Blog closed, I'm getting a tan :)

Hee, hee

I'm not here, I'm actually on a cruise in the Caribbean.

I just left some music so you wouldn't forget me.

Happy, Happy Bday

Happy Birthday Time Traveller!!!

I hope you're having a wonderful time!

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Happy Holidays from our house to yours

My Little Girl's Daddy

I must admit that I'm really not feeling the holiday spirit this year. It's not hard to figure out why either. The Wife has been sick. The kids have been sick. I've been sick. Well, it got much worse today.

The Wife called me at work, a place I haven't been near as much as I need to be lately, to let me know my little girl had fallen. Abby wouldn't move her arm and The Wife was wondering if she should take her to the doctor or wait.

The next call was from the doctor's office. They said Abby had popped her shoulder out of joint. The Wife said my girl was crying for her Daddy. An hour later I met them at the specialist that was suppose to pop her shoulder back in place but they needed some x-rays first. I carried my little girl into the room and held her while they took the x-rays. The first few went fine until they told me to pull her arm across her chest.

I hesitated. I knew it was going to hurt her. The x-ray tech started to do it but I knew it was my job. I waved her off. As I grabbed my daughters arm, I said all the things a parent tells a child just before they hurt them. She begged my not to touch her arm. She screamed. I kept talking to her and looking her in the eye. I was afraid if I lost eye contact I wouldn't be able to look at her again. As quickly and as gently as I could I slid her arm over. It wasn't quick enough nor was it gentle enough. The x-ray tech took the shot. My daughter was crying, "no more, no more. "

I wrapped her back up in her blanket and carried her like a baby back to her mother. I was able to press my face into her blanket on the way back to dry my own eyes. The x-rays revealed that her arm was not out of it's socket. Instead, her arm was broken in half, up high, just below the shoulder joint.


Sometimes I don't think you realize how much you love someone until you see them in pain. And when you're the one inflicting that pain, out of love, it reminds you just how tough of a job being a parent can be. After I sat her down in the exam room, I put my face up to hers and told her I was sorry. As I leaned forward we bumped heads. She made a little pucker shape with her lips so I leaned in and let her kiss my forehead where we had hit. As I pulled away she gave me all the smile her little face could muster. I guess being the child of a parent can be a tough job as well.

Confession #10

I bough my first pair of reading glasses this past weekend. For a guy who has always enjoyed 20/20 vision it made me a little sad. When The Wife saw me wear them for the first time she couldn't stop laughing.

Even with the glasses on I fail to see what's so damn funny. Maybe I need a stronger pair.

WTF's in a name?

Sometimes you just have to wonder what the hell are people thinking. I just read a story about a couple who's child was denied a birthday cake, from a store, because the store refused to put his name on it. These people actually named their child Adolf Hitler.

Obviously these people are starved for attention but why would they do this to their child? Can you imagine when this kid is accused of punching a classmate in school? Of course little Adolf did it. Forget about a military career. What about when he fills out a job application? Would you hire a man named Adolf Hitler? "We really need to land that big bible printing job, send Adolf to close the deal." Right.

The reason the parents gave for giving their child this name? They knew no one else would have it. No shit, maybe there's a reason for that. Nobody has the name "My Parents R. Morons" either. Why didn't they just go with that? At least he'd have a better chance. Grrrrr!!!

Santa Lives

Child Writes to Santa, Asks For Molestation to End
Monday, December 15, 2008

PHARR, Texas — A Texas man has been arrested after a 9-year-old girl wrote to Santa Claus asking that a relative stop touching her and her sister.

The Monitor of McAllen reports that a man from the town of Pharr was arrested Friday and is in the Hidalgo County jail. A criminal complaint says the girl turned the letter in at Cesar Chavez Elementary School. Authorities interviewed the girl after a school counselor reported the letter. The complaint says investigators believe the molestation occurred over a period of four years. The man is charged with continuous sexual abuse of a young child and could face as many as 99 years in prison if convicted.

And some people say there is no such thing as Santa Clause .

Christmas Bliss

Still trying to make up a few missed workouts, I once again headed out to the gym this morning. As I was turning into the parking lot, still without a solid plan, other than the shower kidney punch idea, to stop Chatty Cathy gym guy I don't know from talking to me, I noticed the parking lot was empty.

Not able to accept my good fortune, I crept into the gym looking in every direction. Even when I didn't see anyone I half way expected someone to pop out from under a weight or something. But it was true. The gods of gravity had blessed me with an empty gym on a Saturday morning.

Like a kid in a candy store, I wasted no time getting to it. I cranked up my mp3 player to drown out the music being blasted over the gym speakers and drifted into a weighted world of bliss. I was mad man too. I added extra sets, extra reps to my sets and more and more weight to my reps. Even though I knew I shouldn't go there, I went there. It was a beautiful thing. I mixed muscles that ought not be mixed. I pushed myself and then pushed a little more. For one solid, pure golden hour I was in a zone. My zone. The world stopped turning, time stood still. If there were problems in the world they weren't mine, at least not then.

As I was taking off my gloves to leave, another guy walked in. He asked me, "if I was done." I told him, "I was" and not to expect too much from his workout because I didn't leave anything in there for him. "It was that good?" he responded. "Like connecting with a good left hook to the kidney. I knocked it out" I said. He smiled. I smiled back and left.

Life is good.

HO HO NO!

I think the gig is up! A few days ago my oldest was asking a lot of questions about Santa Claus. Then yesterday he came to me with a covert plan to set up video surveillance to catch the big red jolly fat man doing his thing. I tried to explain that smarter kids than him have tried to catch the big man in action and failed.

My performance wasn't all that convincing though. He had all the evidence he needed . Photos of him at the mall with Santa. Video of Santa rolling down the street in a parade. And commercials, those damn commercials, on every channel. Proof that Santa can be recorded.

In the end I feel like I may have bought him another year of believing in the actual man and sled routine but I'm still going to check the chimney for tripwire and motion detectors before I put the presents out this year.

I'm not ready for Santa's visits to stop yet.

I ... He enjoys the milk and cookies way too much.

My Songs #8

Continuing from my previous post, 10 Songs that have helped me define how I feel, how I see myself or how I see the my world over the past few years.

Whatching The Wheels
~ John Lennon

People say I'm crazy doing what I'm doing
Well they give me all kinds of warnings to save me from ruin
When I say that I'm o.k. well they look at me kind of strange
Surely youre not happy now you no longer play the game

People say I'm lazy dreaming my life away
Well they give me all kinds of advice designed to enlighten me
When I tell them that Im doing fine watching shadows on the wall
Dont you miss the big time boy youre no longer on the ball

I'm just sitting here watching the wheels go round and round
I really love to watch them roll
No longer riding on the merry-go-round

I just had to let it go

Ah, people asking questions lost in confusion
Well I tell them theres no problem, only solutions
Well they shake their heads and they look at me as if I've lost my mind
I tell them theres no hurry

I'm just sitting here doing time

I'm just sitting here watching the wheels go round and round
I really love to watch them roll
No longer riding on the merry-go-round

I just had to let it go
I just had to let it go
I just had to let it go

When "Hey" really means "move the hell out of my way"

Listen up Mr. Man at the gym I don't know. I didn't get up at 6:00 AM on Saturday to chit chat with you. I'm sorry, really sorry, that the exercise I needed to do just happen to be next to you. You seem like a real nice guy but if you haven't noticed, this isn't a social club.

I don't care how much you use to weigh, how much you can lift, how many inches your legs are or how many pounds you lost. The name and cost of your supplements isn't good conversation either. Why are you pushing them so hard anyway? Are you a vitamin salesman or something? Well actually I know you're not because you told me about your job, your work schedule and your up coming business trip.

Again I'm sorry (for me) that my mp3 player hanging out of my ears didn't give you a clue. Or the fact that I kept trying to lift even though you kept right on talking. Even when I walked to the other side of the gym you just raised your voice so I could hear you, which by the way was worse than being next to you.

Here's a little tip. Sometimes when someone says "hey" to you it might not be because they are striking up a conversation but rather to get you to move from in front of the weights they need. Maybe if you talked less, that two hour workout you bragged about could be cut down, to say, a hour. You know, a hour, like the hour I WASTED this morning. GRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!

Stay Back

Has anyone given any thought to microwave ovens???

Follow me here. The door that protects you from the microwave radiation is made of glass or some sort of plastic. The dishes you place in the microwave oven, in most cases, are made of glass or plastic. If the microwaves can penetrate the containers holding the food why can't they escape through the door made of the same material?! I don't think they are heavy enough to be lead lined or something like that. What the hell?

Mine is mounted above the stove, about my head height. I'm not making any connection with that and my receding hair line but then again...

Please Please Me

A few months ago Time Traveller left a comment on a post of mine:

"he has an obsessive need to please people" (referring to me)

I'm sure she meant it in a nice way but I must admit the comment stayed with me. Maybe because it was close to the truth or maybe because it exposes another truth in my life that I'm having a hard time dealing with at the moment.

Yes, I like to please people, to make them happy. I always have. Maybe I do it to a fault, if that's possible but that's not why the comment stuck with me. I've always known that about me. I've always thought it is one of my better attributes. It stuck with me because lately it's become a source of frustration and irritation.

In a perfect world I could continue doing things to make people happy and the reward of seeing them happy would be all I would want. But that's not reality, or at least that's not my reality. No, with all I try to do to make the people in my life happy eventually one question starts creeping into my mind.

Does anyone care if I'm happy?

Selfish? Sure, but damn, you would think that these people, who not only accept my gestures of goodwill but EXPECT them and in some cases demand them, would want to return a little bit of the kindness. Oh, they offer. They say the things people say but words are hollow and without action they have no real meaning do they? See, I believe my actions, more than my words, are some proof that I care. It's not the only way to show it but by doing even the little things it should signal to them that I feel their burden, understand their desires and respect their dreams.

So every once in awhile I wonder where my proof is. Believe me, I look. Not to keep score but to make sure I'm giving credit where credit is due. Maybe that's a problem too but I have my eyes open and I don't see it. Don't get me wrong, the people in my life do things for me. They do the stuff they have to do or do because there is no inconvenience to them. The rest seem to be gestures that aren't based on anything that would remotely make me happy. I know I'm a big bastard for saying this. I know it's suppose to be the thought that counts but does it count if there is no proof that any thought went into it at all? In fact, it frustrates me further that they don't take even a second to consider who I am or what I'm about.

I'm not pinning my happiness on them. I know being happy is my responsibility. Over the past few years I have done a lot to understand that fact and have tried to adjust my life accordingly. I am happier for it too. Still, shouldn't the people who love me, and I do believe they love me, derive some pleasure for providing some part of that happiness? Or am I just an oddball who thinks this way?

So, should I stop trying to please people? Just go about my life and if something I do happens to make someone happy great but if not, oh well. Is that my answer? I don't even think I would know how. I don't want to either. I like helping a guy lift a big box into his car at the hardware store, getting out a buggy for the person behind me at Walmart or just holding a door open for someone. I like making the people I love happy even more. I like being that guy because I like to think I am that guy but lately that guy is not only feeling less than pleased but like a sucker as well.

With The Wife down last week, I had to spend more time in the grocery store, more than my usual never that is. While looking for an easy dinner idea I stumbled upon what could be the the biggest scam going in the grocery store industry.

As I was looking at frozen pizzas, I noticed there was three cheese pizza, four cheese pizza and, you guessed it, five cheese pizza. Now get this, they were all the same price! Seriously, what kind of fool do they take me for? I grabbed two of the five cheese and swaggered right up to the counter. I just wonder if the cashier noticed the smirk on my face as I thought about getting 10 cheeses for the price of six. SUCKERRRRRS!