An Open Letter

Dear May,

You blow! You have given me so much work this month, it is killing me. Three more days and I am free!!!!! Indy 500 here I come!

Back Burn...

Had some troubles sleeping the last few nights. The back and shoulders hurt and I am peeling already.

Hope you all had a Happy Mother's Day (if you're a mother) and that you were catered to and did nothing the whole day.

That is what we did. Woke up late and enjoyed some couch time. The wife did nothing but relax and recover from the sun poisoning. Otherwise a nice day and then dinner and Survivor night at my parents!

I cannot believe who won. I so thought it would be Amanda, she played such a great game, how the heck can Parv win? I think this was the best Survivor in a very long time!

Back Again...

Well the flight was good (upgraded again) and we got in last night at 8ish. Picked up the boy and had a nice quiet dinner at home. The dog was very happy to see us and we her. Spent some time with the boy, talked about the week and had a nice night.

The trip was fantastic. I did nothing on several day, absolutely nothing!!! And it was fantastic. A very different experience for me to have nothing to do, I really enjoyed it...

Vacation Days 3 and 4

Well we got burnt on the beach! But that was OK. We did pool side in the morning, a nice buffet lunch and then spa time. I got the Swedish massage for an hour and it was awesome!!!!!! Then back down to the beach for a little more sun and sand and waves.

Thursday night was the Dine Around. We picked a nice local restraunt and we went with 2 other couples. The food was fantastic, I had the $60 NY Strip and the wife had the rack of lamb. Incredible!!!!!! Without drinks the bill was $600 and the company picked that up. I also had the Key Lime Pie, hey we are in southern Florida right!!!!!

Friday was lazy day. Slept in, a nice breakfast and then off to the beach. That is where we burned again (think we would have learned the first time!!) After lunch I went into the ocean (1pm) and came out when the wives wanted to go to the pool (5:30pm). So after 4.5 hours in the water not only was I a prune but a lobster as well. We hit the pool and ordered drink at the pool bar. I always wanted to order and have a drink while swimming, and I did (a Dirty Banana, pretty cool).

Dress up time for the awards and dinner. The wife was beautiful in a nice summer dress, me in dress shorts and black Cuban shirt. The wife got an award for being in the top 10% of sales in the company (they have branches in 5 states) and after a nice meal and some dancing we all got ripped and headed down to the beach.

I awoke a little sore today but am not ready to go home as we finished packing a few minutes ago...

Pics in time...

Vaction Day Two....

Flight was great, we upgraded to business class, very nice, free alcohol!!!!

Got the the resort and headed immediately to the beach. Spent the rest of the day there with the wife's co-workers. Did I mention this was an all expenses paid vacation? The wife was a top sales person at the bank and won this trip. We pay for nothing!!!! After the beach we went to the room for awhile and unpacked and got ready for dinner. It was a welcome Clam Bake, all the steak, lobster (whole lobster) and clams one could eat, plus open bar. It was all on the beach and was incredible. After dinner we went to the ballroom for some high stakes BINGO. Yes, BINGO with 6 games, prizes ranging from $150 to $2500. We won nothing, but had fun and some fantastic desserts (and open bar). We passed out around 11, I think.

Slept in and caught the end of the breakfast buffet (mushroom and tomato omlet and yogurt parfait). Then off to the pool for 2 hours of doing NOTHING. This is something new for me. And I enjoyed it. After that, a nice walk, a quick lunch and then off to the spa for an hour massage!!!!! Yes we were pampered. Now in the room relaxing, napping and waiting for our dinner at a 5 star place tonight with another couple.

Tomorrow.......beach, pool, food, and no scheduled activities!!! I have not worn my watch or cell phone since we got here!

peace

On vacation

In Florida, Fort Myers, just the wife and I, no kid........first time in 15 years!!!

Blast From The Past

I am on Facebook and mySpace and all those other sites. Mainly because I like doing Beta tests and then lose interest and usually do not go back (mySpace). Facebook holds a little more interest as a lot of the boys from my Scout Troop are my 'friends' and send me stuff all the time. I get a lot of friend requests but I usually ignore them if I do not know them personally (I guess people ask friends of friends to be friends increasing their numbers).

So I have been ignoring this one person a few times as I did not know her and figured it was either a spam/porn site or just someone out fishing. Finally I got the friend request from her but this time she added a detailed note of an intimate moment only two people know about, me and the person I was with and apparently this 'friend' was that person!!

I confirmed her as a friend and sent her an email. She was my first serious girlfriend and after we broke up I have not heard from her (20 years ago). And now we are Facebook friends...it is a strange new world we live in!

Happy Birthday

So yesterday was my birthday and I got many nice calls and emails and Walls on Facebook. We had my party last Sunday and had a great time. I got toys this year (which is when you know you are close to 40). Aside from the muscle car I bought this year (Dodge Charger) I got a RC car, DVD, CD and a Wii. I think they are trying to head off the mid-life crisis.....

All in all it was a great birthday. I have tons to be thankful for and put forth some goals to achieve before the next birthday!!!

Wish me luck

Where Has All The Time Gone...

So I have noticed a lack of posting on most of the blogs I read (myself at the top of that list) and I under if a) being spring that most of the people I relate to (families) just find themselves as busy as I or b) blogging is past it's prime and heading downhill.

I hope it is the first but I think it might be a combination of the two. I find that I have little time to sit and ponder on the PC but then when I do I have a hard time coming up with something worthwhile to type.

Some election stuff coming up and family updates:

- the boy has had a great turn-around. After a mid-term with 3 Ds (English, Math, Science) he was put on notice both by us and his baseball coach (you must carry a minimum C average) so all of his grades have popped up and he is doing great. We actually had a conversation about a book he is reading in English. A few more weeks and we'll know the true story....

- my birthday is near and we celebrated it yesterday. I got an RC car from my folks, 2 cds and a DVD and a Wii!!!!!! I guest I am at that age where everyone thinks I need toys! And that is alright by me. The boy and I will be racing the cars this week and we already went head to head in MLB 2K8 last night and I kicked a$$!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

- Indiana is at the heart of the Democratic nomination and I am already tired of politics. I mean there have been more Obamas and Clintons roaming our street then you can shake a stick at. For the love of pete people, I hate election time!!!!!!

Still Here...

Been busy with work and family visits. We had an earthquake last night. Nothing major, I didn't wake up but the boy and dog did!!!

Hope all is well by you

Fun Day Out...

After a rough week at work my FIL and his family are here. For a fun day out mix:
1. Good Company
2. Good meal with family and friends
3. Mix in happy son and nephew
4. sprinkle 2 games of bowling
5. top off with apple pie, Cupcakes or golf lesson
6. finish off with a good adults (not porn but not a cartoon) movie

Let bake for the whole day and at midnight you'll fall asleep satisfied.....

Weekend Update....

In and unexpected turn of events the boy and I got tickets to the Cubs yesterday. We jumped in the car at 9am and drove the 3.5 hours to Chicago and visited one of the oldest parks in all of baseball. Let me get this out of the way...the game was great, excellent pitching, 3 home runs and some awesome baseball.




Now that has been said let me discuss the Ballpark itself. WOW. An great throwback to better times. A small, intimate ballpark. It took 10 minutes from car to seat and that was because we parked 5 blocks away. The bullpen was a bench along the sideline with a small mound for the pitcher to toss off of. The seats went right to the field, and the stadium was packed! While I love my Yankee Stadium this ballpark was extremely nice and just brought me back to the early 1900's when baseball was born. I will go again.

In the end, the Cubs won, I enjoyed a Wrigley Dog and pretzel and got to see a baseball game at Wrigley Field with my son. How can it get better than that?

How was your weekend?

The Great SUV Experiment

I always wanted an SUV. I had an old Dodge Ram back in the day as a 2nd car and loved to drive it. So much so that I wanted to trade my current car (Plymouth Acclaim) in for a SUV. I did some research and found I wanted the Granddaddy of SUV, the Jeep Grand Wagoneer. I found one that was not rusted away and bought it. What a mistake. I loved it, and worked on it and joined a club and crawled up and in and around it. I loved to drive it but man did it suck the gas; 9mpg/11mpg and this was when gas was about 1.05 a gallon.

So after a while it was time to move on. My wife did not drive the beast and the gas was killing me. Plus these SUV's were known to rust out from the floor up and that was what mine was doing. Out came the For Sale sign and off to the want ads for my next car. I found a GMC Jimmy. Well taken care of and with enough bells and whistles to keep me happy. It was also safe enough that the wife did not mind driving it. I sold the Jeep and picked up the Jimmy and away I went for a few years. I enjoyed the high driving and the 4x4 in a land that got 144 inches of snow . When we got to Indiana I had 1) no need for 4-wheel drive and 2) gas was starting to inch up to almost $1.50/gal.

The next vehicle was a crossover, an Outlander. The body and semi-height of an SUV with a 4cyl engine. It was brand new, sunroof, heated seats, leather, fully loaded and my wife took it. Now I am 'stuck' with a sedan. I just purchased my first 'new' car, a 2007 Dodge Charger (only 4K on it). I had no desire to get a SUV or a truck, even though the wife had me look at some. I have had the Charger for 4 weeks now, I have put about 2500 miles on it for 2 long trips and have loved every minute behind the wheel.

So keep your Hummer and Escalade, make mine a sedan.

A New Start...

Like many I wash my hands after using the restroom. I have an odd habit of after washing using a paper towel to turn off the water and then open the door. I was called out on this at work and then found out that several co-workers do the same thing. I have been in there and heard/seen men use the restroom and then go right out the door. I just washed my hands and then I am going to grab the same handle this slob just used? Not likely!!!!

One thing that does weird me out is generic soap smell. Have you ever noticed that the soaps in public bathrooms all smell alike? Be it Sam's Club, Target or the Rest Stop on I-90 they all smell the same, strange!

Lazy

Wow, I cannot seem to write anymore. I stopped going to the Y and I sleep in a lot. I need to get into gear and join the program.

I head to NY this weekend for my annual Fantasy Baseball draft. It should be a good time, I always enjoy heading out there and visiting friends.

The boy is doing well with baseball and Scouts and such. It is better when he is busy then free ranging after school. He seems to be doing well with classwork and housework so it is a start.

On an unrelated note, I enjoy several podcasts and one is done by a person here in Indy, Matt's Today In History. It is an excellent podcast that deals with world history on a daily basis. Recently he has had some health problems and if you are into that sort of thing, please send him your thoughts and prayers....