Thursday

Sorry, no inventive, witty titles this week.

Yesterday I told you about my friend leaving the job. Well now we hear that a higher up will be leaving at the end of the year and everyone is very worried about who will replace him. If everyone moves up an office we are in some deep doo-doo. If the higher ups want to make a real change they will bring in some new blood. If they want the same old same old they will promote the next in line 3 down. And then we will sink even lower till upstairs figures out what they want to do...

Today is the last day of November. It has been a mixed month for me. My brother and family are moving to the West Coast, I did not exercise as much as I should have but I can get into a size lower pair of pants. I am going hardcore this December. I will start Monday morning. I know I should start tomorrow, but the way my brain works I have a better chance at being mentally prepared and succeeding if I follow the plans of my messed up brain.

Drop a line and some hints, how do you do it?!?!?!!???!?!?

Works For Me Wednesday

So you want a Christmas Idea:

I was one of those that always spent several hours a year taking all the lights out of the Rubbermaid box and untangling the big old light knot that formed over the summer. Well last year I purchased 2 of those 5 gallon buckets for sunflower seeds. I kept them instead of tossing them because well they were clean (seed in individual packets) and I am a pack rat. So when Christmas was over and it was time to take down the lights I had to go buy another Rubbermaid box (our Christmas decorations grow every year). TO save a few bucks I used the Sunflower seed buckets and what do you know, they coiled in there nice and neat, the lid fit snugly and when I opened the top this year I was able to pull the one end and hand it while the rest of the lights were nice and neat still in the bucket. I was hooking the lights on the gutter and the boy was just carrying one bucket of lights. No muss no fuss!!!! Enjoy!

Midway

Tis Wednesday and a quick week at that. Yesterday's shows went very fast, this is a friend's last day at work and my brother and his family are heading west to start their new life on the coast. Tonight we have a big dinner with them and the whole family, rack of lamb, YUMMO!!!!!!

As for my friend, she was one of the first people I got to know at work when I got there 3 years ago. She was once my producer then got promoted to better things and has been by far one of the two best producers there!! She has an opportunity to work for a company, outside of TV, that still has a TV side and operates in several states. She will write for them and I think that she will a) do a great job and b) be fantastically happy. I wish her all the best but in the end will miss her very much.

The Reason We Will All Die

Has anyone seen this... Woman Faces Fines for Wreath

In an age were there are bigger and more important issues to deal with on a global, national and most importantly local basis, it is people like this moron that will, in the end, destroy America. Read the fine print, after the committee refused to make this woman remove the wreath this guy FIRED the entire committee. What an ass!!!! Wake up America and see the true enemy!!

On to other things:
Feeling much better today! Woke up early and drove the boy to school for an early study session for a Math quiz today. So far so good. He has really gotten his grades up recently. And has taken to a bit more studying on his own. We are hoping this is the turn he needed and is now on the right path to good grades and better study habits.

I finished the Christmas Songs project. I loaded 19 holiday CD's into itunes for transfer to the ipod for the season. It will be nice to pop on the shuffle and just hear Christmas music (right now I am listening to Alvin and the Chipmunks). I love this time of year, I still want that hula hoop...

On the reading front I am onto some more classics. I just started the Complete Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Should be good...

Rapid Fire

Got the garage cleaned out and the Christmas decorations outside!!! Except for the roof lights (I am still sick and a little dizzy, that plus roof climbing = no good). The tree is up inside and the house is clean and ready for decorations!!!

Felt sick all weekend, but went to the doc's Saturday morning and have bronchitis again. Got the meds and feel better. Saturday was a work hard day and then we went out with the brother and sister and had a great time. I had one beer and drank water the rest of the night. Sunday I had a headache that one would not believe. Alcohol and meds = no good (seeing a pattern here). So Sunday was a relax day. Did a little shopping and then took a 2 hour nap. Awoke in time to visit with the boy and enjoy a nice quiet family dinner and a little TV (Numb3rs, Supernatural and Colts Football).

The Simpson's, American Dad and Family Guy, what an awesome Sunday night line up...with a Rush reference on Family Guy.....hysterical!!!! If you like laughing you should be watching. Simpson's was good with Ali G shots, American Guy pulled out The Princess Bride and Harding Incident. And Family Guy was Family Guy. All good laughs.

Also watched Slither this weekend. Horror like Shawn of the Dead, pulled off very well. Check it out!

Thankfulness. Everyone is writing their thankful lists. I have many things to be thankful for in my life but right now there is only one thing, my wife. She is the best thing that has ever happened to me. She is my light, my anchor and my heart. Without her I would still be someone but I would feel an emptiness unbearable. She can make me laugh, cry and be pissed off in a matter of moments. I would not trade one minute of the past 15 years. I love her with all my heart and for that I am thankful.

Saturday AM

Well I made it through the week and now it is the weekend. I just got back from the doctors and I have an upper respiratory infection. It have the meds and will get some rest and will be better so.

Now it is off to the garage to do the things I needed to do last weekend but was too sick. First off I must clean the summer side of the garage. Put away the hoses and rakes and shovels and mower and weed-a-way. Once that is done it is time to find the ice scrappers, snow shovels, salt and then the Christmas decorations. I plan to have the lights and tree up this weekend and have the cards ready to go to the post office. That is right we are ahead of schedule this year. The wife already has most of the shopping done for the entire family and the things we do need we have a list for and know exactly what we are going to get. It feels great to be organized, I just hope we can follow through the next 3 days!!!!!!!!!!!

Till then.....

The Day After...

Well we made it through another Thanksgiving. We had the TurDukEn and it was OK. Nothing like WOW, Oh My God, just hey this is good. It did make a hell of a gravy!!!! Other than that the day was spent in good company (I had to leave for 4 hours to work). Now on to Christmas!!!

The wife is already at the shopping centers, I am still sick and trying to get into gear to go to work. There were no BIG items today that we wanted at the stores. This Black Friday was really lackluster, nothing screamed out HEY I HAVE GOT TO HAVE THIS.....the stores really cheaped out this year, bah humbug!!!!

I am off to work but before I go I must call the doctor and get rid of this cold, it has moved into the chest and is driving the wife crazy at night, she cannot sleep for me coughing every 2 minutes. I get sick once a day due to all the junk collecting in my stomach. On that note I bid you a fond Day After Thanksgiving and if you have the day off, enjoy with the family!!!!!!

Thanksgiving Eve

Went to work today. Still feel like cr*p but I was not going to infect anyone and I felt I needed to go to work. It was OK and I was glad to get out of the house. Yesterday I slept, watch Raiders of the Lost Ark, slept, play a little Call of Duty 2, slept, and then watched the last 20 minutes of Saving Private Ryan. Then went to bed.

We are all ready for Turkey Day. We bring the mashed potatoes. The wife makes the BEST!!!! The parents are doing a TurDucKen, so I will let you know how THAT works out. We have news tomorrow so I have to work for a few hours, but that will give me time to digest and then come back home for more...

Thank you for the well wishes, I feel much better then yesterday but nowhere near 100%.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!!!!! And do not forget, Christmas starts when Santa hits center stage at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade!!!!!!

Under The Weather

I was sick all weekend. Never left the house on Saturday and spent Sunday on the couch except for the trip to CVS. Went to work yesterday and now am sicker than before. I have no voice left and puked twice at the job site. Needless to say I am home bound and going back to bed now. I just needed to check the email and look up my boss' phone number. Now off to bed with me....

Sick

I am sick so I decided to post this quiz:

What Kind of Reader Are You? Your Result: Literate Good Citizen You read to inform or entertain yourself, but you're not nerdy about it. You've read most major classics (in school) and you have a favorite genre or two.
Dedicated Reader
Obsessive-Compulsive Bookworm
Book Snob
Fad Reader
Non-Reader
What Kind of Reader Are You? Create Your Own Quiz

What Is In A Name...

From D:

• Although the name Bryan creates the urge to be creative and original, we emphasize that it causes a superior, interfering expression whose favorite expression is "I know." This name, when combined with the last name, can frustrate happiness, contentment, and success, as well as cause health weaknesses or accidents to the head, worry and mental tension.
• Your first name of Bryan creates a serious, thoughtful nature, shrewd, efficient, and business-minded.
  
• You are one to make your own decisions, and not be influenced by others.
  
• You desire independence and freedom from the authority and interference of others.
  
• You are not overly ambitious, preferring instead to seek stable, settled conditions which are adequate to meet your responsibilities.
  
• You like to be your own boss and you are capable of handling responsibilities for others.

Dark and Gloomy

Yesterday it rained all day and same today. It is one of those dark and gloomy days were you just want to stay indoors and do nothing. Unfortunately I have to work, so off to the mines with me. I had time last night to vent to the wife about work. It has been one of those weeks were nothing is wrong at work, the shows are going well, did a project or two fine but the attitude of 2 or 3 individuals are bringing the whole crew down. Part of it is the age difference but one of the guys is a little older than me, so that can't be all of it.

Anyway I am going in today with a positive attitude, that is all I can do. I always want at least one laugh a day at work. I usually get it, but when the rest is people walking on eggshells not to disturb one person, it makes for a poor work environment and a little stress when you come home like that......

Almost Midnight

Bad day at work. Very frustrated with attitudes and personalities. If you hate it so much then leave. If you cannot afford to leave then deal with it. Stop taking everyone else down with you!!!! Unfortunatly there is more than one of these people and they work on both shifts. It is really getting me down and I am at a breaking point...

Update and WFMW

On the myspace issue. The boy has been very responsible on the Internet (except the for Playboy search) so we let him have the myspace page. He has 30 some odd friends and everyone one is a classmate (except my brother, my sister and his aunt). I was a little torn as I do not want to keep him locked away from the world so that when he hits High School he is that weird kid who still watches Power Rangers and believes in Santa. But he does not need to be exposed to the world in all of it's dirty glory. I am still a little torn and will be seeking some guidance...

I gave my poor friend Mindy a tongue lashing the other day on seeing Santa before Thanksgiving. Sorry Mindy!!! I have always felt that Christmas does not start till the end of the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade. At the end of the parade Santa Claus comes in his sled and waves to the crowds and then AND ONLY THEN has the Christmas season started!!!!!

Which lead me to:
Christmas Eve: After the boy wrote his letter to Santa and left out the milk and cookies, he always added carrots for the reindeer. We would buy a bunch of carrots (green tops and all) and leave those. When he went to bed and the gifts were put out we would do the following:
1. Eat half a cookie and drink some milk
2. Write, with the opposite hand, a thank you note from Santa
3. Knock over the piled wood in the fireplace
4. Place an ash footprint on the floor with a boot
5. Snap off the green part of the carrot and leave them outside on the deck
6. Toss some of the carrots on the roof so that when the boy went out to see the deck carrots he would look up and see carrots on the roof where the reindeer dropped them

The wife and I always had a good time doing that and the boy always enjoyed it. The downside was in spring when I cleaned out the gutters I would always find some carrot bits.....but it was worth it.

Hello Leaf

Now turn over...

I got out of the bed and into the gym this morning and I feel great!!!! I will be very sore tomorrow but it was well worth it. Many thanks to the wife and kicking me out of bed this morning and sticking with it. She usually tries about 8 times then gives up, this time she made sure I was out of there!!! That is why I love her, then I got back at her by answering the phone at 6:50am and giving it to her, it was her mother...hahahahahahahahahah. I am so evil sometimes!

Had a big discussion on myspace with the boy this weekend. The wife is dead set against it and I think if he is careful he might enjoy it with his friends. Unfortunately the wife was right. My sister called last night about some posts she got from him (bulletins) about porn sites, she is one of his friends. Turns out someone hacked his site as the post (3 of them) all went out when he was at the Colts game. He was very upset and sent out a post to all his 'friends' stating that he was hack and apologized that garbage was sent to them and that he was deleting his profile. He was very upset, not because he had to delete his site but because his friends and family got porn email from his profile and he did not want people to think he sent it. I was very proud of him and the wife used it as a chance to explain again her view and showed a real world example that effected him. Win win.

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner!!!

Got this in the email today....

Bryan:

Thanks for participating in my Spread the Darkness contest to help promote the upcoming release of my new horror novel Darkness Wakes. You are one of the winners of a signed advanced reading copy. Let me know if you'd like me to personalize your book or just sign and date it. Also, if you send me a mailing address, I'll ship your book right out.

Thanks for entering and helping me spread the darkness!

Tim

Tim Waggoner
http://www.timwaggoner.com
http://www.myspace.com/tim_waggoner
Upcoming Release: Darkness Wakes from Leisure Books

With the dawning of the computer age most if not all of my authors have websites with contact info. The big boys have the generic email that the assistant reads or some such. But the newer and more hip of these actually read and reply to messages. I have contacted several of them to give my 2 cents on the books they write. Most are good and not the gushing I am your biggest fan, and some are critical. I once wrote Jeff Shaara on my doubts on him pulling off a WWI book. The compact version is that his books on the Civil War and revolution worked because the Generals and Leaders took the field and were n the mud with the men. In WWI and WWII it was more armchair leadership, except for the odd Patton or Rommel. Those insights with Washington, Lee, Jackson were what made those books. I did not want to read about Pershing sitting at a desk for the war. Mr. Shaara wrote back an extensive email saying he had the same thoughts but it was working out, etc.... The point being is he read the email and put together a well thorough response.

I read one of Mr. Waggoner's books and dropped him a line that I liked it and he set up a fantastic setting and I was hoping for more. In his response he directed me to a contest he was having and that I should enter it. And several weeks later, here I am; a winner. I never win these things so please forgive the little me party I am having!

PS Please visit or look up the following authors. they are great reads and all have responded to my emails: Tim Waggoner, Jeff Shaara, Coln Iggulden, Simon Scarrow off the top of my head. They got horror, historical fiction, Rome, Civil War and Julius Ceasar.

I Wanna Be Sedated

I am beat down and tired. I slept in again today. I do not understand why I cannot get up in the morning. Saturday we slept till 10:30 and would have gone longer but the phone rang. I try to get up and work out 4 times a week but lately it has been 1 or 2 times and the other times I sleep in. Last week I was up to 3 again but this week is off to a bad start. I go to bed early (around 11) so I am getting 7 hours and this weekend I got like 12 and still I am dragging!!!! Is there a doctor in the house. I just want to be able to get up and hit the gym like I did all last year!

That being said it was a great weekend. We spent Saturday (after we awoke) as a family. Got haircuts, got shopping done, had a nice lunch and worked on a project with the boy. Sunday was up and at them to 9:30 mass. The boy went with my parents to work on his project and then to the Colts game (9-0). The wife and I had a nice lunch, picked out our Christmas cards and bought a few gifts. Later on I spoke at an Eagle Court of Honor (The Eagle Charge) and then got home to winterize the backyard and pack up the Halloween decorations and put the Thanksgiving ones out. The we spent the rest of the night working on the project and watching some TV.

We actually got a lot of the stuff I wanted to do, and I even got to hang some pictures!!!!

Friday

Some quick hits:

• On my weekly visit to Half Price Books I found an autobiography by Yankee great Paul O'Neill. I picked it up, and put it down again and got two other books. Then I went back to it and was flipping through it when I noticed it was signed. I looked for the autographed stickers that booksellers put on merchandise and noticed none. Then on the title page I found this: David, Happy Fathers Day. I hope you enjoy this book as much as I enjoyed meeting Paul. Love Always Mom. Pretty awesome, a Paul O'Neill signed autobiography for $6.

• We have nothing planned this weekend. AWESOME!!!!! I have an Eagle Court of Honor I have to speak at on Sunday but that is it. We can get some yard work done, clean the cars and maybe even the garage!!! It will be nice to sleep in and not have deadlines hanging over the head.

It will be a little chilly but it is Fall baby!!!! Get out there and enjoy!

Survivor Night.

This time of year today is not Thursday, it is Survivor Night. Once again we will be at the parents home for dinner, conversation and then Survivor. We have been doing this since we moved here 3 years ago and love it. It is a nice way for the family to get together once a week. My sister comes over with her son but since the OC is on, she leave early. Otherwise we are all there and have a great time. Go Yul!!!!!

Finally elections are over and done with. I do not think that what was done on Tuesday will really make any difference in our lives. The talking heads will keep talking and the complainers complaining and the radicals tossing out exaggerations. Which is why I like to stay out of politics. The one funny thing I heard the other day was Bill Clinton at a Dem Rally calling out the Republicans about the Mark Foley Sex Scandal. Mr. Pot calling Mr. Kettle.......

I Need A Little Breather (name the movie)...

Election Day has come and gone. The shows at work went fantastic! The bosses were happy and we did some excellent coverage. AND we were prepared!!! That was what made all the difference! It was a great day and I felt very good about it.

As for the races, we had so many problems here in Indy that I did not really 'see' one national return. I will catch up with the Jones' this afternoon. I have an insurance inspector to wait for and then say goodbye to my Grandma who is going up to Chicago to visit my brother's before she heads home to NYC.....

Election Day

Today is Election Day. Time to do the only duty some of us have as Americans. Time to vote. Many of us do not serve in the military or hold political office. So the duty of being a good American lies in our right to vote, exercise it.

When you get to the polls I would like you to think on these things:

Do not vote party lines, be an educated voter and vote for the candidate that best represents YOU (even if it means voting Libertarian)

Know the issues!! Vote your mind not because you saw more yard signs saying VOTE NO ON PROP 24.

Leave it blank. If you do not know the candidate or the issue, do not make a selection in that box. Do not be afraid to leave an empty selection. You are not graded on this!

Vote FOR something not AGAINST. That was the Democrats problem last Presidential election they had no platform except DON'T VOTE FOR BUSH. Same thing here. If you are voting against someone make sure you know who you are voting for.

VOTE. Above all make sure you get out there and pull the lever!

My new charge for the next 2 years is Don't Vote Democrat or Republican, VOTE AMERICAN!!!!

Whirlwind

We made it though the weekend. It was actually a blast! We had some good time, great food and surprise announcements. Some semi-quick hits:

• The boy awoke at 5:40am and got home at 2am. They took 7th place among bands from Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky.
• Not bad at all.The birthday party was a success. The kids had fun and the parents ate very well. My niece had a blast and is talking up a storm at 2. She finally said my name and hung with me all weekend. Add that to my 3 year old nephew and I was a walking kid tree with them hanging all over me.
• My brother was in LA with his band and stayed in the suite John Belushi died in. Being a Belushi fan he thought I would find this cool. I did not, I found it awesome!!!
• Same brother had the announcement that he, his wife and their daughter (the Birthday girl) will be heading to LA. He was offered a great job, great salary and great bands to manage. They are big but due to contract issues I cannot say the names, yet. I had mixed thoughts then remembered our big move 3 years ago. You have to do what is right for your family and even though this will put them farther away from us, he got a 3 year contract and LA is where the music biz is. The boy summed it up when we told him...Awesome, now I have to place to go for the summer!!!
• Bought Apples To Apples, the board game at Target for $19.99. We started playing it at the party and ended up playing it all night and most of Sunday afternoon. Yes it only takes 20 minutes to play so you can guess how many times we played it. And it never got old, we had a BLAST. From my son's point of view he played with his parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents and great grandmother and we all had a blast!!!! That makes for a great game. I highly recommend it!
• The definition of Hell is tomorrow. Election Day is here and I will be working my a$$ off today and tomorrow. The big boss came down the other day and told us this. We appreciate the job you do everyday. Unfortunately you are like the ref at a football game. When you call a great game the focus is on the players and how good a game they had. When you blow one call they'll be talking about you on SportsCenter all week. Thanks

Saturday Morning

Got up at 5:30am to get the boy to band practice and then fell back asleep. I was awoken by my now 2 year old niece who got in last night around 1am (with Mom and Dad, my brother). Today is her birthday party and it is time to run around and get all that last minute stuff. Have a great weekend!

HowManyOfMe.com

There are: 9 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

The Weekend Ahead

Busy busy at work as the elections have apparently snuck up on the News Department (sarcasm) and all of the sudden then need all this shit for Tuesday and are just giving it to us now. Our first meeting on the subject was LAST NIGHT!!! A friend and Co-worker likes to say that News thinks everything gets done in production by FM...Fucking Magic!!! Some early days and late nights might be called for...

This weekend is already making me pray for next weekend to get here. The boy has his last Band Comp on Saturday, it is state's so they have a practice at 6AM then off to the competition. If they move on they perform after 7pm and will not be home until after 2AM. Saturday is also my niece's 2nd birthday. The party is at my folk's house and my brother, his wife, daughter and a friend are all staying at our house. So lots of cleaning to be done before tonight. Sunday will be full of sitting around and doing nothing but at my parent's house. Sunday will be the non-birthday party, we will all be expected to hang out there and talk with family and friends that came out for the party. While I enjoy those times and do not mind it at all I know that Saturday as older brother and local I will be expected to help set up the party and run from here to there picking up the last minute things, after being up at 6am to get the boy to band and then up till 2am to pick him up. In the end it will be worth it and we will all have a good time, just getting those pre-busy jitters.......

I need a laugh so to end it all I give you the funniest comedy routine EVER!!! When I was little I used to sleep at my grandparents house alot. They own a 3 apartment building in which my Great Aunt lived downstairs, my Grandparents lived in the middle apartment and my Aunt (their daughter) and Uncle lived upstairs. Every Sunday morning I would run upstairs and watch Abbot and Costello movies on the TV. WPIX would also show classic comedy movies on Sunday morning, A&C, Marxs Brothers, Bowery Boys, Three Stooges. I would watch them upstairs because they had a color TV...the movies were in black and white....

Holy Cow....

Where did the week go?!?!?!?!? I though yesterday was Tuesday. My first blog title was Tuesday's With Bryan then I changed it. I then went downstairs and took the pills from my Tuesday box (I had refilled the whole box on Halloween), then got to work and pulled all the tapes I need for Tuesday. What a surprise when I learned it was Wednesday. It was like I had an extra day off this week. I was that much closer to Friday!!!!!!!! Heck I even did a Works For Me Wednesday and it still did not register.

I have had a massive headache for 2 days now. Not sure why but it is there and killing me!!!

That's all for now, tonight is Survivor night, so it is off to work then to the parents for dinner and a show with the whole family.

Till next time...

The Day After...

We made it another Halloween. We had tons of kids, little ones and the older sort. The wife and I had a nice but interrupted dinner and watched a little TV till 8pm when Trick or Treaters had to stop. We then packed some candy and went to my parents' house were the boy and my niece and nephew were. Instead of hanging with the homies the boy decided to hang with his two Aunts and his 3 year old nephew and almost 2 year old niece. He, the kids and his grandfather all went Trick or Treating in their neighborhood. They had a blast and the boy made a good choice. His second one came this morning when he woke me and told me that he had both Pep Band and Marching Band practice today (3-5:30 then 6-9) but he also had to finish up a project due tomorrow (he has been working on it but it needs a few finishing touches and a reprint on nice paper). So he asked if myself or his mother could pick him up after Pep Band and he would skip Marching Band to finish the project. I was very proud!!!

My very first Works For Me Wednesday: we have had a way to get rid of Halloween candy for a long time. We do not use it anymore as the boy is 13 and does not fall for it......

We used the Candy Faerie. Every year after the trick or treating the boy would make a keeper pile (small to medium) of the candy he would eat in the next week or so. Stuff to put in the lunch box or that special post Halloween snack. The rest would be put in a bag for the Candy Faerie. He would put the bag at the end of the bed and go to sleep. The next morning the Candy Faerie had come and taken the candy to boys and girls who did not have candy and would leave a small toy in return. Matchbox car, action figure, book, it did not matter that most of the candy was gone. He still got to eat his favorite candy AND got a cool toy in return. We knew it was over when a few years ago he made his piles and looked at us and said I hope the Candy Faerie brings the new Ratchet and Clank (PS2 game=$50) for me this year....Game Over.