Dude...where's my car?

I told you not to park near the lava flow...but do you listen to me? Nooooo!

Reality.....

Saving a life.....

Ur doin' it rong!

Oakland Wins....

I've been tagged

Here are the rules:

1. Once you are tagged, link back to the person who tagged you.

2. Post THE RULES on your blog.

3. Post 7 weird or random facts about yourself on your blog.

4. Tag 7 people and link to them.

5. Comment on their blog to let them know they have been tagged.

Random Facts About Me:
1. I don't know 7 other bloggers!
Oh, wait! That'd be cheating!

1a. I've never been in trouble with the law, but I have had the police called on me. 10 or 11 year old me and some buddies of mine (ok, it was mostly me) were lighting fires in the alleyway behind some neighbors houses. One of the (mean) neighbors had the gall to call the police. I got away from the law, but one of the kids in the neighborhood saw it all go down and told my brother, who in turn told my mom.
It was the only time in my life that I can remember getting a spanking from my dad. PLUS I was grounded to my room for 3 straight days. I could only come out to go to the bathroom.

2. I've only been in one real fight in my entire life. I was in 5th grade and it was with Tommy Harding (I think). We both stunk at fighting so no one would have got hurt, except for Mike Riggits, who kept trying to kick me while we were rolling on the ground, but kept kicking Tommy. The thing about Mike is, he was the boy in school who wore cowboy boots. So he really got Tommy good a couple of times. Tommy and I became friends after that. I still don't like Mike Riggits.

3. I've a penchant for saying (what can be interpreted as) inappropriate things in public settings. Now, mind you, I (almost) never mean to be mean or inapproriate...things just pop into my head as funny, clever or some combination of the two and that little guy in your brain that looks at things that you say before you say them, giggles and says "Um. NO!" is usually on a bathroom break when those things pop into my head.
If you know me, I'm sure you know what I'm talking about.

4. Most of the people that I truly admire probably don't have any idea how much I admire them. I'm REALLY bad at the whole emotion thing. Seriously. I'm pretty sure if I started telling them (and you don't know who you are!) I'd start crying and stuff. So, instead, I just end up feeling like an insensitive jerk because I have a hard time with this. This mostly applies to guys more that the gals. Not sure why, but it's pretty much always been the case that I can talk to women about my 'feelings' more than I can guys. So, if you think I'm a jerk, chances are, I really look up to you!

5. My all time favorite song is Turn The Page by Bob Seger. When my twins were wee little babies and my wife had the temerity to leave me alone with them, I would pull out my Live Bullet album and put Turn The Page on Repeat in order to get them to take their naps. Let me tell you, it worked EVERY time.

6. I, like most people who frequent the internets, have a routine when I log in: First to Google for My Bookmarks. Then, right click and open in a New Tab in this order: AskMen.com, ATT-Yahoo (for Comics), Dilbert.com, iWon.com (more comics...are you sensing a trend?), KevinAndKell.com (yet another comic). Next I check my blogs if any are on the RSS: Holland and Eden, io9.com, Whatever, XKCD, lol-cats, Wil Wheaton, Indexed Photobasement Daniel Negreanu Dr. Horrible and every Friday, Freakangels. Then it's time to work!

7. I don't have a tattoo...however, if I did, it would look like this:

Monday Moanin' Blues

see more crazy cat pics

15 years ago...

I hear Leesha
Singing in heaven tonight
And in between the sadness
I hear Leesha
Telling me that she's alright
        -Micheal W. Smith

It's been fifteen years since we lost our first child, and I can still remember so much, so vividly.

• I remember telling my wife Yes. She could stop taking the little pill everyday, cause it was time to get pregnant. Her smile is still burned in my mind.
  
• I remember my wife coming to the bowling alley, telling me she hasn't felt the baby move in a while. But that happens, right? I bowled a 300 game that night. It really wouldn't bother me if I never bowl another one.
  
• I remember hearing nothing on the fetal monitor at the doctors office.
  
• I remember putting my hand on her stomach on our way to the hospital, praying the most fervent prayer of my life....it went unheard.
  
• I remember watching the ultrasound monitor I'd watched so many times before, except there was no flutter in the heart.
  
• I remember remembering that during the child birthing classes, they told us coaches to remind the mothers that it'll be worth all the pain of childbirth and it'll all fade away when you hear that baby cry....I had to think of something else. Couldn't.
  
• I remember one of the doctors, who had recently found out she was pregnant herself, coming into our room in the middle of the night, sitting on the edge of my wifes bed and crying for her.
  
• I remember holding my lifeless daughter in my arms and thinking she had the most beautiful lips. Ever.
  
• I remember thinking no one should ever have to hold their lifeless daughter in their arms.
  
• I remember making the worst decision I've ever made in my entire life...and likely ever will make. I wish we would have buried her ourselves.
  
• I remember going to our apartment by myself the first time afterwards, and walking into the nursery...I've never cried so hard in my life.
  
• I remember walking down the hallway with my wifes cousin, and him telling me if I needed to talk, he was there for me. This was/is way out of character for him, and probably the most compassionate thing anyone has ever said to me.
  
• I remember wishing I could take him up on his offer.
  
• I remember coming home from the hospital with my wife and walking into the nursery with her....that was the saddest moment of my life.
  
• I remember feeling so very helpless.
  
• I remember my wife telling me that it hurt so bad, when she drove down the road she just wanted to drive into a tree to make the pain stop.
  
• I remember feeling so very, very helpless.
  

I don't know why, but this year it seems that Julie has been on my mind so much more than in recent years. This week, and all it means to my wife and I, has been on the forefront of my mind for the last month or so.

After 15 years, the pain has dulled. The sadness has receded, but not left.
The three children we have are a salve to my soul.
But even so...I still miss her.

Lolsquirrels?

see more crazy cat pics

Could be....

I saw this today under the heading:
Quite Possibly The Luckiest Kid in the World


It just made me laugh....

The Preferred Version

I never really liked this song until I heard this version, but ever since, I've loved BOTH versions:

All The Way To The Crash Site.....

Quote of the Day....

Give a man a fish, and he'll eat for a day. Give a fish a man, and he'll eat for weeks!
- Takayuki Ikkaku, Arisa Hosaka and Toshihiro Kawabata

Proud Dad....the final chapter....

Two of my favorite three blonds!




Note how EXCITED Mitch (in yellow) looks in the background!

Proud Father, part deux!

1, one, won, numero uno, un, ein,ένας, 1 つ, 1개, um, одно! *

They got a 1 at Solo Ensemble!!!! Yeah Marion and Billie!!!!
You guys are AWESOME!!!!

Best line of the day:
Marion to Grandpa: I got a medal!
Grandpa to Marion: What does it say?
Marion to anyone who will listen: It says: "I ROCK!"

Serious props to Aunt Billie (yes, that Aunt Billie) for all her help. Today, when Marion played for the judges, she played the best I've ever heard her...with all that pressure...and I know it was because of all the work she and Billie put into the effort.
I'm so glad my kids have such loving and involved aunts and uncles, as well as grandparents...I'm so lucky, blessed, blissful, content, contented, endowed, favored, fortunate, glad, granted, joyful, joyous (pick you synonym!) for the family that I have, both born and married!

* bablefish...it's a wonderful thing.

Proud Father

When you have kids, you don't have any idea how things are going to turn out. You do your best when it comes to education, entertainment, religion, friends, family and responsibility, but at the end of the day, you just don't know how things are going to turn out.
Of all the goods and bads that exist in the wonderful world of parenting, I think that worrying about how your kids will turn out is the most ever-present fret.
That said, every once in a while, your kids do something that makes your heart swell with pride and gives you hope that maybe, juuuuusssst maybe, things will turn out okay.
Yesterday, my beautiful daughter Marion did one of those somethings.
For the last few years, she's been playing the flute. It took her quite a while to start getting "good" (my opinion). This year, she's made a marked improvement in her playing. It's been fun to watch (and listen) to her get better.

At the beginning of the school year, she signed up for Solo and Ensemble recital. Her (wonderful) Aunt Billie (yes, that Aunt Billie) signed up to help Marion by being her accompanist in the song.

Over the last several weeks, they've been practicing together every chance they get, and Marion has been practicing even more at home.

I don't recall ever seeing her pour herself into anything more than she has this recital.
Thinking about it, I think there are a couple of reasons for her effort: She's growing up and taking more responsibility (please God, let that be true), she likes to do things that make her parents happy (she's always been a people pleaser)...but most of all, I think the thing that has driven her the most is working with and pleasing her Aunt Billie (yes, that Aunt Billie).
So, all that hard work came to a head yesterday when they had their recital in front of one of the teachers. This seemed like a pre-test for the final grading that comes next week.

For their efforts, they received a 1!!!! SQUEEE!!! (I'm so proud)

I would be remiss if I didn't gush kudos on my darling SIL (yes, that SIL) for her hard work in her part of the duet. She is playing the piano part of the song that they are performing.
Mind you, she's not played the piano (other than for family) in 14 years or so (goodness, she must be getting old!!!). She's done a remarkable job getting back into it after sooooo very many years! (hehehe).
Seriously, thanks Billie! (yes, THAT Billie!)

Doctors Orders

A middle management executive has to take on some sport by his doctor's orders, so he decides to play tennis.

After a couple of weeks his secretary asks him how he's doing.

"It's going fine," the manager says. "When I'm on the court and I see the ball speeding toward me, my brain immediately says, 'To the corner! Back hand! To the net! Smash! Go back!'"

"Really? What happens then?" the secretary asks.

"Then my body says, 'Who? Me? You must be kidding!'"

950,663,000

Nine hundred fifty MILLION six hundred sixty three thousand miles!
That's how far the earth has traveled in it's path around the sun since January 11, 1969....the day I was born.
That's a big number (pick one..the miles traveled or the 39 years I've been around!)

39...Dear Lord! That's like, almost 40! Couple that with the fact that I know have two teenagers living in my house and I've got one foot in the GRAVE!!!!

950596000

67,000 more miles to go.
Anyone have to go to the bathroom?

950529000

getting bigger...and at a rate of 67,000 miles per hour!
Inconceivable!

948921000

whew...that's a big number....and climbing!