January 2010
1 post
December 2009
1 post
The spirit, the will to win, and the will to excel are the things that endure....
– Vince Lombardi
April 2009
3 posts
Easter says you can put truth in a grave, but it won’t stay there.
– Clarence W. Hall
The dog is a gentleman; I hope to go to his heaven, not man’s.
– Mark Twain
January 2009
1 post
Facebooking
My posts have gotten pretty sporadic since getting involved on Facebook. Expect that to continue for the forseeable future. If you’re on Facebook, or signing up soon, request me as a friend.
December 2008
1 post
November 2008
2 posts
Prop 8 = Oppression
Having lived in California I am embarrassed and appalled by the passage of Prop 8 in that state. Not allowing the government to recognize same sex marriages is oppression at its simplest form. A majority of voters in California actually had the gall to tell people they don’t have the same rights as everyone else on an issue that affects them not at all. This wasn’t a religious issue...
October 2008
7 posts
Review: Tropic Thunder
Laughed a lot. It’s not going to be a classic or anything but Tropic Thunder was good entertainment. Funny lines, OMG moments, and more than a few “I can’t believe they just did/said that”. Jack Black and Ben Stiller were exactly what you expect them to be, i.e. themselves, but Robert Downey Jr. was exceptional as he played an Australian actor portraying a black soldier in...
Half-Assed
I am king of getting things started. Unfortunately I’m not getting things done. I noticed today how many unfinished projects I have around here. I cleared the flower beds but didn’t lay down new mulch - removed and sanded down the kitchen cabinets but haven’t painted them yet - put a new refridgerator, stove and dishwasher in but still have the range hood sitting unopened in its...
Review: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the...
The commercials for the soon-to-be-released DVD of Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull movie brought back some painful memories and the fact that I hadn’t said anything about it when I saw this piece of crap in the theater. Whoops, does that count as a spoiler? Seriously, this movie was so bad. I admit there were some cool Indiana Jones moments, too few and far between but they were there,...
Jury Duty
Today was a lot of fun. Jessica had Jury duty so it was just me and both kids today. I don’t think I’ve ever had a whole day with just the two of them. I’ve had Erin for days at a time but with the two of them Jessica has almost always been around or at most just gone for a few hours. But this was great. I made breakfast and did the dishes before we played, then Erin and I picked...
September 2008
5 posts
Time Keeps On Slipping
So Jacob just turned one and now all of a sudden he’s up and walking. Within a week he went from 2 or three stumbling steps to crossing whole rooms (awkwardly adorable) without falling once. There are times when it feels like he’s been around forever and then things like this happen and I feel like my time with him has passed so quickly, too quickly. Even more so with Erin who is three...
Second thoughts
Okay Palin is a bit of a nutter isn’t she? How in the world can this country even consider voting for McCain when it puts her next in line for the Presidency??
The Dream Ticket
The Reps made a good choice in Palin didn’t they. She’s a reformer like Obama wants to be. I’m tempted to vote for Republican because I believe in smaller government but I think McCain is too deeply entrenched with the “good ol boys” to let Palin affect his presidency. Should he win I think she would disappear. Biden didn’t do anything for me in making the...
August 2008
4 posts
Friendship. It's a bitch.
Just had a great dinner with Dave and Kristie and their two daughters. Adorable by the way. I miss my friends. Don’t get me wrong, I love Charlotte, best place I’ve ever lived. And it’s sad that D&K are the only friends I have left in my hometown - Jeff went to Pittsburgh, Tim is in Hilton Head, Karl reportedly is in Madison, WI, I just found Eric in Raleigh recently...
Age Isn't Everything
But it is something. With the passing of my grandfather Harry today at age 96 I realize I have been kind of ignorant all these years to his advanced age because he was always such a picture of perfect health. He took me fishing on Lake Michigan a few times when I was a kid and I treasure those memories. Now that he’s gone I’m sad that my idea to someday share a boat and tackle with him...
The Vacation - The Rest of the Story
So after getting through the awful trip down there, the rest of our time in Myrtle Beach went swimmingly, literally. I mean we pretty much spent the entire time in the pool. Yes you read that right, the pool. After the first few minutes swallowing salt water Erin decided she liked the swimming pool a whole heck of a lot better. We slapped her “water wings” on her and I held on to her...
July 2008
5 posts
The Vacation Part 1
Holey Moley! That was a terrible trip down to Myrtle Beach! Google directions were awful and misleading, the service at Wendy’s in Monroe was terrible and the food wasn’t much better, then we had a run-in with a rude manager at a c-store who was taking pictures of the place to sell it. But finally we made it to the condo here. Took a short walk out on the beach to satisfy Erin’s...
Spongebob Squarepants
Erin has started watching this show the last couple weeks and loves it. They could have a marathon running all day and I don’t think she would get bored. This from a girl who barely makes it through the 22 minute running time of any other kids show, and forget about a 90 minute Disney movie… unless it’s Cinderella. Me, I don’t get Spongebob. Whatever brain cells are...
Get Smart!
I hate to oversell a movie, especially since I went into Get Smart! just looking for a few good laughs. I mean the trailer looked amusing and I like both Steve Carell and Anne Hathaway but its a feature film remake of a late 60s television show. I wasn’t expecting a lot. But I laughed. And laughed. And laughed a whole bunch more. It was kind of ridiculous how much I enjoyed the film. I would...
What is Presidential?
I heard on the radio today that Barack and Michelle Obama are quietly trying to make the “fist punch” handshake they enjoy - go away. The rumor is that it isn’t seen as being very presidential. I guess I’d like to know what is presidential then? I mean we’ve had powdered wigs,a lovenly dresser, a music haters, one who enjoyed riding mechanical horses, a cat hater,...
June 2008
7 posts
Sunshine and Sunburns!
Erin and I spent the day together Wednesday at Carowinds Amusement Park - predominantly at their water park. I practically had to drag her from the new Bindi Beach wave pool over to the kiddie sized pool so I could get her out of the lifejacket and get some rest for myself by relaxing in one of the lounge chairs. After about three hours in the water we toweled off, ate some lunch and made a quick...
May 2008
2 posts
Surprise Find
Rebecca Romijin is a pretty good actress. My wife got me watching “Ugly Betty” and that whole cast is terrific including Romijin. But today I caught a movie on TV I had never heard of before LIES & ALIBIS starring Steve Coogan and Romijin. He was great, she was terrific and the movie was very entertaining. I like finding these little gems; movies most people haven’t seen much...
Robert Downey Jr. is IRON MAN
Gotta be hands down the best casting for a character in a super-hero movie. Until now I think Michael Keaton as Batman was best but Downey owns the role of Tony Stark. My one problem with Keaton was he seemed a little small for playboy Bruce Wayne but he overcame that with fantastic acting and a great script. Downey has both and perfectly captures the image of Stark as billionaire playboy and a...
April 2008
9 posts
Auction, Auction, Auction!
Just put up a bunch of my super hero action figures for sale on ebay. (X-Men, X-Force, X-Factor, Avengers, Teen Titans, Star Tek, Harry Potter, Tron.) I’d been holding on to these guys for years now always figuring my kids would play with them one day. But I’ve just gottoo many. The current JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED line of figures from DC is probably the best I’ve ever seen and...
Online Comic Strips
We don’t get the newspaper and heck when we were getting it the only thing I as reading for the most part was the comics. So how do I get by now? With these entertaining strips online:
The Abominable Charles Christopher
Backwards Compatible
Ding
Freak Angels
Full Frontal Nerdity
Girl Genius!
Misery Loves Sherman
PvP
Baby Milestone
I totally forgot to mention this but Jacob can sit upright unassisted now. He had a precarious balancing act going for a couple weeks and while we were in Ohio. We were talking to someone about this as Jessica had Jacob sitting on the floor ready to catch him should he teeter, when we suddenly realized he had been there for several minutes sitting with no problem whatsoever. It was an amusing...
More Ohio Trippin
Finally had a chance to sit down and upload a few more pictures from our trip to Ohio Easter week. Erin had a blast playing in the show, as you can see. Most of it had melted when we first got there but we got lucky and had a really good snowfall (I think it was) Thursday. It was really good packing snow. I’m kind of mad at myself now for not getting out there and making a snowman or even...
Beaten by a girl
For the record, my not-quite-three year-old daughter has beaten me at Wii Golf both times we have played. While it’s a total ego boost for her and I am so terribly proud at how good she is… it’s also quite embarrassing for me. But still a lot of fun for both of us.
March 2008
15 posts
Illegal aliens have always been a problem in the United States. Ask any Indian.
– Robert Orben