Hooray For Saturday!

Shaving Forward

Pau Gasol, dude, if you need to borrow my razor, I will overnight it to you.  Just let me know.

Playoff beards in hockey, cool.  Playoff beard in basketball, not so much.

It's The Not Knowing

I haven't written here in ages.  I've been meaning to, but just haven't.  There is really no excuse as to why I haven't, besides the fact that I'm lazy and haven't had the motivation to do so.

Note I just used the contraction: haven't, a bunch of times.

Our lives are in limbo right now.  We know/think we are moving to Columbus, OH, it's just a matter of when.  Ideally this would happen now, the sooner the better.  Seeing that we would like to start kids in new schools at the beginning of the school year.  However, my wife's job is holding the keys to that vehicle.  We are in the passenger seat and they are driving.

So it's the not knowing that is what is driving me crazy. 

Each night I look at the real estate market here, where we live, and wonder when can we put our house up for sale.  Then I look at the real estate market in the Columbus area and wonder if we will be able to basically create a push out of the move.  That, on top of researching school districts, different areas and commutes has me up at night wishing I knew what the heck is going on here.

I'll be around. 

Busy Busy Busy

I know, it's been a while.  We've been spring breaking off the coast of where was it?  Not really.

I've been super busy putting together the 2009 Kentucky State Disc Golf Championship Tournament.  I'll be back after this weekend.

In the meantime, if you ever need any electrical work done in the Cincinnati area, call Edgewood Electric, go buy yourself a pair of Keen shoes, go throw some Innova Discs purchased from The Nati Disc Golf or Disc N' Dat, stop at the Ameristop convenience store in Burlington, KY for a beverage and candy bar, go eat some good food at Florence Y'all Gyros & Wings, check out the selection of discs at Prime Discs, if you ever come across Lee Stephens or Keith Dailey buy them a beer and last but not least, enjoy the outdoors in Boone County, KY Parks.  All of these people or places have helped out to sponsor this event.

Even more important, check out the Team In Training link to a friend of mine, Nick Thomas.  He's trying to meet his fund raising goal, as he trains for his personal goal of finishing a triathlon.  You can find his story and donate to the cause here.  Any amount will be appreciated and help him out.  Tell him Kevin sent you his way.

Portraits

The good ones get printed up, then mailed or handed out to those that like to scare rodents or small pets from their homes.

The outtakes get posted here.

She's A Little Runaway

This morning, out of the blue, our daughter informed me that she was going to runaway and live at Grandma's house, because it is simply too messy here.

She had gone through the motions of writing a good-bye letter and picture for her mom, which I did find a little disturbing, and informed me that she would be leaving after school.

We sat down and I asked her who was the main contributor of the messes around here and she replied, "Me and my brother".  She took a couple of minutes and after some serious thought, she told me "I guess I should stick around and help him clean these messes up, so we can have a snack later!"

Funny thing is, I was thinking please take him with you.  At least for the weekend.

Making Groceries

A lot of people, including myself, make reference to the fact that I have lost my southern accent over the past 15 years or so.

I may have lost the accent, but when I go to make groceries the thing with the four wheels that I put stuff into, is a buggy.

What do you call it?

Men's Room Arrest

The potty training of our son has finally gotten to a point where I think I see a tiny shimmer of light at the end of the tunnel.  I did say tiny and I have spared you few readers the gory details of potty training this young man.  If I have one thing to say it's, if I was anywhere near this hard, I'm sorry mom. 

We've gotten to where we can go out in public pretty confident that he won't have accidents while we are out, but I think I know the reason for that.  First off, I ask him to go to the bathroom about ten times before we ever leave the house.  Second off, we don't really go on trips during the day for extended periods of time.  Third off, I can't stand going into public restrooms with our kids, much less by myself.  There have been times when I have walked into a mens room, turned around and told the boy, "Oh well, try to hold it but if it happens, it happens, we'll clean you and the pants up in the van."  And finally, our children are dehydrated at all times.  Not really.

Seriously, what's going on with guys around here?  I know there is a lot of Mountain Dew consumed in this region and sometimes this guy is guilty as charged.  However, I've never thrown back so much of the caffeinated, anti-freeze colored elixir that I've completely lost aim and can't hit the urinal or toilet, much less the broad side of a barn.  Then you have the stalls, where people are clocking in and compromising not only the integrity of the porcelain, but the room in it's entirety.  Unbelievable! 

All I've got to say is that I'm not sure what is going down in the ladies room, but I'm thinking the moms might be keeping house a little better, simply because they are aware that parents have to bring their children to the bathrooms sometime.  Guys?  Forget about it.  You got dudes walking in the bathroom ripping ass before their hand can hit the stall door.  Then I've got to stand there and explain to the kids who tooted, who the stinky one is and so on.  Sometimes I really want to just point at the dude heading out the door after wrecking shop, without even thinking to wash his hands, and say, "That mother f'er there kids.  He's the stinky tooting, disgusting bastard that just lit this place up."

So needless to say I'm terrified when I have to take our daughter in the mens room.  The is nothing gentlemen about it.  It wasn't until just recently that I actually listened to what I was saying in the there one day when our daughter just couldn't wait and we all had to go in, for her to take care of some business.  After some serious house cleaning, it goes a little something like this. 

"OK, you son, up against the wall, put your hands where I can see 'em."
"Alright you lady, get your feet apart.  Put your hands on your head, don't touch anything."
"I said you, son!  Up against the wall!  Hands up, where I can see them."
"OK lady, I'm going to hold you right here.  Don't do any sudden moves!"
"Son, freeze, don't move!  Back up against that wall!"
"OK lady, do what you have to do.  No more trouble than we need."
"Mister, I need you to put your hands on your head.  Don't touch anything!"
"Alright everybody done here?  No more trouble?  Don't touch anything, keep your hands where I can see them."

No wonder I get some odd looks when the stall door opens and we come walking out.  It's like there is some serious crime going down in there, only thing is, we are the victims.  Seriously, spread the word, it's not cool to wreck shop in a public restroom.

LB

Whew, at least the New Orleans Saints did one thing right.  They re-signed middle linebacker Jonathan Vilma.  He is coming off a pretty good season, it was his first with the Saints.

Now, if they could just find a free safety and a cornerback. 

I wish football season was starting next month.

How You Like Them Apples

I love apples.  Some apples more than others.  My favorite apple is the honeycrisp apple.

However, the other day as I was cruising through the produce section, I saw a new variety of apple available to us.  The name alone peeked my curiosity.  The Pinata apple!  Wow!  Pinata?

The word pinata means only one thing to me, party.  So I was pleasantly satisfied when indeed, after I sliced one up and started eating it, that there was a party in my mouth.  Insert joke that writes itself here.

I would highly suggest giving the Pinata apple a try, if you enjoy different types of apples.  It's firm and crisp, has a slight citrus hint of flavor to it and has a goofy shape compared to other apples. 

How in the world I can get so into the taste of different apples, but can't enjoy wine a lot is beyond me.

Bedtime Stories

I watched the speech our president gave to congress last night.  I was impressed, as I normally am, by his delivery.

Anyone that knows me, is aware that I have been a long time supporter of the president, however so far, there has been things he has done that I have not been on board with 100%.  With that being said, I just want him to work and lead the agenda that he has in mind to get this country back on track.  I don't want him and congress to be concerned about the bipartisanship junk.  We have a democrat president and a democrat majority in congress, that won handily.  Call their agenda socialism or whatever you want, let's go, on with it.

On the other hand, we have the republicans and their boy wonder, Governor Bobby Jindal, from my home state of Louisiana.  I watched Governor Jindal give the republican response to the president's address to congress.  To sum it up in musically, it was like Raffi coming on stage after Prince.

Governor Jindal looked and sounded like he was reading to a group of fourth graders.  That was my first thought while watching him.  Then a friend pointed out to me that Nate Silver, from the website fivethirtyeitght.com, blogged the following:

"If it sounds like Jindal is targeting his speech to a room full of fourth graders, that's because he is. They might be the next people to actually vote for Republicans again."

I would love to have Governor Jindal take a trip, to our house from Louisiana, with my mom.  They could bring some food, drink and seasonings.  Then they could read bedtime stories to the kids.  They are much more articulate and sing-song than I am.  My mom could stick around for a while, but Governor Jindal could go back to Louisiana and his pedestal to remind us all how it was the republicans that were on watch when 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina happened.