us from being animals, otherwise how are we better than our pets? 

7/7/16 Broad City, Kinda Fun? (Hulu Show)

    I just watched all three seasons of Broad City a few days ago.  It is a cool little show focused around two dopey chicks who spend too much time getting high.  They live in New York and every episode has them in a different scenario.  Abbi is the more serious of the two.  She wants to be a trainer at a high end gym, but is stuck as a "cleaner" as her shirt mockingly tells the world.  She hopes for the day someone calls in sick or is murdered so she can move up.  Ilana is the quirkier of the two, she has a job with a company similar to Groupon or something but she admits she needs to get fired.  She has a pillow which she takes to the bathroom to sleep, her boss catches her sleeping with her eyes open, and generally is a perfect bad employee.
    One of the running gags is having other famous people or celebrities coming in for an episode or two.  Hillary Clinton appeared in an episode.  Tony Danza, Janeane Garofalo, Alan Alda, and many others have come out as veterinarian, doctor, Tony Danza is Abbi's father. 
    I don't know if I like these new seasons, but more shows are going this route where they only make ten episodes and call it a season.  They just finished season three, but have only thirty episodes available.  Used to be, on network TV, a show would get 24 episodes a season.  I guess this is good, as there are more outlets providing content, fewer episodes requires less of a commitment.  I love the idea that both Hulu and Netflix who did not exist eight years ago are providing new original content.  Hulu has not been as free with the nudity, but Netflix is acting like a cable channel, letting the boobies fly on a regular basis.
    I am usually not a big fan of stoners being depicted as characters because they are so involved with their love of getting high, that that is all they focus on.  Most episodes show them smoking or "vaping" which I guess they can get a high from that, somehow.  Ilana, is kind of a hot mess, she ends up "naked" all the time, but Hulu is choosing to be more conservative and blur out the fun parts. 
    I can't say there is a general direction for the show, they seem to go about their day to day shenanigans, dating, going out to parties, meeting friends, and mixing all this with their workdays.  Ilana has a gay roommate who she loves as the perfect man, Abbi has a female roommate who has yet to come out, but her boyfriend is always at her apartment.  Most of her interactions are with Ilana and the roommates boyfriend who she cannot stand, but admittedly becomes more and more of a friend by season three.

7/6/16 Debate, People Around Me Suck At It?

    I love a good debate, arguing without anger can be fun, and whether you are wrong or right ultimately, to argue without getting upset is a sign of intelligence.  My number one point to debate is religion.  I think believing in a higher power is akin to believing in Santa Claus.  Just because you want it to be real really badly, does not mean you are right. 
   My mom plays it clever, when she is done discussing something she blames herself as a failure "oh, what did I do wrong?  I don't know what I did to make my son not believe?"  I can hear in her tone, the acting, but it gets her out of any corner I might paint her into.  My brother, who is very intelligent but is not used to being challenged verbally will quickly turn to name calling and insults, insulting everything until he can claim a victory.  My sister will not join an argument for too long and usually just cusses to let me know she is done.  My younger brother who could actually be the best thinker in the family ruins a good debate by yelling all his thoughts out.  He kind of runs very low key and if you catch him off guard his first sounds are usually like an intelligent dog a la Scooby Doo.  Ask him anything at first and it's huimmm (from low to high), but get him going and he starts quoting all the nut jobs he listens to on his nightly shows.  It would be interesting if he could keep it at a 4-5, but he starts yelling and gets very involved.  Before you know it, you are in a storm of saliva and quotes from people you have to believe are true because he is so passionate about everything he says.
    Recently, I have poked at my mother in law on a couple of occasions, I know I shouldn't but I also don't like that in her mind everything good that has happened to us is because god is taking care of us.  I believe it is because I bust my ass, not because somebody upstairs waved their good luck charm at me. 
    Saturday night, we were in the midde of watching a movie when Boy showed up with his friends.  His female friend has taken to poking at the bear, me.  She wants to get into debates with me, but not really.   I am not sure if they like to hear us get animated, or if she thinks she is teaching me something, but I do hate the old let me explain something paint a picture and then ask for your opinion and the best you can do is say why not?  In a debate/argument that is basically the playground version of "I'm rubber you're glue, whatever you say comes back to you."  I want to hear your thoughts, this is not a classroom where I am going to spout for thirty minutes and you're going to write what I say down.  We are sparring, I say something, you come back with an example in your life where what I say does or doesn't make sense.
    Wife is the one I want to strangle.  She wants to dismantle the whole argument like a narc who shows up flashing her sirens.  She calls me a bully for pushing my atheist beliefs on people.  Once you say bully, anything I say forcefully is further proof I am being a bully.

7/5/16 Torn Over Holiday Breaks?

    I started the weekend knowing I was working Monday night, even though it is technically 4th of July.  Because I work nights, I start working Monday, but leave Tuesday morning.  My time gets logged on the following day, so technically everyone else was off, but I came in.  Since we didn't have plans it works out alright, as I end up getting paid an extra eight hours pay.  We just got back from our vacation last week and we have been dragging ass, and we grilled last night, Chubs had a sleepover with four extra boys a couple nights ago, and Boy even made it to the coast for an afternoon.  We are not missing out on summer fun.
    We did want to go eat at Zaxby's this afternoon, and they were closed.  We ended up eating at Mod Pizza, we then wanted to walk around Cabela's afterwards, but they were closing at 5:00pm.  How nice of these companies to do so.  I have always had the mentality of working in a factory where it runs 24/7.  Wife enjoys summers off, two weeks during Christmas, Spring Break, and now even a week during Thanksgiving, plus assorted in-service and holidays during any given school year.  I continue working year round.  I get probably a month I can take off, but never use up my entire time.  I always keep some in case there is an emergency.
    Change is brewing, I am getting older, Wife just got this new job which means a substantial raise, plus my brother is back with us and paying rent.  I no longer have to feel like I am doing all the heavy lifting bill wise.  I was tempted to just stay home, but we also have not seen what the new salary Wife got means on paper in a check basis.  Not wanting to leave money on the table I will just put in a full night.  Wife really wanted me to stay home, but the plan was to rewatch Independence Day and then catching a late viewing at Alamo Drafthouse, but I refuse to pay for tickets Boy could get us for free.  I do love the movie, even did a blog on the speech the President delivers, it is so good, probably a year ago for last 4th of July.
    I have felt weird inside, like when you are waiting for a Hurricane to hit, did you prepare enough?  Once Wife starts working in La Pryor it is going to be a whirlwind of running back and forth.  There is nothing more we can do, we go out to eat, we hang out, we hump, once she leaves, it'll all be truncated but the same.  I believe I am ready for this, it should be an adventure.  I do want her to get a handgun and know how to use it, Crystal City and La Pryor are not that far from the border.  Hopefully by Christmas time, we can get her a new car, that bug is starting to show its age.  It is fine for here in town, but highway driving is a different animal.  Told Boy we might even take his Edge and let Wife drive it, since he will be in San Marcos and not driving anywhere.  He got a look on his face, but I think he understands.

7/4/16 Grew Up Six Blocks Apart, Still A World Of Difference?

    I didn't meet Wife until we were in high school, yet our houses were about six blocks apart.  Now it seems like nothing, both coming from our tiny little town.  I thought we were essentially the same, both coming from similar middle class families, but vacationing now with both families shows huge differences.  We were at my in-laws last night for my brother in law's birthday, and Wife just wanted to see her folks and we had nothing better to do.  Just recounting some of the stories from our vacation made them nervous, yet I don't think my folks even notice how stressful all of us together can be.
    Starting with the drive.  I love the drive, I am not going to vacation by plane, unless we are leaving the country.  I enjoyed having my parents ride with us, it gave us a chance to talk and be together, everything was great except every couple hundred miles my dad ever vigilant in the back seat leaning forward like a golden retriever wishing the window was open would yell out "AY ya yai, me sacas los pedos" (basically oh shit that scared me).  This would startle the crap out of me which would make me jump.  I'd have to give him shit "old man, I've never been in an accident, I know what I'm doing, sit back and relax."  Most of the way, I was in the front, followed by my brother in law, a hero if there ever was one, Captain Jockstrap.  I was pretty much driving 80-85 when we weren't being slowed down by traffic, yet he would text that I was driving like an old lady, to move to the slow lane.  I told him to pass me, I would follow him, but that would only last a couple miles.
    I could write a book on my dad's contradictions, some of the stuff he would say, made me look back at him.  One minute "you are eating up the miles, it's great" when he would see we were going 85.  As soon as it got a little congested "dammit, why are you in such a rush all the time?  Move to the slow lane."  I just did not take him seriously after awhile, he was not the most stressful person on the trip.
    The takeaway my mother in law got was that they had never been to Disney, so they were all willing to let us be their guide, nobody pulled in different directions.  That was a huge difference.  My brother thinks the most important part of the parks is taking pictures with the characters.  I have never bought into that.  I just see some teenager in a stuffed suit.  I don't like wasting any time in those lines taking pictures.  My mom, ever the Switzerland, would defend their right to take pictures, it is something precious and special to them, no matter if it takes a couple hours.  What about our time, my boys are not interested in stuffed people, they get it that they are not really Mickey?  "Oh, you've been here before, let them enjoy this." 
    My biggest argument was with the time.  Of course I work nights, I move slower in the mornings, I kept suggesting going to the parks later, like 11-noon, then we could stay until the parks close, we are not in a rush in the morning, uhhh no.  You are selfish, you've been here before, you don't care if we make it all the way around the park.  Ok, fast forward to five o' clock, and everyone was dragging ass right as the sun was starting to go down and it wasn't as hot.  But of course I am the one that has secret agendas.  My brother's brother in law came along and he said the first park my brother got to they were so early he felt like the Grizwald's, not even sure the park was going to open.  That is a waste of time to me, I say sleep in, let the first batch of idiots run through, by the time we show up, there is not a huge crowd waiting to get in.  Other than Magic Kingdom, where the monorail was down, we got to the parks before noon.  We were in Magic Kingdom by 1:00pm, and then stayed until 11:00pm.
    My takeaway is that my family is full of leaders, which makes all of us pains in the asses.  Everyone wants to be in charge, everyone knows everything, and "how dare you think you can entertain me better than I could."  I still want to vacation with them, but seriously, can we leave the house around noon next time?

7/3/16 Organization Is Just An Ikea Away?

    Boy is a walking talking hamster.  If you don't believe me, check out his room sometime.  He has piles of things in every corner.  Right now, he has his apartment, but they are kind of moving out, kind of moving, maybe coming home to watch Chubs...  let's say he is in flux.  He has boxes all over, just a path to his bed, and a small area around his computer/desk area.
    I suggested more bookshelves, which my little idiot had plenty of, but he gave them away.  Of course, he doesn't want the cheap Billy bookcases, but I am not spending $400-$500 a bookshelf when the Billys are $69 at Ikea.  Wife, Chubs, and I made a day of it yesterday.  We stopped and ate at Which Wich first.  I loved my club sandwich on toasted bread.  First time I ate there, won't be the last.  We then made our way into Ikea.  They built a 3 story garage in the last year, which is weird because they are nowhere near as packed as they used to be when they opened.  There were about 5 cars parked on the first floor, I parked there just to be in the shade.
    Ikea is cool, I like winding my way through, but once you start, you almost have to commit to walking the whole store.  There are some shortcuts if an emergency occurs, but they are not intuitive.  I love how they use space, I was telling Chubs, who asked why the swedes are experts in house stuff.  I am not sure, maybe they have smaller homes and they have to be efficient.  Americans just move to bigger homes when they outgrow their space.
    Anyways, when we got to the section with the shelves, there was a big selection, and although Boy didn't go, I sent him pictures of other choices, all he said is "I want long ones" which doesn't mean anything.  Of course, when I tell him he isn't being helpful, he says I knew you were going to pick what you wanted.  I said yeah, they are cheap.  I did find a small glass display which he said he had wanted to display his better stuff.
    Once you see what you like, it's not over.  You then have to go to the warehouse section closer to the checkout counters and go pick out your things.  Those Billy bookcases are packaged in some small dense boxes.  They are heavy.  The glass cabinet came in two boxes and it was equally as heavy.
    We got everything back home by ~7:00pm, Wife suggested I take a nap, which was convenient for her so she could watch more of her Zombie show.  I did get up early, like at 10am, cut the grass, Girlie came over and we chatted for awhile, then we went and did all that Ikea stuff, so it was a long day. 
    She woke me around 9:00pm asking what we were going to eat, I thought of Dairy Queen mostly because I wanted some ice cream.  There is one kind of nasty old Dairy on Stassney, they should invest in some new stores, I'm surprised they are still in business.  The burger was ok, but the banana split was good, Chubs and Wife had blizzards which always kick ass.
    By the time we got home, Boy had already set up one of the bookcases and even had some stuff up on it.  I wanted to help him, it makes me uneasy seeing so much mess all around him, but no.  He was in mid game, killing bad guys and he can't be disturbed.  I told him by the end of the weekend, get your shit together.  He just kind of nodded, but he may have been nodding to someone in his game, who knows with that Boy.

7/2/16 Scared Of The Ocean?

    I finally installed a fifth wheel hitch on my truck, now I am scared to go to the coast.  Some years they scare us with shark attacks, some years the water is just ugly with the red tide.  This year they amp'd up the creepy factor by pumping the headlines straight out of 70s and 80s B movies.  The latest scariest thing is flesh eating bacteria in the water and sand.  Who is going to want to hang out on the beach with headlines like that?  To make matters worse, there are now three cases, so I don't believe we will be stepping on sand this summer.
    Of course my mother likes to help, "oh yeah, the first victim looked just like you Junior, big and with a goatee, and everything."  Thanks mom, I like to be compared to people fighting to keep their skin.  After hearing about the first case, I still thought ehh, he was probably sick or something, but we are now on case number three.  I had nail surgery, and it is still not completely healed.  I can see the bacteria getting in through my toe, I don't think so.
    Being a thinking man, I thought if the beaches and salt water are too dirty, how about a nice lake?  Lake levels are back, the stories of them drying up was yesterdays fear.  This year has been too rainy, which I think is contributing to the out of control bacteria.  Too many things are getting washed down the land and into the rivers and ending up in the gulf.  Normally, I would be scared of lakes too, but we haven't heard of people getting it through fresh water contact, only from salt water.
    That hitch install was a hoot and a half too, since I mentioned it.  I already owned the hitch, it was on my 1999 F-250 which I sold to my father in law.  He said to take it, I just wanted a new one, but I saw that he painted it black and it looked pretty good.  So I went to Crestview RV where we bought the two RVs we have owned and asked if they had the rails first of all.  I had them on the other truck, but I could not remove them.  I was not surprised when the guy said $199, even if they were just two metal bars.  In the other two trucks, I also had wiring connectors inside the truck bed, and the wiring for that was $95.  The best part was talking to the service guy.  He said installing the rails would take four hours and the electrical would take one hour.  I said fine, how much?  He calmly said their hourly rate is $120.  I thought he said $20, I was like cool, then he said it'll be about $600 plus parts and taxes.  I could've fainted, a light "fuck" burped out of me involuntarily, and I stumbled outside.  I told Wife, who was waiting for me in her car since we were dropping off the truck overnight.  She made me go back inside and try to get a better deal.  I went in suggested to the guy "what if I buy a new hitch, is install free?"  I might pay a little more, but at least I get a new hitch was my thinking.  He said no.  He then explained that I could get rails specific to my truck, they would bolt right in with the screws holding down the box to the frame, but those rails cost $500.  Less labor, but more expensive parts.  Guy said, sorry, it is what it is. 
    I felt a little better today, the guy said they ran into problems installing the rails but he had already quoted me four hours, so they just worked on it until they finished installing it.  I walked out the door paying over $1000 to install a hitch I already owned.  My asshole is going to be sore for awhile, but the work looks good.