Football season is gearing up, this weekend is the start of college football, which to me remains the purest of sports by kids who love the game. The NFL is great, but they fucked it up when they started letting players go from team to team. There is no loyalty anymore in the pros and sadly, it is all about the money. Not to mention the teams themselves will move if someone offers them a new stadium somewhere else. When the Oilers left Houston, I was highly disappointed. It is hard for me to get excited about the Cowboys when they have a rich guy who tries to buy his way to wins. Win with the guys you have, I say. I'll stick to watching the kids who play their hearts out for the possibility of future rewards and school spirit.
College football has its problems, but it is not the players. There is a belief that the system is rigged to use them and when a coach can make 7-10 million dollars a year and the players have to settle for their tuition getting paid, it just doesn't seem fair. But enough of that. Are the Longhorns going to finally be good? They are my team after all and the season is only fun if they can win. If they start winning, we start watching more games. If we watch more games, they can get back on prime time and then we can grill while they play. There is nothing better than some grilled meat while watching an exciting game with your favorite team.
I worry though, because it is my honest opinion that until they get rid of that practice bubble, they will continue to be soft and second rate compared to the Oklahomas and anyone in the SEC. As I was saying about my kids workouts in the middle of the afternoon heat, practicing in +100 degree weather makes you a bit thicker skinned even a bit tougher. I can imagine those Longhorns wearing long sleeves in the bubble because it gets a bit chilly if you aren't moving around. Anyone who lives here in Austin knows what I mean by the bubble. It is a plastic bubble about as high as the elevated highway, which you can see from I-35. Other than it being kind of Orange, it is one freaking ugly excuse for a facility, but it keeps them boys pampered and cool, I guess.
At this point, I would be happy with a couple more wins than last year. Deciding on a quarterback would also be good, but that may be asking too much. This is Texas, something like 254 counties, probably twice as many high schools, without looking outside the state, there are like 500 potentials there. Pick someone with a head and some hunger in his eyes, not daddy's boy in a rich school which wins because it is loaded against inferior competition.
Friday, August 31, 2018
Wednesday, August 29, 2018
8/30/18 Observations From Orange Is The New Black, Season 6?
I went ahead and binge watched the last 2-3 episodes at work this week. I kept falling asleep while trying to watch them at home, but at work I have to be up, so it's different. Anyways, I don't want to give up the plot but some things really bother me. Dayanara Diaz seemed like the perfect kid who made a mistake and could still get her life in order, but man, did she ever prove to be a fuck-up. From having sex with two different guards, to getting knocked up and lying about the father, to "accidentally" killing a guard, to now strung out on heroine. If ever someone needed a kick to the ass, man this chick just screams bad decisions. Red is another character who maybe was more of a force and kept the white girls in line and focused, but when she was attacked, she went at the problem with no thought to consequences. I don't understand her hatred to Frieda, she didn't order her to stay down in the pool, or to make it her job to take down Piscatella. She seems to want to act like Frieda forced her to do all that and can't forgive her. It was sad when at the crossroad to see her grandchildren who she hadn't seen in years or lunge at Frieda and maybe scare her, she chose to attack which cost her the chance to see her family and her freeom as she was immediately taken to the SHU, which is isolation.
Piper really wonders why people go after her? She is an annoying know it all twit. Even in prison she acted like her poop didn't stink. Learn, Stupid. There is never any reason to give personal information to someone who doesn't like you. Telling Madison that she was almost done being locked up almost cost her more time, and that was dumb. I loved the heart to heart she and Taystee had. That is one person who did not deserve the life she was living. Being accused of murder to cover up for the cops own stupidity is the worst. Then the two asshole sisters, Carol and Barb, could not let go of petty jealousy. I am glad they got what they got, there weren't many worse people than these two in the whole prison system.
I saw Flaca making the best of a bad situation, spreading her positivity through the airwaves and giving out advice the best way she could. Her character got better without the "pretty one" by her side all the time. Nicky's character also blossomed in the latest season. It was hard to see her strung out on the drugs the last few seasons. To see her avoid the temptation just shows her strength of character. When she is not high, she is very entertaining with her quick wit and sarcasm. There are too many characters to get into all of them, but I have loved this show since it came out. Some seasons were better than others, but they all offered something interesting. Now that the blond pain in the ass has been released, I wonder if they still continue. It did start out as her story.
Piper really wonders why people go after her? She is an annoying know it all twit. Even in prison she acted like her poop didn't stink. Learn, Stupid. There is never any reason to give personal information to someone who doesn't like you. Telling Madison that she was almost done being locked up almost cost her more time, and that was dumb. I loved the heart to heart she and Taystee had. That is one person who did not deserve the life she was living. Being accused of murder to cover up for the cops own stupidity is the worst. Then the two asshole sisters, Carol and Barb, could not let go of petty jealousy. I am glad they got what they got, there weren't many worse people than these two in the whole prison system.
I saw Flaca making the best of a bad situation, spreading her positivity through the airwaves and giving out advice the best way she could. Her character got better without the "pretty one" by her side all the time. Nicky's character also blossomed in the latest season. It was hard to see her strung out on the drugs the last few seasons. To see her avoid the temptation just shows her strength of character. When she is not high, she is very entertaining with her quick wit and sarcasm. There are too many characters to get into all of them, but I have loved this show since it came out. Some seasons were better than others, but they all offered something interesting. Now that the blond pain in the ass has been released, I wonder if they still continue. It did start out as her story.
8/29/18 Thursday Afternoon Umbrellas?
I hate to give it to the jocks because movies like Revenge of The Nerds taught us that as a group they kind of suck, but man you have to be a tough little shit to step unto a football field. Yes, there are the dangers of concussions and broken limbs, but before you even get that far, you have to practice at the worst time of year, the end of summer. There is no getting around the weather in Texas, come August, it just sucks all around. Poor Javalina has been at it almost two weeks and it has been over 101-102 every day when I go to pick him up. They were not wearing full pads until this week, but then the 8th graders wear black pants. That has to raise their temperatures another 2-3 degrees. I keep looking at the forecast for the next few days and I keep seeing mid 90's in a few more days, but every day is still getting up into the 100's.
Not only do they get the worst weather of the year, because of it, the "grass" is anything but. My boy is all scratched up around his hands because of doing bear crawls. Of course, the mentality of a young boy filled with testosterone is that scars are good. He wants to get scratched up, to show the other boys that he can take it.
I thought it was cool to see my boy running with the ball this week. I think the coaches are trying something for short distances by having him power through the line since he is such a heavy ham. Normally though, that is another part of the sport that sucks. Only a handful of players ever even touch the ball. Half the teams on both sides are there to butt heads and prevent the other guys from doing their job. For some reason, this is Javalina's favorite part of the game, smashing and seeing who is the strongest "man-imal."
I called this Thursday afternoon umbrellas because it is not yet Friday night lights. In junior high, the games are usually set for 5:00-6:00 and 6:00-7:00 in the afternoons when the sun still tries to cook you. About half the games will be uncomfortably hot and humid, one maybe two games will have perfect weather and the rest will be cold or wet. In the end, most of the school won't notice, judging by attendance at the games, and the only thing they can be proud of is in themselves. It takes a lot for a kid to subject themselves to the rigors put upon them just to get the chance to knock pads against kids from another school, but every year, most schools find at least 22 young toughies to go at it.
Not only do they get the worst weather of the year, because of it, the "grass" is anything but. My boy is all scratched up around his hands because of doing bear crawls. Of course, the mentality of a young boy filled with testosterone is that scars are good. He wants to get scratched up, to show the other boys that he can take it.
I thought it was cool to see my boy running with the ball this week. I think the coaches are trying something for short distances by having him power through the line since he is such a heavy ham. Normally though, that is another part of the sport that sucks. Only a handful of players ever even touch the ball. Half the teams on both sides are there to butt heads and prevent the other guys from doing their job. For some reason, this is Javalina's favorite part of the game, smashing and seeing who is the strongest "man-imal."
I called this Thursday afternoon umbrellas because it is not yet Friday night lights. In junior high, the games are usually set for 5:00-6:00 and 6:00-7:00 in the afternoons when the sun still tries to cook you. About half the games will be uncomfortably hot and humid, one maybe two games will have perfect weather and the rest will be cold or wet. In the end, most of the school won't notice, judging by attendance at the games, and the only thing they can be proud of is in themselves. It takes a lot for a kid to subject themselves to the rigors put upon them just to get the chance to knock pads against kids from another school, but every year, most schools find at least 22 young toughies to go at it.
Tuesday, August 28, 2018
8/28/18 Adult Beginners? (Netflix)
Apparently, if you look hard enough, there are tons of movies people don't even cheer for on Netflix. I was looking for something off the beaten path, I get tired of the same old rom-coms but I don't like a bunch of bloody gore either. I only chose this one because I recognized Nick Krull on the cover and I thought he was very funny on The League.
The movie starts with the Nick character, Jake, celebrating the release of what appear to be those google glasses that were going to come out like two years ago. He is some sort of entrepreneur and he has invested all his and a lot of his friends money into this product. The product is a dud and a no show. He losses all his money and becomes a nobody overnight. To avoid the threatening calls and people that want to kill him, he leaves the big city and goes back to whatever small town he grew up in. We quickly learn his mother has passed away and his father is happily remarried and leaving in south Florida. He and the new wife appear to be obsessed with their one grandkid which belongs to his sister. He has installed a new pool and suggests they put the kid in swimming lessons. While there, they learn of adult beginner classes for swimming, which they find insulting, but that is where the title to the movie is.
The sister still lives in their childhood home, so he begs her to stay for a "while." A while turns into 3 plus months. He is acting as the kid's "manny" and has started becoming rooted in their lifestyle, which isn't much with the husband spending all his time remodeling their home and another one, which is what he does for a living. By chance, he discovers the husband is fooling around and then confronts him. This kind of opens the storyline up. He has to accept that he was a shitty brother to his sister when their mom got sick, he stayed away. The sister half expects him to do the same thing again and is worried he will hurt their son, who is spending a lot of time with Jake,
The movie ran a little long, it wasn't boring, but almost. He has a love interest in a Paula Garces and they seem to hit it off, but his personality soon gets in the way of that. At some point, he lucks out and one of the parent's of the kid's play group offers him a bankers job. He is soon doing great again and impressing the boss, but since he is now older and wiser, we get to see whether he can now choose better when his family calls him during the day for mundane shit that could really wait until later in the day. I actually hate when people who work are treated like the bad guy, fuck that, where do people think money comes from? But anyway, it is interesting to see that even though he could be on a quick rise in the new company, he leaves in the middle of the day when the sister calls because the kid is getting ready to jump into a swimming pool (this shit could totally wait), but also when she goes into labor, he shows up to help watch their older kid.
I enjoyed the movie, it made me think. You can't fault your surviving parent for moving on after the other passes. Life is long and is best enjoyed with a companion. I was kind of watching Up before going to work and the old man is just miserable living by himself after spending most of his life with the perfect woman, but yet, it is not yet his time to die. He must adapt and I think we all have to, in order to find meaning and a reason to keep on chugging along.
The movie starts with the Nick character, Jake, celebrating the release of what appear to be those google glasses that were going to come out like two years ago. He is some sort of entrepreneur and he has invested all his and a lot of his friends money into this product. The product is a dud and a no show. He losses all his money and becomes a nobody overnight. To avoid the threatening calls and people that want to kill him, he leaves the big city and goes back to whatever small town he grew up in. We quickly learn his mother has passed away and his father is happily remarried and leaving in south Florida. He and the new wife appear to be obsessed with their one grandkid which belongs to his sister. He has installed a new pool and suggests they put the kid in swimming lessons. While there, they learn of adult beginner classes for swimming, which they find insulting, but that is where the title to the movie is.
The sister still lives in their childhood home, so he begs her to stay for a "while." A while turns into 3 plus months. He is acting as the kid's "manny" and has started becoming rooted in their lifestyle, which isn't much with the husband spending all his time remodeling their home and another one, which is what he does for a living. By chance, he discovers the husband is fooling around and then confronts him. This kind of opens the storyline up. He has to accept that he was a shitty brother to his sister when their mom got sick, he stayed away. The sister half expects him to do the same thing again and is worried he will hurt their son, who is spending a lot of time with Jake,
The movie ran a little long, it wasn't boring, but almost. He has a love interest in a Paula Garces and they seem to hit it off, but his personality soon gets in the way of that. At some point, he lucks out and one of the parent's of the kid's play group offers him a bankers job. He is soon doing great again and impressing the boss, but since he is now older and wiser, we get to see whether he can now choose better when his family calls him during the day for mundane shit that could really wait until later in the day. I actually hate when people who work are treated like the bad guy, fuck that, where do people think money comes from? But anyway, it is interesting to see that even though he could be on a quick rise in the new company, he leaves in the middle of the day when the sister calls because the kid is getting ready to jump into a swimming pool (this shit could totally wait), but also when she goes into labor, he shows up to help watch their older kid.
I enjoyed the movie, it made me think. You can't fault your surviving parent for moving on after the other passes. Life is long and is best enjoyed with a companion. I was kind of watching Up before going to work and the old man is just miserable living by himself after spending most of his life with the perfect woman, but yet, it is not yet his time to die. He must adapt and I think we all have to, in order to find meaning and a reason to keep on chugging along.
Monday, August 27, 2018
8/27/18 Spinning My Wheels And Not Getting Very Far?
Sunday morning I got up around 7:00am just wanting to finish my project on my patio. I bought some lattice and I want to hang it to give some much needed shade in the afternoons, as currently we can't even think about going out there until the sun goes below the trees. But I also know that Wife's car needed some attention, it hadn't been washed in a couple months and the bugs and dead moths were starting to get thick on the front of it. I hate doing it, but then it really only takes about ten minutes to wash Boy's vehicle. It does not matter how many time I tell him, he will not go out and wash his vehicle. Compared to my Excursion, his little SUV takes me a couple minutes, so I keep doing it, which I did only to ensure that the wipers would clean smoothly, as he also needed to take his SUV to get his yearly inspection. The inspection requires good wipers, a window filled with bugs is only going to cost me new wipers at their prices.
It was a lucky and good thing that it happened when it did because he starts school tomorrow, but after washing his car, I went and got him so he could follow me and we could both take care of getting our inspections done to get the newest inspection stickers. His car just gave a few click clicks but no real attempt at firing up. I told him to pop the hood to take a look. The negative terminal on the battery looked like it had a termite mound that went up a good 3-4 inches high. I told him to go get a Coke can and we poured some on top and it did quick work of most of the mess, breaking it down almost instantly. The terminal was almost "frozen" to the wire assembly thing, but I grabbed pliers and started turning it slowly. It took a while, but I finally bullied the two pieces apart. We then took the battery out and took it to Advance Auto Parts down the street. $155 later, Boy was set to get his car going again. The old battery had a couple of cracks, either it developed due to the heat or I made while forcing the terminals to let go. The battery was four years old, I think it was time for a new one.
We got back home and I have to say the new one was a tiny bit smaller than the original as it went back in the small hole rather easily. I had Boy tighten it down and then we did the terminals. The guy at the store explained how to check to see if we have a good alternator, simply removing the positive terminal, if we have a bad alternator, the car would turn off right away. To test it under a load, he said crank up the fan and high beams and rev engine into the 1500rpm range. It stayed on, it must have just been a bad battery.
We could finally head on down and get our vehicles tested to get our state inspection tags. Wife's car passed, no problems, but Boy's SUV did not due to the new battery. Apparently, a lot of internal memory stuff was lost when the battery was unplugged. He needs to run around for 80-100 miles and then go back. That just means he has to go back during the week.
By this time, it was closer to noon. I went and woke Wife, she was still asleep. I was all hot and stinky from doing too much outside. Wife asked me if I wanted to go look at kayaks, that now Boy had mentioned that he was interested in buying one. It brought a tear to my eye, finally one of the brown nuggets is interested in what I am wanting to do. No, it turns out a bunch of guys at his place of work go kayaking, so now he wants to be Huckleberry Finn and be able to run up and down the rivers and lakes. Still, if he buys one, then I buy one, we would own a couple and then we could go out and not be all lame by myself. It was cool, at Cabela's talking about the different kayaks and he was actually interested. We both agreed that maybe for Christmas time, it would be cool. I am thinking like Oprah "you get a kayak, and you get a kayak, and you get a kayak. Then we can hang like a happy family together on the water. To be continued.
It was a lucky and good thing that it happened when it did because he starts school tomorrow, but after washing his car, I went and got him so he could follow me and we could both take care of getting our inspections done to get the newest inspection stickers. His car just gave a few click clicks but no real attempt at firing up. I told him to pop the hood to take a look. The negative terminal on the battery looked like it had a termite mound that went up a good 3-4 inches high. I told him to go get a Coke can and we poured some on top and it did quick work of most of the mess, breaking it down almost instantly. The terminal was almost "frozen" to the wire assembly thing, but I grabbed pliers and started turning it slowly. It took a while, but I finally bullied the two pieces apart. We then took the battery out and took it to Advance Auto Parts down the street. $155 later, Boy was set to get his car going again. The old battery had a couple of cracks, either it developed due to the heat or I made while forcing the terminals to let go. The battery was four years old, I think it was time for a new one.
We got back home and I have to say the new one was a tiny bit smaller than the original as it went back in the small hole rather easily. I had Boy tighten it down and then we did the terminals. The guy at the store explained how to check to see if we have a good alternator, simply removing the positive terminal, if we have a bad alternator, the car would turn off right away. To test it under a load, he said crank up the fan and high beams and rev engine into the 1500rpm range. It stayed on, it must have just been a bad battery.
We could finally head on down and get our vehicles tested to get our state inspection tags. Wife's car passed, no problems, but Boy's SUV did not due to the new battery. Apparently, a lot of internal memory stuff was lost when the battery was unplugged. He needs to run around for 80-100 miles and then go back. That just means he has to go back during the week.
By this time, it was closer to noon. I went and woke Wife, she was still asleep. I was all hot and stinky from doing too much outside. Wife asked me if I wanted to go look at kayaks, that now Boy had mentioned that he was interested in buying one. It brought a tear to my eye, finally one of the brown nuggets is interested in what I am wanting to do. No, it turns out a bunch of guys at his place of work go kayaking, so now he wants to be Huckleberry Finn and be able to run up and down the rivers and lakes. Still, if he buys one, then I buy one, we would own a couple and then we could go out and not be all lame by myself. It was cool, at Cabela's talking about the different kayaks and he was actually interested. We both agreed that maybe for Christmas time, it would be cool. I am thinking like Oprah "you get a kayak, and you get a kayak, and you get a kayak. Then we can hang like a happy family together on the water. To be continued.
Sunday, August 26, 2018
8/26/18 I Didn't Know I Was An Old Man?
It was my birthday this past week, so I guess this makes a little sense. I have felt ehh, mid 20's in spirit ever since I was that age. I can start feeling it in my knees and neck that maybe I am getting older. Earlier in the summer trying to help Javalina and going against him in blocking techniques to get him ready for the football season really woke me up that I am no longer a spring chicken, that boy hits like a bull.
Wife sits frustrated with me as I insist on a nap mid day, blaming the heat of the day, or the fact that I get up early at 7:00am, or even that little thing of working night shift for twenty plus years which I lean to every day for everything. Even when Girlie texts to see how things are going and what I am up to. My usual answer to her is "I am fixing to take a nap in a bit." She doesn't hesitate to say stuff like "come on old man.", or "dang, you're turning into a grandpa."
But Saturday morning I went to get Wife some new tires and first of all, I noticed an attractive girl sitting outside which of course made me think "yum, I wouldn't mind some of that." And then as I stood in the line where we wait before we are helped, another girl in her twenties and the usual itty bitty shorts, which my head thinks "yeah, that is for daddy."
The reality is I am invisible for these yummy little twinkies, but now I believe I have aged like a fine tequila and become one of the old compadres. As I am trying to feast my eyes on the young hotties in there, the old man behind me starts chatting me up and before I know it, I am breaking into English and Spanish like I was talking to someone from my hometown. We instantly hit it off and we talked about everything from our lazy kids to the vehicles we drive, it was such an easy conversation. No way I could talk to a twit in skimpy shorts like that, even when I was twenty.
Eventually, we moved forward enough, I placed my order and the guy said it would take a few hours as I was twentieth in line to get serviced. I said, that's cool, I'll just come back later. I texted my boy to come get me, and as I stood there by the door, another old Hispanic man came over and he just assumed I talked Spanish as he started up with what am I driving and what was the damage (as far as the cost). He was all happy he had bought insurance the last time, as he had a fairly new tire that got a puncture on the sidewall, but they gave him a free tire. We joked for a bit, again, like I knew this guy all my life.
Is that my fate now, everywhere I go, old men will be my companions? I feel like I need a pack of cigarettes, like my dad, to have a reason to loaf around and pick up idle chit chat with random old farts about the weather, talk about whatever sports is in season, and eventually, the dreaded grandkids. Damn this grey hair!!!
Wife sits frustrated with me as I insist on a nap mid day, blaming the heat of the day, or the fact that I get up early at 7:00am, or even that little thing of working night shift for twenty plus years which I lean to every day for everything. Even when Girlie texts to see how things are going and what I am up to. My usual answer to her is "I am fixing to take a nap in a bit." She doesn't hesitate to say stuff like "come on old man.", or "dang, you're turning into a grandpa."
But Saturday morning I went to get Wife some new tires and first of all, I noticed an attractive girl sitting outside which of course made me think "yum, I wouldn't mind some of that." And then as I stood in the line where we wait before we are helped, another girl in her twenties and the usual itty bitty shorts, which my head thinks "yeah, that is for daddy."
The reality is I am invisible for these yummy little twinkies, but now I believe I have aged like a fine tequila and become one of the old compadres. As I am trying to feast my eyes on the young hotties in there, the old man behind me starts chatting me up and before I know it, I am breaking into English and Spanish like I was talking to someone from my hometown. We instantly hit it off and we talked about everything from our lazy kids to the vehicles we drive, it was such an easy conversation. No way I could talk to a twit in skimpy shorts like that, even when I was twenty.
Eventually, we moved forward enough, I placed my order and the guy said it would take a few hours as I was twentieth in line to get serviced. I said, that's cool, I'll just come back later. I texted my boy to come get me, and as I stood there by the door, another old Hispanic man came over and he just assumed I talked Spanish as he started up with what am I driving and what was the damage (as far as the cost). He was all happy he had bought insurance the last time, as he had a fairly new tire that got a puncture on the sidewall, but they gave him a free tire. We joked for a bit, again, like I knew this guy all my life.
Is that my fate now, everywhere I go, old men will be my companions? I feel like I need a pack of cigarettes, like my dad, to have a reason to loaf around and pick up idle chit chat with random old farts about the weather, talk about whatever sports is in season, and eventually, the dreaded grandkids. Damn this grey hair!!!
Saturday, August 25, 2018
8/25/18 A Productive Day?
I don't know about Wife and her new title. She kind of seems to think she is my boss too, nowadays. We call each other usually twice a day and catch each other up on what we are doing or what is going on at work. Lately, she has gotten this tone of "well today you are going to do this and that." She is forever obsessed with vacuuming and cleaning the bathrooms. I understand that, but I tend to do different chores around the house. It is rare the day that I don't do something positive to keep the house clean, but even then, I don't necessarily do what she prefers. I like keeping the, kitchen counters and sink clean. Even after I do that, and always try to keep the stove looking shiny by using Windex and stuff, she will still complain about the floors.
I also like to keep our clothes washed and clean. I try to wash a couple of loads during the week, and then on Sunday nights I always stay up until all the clothes is washed and put away since I don't work until Monday night. Yesterday, I even stripped our bed and the two guest bedrooms of their sheets and gave them a washing as my folks are coming up next week and Boy had company here last week.
Yesterday, inspired by Yak Motley, a guy I follow on YouTube, first for his kayaking adventures, but he is kind of entertaining and likes to show different parts of Florida. He re-did his backyard by spending a little money and elbow grease to get ready for Saturday college football. I have had the perfect backyard for such things, other than the sun goes down on the back of the house and with the summer heat, we can't even enjoy our huge patio until the sun goes below the trees around 8:30pm. I decided to hang some 4x8 foot sheets of lattice to break up the direct sun. I didn't get far yesterday because Boy always takes my tools and is not very good at putting things back where they belong, but I got started eventually.
I also managed to clean and rearrange Javalina's room, he had a small sofa in front of the three windows in his room and it made it almost impossible to open them, and come the fall and cold fronts, that is primarily where the northern air comes in through the house. Any day I can turn off the A/C is a good day for me. I picked up so many candy wrappers and soda cans and corralled all his video games back together, vacuuming his room and the hallway upstairs. I did not stop from 5:00am yesterday until Wife showed up around 7:30pm other then a snack at noon. I also went around and replaced various burnt out lightbulbs and even rehung the smaller TV I hung in the breakfast nook, which had a flat against the wall TV stand, I replaced it with one that pivots sideways, so if you are on the kitchen island or even by the stove, you can still watch it.
"That's nice, but you didn't do any of the chores I wanted you to do." Umm, no. I did the chores I wanted to do. I even fixed up the kitchen, we had like 6-7 12 packs of soda just on a half wall, along now with a case of water and a case of Gatorade and a big box of bags of chips which I moved into the pantry by doing a lot of re-organizing and throwing away old things.
You just have to be a stronger man than normal around powerful women type. She has no on/off switch, she is always in work mode which I don't mind, but her energy needs to be focused on something because when she comes after you, it is at full strength. This is a big house and it takes a lot of energy to keep it up. I know she means well with her ideas of clean this and that, but I think what I do is also beneficial. We need to train those two brown turds that live here, for free, to vacuum and each of them keep one of the bathrooms clean. I think that would solve everything.
I also like to keep our clothes washed and clean. I try to wash a couple of loads during the week, and then on Sunday nights I always stay up until all the clothes is washed and put away since I don't work until Monday night. Yesterday, I even stripped our bed and the two guest bedrooms of their sheets and gave them a washing as my folks are coming up next week and Boy had company here last week.
Yesterday, inspired by Yak Motley, a guy I follow on YouTube, first for his kayaking adventures, but he is kind of entertaining and likes to show different parts of Florida. He re-did his backyard by spending a little money and elbow grease to get ready for Saturday college football. I have had the perfect backyard for such things, other than the sun goes down on the back of the house and with the summer heat, we can't even enjoy our huge patio until the sun goes below the trees around 8:30pm. I decided to hang some 4x8 foot sheets of lattice to break up the direct sun. I didn't get far yesterday because Boy always takes my tools and is not very good at putting things back where they belong, but I got started eventually.
I also managed to clean and rearrange Javalina's room, he had a small sofa in front of the three windows in his room and it made it almost impossible to open them, and come the fall and cold fronts, that is primarily where the northern air comes in through the house. Any day I can turn off the A/C is a good day for me. I picked up so many candy wrappers and soda cans and corralled all his video games back together, vacuuming his room and the hallway upstairs. I did not stop from 5:00am yesterday until Wife showed up around 7:30pm other then a snack at noon. I also went around and replaced various burnt out lightbulbs and even rehung the smaller TV I hung in the breakfast nook, which had a flat against the wall TV stand, I replaced it with one that pivots sideways, so if you are on the kitchen island or even by the stove, you can still watch it.
"That's nice, but you didn't do any of the chores I wanted you to do." Umm, no. I did the chores I wanted to do. I even fixed up the kitchen, we had like 6-7 12 packs of soda just on a half wall, along now with a case of water and a case of Gatorade and a big box of bags of chips which I moved into the pantry by doing a lot of re-organizing and throwing away old things.
You just have to be a stronger man than normal around powerful women type. She has no on/off switch, she is always in work mode which I don't mind, but her energy needs to be focused on something because when she comes after you, it is at full strength. This is a big house and it takes a lot of energy to keep it up. I know she means well with her ideas of clean this and that, but I think what I do is also beneficial. We need to train those two brown turds that live here, for free, to vacuum and each of them keep one of the bathrooms clean. I think that would solve everything.
8/24/18 Gran Torino (Netflix)
The way I saw it, Gran Torino was a sad look at the life of a man who outlives his wife when they have been married too long. Walt is a proud and strong of character man who was probably softened in life by his wife, but she went and left him before he was done, so he must acclimate to life by himself. His two sons have a so-so relationship with him, he was probably hard on them, and now they have a hard time relating to him, in this generation of soft ass parents who are forced to be nothing like he is. The grandkids don't hep by being only interested in themselves, there is no way for a bond to be formed. The granddaughter tries, but again in a selfish manner, asking for his car, his most prized possession the Gran Torino, and while he is giving her that, throw in the old sofa, you know, for her dorm. Ole Walt is just disgusted by them, and the sons and wives feel it.
Enter the Hmong family next door, which of course old sour puss is not going to like people who look different, but he just keeps it bottled in, cursing under his breath. He is in his 70's, so there isn't much to do. He sticks to his routines, cuts his hair, hangs out at the VFW, drinks some beers on his porch. One night, the kid next door tries to steal his car and he almost shoots the kid in the process. Thao, the kid, doesn't really want the car, but his idiot gangbanger cousin is forcing him to steal it as an initiation to join the gang, which again, he doesn't want to but is being forced. The cousin and troublemakers come back for him the next day and he wants no part so they start fighting and causing a commotion right outside, this gets Walt's attention and he goes and breaks it up pointing his gun at the biggest guy in the group. The a-holes leave, but you know they aren't done.
By chance, the next scene, the sister, Sue is kind of walking on a date with a hipster doofus, and they run into three black thugs. They start separating the couple and harassing the girl, insinuating they might end up raping her. She has a smart mouth, so she is doing well enough keeping them at bay, but eventually guys like this will bully physically on a smaller person. Walt drives up and gives them a strong talking to, and while they continue talking shit, he points his gun at them, and they behave, all of a sudden.
This is the funny part, where no one has been able to break down Walt's walls, Sue comes over and starts calling him Wally and ignoring the insults, and although he insists other people address him as Mr. Kowalski, she dives right in to becoming his friend. She invites him over for a big dinner party on his birthday. He hesitates only briefly but admits he does love the smell of the food, considering he has been getting by on beef jerky. She is as hard nosed as he is, yelling at her brother in a very commanding tone when she is sent by her grandmother to offer Thao to him as a helper for attempting to steal his car. Walt doesn't like this, but soon has him working on the neighbor's houses, making his immediate vicinity nicer looking. In the meantime, Thao and Walt start becoming friends, which is something he couldn't seem to do with his kids.
I don't like giving the endings away, and this one was good, Walt does what he has to, to protect Thao and Sue, which he has grown very fond of and considers them friends. I think the Hmongs helped him release the demons he has been carrying since coming back from the Korean War, he helped Thao to become a man and get on with his life. Walt is ready for the afterlife, which you can see in many of the scenes he is seen coughing up blood and he just doesn't fit in with the changing times.
Enter the Hmong family next door, which of course old sour puss is not going to like people who look different, but he just keeps it bottled in, cursing under his breath. He is in his 70's, so there isn't much to do. He sticks to his routines, cuts his hair, hangs out at the VFW, drinks some beers on his porch. One night, the kid next door tries to steal his car and he almost shoots the kid in the process. Thao, the kid, doesn't really want the car, but his idiot gangbanger cousin is forcing him to steal it as an initiation to join the gang, which again, he doesn't want to but is being forced. The cousin and troublemakers come back for him the next day and he wants no part so they start fighting and causing a commotion right outside, this gets Walt's attention and he goes and breaks it up pointing his gun at the biggest guy in the group. The a-holes leave, but you know they aren't done.
By chance, the next scene, the sister, Sue is kind of walking on a date with a hipster doofus, and they run into three black thugs. They start separating the couple and harassing the girl, insinuating they might end up raping her. She has a smart mouth, so she is doing well enough keeping them at bay, but eventually guys like this will bully physically on a smaller person. Walt drives up and gives them a strong talking to, and while they continue talking shit, he points his gun at them, and they behave, all of a sudden.
This is the funny part, where no one has been able to break down Walt's walls, Sue comes over and starts calling him Wally and ignoring the insults, and although he insists other people address him as Mr. Kowalski, she dives right in to becoming his friend. She invites him over for a big dinner party on his birthday. He hesitates only briefly but admits he does love the smell of the food, considering he has been getting by on beef jerky. She is as hard nosed as he is, yelling at her brother in a very commanding tone when she is sent by her grandmother to offer Thao to him as a helper for attempting to steal his car. Walt doesn't like this, but soon has him working on the neighbor's houses, making his immediate vicinity nicer looking. In the meantime, Thao and Walt start becoming friends, which is something he couldn't seem to do with his kids.
I don't like giving the endings away, and this one was good, Walt does what he has to, to protect Thao and Sue, which he has grown very fond of and considers them friends. I think the Hmongs helped him release the demons he has been carrying since coming back from the Korean War, he helped Thao to become a man and get on with his life. Walt is ready for the afterlife, which you can see in many of the scenes he is seen coughing up blood and he just doesn't fit in with the changing times.
Thursday, August 23, 2018
8/23/18 The Last Few Days?
It has been an interesting week, with school starting up and personally because of my birthday. I had hoped Javalina would have gotten ahead a bit by lifting weights and he might still be ok with that once they put on pads and start bouncing against each other, but on his first day of practice, the big boy was not looking great. He came up to me after practice all hoarse, his voice barely audible, wanted to know if I had something cool for him to drink. I had been expecting this, Sunday we bought some cases of water and Gatorade.
The funniest part the way he told me, but I know it was actually probably scary to him was that he was telling me after he drank the Gatorade and cooled down a bit with the A/C how the field changed color on him, but he was tough, his words. Another kid had to go sit in the shade, but he never gave up. Tuesday and Wednesday were much better for him, when I picked him up, he didn't look half dead and he sounded like he enjoyed his practice and even his classes, he says he likes all of them this year, so far.
I was going to work on my birthday, but then Boy said he would grill for me, maybe some fajitas or steaks. I said that would be great, and then I thought it would be shitty of me to just show up after they went to bed to eat this by myself, so I decided I might as well hang out. His GF did come and bake me another German Chocolate Cake, which are just so great. Other than his GF, Girlie stopped by, she bought me a cute little cake from the Bundt Cake store, in Lemon flavor, it was very good, Her mom showed up too, which was nice and a surprise since we haven't hardly seen her since coming back from when they left the state. Eventually her brother and even her roommate stopped by too, which made the house seem not as quiet. We sat around the kitchen, had some drinks, and just chit chatted until the food was ready and we ate.
I went to bed by almost 11:00pm, very early for me. I woke up at 5:00am and decided that this was a good day to finally start some new habits. Instead of just getting up early and wasting time on the computer, I could get up and exercise, so I did. I put on some tennis shoes and walked a mile on the treadmill followed by a session of lifting weights. I managed all this before I woke up Javalina for school on Wednesday. Later, I walked a second mile, before coming to work on Wednesday afternoon.
The funniest part the way he told me, but I know it was actually probably scary to him was that he was telling me after he drank the Gatorade and cooled down a bit with the A/C how the field changed color on him, but he was tough, his words. Another kid had to go sit in the shade, but he never gave up. Tuesday and Wednesday were much better for him, when I picked him up, he didn't look half dead and he sounded like he enjoyed his practice and even his classes, he says he likes all of them this year, so far.
I was going to work on my birthday, but then Boy said he would grill for me, maybe some fajitas or steaks. I said that would be great, and then I thought it would be shitty of me to just show up after they went to bed to eat this by myself, so I decided I might as well hang out. His GF did come and bake me another German Chocolate Cake, which are just so great. Other than his GF, Girlie stopped by, she bought me a cute little cake from the Bundt Cake store, in Lemon flavor, it was very good, Her mom showed up too, which was nice and a surprise since we haven't hardly seen her since coming back from when they left the state. Eventually her brother and even her roommate stopped by too, which made the house seem not as quiet. We sat around the kitchen, had some drinks, and just chit chatted until the food was ready and we ate.
I went to bed by almost 11:00pm, very early for me. I woke up at 5:00am and decided that this was a good day to finally start some new habits. Instead of just getting up early and wasting time on the computer, I could get up and exercise, so I did. I put on some tennis shoes and walked a mile on the treadmill followed by a session of lifting weights. I managed all this before I woke up Javalina for school on Wednesday. Later, I walked a second mile, before coming to work on Wednesday afternoon.
Wednesday, August 22, 2018
8/22/18 Hardcore Henry? (Netflix)
This movie exists solely because of all the video games where the action is through the eyes of the player, first person shooters, I believe. It reminded me of a knock-off John Wick. There is very little dialogue, shit, the main actor doesn't have a voice box. It is almost unclear why they are trying to kill him or actually killed him initially. Whatever the reason, he is re-assembled and then the bad guy Akan shows up, killing the doctors/scientists like they have no value. It turns out they are in a plane, and they escape only to be on the run for most of the movie.
It can be a little dizzying with the 1st person perspective and that we only see through the eyes of Henry. Everywhere they go, Henry instantly attracts a crowd that is only interested in killing him. At every point it seems where he is about to be done in, Jimmy shows up and helps save him, he is a british fellow with a bit if a sense of humor. It is really confusing because in every scene, it seems like Jimmy is killed, yet he shows up again and again to help him, every time in a fully different costume/clothing.
I am not sure if they shot in Moscow to save on the high costs of Hollywood or to show a different world, but there were interesting scenes all around. Just the buildings look old, like they have stood for some time. This was all just in the background as the action was almost always going. I swear this movie said it was 1hr and 30 min, but it didn't seem to want to end.
There is a lot explained as the movie wraps up but not everything. Why is there a warlock with magical powers in an ordinary world? This kind of threw me off. It didn't make sense because no one else was working with magic powers. I don't really want to give any of the ending up but know that there are a lot of deaths, by every way imaginable.
I cannot say this is my kind of movie, but I can see it being successful with the gaming community. I did like the Jimmy character, even if I didn't understand why he was helping him. Just about everything gets sorted out in the end and Henry drives off to safety in a helicopter. Supposedly, after the credits, someone calls out to Henry, and I am guessing they left it open for a second part or as the kids like nowadays, a possible trilogy.
If you see it just as a fantastical movie with a sense of killing as sport, this movie will be a good one. If a little blood offends you, I would say this is not for you.
There is a lot explained as the movie wraps up but not everything. Why is there a warlock with magical powers in an ordinary world? This kind of threw me off. It didn't make sense because no one else was working with magic powers. I don't really want to give any of the ending up but know that there are a lot of deaths, by every way imaginable.
I cannot say this is my kind of movie, but I can see it being successful with the gaming community. I did like the Jimmy character, even if I didn't understand why he was helping him. Just about everything gets sorted out in the end and Henry drives off to safety in a helicopter. Supposedly, after the credits, someone calls out to Henry, and I am guessing they left it open for a second part or as the kids like nowadays, a possible trilogy.
If you see it just as a fantastical movie with a sense of killing as sport, this movie will be a good one. If a little blood offends you, I would say this is not for you.
Tuesday, August 21, 2018
8/21/18 47 And Counting?
I was just going to act like today is any other day, it is, for the most part. With Wife, my primary hoopla raiser and Javalina, also young and excitable both busy with work and school, I figured if anything, wait until the weekend to go out and eat somewhere nice. Surprise surprise, Boy said he was willing to grill fajitas or steaks in my honor, if I wanted it. That, and then the GF baking me one of her very delicious german chocolate cakes and I may as well stay home for my birthday.
I know that at a certain point, we don't care about being celebrated by everyone we know, but I do like at least our little family acknowledging and going to dinner, if not at the top notch Brazilian Steakhouse, at least somewhere decent. Wife is either a great joker saying going to watch The Meg last weekend was my birthday treat (even though I didn't even want to go, it ended up being ok), or she really sucks because it wasn't even Alamo Drafthouse where we could get some food. We got a tub of popcorn and shared a Coke. At least that's what she said this morning, then she conceded and said "fine, we'll go eat somewhere this weekend." She's funny if she expects to get past this without getting me a cake, and Boy's GF's cake isn't going to count for Wife's.
Anyways, I guess I am now 47, although I thought I was 47 most of the year last year. It seems like we are still out of control as ever, but we have a pretty good game plan going if things can hold up for another couple years. We are in the process of getting rid of our credit cards through a program, that is why I am still driving the Excursion and not acting like a yuppy that needs a new vehicle every other year. We should be done in less than two more years and then we should be great financially. Wife is working far away, but with this year, she will have three years under her belt as Director and that should make it a little easier for her to pursue other similar jobs in the area. There are always rumors and talk of our company going under. That would just ruin all my plans, but if it did happen, I might finally have the courage and sell the house and move to the coast.
Both Wife and I kind of like the idea of living around Corpus Christi, if there's too much crime, then one of the surrounding island areas. I am not sure I could live with sand in my ass crack 24/7, but there is a certain attraction I have (Wife says she digs it too) to the Gulf. It is probably because that is the only time we both truly relax and don't concern ourselves with work. I would like to at least wait for Javalina to finish college, figuring he is also going to one of the local colleges, to save money.
I need to get to sleep, but the day has me excited. It could turn out to be a dud, as some have been, but it could also be kind of cool. Either way, being home does beat going to work, at least on this occasion.
I know that at a certain point, we don't care about being celebrated by everyone we know, but I do like at least our little family acknowledging and going to dinner, if not at the top notch Brazilian Steakhouse, at least somewhere decent. Wife is either a great joker saying going to watch The Meg last weekend was my birthday treat (even though I didn't even want to go, it ended up being ok), or she really sucks because it wasn't even Alamo Drafthouse where we could get some food. We got a tub of popcorn and shared a Coke. At least that's what she said this morning, then she conceded and said "fine, we'll go eat somewhere this weekend." She's funny if she expects to get past this without getting me a cake, and Boy's GF's cake isn't going to count for Wife's.
Anyways, I guess I am now 47, although I thought I was 47 most of the year last year. It seems like we are still out of control as ever, but we have a pretty good game plan going if things can hold up for another couple years. We are in the process of getting rid of our credit cards through a program, that is why I am still driving the Excursion and not acting like a yuppy that needs a new vehicle every other year. We should be done in less than two more years and then we should be great financially. Wife is working far away, but with this year, she will have three years under her belt as Director and that should make it a little easier for her to pursue other similar jobs in the area. There are always rumors and talk of our company going under. That would just ruin all my plans, but if it did happen, I might finally have the courage and sell the house and move to the coast.
Both Wife and I kind of like the idea of living around Corpus Christi, if there's too much crime, then one of the surrounding island areas. I am not sure I could live with sand in my ass crack 24/7, but there is a certain attraction I have (Wife says she digs it too) to the Gulf. It is probably because that is the only time we both truly relax and don't concern ourselves with work. I would like to at least wait for Javalina to finish college, figuring he is also going to one of the local colleges, to save money.
I need to get to sleep, but the day has me excited. It could turn out to be a dud, as some have been, but it could also be kind of cool. Either way, being home does beat going to work, at least on this occasion.
Monday, August 20, 2018
8/20/18 Here We Go Again?
Yesterday was the last day of summer, and I say good riddance. This summer was basically shitty. We didn't go anywhere, Boy was sick with that stupid third world country disease, everyone in the medical field has decided to put their hands in our pockets trying to get that 1-2 nickels I keep for a rainy day. The only possible positive thing is that Javalina was lifting weights throughout the summer and I am hoping he starts football season with a slight advantage. I am hoping he won't have the two week recovery of being sore, since he already went through it, at least for his upper body.
Javalina starts today, Wife started last week (working a full week, she had been working only four days), and Boy starts next week. My job doesn't have starts and stops, so I just work non-stop like a freaking machine, it kind of sucks at times. He managed to flip himself last week to going to sleep earlier, during the summer we let them stay up as long as they want. Boy has had a weird internship. First, they put him in charge of ordering all the equipment one would need to outfit a working electronics lab, and now they said he is the lad manager, but is still getting paid at an internship scale. All I can say is he needs to finish up that degree, his boss told him he wants to pay him more, but he has to play the game and get degreed.
I feel good about Javalina, he is starting 8th grade, we got him a bunch of black polo shirts, a few more tan shorts, socks, underwear, two pairs of sneakers, he insisted on not cutting his hair, and on using the same backpack, now since almost the end of 6th grade. I am a little surprised he has stuck with the same backpack, but he is a little weird anyway. It was a higher quality bag, so it has held up well. I am looking forward to his football shenanigans, seems like he has been waiting a year to get back on the field. Not only is football awesome, but it almost goes with the fall weather, I want this heat to go away.
Boy might be in his last year, finally. At this point, he didn't ask for new school clothes, but over the summer we probably bought him a good 12 dress shirts and like four pairs of dress shoes, so he should be alright. He has already taken care of ordering all is school supplies online. through Amazon, so he is set for next week. He set up his schedule to go to school on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and then be free to work Tuesday and Thursday.
I am sure this will be another busy year for us, specially with Wife so far away from us. But before you know it, we'll be in the holidays, shoot, I start decorating the house in early September for Halloween and that just creates a snowball effect getting bigger until poof, it is all over come Jan 1. Good luck to all the kids starting out, make it a fun one.
Javalina starts today, Wife started last week (working a full week, she had been working only four days), and Boy starts next week. My job doesn't have starts and stops, so I just work non-stop like a freaking machine, it kind of sucks at times. He managed to flip himself last week to going to sleep earlier, during the summer we let them stay up as long as they want. Boy has had a weird internship. First, they put him in charge of ordering all the equipment one would need to outfit a working electronics lab, and now they said he is the lad manager, but is still getting paid at an internship scale. All I can say is he needs to finish up that degree, his boss told him he wants to pay him more, but he has to play the game and get degreed.
I feel good about Javalina, he is starting 8th grade, we got him a bunch of black polo shirts, a few more tan shorts, socks, underwear, two pairs of sneakers, he insisted on not cutting his hair, and on using the same backpack, now since almost the end of 6th grade. I am a little surprised he has stuck with the same backpack, but he is a little weird anyway. It was a higher quality bag, so it has held up well. I am looking forward to his football shenanigans, seems like he has been waiting a year to get back on the field. Not only is football awesome, but it almost goes with the fall weather, I want this heat to go away.
Boy might be in his last year, finally. At this point, he didn't ask for new school clothes, but over the summer we probably bought him a good 12 dress shirts and like four pairs of dress shoes, so he should be alright. He has already taken care of ordering all is school supplies online. through Amazon, so he is set for next week. He set up his schedule to go to school on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and then be free to work Tuesday and Thursday.
I am sure this will be another busy year for us, specially with Wife so far away from us. But before you know it, we'll be in the holidays, shoot, I start decorating the house in early September for Halloween and that just creates a snowball effect getting bigger until poof, it is all over come Jan 1. Good luck to all the kids starting out, make it a fun one.
Saturday, August 18, 2018
8/19/18 The Meg? (Movie)
I got dragged to this cheesy movie on Saturday night. Wife told me to take a nap after I had been up since 7:00am. From her mouth, we were going to go at 9:30pm, so she says sleep until 6:00pm. I woke up at 5:50pm, she was asleep too. I figured I'd stay in bed until she made a move, which she did. Suddenly at 7:15 she comes in and starts on about we are watching the movie at 8:00pm in Kyle at EVO. There was a lot of confusion whether Boy and his gal were going to join us, They got there with seconds to spare.
The movie was about as cheesy as it gets. There is an exploratory team and they have found that the deepest part of the ocean is actually deeper, as a cloud of something has acted as the floor, but it is able to be punched through. They go down there in a probe ship and of course, they are right. Almost immediately, the probe ship is attacked and within a few minutes after that, enter Jason Statham. This movie is equal parts shark week and a Jason Statham thriller. He looks good saving the world, I guess male heroes look good bald.
I get so annoyed when the eye candy tries to act like a hero, this Bingbing Li girl, lead marine biologist and lead pain in the ass, again and again jumps out as the wanna be hero, only to be saved by the Jason character, twice. The Meg refers to a megalodon, which is a super big shark, Wife or Javalina joked that it was a reject from the Jurassic World, maybe it had a big enough publicist to get its own movie.
The cast was likable enough, I liked Rainn Wilson as the douch-y billionaire investor, and some of the other familiar faces. The acting was very predictable and you could figure what was fixing to happen. For example, once they were on the surface, they wanted to stop the Meg from reaching the shore, so they attempted to kill it from a boat. The one big fat guy insists on standing on the back deck. I kept saying "he's going to fall!" Sure enough, next scene, he falls over and chomp, the shark gets him in one bite.
Rainn Wilson attempts to take care of it once and for all with some henchmen. They manage to kill a whale instead. Of course, we know who the hero has to be, but I won't give away the ending.
The movie did turn out to be fun with a whole lot of stupid. I would be bothered by the killings of so many of the crew, but it was so stupid and predictable that all one could do is say "really?" I don't like slashers and other movies where the kills stack up, but this was hard to take serious, it was too much of a B movie. The EVO theater was nice. We could have hung out and let the kids play video games or even sat and ate next door, they have a restaurant connected, so I wouldn't mind going back. The price of $8.50 per person was a lot nicer compared to tickets at Alamo Drafthouse at about $13.50.
The movie was about as cheesy as it gets. There is an exploratory team and they have found that the deepest part of the ocean is actually deeper, as a cloud of something has acted as the floor, but it is able to be punched through. They go down there in a probe ship and of course, they are right. Almost immediately, the probe ship is attacked and within a few minutes after that, enter Jason Statham. This movie is equal parts shark week and a Jason Statham thriller. He looks good saving the world, I guess male heroes look good bald.
I get so annoyed when the eye candy tries to act like a hero, this Bingbing Li girl, lead marine biologist and lead pain in the ass, again and again jumps out as the wanna be hero, only to be saved by the Jason character, twice. The Meg refers to a megalodon, which is a super big shark, Wife or Javalina joked that it was a reject from the Jurassic World, maybe it had a big enough publicist to get its own movie.
The cast was likable enough, I liked Rainn Wilson as the douch-y billionaire investor, and some of the other familiar faces. The acting was very predictable and you could figure what was fixing to happen. For example, once they were on the surface, they wanted to stop the Meg from reaching the shore, so they attempted to kill it from a boat. The one big fat guy insists on standing on the back deck. I kept saying "he's going to fall!" Sure enough, next scene, he falls over and chomp, the shark gets him in one bite.
Rainn Wilson attempts to take care of it once and for all with some henchmen. They manage to kill a whale instead. Of course, we know who the hero has to be, but I won't give away the ending.
The movie did turn out to be fun with a whole lot of stupid. I would be bothered by the killings of so many of the crew, but it was so stupid and predictable that all one could do is say "really?" I don't like slashers and other movies where the kills stack up, but this was hard to take serious, it was too much of a B movie. The EVO theater was nice. We could have hung out and let the kids play video games or even sat and ate next door, they have a restaurant connected, so I wouldn't mind going back. The price of $8.50 per person was a lot nicer compared to tickets at Alamo Drafthouse at about $13.50.
8/18/18 Melatoninin Pills Might Actually Work?
Monday morning was rough, with taking my boy to get his physical at 9:00am, then trying to come home and get some sleep to flip over for work that night. I ended up just staying up doing nothing after I got home (watching a little porn), but before I knew it, it was around noon, so my sleep was cut really short. This kind of sucks, but this is my life right now. I have to manage extra stuff thrown on me and then everyone expects me to just get enough sleep while the world is moving about. And after the shitty way they removed my night shift differential from 15% to 5%, I don't know that it is worth it anymore, but there are already three people on days plus our manager, who actually is involved and does a lot of the harder stuff.
Anyways, I went to work and it was just like I thought. I was drowsy at the start of the shift, but I managed, maybe dozing off once while washing bottles for my samples (I fucking hate this step, every little bottle needs to be filled and rinsed ten times, and repeat for the tops). I came home and took my now usual nap of 30-40 minutes and it totally helped for the second half of the night, plus I think I watched a movie and that helps, once all my stuff is prepped and I can just sit and run samples I can watch a movie or shows on Hulu/Netfix.
In the morning though, I usually stop and talk with my old coworker from imaging, we gossip and chat like two old hens, she gets the best stories out of me because she gives me cookies and other treats. I noticed I was getting drowsy and closing my eyes but I kept snapping to attention, but stil she was like "hey, yoo-hoo, are you ok?" I guess I closed my eyes but could still hear her faintly, which is what happens with Wife all the time. I swear I am still in the conversation but I am halfway to sleep. I shook it off as she yelled at me to wake and I promised her I would be fine, I just needed to crank the radio. I got home OK, and after my shower, I saw the old bottle of melatonin pills and I said f**k it, I need to do something different.
When I tried them six months ago, I had these vivid dreams which I saw so clearly, I wrote about them. It almost scared me, what if they had been scary dreams, yes I'm kind of a puss? This time though, I think the pill worked perfectly, maybe sitting in the bathroom for so long they aren't as potent. Usually, I feel like a puppy, I sleep for an hour or two, get up to pee, look out the windows, hoping it might rain, look through my phone for anything that I might need to respond to. Sometimes I even come out of the room, are the boys here, how come they are so quiet? I repeat this over and over until 4:00pm, when I usually try to get up. With the pill, I only woke at 11:45am to pee, there was no rumbling around, I went right back to sleep, and then Javalina woke me at 1:40 because the Fedex Guy needed me to sign some crap, thanks Boy. I forgot to set my alarm, since I didn't fidget with my phone in the morning, and I have a back-up alarm set at 5:00pm and that is when I finally woke. I didn't feel like my bladder was busting at the seam either at 1:40 or at 5:00, which I always feel, but that could be because I am constantly drinking sodas and tea. I woke up feeling brand new. Monday I only drank water as I was discussing starting a new diet with Wife which would start with cutting all those yummy sugars. That will be another benefit, but that means being up all night without caffeine. I know everyone I know thinks I am a fat fucker about to keel over, but you cut out coffee in the morning and see how you feel to start your day. Not attacking anyone, sorry, it's just everyone always has the answers for me, yet no one seems to remember I work opposite times as everyone else.
I love Javalina (even my parents still seem surprised that I work nights) telling me "why are you tired all the time, all you do is sleep?" He cannot register that I work more hours than his mom on my long weeks. I told him I was tired and I wanted to go lounge at the house yesterday at Target, he looks at me with a superior tone and says "huh, that is all you do, Big Man." I just ignore the goading, but maybe I'll try the pills twice next week.
Anyways, I went to work and it was just like I thought. I was drowsy at the start of the shift, but I managed, maybe dozing off once while washing bottles for my samples (I fucking hate this step, every little bottle needs to be filled and rinsed ten times, and repeat for the tops). I came home and took my now usual nap of 30-40 minutes and it totally helped for the second half of the night, plus I think I watched a movie and that helps, once all my stuff is prepped and I can just sit and run samples I can watch a movie or shows on Hulu/Netfix.
In the morning though, I usually stop and talk with my old coworker from imaging, we gossip and chat like two old hens, she gets the best stories out of me because she gives me cookies and other treats. I noticed I was getting drowsy and closing my eyes but I kept snapping to attention, but stil she was like "hey, yoo-hoo, are you ok?" I guess I closed my eyes but could still hear her faintly, which is what happens with Wife all the time. I swear I am still in the conversation but I am halfway to sleep. I shook it off as she yelled at me to wake and I promised her I would be fine, I just needed to crank the radio. I got home OK, and after my shower, I saw the old bottle of melatonin pills and I said f**k it, I need to do something different.
When I tried them six months ago, I had these vivid dreams which I saw so clearly, I wrote about them. It almost scared me, what if they had been scary dreams, yes I'm kind of a puss? This time though, I think the pill worked perfectly, maybe sitting in the bathroom for so long they aren't as potent. Usually, I feel like a puppy, I sleep for an hour or two, get up to pee, look out the windows, hoping it might rain, look through my phone for anything that I might need to respond to. Sometimes I even come out of the room, are the boys here, how come they are so quiet? I repeat this over and over until 4:00pm, when I usually try to get up. With the pill, I only woke at 11:45am to pee, there was no rumbling around, I went right back to sleep, and then Javalina woke me at 1:40 because the Fedex Guy needed me to sign some crap, thanks Boy. I forgot to set my alarm, since I didn't fidget with my phone in the morning, and I have a back-up alarm set at 5:00pm and that is when I finally woke. I didn't feel like my bladder was busting at the seam either at 1:40 or at 5:00, which I always feel, but that could be because I am constantly drinking sodas and tea. I woke up feeling brand new. Monday I only drank water as I was discussing starting a new diet with Wife which would start with cutting all those yummy sugars. That will be another benefit, but that means being up all night without caffeine. I know everyone I know thinks I am a fat fucker about to keel over, but you cut out coffee in the morning and see how you feel to start your day. Not attacking anyone, sorry, it's just everyone always has the answers for me, yet no one seems to remember I work opposite times as everyone else.
I love Javalina (even my parents still seem surprised that I work nights) telling me "why are you tired all the time, all you do is sleep?" He cannot register that I work more hours than his mom on my long weeks. I told him I was tired and I wanted to go lounge at the house yesterday at Target, he looks at me with a superior tone and says "huh, that is all you do, Big Man." I just ignore the goading, but maybe I'll try the pills twice next week.
Friday, August 17, 2018
8/17/18 Last Weekend Before School Starts For Javalina?
I am really surprised that Javalina listened to Wife and already flipped his schedule back to normal. He had been staying up until I got home in the morning and then going to sleep. I don't like this, but I would rather he sleep than pace around bored all morning/afternoon. About all he can do at night is play some video games and watch TV, his brother isn't going to let him run around the house. Every year it seems we have the same problem of him waiting until the final weekend and then he is surprised when he can't go to sleep at even 10:00pm. We prefer 9:00pm, but ever since Wife went to work out of town, he has kind of fought us and just stays up until 10:00pm. I always tell him, fine, but don't be a little bitch in the morning, get up when it's time. He not only gets up, he gets up to his own alarm and goes and showers. Boy still struggles to wake up on his own.
Speaking of Boy, I finally called the hospital about the $3100 charge for him being there like 6 hours, even though we also paid for the tests they did separately. The lady on the phone was kind enough to tell me that the actual bill was $12,000 for walking into the E/R. I gotta call bullshit on this. He sat on a bed, maybe they washed the sheets afterwards, why? To add insult to injury, the E/R doc sent his bill. Saw it in the mail late last night, which would have been another $1300 if not for insurance. Our end is still $397 and change. The lady at the E/R did say our end was down to $2100, which sounded almost palpable until I saw the doctor's bill.
Boy is now 24, do we continue buying him school clothes? At least it sounds like we have a graduation date nearby, but damn. We have been buying him nice dress shirts so he looks good for his internship, so if anything, we might buy him a couple pants. I don't want to think about going out of town after the last two weekends of running down south to see my family on my mom's accusations that I don't care. We do need to rest too, Wife is also back to working a full week, so she doesn't have the long weekends she was enjoying.
I wish we had the resources to take a last weekend trip, but at this point, it'll be nice to just hang out at the house, maybe BBQ. If it weren't so freaking hot, I might want to venture out to the lakes, but I know that is just asking for sunburn, but maybe.
Speaking of Boy, I finally called the hospital about the $3100 charge for him being there like 6 hours, even though we also paid for the tests they did separately. The lady on the phone was kind enough to tell me that the actual bill was $12,000 for walking into the E/R. I gotta call bullshit on this. He sat on a bed, maybe they washed the sheets afterwards, why? To add insult to injury, the E/R doc sent his bill. Saw it in the mail late last night, which would have been another $1300 if not for insurance. Our end is still $397 and change. The lady at the E/R did say our end was down to $2100, which sounded almost palpable until I saw the doctor's bill.
Boy is now 24, do we continue buying him school clothes? At least it sounds like we have a graduation date nearby, but damn. We have been buying him nice dress shirts so he looks good for his internship, so if anything, we might buy him a couple pants. I don't want to think about going out of town after the last two weekends of running down south to see my family on my mom's accusations that I don't care. We do need to rest too, Wife is also back to working a full week, so she doesn't have the long weekends she was enjoying.
I wish we had the resources to take a last weekend trip, but at this point, it'll be nice to just hang out at the house, maybe BBQ. If it weren't so freaking hot, I might want to venture out to the lakes, but I know that is just asking for sunburn, but maybe.
Thursday, August 16, 2018
8/16/18 On Winning And Losing...?
As the football season gets ready to start again, I worry a little about Javalina and his expectations. He wants to go out there and win every game. He takes the losses very personally, even though I explain to him that football is a team sport and no one player can be completely responsible for a team winning or losing. I think it is good to be on a mediocre team that experiences a few losses and a few wins. Winning makes you feel like you are on top of the world, and too many wins, such as young teams that have a few breakout players and manage to go undefeated. This can feed a monster in a bad way. If a kid has a little bit of an ego and then gets on a team that just wins for a while, that kid can start thinking he is better than he is.
I don't want to say I liked the losses but it did lead to better conversations about playing as a team. We discussed having to maybe work harder, learn the playbook better, to make sure you know what to do in every play, not just guess. When they would win, it was more of a woo-hoo, we kicked their asses because we're number 1. I don't like rhetoric like that. I want him to know exactly why they won, what they did right and what they could still improve.
As it is, they won 4 and lost 4 and maybe there was a tie. That seemed perfect to me. They got to taste the feel of victory but also the dignity of having to hold your head up high when things don't work out. That is what really matters to me that he learn from participating in sports. The idea of making it to the next level, as wonderful a dream that it is, is something that happens rarely. There are hundreds of schools in Texas alone (times 50 states) producing guys that play football, after this, there are only about 100 division I schools taking about 50-60 players each. You could mention division 2 and on down, but only a handful of those ever see the pros. After college, there are only 32 teams and each one takes like 5-6 new players a year, so it is very hard to say I play in Junior High because I want to play in the NFL.
I hope he learns good sportsmanship, maybe how to be a leader, to push himself past his comfort level, and that win or lose, it doesn't matter, if you gave it your all. Nobody can ask more of you than to go in and give it 100%. These are the things that make you successful in life. And if he makes it to the NFL, well then I get my airplane, as you bi-otches on FB say, I deserve it. :)
I don't want to say I liked the losses but it did lead to better conversations about playing as a team. We discussed having to maybe work harder, learn the playbook better, to make sure you know what to do in every play, not just guess. When they would win, it was more of a woo-hoo, we kicked their asses because we're number 1. I don't like rhetoric like that. I want him to know exactly why they won, what they did right and what they could still improve.
As it is, they won 4 and lost 4 and maybe there was a tie. That seemed perfect to me. They got to taste the feel of victory but also the dignity of having to hold your head up high when things don't work out. That is what really matters to me that he learn from participating in sports. The idea of making it to the next level, as wonderful a dream that it is, is something that happens rarely. There are hundreds of schools in Texas alone (times 50 states) producing guys that play football, after this, there are only about 100 division I schools taking about 50-60 players each. You could mention division 2 and on down, but only a handful of those ever see the pros. After college, there are only 32 teams and each one takes like 5-6 new players a year, so it is very hard to say I play in Junior High because I want to play in the NFL.
I hope he learns good sportsmanship, maybe how to be a leader, to push himself past his comfort level, and that win or lose, it doesn't matter, if you gave it your all. Nobody can ask more of you than to go in and give it 100%. These are the things that make you successful in life. And if he makes it to the NFL, well then I get my airplane, as you bi-otches on FB say, I deserve it. :)
Wednesday, August 15, 2018
8/15/18 The Package (Netflix)
This seems like another generic Netflix movie, but I am noticing something different. It is like these movies are all Independents. I love that they use totally different casts for nearly everything I watch. It kind of gets old to see the same faces on everything we normally watch. Wife can't seem to understand that, I get bored of some of the shows we watch year in and year out. They are not all great actors.
The movie was an idea we have seen before, it reminded me of the likes of Eurotrip and it went by extra fast, running a short 1.5 hours. Three best friends are going on a camping trip before one of them heads to Germany for their senior year of school. The parents force the sister on one of them, so now two girls are joining the guys. It should just be a silly overnight non-event, get a little drunk, maybe some of them even get laid, but one of the idiots has a butterfly knife and is messing around exactly like you're not supposed to and through the magic of happenstance, we get a sliced appendage and then the movie gets messy and really stupid. They managed to keep it funny, even if it is the one thing men would rather die than lose. Along the way, the other four people who have dated each other or had crushes on each other finally have the time and courage to act like adults and make their moves.
It is hard to just give up the plot to the movie as the laughs are in the scenarios they find themselves in one after the other. Sadly, no boobs are flashed in this one, but there is a ton of penis on screen.
I liked how the guys were totally loyal to each other and willing to go the extra mile for their friend in trouble. I don't think that I could do some of the stuff they did, to save the dangling participle. I got caught short on time on this one, so it will just have to be a short one.
The movie was an idea we have seen before, it reminded me of the likes of Eurotrip and it went by extra fast, running a short 1.5 hours. Three best friends are going on a camping trip before one of them heads to Germany for their senior year of school. The parents force the sister on one of them, so now two girls are joining the guys. It should just be a silly overnight non-event, get a little drunk, maybe some of them even get laid, but one of the idiots has a butterfly knife and is messing around exactly like you're not supposed to and through the magic of happenstance, we get a sliced appendage and then the movie gets messy and really stupid. They managed to keep it funny, even if it is the one thing men would rather die than lose. Along the way, the other four people who have dated each other or had crushes on each other finally have the time and courage to act like adults and make their moves.
It is hard to just give up the plot to the movie as the laughs are in the scenarios they find themselves in one after the other. Sadly, no boobs are flashed in this one, but there is a ton of penis on screen.
I liked how the guys were totally loyal to each other and willing to go the extra mile for their friend in trouble. I don't think that I could do some of the stuff they did, to save the dangling participle. I got caught short on time on this one, so it will just have to be a short one.
Tuesday, August 14, 2018
8/14/18 They Jingled His Jangles?
As boys, we all dread the physical. It releases us to be our most basic animal on the field, to go one on one and prove to ourselves what we are made of and answer the question "do we have the "heart" they talk about in all those movies that leave men crying?" But first someone in the medical field will check us like they are calling all cowboys to dinner with the ole triangle, clang clang clang. The last thing we want as goofy teenagers is some attractive nurse/doctor taking a gander at our manhood, is it better to have a man looking at them? This was the question I posed to Javalina this morning as we went and took care of the first hurdle to get him back on the field.
As most things, we almost waited until the last minute. Wife told me if I had a chance to take care of it, otherwise that is what we would be doing Saturday afternoon next weekend. I knew that meant take care of it, so it was just a matter of when. Even though I was up until about three last night, she said bye as she was leaving and I got up to walk her out. Ever since she started leaving Monday mornings, it has felt like more of a weekend together, but poor Wife, she does have to get up like at 4:30am to leave around 5:00am. I lost all my sleepiness, stayed up, wrote yesterday's blog, then looked at our bills, and just as I was about to go lay down, Javalina came down and I asked him if he wanted to take care of that BS, he moaned no, "so then when?" I snapped back. The boy is super lazy. He said fine and I sent him to take a shower. We went to CVS around 9:00am, there was no one in line, just like I was hoping. We got in within five minutes of arriving.
At first the visit was very relaxed, the PA has been there a few years and we might not be besties, but she is easy enough to talk to. I was telling her about typhus boy, she made a gross face and said "you get that by going to third world countries and drinking pee. I told her I am sure he hasn't been anywhere, I can't say about the pee. Then Javalina asked about getting naked and she just said "oh, for sure, I check everything." That about froze the big boy, never mind her telling us the little tank is up to 255lbs. She asked a hundred questions, looked in his ears, knocked on his back and then she got to the money shot. She said whenever you are ready, drop your shorts and underwear. He froze, didn't really want to, I just told him, look up at the ceiling and do it, you'll be done in a second. We both closed our eyes and it was done.
I know in the big scheme of life, it is nothing, but at that age, it seems awful invasive just to be allowed to play sports. I know why and all, I just felt for my boy, remembering when I was in his shoes. Oh well, on to the field and knock 'em on their asses!!
As most things, we almost waited until the last minute. Wife told me if I had a chance to take care of it, otherwise that is what we would be doing Saturday afternoon next weekend. I knew that meant take care of it, so it was just a matter of when. Even though I was up until about three last night, she said bye as she was leaving and I got up to walk her out. Ever since she started leaving Monday mornings, it has felt like more of a weekend together, but poor Wife, she does have to get up like at 4:30am to leave around 5:00am. I lost all my sleepiness, stayed up, wrote yesterday's blog, then looked at our bills, and just as I was about to go lay down, Javalina came down and I asked him if he wanted to take care of that BS, he moaned no, "so then when?" I snapped back. The boy is super lazy. He said fine and I sent him to take a shower. We went to CVS around 9:00am, there was no one in line, just like I was hoping. We got in within five minutes of arriving.
At first the visit was very relaxed, the PA has been there a few years and we might not be besties, but she is easy enough to talk to. I was telling her about typhus boy, she made a gross face and said "you get that by going to third world countries and drinking pee. I told her I am sure he hasn't been anywhere, I can't say about the pee. Then Javalina asked about getting naked and she just said "oh, for sure, I check everything." That about froze the big boy, never mind her telling us the little tank is up to 255lbs. She asked a hundred questions, looked in his ears, knocked on his back and then she got to the money shot. She said whenever you are ready, drop your shorts and underwear. He froze, didn't really want to, I just told him, look up at the ceiling and do it, you'll be done in a second. We both closed our eyes and it was done.
I know in the big scheme of life, it is nothing, but at that age, it seems awful invasive just to be allowed to play sports. I know why and all, I just felt for my boy, remembering when I was in his shoes. Oh well, on to the field and knock 'em on their asses!!
Monday, August 13, 2018
8/13/18 Something Does Not Add Up In Medical Field?
I am not sure who is responsible, but someone broke the way the medical field is supposed to work. I would never blame the doctors themselves, I know they don't give a shit about the politics behind how it works. They are pushed past anyone's normal breaking point, learning to function on two or three hours sleep, pretty much exist for the work they do, and for that they should be paid handsomely by us goobers who might, in some instances even die without their expertise. But I think there are too many hands in the cookie jar trying to get fat off their services.
Last year, when I was going through my leg cut, luckily, I did not need medicines, well initially I was given a couple of antibiotic sessions just in case, and I understand that part. You go pay the drugstore a co-payment based on your insurance. That part makes sense. I also had to pay the doctor himself a co-payment, which because he was a "specialist" in wound care meant I had to pay the $50 charge instead of the $25 charge every time. It sucked because initially I was going twice a week, the receptionist was very nice telling me not to worry about it, they would bill me. Well, two visits a week times four a month and there was an easy $400 a month out of my pocket, apart from what they were taking from the insurance. That was still ok, the weird bill started coming later, from the St. David's facility, I guess for enjoying their parking and A/C, they were sending me a separate bill in the order of about three hundred or more a month. This one, I never understood. All I got from the visits were a little gauze and ten-fifteen minutes of attention from one of the nurses, but what can you do.
Fast forward to Boy's Typhus episode. We went to the minute clinic, luckily it was closed, so that saved me at least fifty bucks. We then headed to the Austin Regional Clinic, ARC, and the doctor looked at him, tapped him on the back, concluded it might be meningitis which is serious enough to go directly to emergency room after hearing all his ailments. I kind of had to say I agreed with what the doctor said and it did scare me, so off we went. At the emergency room, a different doctor said we might as well look for tumors in the brain, to rule out they aren't causing the headaches. His fever was on again, off again, so there wasn't much else to go on why he kept getting headaches. I was 100% sure this was all from him staying up until 2-3am every night playing video games then getting up to go to work by 7am. The night in the emergency room yielded nothing. There was the cat scan for tumors and there was a meningitis test, which left his back sore and stiff for a whole extra week. I understand we used the facilities for one night, but they didn't discover anything new, we were still left wondering but that was enough for us to get a $3168.91 payment from the hospital? I thought it was for the two procedures, but we then got a decent bill of like $49 for the meningitis test and a $75 charge for the cat scan test, and even another $48 charge from a lab looking at the blood work. Did the hospital then charge us $3168.91 for the sheets and bed he laid on for 6-8 hours?
Wife took him back to the ARC and a different, older doctor saw him and recognized the symptoms, he had seen it one other time, and gave him the start of the proper antibiotics. It still took him like two weeks and a few checks on his liver before he got back to 100%. For this, they (ARC) is charging us $700-$900, I don't know exactly as we have sent a couple payments as they come in. I don't mind paying these guys this amount, they actually figured out a problem and fixed it. How about the emergency room which didn't do much, honestly, but is charging almost 4 times what the guys who did the fixing? Are they due $3168.91 plus all the separate tests? I've paid all the small bills, and this week I intend to pay most of the ARC bill, but as far as the E/R, I am having trouble swallowing that one. I will pay it as I paid all my leg visit charges, but dammit, there is some raping of charges going on here.
Maybe Wife's insurance is just being slow and hasn't taken their cut, the bill doesn't show any hint of subtractions from insurance sources, so it may not be that bad, just others in the "medical's paper field" dragging their asses. We moved the boys to Wife's shittier but cheaper insurance because they had been like Tonka trucks, Boy especially never gets sick, but now he is exposed again, he is back on the dating scene, which is good but ughhh. Why does everything end up costing me money?
Last year, when I was going through my leg cut, luckily, I did not need medicines, well initially I was given a couple of antibiotic sessions just in case, and I understand that part. You go pay the drugstore a co-payment based on your insurance. That part makes sense. I also had to pay the doctor himself a co-payment, which because he was a "specialist" in wound care meant I had to pay the $50 charge instead of the $25 charge every time. It sucked because initially I was going twice a week, the receptionist was very nice telling me not to worry about it, they would bill me. Well, two visits a week times four a month and there was an easy $400 a month out of my pocket, apart from what they were taking from the insurance. That was still ok, the weird bill started coming later, from the St. David's facility, I guess for enjoying their parking and A/C, they were sending me a separate bill in the order of about three hundred or more a month. This one, I never understood. All I got from the visits were a little gauze and ten-fifteen minutes of attention from one of the nurses, but what can you do.
Fast forward to Boy's Typhus episode. We went to the minute clinic, luckily it was closed, so that saved me at least fifty bucks. We then headed to the Austin Regional Clinic, ARC, and the doctor looked at him, tapped him on the back, concluded it might be meningitis which is serious enough to go directly to emergency room after hearing all his ailments. I kind of had to say I agreed with what the doctor said and it did scare me, so off we went. At the emergency room, a different doctor said we might as well look for tumors in the brain, to rule out they aren't causing the headaches. His fever was on again, off again, so there wasn't much else to go on why he kept getting headaches. I was 100% sure this was all from him staying up until 2-3am every night playing video games then getting up to go to work by 7am. The night in the emergency room yielded nothing. There was the cat scan for tumors and there was a meningitis test, which left his back sore and stiff for a whole extra week. I understand we used the facilities for one night, but they didn't discover anything new, we were still left wondering but that was enough for us to get a $3168.91 payment from the hospital? I thought it was for the two procedures, but we then got a decent bill of like $49 for the meningitis test and a $75 charge for the cat scan test, and even another $48 charge from a lab looking at the blood work. Did the hospital then charge us $3168.91 for the sheets and bed he laid on for 6-8 hours?
Wife took him back to the ARC and a different, older doctor saw him and recognized the symptoms, he had seen it one other time, and gave him the start of the proper antibiotics. It still took him like two weeks and a few checks on his liver before he got back to 100%. For this, they (ARC) is charging us $700-$900, I don't know exactly as we have sent a couple payments as they come in. I don't mind paying these guys this amount, they actually figured out a problem and fixed it. How about the emergency room which didn't do much, honestly, but is charging almost 4 times what the guys who did the fixing? Are they due $3168.91 plus all the separate tests? I've paid all the small bills, and this week I intend to pay most of the ARC bill, but as far as the E/R, I am having trouble swallowing that one. I will pay it as I paid all my leg visit charges, but dammit, there is some raping of charges going on here.
Maybe Wife's insurance is just being slow and hasn't taken their cut, the bill doesn't show any hint of subtractions from insurance sources, so it may not be that bad, just others in the "medical's paper field" dragging their asses. We moved the boys to Wife's shittier but cheaper insurance because they had been like Tonka trucks, Boy especially never gets sick, but now he is exposed again, he is back on the dating scene, which is good but ughhh. Why does everything end up costing me money?
Saturday, August 11, 2018
8/12/18 Long Freaking Drive?
We don't get to travel as much as I would like, but when we do a real long drive I always remember Krull before we get going. Krull was a dorky sci-fi movie from around 1983 which I personally really liked. It is about aliens landing on a planet in a mountainous fort that disappears daily and sets up in a random part of the world. This is supposed to be its best way to protect itself from attack. Anyways, the good guys first off capture a herd of magical Clydesdales and then get help from a seer who tells them where the castle will appear the next day.
I relate to this in my head because I know that to get somewhere in time will require running at full speed chasing the sun around the world. I look at Wife and say "Today, we run for humanity, for life, for the right to exist!" She just rolls her eyes at me saying "yeah Gordito, you're just going to sleep in the car, but whatever..."
My dad had a procedure in Laredo at the area hospital. I won't get into specifics but the week leading up to today felt like Alanis Morissette's Ironic song. He essentially won the "lottery" two weeks ago, becoming 100% disabled as a veteran. All his benefits improved. He can park inside the mall now, if he wants, he gets a free fishing license and is guaranteed three fish on the hook every time he goes fishing, and he gets more money. On the ironic side, he was told he might have two serious life threatening issues that needed to be dealt with now.
Today was the first hurdle, and as scary as things could be last night, my mom saying he was very nervous, add to that the storms that passed kept them up longer than normal, but luckily, everything that could have been bad today turned out good. My Dad has about as clean a bill of health as a 70 year old man that smokes two packs a day can expect. The last time I got too specific about my family's matters, they all hissed and booed at me, so I will stay generic.
We got there around 10:20am, Dad got out around 10:40am, and we finally got to go see him in his recovery room around 11:00am. We all celebrated the good news with him and we could see that he was happy to be surrounded by all his kids, three of his five grandkids, Wife and three of my mom's siblings. Because of his procedure, he could not sit up, but that was not that big a deal. He had to stay flat for six hours. My mom pretty much sent us on our way after 12:30pm. My dad looked like he needed to take a nap.
Coming back was pretty fast, we stopped at Schlitterbahn to drop off Boy with his friends and then we ate at Wings and Rings in New Braunfels. We made it home by around 6:30pm and I promptly took a nap until about 10:00pm. Wife woke me to eat, but I only managed to eat a slice of German chocolate Cake which Boy's girlfriend made the night before. The day came and went as all days do, but I am glad we made the drive, specifically, I am glad Wife has the energy to stay in the driver's seat for so long.
I relate to this in my head because I know that to get somewhere in time will require running at full speed chasing the sun around the world. I look at Wife and say "Today, we run for humanity, for life, for the right to exist!" She just rolls her eyes at me saying "yeah Gordito, you're just going to sleep in the car, but whatever..."
My dad had a procedure in Laredo at the area hospital. I won't get into specifics but the week leading up to today felt like Alanis Morissette's Ironic song. He essentially won the "lottery" two weeks ago, becoming 100% disabled as a veteran. All his benefits improved. He can park inside the mall now, if he wants, he gets a free fishing license and is guaranteed three fish on the hook every time he goes fishing, and he gets more money. On the ironic side, he was told he might have two serious life threatening issues that needed to be dealt with now.
Today was the first hurdle, and as scary as things could be last night, my mom saying he was very nervous, add to that the storms that passed kept them up longer than normal, but luckily, everything that could have been bad today turned out good. My Dad has about as clean a bill of health as a 70 year old man that smokes two packs a day can expect. The last time I got too specific about my family's matters, they all hissed and booed at me, so I will stay generic.
We got there around 10:20am, Dad got out around 10:40am, and we finally got to go see him in his recovery room around 11:00am. We all celebrated the good news with him and we could see that he was happy to be surrounded by all his kids, three of his five grandkids, Wife and three of my mom's siblings. Because of his procedure, he could not sit up, but that was not that big a deal. He had to stay flat for six hours. My mom pretty much sent us on our way after 12:30pm. My dad looked like he needed to take a nap.
Coming back was pretty fast, we stopped at Schlitterbahn to drop off Boy with his friends and then we ate at Wings and Rings in New Braunfels. We made it home by around 6:30pm and I promptly took a nap until about 10:00pm. Wife woke me to eat, but I only managed to eat a slice of German chocolate Cake which Boy's girlfriend made the night before. The day came and went as all days do, but I am glad we made the drive, specifically, I am glad Wife has the energy to stay in the driver's seat for so long.
Friday, August 10, 2018
8/11/18 Friday Was Nice?
I love a day that just flows. I got up at 7:30am, wrote my blog for the day, then went back to bed and woke up Wife. I was still all into the Calle13 music and woke Wife to play her a couple of tear jerkers. She then started up like the clapping monkey with the cymbals talking about her work after I played her Los Idiotas and suggested we both have the same type of people in our midst. I wanted her to get up so we could go look at some boats I've been looking at online, so I threatened her with "get up and shower or I'm just going to fall asleep and not do anything all day. This got her up and moving. I probably slept for an hour while she got ready, but I still woke up and caught up with her and we were oabut the door.
We headed to the Ski Dock, a boat store up north, by Lakeline Mall. I talked to one of the salesmen and he gave us a tour of one of the boats I had fallen in love with. First off, the boat is in the low $30k range, it measures less than 20 feet, so it will fit in our garage, it uses a jet drive, so there is no danger of a propeller, it is a center console, so it is driven standing, or at least leaning against the lean to bench. He said sales had been brisk, even though the website showed 4-5 different boats in all sorts of lengths and options. We looked at a couple jetskis, but as much as I like the idea of them, it would not allow my folks to join us or even other friends. We aren't buying a boat any time soon, I just wanted to get a feel for this one, since it is exactly what I've liked since I saw them in my boat magazines.
After this, we headed back through 620 which drives right on front of the Lake Travis dam. I always like looking at the water, then we stopped and ate chicken in Lakeway. After this, we headed back home around through 71 and the Y. Wife was talking on the phone with a coworker and we almost missed our direction change, but luckily she hung up just in time. I figured it was still early as Wife had mentioned it was tax free weekend, so we might as well go look at the shoes for Javalina. He is such a hard boy to shop for because he always argues and pushes back. We looked at Finish Line and found nothing, but then at Foot Locker they had some Jordans just like I had bought when I was in my junior college days. Even my brother said he had that pair. We got lucky, the last pair fit Javalina perfectly, I added some socks, and now he is about ready for school.
We stopped at Dillard's, I got some shirts, he got some shorts, and Boy got a couple of pairs of shoes and shirts. We ate Taco Bell on the way home and before you know it, I am sitting here at midnight writing this blog for tomorrow. We will be going out of town tomorrow, so I wanted to get this out of the way. Wife has already been asleep for an hour and change. I need to join her, so I don't feel so cranky in the morning. Goodnight Peeps.
We headed to the Ski Dock, a boat store up north, by Lakeline Mall. I talked to one of the salesmen and he gave us a tour of one of the boats I had fallen in love with. First off, the boat is in the low $30k range, it measures less than 20 feet, so it will fit in our garage, it uses a jet drive, so there is no danger of a propeller, it is a center console, so it is driven standing, or at least leaning against the lean to bench. He said sales had been brisk, even though the website showed 4-5 different boats in all sorts of lengths and options. We looked at a couple jetskis, but as much as I like the idea of them, it would not allow my folks to join us or even other friends. We aren't buying a boat any time soon, I just wanted to get a feel for this one, since it is exactly what I've liked since I saw them in my boat magazines.
After this, we headed back through 620 which drives right on front of the Lake Travis dam. I always like looking at the water, then we stopped and ate chicken in Lakeway. After this, we headed back home around through 71 and the Y. Wife was talking on the phone with a coworker and we almost missed our direction change, but luckily she hung up just in time. I figured it was still early as Wife had mentioned it was tax free weekend, so we might as well go look at the shoes for Javalina. He is such a hard boy to shop for because he always argues and pushes back. We looked at Finish Line and found nothing, but then at Foot Locker they had some Jordans just like I had bought when I was in my junior college days. Even my brother said he had that pair. We got lucky, the last pair fit Javalina perfectly, I added some socks, and now he is about ready for school.
We stopped at Dillard's, I got some shirts, he got some shorts, and Boy got a couple of pairs of shoes and shirts. We ate Taco Bell on the way home and before you know it, I am sitting here at midnight writing this blog for tomorrow. We will be going out of town tomorrow, so I wanted to get this out of the way. Wife has already been asleep for an hour and change. I need to join her, so I don't feel so cranky in the morning. Goodnight Peeps.
8/10/18 From Reggaeton to Nobel Peace Prize Winner?
I know most people find reggaeton music annoying and it seems to actually be gone from the mainstream, but when it came out it was quite interesting to me. Hearing ignorant idiots talk about how bad ass they are does nothing for me, but then came Calle13 and they were different. They were clever enough to be satirical, never taking themselves too seriously. Rene, Residente, always comes out in his videos as the hero who takes a beating, which tells me he would rather entertain than show you how huge his ego is. His stepbrother Eduardo, Visitante, is the other half of the group, and then their stepsister Ileana, PG-13, joined and contributing backing vocals. Their parents were married for a while, but after they separated Rene stayed with his father and he lived in a gated community. To enter, they had to go through a guard who labeled them residente or visitante, this being in Puerto Rico. Rene lived there and called himself residente to be allowed in, his brother was always visitante and since the community was on Calle13, that is where all the various names came from.
Their first hit was Querido FBI, which attacked the FBI for the actions taken against a Filiberto Ojeda Rios, who was a leader in a liberation party for Puerto Rico. This song gave the band instant local fame and started their career in a path that would swing from silly to political many times. I personally prefer the silly songs, but their use of so many different instruments and musical styles, they seem to be able to absorb the sounds of any new place they visit and incorporate it into their own sound, Visitante, especially, is drawn to weird instruments and you can see him playing them in the background of most videos. My favorite moment of listening to this band happened in the summer of 2006, I believe. We had bought a convertible PT Cruiser and we were cruising on one of those perfect afternoons/evenings when the weather is just right to have the top down, blasting the CD with Chulin Culin Chunfly with a very strong beat and I look back and even my baby Javalina is headbanging to the beat in his babyseat. I managed to buy three of their CD's and now it seems impossible to buy CD's anymore, so it got harder to keep up with music. I don't like the idea of buying a song straight to my phone, what happens when I change/lose the phone?
Anyways, they kept getting more political, coming out with Pa'l Norte, which would make me tear up the first few times I saw it. It shows random people taking the trek up from Mexico and beyond headed to the US. On the one hand, I know they are illegal and they shouldn't, but on the other, I know that there aren't many opportunities where they are at to risk their lives to come here and work our shitty jobs. The video has some tearful moments, because they don't all make it, some just hold on to a jug of water and hope to the Virgen de le Guadalupe for the best. Recently, I heard Preparame La Cena and it is even more dire and tear worthy. It shows three different pairs trying to escape their situation through various ways. The first a lady and her young kid ride in the back of a truck, assuming to make it to the US, but along the way there are creepy men staring at the young girl in the back of that truck. That is not even the worst of it, a couple of very young boys are shown getting up before the crack of dawn for a job opportunity, which as the video shows is more of a slave encampment. Maybe they aren't slaves, but they show the boys turn to old men in fast instances when they stop working to drink from gallon jugs, like their whole lives were wasted digging in those mines. Lastly, there are a couple of girls in a nicer community who see an ad looking for models. They willingly jump into a van and are taken to a life of prostitution, disappearing from their lives.
I still can't see this video without crying. We are lucky to live where we do, we are comfortable and luckily our biggest decisions have been do we stay in the small house where we don't fit because of all the crap we buy or do we move to a bigger house so Mijo can have a 60inch TV in his room? People all over South America seem to be on that edge of being so poor, they must risk their lives constantly to try and find something better. Calle13 has mastered bringing attention to this and has become such a proponent for the people suffering, that in 2015 he was granted the Nobel Peace Summit Award, which has also been won by the likes of Bono, Cat Stevens, Sean Penn, Peter Gabriel, to name a few. I find this amazing, but not surprising. This band has always sang with purpose and I am glad for their success.
Their first hit was Querido FBI, which attacked the FBI for the actions taken against a Filiberto Ojeda Rios, who was a leader in a liberation party for Puerto Rico. This song gave the band instant local fame and started their career in a path that would swing from silly to political many times. I personally prefer the silly songs, but their use of so many different instruments and musical styles, they seem to be able to absorb the sounds of any new place they visit and incorporate it into their own sound, Visitante, especially, is drawn to weird instruments and you can see him playing them in the background of most videos. My favorite moment of listening to this band happened in the summer of 2006, I believe. We had bought a convertible PT Cruiser and we were cruising on one of those perfect afternoons/evenings when the weather is just right to have the top down, blasting the CD with Chulin Culin Chunfly with a very strong beat and I look back and even my baby Javalina is headbanging to the beat in his babyseat. I managed to buy three of their CD's and now it seems impossible to buy CD's anymore, so it got harder to keep up with music. I don't like the idea of buying a song straight to my phone, what happens when I change/lose the phone?
Anyways, they kept getting more political, coming out with Pa'l Norte, which would make me tear up the first few times I saw it. It shows random people taking the trek up from Mexico and beyond headed to the US. On the one hand, I know they are illegal and they shouldn't, but on the other, I know that there aren't many opportunities where they are at to risk their lives to come here and work our shitty jobs. The video has some tearful moments, because they don't all make it, some just hold on to a jug of water and hope to the Virgen de le Guadalupe for the best. Recently, I heard Preparame La Cena and it is even more dire and tear worthy. It shows three different pairs trying to escape their situation through various ways. The first a lady and her young kid ride in the back of a truck, assuming to make it to the US, but along the way there are creepy men staring at the young girl in the back of that truck. That is not even the worst of it, a couple of very young boys are shown getting up before the crack of dawn for a job opportunity, which as the video shows is more of a slave encampment. Maybe they aren't slaves, but they show the boys turn to old men in fast instances when they stop working to drink from gallon jugs, like their whole lives were wasted digging in those mines. Lastly, there are a couple of girls in a nicer community who see an ad looking for models. They willingly jump into a van and are taken to a life of prostitution, disappearing from their lives.
I still can't see this video without crying. We are lucky to live where we do, we are comfortable and luckily our biggest decisions have been do we stay in the small house where we don't fit because of all the crap we buy or do we move to a bigger house so Mijo can have a 60inch TV in his room? People all over South America seem to be on that edge of being so poor, they must risk their lives constantly to try and find something better. Calle13 has mastered bringing attention to this and has become such a proponent for the people suffering, that in 2015 he was granted the Nobel Peace Summit Award, which has also been won by the likes of Bono, Cat Stevens, Sean Penn, Peter Gabriel, to name a few. I find this amazing, but not surprising. This band has always sang with purpose and I am glad for their success.
Thursday, August 9, 2018
8/9/18 Registering Javalina For 8th Grade?
First off, may a bee sting you in the culi, oh Wife of mine. "This will only take 5 minutes." Javalina had band camp today and although I could have waited for tomorrow to do it, I decided to do all my annoying tasks and be done with them before my weekend starts in the morning. The boy got out at 5:00pm, I got frustrated just in the driving, it was so freaking hot, the A/C in the Excursion was not getting it done.
As George Carlin said so eloquently, "think of how stupid the average person is and then realize half the population is stupider than that." Man, it doesn't seem so, but then you leave the house in the middle of the day and attend something like this and wow. It just so happens I was in line in front of this special boy, maybe he had been home schooled and was now entering the real world for the first time, or maybe he was really a slow kid, sorry if you are. The "father" was patiently standing in line while the mom and the kid both seemed to be suffering from worms or something. They didn't seem able to stand still, opting to walk off and only showing up a minute before they were needed to sign off whatever in their packet. The kid actually asked his mommy if they could play hide and seek there in the school. When she said no, he said something like "you're acting like a potato."
Javalina said this was normal, but when we got to the section where the kids get their IDs, one of the secretaries or whatever, got up to shake the little weirdo's hand, of course, he wasn't trying to make eye contact, but that wasn't slowing her down as she about laid on the floor for her eyes to be in his field of view. This kid is a fucking dud, I expected her to roll out the band, maybe stand up and clap for the mighty Javalina who represents them in band, football, the Einstein program. As Mr. White Man would say "this is one of the good ones...", instead, he got a "oh, hello Alex." Boo, I say freaking Boo! Bi-otch, you standing up for the halfway retarded slow white kid who doesn't know what a comb is, do a headstand or light some fireworks for my freaking son, or cut the shit out, you looking a tad racist, to me.
My son said I was playing it out of proportion, and maybe it was just the heat in there, but better to call someone racist just in case than to let them slide and find out later and hate myself for it. I am mostly joking on this, but for freaking Christ's sake, you know you're doing this until 7:00pm, run the fucking A/C, it is 103 degrees outside. I asked a lady wearing a sweater (why not?) if they had control over the A/C and she says I am a little hot, and she grabbed at her sweater and closed it, like to shield her breasts from my gaze, I was not even trying to stare, it was too hot to do anything but stand there in misery. She went and asked someone with power and came back saying no and sorry. It is not surprising, I remember the spring concert, with a packed gym, the doors closed and it was probably hotter in the gym than outside, this events are not surprises, you could set it up to have the A/C running, if you cared about the people showing up.
As George Carlin said so eloquently, "think of how stupid the average person is and then realize half the population is stupider than that." Man, it doesn't seem so, but then you leave the house in the middle of the day and attend something like this and wow. It just so happens I was in line in front of this special boy, maybe he had been home schooled and was now entering the real world for the first time, or maybe he was really a slow kid, sorry if you are. The "father" was patiently standing in line while the mom and the kid both seemed to be suffering from worms or something. They didn't seem able to stand still, opting to walk off and only showing up a minute before they were needed to sign off whatever in their packet. The kid actually asked his mommy if they could play hide and seek there in the school. When she said no, he said something like "you're acting like a potato."
Javalina said this was normal, but when we got to the section where the kids get their IDs, one of the secretaries or whatever, got up to shake the little weirdo's hand, of course, he wasn't trying to make eye contact, but that wasn't slowing her down as she about laid on the floor for her eyes to be in his field of view. This kid is a fucking dud, I expected her to roll out the band, maybe stand up and clap for the mighty Javalina who represents them in band, football, the Einstein program. As Mr. White Man would say "this is one of the good ones...", instead, he got a "oh, hello Alex." Boo, I say freaking Boo! Bi-otch, you standing up for the halfway retarded slow white kid who doesn't know what a comb is, do a headstand or light some fireworks for my freaking son, or cut the shit out, you looking a tad racist, to me.
My son said I was playing it out of proportion, and maybe it was just the heat in there, but better to call someone racist just in case than to let them slide and find out later and hate myself for it. I am mostly joking on this, but for freaking Christ's sake, you know you're doing this until 7:00pm, run the fucking A/C, it is 103 degrees outside. I asked a lady wearing a sweater (why not?) if they had control over the A/C and she says I am a little hot, and she grabbed at her sweater and closed it, like to shield her breasts from my gaze, I was not even trying to stare, it was too hot to do anything but stand there in misery. She went and asked someone with power and came back saying no and sorry. It is not surprising, I remember the spring concert, with a packed gym, the doors closed and it was probably hotter in the gym than outside, this events are not surprises, you could set it up to have the A/C running, if you cared about the people showing up.
Wednesday, August 8, 2018
8/8/18 Band Does Not Mess Around?
Javalina is going to 8th grade and is still doing both band and football, which he can. This week, they are having band camp which has been a fight to the death every day. He does not like leaving the house in the middle of the day to go to school for a couple hours. It has been rough for me to get up when I should still be asleep, but I think it is worth it, if for nothing else, to get him out of the house and interacting with his peers. He already made some sort of deal with Wife that if he goes all week, he will get a break on Friday and stay home. Right now I am saying OK to shut him up, but we will see how things are going on Friday.
He is not the only one going strong in the band. Our niece who is going up to high school this year, is a freshman and is having technically "three a days". This sounds rough, rehearsals at 8:00-11:00am, lunch break, more rehearsals from 1:00-4:00pm, and then marching practice from 6:00-9:00pm. I thought this sounded like a lot, but Mom reminded me that I lived for this. I spent more time in the band hall than at home, when I could. This time of year was great, although I was a saxophone player, during marching season, I was switched over to the drumline and then I played the tri toms which was really freaking awesome, I loved it. There was a camaraderie with the drummers and it was almost an annoying itch to be constantly hitting the drums throughout a football game, keeping beat during practices, keeping beat during marches in parades. It really felt like a non-stop party, I still miss all the hoopla, but I just let it go.
I know this is not the same as football practice where there is contact and people would get hurt and not even in games. But being in band took a lot out of a person. It is a huge obligation that cannot be taken lightly. Last year, Javalina got the chance to go with the Akins High School Band and Wife and I went and sat in the bleachers behind him. I wrote about the game and how disappointed I was in the parents who don't show up, but the band was in full swing. We could see our boy mixing it up and playing and having fun in the stands with other kids. To me, that is what high school is all about, being a part of the machine. Find your niche and enjoy everything because it only lasts a little while. I have no regrets about how I passed my time in high school and I hope my boys can say the same thing when they are my age.
He is not the only one going strong in the band. Our niece who is going up to high school this year, is a freshman and is having technically "three a days". This sounds rough, rehearsals at 8:00-11:00am, lunch break, more rehearsals from 1:00-4:00pm, and then marching practice from 6:00-9:00pm. I thought this sounded like a lot, but Mom reminded me that I lived for this. I spent more time in the band hall than at home, when I could. This time of year was great, although I was a saxophone player, during marching season, I was switched over to the drumline and then I played the tri toms which was really freaking awesome, I loved it. There was a camaraderie with the drummers and it was almost an annoying itch to be constantly hitting the drums throughout a football game, keeping beat during practices, keeping beat during marches in parades. It really felt like a non-stop party, I still miss all the hoopla, but I just let it go.
I know this is not the same as football practice where there is contact and people would get hurt and not even in games. But being in band took a lot out of a person. It is a huge obligation that cannot be taken lightly. Last year, Javalina got the chance to go with the Akins High School Band and Wife and I went and sat in the bleachers behind him. I wrote about the game and how disappointed I was in the parents who don't show up, but the band was in full swing. We could see our boy mixing it up and playing and having fun in the stands with other kids. To me, that is what high school is all about, being a part of the machine. Find your niche and enjoy everything because it only lasts a little while. I have no regrets about how I passed my time in high school and I hope my boys can say the same thing when they are my age.
Tuesday, August 7, 2018
8/7/18 Staying Informed Sucks?
It is becoming worse and worse to even try and watch the news nowadays. Last night Wife turned on the small TV in our bathroom which runs on the rabbit ears. It is good for watching local news, especially when we have questionable weather. The first thing that came up was the disappearance of another white girl. Why do these little girls decide it is safe to go running around by themselves, I assume with headphones on, oblivious to the world? This is not the same world of forty years ago where people could safely go out and have a decent chance of being left alone.
I feel bad for the parents, nobody wants this for their children, but dammit, why isn't anyone teaching young girls some freaking reality. Yes, you want a world that is fair and just and if you see enough Gatorade commercials girls might even believe "anything you can do, I can do better", but the male mind is a disgusting gutter with thoughts unimaginable to most people without a penis. I speak as one who has full control of myself and would never go out stalking or hunting women, but there is a whole segment of the population way more fucked-up than me, you have to be thinking, as a smart woman, don't go where you have to depend on the kindness of strangers to get out of a situation. I've been on the jogging trail around the lake here in Austin and I know I wouldn't want to be in certain places once the sun is setting, but then you look and there goes a yummy 18-20 year old in nothing more than a bra as a shirt and some tiny shorts. You may think you have a right to dress any way you want, oh I have argued with your types who forcefully demand "my body, my choice." The is what the rapist whispers in your ear once he catches your 110 pound ass. I'm sorry, but life is not fair, girls are undersized, stay in the gyms on your threadmills, go jogging with multiple friends, even better with trusting guys, use the football fields that are lit, don't exercise when you are the only fool out there. Most of the time coming or going to work, I see people running out on 1st Street. Come on, you're going to be surprised if someone attacks you at 4:00am?
This fucking degenerates look for opportunities, and they are always looking. I remember, our old neighbor telling us when she was almost kidnapped, she worked off William Cannon and Congress and she was just going back to work from lunch. A van pulled up next to her car and attempted to throw her in the van, luckily, she was a little big at the time and she dropped to the ground. It got some attention and the van drove off, lucky for her, as the saying goes, "heavier people are harder to kidnap." I am just so happy I don't have girls to worry about.
I feel bad for the parents, nobody wants this for their children, but dammit, why isn't anyone teaching young girls some freaking reality. Yes, you want a world that is fair and just and if you see enough Gatorade commercials girls might even believe "anything you can do, I can do better", but the male mind is a disgusting gutter with thoughts unimaginable to most people without a penis. I speak as one who has full control of myself and would never go out stalking or hunting women, but there is a whole segment of the population way more fucked-up than me, you have to be thinking, as a smart woman, don't go where you have to depend on the kindness of strangers to get out of a situation. I've been on the jogging trail around the lake here in Austin and I know I wouldn't want to be in certain places once the sun is setting, but then you look and there goes a yummy 18-20 year old in nothing more than a bra as a shirt and some tiny shorts. You may think you have a right to dress any way you want, oh I have argued with your types who forcefully demand "my body, my choice." The is what the rapist whispers in your ear once he catches your 110 pound ass. I'm sorry, but life is not fair, girls are undersized, stay in the gyms on your threadmills, go jogging with multiple friends, even better with trusting guys, use the football fields that are lit, don't exercise when you are the only fool out there. Most of the time coming or going to work, I see people running out on 1st Street. Come on, you're going to be surprised if someone attacks you at 4:00am?
This fucking degenerates look for opportunities, and they are always looking. I remember, our old neighbor telling us when she was almost kidnapped, she worked off William Cannon and Congress and she was just going back to work from lunch. A van pulled up next to her car and attempted to throw her in the van, luckily, she was a little big at the time and she dropped to the ground. It got some attention and the van drove off, lucky for her, as the saying goes, "heavier people are harder to kidnap." I am just so happy I don't have girls to worry about.
Monday, August 6, 2018
8/6/18 Hmm, Sneaky August?
It is hot, don't get me wrong, but so far, we are a week into August and it has only been in the mid 90's. Is this part of el nino weather, or was July just hotter than normal? July seemed to be most every day above 100. Yes, there is a difference between being in the 90's which is hot and the 100's which just makes you feel like giving up. Wife was here this afternoon and as we drove to have a late lunch, she commented that with the cloud cover and the A/C in the car it feels like a fall afternoon. I said yeah, that is the difference between you and I. I keep the A/C on high even when it cools off, you start messing with the dials like you are saving cold air for the future or for people you might like more, like your coworkers.
With my leg injury and maybe just getting old, I have spent most of the last two years indoors. The couple of hours we sat outside at my folk's house this past weekend was the longest I remember being outside this whole year. I'm not saying I have given up on being outdoorsy, but without a boat or a reason to be outside, I have no inclination to get all hot and sweaty for no reason. I noticed the yard looking very yellow, so I waited until about 9:30pm before going outside to water the tree I planted and the grass in the front. I am hoping the tree survives, but I also cannot get myself to come outside during the day and mess around in the direct sunlight.
I should be glad at least my solar panels are working at peak performance, or they should, it is the hottest time of year, but any cloud cover messes them up. I am single handedly saving the world, even if my dad rolled his eyes so hard it gave him a headache when I told him I had saved 43 trees last month by installing the panels on our house. Some people don't see that the world will be saved one step at a time. 43 theoretical trees is a theoretical lot. At least my conscious is clean when I run around in my Excursion by myself, knowing that my house is not as wasteful as my vehicle.
My mom has kind of invited us to Corpus a few times, but with Wife working so far away, Boy working Monday through Friday and Javalina down to next week as his last week off and this week he is busy with band camp, we really have a hard time moving as a group. I don't think we can fit Corpus in this year. Hearing that the coastal water is full of the red tide and that bacteria levels are high again leaves no desire to go anywhere near it. Maybe instead of looking at lake homes and/or gulf homes, we would be safer staying home and building our own dream pool, even if it was to cost us +$100,000. It just seems like swimming in rivers, lakes and even the gulf has become too dangerous to take a chance.
I know August will remind us of why it is king of the nasty weather. I know it'll shake off these wimpy 90 degree days and remind us of what it is all about with some dog days of summer at the end of the month. I just read on dog days..., that is the period between August 3rd and August 11th, so we are about halfway through that period. Still, the end of the month I am sure will kick our butts.
With my leg injury and maybe just getting old, I have spent most of the last two years indoors. The couple of hours we sat outside at my folk's house this past weekend was the longest I remember being outside this whole year. I'm not saying I have given up on being outdoorsy, but without a boat or a reason to be outside, I have no inclination to get all hot and sweaty for no reason. I noticed the yard looking very yellow, so I waited until about 9:30pm before going outside to water the tree I planted and the grass in the front. I am hoping the tree survives, but I also cannot get myself to come outside during the day and mess around in the direct sunlight.
I should be glad at least my solar panels are working at peak performance, or they should, it is the hottest time of year, but any cloud cover messes them up. I am single handedly saving the world, even if my dad rolled his eyes so hard it gave him a headache when I told him I had saved 43 trees last month by installing the panels on our house. Some people don't see that the world will be saved one step at a time. 43 theoretical trees is a theoretical lot. At least my conscious is clean when I run around in my Excursion by myself, knowing that my house is not as wasteful as my vehicle.
My mom has kind of invited us to Corpus a few times, but with Wife working so far away, Boy working Monday through Friday and Javalina down to next week as his last week off and this week he is busy with band camp, we really have a hard time moving as a group. I don't think we can fit Corpus in this year. Hearing that the coastal water is full of the red tide and that bacteria levels are high again leaves no desire to go anywhere near it. Maybe instead of looking at lake homes and/or gulf homes, we would be safer staying home and building our own dream pool, even if it was to cost us +$100,000. It just seems like swimming in rivers, lakes and even the gulf has become too dangerous to take a chance.
I know August will remind us of why it is king of the nasty weather. I know it'll shake off these wimpy 90 degree days and remind us of what it is all about with some dog days of summer at the end of the month. I just read on dog days..., that is the period between August 3rd and August 11th, so we are about halfway through that period. Still, the end of the month I am sure will kick our butts.
Sunday, August 5, 2018
8/5/18 Coming Home?
I have to say I enjoyed visiting my folks this weekend. It was a quickie trip, we got there Friday early, spent the day hanging out with them, eating dinner, and leaving by 1:00pm or so the next day. This allowed plenty of time to sit and talk and listen to my folks, which my dad has been going through many tests to make sure he is okay going forward.
The family is busy growing as we heard and discussed the quinceanera coming up for my only niece in January, football season for Javalina is starting up, which I mentioned, hoping my folks can come up for more than 1-2 games. Boy is about 2-3 semesters away from graduating, my sister's boys are constantly busy in their sports activities, so yeah, there is very little downtime. Speaking of the quince for my niece, my mom had already committed Saturday afternoon to going shopping for a dress for the occasion, so she left around 10:00am.
Once we got dressed, my other aunt stopped by, we talked for half an hour or so, but my dad had a date with his beloved casinos, so he didn't run us off, but did say he had to be somewhere by 2:00pm. This was fine as we were about ready to go by 1:00pm. Wife took us back through La Pryor, her stomping grounds and even though I slept most of the way back, she did get the three of us "mangonadas". These are frozen mango pulp cups with red chili powder and a straw with chamoy covered in the same chili powder. This is a total Mexican thing, which she loves eating. I hesitated, all that chili can't be good for you, but I ate it all since I knew we were going to stop at my in-laws, if I needed to go to the bathroom. I of course ruined my shirt, getting 3-4 drips of the red chili on myself, luckily it was a cheap t-shirt.
I didn't sleep well on Friday even at night, so I slept all the way back on the road, we stopped at my in-laws and it was like moving a tranquilized bull to a more comfortable pen as I hugged them and they walked me in pointing to the bed and they had just put clean sheets, so I should be comfortable. I just laid down and slept better than usual. I don't like their super hard bed, but I always sleep like the dead on it. Wife woke me around 7:00pm, asking if I wanted to go eat at Olive Garden, my immediate response was no, I want to go home, but she had already agreed to eating there, which was fine. It took way too long to eat there, it being a Saturday night. Dinner was fine, but as soon as I sat in the car, I was out before we got back on the freeway. Wife said I didn't even wake when she stopped at Buc-ee's which I find hard to believe.
We finally got home around 11:00pm, now I felt fine, we stayed up until almost 2:00am, watching a couple episodes of Orange Is The New Black and relaxing in our house. This way, I wouldn't mind visiting people. We were still home by Saturday night and we have Sunday at home to do our thing. Luckily, Wife has a thing in San Antonio Monday morning, so she won't be all in a rush leaving at 4:30am, or whatever horrible hour she gets going.
The family is busy growing as we heard and discussed the quinceanera coming up for my only niece in January, football season for Javalina is starting up, which I mentioned, hoping my folks can come up for more than 1-2 games. Boy is about 2-3 semesters away from graduating, my sister's boys are constantly busy in their sports activities, so yeah, there is very little downtime. Speaking of the quince for my niece, my mom had already committed Saturday afternoon to going shopping for a dress for the occasion, so she left around 10:00am.
Once we got dressed, my other aunt stopped by, we talked for half an hour or so, but my dad had a date with his beloved casinos, so he didn't run us off, but did say he had to be somewhere by 2:00pm. This was fine as we were about ready to go by 1:00pm. Wife took us back through La Pryor, her stomping grounds and even though I slept most of the way back, she did get the three of us "mangonadas". These are frozen mango pulp cups with red chili powder and a straw with chamoy covered in the same chili powder. This is a total Mexican thing, which she loves eating. I hesitated, all that chili can't be good for you, but I ate it all since I knew we were going to stop at my in-laws, if I needed to go to the bathroom. I of course ruined my shirt, getting 3-4 drips of the red chili on myself, luckily it was a cheap t-shirt.
I didn't sleep well on Friday even at night, so I slept all the way back on the road, we stopped at my in-laws and it was like moving a tranquilized bull to a more comfortable pen as I hugged them and they walked me in pointing to the bed and they had just put clean sheets, so I should be comfortable. I just laid down and slept better than usual. I don't like their super hard bed, but I always sleep like the dead on it. Wife woke me around 7:00pm, asking if I wanted to go eat at Olive Garden, my immediate response was no, I want to go home, but she had already agreed to eating there, which was fine. It took way too long to eat there, it being a Saturday night. Dinner was fine, but as soon as I sat in the car, I was out before we got back on the freeway. Wife said I didn't even wake when she stopped at Buc-ee's which I find hard to believe.
We finally got home around 11:00pm, now I felt fine, we stayed up until almost 2:00am, watching a couple episodes of Orange Is The New Black and relaxing in our house. This way, I wouldn't mind visiting people. We were still home by Saturday night and we have Sunday at home to do our thing. Luckily, Wife has a thing in San Antonio Monday morning, so she won't be all in a rush leaving at 4:30am, or whatever horrible hour she gets going.
Saturday, August 4, 2018
8/4/18 Long Day Home?
Today was a pretty long day. It started a few days ago, I was at work, Wife was trying to enjoy her afternoon tacos sitting around my folks as she does because she lives with them during the week. I believe there might have been a little white wine flowing, but (I didn't know the instigating part until I was down here, that is Wife was casually mentioning that "oh yeah, I tell Mando I could bring him down any weekend for the day but he doesn't want to) that turned into a nasty text which left me confused. My mom told Wife to tell me that if and when my dad comes back with bad news from the doctor, I will not be told because I apparently don't care. At the time, I am in my lab at work, trying to get samples going on the analysis tool, and trying to prep samples in the acid hoods, so drama is not what I want to hear. I texted my mom directly, and just to avoid any new animosity, I suggest I will head down Friday morning, even if in my head I think it is abuse on Wife, since I haven't been driving long distances, which apparently Wife doesn't mind the driving back and forth, according to her big mouth making me sound like I don't want to visit.
Thursday night came around, Wife was in Austin, I got home around midnight, for lunch. She was going to bed, so she could get up in the morning to drive us back to Crystal. I got out Friday morning around 7:20am, went home, pooped and showered. By the time I gathered some clothes and Wife and Javalina were up and ready, it was almost 9:00am. We made a pit stop at the bank, we finally got the huge rebate for the solar panels we installed in our house. At least for a day or two, our bank account looks like it is owned by some "high rollers", as my brother would say. We were then ready to get on the highway. We chit chatted but I eventually fell asleep on the other side of San Antonio.
I woke up and voila, we are in Crystal City, my dad was at the house, my mom had gone to run some errands. Believe me, I don't hate being in Crystal, I hate the idea of leaving my comfort zone. My mom and everybody else says I just don't like visiting them and the "my shit don't stink" and whatever else to take jabs at me for not liking the small town life. I would probably eat a bullet if I lived like this from day to day, but once I am here, I don't mind enjoying a day or two doing nothing.
As it turns out, they were expanding the roof of their carport to make it longer, so their two new cars would fit under there, so we sat outside while the neighborhood "chore guy" took care of putting up the felt and then the aluminum coating in probably 105 degree weather. It was easily the longest I have been outside this summer, sitting in the shade, it was still warm-ish. I really loved that my uncle, my dad's oldest living brother (who I did the several summers of roofing and building a house with) came over. I suck at making my way around and visiting people, and they never come over, my mom said it was the first time in like fifteen years, but they were on the hunt for figs, which my mom has a tree/bush that has yielded hundreds, but it is past their due date. He looks good for a man of 75, but he is sick and refusing treatment, so that tells me it is just a matter of time. My dad is 70 but looks a lot better than his older brother.
Maybe I was guilted into coming down, but I am glad that I did. I was stressed a bit when we arrived, my folks were all "we are going to treat you at the new restaurant of your cousin, which is supposed to be a fairly nice place, but then nobody wanted to get dressed, and my mom changed the idea to just run and get tacos from a little dive place that has pretty good food. I much prefer to be home when I am home, I probably napped for fifteen minutes while my mom went to get the food, but I got up to eat. It was very nice and pleasant other than arguing with my sister, who doesn't want to converse to learn facts. She comes loaded with an agenda and she is going to stick to her bullet points and fight from that position, even if it doesn't make sense.
Still, I couldn't ask for a better visit. My mom was happy we came, my dad looks good, he has gotten past a nasty cough, which they all seem nasty because the old Knucklehead will not quit smoking. I saw my brothers who are both generally ok, I did invite my younger brother back to Austin, if he has trouble finding work, I just want him to live a better quality of life, not just stuck listening to all the stuff from the fringe right which won't make anybody happier. My sister showed up late with her hubby, but a little sister goes a long way, she's like a Jalapeno pepper in a burger, she will dominate the flavor profile. My aunt hung out for a few hours which was nice, and of course the chance encounter with my uncle who I did want to see. It was a pretty loaded visit, but by 10:00pm I could barely keep my eyes open while hearing Wife yammer on and on with my aunt about who knows what.
Thursday night came around, Wife was in Austin, I got home around midnight, for lunch. She was going to bed, so she could get up in the morning to drive us back to Crystal. I got out Friday morning around 7:20am, went home, pooped and showered. By the time I gathered some clothes and Wife and Javalina were up and ready, it was almost 9:00am. We made a pit stop at the bank, we finally got the huge rebate for the solar panels we installed in our house. At least for a day or two, our bank account looks like it is owned by some "high rollers", as my brother would say. We were then ready to get on the highway. We chit chatted but I eventually fell asleep on the other side of San Antonio.
I woke up and voila, we are in Crystal City, my dad was at the house, my mom had gone to run some errands. Believe me, I don't hate being in Crystal, I hate the idea of leaving my comfort zone. My mom and everybody else says I just don't like visiting them and the "my shit don't stink" and whatever else to take jabs at me for not liking the small town life. I would probably eat a bullet if I lived like this from day to day, but once I am here, I don't mind enjoying a day or two doing nothing.
As it turns out, they were expanding the roof of their carport to make it longer, so their two new cars would fit under there, so we sat outside while the neighborhood "chore guy" took care of putting up the felt and then the aluminum coating in probably 105 degree weather. It was easily the longest I have been outside this summer, sitting in the shade, it was still warm-ish. I really loved that my uncle, my dad's oldest living brother (who I did the several summers of roofing and building a house with) came over. I suck at making my way around and visiting people, and they never come over, my mom said it was the first time in like fifteen years, but they were on the hunt for figs, which my mom has a tree/bush that has yielded hundreds, but it is past their due date. He looks good for a man of 75, but he is sick and refusing treatment, so that tells me it is just a matter of time. My dad is 70 but looks a lot better than his older brother.
Maybe I was guilted into coming down, but I am glad that I did. I was stressed a bit when we arrived, my folks were all "we are going to treat you at the new restaurant of your cousin, which is supposed to be a fairly nice place, but then nobody wanted to get dressed, and my mom changed the idea to just run and get tacos from a little dive place that has pretty good food. I much prefer to be home when I am home, I probably napped for fifteen minutes while my mom went to get the food, but I got up to eat. It was very nice and pleasant other than arguing with my sister, who doesn't want to converse to learn facts. She comes loaded with an agenda and she is going to stick to her bullet points and fight from that position, even if it doesn't make sense.
Still, I couldn't ask for a better visit. My mom was happy we came, my dad looks good, he has gotten past a nasty cough, which they all seem nasty because the old Knucklehead will not quit smoking. I saw my brothers who are both generally ok, I did invite my younger brother back to Austin, if he has trouble finding work, I just want him to live a better quality of life, not just stuck listening to all the stuff from the fringe right which won't make anybody happier. My sister showed up late with her hubby, but a little sister goes a long way, she's like a Jalapeno pepper in a burger, she will dominate the flavor profile. My aunt hung out for a few hours which was nice, and of course the chance encounter with my uncle who I did want to see. It was a pretty loaded visit, but by 10:00pm I could barely keep my eyes open while hearing Wife yammer on and on with my aunt about who knows what.
Friday, August 3, 2018
8/3/18 Life After Beth? (Netflix)
I really think that the zombie market has now been flooded. This must be the fifth movie I have seen concerning the undead. It could be a clever ploy, but we have just seen it too often. In this one, we get to see the "if I could only have one more moment with her to tell her what I felt..." Bethany, played by Aubrey Plaza, goes for a hike on a random afternoon and she supposedly gets bit by a snake and passes away. After all the funeral and mourning, apparently, she shows up. She doesn't seem herself, she is overly worried about having to take a test and needing to study for it. The boyfriend Zack was only too happy to see her back, but slowly, he notices she is not who he thought. The parents are in denial and just want to accept that she is ok, even when they see she is not.
I guess the movie is more of a dark comedy and even at that, there were few laughs, the saving grace being that I like Aubrey in the first place. As time goes on, she has more and more moments where she loses control. At one point she burns down a lifeguard shack at the beach when she gets upset. In another, she drives off in Zack's car and runs over a few headstones, this is where I had a hard time going with the laughs as that is just disrespectful.
Zack is noticing other people that have been gone awhile are back and acting not like themselves, such as the mailman who has been gone for like 6 months showing up all of a sudden. The story hits its crescendo when the original homeowners of Zack's parent's house show up while one of Zack's dead grandpa's is sitting there confused as to what is going on. Zack's older brother is a gun nut and has his gun out not sure of who to shoot. In the end, we see in the background plenty of zombies but also plenty of deputized gun crazy people getting their chance to open fire on anybody looking suspicious.
In the end, Bethany is mostly zombie, she ate her father who kept insisting she could be fixed if everything just went back to normal. Zack not having a choice takes her out for one last hike and shoots her brains out. If there is a lesson here, enjoy the time you have with loved ones and accept that when it's over it has to be over. Then coming back as a zombie is not going to be a good idea.
I guess the movie is more of a dark comedy and even at that, there were few laughs, the saving grace being that I like Aubrey in the first place. As time goes on, she has more and more moments where she loses control. At one point she burns down a lifeguard shack at the beach when she gets upset. In another, she drives off in Zack's car and runs over a few headstones, this is where I had a hard time going with the laughs as that is just disrespectful.
Zack is noticing other people that have been gone awhile are back and acting not like themselves, such as the mailman who has been gone for like 6 months showing up all of a sudden. The story hits its crescendo when the original homeowners of Zack's parent's house show up while one of Zack's dead grandpa's is sitting there confused as to what is going on. Zack's older brother is a gun nut and has his gun out not sure of who to shoot. In the end, we see in the background plenty of zombies but also plenty of deputized gun crazy people getting their chance to open fire on anybody looking suspicious.
In the end, Bethany is mostly zombie, she ate her father who kept insisting she could be fixed if everything just went back to normal. Zack not having a choice takes her out for one last hike and shoots her brains out. If there is a lesson here, enjoy the time you have with loved ones and accept that when it's over it has to be over. Then coming back as a zombie is not going to be a good idea.
Thursday, August 2, 2018
8/2/18 Laggies (Netflix)
Sorry, things have been a tad slow, it is the middle of summer and not much is going on other than working. These movies might be lame, but they can also teach us a bit about ourselves. This is almost a weird movie, it stars Keira Knightley coming to terms with her high school friends and her have different paths. The friends want to grow old together, practically wipe each other's asses, but she is starting to feel suffocated by the whole deal. Adding to that, her career plans have not taken off, even with getting a Master's degree and training as a family counselor/therapist, she does not have that connection with people.
The weirdness picks up at one of the besties weddings and the boyfriend is trying to propose, which makes her panic. She tells him no, it is her friend's night and they shouldn't be trying to steal the spotlight. In order to get away from the situation, she claims to need to go lay rose petals in the honeymoon suite, at the store, she meets a group of teens looking for someone to buy them some beer. She agrees and in order to avoid her uncomfortable situation, she stays with the kids drinking in the park or wherever they were. The next day the main teen that befriended her, Annika, calls her again to get her out of some school trouble. Keira pretends to be the mom and talks to the counselor. Now they have created a bond and Keira, who is a good 10-15 years older that Annika asks Annika if she can lay low in her house. She needs a break from her life, she saw her Dad getting a handy at the wedding and a friend couple wants them to be the godparents to their child. Not to mention her boyfriend has mentioned going to Las Vegas and getting married in a quickie wedding.
While staying at Annika's, she gets sucked into the family dynamic, the dad is a lawyer trying to figure it out, his wife has just left him, and the daughter is acting out a bit, hence the talk at school and the drinking late at night. The dad starts out as a hard ass, not trusting an older woman befriending a teen, but after a couple days figures she is harmless.
The whole thing leads to self discovery. She figures she can't move forward with life because she is too engaged with her old friends she should have chucked when she finished school. Those people are happy to be in each other's shit, but Keira is more of a free spirit, not trying to conquer the world. She is ok twirling a sign for her dad's company to make enough to get by, and her dad is only too happy to have his daughter around. In the end, she breaks up with the old boyfriend who is too involved with the "group", even them running off to Vegas to get eloped "requires" him to send a taking off pic to them so they can keep up with their whereabouts. It ends with her going back to Annika's house to fix things with her dad. The two of them have some chemistry and I guess she is going to go explore that now that she is free, for the first time since high school.
The weirdness picks up at one of the besties weddings and the boyfriend is trying to propose, which makes her panic. She tells him no, it is her friend's night and they shouldn't be trying to steal the spotlight. In order to get away from the situation, she claims to need to go lay rose petals in the honeymoon suite, at the store, she meets a group of teens looking for someone to buy them some beer. She agrees and in order to avoid her uncomfortable situation, she stays with the kids drinking in the park or wherever they were. The next day the main teen that befriended her, Annika, calls her again to get her out of some school trouble. Keira pretends to be the mom and talks to the counselor. Now they have created a bond and Keira, who is a good 10-15 years older that Annika asks Annika if she can lay low in her house. She needs a break from her life, she saw her Dad getting a handy at the wedding and a friend couple wants them to be the godparents to their child. Not to mention her boyfriend has mentioned going to Las Vegas and getting married in a quickie wedding.
While staying at Annika's, she gets sucked into the family dynamic, the dad is a lawyer trying to figure it out, his wife has just left him, and the daughter is acting out a bit, hence the talk at school and the drinking late at night. The dad starts out as a hard ass, not trusting an older woman befriending a teen, but after a couple days figures she is harmless.
The whole thing leads to self discovery. She figures she can't move forward with life because she is too engaged with her old friends she should have chucked when she finished school. Those people are happy to be in each other's shit, but Keira is more of a free spirit, not trying to conquer the world. She is ok twirling a sign for her dad's company to make enough to get by, and her dad is only too happy to have his daughter around. In the end, she breaks up with the old boyfriend who is too involved with the "group", even them running off to Vegas to get eloped "requires" him to send a taking off pic to them so they can keep up with their whereabouts. It ends with her going back to Annika's house to fix things with her dad. The two of them have some chemistry and I guess she is going to go explore that now that she is free, for the first time since high school.
Wednesday, August 1, 2018
8/1/18 Surviving?
Augie: Man, it's hot! How about some water, boss!
random voice: Shut up, fool, they ain't supposed to hear us.
Augie: I don't care, they shouldn't treat us like this, it's inhumane. (he says somewhat sarcastically)
random voice: Just do what the rest of us do and be glad it's not Sunday, and shut up!
Augie: Ugh, I hate this life. We never go anywhere, just sit here in the same place every day, like it's my job.
random voice but somehow injured: You be glad they let that dog run away. Two weeks, for two weeks I tell ya, I was in the shit!!
Augie: What do you mean? (half interested...)
injured voice: Oh yeah, everyone here thought I was dead, that many chemicals right on me, it wasn't right. Good thing it rained, but look at me, look at me! Do I look ok?
Augie: No, uh Sir. Why are you yellow and not green?
injured voice: Because the dog shit kicked my ass, it just sat there and all that ammonia and whatever just did a number on my skin, good thing it rained. I guess the rain saved me.
Augie: Well, I am sorry to what happened to you, but the fact remains I am still thirsty.
Johnny: We all have ways of getting water, whether we suck it from the ground or collect some dew in the morning, so build a strategy and stop your bitching.
Augie: I mean, you don't gotta be rude, but fine. What was that about at least it's not Sunday?
Another voice: ooh, on Sunday we all get a shave. So we all look the same.
Augie: A shave, I don't like the sound of that.
Another voice: It only hurts the first few times.
Augie: God dammit, I hate this life.
Sure enough Sunday came and afterwards it was hard to tell anybody apart. Augie no longer bitched about thirst. His new complaint was that he used to be taller.
Augie: Wh-what was that? One minute I am looking taller than everyone, the next I hear a growl from a machine and next thing you know I am as tall as yellow stain over there.
Injured voice: That, my boy, was a lawn mower, it keeps us all in check.
Augie: No wonder none of the other grass complains, it is a shitty life all around. If dogs don't poop on you, you are dying of thirst, and then to boot, we all meet the mower's teeth whether we want to or not.
random voice: Shut up, fool, they ain't supposed to hear us.
Augie: I don't care, they shouldn't treat us like this, it's inhumane. (he says somewhat sarcastically)
random voice: Just do what the rest of us do and be glad it's not Sunday, and shut up!
Augie: Ugh, I hate this life. We never go anywhere, just sit here in the same place every day, like it's my job.
random voice but somehow injured: You be glad they let that dog run away. Two weeks, for two weeks I tell ya, I was in the shit!!
Augie: What do you mean? (half interested...)
injured voice: Oh yeah, everyone here thought I was dead, that many chemicals right on me, it wasn't right. Good thing it rained, but look at me, look at me! Do I look ok?
Augie: No, uh Sir. Why are you yellow and not green?
injured voice: Because the dog shit kicked my ass, it just sat there and all that ammonia and whatever just did a number on my skin, good thing it rained. I guess the rain saved me.
Augie: Well, I am sorry to what happened to you, but the fact remains I am still thirsty.
Johnny: We all have ways of getting water, whether we suck it from the ground or collect some dew in the morning, so build a strategy and stop your bitching.
Augie: I mean, you don't gotta be rude, but fine. What was that about at least it's not Sunday?
Another voice: ooh, on Sunday we all get a shave. So we all look the same.
Augie: A shave, I don't like the sound of that.
Another voice: It only hurts the first few times.
Augie: God dammit, I hate this life.
Sure enough Sunday came and afterwards it was hard to tell anybody apart. Augie no longer bitched about thirst. His new complaint was that he used to be taller.
Augie: Wh-what was that? One minute I am looking taller than everyone, the next I hear a growl from a machine and next thing you know I am as tall as yellow stain over there.
Injured voice: That, my boy, was a lawn mower, it keeps us all in check.
Augie: No wonder none of the other grass complains, it is a shitty life all around. If dogs don't poop on you, you are dying of thirst, and then to boot, we all meet the mower's teeth whether we want to or not.
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