6/22/15 Rough Out On First Park?

    So after all the abuse to get up here, the cold/cough I've had (thankfully, not passed to anyone else), all the traffic delays, and even more family joining the group (my brother in laws mother and daughter caught up with us), halfway into Florida.  We finally went to our first park and I hurt people's feelings pretty quick.  I have one goal at these parks, and that is to get people to experience as much as possible.
    My wife has a different agenda, and that is to make sure everybody pees every few minutes.  We had not even made it into the park, Wife is bunched around with her family in the middle of an open non shady area.  I, having a brain that works, am always scanning for shade or even AC.  So Wife is bunched with her family, first behind the cars taking pictures, then in the middle of the entrance to Animal Kingdon.  Both with the sun beating down in all it's glory.  Me and my boys were over here,  twenty yards away, but in the shade.
    I pulled Wife aside and suggested we go to the big ride of the park, which is the safari ride, she can barely keep her thoughts together, maybe excited, maybe nervous cause her family and my rudeness don't generally clash.  As soon as everyone starts walking, they start heading away from what we had discussed.  I gave a loud shudder and people scampered in the direction I thought best.  My thought was it all sucks in the heat, but better wait for those open Jeeps early, then focus on the indoor A/C shows in the afternoon.  It took a long time to walk all the way to the back of the park, but eventually we got on the ride.  I was ready to go to the next ride, but of course, it was pee break time.  I know there are bathrooms everywhere, but we walked almost back to the entrance.  Some people went to pee, some waited, then some more went, then some lost time just standing around.  We finally got to walking, we walked through a forest in Asia, had to stop and sit in the park.  People were tired way too easily.  After, I suggested to the thrill seekers to do the Mt. Everest Roller Coaster.  Three people went and the rest of us got to sit and wait, for 30-40 min.  Even though we sat and did nothing for cloer to 40 min, as soon as we started walking, Wife suggested another pee break.  Again, pandemonium, I wouldn't have cared so much, except we were staring at the Bug's Life Show starting in 5 minutes, and no one seemed that bothered by it.  I then said screw it and went into a nearby store to get in the AC and of course, Wife immediately calls looking for me.  Other than saying "come on!!" and "Ass in gear!!" and doing the finger in the air indicating "wrap it up", I don't know that I did anything wrong, but at some point my mother in law was upset at me.  Wife made me apologize as we were walking out, and I even added, "but you know that I'm an ass", Vicky tells y'all I loose it all the time, nothing I am doing should be a surprise to anyone.  These people have known me more than 25-27 years.

6/21/15 Road Trip With My Homies?

    I love driving to Florida, I should  say loved, today was a pain in the butt.  It didn't really rain on us, but there was one hold up after another.  First off, because of our awesome luck selling the house, realtor wanted us to go in and sign paperwork at 9:30am.  We were trying to get on road at 9:00am, so already our schedule was going to be off, but for a good reason.  Because we were running later we hit Houston just as it was getting to rush hour.  That was not even that bad of a time stealer as we rode on the HOV for about halfway and it was all +80mph.  We then continued and stopped at Louisiana entrance to stretch and go to bathroom.  Father in law offered a sandwich and before I knew it, it turned into a picnic, everone eating sandwiches and chips, fun but we lost a good hour.

    We then got on road and went almost three hours, stopped at a Love's, clean bathrooms, but store needs to be revamped with places like Buc-ee's existing.  I could have/would have liked Wife to drive, but said ehh, I can go a bit more.  We ended up on that 18 mile bridge and although there was a bad accident on west bound lanes, our east bound lanes still slowed down enough to loose another hour.  Just when it seemed there couldn't be any more distractions, our Google Navigator suggested we get off freeway and take some back roads, we discussed with other cars in our party and they all said we'll follow whatever you do.  By the time I had to decide whether to get off freeway, traffic was already backing up to the exit we used.

    We drove on back roads that reminded me of the back roads from my hometown, just two lane roads, 9 miles one way, 13 miles this way... It felt like an hour, but Google said we had saved an hour and a half.  

    All this hard focusing and the fact I am working with a cold, left me drained.  I forced Wife to take over and drive, although it was just the last 11-14 miles.  We then took a good while figuring out where to park, but here we are, I am writing this on a bed in Alabama, next to some Battleships and the tunnel.  Tomorrow has to be smoother, although it is 1:10am and the boys haven't even showered and they are complaining they are hungry.  I guess they only ate the sandwich and whatever junk food in the car.  My poor boys are too used to eating meals.  Chubs is about crying that he is hungry and even Boy is passive aggressively calling us bad parents for not feeding him.

6/20/15 Done, Sold To The Gentleman?

    After so much going back and forth,  and doing so much for our old house, it finally went on the market today around 3pm.  Just like an Austin Hot Property, it sold in four hours.  Our realtor called Wife and told her the good news.  I don't know if we're supposed to get excited, cry, celebrate in whatever way.
   Either way, we are still shaking not believeing the amount of work that went into bringing home up to really a beauty.  Guy that has shown the interest even offered $5000 above our asking price, I guess to push us to say yes and not let others draw it out into a bidding war.
    I am writing this on Friday night and we went to sign paperwork with our realtor as to agreeing to price.  Realtor said she also had two more realtors interested today in showing the house to potential buyers.  They discussed having a back-up offer if we were interested, but our realtor said buyer has half the money cash, only financing half the cost of the house.  Sale should be a slam dunk, never seen a house sell so fast.
    I am happy, although it is a little sad we won't have our starter home, it was very hard to keep fixing and cleaning everything, not everyone was as dirty as our last tenant, but it broke my heart to walk in their and realize "renters" just can't/won't care as much as the owner.  There was also the reality of us having a hard time keeping up with our bills as our newer bigger house has been slowly suffocating us.
    Luckily, Wife is finally being recognized at work with a small salary bump (although she will be driving a bus), and the healthy profit from the house will pay off most of our credit card debt.  Paying off so much credit debt, we will then attempt to refinance our big house, as interesxt rates are still very good.  Finally, add in a renter or two, and I may finally get my wish of a Rolex on every arm and ankle.
    Everyone is constantly "mothering me" telling me, "ay Mando, don't do the same thing again and get all in credit debt again..." no shit, that is goal number one.  Wife still said we are only living in big house for a year as a test.  If we have added credit debt, she says that will be a sign we need to sell big house and live in our RV.  That is her solution/punishment to me for living outside my means.  Let's see what happens from here.

6/19/15 It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia Was Enjoyable?

    I finished binge watching another show, It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia.  I attempted to watch this show about a year ago and gave up after 4-5 episodes.  The characters were weird, and I couldn't make sense of what they were trying to accomplish.  Boy started watching it and suggested I give it another chance, that it was very funny, in a dark way.
    I powered through a couple more episodes and suddenly Danny Devito showed up.  I think the show was missing that elder leader of sorts, the guys are all very much self absorbed, not caring for much more than themselves.  The worst being Dennis, the resident pretty boy, who uses women for his selfish needs.  He records himself having intercourse with everyone just because he likes to watch himself going at it.  Next in line is his sister, Sweet Dee, she seems like a typical attractive blond, but their isn't an episode that the guys don't insult her for being ugly or looking like a bird.  This of course leaves her as damaged goods and when she isn't destroying the lives of the couple of guys that do like her, she is trying to hard to be accepted by the group of aholes that is this team.  Mac is kind of a dimwitted guy who fancies himself an expert in security issues.  Constantly displaying his karate skills, but always looking like a kid, just flailing about.  In the later seasons he gets very heavy, not sure if weight was real or done with make-up, but the weight was gone for the last two seasons.  Then there is Charlie, who might actually be slow, but is usually the most likable of the group.  He is obsessed with Waitress, who appears every couple of episodes but she cannot stand him.
    Charlie and the Danny Devito character have the most fun for the camera, frequently going on crazy adventures in the sewer tunnels underground, hanging with random bridge people.
    Collectively, they all work in a bar, but most episodes they just gather there to head of to whatever hijinx they are getting into for the episode.  I am not describing it as a funny show, but it really is.  There were times I gave myself a headache from laughing so much.  I believe it is continuing, next season will be its 10th season.

6/18/15 Orange Is The New Black Is The Perfect Drama?

    I just finished binging on season 3 of OITNB, and the story lines continue to be fascinating.  Piper who took us into the prison as a scared dandelion has now become a confident, almost fully immersed gangster who has transitioned from prisoner by accident to full on godfather.  She came up with an idea to sell underwear to perverts online worn by the prisoners.  She is selling everything and has even dealt with those needing to be dealt with. 
    The beauty of the show is that each girl is an individual and on any given episode any character's backstory can be brought to light, making them more interesting.  I did not like the heroin dealer last season taking care of Dayanara's sister but this season he was shown that given that he was the only one keeping the "family"together, he didn't seem like such a bad guy.  IDK, maybe all those kids would be better off in social services.  It did seem like he cared though.
    Then the story of the transexual Sophia escalates it seems because her son on the outside is hanging out with Gloria's son, but it turns out he is troublemaker enough on his own.  I personally don't care of "Sophia" making this big change for her own personal blah blah blah, but the minute you decide you want to have kids, your own needs need to take a backseat.  He/she expects his wife to understand, and maybe, but to put that burden on a kid is just asshole selfish behavior.  Big fucking deal, you have a woman stuck in your body, don't have a kid then.  Then you can spend your whole life taking care of you.
    The story of Caputo is also very interesting and he is slowly becoming a stronger individual, his backstory and him sacrificing his music career for a pregnant chick with a kid that's not his and in time she doesn't even appreciate him is sad.  Good that he is listening to that bitchy skinny ex-boss of his.  Give him a bit of an edge, which we all need to succeed in this world.
    I also liked the group of black gals acting like individuals, last year when they were all following Vee, made them all a bit cliche.  Big Cindy persuing Judaism for the meals is interesting in that she carried through to converting, Taystee becoming the "mom" of the group, and "crazy eyes" didn't seem as scary once she became a writer and developed a fan base, it was nice she never lost it the whole season.
    Overall, the show is solid.  I love the format, wish it had more episodes.  Ending with all of them in the lake made me tear up.  They are all people who made mistakes, and they may be inmates, but together, they do form a family in their.

6/17/15 Vacations Feel Like Chapter Endings?

    We are fixing to go on vacation as most people do during the summer break.  On top of that, of course our house dilemma is coming to an end (hopefully), and Wife's school year ends this Friday.  The only thing that continues like the old Energizer bunny is me and my work. 
    Both boys are in their usual mode of staying up late wasting away their summer days.  Well, Boy has already been to Florida with friends and is fixing to go back with us.  Chubs spent a week at Grandma's house visiting and playing with his cousins.  We need to get away as a family.  With all my working OT, I feel a little out of the loop.  We barely eat together, with Boy working on the weekends, and me not available hardly ever.
    It has been a good four years since we have gone to Florida.  We went by ourselves a few times, then we went with my folks twice and then we went with our friends once.  Each time was a bit different, but enjoyable in its own way.  This year we are going with my in laws.  I know Wife is excited because we don't really vacation with them, or really, they don't vacation much.  I don't understand that part, actually, we are of the same socioeconomic backgrounds, middle income families.  My folks though always did the little vacations to Corpus Christi growing up, then they joined us and bought an RV to be able to park in the same parks we stay at during the summer.  My in laws vacation, but usually their trips have been to visit my father in laws brother in Wisconsin.  Maybe they are finally getting with the program.  They did buy an RV this past fall and have been updating it to use for the summer.
    I am excited to get on the road.  I always feel reborn coming back, to the point that I worry if my job will still be there, but it always has been.  There is that feeling after being gone for two weeks that I'll scan my badge and nothing happens by the security doors.  As busy as we have been, I almost feel guilty going, but we planned this trip two years ago.  We were going to do this last summer, but this and that happened to derail it.  We almost went during Christmas break, but that was postponed as well.  I told Wife we are going with or without her peeps this summer.  There is always a good reason not to splurge on a vacation, but what do you have after?  I couple extra bucks, BFD.  Bring on the happy memories.

6/16/15 Jurassic World Is Our Type Of Movie?

    It is kind of lame, but this is the movie we deserve.  We expect our summer blockbusters to be loud and over the top, we want our male heroes to be buff and our gals to look sexy while running in impossible clothes that still show some cleavage, man we suck!  Collectively.
    This movie was pretty much the same as the other Jurassic Park movies.  In the first installment, the velociraptors come out as this great new dinosaur we're all supposed to just accept that always were more popular than T-rex or a triceratops.  "Clever Gal" survived from the movie, when the hunter expert gets outwitted by the raptor in the first movie. 
    In this movie, the raptors are almost "trained" by the hunky dude, (guess the Rock is too old for these rolls), Chris Pratt got in shape at the perfect time, he has filled in as the good looking hero time and again.  Starting with Parks and Rec when he was a throw away character, who was more annoying than anything, he has grown into a pretty good action star, complete with smart ass mouth.
    The hot chick was hot and detached and basically bad at her job.  It seemed like any other regular business day on the island of dinosaurs and she's scampering around like the weight of the world is on her shoulders.  Her sister has just sent her two nephews to hang out so they can get their divorce on, and she can't be bothered, ahh, to be good looking. 
    Of course when bad things start happening, the humans in charge always make more bad decisions to ensure catastrophes.  Big dinosaur gets loose, kill it, you'll get sued out of business the minute it eats a kid.  And of course her nephews are running around with their gold passes, thinking it gives them access to anywhere in the park.  It was nice to see the older brother finally give two shits for the annoying younger one (hmm hmm), but in reality one of the other dinos would have eaten them post haste.
    That extra long gator thing kept in a pool by the ocean is pretty much just hanging out until it feels like exploring.  That was mucho dinosaur, even if it was used to make us say wow.  Glad it existed, to keep things even.
    It was entertaining and everything we want from a movie, I just feel we should want more.  Oh well, we get in for free, so I shouldn't complain.