Tuesdays With Bryan

Finally worked out this morning, and did not throw up, YIPPEEE!!!!! Nice and quiet yesterday with no major messes at work and a nice evening at home with the wife and boy. Tonight we have our Scout meeting and then on Thursday I have an awards dinner for the Scouting District. I was nominated for an award but you need a minimum 2 years with a Troop to be eligible. No worries, I do not do this for the glory....

Have I mentioned I love my Ipod!!!! I work out with it, listen in the car and bring it to work and listen on my lunch break. Every song is one I love (cause it is MY IPOD) and I am finding things I would not have listened to otherwise. I have some podcasts from MLB, Lost, Family Guy, some video shows and some classical music I have not listened to in years!!! I am looking for a way to post my recent playlist on the site so you can see like the last 5-10 songs played since I logged on, should be cool.

Oh well, off to Mother Russia to defend her from the Nazi's for awhile before work (Call of Duty2: Hardened)...

Monday Monday!

A good weekend. Did not get all the things I wanted to do done but we did manage to do something other than playing video games!!

Saturday was spent with the Scouts mostly. I taught a 45 minute presentation at the Junior Leader Training. I took 4 poles and gave them 4 pieces of rope and they had to make a carrier to run a team member around a course. I picked the teams and I gave no instructions on how to make a lashing or what type of carrier must be used. The point was to a) have fun, b) work in a group not of your choosing but tossed into situations where you are unfamiliar with the people you are with and c) given little instructions use you own minds to come up with a vehicle that would satisfy the challenge. I must say they all did very well and we saw some interesting carriers. It was funny that 2 of the groups used all 4 poles and made 4 proper lashings and the other 2 made 'trick' carriers. One tied all the ropes between 2 poles and made a sling the other used 2 poles to make an X with one lashing and then tied the poor rider to the poles with the other rope. Since there were no winners and it was just a fun exercise everyone enjoyed themselves and had a few laughs as well.

That evening the wife and I watched The Exorcism of Emily Rose. It was very good, and NOT a horror movie as one would think but more of a courtroom drama. There were no real jump out a scare you times and it was very interesting how the defense told the tale of possession and they did a flash back to Emily Rose and how it happened. Then the prosecution would relate the same story with a logical non-spiritual twist. I enjoyed it very much.

Otherwise it was a weekend of cleaning, doing taxes (YEA REFUND) and sitting on the couch with the wife and talking while she clipped her coupons. Another busy week ahead and tomorrow I start to workout again. I worked until 1am last night and could not get out of bed for the life of me this morning......

Till Next Time

Saturday Morning

Playing with Itunes and the Ipod this morning. Found some great video from Google Video. Seems they teamed up with the National Archives and have made available for download some great stuff. I put The Eagle Has Landed on the Ipod this morning. Then I went and added the rest of the music I stole from the parents house. IF Pet Sounds is not the great album ever produced then there is something terribly wrong with the music world!!!

Quick today as I am teaching this afternoon at the Junior Leader Training and the stuff I needed is locked up in a garage whose keys are out of town......so now I have to go buy the materials needed.

After this lesson I have the evening free with the wife. I think maybe dinner and a movie. We do not get out as often as we would like but then we are very happy hanging on the couch, watching TV or talking. I look forward to it!

Friday On My Mind

Survivor night last night.  I am glad Ruthie is gone!!!  Nothing against her but I think that the strong should survive and win this game.  I enjoy a little intrigue but would rather have the real 'survivors' duke it out in the end, not a strong player and the one that hid in shadows and rode coattails the whole way...just my 2 cents.

 

Last night was also a weird night for music, Ipod music.  I hit my parents collection (which also includes many of my, my brothers' and my sister's CDs that have been left behind) to add some more music to the Ipod.  So when all was said and done I ended up adding the following artists to my Ipod:  The Beastie Boys, Neil Diamond, Janis Joplin (all 4 albums), ZZ Top, Bob Segar and the Silver Bullet Band, Better Than Ezra, Elvis and The Beach Boys (Pet Sounds).  Quite the odd musical collection I thought as I put about 10 albums into itunes and I will listen to all of them, which is the funny part.

 

I was also up till 2am waiting for the wife to come home.  She had a meeting, that turned into a social gathering that turned into girl's night out.  I stayed up, just in case someone needed a ride and to watch my newest addiction, Project Runway.  I know, I know, I have said in the past I hate most of these 'reality' shows and I cannot stand fashion, models, etc...but for some reason this show has me hooked.  There was a marathon last weekend and the wife recorded it as she wanted to watch it.  She did and then saved them because she thought I would like it, and I did, oddly enough.

 

This weekend is another Scout trip, Junior Leader Training,  This session the boy is the Troop Scribe (which is what I am in charge of) and they asked me to come and teach something for 45 minutes, to get the Scouts out of the cabin and the lecture room to have a little fun.  The BSA is very serious about it's young leader training and our Scoutmaster spends the weekend with the boys going over a very good program.  Then he has 4-5 of us adult leaders come in to give him a break and to introduce us to the boys.  It's a good time and I am looking forward to it.  Then back home as we do not spend the night to watch The Exorcism of Emily Rose and The Constant Gardener (both from NetFlix).  Another busy weekend with a little bit of relaxation.

No Witty Title

Puked again this morning...again while leaving to work out. This time no car tried to run me over. I got changed and made it to the downstairs bathroom then over to the couch where I cursed the beings that are keeping me from working out!!!!!

Told the story at work yesterday about The Most Nasty Thing That Has Ever Happened To Me and they all laughed their asses off. In hind sight it is truly funny but at the time I was pissed off.

Was able to finish Stephen King's Cell in 2 days, AWESOME. Now I am short a book and have to figure out what to read next before I leave for work in an hour.

That is all for today.

True Stories of the Sick and Nasty

Sick: I have bronchitis, after going to the doctor that was the final call. Took some meds and already feeling better!! The cough syrup makes me sleepy so I can only take it at night. The pills are the size of your pinky and I cannot take with my usual antacid medication, so I have to take it at night.

Nasty: Here's the deal on yesterday, the wife laughed when it happened and so did the co-workers when I told them, in hind sight it was funny but at the time I was not laughing....
I got in my car to go workout and started to leave the garage, I started coughing so much that I spit up in my mouth, I tried to open the car door and spit it out but since the car was moving the doors automatically lock. I started to panic and gag at the same time, I could not get the door open and I puked a little in my mouth, that started the chain reaction of the vomit, since I could not get the door open and I felt the next wave coming I just tilted my head back and puked, I looked like a volcano...I finally get the door open and step out to puke again, unfortunately I am still backing out of my garage and my driveway is a slope, as soon as a step out I start getting pulled out of the car. My leg gets dragged between the door and car frame and my foot gets rubbed by the front tire, as I am falling out I am able to hit the shifter and put the car in park. I get out, spit and walk inside. I end up with puke all over my shirt, sweatshirt, car and driveway, I have a big old bruise on my hip where I hit the ground and my sneakers have a mark on them wear my car tried to run me over...the most disgusting thing that ever happened to me...

True Story: When I was in the 7th grade I walked out of my house in Queens to go to school, I wasn't feeling well that morning and when I got to the bottom of my stoop I puked. I ran back in the house and told my mother. She said all those motherly things and then handed my a pitcher of hot water to wash the puke off the front stoop. When I did that she handed me my bookbag and said have a good day at school, I told her I was sick and just threw up, she said now you are not sick anymore and sent me on my way....

Tuesday's With Bryan

Quick today, trying to get to the docs. I have been sick for over a week with bad sore throat, headache, etc... Been working out and feeling better but this morning as I drove out the garage I puked all over myself. That is the last straw, calling Doctor when they open at 8:30 and try to get in this morning....

Not much happening this week. I love the fact that the wife and I can just hang on a lazy day do stuff together and on our own and have a good time doing it!! The wife wanted to know last night if this is what we had to look forward to when we are 80, me playing the new Xbox and her playing Civilization 20 or something like that. I asked if that was so wrong, she laughed but I never got an answer. Guess we'll see ;-)

President's Day

While most of the nation is on it's 3 day weekend, I am here at work alone.....

No bother really, just gives me time to write this observation. On a day we now celebrate the birthdays of George Washington and Abe Lincoln I wonder why we no longer create men or women with the values and ability to express themselves to serve this country on a local, state or national level.

No one today, no government, Party or movement official would ever be able to deliver something like this:

Lincoln's Gettysburg Address,given November 19, 1863 on the battlefield near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

Four score and seven years ago, our fathers brought forth upon this continent a new nation: conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war ... testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated ... can long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that war.

We have come to dedicate a portion of that field as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that this nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate ... we cannot consecrate ... we cannot hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember, what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here.

It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us ... that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion ... that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain ... that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom ... and that government of the people ... by the people ... for the people ... shall not perish from this earth.

Holy SH*T!!!

This is absolutely amazing guitar playing!!!

Hump Day

Happy Valentine's Day a day late, fortunately I was not late with the wife. I actually ordered the flowers and set delivery a full 2 days before Valentine's....yippee!!!!

Still under the weather but I worked out yesterday and it felt good. Sometimes a good sweat makes you feel 100% better. Now if I can only find my voice!!

Not much going on this week, we sat in the school gym the other night and listened to a Dr. Mike who lectured on good choices bad choices for your teens, they were there for some of it then went to the other gym for a dance while the rap session with the parents continued. It was OK, a nice primer on how to deal with teenagers in this day and age. While I am more old school in my ideals and approach I think I learned a thing or two and can incorporate them into our lives.

Today is the first official day of Spring Training!! Baseball is upon us and all is right with the world!!!!!

Dear Santa...

Dear Santa,

Thank you so much for the gifts this Christmas, we are just now getting to use them!!! The boy finally got his Xbox 360 and we played it all weekend. My favorite game is Call of Duty 2, incredible graphics, fantastic game play and fun for 2 players. The boy love Madden 06 for 360 and was the talk of the neighborhood all weekend; we have about 10 different kids over playing
the game non-stop all day (and me being sick).

By far my favorite gift was my 60gig video Ipod. I have it filled up to 12 gig now with tons of music, some videos and picture from my Grand Canyon trip!!! I use it everyday and even bought a new case so I can workout with it. What an incredible piece of technology!!! The sound is fantastic and the picture is great (even worked on my big TV)!!! I enjoy having my entire
music collection at my fingertips....makes working out fun again and I can enjoy it at work and in the car!!!!

Anyway, thanks again for the gifts, I would have written sooner but Christmas did not feel over until we got the XBox360 oh and I finally got the last of my Christmas lights down off the roof...

Till next year

Under The Weather...

Recap: I am sick, not out of work sick but miserable!!! I am past the needles down the throat thing and on to the I cannot talk or breathe thing.

Thursday: Hit STOMP that night and loved it. It was the 2nd time for the wife and I but 1st for the boy. He loved it, we had a great time!! I would recommend it to one and all. Kids and adults would love this program. Not a word is spoken and it is non-stop for 90 minutes. My boy said even the girls are RIPPED!!!!

Friday: Woke up with the aforementioned sore throat, went to work and puked there twice. Came home and relaxed on the couch and had some soup. The boy's dance was a hit and afterwards they went to the home of a girl who broke her leg and could not go to the dance and had a movie night. Everyone was well behaved and had a great time. The boy asked his girlfriend out to bowling this weekend, we'll see...

Saturday: Woke up even worse, showered and stayed home all day!!! Watched some movies and caught up on TV...

Sunday: Woke up, no voice, showered and cleaned house, watched TV, went on roof and took down last of Christmas lights (I know!!!) and played Call of Duty 2 on the XBox 360 (more on another post)...went to bed early for work and passed out with NyQuel!

Today I am still sick, coughing up little green balls, I did not work out as I cannot breathe still but I am heading to work...wish me luck.

TGIF

Tired and sick, saw Stomp last night (more on that later) but now everytime
I swallow it feels like needles down my throat...

True Story

While in high school I was basically a good boy, I had my moments but as an Eagle Scout and the Youth Group President and a volunteer at the local Public Access station I was one of the 'clean cut kids'. Although I was terror on wheels, I killed more cars between the age of 16 and 18 then most people have cars in their lives...

One night while driving with a friend we sped passed a police officer going the other way, I knew we were toast when I saw him light up and turn around, instead of doing the smart thing and pulling over I hit the gas and took off and turned into a residential area off the main road. After turning this way and that I pulled into a driveway and my buddy and I ducked down and held our breath. It was not long before we hear a knock on the window and a light in the car. I rolled down the window and the officer said to me..."If you are going to hide take your foot off the break next time." I had never put the car in park and just had on foot on the break the whole time. I gave the cop a chuckle and got a good tongue lashing, got out of the ticket as he knew of my family but I never ran from a cop again (except once in college but that is another story...).

Better Than That

What is better than buying a new pair of jeans one size smaller then your
current ones???

Putting the new jeans on straight from the dryer and they are a little
loose!!!!!! ;-)

She Thinks I'm Cute

Driving back from Scouts last night, the boy was telling me about his day at school...blah blah blah same old thing, doing well, having fun, asked out a girl to a dance, science is cool, BACK THE TRUCK UP!!!! Apparently they are having a Valentine's Day dance and the boy asked one of his classmates to go...and she said yes. He was very cool about it and we talked about her and how he asked, they only see each other at two classes so he gave he A NOTE with his cell number on it and when he got home from school she called (I think she asked her parents) and said "I would love to go to the dance with you." AWESOME.

I did tell him that nothing should change in school, scouts, sports or home and that he would not be on the phone 24-7 with her. He seems excited and might even wear a tie to the dance...ah young love.

I am not sure how I feel about being a father with a son old enough to ask girls to the dance!!! The wife already volunteered to chaperon and the boy rolled his eyes...I know he'll be the perfect gentleman and have a good time!

Tuesdays With Bryan

Don't you just hate when Blogrolling is down, how the heck am I to visit my favorite reads!!!!!!!!!

Anyway I was a good boy today and hit the gym early and now am getting ready to split so I can hit the library and take out a book or two. Monday was Monday but still better than Thursday last week!! Do you have one of those people at your job that you tell them something over and over again and they never listen and never fix it? We have one reporter who covers our crime beat and always abbreviates sergeant as SRGT when it is SGT, is it me?!?!!??! Am I wrong or are there several proper ways? And I am not the only one, others in our department say it is wrong and she is the only one that does it that way.... /rant

Ever lose something and find it in the most obvious place. Since getting my Ipod I have been putting all my disks into Itunes and have over 11 gig of music in there but could not find my David Bowie ChangesBowie disk (Greatest hits) and have been looking for it for weeks. Well this weekend while cleaning the garage there it was, with a receipt and some paperwork and a copy of a key I have also been looking for. Seems I put them on a shelf while cleaning out my car as things that needed to be brought into the house when I was done, 3 MONTHS AGO!!!!!!!

Till Next Time

Armchair Quarterback

We made it through another Super Bowl Sunday!!! We spent the day at my parents having fun watching the game and eating bad stadium food! The game was good, the commercials OK and the officiating terrible. I had no vested interest in the game this year as my Browns will never make it and the Colts didn't show up to the playoffs. I am glad in a way because we would have been working our asses off if the Colts made it all the way. The best thing about the Super Bowl being over is that pitchers and catchers report at the end of the week and Baseball is about to begin!!!!!!!!

Saturday was spent cleaning house or more specific garage. We finally got the Christmas stuff organized and put in its proper place and carved a path from the door to the cars. Once we have a garage sale I will have room for another car in the garage...or maybe set up my weights and work out here at home on off days...

I had to work last night after the game so I slept in, not on purpose but things happened and it was after 8 when I awoke, so that means Wednesday is NOT an off day for me this week and I will be working out everyday this week. Busy week in store for us, Thursday night we are taking the boy to see Stomp. We saw it years ago in New York and now that the boy is a percussionist he will appreciate what they are doing on stage, should be fun.

Tag Your Are It

Thanks to All I want is a good night's sleep! Give a read then copy and paste on your blog!

1. What is your favorite movie line and why? "220, 221 whatever it takes." Mister Mom....While not my all time favorite I say this every day if not 2 to 3 times a day as does a co-worker when we get facts or info wrong on the air, which is every day!!!

2. What is the worst movie you ever saw? "The Avengers" I never have walked out of a movie but 5 minutes in I wanted to leave and go see Blade which was next store, we did not leave but I hate that movie and have blocked it from my memory, thanks for making me remember it.

3. How did you meet your significant other? We met in College as Freshmen and did not start dating until the summer between Junior and senior years. We've been together ever since

4. How did you spend your 21st birthday? With friends at several bars, drunk off my ass. It is fuzzy and there are some blank spots but I do remember lighting a bar on fire trying to do a Flaming Dr. Pepper. The bartender was beating my hand and the bar surface under it cause it was on fire.

5. What is your daily motto? Get off your ass and do it!

6. Do you use your watch, cell phone, or car clock to tell time? Cell Phone, my watch broke 8 months ago and I am too cheap to fix it ($180 repair)

7. What's the last crafty project you tried? Did you actually finish it? I am sewing my patches on my Scout Uniform. And I bought a blanket for my son for Christmas that he can put his camp patches on to...It is a work in progress

8. What did you want to be when you grew up? Are you close? AN archeologist, and no I am not close. My backup was a cameraman and I have passed that and moved onto Director.

9. What's the stupidest thing you've admitted to in the last 24 hours? Do you have another 24 hours to read them...

10. Coke or Pepsi? neither, I am an UnCola person, Sprite, 7Up, Sierra Mist it is all the same to me.

T.G.I.I.A.D.B.Y.

I believe yesterday must have been National "I've Had Better Days" Day. Everyone at work was grumpy for different reasons. No one wanted to be there and it seemed like we were all going through the motions. Now I realize that this is every workplace in America but yesterday it was EVERYONE, there is usually only one or two 'grumpies' while everyone else is normal, not so yesterday. I am just glad it is over and can move on to Friday!!!!!

Last night was the beginning of Survivor. Every Thursday we gather at my parents for dinner then go upstairs and watch Survivor on the big screen. It is fun for all of us and we've been doing it since we moved here!!! We only missed one episode together and that was when we went to Washington DC, but even then we watched it and then called and made all sorts of "I can't believe" noises on the phone as my parents started to watch (different time zones)...Anyway, looks like another good season, while interviewing Probst yesterday he said that this is more of a fun Survivor compared to Guatemala, so sit back and enjoy. And how stupid are the Older Women Tribe....nice choice, morons!!!!

Went to the gym this morning and I am back on routine!!! Felt good t get out there and was stopped by several regulars asking where I have been: my answer is LAZY!!! They laugh but know how hard it is to get out of bed at 6 in the morning to go work out for 2 hours.......

That's all for today, enjoy the weekend and the Super Bowl if your team is in it...mine's not but I will watch it anyway.

Till Next Time...

PS T.G.I.I.A.D.B.Y. is Thank God It Is Any Day But Yesterday

Let the day begin....

OK, I promised myself a fresh start this February. With the holiday crash, the Phoenix wedding, the Grand Canyon and the Winter Camporee, January was a wash. I had no sleep, ate too much, stressed out and hardly exercised. Today is the first day of the rest of your life!!!! So I started out right and got the butt out of bed and hit the gym. I worked out hard today, pumped up some weights and increased the cardio, I'll be sore in the morning but worth it!!!

Now it is early but I need to get gas and drop off a camera for the boy and his after school group!!!