I think fatherhood is turning me into a wuss. I used to be able to watch or listen to pretty much anything. And, no matter how sappy or how much it was supposed to tug at your heartstrings I was like a robot. According to the "Friends" assessment of Chandler, I was dead inside. Now, much like that episode ended up, I can't stop the waterworks. And it's for stupid stuff. I was listening to my Lonestar Greatest Hits CD (bought mainly for one song like so many of my other CDs). Most of the CD is fine, then I hit Track 11. A sappy typical country ballad called, "I'm Already There." It's about a father who calls home from the road to see how the family is. And, he ends up telling his children that in answer to their normal question (when are you coming home dad) in essence he's already there. His heart never leaves them. When this song first came out, it was ok. It bordered on a story song and was good enough to leave the radio tuned in when it was on. Today, however, I find myself getting misty for no damn good reason. So, I'm already a little ticked off for my lack of emotional control. Then I hit "My Front Porch Looking In." Another piece of schmaltz that before Terri's pregnancy was just ok. It had a nice hook and I would occasionally leave it tuned in because it has some neat imagery. Today, more potential tears. Then comes the Bonus Track on the CD (never mind that the song I bought it for...their remake of "Walking in Memphis" didn't even faze me.) The bonus track is "I'm Already There", but with a twist. They have intersperced real families with messages for their spouses, parents, siblings, etc. over in Iraq and other deployment areas. The little kids saying, "Daddy please come home soon." is usually cause for a little sarcastic mockery. Not today, no. I had to take my glasses off to wipe away the moisture. Then of course, the next CD is Martina McBride's new one. "In My Daughter's Eyes," a non-release called "God's Will," and a live version of "Over the Rainbow." Over the freakin' rainbow!!!! I've heard that song yearly since I was a kid. I now, in turn, sing it to my son as one of the many songs I use when I'm calming him. I don't know what to make of it.
I am, however, happy to segue into the fact that well written/sung/acted/etc. things have so much ability to convey emotion. I don't know if there's a prouder moment in a writer's life when the audience laughs in the right place, cries when they are supposed to, and feel themselves working into a frenzy to make sure the protagonist is going to have everything turn out ok. Writer's strive for it constantly in certain movies. (Um, You had me at Hello?) Anyway, that's the job of any piece of media. Whether it's a book, tv show, movie, song, scribble on a napkin, whatever...it's supposed to evoke emotion. Even a work of non-fiction will strive to make you believe what it's telling you. To me, the worst fate that can befall a piece of media is being unemotional and bland. Take this for example. A lot of people I know raved about this movie. Halle deserved the oscar, she acted her ass off, blah, blah, blah. This movie was more boring than watching paint dry on my growing grass. This movie elicited no emotion out of me. None, zero, zilch. I didn't feel any sympathy for anyone and could care less if they made it through the movie or not. I know that Heath Ledger just randomly commiting suicide is supposed to be shocking and Halle's nude scenes erotic, but both were so boring they could be packaged for sleep aids. Considering I'm a big fan of Peter Boyle, and enjoy Billy Bob and Halle I don't know where it all went wrong. And, just to see if it was something extraneous, I watched the movie, listened to the director's commentary, AND the actor's commentary. None of it helped. The movie was crap. Beyond crap. I would say that it surpasses that clooney remake crap, but I didn't actually see it so it wouldn't be a fair judge.
Okay, I've rambled enough for today. But seriously, shouldn't it at least provoke anger at having wasted my time? Nothing. Maybe I'll talk more about the things that I have liked tomorrow. I have read some pretty good books recently so it's not all bad.
Thursday, July 29, 2004
Tuesday, July 27, 2004
Ok, where did I leave off. Quite a while ago. We headed up to the family reunion Friday afternoon. Everyone loved the little boy. He was pretty well behaved all weekend. We headed up to Olean to get Trista (my sister-in-law) out of the house and to pick up a few things for the reunion the next day. We left Gage with my mom and just a small bottle of milk. As we were leaving Olean I had to call and see if Ken had won. I could hear Gage in the background so we knew we had better head back quick. Other than that he seemed to like the trip. Saturday morning we went to the Zippo Swap Meet and Gage got to see the Zippo Visitor's Center and Museum for the first time. We couldn't really find a lighter that Terri and I agreed upon so Gage didn't get a memento, just a picture in front of the American Flag made out of Zippo lighters. Then Saturday afternoon was the reunion and he got to meet lots of new relatives. One question that we haven't quite figured out yet (and if anyone knows for sure let me know, I've just been too lazy to look it up) is the relationship between everyone. My first cousin Jeff and his wife Amy have a daughter named Sydney. I thought that Sydney and I were second cousins. But what does that make my son Gage and Sydney (who is damn cute by the way)?
Then I got into a discussion about being removed. Maybe I've been mislead in thinking that Sydney and I are second cousins. Maybe she and I are first cousins once removed and she and Gage are second cousins. Who knows? That's why I'm asking.
Saturday night we headed into Bradford and saw Spider-Man 2. It wasn't bad. I've always liked the inner struggle that Peter had dealing with being the cause of his Uncle's death. This movie had just one drawback for me. Is there anyone left in New York who doesn't know his identity? That being said, I liked the set-up for the next movie. (Don't kid yourself, they'll ride this one into the ground as well.) Michael Chabon did a pretty decent job with his part of the movie as a writer. You can touch on his influences now and then.
Sunday we headed back home and I ended up finding another version of Trivial Pursuit to fuel the fire. The Book-Lover's Edition. That ought to be fun to play. Now, if I could just get someone that might be a challenge.
Last week itself was pretty uneventful. I finished up both my classes for the summer. Friday night we had dinner with Tom and then watched a DVD of Ron White. Ron's humor falls right in line with mine most of the time. He's very sarcastic and biting. Most people will know him best from the Blue Collar Comedy Tour with Larry the Cable Guy, Bill Engvall, and Jeff Foxworthy.
On Saturday I headed down to my parent's house. My brother, father and I spent about 12 hours building a deck. It was hot. I am now, by actual definition, a redneck. I also got the scare of my life when I realized that I was beginning to inherit my father's mannerisms. People have told me on the phone that they can't tell any of us apart, which is true. We all have the same phone voice most of the time. But, for me to realize this, it had to be pretty blatant. And that's frightening.
Sunday we went to church and then did some stuff around the house til the evening. Then we headed out with my brother and sister-in-law to Station Square. We met my uncles at the Hard Rock for dinner and then rode the incline up Mt. Washington to look out over the city. We got some cool photos and Gage loved looking at all the new stuff. By the time we got back to the house Sunday it was late and time to get the little one and ourselves to bed.
Yesterday was a fairly boring day at work, but we headed back to my parent's house to say goodbye to my brother. They left this morning to travel back to the wonderful metropolis of Minot, ND. Hopefully, we'll get some time to make it out there after the baby is born. It will be interesting to be an actual Uncle.
And today is also ranking on the boring side. Although I did have some really cool pics of some old buggies sent my way. Thanks, Diane. That's about it for now I guess. We're still trying to iron out stuff for Gage's dedication and someone I know will be 30 very soon. And he has the male pattern baldness to prove it. I wonder what's worse, going bald prematurely, or going grey early?
Then I got into a discussion about being removed. Maybe I've been mislead in thinking that Sydney and I are second cousins. Maybe she and I are first cousins once removed and she and Gage are second cousins. Who knows? That's why I'm asking.
Saturday night we headed into Bradford and saw Spider-Man 2. It wasn't bad. I've always liked the inner struggle that Peter had dealing with being the cause of his Uncle's death. This movie had just one drawback for me. Is there anyone left in New York who doesn't know his identity? That being said, I liked the set-up for the next movie. (Don't kid yourself, they'll ride this one into the ground as well.) Michael Chabon did a pretty decent job with his part of the movie as a writer. You can touch on his influences now and then.
Sunday we headed back home and I ended up finding another version of Trivial Pursuit to fuel the fire. The Book-Lover's Edition. That ought to be fun to play. Now, if I could just get someone that might be a challenge.
Last week itself was pretty uneventful. I finished up both my classes for the summer. Friday night we had dinner with Tom and then watched a DVD of Ron White. Ron's humor falls right in line with mine most of the time. He's very sarcastic and biting. Most people will know him best from the Blue Collar Comedy Tour with Larry the Cable Guy, Bill Engvall, and Jeff Foxworthy.
On Saturday I headed down to my parent's house. My brother, father and I spent about 12 hours building a deck. It was hot. I am now, by actual definition, a redneck. I also got the scare of my life when I realized that I was beginning to inherit my father's mannerisms. People have told me on the phone that they can't tell any of us apart, which is true. We all have the same phone voice most of the time. But, for me to realize this, it had to be pretty blatant. And that's frightening.
Sunday we went to church and then did some stuff around the house til the evening. Then we headed out with my brother and sister-in-law to Station Square. We met my uncles at the Hard Rock for dinner and then rode the incline up Mt. Washington to look out over the city. We got some cool photos and Gage loved looking at all the new stuff. By the time we got back to the house Sunday it was late and time to get the little one and ourselves to bed.
Yesterday was a fairly boring day at work, but we headed back to my parent's house to say goodbye to my brother. They left this morning to travel back to the wonderful metropolis of Minot, ND. Hopefully, we'll get some time to make it out there after the baby is born. It will be interesting to be an actual Uncle.
And today is also ranking on the boring side. Although I did have some really cool pics of some old buggies sent my way. Thanks, Diane. That's about it for now I guess. We're still trying to iron out stuff for Gage's dedication and someone I know will be 30 very soon. And he has the male pattern baldness to prove it. I wonder what's worse, going bald prematurely, or going grey early?
Friday, July 16, 2004
Well, Wed I had the little boy all to myself for the majority of the day. We went out and ran a ton of errands and he was very good. Friday (which I guess it is now) we're headed up to my family reunion. Gage will meet a ton of actual aunts, uncles, cousins, and Great-Grandma. He's the 10th Great Grandchild on my Dad's side of the family. My brother's child will be number 11 when it gets here in October.
I'm also sure that there were other things that I needed to blog about, but as it's late and we need to be on the road early tomorrow, I'll just say goodnight.
I'm also sure that there were other things that I needed to blog about, but as it's late and we need to be on the road early tomorrow, I'll just say goodnight.
Tuesday, July 13, 2004
Alright, I guess I better get the truth up before either Tom or Susiezy decide to try cloud the facts with their tainted versions of what actually transpired.
First, Friday night went pretty well. Dinner was so-so, but that's the restaurant's fault, not the company. The Band was great and Lindsy was exceptional as usual. If you look at the pictures on the band's website, you'll notice that the guitarist is a big big man. I love when the band sings Sharp Dressed Man by ZZ Top. Babe likes to wear comfortable clothing and would never be confused for a sharply dressed man. Though I would like to see him in a nicely tailored suit. I think it would look something like Michael's portrayal of Wilson Fisk aka The Kingpin in the movie Daredevil.
Anyway, it's enough to say that the band was good and Lindsy's version of Redneck Woman was equally good. Frank and Trista (my sister-in-law) seemed to enjoy themselves. The real test will be this coming weekend when she has to meet all of the extended family at the reunion.
Saturday morning/afternoon was spent in front of the computer working on an internet course that I've been putting off since Gage was born. We headed out quickly at the beginning of the evening for some snacks and food and then I found it. Another version of Trivial Pursuit. Of course I bought it. You don't even have to ask that question. I'm up in the 20's range now for number of different versions that I own. So, I prepared myself for the evening's activities...a trivia match between Tom, Susiezy, and myself. This all came about due to the claim on Susiezy's blog about being phenomenal at Trivial Pursuit. Well, I couldn't let that stand.
So it began. We started off with the 20th Anniversary edition. Terri, Susiezy, Tom and I were seated around the dining room table with Gage watching comfortably from his seat. And then, about a half-hour into the game we did something that we've never done before. We actually stopped a game and switched to another edition. We switched to Genus 6 and began again. Now, here's where you'll need to stick to the facts not any of the other versions that you may or may not hear. Standard rules of play at the end of the game do not apply in a grudge match game. Everyone knows the rules offer up this pansy-ass ending of rolling on an exact role to get into the hub where the other players pick a category without looking at the card, and then proceed to ask one question. ONE question. For years, we've found it highly unfair that the end comes down to a luck of the draw. Sure, there have been arguments that the whole game comes down to luck and every once in a while it actually does come down to luck. However with 6 scoring pieces to capture, you have to be damn lucky to have it happen 7 straight times. So, for the longest time we decided that in Trivial Pursuit as in everything else, majority rules. There are 6 questions on each card so the majority would be 4. We used to roll with an exact role into the hub and then you have to answer 4 out of the 6 questions on one card. Then somewhere in the midst of that, Matt introduced us to a different style of ending the game. Once you garnered your last pie piece, you stop rolling the dice. You simply answer up the spoke. There will be 5 questions, each in a different category going to the center. You could conceivably do it in one turn, but most people usually stumble once or twice. Then once you've reached the center, it was 4 out of 6. This felt like a win. So we kept it, and it's been that way ever since. Even in multi-board games.
Anyway, why bring all that history up? Because Susiezy's pheom skills have apparently only been tested on the luck of the draw win. And, for some reason she didn't like the way we ended the game. Tom managed to win the actual game, but if you listen to Susiezy, she'll tell you that she should have actually won the game since she was in the middle longer and got 3 out of 6 several times. She'll also try to convince you that since I hadn't made the center hub yet that I lost the game. However, since we didn't play for second (Terri had long since taken the baby and gone to bed), everyone that didn't win...ended on equal footing.
I'm sure there will be another game in the future. Perhaps Matt might even get involved next time.
Then Sunday it was back in front of a computer after church. I spent approx. 20 hours out of a 48 hour weekend in front of my damn computer and it wasn't even enjoyable. There was no games, no blogging, just that damn course. I finished all the course work. I just need to mail in the disk and take the final exam.
Monday was a normally crappy day at work. After work we headed out to pick up our new glasses and had a nice dinner out with the baby sleeping peacefully. He's a really good kid and highly transportable (as long as I like where we're going, then he becomes a nice reason not go...hehehe).
That's enough for now. Happy Birthday to Jacob M. who is now one year old. Man, time flies.
First, Friday night went pretty well. Dinner was so-so, but that's the restaurant's fault, not the company. The Band was great and Lindsy was exceptional as usual. If you look at the pictures on the band's website, you'll notice that the guitarist is a big big man. I love when the band sings Sharp Dressed Man by ZZ Top. Babe likes to wear comfortable clothing and would never be confused for a sharply dressed man. Though I would like to see him in a nicely tailored suit. I think it would look something like Michael's portrayal of Wilson Fisk aka The Kingpin in the movie Daredevil.
Anyway, it's enough to say that the band was good and Lindsy's version of Redneck Woman was equally good. Frank and Trista (my sister-in-law) seemed to enjoy themselves. The real test will be this coming weekend when she has to meet all of the extended family at the reunion.
Saturday morning/afternoon was spent in front of the computer working on an internet course that I've been putting off since Gage was born. We headed out quickly at the beginning of the evening for some snacks and food and then I found it. Another version of Trivial Pursuit. Of course I bought it. You don't even have to ask that question. I'm up in the 20's range now for number of different versions that I own. So, I prepared myself for the evening's activities...a trivia match between Tom, Susiezy, and myself. This all came about due to the claim on Susiezy's blog about being phenomenal at Trivial Pursuit. Well, I couldn't let that stand.
So it began. We started off with the 20th Anniversary edition. Terri, Susiezy, Tom and I were seated around the dining room table with Gage watching comfortably from his seat. And then, about a half-hour into the game we did something that we've never done before. We actually stopped a game and switched to another edition. We switched to Genus 6 and began again. Now, here's where you'll need to stick to the facts not any of the other versions that you may or may not hear. Standard rules of play at the end of the game do not apply in a grudge match game. Everyone knows the rules offer up this pansy-ass ending of rolling on an exact role to get into the hub where the other players pick a category without looking at the card, and then proceed to ask one question. ONE question. For years, we've found it highly unfair that the end comes down to a luck of the draw. Sure, there have been arguments that the whole game comes down to luck and every once in a while it actually does come down to luck. However with 6 scoring pieces to capture, you have to be damn lucky to have it happen 7 straight times. So, for the longest time we decided that in Trivial Pursuit as in everything else, majority rules. There are 6 questions on each card so the majority would be 4. We used to roll with an exact role into the hub and then you have to answer 4 out of the 6 questions on one card. Then somewhere in the midst of that, Matt introduced us to a different style of ending the game. Once you garnered your last pie piece, you stop rolling the dice. You simply answer up the spoke. There will be 5 questions, each in a different category going to the center. You could conceivably do it in one turn, but most people usually stumble once or twice. Then once you've reached the center, it was 4 out of 6. This felt like a win. So we kept it, and it's been that way ever since. Even in multi-board games.
Anyway, why bring all that history up? Because Susiezy's pheom skills have apparently only been tested on the luck of the draw win. And, for some reason she didn't like the way we ended the game. Tom managed to win the actual game, but if you listen to Susiezy, she'll tell you that she should have actually won the game since she was in the middle longer and got 3 out of 6 several times. She'll also try to convince you that since I hadn't made the center hub yet that I lost the game. However, since we didn't play for second (Terri had long since taken the baby and gone to bed), everyone that didn't win...ended on equal footing.
I'm sure there will be another game in the future. Perhaps Matt might even get involved next time.
Then Sunday it was back in front of a computer after church. I spent approx. 20 hours out of a 48 hour weekend in front of my damn computer and it wasn't even enjoyable. There was no games, no blogging, just that damn course. I finished all the course work. I just need to mail in the disk and take the final exam.
Monday was a normally crappy day at work. After work we headed out to pick up our new glasses and had a nice dinner out with the baby sleeping peacefully. He's a really good kid and highly transportable (as long as I like where we're going, then he becomes a nice reason not go...hehehe).
That's enough for now. Happy Birthday to Jacob M. who is now one year old. Man, time flies.
Friday, July 09, 2004
Well, tonight we're taking my brother and sister-in-law to see Unbridled. I think they'll like it. Hell, after being stuck in the frozen tundra of North Dakota anything will seem interesting, right? Ok, it's probably not that bad there, but during the course of conversation they said that last winter got down around 75 BELOW 0. That's -75 degrees. Minus. As in less than 0. As in not a positive number. That's not a good thing. It's not even a, "wow dude that's cold" thing. That's insane. Positively insane. There are things you can do when it's cold. You can MOVE to a more suitable climate. Maybe if I was a polar bear or a chunk of ice 75 below wouldn't be bad. I might even like it.
Enough about that. Work is driving me insane. In addition to the fact that the project is already a complete and utter nightmare, now there are 85 different levels of access that I have to go through. I need to push this thing right into the middle and get the hell out dumping it in someone else's lap. I'm also beginning to suspect that maybe in light of everything that's happened, they are actually hoping that I will leave on my own. That could just be my paranoia talking.
Anyway, enough about work. Why have something I can't stand encroach upon my little creative endeavors? This weekend is going to be fairly packed with stuff that I need to get done. In addition to dinner tonight, tomorrow I have to sit in front of a computer all day and finish my internet course. It has to be done. I have no other choice. Thankfully there's a television in the library with the computer, but even so, it's going to be a long tedious day.
Even if I manage to finish before the day is out, there's still more yard work and house work that will need to be finished. So, it's a never ending cycle. And, I could always job hunt.
Oh well, all that aside so that I can enjoy tonight. It's been almost two months since I've seen Lindsy and the band play so it will be a fun night out. And, the little one gets to spend some quality time with the grandparents.
Oh, and did I mention that Duran Duran's album Decade is a pretty good album to work to?
Enough about that. Work is driving me insane. In addition to the fact that the project is already a complete and utter nightmare, now there are 85 different levels of access that I have to go through. I need to push this thing right into the middle and get the hell out dumping it in someone else's lap. I'm also beginning to suspect that maybe in light of everything that's happened, they are actually hoping that I will leave on my own. That could just be my paranoia talking.
Anyway, enough about work. Why have something I can't stand encroach upon my little creative endeavors? This weekend is going to be fairly packed with stuff that I need to get done. In addition to dinner tonight, tomorrow I have to sit in front of a computer all day and finish my internet course. It has to be done. I have no other choice. Thankfully there's a television in the library with the computer, but even so, it's going to be a long tedious day.
Even if I manage to finish before the day is out, there's still more yard work and house work that will need to be finished. So, it's a never ending cycle. And, I could always job hunt.
Oh well, all that aside so that I can enjoy tonight. It's been almost two months since I've seen Lindsy and the band play so it will be a fun night out. And, the little one gets to spend some quality time with the grandparents.
Oh, and did I mention that Duran Duran's album Decade is a pretty good album to work to?
Wednesday, July 07, 2004
Alright, I finished Craig's incredibly hard sports questions quiz. Took me most of the afternoon and I had to call in a lot of help considering I don't follow most major sports.
Now, I just have to get my nominations in for the second round of Rick's movie contest, and the first round of Craig's song contest and I'll be all set web wise. If only the rest of my life were that easy.
Not too much going on today. Like I said I blew off most of the afternoon for the sports thing and just general personal stuff that I wanted to finish up. We're almost locked in on a daycare that I can't possibly afford. Talk about motivation to get the hell out of here.
Anyway, here's something that I ran across today that scared the hell out of me. Everyone has heard about Jolt Cola. Today I found Jolt Caffeine Energy Gum. In two flavors, no less. Makes me wonder how I didn't end up in marketing.
Nothing else out of the ordinary. I have a picture of Gage in his bouncy seat that cracks me up everytime I see it. It's not posed or staged. Terri was just trying to get a nice picture of him in Aunt Niki and Uncle Tony's bouncy seat. So, that is keeping me cheerful at work nowadays since little else will. My to-do list at home, at work, and wherever else I may be grows momentous. I now feel as though I've lapped myself on the crazy trail, which is a whole other topic completely. And, one that I will blog about at a later date when I've gotten some distance and perspective on the situation.
I think that's about all for today. Besides, I've got a million other things to take care of that don't involve typing, a monitor, or a blog. And, people keep telling me that I should be doing some of those things too.
Now, I just have to get my nominations in for the second round of Rick's movie contest, and the first round of Craig's song contest and I'll be all set web wise. If only the rest of my life were that easy.
Not too much going on today. Like I said I blew off most of the afternoon for the sports thing and just general personal stuff that I wanted to finish up. We're almost locked in on a daycare that I can't possibly afford. Talk about motivation to get the hell out of here.
Anyway, here's something that I ran across today that scared the hell out of me. Everyone has heard about Jolt Cola. Today I found Jolt Caffeine Energy Gum. In two flavors, no less. Makes me wonder how I didn't end up in marketing.
Nothing else out of the ordinary. I have a picture of Gage in his bouncy seat that cracks me up everytime I see it. It's not posed or staged. Terri was just trying to get a nice picture of him in Aunt Niki and Uncle Tony's bouncy seat. So, that is keeping me cheerful at work nowadays since little else will. My to-do list at home, at work, and wherever else I may be grows momentous. I now feel as though I've lapped myself on the crazy trail, which is a whole other topic completely. And, one that I will blog about at a later date when I've gotten some distance and perspective on the situation.
I think that's about all for today. Besides, I've got a million other things to take care of that don't involve typing, a monitor, or a blog. And, people keep telling me that I should be doing some of those things too.
Tuesday, July 06, 2004
Ok, I'm having some trouble viewing other pages, but I'm not going to let that stop me. Everyone has been updating but me it seems. Anyway, let's see what's happened since I last found the time to blog. In my last post I said I had several things to blog about, but with my failing memory...they're gone. They obviously weren't all that important. But, what in my life is nowadays?
Anyway, I did inherit the nightmare project that kept me away from my blog so much last summer/fall. However, that won't happen this year. Mostly because I'm going to try and get the hell out of here before the project gets into the nightmare stage. Although, the people here at work have already managed to screw it up and I'm working with less than 30 documents at the moment. Last year it grew to over 4,000 I think. So, there are plenty of mistakes left to be made.
On Wednesday the 30th, we had our last day of the fiscal year. I'm not sure why, (though the new manager will certainly take the credit for it), but this year's close went smoother than the last two I've been a part of. I think it has to do with the fact that we have almost as many temps as we have regular employees. However, I didn't have to work monster overtime to save their collective asses. Not that I would have done it this year, with a new baby and all, but thankfully the situation didn't arise.
We met with the preacher at the church we've been going to about getting Gage dedicated (the Baptist's version of christening/baptism/etc.) We're also in talks about becoming members ourselves. So, that's another life struggle that we'll be tackling since once the Catholics have their hooks in you, they don't like to let go very easily.
Friday night we had dinner at Niki and Tony's house. We got to see James' nursery and Gage got to try out some of his stuff. The mural that Tony and his brother painted on the wall behind the crib is really cool looking. Glen, Amy, and Cole were also there for dinner and we watched Ken win yet again on Jeopardy. I'm really interested to see who or what actually stops this man's streak.
On Saturday I spent about 8 hours working out in the yard. I got the yard mowed and the hillside weed whacked and raked. Boy did I ache Saturday night. Tom was back for the holiday weekend and headed over Saturday night to hang out. Terri and the baby still both have colds so they weren't feeling up to going out. So, we all just sat around and talked.
Sunday morning, Terri, Gage, and I went to church. Gage sleeps pretty much through the entire service. They announced that 20,000 troops would be coming home from Iraq. One of the women in the congregation is hoping that her son is among them. Then, the preacher announced that he was saddened over the fact that the slots bill passed in Pennsylvania. I know that gambling goes against the church and the like, but I was definitely in favor of the slots bill since revenue from that is supposed to help the Penguins with a new arena. So, I just kept that little bit to myself.
After church we headed down to Terri's parents house for lunch/dinner. Her Uncle Charlie and Uncle Regis were there to meet Gage for the first time. Everyone seemed to enjoy him. And, other than one of the cousins I can't stand showing up, all went ok.
Monday we headed down to my parent's house for a cookout. We also got to see my brother, whom I haven't seen for about two years since he joined the air force. We also got to meet his wife, my sister-in-law for the first time. She seems like a nice person. They are expecting in October so if they ever move back to the area Gage will have a cousin very close in age to play with. They aren't sure if it's going to be a boy or a girl yet. There's a chance that they won't be able to find out until the birth. So, I don't know if I'm going to be an aunt or an uncle.
And, now it's today. John Kerry screwed up my normal commute by closing down several city blocks (not a good way to earn my potential vote). So, Terri had to drag Gage and herself out of bed early this morning and drive me into work so I could be at a job I can't stand on time. Oh, and the woman who managed to end up with my promotion started today. Woo-Hoo!!!!
One last set of strange things I've seen and heard over the past week or so.
An SUV driving around a speed bump in a parking lot. An SUV! No wonder I can't stand most of the idiots that end up buying those things.
At random time on B-94 (which used to be a vast wasteland of Britney, Beyonce, N-suck, and the Backstreet Boys) Under the Bridge and Give it Away by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Fat Bottomed Girls by Queen Just So Very Wrong.
And this of course. Courtesy of Dwight's trip to visit Joe and see other sites of California.
I think that's all for now.
Anyway, I did inherit the nightmare project that kept me away from my blog so much last summer/fall. However, that won't happen this year. Mostly because I'm going to try and get the hell out of here before the project gets into the nightmare stage. Although, the people here at work have already managed to screw it up and I'm working with less than 30 documents at the moment. Last year it grew to over 4,000 I think. So, there are plenty of mistakes left to be made.
On Wednesday the 30th, we had our last day of the fiscal year. I'm not sure why, (though the new manager will certainly take the credit for it), but this year's close went smoother than the last two I've been a part of. I think it has to do with the fact that we have almost as many temps as we have regular employees. However, I didn't have to work monster overtime to save their collective asses. Not that I would have done it this year, with a new baby and all, but thankfully the situation didn't arise.
We met with the preacher at the church we've been going to about getting Gage dedicated (the Baptist's version of christening/baptism/etc.) We're also in talks about becoming members ourselves. So, that's another life struggle that we'll be tackling since once the Catholics have their hooks in you, they don't like to let go very easily.
Friday night we had dinner at Niki and Tony's house. We got to see James' nursery and Gage got to try out some of his stuff. The mural that Tony and his brother painted on the wall behind the crib is really cool looking. Glen, Amy, and Cole were also there for dinner and we watched Ken win yet again on Jeopardy. I'm really interested to see who or what actually stops this man's streak.
On Saturday I spent about 8 hours working out in the yard. I got the yard mowed and the hillside weed whacked and raked. Boy did I ache Saturday night. Tom was back for the holiday weekend and headed over Saturday night to hang out. Terri and the baby still both have colds so they weren't feeling up to going out. So, we all just sat around and talked.
Sunday morning, Terri, Gage, and I went to church. Gage sleeps pretty much through the entire service. They announced that 20,000 troops would be coming home from Iraq. One of the women in the congregation is hoping that her son is among them. Then, the preacher announced that he was saddened over the fact that the slots bill passed in Pennsylvania. I know that gambling goes against the church and the like, but I was definitely in favor of the slots bill since revenue from that is supposed to help the Penguins with a new arena. So, I just kept that little bit to myself.
After church we headed down to Terri's parents house for lunch/dinner. Her Uncle Charlie and Uncle Regis were there to meet Gage for the first time. Everyone seemed to enjoy him. And, other than one of the cousins I can't stand showing up, all went ok.
Monday we headed down to my parent's house for a cookout. We also got to see my brother, whom I haven't seen for about two years since he joined the air force. We also got to meet his wife, my sister-in-law for the first time. She seems like a nice person. They are expecting in October so if they ever move back to the area Gage will have a cousin very close in age to play with. They aren't sure if it's going to be a boy or a girl yet. There's a chance that they won't be able to find out until the birth. So, I don't know if I'm going to be an aunt or an uncle.
And, now it's today. John Kerry screwed up my normal commute by closing down several city blocks (not a good way to earn my potential vote). So, Terri had to drag Gage and herself out of bed early this morning and drive me into work so I could be at a job I can't stand on time. Oh, and the woman who managed to end up with my promotion started today. Woo-Hoo!!!!
One last set of strange things I've seen and heard over the past week or so.
An SUV driving around a speed bump in a parking lot. An SUV! No wonder I can't stand most of the idiots that end up buying those things.
At random time on B-94 (which used to be a vast wasteland of Britney, Beyonce, N-suck, and the Backstreet Boys) Under the Bridge and Give it Away by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Fat Bottomed Girls by Queen Just So Very Wrong.
And this of course. Courtesy of Dwight's trip to visit Joe and see other sites of California.
I think that's all for now.
