Tuesday's With Bryan

Whew, what a whirlwind this past week has been. I am finally recovered enough to be coherent in the morning. as you can see the Winter Camporee was a success. I had a ton of fun organizing it (with the help of various committees and dedicated adult volunteers) and will never do it again ;-)

Some notes from the field:

- All day Friday was set up with just me and one other helper setting up 8 of the 10 stations. We had a First Aid Relay, Memory game, Trivia game, volleyball nets, Frisbee toss, etc...tons of work. I slept very little from Wednesday till Sunday (2-3 hours a night) and
spent the rest of the time working on the programs.

-Saturday was spent running around camp and making sure everything was doing OK. No worries as the volunteers were having as much fun as the Scouts and we had worked on the set up and rules so well that there were no problems all day long.

-Saturday night was a different story, we finally went to bed after midnight when the storm came down upon us. I awoke at 3am to terrible wind, getting out of my tent I saw one of the other adult's tent flying across the field with him in it. His 11x11 tent was picked up like a sail and went 15 feet with him going from sleeping to standing up and running with the tent, very funny the next day.

I had fun, the boy had fun and all the Scouts and Scouters had fun. Nice job by all in organizing and running the entire program. This Wednesday we are going to Cheeseburger In Paradise for dinner with our spouses who we have not seen in 2 weeks because of all the work!!!!!!!

In other news, my tire was flat when I went outside this morning and I had to limp the car a mile to the nearest gas station. At some point I was on rim, I hope I did no real damage to the car....we'll see.

Winter Camping

This past weekend was our Winter Camporee. I was the Program Director which meant I was in charge of creating 10 stations that the Scouts could compete at. We have been working on this for several months, it has been my number one priority for weeks, late nights, no spare time and a lot of worrying...

We pulled it off and every one had a great time. There were 500 Scouts there this weekend and it was the biggest Camporee ever for our District...

I did not get much sleep and worked my ass off from Wednesday till Sunday both going to real work then dealing with this. Sunday night I crashed for a few hours then went back to the TV station to cover a director. I am still tired but satisfied at the way it turned out!!

Just wanted you to know I was still here and had not dropped off the face of the earth...stories and more to come later.....

Thursday Woes

I am tired!!!! I woke at 6:40 am with the alarm, snoozed, opened eyes at 9:06am, had to get out of bed and opened eyes again at 10:05am and I have to be at work at 10:30 and it is a 20 minute drive (on a good day). I actually made it, showered and in clean clothes but no books, ipod or lunch in my bag!!

We have been working on the Winter Camporee for the past few months and this week is crunch time!! In the past 2 days I had to come up with 200 trivia questions in 5 different categories, as the person who volunteered to do it, did not do it...so my brain is fried and I am just worn out.

I did not workout today but need to go tomorrow, or else!! I missed a meal yesterday ( I can afford to) and woke this morning HUNGRY!!! I ate lunch at 2:00 (Smart Choice) then nothing until my chicken sandwich right now, almost 24 hours no food or water...

Must go now, my Spanish newscast awaits....

Tuesdays With Bryan

History is all around us!!! I marvel sometimes at the lack of knowledge people have of their own country, let alone, town, city or family! People are too busy trying to revise history, so as not to offend, that the marvel of what was done is lost. Is all history perfect, no...are we proud of every aspect of our history, no...but it is what made us what we are today, or better yet yesterday as what we are today is mostly based on revisionist history. Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln were not perfect people, Native Americans were treated horribly in the past and slavery was part of the WORLD at the time, the US turned a blind eye to Hitler for years and this great nation was built on the backs of men and women who left the East Coast with nothing more than a horse, some seed and a few clothes and stepped into the wilderness to find the West Coast and reclaim the dark...

What I am saying is to find out things for yourself and do not depend on others to enlighten you for their views may be altered based on their beliefs and convictions. History is written by the victors but there in lies the true story, you just have to work a little to find it sometimes...

Lzy Sunday

Spent the whole day in pj's, watched too much TV, cleaned the house and did major work on Boy Scouts...now this morning my foot hurts and I did not work out...boo!!!!

Nothing much to say, spent much of yesterday working in the Winter Camporee and for the last 40 minutes of my day I actually loaded my PC game I got for Christmas (Age of Empires III). I played the tutorial and then went to bed.

The boy cooked dinner last night for home eck class, hot dogs and mac and cheese but he did it himself. In between phone calls and spreadsheets and rule clarifications I managed to add some photos to my ipod, yipee!!!

Since I am home today (no workout) I am leaving early to run errands and hit the job early to finish some paperwork....

Til Next Time

PS Yes there is no 'a' in Lazy....that's how lazy we were!

Saturday

The boy and I are home and cleaning. The wife had to work and should be home soon but we have already taken care of the first floor and now we are upstairs. I took a break (been up and cleaning since 7am) and the boy is rearranging his room...

The wife called while writing the above and is on the way and very happy we got downstairs finished. I hope to hit my car, parts of the garage and take down the last of the lights on the roof (cold and icy last few weeks).

Have a great weekend and enjoy family!!! Since the Colts got knocked out I will be home the next few weekends instead of at the RCA Dome and Detroit for the Super Bowl...oh well.

PS Photo is first we took in Washington DC, we parked, got out and the wife took pic number 1...

FRIDAY!!!!

I needed today badly!!! Rundown and tired all week, managed to hit the gym this morning and fell better!!

The Shield is back on, as is 24; two of my favorite TV shows. Battlestar Galactica started as well so I just added 3 hours of TV a week to my schedule!!! I wish TV could be more like these shows, great writing, great acting and fantastic directing. They do not dumb it down nor go for the low brow stuff, just plain old good television, check them out.

Tomorrow will be family day here in Indy. I plan on doing some cleaning and organizing but mainly spending the day with the boy and wife (when she returns from work)...also start getting the boy in shape as baseball is just around the corner.

Anyone here remember or play Strat-O-Matic?? Been looking into it and was just wondering...

Big January plans: Get A Budget!!!! and stick to it.......let you know what happens.

Too Tired

Just woke up this morning which is late for me...I missed working out on Monday and today, I've just been feeling beat down. I am sure the late nights at the Scouts and planning a Winter Camporee that is next weekend has something to do with it but MAN I wish I wasn't so tired......

Arizona Part III: The Rest of the Story

An now the rest of the story...The grand Canyon was fantastic. We arrived at 8:30am and it was very cold (mid 20's) so the wife put on 5 sweaters from the luggage and the boy and I bought 2 sweatshirts from the gift shop (I fit into a 3X which was big on me!!!) and then off to enjoy the Canyon. My wife was a little uneasy with the drop off, at one point there is nothing other than a yard or two of 'shoulder' between you and the drop off, a bit scary. On the way back to Flagstaff we were told by a Park Ranger to take the long road east then head south to the city but to make a left when the road tees for the best Navajo Tacos in the world. So an hour or so out of the Grand Canyon we come to a T in the road and hook a left and find this town (one gas station, one souvenir shop and one restaurant) and stop to eat...WOW!!!! The Navajo Taco was AWESOME and the wife had the beef stew. It was so good we told my folks (a day behind us) to go there. We got a call from them the next day saying the food was fantastic and they were glad they stopped.

From lunch we hauled ass to Sedona for the sunset, met my family who were HQed there for the next few days, visited, then made the trip down to Phoenix so we can catch our morning flight home.

All in all it was a fantastic trip. I hit Tiffiny's for an anniversary gift (and spent a shit load of money on one ring, but it was worth it) and got a little something for myself and the boy to remember the trip by. I would recommend going in the winter, it is a crap shoot in the Canyon but if you hit it right you have the whole park to yourself and the prices for lodging are CHEAP!!!!!

The last pics above are Mather Point at the Canyon, Sedona sunset, and the view of where my brother got married, they stood on the platform and we also had the reception there, they lit up the mountain side after sundown, beautiful!!!!!!!!

Happy Anniversary

Thirteen years ago I was lucky enough to marry the most beautiful, intelligent, funny and 'willing to put up with my sh*t" person in the world. Every day I love her more than the day before, and consider myself extremely lucky to have found her. I thank God everyday that I have her in my life and would not change a single second of the past 18 years (we were friends first before dating) of my life of knowing her!

Happy Anniversary!!

Arizona Part II: Some Grand Canyon Pics

Ah the Grand Canyon. The trip in a nutshell is this, it was a wonderful, beautiful time with my wife and son and the Grand Canyon can make you weep and take heart that their must be a higher power to create something as majestic as that....

After driving about 4-5 hours from Phoenix (with several stops on the road and one in Flagstaff) we stopped at the town 2 miles from the entrance to the Grand Canyon and stayed the night. We got to the Canyon at 8:30am and spent the entire day. In the winter you can drive all the way to the Western end of the state park, called Hermit's Rest and stop at the various points to view the Canyon from different angles. We had most of these points to ourselves as traffic was non-existent and the visitors were scarce. At each stop we got out of the car and walked to the edge. Caution to people with height problems or small children: There are no real railing at the Grand Canyon, the only thing that separates you from the Canyon's edge (and 3,000 ft drop) is AIR!!!!! Above are just a few pictures (more to come) of the Canyon, the top is from Pima Point close to Hermit's Rest, the next is the wife and boy at Mather Point, the most popular and first point when entering the Canyon Park. Next is again Pima Point and the last is the Watchtower, built in 1930 you can climb to the top and get a view of the beginning of the Grand Canyon on the eastern edge...to the west the Grand Canyon and to the east the Painted Desert, what a sight!!!!

Arizona Part 1: The Wedding

Been slacking this week, we got back Tuesday and I have been draggin with jet lag all week (and catching up on work).  Big week this week at work, found out I am at the RCA Dome all day game day (Colts v Steelers) for pre and post shows, so there goes the weekend (Should be fun).

 

Anyway here goes our actions (pics to follow):

 

We arrived on Friday after an uneventful flight from Indy to Dallas to Phoenix.  We got to Dallas 45 minutes early thanks to a nice tail wind...we check and could have made an earlier flight but the airline said our bags were going on the later flight so we would have to wait at the airport for our bags to catch up.  So we stayed the 2.5 hours and enjoyed some lunch (Texas BBQ) and got into Phoenix right on time.  we get to baggage claim and wait as our luggage does not show.  We go to the counter and ask about our bags when they tell us that they arrived on the early flight (arrgggg!!!!).  We get our bags and rental car (2006 grand Prix) and head to the hotel.

 

That night we enjoy a Guam BBQ with fresh fruit, meats, veggies and some things I cannot pronounce but tasted damn good!!!  The families meet, make merry and generally have a great time meeting new people and catching up with old friends and family.

 

Saturday was a whirlwind.  We hit the Tux place to make some corrections (my shirt sleeves were 3 inches too short and the jacket was 3 inches too long, duh!!!) and then make it back to the hotel in time to get to the Botanical Gardens for pictures.  Side Story:  On the way back from the Tux place my brother (the groom) borrows my phone and tries to find a limo for the evening, very funny but then again that's my brother!!!!

 

The ceremony went off without a hitch.  The bride was beautiful and the groom handsome, the service was done outside on the side of a mountain with cacti and desert in the background...

 

The food was incredible and the booze free flowing.  We all got a little 'happy' and enjoyed ourselves.  Highlight was of course the Chocolate Fountain for dessert....AWESOME.

 

As for the family, my boy looked smart in his tux, as did I, and the wife was beautiful in a fantastic dress, hair done up and killer shoes.

 

A great time had by all....

Welcome Back

Hello all!!! Just back from Arizona...Phoenix, Sedona, Grand Canyon...what a great vacation and wedding. We had a great time and now I am checking up on 88 e-mails (none are spam) and catch up on bills, so blogging will have to wait....

Till next time (pictures I promise)

On Vacation

Off to Arizona and hopefully the Grand Canyon...wish us luck and a
good flight ( I hate flying!!). Be well till my return!

Incident.

A recap of the 'incident' as we are calling it at work:

A weather caster comes up to me (Director On Duty) to ask about crew staffing in the afternoon as we have big weather coming and like to do cut ins. While I am sure that he can go on the air without crew help (and tell him that) I explain that since it is a 'holiday' we are short staffed and would look into who was available to cover if he needed to get on the air. While discussing with various crew members this weatherman returns and says my boss what me to call her on her cell and then leaves. I call my boss and tell her I have everything under control and was working stuff out when he called her and then he returns and says that he can indeed go on the air without crew help, just like I said. When I tell my boss this she says that she told him the same thing and he said he was going to check on it. I told my boss thanks and hung up and then gave the weatherman a 'look'. When he left the other crew looked at me and said "What an Asshole!!".

Now I know this is a very minor thing, but it is my boss' day off and I am in 'charge', I told him I would handle it and he immediately goes over my head and calls my boss. Not only that but he only checks on going on the air without help after my boss says THE SAME THING I DID!!!! If he would have checked with his boss before he called mine he would have had his answer. I try not to let shit like this bother me, but this is the same guy who will be in my office while I am eating lunch and ask for something. Which I always interrupt my lunch and do for him...Do not bite the hand that feeds you!!!

Keep on Chooglin'

I get to work with new heart and new attitude and a vision of being more personable to certain persons when one of those persons pisses me off within 30 minutes of getting there. So much for the new year.

Went and saw Narnia with the family. An excellent film, the whole family enjoyed it. It has been so long since I read the books that I was happily in the dark and can not wait for the sequels (please make more!!!!!)

Woke up early and hit the gym (640am). This time took the boy as it is his last day of vacation and he wanted to go with me this morning. He did OK, and we set him up so he can work out at Granny's after school on their home gym if he wants to.

My workout:
Cardio: 35 minutes
Weight: 16,800 lbs (12 reps x 12 stations)

Happy New Year (Again)...

So we did nothing yesterday but De-Christmas the house and watch the Colts win an emotional one. The boy went to the game with his Grandmother (Grandpa has season tickets but was sick yesterday). That left the wife and I home alone to do all the cleaning that needed doing and the packing as well. We are leaving for Arizona on Friday for my youngest brother's wedding, so the wife decided that yesterday was the day that everything needed to be put away for next Christmas or we would have the tree up until February (and she is right). At some point in the next 3 days I have to find time to get on the roof and pull some stakes out of the ground (it is warm and should rain in the next day or two, making it much easier).

After a week of laziness I was back in the saddle again and off to the YMCA this morning...

Cardio: 35 minutes
Weight: 18,905 lbs (12 reps x 12 stations)

Today is also the day I am going to try Project 365 and take a picture everyday!!! We'll see how that works out...and yes I know that this will then be Project 364 since I missed yesterday!

Dear Loyal Reader

Happy New Year!!!