6/29/22 Was Just Wondering About Covid?

     It seems we finally got past all the shenanigans associated with having to protect ourselves with techniques that aren't great from the ever-present Covid and its associates.  I was just wondering what the mouthpiece of disease, Fauci has to say nowadays, only to find that he is being kept kind of quiet right now as he himself battles with Covid.  I don't wish him ill, or anyone for that matter, but how can he still say that being vaccinated and double boostered is the best course, and then people are still getting sick, even worse than the first time around.

    He is not the only one battling it right now, apparently, my coworker's wife was sick with it recently for the second time and this time she did feel ill and required my coworker to leave work and go out to "save her" (she was out of state, and he flew to her to drive her back home).  I thought it interesting that like Fauci, she too is double vaccinated and has double boosters, and the second time she gets infected, her symptoms are much worse.  My question is "does having all the extra boosters and vaccines make your body lose its edge and just not fight the virus as aggressively as it could?"  It is almost impossible to figure out if not having been vaccinated would lead to milder symptoms somehow, or if indeed as Fauci said "he might not be around if he wasn't boostered and everything else.  He benefits from saying and thinking that way, since he is still one of the few espousing to get vaccinated.

    I was thinking about this because masks are an absolute rarity nowadays, I think I saw an old lady wearing one going into a restaurant, oh and a couple of knuckleheads had them around their necks walking out of HEB when I went to get groceries.  Either commit to the masks completely and totally, or don't bother, Baby A was really good about always having one with him, but he was constantly taking it off and putting it on, so was he really protecting himself?

    I don't know, maybe Fauci is right, but I still feel that the best course is for all of us to just get exposed and live with it like we do the flu.  When it gets bad, influenza is still a top ten killer though, but that is mostly when it goes after the older population.  I'm not ashamed to admit that I recently did start taking a vitamin pill to increase my Calcium, Vitamin D, Manganese and zinc which I do believe have helped based on studies from other doctors I have seen online.

6/28/22 A Little June Rain?

     We finally got a little break from the constant +100-degree days we have been seeing lately.  This summer has been really over the top with its heat.  Normally, we don't start seeing repetitive 100-degree days until late July and into August, maybe the first few weeks of September.  Last week, I noticed that there were actually rain chances, which I was sure would disappear by the time Monday rolled around.  We were going through our normal Monday routine, I dropped off Mijo at weight training in the morning, then when I picked him up, he told me he would have to go to the 7v7 football scrimmage in the afternoon.  We have been going on Tuesdays, so it caught me off guard.  Still, I went to work figuring I would do as much as I could, take him and then if I needed to, I would come back after he was done.  Right as I was getting done with everything, I had started at 1:00pm, (I told him he would have to miss wrestling practice, I can't just be going back and forth all day with him, I do have a job) and was walking out the door, I got a notice on our sports ap that we communicate with the coaches with, that the 7v7 was cancelled for the day.  Since I was inside a building and had walked in at 1:00pm with the sun shining, I had not processed that actual rain was on its way.  I was kind of bothered that the event had been cancelled since I had been focused on work and rushing to finish on time to go and take my son.

    I then had the choice, I was still at work, but I had cleaned up and put everything away.  For a few minutes, I told myself, and even Wife that I was going to stay and do some extra work to get ahead for today, but there wasn't much I could start on without getting all the way committed and staying extra-long, so I said forget it and headed home.  It was dark and I was sure I wouldn't make it home without getting drenched, but I guess it held out.  I was already starting to think this was another BS fat cloud with no actual rain.  Wife got home, then we went to go eat at Busch's Chicken.  The rain pretty much caught us while we were eating.  We had to run in from the rain and then it rained hard while we sat and ate.  It was a pretty good treat to see the rain through the glass windows all around, like we were in some reverse aquarium.  We did not finish in a hurry, and just waited until the rain slowed down enough.

    We got home before 8:00pm and I don't know what happened to time, I guess I napped because I woke at 9:30 and was confused because I felt like I had slept for a long time, yet Wife was still awake and watching TV.  I then woke and was on my phone watching Tiktoks until 11:30pm, when I decided to come downstairs and play around on the laptop.  We are supposed to have on and off rain for the next couple days, it sounds nice.

6/27/22 Conservatives Should Have Taken The L On This One?

     I have been identifying as a new conservative since about 2017, once Trump helped me see the light.  Whether you can agree with that sentiment or not, we all have a right to our opinions and beliefs.  I am dumbfounded by this latest redress by the Supreme Court in regard to Roe V. Wade, which I don't think was being actively sought by anyone in particular.  Maybe there was a new pending case I wasn't aware of, there is so much going on with the other branches of government, it is hard to try and keep up with everything sometimes.

    My question is "Why now?"  Did we need more fuel to this fire that is our society?  It hasn't been able to relax and just stay home for a weekend without someone having to be out protesting/rioting, on behalf of some group since around 2016.  Between BLM, Covid, the war in Ukraine, food shortages, LGBTQ and whatever other alphabet letters have been added since last I looked, we are being goaded to keep up this charade of caring by proving in destroying downtown property.

    Best case scenario, conservatives put a stop to abortions, now what?  Now we got a whole new generation of unwanted babies, and that is a sad reality.  A handful will be adopted by the perfect parents and sure, those will get a great shot at life, but for the most, life will suck and then they will repeat the process, making bad choices into oblivion.  There have been studies that Roe V. Wade was the single best deterrent in reducing crime that was so rampant in the late 70s and growing into the 90s.  Studies show that abortions doubled after the decision and then twenty years later, when those individuals would have been reaching their trouble years, their 20s, crime started coming down, statistics show crime coming down in the late 90s and continuing.  If this is so, then we are going to see even more crime in the next 20 years, thanks very much to the actions taken today, by a conservative court, no less.

    Wife was upset with me as I made flippant comments about the decision and not showing anger, such as "when are you cutting your hair short? or What color are you gonna go with in your hair, purple?"  My opinion is that going out and protesting does nothing but piss off people who don't have time for that kind of shit, I don't want idiots blocking my path or displaying angry attitudes towards other law-abiding citizens, that will make me double down and hate you even more, so it doesn't gain you allies.

    We are truly going into some hard times, I can only hope we are strong enough to survive this, but I'm afraid something will have to give.  It is too much shit being foisted on the common person for there not to be an ultimate impact.  Good or bad, these people at the top apparently keep pushing and imposing their will on the hard-working people until we get where they think they want to go.  I really feel abortions are an ugly reality that needs to exist, if it is solely a pressure valve that allows some the ability to keep going, it shouldn't be taken away.

6/26/22 Non-Relaxing Relaxing Saturday?

     It seems like we finally got past all the graduations and celebrations galore from 2022.  Overall, it was fine, shoot, one of the graduates was one of mine, so I definitely shouldn't mind, it still seemed like non-stop weekend after weekend of going and doing something requiring various levels of dressing up.  I just want to sit around in my shorts (better yet, underwear) and not have to interact too much.

    On Friday night my sister did actually show up, but it was late, after 10:00pm.  Since we had been out at the football camp and the sun totally killed us, we did not stay up to chit chat.  I got up, Mijo ran down and opened the door for them, and we were all asleep by probably 11:00pm, or that was my interpretation of the night.  I was up Saturday early (I almost always am) and sat in the kitchen like I like to do.  Eventually they came down, talked with me for a bit, but they were in a hurry to go to Academy to pick up baseball socks or something and then to pick up their older one from the weeklong camp he went to.

    Wife got up, close to noon, Mijo then got up and before we knew it, he was getting ready to go to an arcade.  We thought it was going to be the one in Buda, which Boy would go to occasionally, but it was one on Riverside, close to downtown.  He didn't give us a time, simply saying I will call you later.  Wife gave him some money, and we left.

    It was nice at first, Wife and I went to eat lunch at Mandola's, then we went home to wait for his call.  This turned into a long wait.  I was sure that as soon as I tried falling asleep, he would be calling, but the hours stretched out.  This caused some stress, normally this boy does not do activities that don't require a gym for too long.  I ended up napping, then we were woken to images of protestors downtown from my sister.  She was worried about us, then we were worried about Mijo being so close to downtown, he was on this side of the river, not on the downtown side.  I texted him, he seemed oblivious to the outside world, so I chose not to worry him.

    We didn't pick him up until almost 7:00pm, then we went to eat dinner at Red Robin, burgers all around.  After this, I was done.  We went home and that was pretty much the night.  I think Mijo was tired after being out all day after having done the football camp Friday.  We were in our respective rooms early and asleep before midnight.

6/25/22 Another Football Camp In The Texas Heat?

     Oh my goodness, to be a teenager, is all I can say.  Not enough credit is given to these young gentlemen and what they go through for the love of their sport.  Yesterday, we were at another football camp for Baby A, this one at Texas Lutheran University, TLU.  As one might have guessed, not all colleges can afford a "bubble" like UT has, to practice out of the sun.  I guess the idea of having these camps early in the day is also a strange concept because this camp started at 4:00pm, and the sun couldn't have been much stronger than it was.  It has been a consistent 106 the last few days, and I see no reason why it wasn't that hot yesterday.

    We got there maybe a little too early, but after getting caught in a 45-minute traffic jam while running errands in the morning, Wife wanted to leave extra early, just in case.  It is nice that Wife was off on Friday (she is working 4 10-hour days per week, while it is summertime), she got to go with us and cook in the sun.  Turns out TLU is only about 45 minutes from the house, so leaving at 1:20pm had us there almost at 2:00pm.  We sat in the car, luckily, we found a shady spot under some trees to park since we were some of the first to arrive.  We sat in the car for 15 minutes, maybe, until it looked like more and more kids were arriving, then we went into the building the kids were going in, to register, and get his cool school souvenir workout shirt.  We were then told it would start around 4:00pm, the notice of the camp starting at 3:30pm is to give time to come in and sign up and register and all that.  We went back and sat in the AC of the car for another 15 minutes.

    Eventually though, we had nothing to do but go sit on the grill that was those bleachers, I know what a brisket feels like in that slow smoke when it goes in the grill now.  We did have a couple of big umbrellas, and they do really help, but it still sucks, no matter how you cut it.  The boys finally got going at 4:00pm and everything went fine.  We were not allowed on the field, like at UT, where I was within ear shot of Mijo and able to capture plenty of video.  We stayed sitting in the stands, watching from afar.  Mijo said he preferred this camp, it felt like he got more "training" from the coaches.  All these camps say none contact, but the lineman drills, by design, have to have contact.  He went head-to-head as a defensive guy, which is new to him, he has been playing offensive lineman most of his playing time, but it was suggested he play nose guard (defensive lineman) because of his height (Mijo is short for a lineman, in college, offensive linemen are generally over 6ft 3in).  Still, few are going to be stronger than him lower body strength wise, so he can still contribute positively on the field.

    While all these "warriors" were fighting it out on the field and going hard, I was about having a heat stroke just trying to stay awake sitting in the stands.  Even with an umbrella and our stadium chairs, which have back support and a slight cushion which keeps our butts off the aluminum, I was still miserable.  We had a little cooler with drinks, and we both had about 3 drinks in the 2.5 hours the poor boys ran around in.

    Afterwards, I asked Mijo how he felt, if he was banged up or tired, and he just flatly says "why, we didn't do anything but run around a little?"  Like I said, "to be young..."

6/24/22 Booster Club Members? (part 2 of 2)

     This is where the problems start creeping in, I think.  I thought the vice president was the actual leader, she is young, energetic (parent to some of the kids), and she is one of those people like Wife, who is anal about compliance and knowing all the rules.  She keeps everything written down in her books and all around, she is who leads us.  The president is an older lady (a retired grandma type), and does things old school, probably like I would if I was in charge, which is why I couldn't.

    The latest kerfuffle was over the use of the leftover funds from last season.  The president took it upon herself to buy a couple cases of Gatorade for the summer workouts, which sounds like stuff the booster club should do, but she didn't discuss it with the club, she just did it.  The vice president had earmarked some of that money to pay for fees associated with the club operating.  At the same time, a coach/mom decided she was going to become a booster club member but came in acting like an authority and trying to impose her will on the booster club.  Both Wife and vice president seem to be saying the same thing, you can't join the club with dual roles.  If you are going to be a coach, listening in, then stay on the sidelines, you don't get to input like that.  If you are going to be a parent, then fine, but again, you can interject and bring stuff up, you don't get to decide what will be.  Then there are new parents, with the incoming freshmen, one of the moms came in hot wanting to be a big contributor to the booster club, but you can't come into your fist meeting acting like you're going to be running things.  She wanted to look at the books and where all the money is coming from, and what we've been doing.

    Basically, there was a lot of drama going on, and although I love hearing about it, it isn't good for a club to operate this way.  The vice-president bought some baseball hats (with her money, just 11, as a demo starting point), with the idea of putting the Cougars logo on them, she also wanted a football and possibly some other embroidery, such as a wrestling or basketball, or whatever for the other sports, but the president took the lead and instead of getting some quotes, she just went ahead and told the first shop she talked with to go ahead and embroider the logo.  This made the hats cost like $28 a piece.  I thought they were a little expensive at $30, but hearing this, I understand now.  Again, this is another point of contention, where the president just acts, while the vice president is trying to find the best deal and actually make some money for the team.

    It isn't all bad, the booster club just started last year, after being idle since 2017.  We made enough money to buy the football team a set of black pants, to add to the tan ones and white ones.  We were able to buy more equipment for the weight room, and once it got going, we were buying food after some of the games.  I guess it'll be interesting to see where this club goes this year, and I hope it does well, everyone has the kids' best interest at heart, it is just that people approach it from different angles.

6/23/22 Booster Club Members? (part 1 of 2)

     Last night was the kick-off Booster Club meeting and I have to say, it was interesting.  Basically, it solidified why I don't like doing stuff like this, in general.  People just have a need to make more out of the tiniest thing, which I guess is part of the human experience.  I just showed up because it was held at the Conan's Pizza next to the school and the manager/owner was kind enough to bring free pizzas for the team when we had the car show.  I wanted to show some gratitude and buy some food since it is kind of out of the way and not a place we would normally eat at on a regular basis.

    First off, the meeting started at 6:30pm, but I didn't get out of work until 6:15pm, and it turned out Wife had gotten stuck in traffic, so we both got home around 6:30pm.  We then rushed over, with the meeting already started, Wife went to listen, and I ordered us a couple of pizzas and some drinks.  The discussion seemed to be all over the place, which made it hard to listen, and then we didn't fit on the big table they had assembled since we showed up late.  I was more interested in eating, so I didn't mind sitting on a side table.  Baby A tagged along, mostly because he heard we were going to a pizza place, not because he cares about hearing old people talk about how we are going to feed a football team.  Wife got herself over there with the meeting, Mijo and I were farther away arguing over the best way to eat pizza.  I was using a fork because the pizza was super-hot when it arrived, and I couldn't use my fingers without risking burning them.  He's mouthing to me to put the fork down; I am embarrassing him, and I am telling him to use a fork, so he won't burn his mouth.  I then proceed to watch his eyes bulge out as he bites the pizza and he clearly burns his mouth, spitting most of the pan pizza out, with all that hot cheese and sauce.  I just smile and point at the extra fork I put on the table for him.  He still refuses to use it, but he stops looking at me with his dead eyes and smiles because he knows I won.

    Once we ate, I could focus more of my attention to the meeting.  This is really serious stuff, for some people.  To me, tell me to buy some pizzas, fine, or make some burgers, pain in the ass, but fine.  These people are treating the club, and I guess someone has to, as a business entity.  Constantly talking about minutes, and codes, it just all goes over my head, because I don't care that way.  I care about the boys getting fed, of course, but the need for a whole system set up to "fund raise" seems strange to me.  I guess once money is involved, it has to be done a certain way.

(con't.)

6/22/22 It's Looking Like Wife Wants Me Dead?

     As I am getting older and slower, I think Wife realizes she missed out on trading me in like an old car and getting a newer model.  The best thing she can do now is put me in an "accidental situation" and hope for the best.  Maybe she just expects me to do my part around here, who knows.

    We kind of bought the older 2013 Escape partly so Mijo could have a starter car to learn how to drive and if it turned out to be good, Wife would drive it to work, so we don't destroy the Telluride treating it solely as a commuter car, it is our newest family vehicle, if we ever venture out again on vacations and such.  A couple months ago, she stopped driving the Escape (she was alternating one week one car, the next week, the other) because some plastic protective shield underneath got loose.  The car rides real low, it is a small car, and I think I might have ridden up on one of those wheel stops at a store or restaurant.  She had been on me (dare I say, harassing me) to get it fixed.  You can't simply take any screw and shove it into the holes, these are metal into metal screws, so I had to figure out what the right screws to use.  I got the right screws a while back, but with the heat, I surely did not want to bother dropping down to my knees and working underneath the car.  Another problem is that I don't fit under the car.  If the car has 1 inches of clearance underneath, I must be that much fatter, my head barely fits underneath to look at the problem.

    I don't know why, but yesterday I got home after dropping off Mijo at weight training and said it is time, to myself.  I got off, went straight to the garage, well I turned on my coffee maker, and I got the screws, my knee pads, and my drill, the screws had a hexagonal star head, so I had to use a weird bit to drive it in, not a regular screwdriver.  After spending a whole 2 minutes fixing the problem, I was pretty proud of myself.  I showed Wife how I had bravely got under the car, in this summer heat and did my manly duty.  She then told me she would take the car in the morning.  I went off to work, and although a rarity, I worked until 1:30am (we are sharing our analysis tool at the moment, so it took me longer than normal to start running samples).  

    On my way home, I "HAD TO" stop for gas, the car was down to 40 miles to empty and I couldn't have Wife gassing it up in the morning on the road.  It is a lot more intense stopping and gassing up now than when I used to do it all the time.  I scanned the gas station and there didn't seem to be any homeless around, I stopped, got off, and right on cue, some old car pulling a U-Haul with a single dude stops on the other side of the pumps, but I had already grabbed the gas.  I had an eye on him, because he did not even line up to get gas, then he starts walking around.  I guess, now, that the door must've been closed on our side of the pumps, so he had to walk around to the other side, but in my periphery, he was just loitering outside a gas station at 2:00am.  He never did approach me, but I was vigilant, I've seen people protect themselves by dousing assailants with the gas hose, so I was ready to pull it out and give him a flammable wash.

    All this freaking stress of getting gas for Babe, and I get up in the morning to take Mijo to practice (yes, it is the story of my life right now), and my loving jackass didn't even take the car.  I guess she just told me to gas it up for fun.  I could've waited for the morning, which was my plan before she told me she would be taking it.  Between making me work in the sun, getting underneath small cars and then forcing me to go to gas stations in the middle of the night, she will get me murdered one of these days.

6/21/22 Another Week Of 7V7?

     This is now the third week that Baby A has gone out and done center duties for his football team.  Center is an unglamorous job that only makes you get noticed when you make a mistake.  Thankfully, I have not seen a bad snap from him in the three weeks and more than 7 games he has participated in.  There was one bad reception from the QB, but it landed in his hands around his face, he should have handled it better.  This was the back-up QB, and he admitted it was his fault, nothing to do with the job Mijo is doing.

    If I have one complaint for these matches, it is the time of day they are played at.  On Tuesdays, the matches have started at 4:30pm, which is about the hottest part of the day.  We were standing out there today in blistering 106-degree weather.  Luckily, I am not trying to sit at the 50-yard line on those aluminum bleachers.  Last week, I noticed most of the parents that show up, sit under some trees over on the side of the field, by the endzone.  It is not the best place to watch the action, but it is a lot cooler in the shade than on those metal bleachers.

    Today, the referees were really focused on the helmets and mouth pieces.  They wear some funky foam looking helmets, but if it was up to half the boys, they wouldn't wear them.  The game is touch football, but there are still plenty of collisions.  There was even a personal foul today, when a kid grabbed another one by the shirt and threw him down.  Overall, I think our boys are looking pretty good.  They went 1 and 1 today, winning the first one and losing the second one.  I don't know what happened, but they looked like different teams.

    All in all, Tuesdays seem much better, it is two games, start at 4:30pm and done before 6:30pm.  We made it home before 7:00pm, thanks to the toll roads, which I am sure I'll be pissed about having to pay for in a couple of weeks when the bill comes.

6/20/22 Father's Day At My In-Law's?

     Fathers barely get recognized as it is, and now we are going to have to compete with Juneteenth, fucking awesome.  For us, I had kind of made some lame-ish plans, since my sister had come on Saturday and I made a brisket and sausages for them, I thought it would be cool if we just made some good old-fashioned steaks, New York Strips, to be exact.  I went to the store Saturday morning, while my brisket was smoking, and bought three steaks for the three of us, I envisioned us being home and maybe even jumping in the pool, for a while in the afternoon.

    All that changed, with a phone call.  Wife got a call from her sister, I think, that they were going to make some barbeque, if we wanted to join them.  I was already hesitating to go out and starting the grill, so when Wife suggested we go, it did not take too much prodding.  I know Mijo did not want to go, he wanted to just stay home and relax, he is still hobbling around with his cramped-up/pulled hamstring.  Either way, we eventually all got showered and we left.  I didn't even bother trying to dress up, wearing the same shirt I wore for Easter, with some chocolate bunnies on the front.

    The meal was good, it always is, but it was missing a main meat.  There were ribs, chicken, sausages, and other variations of those, such as whole chicken and chicken strips (fajita style).  I was a tad bothered that we waited for Wife's brother, only because we have gone over plenty of times and if we are late, everyone will have already eaten, and we basically eat leftovers, the food is always great, but they don't ait for us like they were waiting for the brother.  I was giving my mother-in-law a hard time about that, like "I guess we know who the favorite is."  She insisted we were waiting on the beans, which he was bringing.  When they finally gave in and said, "go ahead and eat."  I of course had to make it like the meal was incomplete because there weren't any beans.

    All in all, it was a fine time.  I drove down there, but after eating as much as I did, I just wanted to lay down somewhere.  We got in the car to come back to Austin (Wife drove back), and I did not make it to the freeway, from their house, I fell asleep.  I woke up near San Marcos, about an hour later, and we got home after in good time.  This was yet another weekend that was not "restful", it seems like we don't get those type of weekends anymore.

6/19/22 Sister came For A Visit?

     It was a little different, but my sister and her family came for a visit yesterday.  I say it was different because usually when anyone comes, my parents are involved.  This might have been the first time my sister, her hubby, and two kids came without the extended family also joining.  The reason for their visit was to get their older boy with a group that is doing a science camp.  As I understood, they are leaving from here and spending a day or two at the coast and a couple more days here and there.  I did not get the full itinerary, but it is a week-long, and he is going with a group in which he doesn't know anyone.  I would be very nervous to go with a group I did not know at all, but that is just me.

    I offered my sister the choice of going out to eat or smoking a brisket, and they chose the brisket here at home.  I got up super early, at 5:00am, so I would have enough time to prepare the meat for their arrival, more or less.  She estimated they would get here around 3:00pm, and they did arrive here around 3:30pm, so that was good.  By that time, I had already taken the brisket out of the grill and was letting it "rest" in the turned off oven.  It probably sat for an hour, while I kicked up the temperature of the grill, and then I cooked/grilled some sausages.  While we waited for that prepare, we sat at the table and talked.  I had bought a watermelon and even a melon, which I cut up and we shared that as a snack before dinner.  The brisket was a little gummy, but the flavor poured through, it was delicious tasting.

    Their plan was to go to the movies, but after being on the road since Thursday, I think they preferred to just stay in and take it easy.  We sat and talked until around 6:30pm.  At that point, we went to Walmart, so they could get supplies for the kid, such as shampoo, travel deodorant, and whatever other supplies he might need, I don't know if he was given a list of things to look up.  We just went through the food section and picked out a couple of unnecessary food items.  We were back at the house by 8:30pm and by that point, I was really out of it, since I had gotten up so early, I was looking for the bed.  My sister and her husband went to the guest room upstairs and when it looked like they weren't coming back down, we decided to do the same.  Wife and I headed to our room, and I was asleep probably before 10:00pm.  I know I woke up at 11:30pm and was surprised it was still early like that.  I felt I had already slept quite a bit.

    Sunday morning, I woke up early to make sure and not miss them leaving.  They were out the door before 10:00am.  At this point, I got up at 7:30am.  I am ready to go back to bed and nap some more.

6/18/22 I hate Motorcycle Drivers On Youtube?

     I absolutely hate the need to show off on motorcycles, the whole running away from cops is just trash behavior.  I say fine, do what you want, but then why do we have to be subjected to "watch for bikes on road."  These mofos seem to enjoy driving over the speed limit, and in a polite society, that just doesn't cut it.  I don't get to gun it and go over 100mph because I don't feel like interacting with the police, why do they get to do it, repeatedly, it seems.  I know it's just a few assholes, but as they say, "a few bad apples spoils the whole damn bunch."

    My uncle rides a motorcycle, and it wasn't that long ago that he crashed and had to be airlifted to San Antonio with broken ribs and all that.  He said he hadn't driven his bike in years and had just gotten it repaired with new brakes.  He doesn't want to blame his friend who did the brake job, but it was the brakes that failed and locked up on him.  If there was anything lucky about it, it is that he was already headed home, after driving around for hours.  It happened a few houses from reaching his house, he said he was only going 20mph or so, still, he went over the front, and the bike ran over him, or fell on him.  Another lucky break is that he is a huge guy, so it helped him survive the bike falling/running over him.  If that wasn't enough Baby A's coach also drives a motorcycle and he too also had a near death experience, with his wife on the bike with him.  He mentioned that they were country cruising over to New Braunfels and he lost control.  He was bruised up for a while, but I think he is over it.

    But anyways, I think motorcyclists could go a long way to making themselves safer on the road.  First off, it is not legal or ok to drive between cars when everyone is at a standstill (maybe in California, but not in Texas), you're not special and shouldn't get to "cut line" because your vehicle is smaller.  Zipping in and out is fun, for you, but why is it our job to look out for you, take some responsibility?  If I let my safety in the hands of others, I would probably have an accident once a week, in general, people suck big time, nobody is paying attention all the time, so your safety should be your top priority, not seeing how much you can get away with.  Hate it when assholes thumb their noses at the cops, then the minute they need help, they're mad if the cops don't respond.  Jackass behavior.

6/17/2022 Where's All The Power Grid Worries?

    I hadn't thought about it, but we are halfway through June and last night Girlie came over because the power in her apartment complex turned off.  It got me wondering why we haven't heard about possible power grid failures at any moment, like we were having after the big winter storm of a year ago.  This was a quick and sudden reminder of what life can be like in a world without power.

    Girlie said she had some cousins over and they were just chilling, not doing anything in particular when the power went out all of a sudden.  She had some video on her Snapchat and I agree, it got super dark very quickly.  I guess the whole block around her lost power, including the IHOP there at the end of her neighborhood, by Slaughter and I-35.  She hung around for a bit, thinking the power would come back quickly, but it took longer than she could wait.  She said her cousins hung out while she walked the dogs, then they left (I think there are too many people already living at her cousins that it is easier for her to come over to us).  I felt a little bad for the dogs, we know one of them, the other is new.  She said her boyfriend who works nights, came and picked up the dogs to take to his place.  He did tell her the power came on as he was leaving her apartment, but by then she was probably in the shower here.

    I greeted her downstairs, pointed to where stuff is, she's lived here a few times, she knows the house well enough, and then I went up to bed.

    As of yesterday, we have already had a string of 9 days with above 100-degree days, so we are up and running with a hot summer this year, last year was very mellow, it did not even seem like it was that hot.  I keep looking at the forecast and I see nothing but 100-degree days well into next week, so it just seems like all the days are the same.  We at least have a generator and that portable A/C in the house, if things come to that, although I hope they don't.  I really feel like we should get back to stocking our emergency closet with supplies, in case shit hits the proverbial fan.  We've been a little lacking in focus, but I know we do keep hearing that we are in for a rough time with food shortages and the like.

    All we can really do is survive day to day, and hopefully we get to the other side of this heat and start seeing cooler weather in September.  For now, there is no better feeling than laying down under a blanket in a chilly room and taking a nap.

6/16/22 7V7 on A Tuesday Night?

     I feel these 7V7 matchups are on the one hand fun and exciting for a bunch of 16–18-year-old boys to go head-to-head with other schools in the area and prove themselves but on the other hand, it also has to be a pain in the ass to do it so many times a week.  Baby A was called again to go and be center for his beloved Cougars, which is something he'll do gladly, when it is once a week.  Honestly, I enjoy going out there and watching the boys do what they do, but they are doing this multiple times a week, I feel that after a while, some of these kids will get burned out, with the grind of having to show up on multiple days and having multiple matchups every time.

    Last week, they had three scrimmages on Monday, followed by two on Tuesday.  I don't know if they are playing the same teams, but this week we did not go on Monday, but did show up last night, on Tuesday.  Again, there were only two scrimmages, even though there were eight teams out there.  I was expecting to go at least three.  Mijo says they are doing so much better than in years past.  Last week, we won two of the three scrimmages on Monday, and last night we won one and lost won, although the loss came to LBJ, who is in our district.  They went deep in the playoffs last season, all the way to state, according to my son, so they are the team to beat this season.

    7V7 is of course, just the receivers and QB running routes and passing.  It is football, but it is also so not football, since the whole running aspect is not part of it, not to mention all the commotion caused by the big boys in the line of scrimmage.  So far, this has been pretty clean, no one is getting injured, as the game is supposed to be touch, but there still are hard hits now and then.  My son said a fight about broke out last week between LBJ and Crockett, which sounds about right when you have that much testosterone running around, and they are supposed to control themselves.  The coaches aren't supposed to be inolved, so they are there, but they aren't supposed to be on the field, so I can see the boys losing their cool a lot quicker.

The day went a lot smoother than the first week, I guess it helps now that I am understanding the rules a little better.  I found some shade by standing in the shade of the posts that hold the lights up high.  I am still wider than the post, but the shade was still helpful.  The day was also a little hazy, and the top temperature was only around 98, so a good 10 degrees cooler than last week.  Since it was only two scrimmages and we started at 4:30pm, we were done by 6:30pm.  I called Wife, she had just gotten home, and we were able to go eat dinner around 7:00pm.  It was a good day, helped that I took the day off from work.

6/15/22 Streets Are Scary At Night?

     I used to roam at night, for almost twenty years I worked night shift, from 7:00pm to 7:00am.  It has only been a couple years and yet, now I can't figure out how I did it for so long.  I was a little scared, honestly, tonight (Monday night)) after picking up Mijo from a friend's house, he was hungry, he is always hungry.  We went over to Whataburger, I should have driven over to the one closer to Brodie Lane, instead of the one in Southpark Meadows.  I won't even get gas here at night anymore, these homeless bums will approach you, almost every time to ask you for money, and gassing up you're just standing there exposed.

    Southpark Meadows has been going down the drain for a while now, and tonight, that was on full display.  There was a meth head literally running around the restaurant the whole time we were in line.  We could clearly see him, he was playing panther, or something, pretending to hide in the bushes and slowly coming out and then running between the cars, I didn't understand why they didn't call the cops, not that he was doing anything illegal, per se, but grrrr, do I find shit like this annoying.  Before this spectacle, I almost ran over some idiot on a bike as I turned into Southpark Meadows, near the Walmart gas station, the biker, who looked like another homeless person, was cruising about as slow as one can possibly go on a bike, cutting between cars, and popping out in front of me as I am making my turn.

    There was also an either heavy set gal or possibly she was pregnant, but walking alone at 10:0pm or so, she did not look to be in the right setting.  Then there was a group of maybe 7th graders, about 7-8 of them in a tight little group walking, Mijo said they had water guns in hand, I still didn't trust that big of a group of little shits.  The truck in line in front of us called them or something, but they all congregated on her, at which point I was ready to hit the gas if they approached me, they might have been harmless, but I don't need to be taking chances.  Meanwhile, the meth head kept running around the parking lot, like he was the star attraction of all the weird shit going on outside, he must have made four runs around the restaurant while we waited in line.

    After getting Mijo's food, we left, happily not interacting with anybody.  We got to the light to turn on 1st Street, and I saw another crazy homeless person, and I told Mijo, is that another meth head, he said "that's your favorite one, the chick that is always screaming."  Oh, I forgot about her.  It is sad, that we kind of know what drugged out crazy person hangs out in what corner, this city really is turning to shit very fast.

6/14/22 Running Into People From Our Past?

     I really hate running into old acquaintances, people I should maybe know their names, but it's been 20 years and a couple hundred pounds since I last saw them, so I have no idea who they are.  It happened to me last night at the party for our nephew.   A guy came up to me and said very bluntly "you don't remember who I am, do you?"  I was focused on watching my Wife and Mijo dancing and having a good time laughing, so he also caught me off guard.  I was like "Nope."  I wasn't rude about it, and quickly focused my energy on him, but I could not place him.  He started talking about my brother and I guess he is related to the people who sold the house to my brother, which were people who we grew up with.  I was even trying to figure out if this was the older guy who lived there, when we were growing up, but he was older and a tad slow.  This guy said he went to school with my brother-in-law, and I guess my brother.  He then rattled some names of his cousins and while we talked, I thought he said he was one of the cousins, those guys I remember.  The older dude was kind of a bully when we were little, but then after high school, I ran into him, and he was only 5ft 5in and not big at all, so I remember thinking why was this guy a bully?  I was classmates with his brother and him I always liked, he was more subdued and could hold a conversation.  There were a few more brothers, but it was all kind of a blur.  I got into the conversation, he asked about my brother and family, told him we were all doing good, but I didn't get into any specifics, it was loud and hard to talk with the music.

    After a while, he referenced his cousin again and then I was confused because I thought that was him, so now I had no idea who I was talking to.  I kept it pleasant and eventually he moved over to get a drink or something.  I just hate encounters like that, it is probably the biggest reason I hate going down and visiting my folks.  I left my hometown in 1991, and every time my mom or my siblings start into some story it's "you remember Chucha or Tacuache" (it's always some stupid nickname).  I calmly say no, they repeat the name, like maybe I didn't hear it, then it's "well, it's because you're stuck up and live in the big city."  The idea that I haven't lived there 30 years doesn't seem to matter to anybody.  Not to mention if they show me a picture on Facebook, it doesn't help because when I moved away in 1991, we were all barely out of our teens.  Everybody has a gut and grey hair or balding, but I'm the ass who can't remember anybody.

    This is what I like about the big city, anonymity.  Nobody recognizes me, I feel free to walk around the HEB without being recognized by someone from my past.  I was recognized a couple months ago by one of Girlie's friends, but she did it smartly by saying her name and who we both know.  Of course, I remembered her that way, I've still got pictures of her in Halloween costumes somewhere in my phone.  But some assholes come up and insist you remember them, but won't give you any clues, those people can go play in traffic, for all I care.

6/13/22 Celebrating Wife's Nephew's Graduation?

     One more time, is all I keep telling myself, it seems like there has been something or other going on since the start of the year.  Not that I have a problem going over there, I like my in-laws, it's just that every weekend is filled with one more thing.  I can't figure how we used to own a boat and have time to go to the lake every weekend or whatever it was.  Either way, this one was scheduled for 6:30pm and we probably arrived 15 minutes late, but it was alright.

    They rented the clubhouse, which is the neighborhood building next to the swimming pool.  It isn't the fanciest of places, but it is a big open room, and was just right for what this became.  When we arrived, I thought it was a bit too much as I saw the normal faces and thought this could all have happened at my in-law's house.  Gradually, more and more people showed up that I wasn't familiar with, these were the family on the kid's dad's side, which Wife keeps telling me I've met multiple times, but I never talk to them, so I can't remember.  Either way, by 8:00pm the place was pretty much full, with both sides of the family and about two tables of high school kids that I assume graduated with our nephew.

    I had talked to Wife's sister's man (technically not married but been together most of the 18 years this kid has existed) about the menu.  He is a great cook, as far as briskets and stuff goes.  I was telling him, mostly joking at the graduation, to make a small brisket for us.  The menu was going to be chicken fajitas, which is fine, but I always want a little more.  When we got there, he pulled me aside and told me to ask for the "Big Man plate".  I got a foil pack full of beef fajitas, which were very good, and made the table a little jealous, which just made them taste better.

    After we ate, we saw a 15-minute video of pictures taking us from the kid being a baby to a graduate, it was sappy and cute as they always are.  I liked seeing both my boys in several pictures.  This was then followed by more food, there was a fruit break, with watermelon, pineapples, and strawberries, and finally we were allowed to hit the dessert tables, which were filled with so many sweets.  I even brought a box home afterward.

    I was surprised that they had a DJ and that the people even started dancing.  It was mostly the kids, but Wife and her sisters got on the dance floor multiple times.  Mijo was taken out to dance by all his aunts, and I do believe he is getting better at it, he is starting to use his hips more.  all in all, it was a good time, and we were home by 11:00pm.

6/12/22 Appreciation For Sports?

     My beliefs have come a long way from what jocks were in my head.  I grew up as a band kid and my opinion of jocks were that they were just a bunch of dumb kids who enjoyed being bullies and were easily entertained by throwing balls around.  Now that I have seen firsthand what it takes to play organized football, I realize I was so wrong on so many counts.

    For my boy, football is an almost year-round endeavor.  There is the constant need to be in the weight room, if you want to be any good, this is just part of the lifestyle.  Thinking you'll lift a little in the summer is just wasting everybody's time, it takes a commitment from the student athlete as well as a coaching staff that is going to be around and provide the facilities so the boys can prosper and grow.  That is another thing, dumb jocks are a thing of the past, if they ever really existed.  Today, the student has to come first, the coach does not want a bunch of "dummies" he is going to lose at the first six weeks when report cards come out, so I believe the good coaches keep the athletes remembering that they are students first.

    The next big part is that these boys are not just gifted physically, some are just giant beasts, but for the most part, they are working hard for the gains they get and there are constant setbacks.  At Mijo's school, there is a dedicated trainer, and she has student athletic trainers that are trained to help, which to me is a way to get cheap help, but these are also another great group of kids who even traveled with the wrestling team and were always ready to help with the common scrapes and nose bleeds that come with contact sports.  Some of these kids really suffer for the love of their sport.  Some of Mijo's friends have had a broken arm, a broken nose, concussions, a broken ankle.  At one point, we thought our son had broken his shoulder, but it was just a bruise, still, the pain lasted over a month, and he says he sometimes thinks about it breaking down on him as he lifts heavy weights.

    This past week, seeing them in action at the football camp, I was amazed that these boys will put their bodies through some painful ordeals, challenging themselves well past comfort levels and ultimately coming face to face with equally eager challengers to better themselves.  I think it would do well for the whole student body to be put through competition like this.  One should not just assume that these jocks get to run through campus being these big tough guys just because.  A lot goes into making these boys tough, which starts with getting up early all summer, sacrificing their free time which could be spent playing video games or being lazy.

6/11/22 An Afternoon In The Bubble?

     I have always complained that the introduction of the practice bubble at UT is what made the Longhorns soft, since it got the players out of the sun and practicing in the comforts of air conditioning.  Today, I got to experience what it is like being in there, and it wasn't all fun and games.  Baby A had his first football camp ever there, and it was an experience for sure.

    The day started out great, once we got inside it, I thought.  We got there early; the camp started at 1:00pm, we got there around 12:30pm.  The line to get inside was long but moving briskly.  There was a practice facility right outside and it was brutally hot, I was thinking it was going to be murder being out in the sun during the hottest part of the day.  Moving inside was so nice, for the first hour, maybe.  It took about that long to get things moving along.  The boys were all run through a long line where they were weighed, measured and generally treated like cattle to determine all sorts of abilities.  They were given a chance to show their 40-yard speed, their jumping ability, and stuff like this.  All the while, I was enjoying the fact that it was probably 20 degrees cooler in the bubble than it would have been outside, maybe it was 80 degrees when we walked inside.

    By 2:00pm, the actual camp started with a loud air horn being blown.  All the boys ran to the middle of the artificial grass field, like salmon running upstream.  The field looked so inviting, I took my sandal off and regretted it immediately.  There are little rubber pebbles in the grass, and it seems sticky.  I didn't feel like I got them off me until I got home and showered.  The power of 200-300 boys running around for three hours just sucked all the comfort of that once comfortable dome and turned it into a steamy sauna.  Within an hour of them starting so many drills, I was humid and sweaty myself, and there was nowhere to really go.  The boys were broken up into groups of 30-40 kids and we were allowed to follow along and record their activities, which was fun, for the first half hour.

    By 4:00pm, I was done.  I was contemplating going outside, maybe running to go buy a drink somewhere, anything to get out of the curse of that bubble.  I finally noticed another parent drinking from the Gatorade and water for the players, there were stations set up all around the field.  I asked him if they were allowing us to grab a drink, he said "they don't want anyone to pass out, go ahead."  I went up and asked the girls manning the table and they said "Sure, go ahead."  The 2 tiny cups of Gatorade made it possible to tolerate the last hour.  I know these are first world problems, but it was suffocating in there.  At one point, I was standing too close to the water station as they told the boys to go drink water and it was like a Whataburger kitchen came at me, you know, that smell of onions hit me hard.

    The important thing is that Mijo had a good day.  He was so nervous all week, but after it was said and done, he handled himself well, as I knew he would.  The last hour and a half, there was finally some contact between offense and defensive players.  It was probably the best part, seeing the boys go against each other, with coaching and tips from I have to assume UT players and maybe assistant coaches.

6/10/22 Weird Week Without WIfe?

     Wife has been in Ft. Worth since Tuesday for a conference.  This left baby A and I at home alone doing what we do best.  These weeks have been so hectic, there really wasn't even time to miss her.  Monday started off super crazy with taking Mijo to morning weight training from 9:00am to noon.  This was followed by bringing him home, although he dragged butt coming out because he was discussing the 7V7 football scrimmage that he was thrown into at the last minute.  We got home after picking up some Bill Miller, he ate, showered, went back for wrestling practice (not official, but the mats are open, and they can spar to keep their agility and form up).  I went to work at this time, about 2:00pm, but he was getting out at 3:30pm.  I did not feel like working, so I did the bare minimum and texted my boss I was going to take the rest of the day off to go watch my kid do his 7V7 thing.  I picked him up maybe 40 minutes late, but he had walked to Dairy Queen and waited with a drink in hand.  I picked him up, took him home, he changed, and we were out the door.  We did not get back home from the scrimmages until 10:00pm.  Wife was already in bed; I went up and kissed her goodnight then went to shower.

    Tuesday was similar, take him to weight training, then I went to work.  Because I was out Monday, I felt a little guilty and thought I would give it a little more effort, so I stayed my full shift and worked my butt off.  By the time I got out, Wife was getting ready for bed, we talked while I drove home, then that was the day.  Mijo ate baked chicken which I had made in the morning, because I had intended it to be dinner Monday, but we ate out after the scrimmage.

    Wednesday was pretty identical to Tuesday, I stayed late at work, but at this point, it was looking like we are finally getting caught up with a lot of work that had been piling up because of our tool down issues of the past few weeks.  I even managed to prep about what was left for Thursday, so I could just come in, run that small amount of work, and hopefully get home at a decent hour.  It worked out pretty well, I was able to get those samples run, and I was home in time to grill Mijo and myself some steaks out on the grill.  At this point, I did miss Wife a bit, being home early is when I do like her to be here, but oh well, I sat and watched a movie by myself.

    It is now Friday morning, I got up, folded a load of clothes that was left in the washer by Mijo, I moved it to the dryer at midnight, then drank my coffee.  I went and made sure he was awake (about 9:30am), then made some tacos so he eats something and has plenty of time to do his business and get ready.  We are now just waiting for this 1:00pm start time to the football camp and he is a bag of nerves right now, not knowing what to expect.

    Wife will be here early, she said she would be done by noon, so hopefully when we get out of the camp at 5:00pm, she will be home.  If all the weeks pass by like this, we will not even notice going through the summer, we need to slow down somehow.

6/9/22 It's A Wonder We Don't Have More Car Accidents?

     Just about every day, most of us have a near miss with another vehicle while out driving, taking care of life.  Thankfully, we are paying enough attention to avoid the collision, but sometimes, with our best efforts, they still happen.  Girlie was out at Walmart, buying bins to store her possessions because like all apartment dwellers, there is always a move coming up.  Anyways, as she was reversing out of her parking spot, she said an oncoming car was not paying attention and just rammed her sideways.  She was hit so hard the airbags on the passenger side windows deployed.  Although, the ones on the driver's side did not, I think she might have actually been tossed against the door for a second, as she said she is sore from her shoulder to her elbow all of a sudden.

    She described the people, although she did not want to be mean, she said they were hillbilly as they come.  Missing teeth, ratty clothes, overbearing woman complaining that the car was a rental because her own car was in the shop as she had just been involved in another car accident.  That tells me that woman should not be driving at all.  I did not understand the story as she told me, but they did not hit and run, but there was a lot of "We'll be right back."  They went off to get gas first, then they left to get drinks or something.  Eventually, her BF showed up and he called the cops a second time, the first time they said they could not respond because of Defund the Police, they are short staffed.  The BF called because he thought they would leave without exchanging information, they took forever to produce the insurance papers.

    Today, she just found out her car is a total loss.  From the pictures I was thinking as much, seeing that the frame was bent in multiple places.  She was told the repairs would cost $20,000 and the car would not be as good, it is only worth $18,000 and she owes $14,000.  I don't know how those numbers work, but she said she had just made the 3-year mark owning this car and was wondering about replacing the tires, as they were getting old.  Guess that is one less thing to worry about, when they just trash the whole car.

    She is currently not working a full-time job and she is down to her last semester from graduating from Texas State, so she says her credit is not good, which will make it harder to qualify for a decent car.  But she needs something good to drive, her internship is supposed to be in Indiana, which she was leaving to in August.  I know it will all work itself out, but it just seems like a huge pain in the ass when things like this happen.

6/8/22 First Football Camp?

     I am excited that Baby A will be attending his first summer football camp.  I kind of like that it is at the UT campus.  At this point, I don't know if I will be able to view the practice or not, but either way, it is an exciting time for Mijo as he gets to go out there and see the competition from a different perspective.  He has gotten many offers to go to camps, but he has been hesitating, I feel that it is part laziness and part scared of the unknown, plus it's summer, I know part of him wants to just be home in the A/C.

    I went out with the intention to buy him new socks, I noticed when I am washing that he is down to about 2-3 pairs of socks, and I can see through some of them.  I don't know where all his socks have gone, I bought him a couple of good quality Nike ankle socks, which he likes, 2 twelve packs in Christmas plus probably another two packs at the start of the school year and they all seem to be gone.  I told Wife I was at Academy, and she suggested I buy him some shorts, so I made it a shopping spree.  He does not like to shop and acts like a child when we are looking for clothes, so I just chose stuff I like.  He'll wear whatever we give him, but of course, he is lucky, in that I like the nicer stuff.  I bought him a pair of "warm-ups" that aren't supposed to be hot, I know this boy and he likes to cover up and he will wear warm-ups in 100-degree weather.  I also got him about 4-5 new shorts in different materials, but they all stretch, so he can choose what feels best for him tomorrow.  As my mom said, he should look good in front of all these new kids, which I agree.  I know he'll just say "It doesn't matter what you look like, it's what you do on the field.

    I know that the camp is supposed to be minimal contact, they are only supposed to wear shorts and shirts, but I've also seen these types of camps on Youtube and the boys do get aggressive with one another.  It didn't help having to fill out a waiver that it is not the fault of the University or the coaching staff if our son gets hurt or worse.  I know those forms are for the lawyers, but it still makes me nervous, I see some of these "boys" are walking around at 6ft 5in in height with baby faces still in their teens.  My son says he likes bringing those boys down to size, so we'll see what happens.

6/7/22 7V7 Football?

     Baby A was suddenly sucked into this little world of 7V7 football, which until today, he had not been a part of.  I don't even know if this is something that has happened in years past, or if this is new and Crockett is forging new ground.  Either way, 7V7 football is mostly just the QB and his receivers going against mostly the secondary.  It was weird for me, sitting there trying to feel some attachment to the team, but without the linemen, the boys Mijo messes around with, it was mostly a team of skinny tall receiver types and their counterparts on defense, such as defensive backs and safeties.  Mijo belongs with the big boys down in the trenches, where they fight for every yard with muscle and force.  I loved the grace and athleticism on display, but without the hits, it started to feel a little like soccer (little joke there).  I feel like I know the team pretty well at this point, but it is really just the big guys, I was having a hard time identifying anyone other than my son and the QB who did get decent playing time last year.

    Mijo was there to hike the ball to the QB, which is good practice, if he is ever called to do it in a game, all of a sudden (he did not have a bad snap in the 3 matches).  The regular center was MIA all day, although he did show up at the end of the first match.  I heard my son yell at him if he wanted to take over his role, but clearly, this other kid was just there to watch.  My boy didn't mind the assignment too much, but it was a long day for him, starting at 9:00am-noon with a weightlifting session, I went and picked him up, brought him home, then took him back at 2:00pm for wrestling practice, until 3:30, then picked him up again, this time, I was almost an hour late trying to finish some stuff at work since I would be taking the rest of the day off(I did tell him to go hang at the Dairy Queen), then home to change and head out to this 7V7 thing, at 6:00pm to 9:00pm.

    The worst part of this was the heat, I don't know what is going on, but it was 108 around 5:30pm, according to the car's temperature reading.  The sun was just frying us out there.  I had an umbrella to try and make some shade, but the players were out there, just standing and running in the sun's full glory.  Luckily, for the parents, the 2nd and 3rd matches were in a proper football field and the bleachers had shade from some trees, it was a lot more tolerable then.

    As far as the product on the field, our boys are looking very good.  Several of these young receivers seem to not be afraid to go out and reach for the ball.  I don't know how much I can talk about specifics, so I won't, but I was worried because we lost a senior QB who was very much the leader of the team, but I think the new guy is adapting to his role, and the team is rallying around him.  They won 2 of the 3 matches, so that was good as well.

6/6/22 Alamodome Graduation?

     I will admit after the fact, I had a good time at the graduation.  I only say this because I was allowed to relax and do it my way, much like when we went a couple years ago for my nephew.  I thought Wife overdid it a bit with the being there a whole hour early, but I guess that is fine, we got there, and it still looked semi empty.  Because we got there so early, we were able to park as closely as possible to the trail one has to walk to reach the inside of the stadium.  The design, from a customer point of view, is horrible!  There is plenty of parking, but it goes into the parking lot by driving through the sleepy neighborhood, so those streets were never meant to carry thousands of cars at a moment's notice.  Although going in was fine, leaving was another story.  everyone, including little old ladies were losing their patience, I swear one even called me a mother F*cker as I passed her (she was being pushed in a wheelchair very slowly, and as soon as I saw an opening, I told Wife to go on one side of her while I passed her on the other.  I think I may have stepped too close to her, I kind of heard her mutter something, but Wife told me she cussed at me, this happened inside before we even got in the cars).

    I digress, we got there early, the concession stands were open, so we loaded up, Baby A got a hot dog, pretzel, Wife got popcorn, and sodas all around.  This little snack was a hefty $41.  We also got some souvenir dachshund stuffed animal (it was white and meant to be written on, so we wrote congrats and stuff on it) and Wife got flowers for the graduate (that did not make sense).  We had plenty of seats to spare between us, so none of us felt crowded.  Of course, idiots showed up right after the actual ceremony started, but they went and crowded each other several rows away, we were left alone, this time.

    Our nephew was 14th or so to be called and once his name was called and we cheered, there was no reason for us to be there.  Wife said she needed to go to the bathroom, and I followed her.  It took Mijo another 10 minutes to figure out we were just hanging out in the background area.  He came out, we got more nachos and drinks and sat out there until Wife got nervous.  She headed back inside, Mijo and I stayed out and just walked around the whole stadium.  He could not believe me that they play football in that stadium. I then showed him they had curtained off more than half the stadium off from visibility.

    We walked around and hung out until they were almost done with the names, we then went and sat back down when they were on the Y last names.  It took another five minutes before they got done, then we started our outward march.  The family chose not to listen to me, and they all decided to go out the doors leading to the handicap parking area, I said they always go out the other doors, we have been to like 2-3 graduations here, it seems like.  We stood there about 30 more minutes waiting for the graduate to make his way around and it was hot and nasty outside.

    We stood around 10 more minutes taking pictures before deciding to go get to our cars.  Of course, they have the handicap sticker because of my father-in-law, so they were right by their car, we had to walk a good half mile in 102-degree weather to find our car.  It was a fight to get out of the parking lot, we actually saw a truck bump a car, the old guy got out all mad, but the truck just kept going, with cops directing traffic just 100 yards away.  It was cheer mayhem, and nobody wanted to be orderly or nice.

    We finally made it out, but Wife decided we wouldn't go eat with them and instead we headed back to Austin, but we id stop to eat at Sea Island, behind Buc-ee's, it is one of Mijo's favorite places to eat.  Wife was willing to skip out eating with her family because they will have a reception/party next Saturday, so we will be going back for that, more than likely.

6/5/22 Too Many Graduations This Year?

     I don't mind a graduation a year, but this season we are now headed into our third and I am tired of the pomp and circumstance.  First off, it was Boy, he graduated from Texas State, the ceremony was great, it was by far the fastest we have ever attended, they had an auctioneer reading the names of the graduates, it seemed, he had that stage packed with like five kids all trying to shake the dean's hand at the same time, it was almost comical.  We then followed the graduation with a good meal at Salt Lick.  Then my niece graduated, but there was all the drama and tragedy of the shootings, so the actual graduation was reduced and held inside, for safety.  We were not able to attend, each graduate got three tickets and my brother used them for his family.  We did then go and celebrate with her a couple days later when they had a reception for her.  The affair was good, with food, and music, but since it was held on Sunday, we had to hurry back right after.

    Here in a couple hours, we have to get ready for yet another graduation, this one seems a bit late as it is now June, but either way, we are headed to San Antonio for the afternoon to celebrate Wife's sister's younger boy graduating.  Again, it is on a Sunday, why does so much shit happen on Sundays nowadays?  Wife says because there are so many high schools doing the same thing and there are only so many venues that can host graduations of the size required.  Wife said the graduation was going to be held at the Alamodome, which is cool, we'll be in air-conditioned comfort, but there is a payment requirement to park outside.  It's not that I mind going, but I just feel like we can't get a moment to ourselves right now.  This is not the last of it, for whatever reason, their reception won't be until next weekend, so we will have to be focused on that next weekend.  I don't know if that means we will eat with the family tonight and then do it again next week.

    Apart from this, Wife is scheduled to go to Fort Worth from Tuesday through Friday, Baby A has a football camp on Friday at UT, not to mention his daily weight training sessions at school and Monday and Wednesday wrestling practices.  All this calls for a very busy week, but I guess this is where the fun is at.  I know I will miss it so much next year after Mijo graduates, so I must take a positive spin and enjoy the mayhem, as they sang in Hamilton last night "one last time".

6/4/22 Snuper Sleepers?

     We were just relaxing, watching Hamilton for the 4th or 5th time when Wife noticed a small comment on Twitter from another parent of one of the football players on Mijo's team.  Apparently, a list of the top 50 Austin area linemen to look at was put out on www.FLXATX.com by a writer, Daniel Snupe.  It is an honor to be included, for sure, but Mijo, being who he is, was more upset that his friend was not included on the list.  The parent who made the comment which popped up on Wife's twitter thing, jokingly said something like "our eyes are on you Baby A..." (Using the eyes emoji and Mijo's name).  I thought it was cute, his kid got put on the list, which is fine, but I agree that Mijo's friend is a solid player who should be getting noticed more, he played with a broken hand last year for half the season and I don't think he missed a game.

    Mijo's emotions clouded his thinking, and I don't think he enjoyed being mentioned because his buddy wasn't.  I'm not sure why some kids get noticed and others kind of blend in with the background.  I want to think it has something to do with the parent involvement somehow.  Mijo has gotten put on the 2nd Team all-district list the last two years (Coach said he fought to get him on 1st Team, but the record of the team is involved in where you land, somehow, in the rankings).  This other kid that got mentioned also has parents that are there at every activity and he is also involved big time in the booster club, so we see them all the time.  The other parents are more of a blur, they pop in and out, but they don't get in there.  We've gotten to know the coaches, they know Mijo has our full support, and if the opportunity of playing football in college is there, we will do whatever we can to get our boy in there.  I don't know that other players have that kind of support, is the only reason I have to support my idea that parent involvement somehow matters.

    The other thing is the product on the field.  I have all his games on video, and I see that our son is involved in every play, giving it his 100%.  I can follow him even after the play is past him, he is still battling whoever is in front of him and he will then chase the play and still try to help, when he can.  That can't be taught, the player either has it or doesn't, and Mijo cares, he is not out there just going through the motions.  

    Best we could tell him to make him feel better is that there will be bunches of these lists all season long and if your friend plays strong and looks good, he will be noticed.  You have to worry about you, at the end of the day, your future is not written yet.  Last year, when we thought your shoulder was broken, it seemed like your season was over, for a second.  You never know what will happen, just enjoy the acknowledgement for what it is, if you are meant to keep playing post high school, then you'll be playing, and so will your teammates, if it is meant to be.  If not, I strongly believe that playing has made you a better person, and that cannot be taken away.

6/3/22 Baby In Our Midst?

    It was an interesting Saturday afternoon (I know, I am a day behind) I must say.  First off, I have been fighting exactly what I didn't want to, in the pool.  With the addition of the Polaris cleaner, I am having to improve the piping that sends and receives the water to the filter and pump, today I found that I needed to install a baffle to the water return.  I sucked up a part of the Polaris and then it proceeded to get jammed up and stop the pump from working.  I figured out what I need to do, but it was too hot in the afternoon to do it, so maybe tomorrow.

    I had to come in and shower before 6:00pm, because we got a surprise visitor today, DD's baby came over for a visit for a few hours.  We had invited them last week over for BBQ, and the discussion of us watching the baby for a few hours came up.  Wife loved the idea, and said yes, so it was on.  I didn't have a problem with the baby getting dropped off, but I surely needed Wife to do the bulk of the work.  The baby was great, he is 4 months old now, and he is a pretty good baby.  He only cried once when Baby A tried changing him to his sleeping outfit, apparently Mijo grabbed his little chubby leg in a way he didn't like, and he let out a piercing scream.  I was moving the clothes from the washer to the dryer and had to stop and come check out what had happened.  Wife was laughing that the baby had told Mijo to take it easy.  Other than this, the baby spent most of the time either in Wife's arms, or in Mijo's lap, kind of sitting and watching TV with us.

    I personally don't feel comfortable carrying/holding babies until they are bigger and can support themselves.  The thought that I could accidentally hurt them makes me worry about handling them when they are tiny.  I supported Wife by getting up and making her a couple of milk bottles, and by taking care of the washer and dryer for Wife.

    DD and his wife wanted to do an exercise of leaving the baby for a few hours with us, so they can have some alone time away from the baby.  The wife said she had only been away one other time, and the baby stayed with DD, does that even count?  Afterwards, we told them we could watch the baby anytime we are home, as long as we don't have plans, it is no bother.  

    I kind of like having this baby at the house, it feeds my yearning for my own son to try and have one.  My son keeps saying it will be many years before they get there, if they ever do.

6/2/22 Dropped Off The Snacks?

     Ever since the car show, we have had a huge pile of sodas, water bottles, and snacks, more than initially fit in the Excursion for storage.  Since we brought them over to the house, we had a couple of events to lighten the load.  There was the dance night, which we ended up getting pulled into running the concession stand, and then the powderpuff football game, which again, Wife got suckered into helping to run.  We don't mind helping, and even having the stuff at our house was not bad, but it was all piled up there in the front of the house, viewable by anyone visiting.  This Sunday, the booster club decided to have a "party" of sorts, and they will be offering the sodas and everything here for free to the football players.  We will not be able to attend, as we have a graduation for Wife's nephew on Sunday afternoon.  I would have liked to attend the football player's thing; it will be in the park next to the school, but family comes first.

    Since we won't be going, the booster club wanted to make sure they would have access to the stuff, so today we got the call, to see the best way that they could get all the cases of stuff.  Wife, of course, loves to volunteer me to do shit.  She told the lady "Oh yeah, Mando will go drop off the stuff at your house."  With so much bravado without asking me if I was available.  I was putzing around the house deciding if I wanted to clean the house, maybe nap, maybe go buy some fajitas for tonight.  Then, just like that, my day was decided for me.

    It wasn't too bad, I guess.  I was surprised once we started moving the cases that there was more stuff than I thought.  There must have been about 10 cases of water, maybe 10-13 cases of sodas, boxes and boxes of chips, then a big bin full of assorted smaller snacks, like peanut butter on crackers and such.

    We took off without really checking with the booster club lady, same one that helped put Cougar logo on the teddy bear we gave the state wrestler, but she had said someone would be at the house.  It took a minute for her to respond, but her younger daughter was there.  We dropped off everything and got the hell out of there.  It was nice, actually, to come back home and not have that huge pile of stuff by the door.  I hope the kids have a good time at the park, I think we could have made it better, might have even taken sausages and hot dogs, but the day chosen was not great for us.  Oh well.

6/1/22 Suddenly, They Are It?

     Baby A got a surprise he was not expecting today when he decided to go to the Senior graduation to see some of his friends at the ceremony.  He said he felt at times sad that he wasn't going to see some of these people ever again, and that is true, I have not seen probably more than half of my classmates from when I graduated, people just sort of disappear as life moves along.  He then also said he felt a weird feeling that he only has one more year to go and it all ends for him.  He went with friends, I was at work, and Wife was driving home from work, so we were not there this time.

    I don't understand it either, but I have already felt a sense of "this is the last time" when I start thinking this will be it, one more year and we will be done with taking our kids to school, which has been my responsibility most of the time.  It is a weird feeling of sadness and gladness somewhere in there.  I have always liked the time to and from, as it gives us a little time to talk during our busy days.  Usually, after school would also include some sort of meal, such as Bill Miller or Whataburger, so the boys were usually happy and sedated, which made for good times.  It will be sad to be ending, but I guess as my coworker tells me "Good riddance to all that running around in rush hour traffic."  I guess that is true, today was kind of a pain in the ass, leaving work right at 5:00pm, getting stuck in that heavy traffic to rush home, pick him up, then to go drop him off at the graduation, and then going right back to work.

    Mijo was saying it has come up in the last few days, and none of his friends wants to talk about them being the seniors now and they get one more year to be students before they graduate.  I am already tearing up at the idea of his last football game, his last this and his last that.

    But I guess it is a rite of passage, we all have to go through it, I still remember playing my saxophone for the last time with the band.  All I can hope for Mijo is that he has as much fun as possible, so he remembers his time positively, I know I felt I had a good time, and honestly, things did get even better in college, so that can be a positive to look forward to.