My Head Hurts...

The wife and I started South Beach yesterday. So far so good. My parents did it at the beginning of summer and they look great. My Dad actually lost too much weight and needs to maintain better now. My Mom still has a way to go (like me) but she looks fantastic. It is easier to see the results and then have the wife help me along. I will let you know how it goes. The food is good and plentiful but no breads and no sugar. I think that is why my head hurts, withdrawal. Today is day 2, we had a nice breakfast and I have a good lunch with plenty of snacks to bring to work. Tonight is the test as we have Scouts and will not be home until after 8pm. Can I survive that long without the hunger pains?

And we are back...

Been busy lately, sorry. Spent the weekend in the boy's room. Since he is miles away in the New Mexican desert we decided to re-do his room. It was like we moved again. His room was emptied and then we put it back together again. It came out really nice. He has much more room, it is clean and we took out those boardgames and toys and school supplies he has not used in 4 years. We found nothing to make us worry, we emptied his dresser and night stand and under the bed. We were not looking for anything but it was nice to not find a hidden stash of pot or smokes or a beer can hidden in a drawer. I miss him dearly and can not wait to see him on Friday...

It was movie weekend as well. After spending several hours in the room we needed to get out and enjoy. So it was off to the movies with us, The Simpsons to be exact. If you are a fan of the show you have already seen this, if not, you are not a fan!!!! It was everything I thought the Simpsons movie should be, and after all these years it was worth the wait.

Also caught Kiss Kiss Bang Bang on DVD as well as The Breach on DVD and The Brooklyn Dodgers: Ghosts of Flatbush on HBO. That's alot for the past week.

Started the South Beach Diet today. Both the wife and I so we shall see what happens....

Til Next Time

Lost...

Well I went to Scouts last night childless. It was weird not having the boy there but me being there. I did a few things with the adults and went over summer camp merit badges with the First-year's, they did fine.

Got an assignment at work for this weekend. It makes no sense. I will sit in a room at 4am till 9am and not do a thing. But then again they want to pay me overtime for it so there you have it!

Getting along fine with the wife as an empty nester. We are enjoying some nice nights and nice dinners. We are getting work done and helping each other with that. The wife is having some problems with the new staff. She is a driver, she likes things done right and turned a brand new branch into the Number 1 branch in under 2 years. Now she has a larger branch that is stuck in the 80's and been without a "captain" for about 3 years. She left this morning saying, "Today is the day I start knocking heads". She has been there 3 weeks and is ready to bring down the roof, her boss said wait a whole month then swing the axe!!!! No nobody gets fired but it is a shape up or transfer out and then shape up or fired. That is why the big bosses put the wife there. It is one of the biggest branches in the area and one of the lowest performers, the wife has her work cut out for her....

Speaking of the wife, I got Harry-blocked last night. We bought the new book and I am reading it at night (I have another book I am in the middle of right now). Last night, as we went to bed I went to grab the book from the night stand and found it missing. I heard a laugh from the other side of the bed. She had finished her book and had stolen mine. Oh well, she is a quicker reader than I...

Tired, again...

Worked this weekend. Nothing like waking up on a Sunday morning at 4am and heading to work. I have to do that as well next weekend. So tired.

I did get home and do tons of needed yard work Sunday. Built myself a compost box in the back for all my lawn clippings. Then proceeded to work out there for a few hours mowing the lawn, weed whacking and shaping some of the shrubbery we have.

When that was done we hit the parent's house and visited with my brother from Chicago. My sister-in-law and niece from LA are still here for several more weeks. They are having a grand time. The niece is TOO cute, and has latched onto me. Between her (2) and the nephew (3) I am busier there then at work. But it is fun. I went over there on Friday night when the wife, sister and SIL went to a concert. I helped my Dad watch them for the evening (my mother was in Chicago dropping off my Grandmother). The four of us ate a nice dinner (they were good), played a little (still good), watched a few shows to "calm them" (holding on) and then went to bed (child explosion). They did not want to go to bed even though it was almost 9pm...what a fight BOTH of them put up. We got through it and then I was so beat I just went home and collapsed on the couch until the wife got home. Then I went to bed...

So, how was your weekend?

Pics...

Not much to say today. Really quick actually. My grandmother leaves for home this morning and I am going to meet her and say goodbye. The boy left yesterday for the adventure of a lifetime. In preparation for spending 10 days in the wilderness of New Mexico he got a haircut. Very drastic to say the least but it will be great in the end. The desert can get VERY hot and shorter hair keeps you cool. Plus 10 days without a real shower can lead to all sorts of nasties living in there... Enjoy the weekend.

Tuesday's With Bryan

The summer is flying by. The boy is only here 2 more days then he is off on another adventure. He is having a great summer and is growing up very fast. Pretty soon he will be in High School. What a wonderful trip this has been so far and we look forward to many more years of it being such!!!

The house is a mess, the lawn needs mowing and I have no motivation to do anything about either!!! I do keep the downstairs clean so we can have guests but even that is becoming a chore to do. I have a few meetings this week and was just told that I have to work the AM shift on Thursday, the day the boy leaves. I am not happy but there is nothing I can do about it. That is the way the wheel turns...

Love Needs Hate...

So over the weekend the wife does something I absolutely HATE. Not HATE as in Muslims vs Jews, or Muslims vs America or well you get the point. But hate as in "I cannot stand when she does that and even though we have been marries almost 15 years she still does it". But then I realize that that thought is there but a fleeting moment and all is forgiven and forgotten because of my love for her. I then think of all the people I love in my life and I can truly see that love is not that touchy, feel good crap in the books or movies but the fact I can quickly forgive the things they do that bother me. That I can see past our faults quicker than any other and move on to the qualities that I like.

In a way it is comforting that I can do that so quickly with some...

And They're Off

The second half of baseball has started. My Yankees are down and sinking fast, they need to step up and play the type of ball they can play to get to the playoffs. Plus the Red Sox need to have the type of 2nd half they always do, a complete collapse. I will be watching EVERYDAY so they all better step up!!!

Watched Ghost Rider last night with the wife. She says we are too old for those movies anymore. I do not think so but it was rather dull. Only if you are a big Marvel fan should you rent it. If not, then stay away.

I am compiling some pictures to post. I am thinking of taking a tour of the past to spice up the blog and maybe get me back into daily posting. Let me know what you think.

Till Next time...

Back Home Again...

The back is killing me, the heat was terrible but we had a great time. The boy and the Troop is still there, I had to return and work today. Someone else needed vacation as well so we split the week.

Late nights, early mornings and a whole lot of fun for the boys. There was swimming and rifle and archery range, canoeing, and climbing. Plus the Trading Post. I did a lot of Adult Leader Training so that was good for me. And I got to work with a bunch of the boys on their Eagle Scout advancement. All in all a great trip, except for the sleeping on 1 inch of foam that destroyed my back.

Going, Going,

GONE!!!!

Packed and ready to go camping for a few days.

Wish me luck

What?

I have to work today. What the heck? I went to check on the DVR to see some of my shows that recorded and they were not there. WHY NOT??!?!?!?!?? Oh, it is Thursday, yesterday so felt like Saturday that I am totally off this week.

We had a great time yesterday at my sister's. The food was great and the company awesome. My grandmother made the trip from NY and will be here for a month. Which is wonderful. She comes out every summer for a few weeks as well as several times scattered around the year. She makes it a point of spending a month or so and we all enjoy it. Especially the great-grandchildren.

Today I start a new outlook on weight loss. I took a month or so off and I can feel it. My clothes still fit the same which is good but the way I feel is not, which is bad. So back to doing something about it. I will let you know how I progress.

Till next time America!

4th Of July

Happy Birthday America!!!

Get out there and enjoy some family/friend time. Eat, drink and be merry. And celebrate the fact we live in a free society.

Enjoy

Movie Review - Transformers

After a weekend whirlwind of movies we went to a sneak peak last night of The Transformers....

FACT: The Transformers were an awesome toy back in the 80's and yes I had some

FACT: The Transformers were a cheesy animated show back in the 80's and yes I watched

FACT: The Transformers are a new movie based on the toy and cheese from the 80's

FACT: If you are looking for a GREAT popcorn movie with awesome action, animation and just enough story so it make sense, SEE THIS MOVIE!!!

It was fantastic! We had a great time in a packed theater with everyone from 2 babies to grandparents. All were yammering and talking on cell phones and crying all through the previews, but when the curtain rasied and the movie started ALL WERE SILENT. And we all stayed that way THE ENTIRE MOVIE!!! At one point when you see the icon Semi Truck you hear a 7 year old (ish) suck in his breath and go "Optimus Prime!" and that was it. Quick action, funny for all (there were several times I could not hear a line due to laughter, which is a good thing) and a nice story to boot. Transformers was indeed more than meets the eye. Check it out!

55%

Wake Up Jeff...

Flash and the weekend is gone. What a nice one it was. Spent Saturday home with the wife, had to work a little 5am OT but then hung around the house and did some de-cluttering. I did not get to mow this weekend so that means I have to do it today or tomorrow as it is finally getting long and green again.

Movie mania this weekend. We watched Hollywoodland, Wedding Crashers, Live Free or Die Hard and The Good Shepherd. Add in the last half of That Thing You Do and wow it was a lazy weekend.

Been very lazy myself between not working out and not posting. I seem to be very tired in the mornings and really have nothing to say lately. We will see what I can do on both counts in July...