Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Troop Humor
Nice to see that our troops in Afghanistan have retained a sense of humor.
'YOU MAY BE A TALIBAN IF . . . '
1. You refine heroin
for a living, but you have
a moral objection to beer.
2. You own a $3,000 machine gun
and $5,000 rocket launcher,
but you can't afford shoes.
3. You have more wives than teeth.
4. You wipe your butt with your
bare left hand, but consider bacon
'unclean.'
5. You think vests come in two styles:
bullet-proof and suicide.
6. You can't think of anyone you
haven't declared Jihad against.
7. You consider television dangerous,
but routinely carry explosives in your
clothing.
8. You were amazed to discover that cell
phones have uses other than setting off
roadside bombs.
9. You've ever uttered the phrase,
'I love what you've done with your cave.'
10. You have nothing against
women and think every man should
own at least one.
11. You bathe at least monthly whether
necessary or not.
12. You've ever had a crush on your
neighbor's goat.
'YOU MAY BE A TALIBAN IF . . . '
1. You refine heroin
for a living, but you have
a moral objection to beer.
2. You own a $3,000 machine gun
and $5,000 rocket launcher,
but you can't afford shoes.
3. You have more wives than teeth.
4. You wipe your butt with your
bare left hand, but consider bacon
'unclean.'
5. You think vests come in two styles:
bullet-proof and suicide.
6. You can't think of anyone you
haven't declared Jihad against.
7. You consider television dangerous,
but routinely carry explosives in your
clothing.
8. You were amazed to discover that cell
phones have uses other than setting off
roadside bombs.
9. You've ever uttered the phrase,
'I love what you've done with your cave.'
10. You have nothing against
women and think every man should
own at least one.
11. You bathe at least monthly whether
necessary or not.
12. You've ever had a crush on your
neighbor's goat.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Sugar's Day Out
Today was Sugar's first trip to the veterinarian. We took her to Country Day Clinic, which is only about 15 minutes from the house. It's owned & run by a single veterinarian & her two staff members. Basically she only provides basic care, no surgeries or emergencies. She's also the only local veterinarian until you get into Stroudsburg area.
Joe & I weren't really impressed with her. I know that after what our last veterinarian did to Riley, I'm very cautious, but this doctor talked down to us, lacked people skills, & tried to sound smart, but it wasn't coming across that way. Joe was starting to fall asleep in the middle of the visit. Her prices for basic care aren't too bad, compared to many others in this area, but she doesn't seem to understand that people don't always have hundreds of dollars to shell out every few weeks. We have to set it up such that the vaccinations are staggered because they run about $100 each & the veterinarian wants us to do 3 shots at a time. Joe & I decided that we'll remain with this veterinarian until we have all of Sugar's vaccinations completed, then look to go somewhere else.
After that we got lunch at Subway & headed over to Bushkill Creek for a little picnic. Sugar loves to play in the water, so we thought it would be a nice way to reward her for being such a good puppy while she got her vaccinations. Once there we ate our lunch, Sugar had roast beef & then we walked around the edges of the creek. Because of all the rain midweek, the water was racing. If it had been calmer, I would've waded out with the puppy. Maybe we'll give it a try another day.
Now she's all pooped out & sleeping...
Joe & I weren't really impressed with her. I know that after what our last veterinarian did to Riley, I'm very cautious, but this doctor talked down to us, lacked people skills, & tried to sound smart, but it wasn't coming across that way. Joe was starting to fall asleep in the middle of the visit. Her prices for basic care aren't too bad, compared to many others in this area, but she doesn't seem to understand that people don't always have hundreds of dollars to shell out every few weeks. We have to set it up such that the vaccinations are staggered because they run about $100 each & the veterinarian wants us to do 3 shots at a time. Joe & I decided that we'll remain with this veterinarian until we have all of Sugar's vaccinations completed, then look to go somewhere else.
After that we got lunch at Subway & headed over to Bushkill Creek for a little picnic. Sugar loves to play in the water, so we thought it would be a nice way to reward her for being such a good puppy while she got her vaccinations. Once there we ate our lunch, Sugar had roast beef & then we walked around the edges of the creek. Because of all the rain midweek, the water was racing. If it had been calmer, I would've waded out with the puppy. Maybe we'll give it a try another day.
Now she's all pooped out & sleeping...
Friday, July 25, 2008
Vacation...All I Ever Wanted...
It seems like everyone, except the two of us, is going to South Carolina this year. My folks just got back from vacationing near Surf Side with Sue & her daughter. Now, Abuelita is heading down to Manning this weekend with Aunt Dolores & Kevin.
I know that we need to get down there soon because its been so long since we were last there to see everyone. It has been four years, because I brought Joe to the condo on Lake Marion within the first year of our relationship. I know we're aiming for next spring to get down there. I just miss it so much. It wasn't until that trip with Joe that I realized how much of my heart & soul is & will always be, wrapped up in the southland To top it off, I've been hearing a song which always makes me miss it even more:
Southern Comfort
by Buddy Jewell
Misty sunrise in my hometown,
Rows of cotton bout knee high,
Mrs. Baker down the dirt road,
Still got clothes out on the line,
Erwin Nichols there with Judge Lee,
Playin' checkers at the gin,
When I dream about the southland,
This is where it all begins
From Carolina down to Georgia,
Smell the jasmine and magnolia,
Sleepy Sweet home Alabama,
Roll tide roll,
Muddy water, Mississippi,
Blessed Graceland whispers to me,
Carry on, Carry on,
Sweet Southern Comfort carry on,
Catchin' catfish on the river,
Chasin' fireflies by the creek,
Kissin' Gary Williams sister,
On the porch Homecomin' week,
With rusty cars and weeping willows,
Keepin' watch out in the yard,
Just a snapshot of down home Dixie,
Could be anywhere you are,
In Carolina or in Georgia,
Open arms are waitin' for ya,
Louisiana, yellow rose of San Antone,
Arkansas, Mississippi,
Old man river whispers to me,
Carry on, Carry on,
Sweet Southern Comfort carry on,
As I sit here I'm surrounded,
By these priceless memories,
I don't have to think about it,
There's no place I'd rather be,
In Carolina or in Georgia,
Smell the jasmine and magnolia,
Sleepy Sweet home Alabama,
Roll tide roll,
Muddy water, Mississippi,
Blessed Graceland whispers to me,
Carry on, Carry on,
Sweet Southern Comfort,
Carry on, Carry on,
Sweet Southern Comfort carry on
At least we'll be in SoCal in December. I'm hyped about being able to bring Joe to the West Coast for the first time. I think he'll have a good time & it'll be nice to see my family out there again. At some point we'll have to save enough money to go to Australia to visit Jill, who at the moment, is trying to convince us to emigrate.
I know that we need to get down there soon because its been so long since we were last there to see everyone. It has been four years, because I brought Joe to the condo on Lake Marion within the first year of our relationship. I know we're aiming for next spring to get down there. I just miss it so much. It wasn't until that trip with Joe that I realized how much of my heart & soul is & will always be, wrapped up in the southland To top it off, I've been hearing a song which always makes me miss it even more:
Southern Comfort
by Buddy Jewell
Misty sunrise in my hometown,
Rows of cotton bout knee high,
Mrs. Baker down the dirt road,
Still got clothes out on the line,
Erwin Nichols there with Judge Lee,
Playin' checkers at the gin,
When I dream about the southland,
This is where it all begins
From Carolina down to Georgia,
Smell the jasmine and magnolia,
Sleepy Sweet home Alabama,
Roll tide roll,
Muddy water, Mississippi,
Blessed Graceland whispers to me,
Carry on, Carry on,
Sweet Southern Comfort carry on,
Catchin' catfish on the river,
Chasin' fireflies by the creek,
Kissin' Gary Williams sister,
On the porch Homecomin' week,
With rusty cars and weeping willows,
Keepin' watch out in the yard,
Just a snapshot of down home Dixie,
Could be anywhere you are,
In Carolina or in Georgia,
Open arms are waitin' for ya,
Louisiana, yellow rose of San Antone,
Arkansas, Mississippi,
Old man river whispers to me,
Carry on, Carry on,
Sweet Southern Comfort carry on,
As I sit here I'm surrounded,
By these priceless memories,
I don't have to think about it,
There's no place I'd rather be,
In Carolina or in Georgia,
Smell the jasmine and magnolia,
Sleepy Sweet home Alabama,
Roll tide roll,
Muddy water, Mississippi,
Blessed Graceland whispers to me,
Carry on, Carry on,
Sweet Southern Comfort,
Carry on, Carry on,
Sweet Southern Comfort carry on
At least we'll be in SoCal in December. I'm hyped about being able to bring Joe to the West Coast for the first time. I think he'll have a good time & it'll be nice to see my family out there again. At some point we'll have to save enough money to go to Australia to visit Jill, who at the moment, is trying to convince us to emigrate.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Dinner & A Movie
Yesterday we hung out with Rob & Lauren. She made chicken parmasean with spaghetti for everyone. Since I didn't eat the chicken, I'll take Joe's word for it that it was really yummie. Afterwards we all sat around their new, huge flatscreen TV to watch the latest installment of Rambo, which was pretty good. I'm not sure if Joe will be writing a review on that for all of you to read.
It was nice to catch up with them because we last saw them at our Memorial Day BBQ. They've just been so busy recently. They'll be coming over in 2 weeks to hand out at our place & to see all the work that we've done. I'm thinking maybe we'll all check out one of the local waterfalls, then come back to the house for dinner & a movie.
We really don't have any "couple friends" that we see on a regular basis, except for them. Friends seem to be a vanishing thing as of late. I know that everyone is busy with their lives & such. Joe is getting frustrated because we always make the effort to stay in touch with everyone. Now Joe has adopted the mindset "the phone works two ways, they can call us if they want to hang out." I must say, I agree with his stance because we've already been seeing who our closest friends really are.
So today was an unusual Monday because the pace at work was manageable. I start my new position at 8am tomorrow. Oh, joy. This job is sucking the love of health care right out of me! I know that it's only because of this place. I mean, I've had job burn-out before, but this is nothing like that. Even when I was going through burn out when I was simultaneously working in & running the CNA staff of the ER, MS, & SU at ERH I could still find joy in what I was doing & where I was doing it. That's not the case at NAMC & it leaves me very sad & mildly confused about how to handle the situation.
It was nice to catch up with them because we last saw them at our Memorial Day BBQ. They've just been so busy recently. They'll be coming over in 2 weeks to hand out at our place & to see all the work that we've done. I'm thinking maybe we'll all check out one of the local waterfalls, then come back to the house for dinner & a movie.
We really don't have any "couple friends" that we see on a regular basis, except for them. Friends seem to be a vanishing thing as of late. I know that everyone is busy with their lives & such. Joe is getting frustrated because we always make the effort to stay in touch with everyone. Now Joe has adopted the mindset "the phone works two ways, they can call us if they want to hang out." I must say, I agree with his stance because we've already been seeing who our closest friends really are.
So today was an unusual Monday because the pace at work was manageable. I start my new position at 8am tomorrow. Oh, joy. This job is sucking the love of health care right out of me! I know that it's only because of this place. I mean, I've had job burn-out before, but this is nothing like that. Even when I was going through burn out when I was simultaneously working in & running the CNA staff of the ER, MS, & SU at ERH I could still find joy in what I was doing & where I was doing it. That's not the case at NAMC & it leaves me very sad & mildly confused about how to handle the situation.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
3 of 3: UFC Fight Night Thoughts
Saturday night the UFC held a fighting event on Spike TV to compete with another organization's PPV event, and delivered with a main event fight between Anderson Silva and James Irvin. Silva would move up a weight class for this fight, seeing as how there was no competition for him in the middleweight division.
Jesse Taylor and CB Dolloway were the first fight of the night. CB submitted Jesse in the first round, and although I'm not a fan of CB, he knew how to capitalize on Jesse's sloppiness that was nothing like how he fought on the last season of the Ultimate Fighter. The next fight between Anthony Johnson and Kevin Burns ended with some controversy, and stood as the lowest point of the night. Burns accidentally poked Johnson in the eye in the third round, but because Johnson went down into the mat, the referee made the call that he was knocked out. If Johnson had stayed standing, we more than likely would've went on to a decision victory since he had won the first two rounds. Cain Velasquez put on a good show against Jake O'Brien by pinning him to the ground, and continually throwing punches to O'Brien's head that forced the referee to stop the fight. Hopefully Cain will be moving up more in the coming months as the heavyweight division needs a stand-out fighter.
Frank "The Answer" Edgar did what he does best against Hermes Franca: takedowns and ground-and-pound. Franca was not entirely prepared, and should've been considering that Edgar was similar to his last opponent Sean Sherk. Hopefully Edgar will continue his rise up the ranks. Brandon Vera moved down to light heavyweight to fight a debuting Reese Andy in what was the worst fight of the night. The first round was full of action, but the last two were boring to watch, and the usually impressive Vera got the decision win. The weight-loss probably led to this, but I think Vera was also fighting safe to secure his win. An undercard fight that was shown featured a stunning knockout delivered from Rory Markham to Brodie Farber. Farber has rocked Markham several times, but at when point when coming in with his hands down too low, Markham threw a kick to the side of Barber's head, putting him to sleep before he hit the ground (this reminded me of Rashad Evan's KO over Sean Salmon).
The main event fight was short, but impressive. Irvin threw a kick to Silva's body, which Silva caught and retaliated with a hard punch that sent Irvin to the ground. Silva threw sevaral strikes that put Irvin out just over a minute in the first round. This is why Anderson "The Spider" Silva is one of the most impressive fighters the UFC has ever had, and I always enjoy watching in the octagon.
Although the event had a couple of low points, it managed to come back with some very impressive knockouts and displays by its fighters. I look forward to the next PPV event featuring one of my favorite fighters Georges St. Pierre vs. Jon Fitch, a sure brawl in Brock Lesnar vs. Heath Herring, and a highly anticipated fight between Kenny Florian and Roger Huerta.
Joe
Jesse Taylor and CB Dolloway were the first fight of the night. CB submitted Jesse in the first round, and although I'm not a fan of CB, he knew how to capitalize on Jesse's sloppiness that was nothing like how he fought on the last season of the Ultimate Fighter. The next fight between Anthony Johnson and Kevin Burns ended with some controversy, and stood as the lowest point of the night. Burns accidentally poked Johnson in the eye in the third round, but because Johnson went down into the mat, the referee made the call that he was knocked out. If Johnson had stayed standing, we more than likely would've went on to a decision victory since he had won the first two rounds. Cain Velasquez put on a good show against Jake O'Brien by pinning him to the ground, and continually throwing punches to O'Brien's head that forced the referee to stop the fight. Hopefully Cain will be moving up more in the coming months as the heavyweight division needs a stand-out fighter.
Frank "The Answer" Edgar did what he does best against Hermes Franca: takedowns and ground-and-pound. Franca was not entirely prepared, and should've been considering that Edgar was similar to his last opponent Sean Sherk. Hopefully Edgar will continue his rise up the ranks. Brandon Vera moved down to light heavyweight to fight a debuting Reese Andy in what was the worst fight of the night. The first round was full of action, but the last two were boring to watch, and the usually impressive Vera got the decision win. The weight-loss probably led to this, but I think Vera was also fighting safe to secure his win. An undercard fight that was shown featured a stunning knockout delivered from Rory Markham to Brodie Farber. Farber has rocked Markham several times, but at when point when coming in with his hands down too low, Markham threw a kick to the side of Barber's head, putting him to sleep before he hit the ground (this reminded me of Rashad Evan's KO over Sean Salmon).
The main event fight was short, but impressive. Irvin threw a kick to Silva's body, which Silva caught and retaliated with a hard punch that sent Irvin to the ground. Silva threw sevaral strikes that put Irvin out just over a minute in the first round. This is why Anderson "The Spider" Silva is one of the most impressive fighters the UFC has ever had, and I always enjoy watching in the octagon.
Although the event had a couple of low points, it managed to come back with some very impressive knockouts and displays by its fighters. I look forward to the next PPV event featuring one of my favorite fighters Georges St. Pierre vs. Jon Fitch, a sure brawl in Brock Lesnar vs. Heath Herring, and a highly anticipated fight between Kenny Florian and Roger Huerta.
Joe
2 of 3: Hellboy II Review
I went to the Stroud Mall Saturday morning to try and sell some CDs and DVDs I no longer wanted. The store I had brought them to had to wait a couple of hours until the higher-ups showed up to pay out, so I needed to kill some time. I took advantage of this, and went to the theater and paid $4 to see the sequel to Hellboy:
Hellboy II: The Golden Army
The movie begins with a tale of how the Golden Army came to be, and then takes you into the B.P.R.D. (Bureau of Paranormal Research and Development), where top agent Hellboy (Ron Perlman) leads its agents on taking on attacking paranormal creatures. He soon gets involved with the plans of an evil elvish prince (Luke Goss) who is attempting to find the Golden Army and unleash it on the human population. It then becomes a race to see who can get to the Golden Army first, all while Hellboy has to deal with his relationship with fellow agent Liz (Selma Blair) and the reaction of the human population to his existence.
Director Guillermo Del Toro is known for his visual tastes, and this movie doesn't hold back with its special effects and interesting look to the characters and surroundings (most notably the Goblin Market the characters enter). The movie's focus is entirely on these elements more than the story, which does hold its own thanks to the actors playing through it. Ron Perlman continues to show why he was the best choice for the Hellboy characters, and is the stand-out of the movie. The rest of the cast stay average, which was good considering the movie is about Hellboy.
As for flaws, the villain prince who is impressive in the fights scenes can't carry it onto the character he plays. Luke Goss was much more convincing as the villain in Blade II than as Prince Nuada in the film. Also Jeffrey Tambor's character as the head agent does a complete 180 from his character in the first movie, and I think that hurt his overall feel in the sequel. He was originally a hard-ass, and now he has become a timid supervisor, which doesn't fit like his character did originally.
Overall, the movie is worth watching just for its amazing visuals, and if you're a major fan of the Hellboy character. If you haven't seen the first movie, it's not completely necessary, but I can
say the the sequel has done better than the original. Rather than give a score this time, I'm just going to give a general statement about how entertaining the movie is. For those who like visually-pleasing movies and their fair share of science fiction and action will definitely enjoy this movie. Those who might not are those who aren;t fans of the sci-fi genre. That being said, I feel that Hellboy II is an entertaining movie that does the series well, and will likely spawn a third movie dowen the road.
Joe
Hellboy II: The Golden Army
The movie begins with a tale of how the Golden Army came to be, and then takes you into the B.P.R.D. (Bureau of Paranormal Research and Development), where top agent Hellboy (Ron Perlman) leads its agents on taking on attacking paranormal creatures. He soon gets involved with the plans of an evil elvish prince (Luke Goss) who is attempting to find the Golden Army and unleash it on the human population. It then becomes a race to see who can get to the Golden Army first, all while Hellboy has to deal with his relationship with fellow agent Liz (Selma Blair) and the reaction of the human population to his existence.
Director Guillermo Del Toro is known for his visual tastes, and this movie doesn't hold back with its special effects and interesting look to the characters and surroundings (most notably the Goblin Market the characters enter). The movie's focus is entirely on these elements more than the story, which does hold its own thanks to the actors playing through it. Ron Perlman continues to show why he was the best choice for the Hellboy characters, and is the stand-out of the movie. The rest of the cast stay average, which was good considering the movie is about Hellboy.
As for flaws, the villain prince who is impressive in the fights scenes can't carry it onto the character he plays. Luke Goss was much more convincing as the villain in Blade II than as Prince Nuada in the film. Also Jeffrey Tambor's character as the head agent does a complete 180 from his character in the first movie, and I think that hurt his overall feel in the sequel. He was originally a hard-ass, and now he has become a timid supervisor, which doesn't fit like his character did originally.
Overall, the movie is worth watching just for its amazing visuals, and if you're a major fan of the Hellboy character. If you haven't seen the first movie, it's not completely necessary, but I can
say the the sequel has done better than the original. Rather than give a score this time, I'm just going to give a general statement about how entertaining the movie is. For those who like visually-pleasing movies and their fair share of science fiction and action will definitely enjoy this movie. Those who might not are those who aren;t fans of the sci-fi genre. That being said, I feel that Hellboy II is an entertaining movie that does the series well, and will likely spawn a third movie dowen the road.
Joe
1 of 3: Nocturnal Animals Invade
I actually find myself having a lot to talk about all of a sudden! I will split this up into three parts to make it easier, and I'll start with the part Casey really wants me to talk about.
Friday night I was sitting in the living room watching TV like usual, and I heard a rustling outside the window. I figured it was a deer or squirrel passing through, but the rustling started to sound more like digging after a minute. I turned on the light in the back, and looked out the window to see a little skunk looking for food. I went out the back door to get a closer look, and saw that it was only the size of a small cat, so I figured it had to be young. Just then the one neighborhood cat Lily came onto the porch, and I saw that something bad could happen. I brought her through the house to our front porch so she could just hang there. Of course this led to Lily this morning sneaking into the house when Casey came inside, which was pretty funny. Anyways, Casey checked out the skunk for a while of course before it scurried off into the woods, and things were back to normal...until the next night.
While I was watching UFC Fight Night (which will be in another blog), I heard some noise out on our front porch. From past experience, I figured it was either Orion and Lily horsing around or the resident raccoon was making a visit. I looked out on the porch, and saw both Lily and Orion were looking toward the porch door. I look over, and I see two sets of raccoon eyes looking at me. I step out to shoo them away, and all hell breaks loose. Both cats take off after the raccoons, I run out to stop them and scare a third raccoon, Orion stops in the driveway to stand guard, and Lily runs under my truck. I look at the one tree next to our driveway, and see two young raccoons climb up it, and just stare at me while they make some noises that sounded like they were scared. The third raccoon that was probably the mother had scurried past the tree, and was waiting for the other two. I calmed down, and called for the cats to come back to the porch so as not to scare them anymore. Then the raccoons took off into the night. Coming back inside, Casey scolded me for scaring the raccoons, so if I ever see them again, I have to "apologize" somehow. Oh well, it was interesting enough to see all this wildlife closer then I had before. Hopefully this doesn't occur too often...
Joe
Friday night I was sitting in the living room watching TV like usual, and I heard a rustling outside the window. I figured it was a deer or squirrel passing through, but the rustling started to sound more like digging after a minute. I turned on the light in the back, and looked out the window to see a little skunk looking for food. I went out the back door to get a closer look, and saw that it was only the size of a small cat, so I figured it had to be young. Just then the one neighborhood cat Lily came onto the porch, and I saw that something bad could happen. I brought her through the house to our front porch so she could just hang there. Of course this led to Lily this morning sneaking into the house when Casey came inside, which was pretty funny. Anyways, Casey checked out the skunk for a while of course before it scurried off into the woods, and things were back to normal...until the next night.
While I was watching UFC Fight Night (which will be in another blog), I heard some noise out on our front porch. From past experience, I figured it was either Orion and Lily horsing around or the resident raccoon was making a visit. I looked out on the porch, and saw both Lily and Orion were looking toward the porch door. I look over, and I see two sets of raccoon eyes looking at me. I step out to shoo them away, and all hell breaks loose. Both cats take off after the raccoons, I run out to stop them and scare a third raccoon, Orion stops in the driveway to stand guard, and Lily runs under my truck. I look at the one tree next to our driveway, and see two young raccoons climb up it, and just stare at me while they make some noises that sounded like they were scared. The third raccoon that was probably the mother had scurried past the tree, and was waiting for the other two. I calmed down, and called for the cats to come back to the porch so as not to scare them anymore. Then the raccoons took off into the night. Coming back inside, Casey scolded me for scaring the raccoons, so if I ever see them again, I have to "apologize" somehow. Oh well, it was interesting enough to see all this wildlife closer then I had before. Hopefully this doesn't occur too often...
Joe
Friday, July 18, 2008
Boring Day
I spent this afternoon at work doing zilch! It was a very slow, staggered day. There were only 3 doctors on, 1 of which was finished at 10am. That left 2 doctors until 3pm. I spent from 10am-3pm waiting for 5 patients. It was a completely wasted day, except for getting my paycheck. I was a "bad employee" because I did spend some time online paying my bills & making a grocery list.
I plotted out my weekend painting plans. By now I know that everyone is expecting that. Saturday we're going to have a small group of people over to watch UFC. Sunday, we're going to Rob & Lauren's place for a little while. I'm sure that Sugar will be excited to get to play with their pug, Macy.
I think my folks come back from their trip this weekend, but I can't remember. Oh well...they (mom) call daily, so I know their alive & well. I know she got a decal for my car of the SC palmetto. I know that they got some stuff for Joe to put by his bar in the "man cave".
Joe & should be going to see Dark Knight this coming week. I know he'll do a detailed review on that for everyone. I think it will be a kick-ass movie just because it has Christian Bale in it.
Well, I'm drawing a blank on what else to discuss, so I'll go...for now.
I plotted out my weekend painting plans. By now I know that everyone is expecting that. Saturday we're going to have a small group of people over to watch UFC. Sunday, we're going to Rob & Lauren's place for a little while. I'm sure that Sugar will be excited to get to play with their pug, Macy.
I think my folks come back from their trip this weekend, but I can't remember. Oh well...they (mom) call daily, so I know their alive & well. I know she got a decal for my car of the SC palmetto. I know that they got some stuff for Joe to put by his bar in the "man cave".
Joe & should be going to see Dark Knight this coming week. I know he'll do a detailed review on that for everyone. I think it will be a kick-ass movie just because it has Christian Bale in it.
Well, I'm drawing a blank on what else to discuss, so I'll go...for now.
Monday, July 14, 2008
What Is...Homestar Runner?
You may have noticed under the "Things He Likes" section a link to the website homestarrunner.com. There may be a few of you brave enough to check out the link, but for those of you who need a clue first will get one here, including how I was introduced to this strange site.
While taking my vacation down in Florida in '04 with my friends Ryan and Corey, we got hit by Hurricane Charley and had to evacuate the resort we were staying at. After staying with Ryan's aunt and uncle and helping them prepare for the storm, we decided to go stay with some other friends who still had power. While there, the homeowners allowed us to use the Internet on their computer. Of course Ryan and Corey are competur geeks, so they took full advantage of this. While on the computer, Corey wanted me to look at website he checked out all the time. From there, he played the introduction video to this particular cartoon website. The main character named Homestar Runner, made an attempt at introducing the website, but kept blowing his lines. The video ran like a series of outtakes that were pretty hilarious until another character on the website named Strong Bad gave the real introduction.
From there I was hooked. The website has a variety of cartoons featuring an interesting cast of characters. Curious as to how this all started, I looked around on the site and found the original idea for these characters: a children's story. It was actually a cute story, and from there they made the characters goofy enough to make regular videos and spoofs. They have short and long cartoons (the long ones are only 6 minutes at the most), games you can play, stuff to download, and an interesting spot where the character Strong Bad answers e-mails from fans of the website.
So, that's really all I can tell you until you go and see it for yourself. If you need a recommendation for what to check out, my personal favorites are the intro to the website, most of the holiday-themed cartoons, and most any Strong Bad e-mail. Some of the more interesting characters to check out also are Homestar Runner, Strong Bad, Coach Z, Bubs, and Marzipan (the only female character). I leave the rest up to you now.
While taking my vacation down in Florida in '04 with my friends Ryan and Corey, we got hit by Hurricane Charley and had to evacuate the resort we were staying at. After staying with Ryan's aunt and uncle and helping them prepare for the storm, we decided to go stay with some other friends who still had power. While there, the homeowners allowed us to use the Internet on their computer. Of course Ryan and Corey are competur geeks, so they took full advantage of this. While on the computer, Corey wanted me to look at website he checked out all the time. From there, he played the introduction video to this particular cartoon website. The main character named Homestar Runner, made an attempt at introducing the website, but kept blowing his lines. The video ran like a series of outtakes that were pretty hilarious until another character on the website named Strong Bad gave the real introduction.
From there I was hooked. The website has a variety of cartoons featuring an interesting cast of characters. Curious as to how this all started, I looked around on the site and found the original idea for these characters: a children's story. It was actually a cute story, and from there they made the characters goofy enough to make regular videos and spoofs. They have short and long cartoons (the long ones are only 6 minutes at the most), games you can play, stuff to download, and an interesting spot where the character Strong Bad answers e-mails from fans of the website.
So, that's really all I can tell you until you go and see it for yourself. If you need a recommendation for what to check out, my personal favorites are the intro to the website, most of the holiday-themed cartoons, and most any Strong Bad e-mail. Some of the more interesting characters to check out also are Homestar Runner, Strong Bad, Coach Z, Bubs, and Marzipan (the only female character). I leave the rest up to you now.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Closing Out Saturday
Well, we went to Lowes & Home Depot to check out furnaces. That was a waste of time! Lowes had nothing & politely told us to just call their stores until we find one that could help us. Nice, huh? Home Depot just told us to check back during the week because the person who normally handles all that stuff doesn't work on weekends. That's fair enough. I'm going to talk to a few other places locally, but I think the chain stores will probably be the cheapest.
We never went to Joe's parents house because he didn't feel well. I think the late night is just kicking his butt. Right now he's hiding in the "man cave" to keep cooled off. He slept on the 30 minute car ride back from furnace shopping. I think he's going to go to bed early tonight...
I'm just trying to relax so that I'm geared up for all the painting that I'll do tomorrow. If I start the first coats before the heat & humidity kick in, I'll be ok.
The folks made it to SC in one piece...
We never went to Joe's parents house because he didn't feel well. I think the late night is just kicking his butt. Right now he's hiding in the "man cave" to keep cooled off. He slept on the 30 minute car ride back from furnace shopping. I think he's going to go to bed early tonight...
I'm just trying to relax so that I'm geared up for all the painting that I'll do tomorrow. If I start the first coats before the heat & humidity kick in, I'll be ok.
The folks made it to SC in one piece...
Never Ending Housework
It seems like every weekend is filled with stuff for us to do. Last weekend it was painting the enclosed porch in a colour called Brown Hen, installing the ceiling fan out there, go to the baby shower, & have an amazingly yummy BBQ dinner with the other family next door.
The baby shower was for Gerry & Roseanne. They're the newlywed couple who lived in the house across the street from us. They just purchased a new home too. They'll still be living in the same community, they're just going to be up the road & around the bend from us. Their first day in their new house was they day they brought the baby home from the hospital! Can you imagine?! The baby shower was fun though & they're house is really cute. It's a nice little rustic chalet with a huge front porch.
This weekend I've got to do the accent colour on the enclosed porch (because it took me all week to decide what colour I want), we're going to a BBQ at Joe's parents, wash the cars & then Sunday Carolyn will be over to help me paint the basement. I'm not sure what colour the basement will be, I just mixed a bunch of paint cans together until I made a nice hue that will complement the tile floors. Oh, I need to finish painting the bookshelf, too!
Joe went to his brothers apartment last night for a guys night. He got home at about 3am, so he's still passed out in bed. I'm going to wake him up at 11am though because we need to go shopping for a new furnace & price some other stuff for the house.
My folks are off to South Carolina & Maryland for the next week. I think they'll be visiting Aunt Debbie at her new place when they're down there. I know they're going to see a Baltimore Oriels game in Maryland on their way home. They better bring us back something good. ha ha
The baby shower was for Gerry & Roseanne. They're the newlywed couple who lived in the house across the street from us. They just purchased a new home too. They'll still be living in the same community, they're just going to be up the road & around the bend from us. Their first day in their new house was they day they brought the baby home from the hospital! Can you imagine?! The baby shower was fun though & they're house is really cute. It's a nice little rustic chalet with a huge front porch.
This weekend I've got to do the accent colour on the enclosed porch (because it took me all week to decide what colour I want), we're going to a BBQ at Joe's parents, wash the cars & then Sunday Carolyn will be over to help me paint the basement. I'm not sure what colour the basement will be, I just mixed a bunch of paint cans together until I made a nice hue that will complement the tile floors. Oh, I need to finish painting the bookshelf, too!
Joe went to his brothers apartment last night for a guys night. He got home at about 3am, so he's still passed out in bed. I'm going to wake him up at 11am though because we need to go shopping for a new furnace & price some other stuff for the house.
My folks are off to South Carolina & Maryland for the next week. I think they'll be visiting Aunt Debbie at her new place when they're down there. I know they're going to see a Baltimore Oriels game in Maryland on their way home. They better bring us back something good. ha ha
Monday, July 7, 2008
Silent, but Deadly
A man walks into his doctor's office. He says, "Doctor, I'm suffering from silent gas emissions. All day at work, I have these silent gas emissions. Last night during a movie, I had ten silent gas emissions. This morning in the car on the way to your office, I had five silent gas emissions. And while waiting in your waiting room I had three silent gas emissions. Right now, as a matter of face, I've had two more. Can you help me?"
The doctor replied, "Well, the first thing we're going to do is check your hearing!"
Doesn't this make you think of what Sean will be like in 20 years!
The doctor replied, "Well, the first thing we're going to do is check your hearing!"
Doesn't this make you think of what Sean will be like in 20 years!
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Independence Day
For a change, Joe was ready to leave the house early on Saturday to head up to my parents house. We didn't have high hopes for a super fun day because the skies were just clouded up & rain showers were forecast over the entire tristate area. It was looking to be a wash-out for the second year in a row.
So, we leave the house & head out to find gas below $4/gallon. Yes, this place exists & it's called New Jersey! Of course every road we normally take to get there was closed for construction. We spent about a half hour driving all over the roads of rural New Jersey to get cheap gas. Now, keep in mind we're just over the border from New Jersey! We finally stop & get gas, while doing that Joe runs inside to get candy. Without fail the truck is filled, so I look to move it to a parking space so that other people can get gas....I slide over to the driver's side only to discover Joe took the keys with him when he went inside. So now I have to wait for him to get back to the truck. This day is lookin' great, isn't it?
We finally make it to Pine Bush to see my family. Things are going all good & normal as people filter in. Mandy & Bryan came by, which thrilled us all to pieces! So we're all sitting at my Dad's new bar talking. Joe & Bryan are off to one side, while Mandy & I are off to the other. I'm on my 3rd daiquiri, by the way, but not even tipsy. I start to lean back in the chair & I fall backwards out of it in slow motion. Now when I say slow motion, I mean it. The chair stopped midway for a second then slowly went to the ground. Everyone agreed it was slow motion & no one thought that the chair was going to completely fall over. What happened is that one leg of the chair shifted off the slate patio & onto the ground. Because I'd been leaning forward, I never realized it until I leaned back to get comfy. Sean was all worried that I smashed my little melon of a head, but I must admit that I landed pretty softly.
After that the 4 of us migrated over to the swings, which is where we stayed for a great portion of the party. Mandy & I were catching up on stuff while Joe & Bryan were off playing with the teenagers. Bryan sought out to keep Kelsy in fear of him by threatening ot toss her in the pool & just generally teasing her all day. It was really funny! So things are pretty uneventful, the boys play until their sweaty, stinky messes & Joe lays on the ground to power nap? At this time he tells me that he was playing kick ball in his bare feet, so he stubbed his toe. I look at his toe & it's swollen & dirty.
Eventually the party starts to slow down & people leave. Joe & I are ready to head out, so I hug my mom goodbye when I get slammed in the face with a bean-bag. Not like the chair, but those hard little square ones for bean-bag tossing games. My oh-so-loving-dad was trying to hit my mom in the leg with it, but hit me in the face instead! Now, for those of you who know us, my mom is shorter than me!!!!
After arriving home safely lastnight, I sit here this morning with a slightly swollen nose to type this, while Joe lays in bed resting his toe. This year the party was super fun. There were only about 20-25 people, I think. Normally that count is a lot higher. This year a lot of people still had to work or had multiple parties to go to. But the core guest list came, just like every year, which is very nice because at least once a year, we all get to catch up. Oh, it also never rained.
So, we leave the house & head out to find gas below $4/gallon. Yes, this place exists & it's called New Jersey! Of course every road we normally take to get there was closed for construction. We spent about a half hour driving all over the roads of rural New Jersey to get cheap gas. Now, keep in mind we're just over the border from New Jersey! We finally stop & get gas, while doing that Joe runs inside to get candy. Without fail the truck is filled, so I look to move it to a parking space so that other people can get gas....I slide over to the driver's side only to discover Joe took the keys with him when he went inside. So now I have to wait for him to get back to the truck. This day is lookin' great, isn't it?
We finally make it to Pine Bush to see my family. Things are going all good & normal as people filter in. Mandy & Bryan came by, which thrilled us all to pieces! So we're all sitting at my Dad's new bar talking. Joe & Bryan are off to one side, while Mandy & I are off to the other. I'm on my 3rd daiquiri, by the way, but not even tipsy. I start to lean back in the chair & I fall backwards out of it in slow motion. Now when I say slow motion, I mean it. The chair stopped midway for a second then slowly went to the ground. Everyone agreed it was slow motion & no one thought that the chair was going to completely fall over. What happened is that one leg of the chair shifted off the slate patio & onto the ground. Because I'd been leaning forward, I never realized it until I leaned back to get comfy. Sean was all worried that I smashed my little melon of a head, but I must admit that I landed pretty softly.
After that the 4 of us migrated over to the swings, which is where we stayed for a great portion of the party. Mandy & I were catching up on stuff while Joe & Bryan were off playing with the teenagers. Bryan sought out to keep Kelsy in fear of him by threatening ot toss her in the pool & just generally teasing her all day. It was really funny! So things are pretty uneventful, the boys play until their sweaty, stinky messes & Joe lays on the ground to power nap? At this time he tells me that he was playing kick ball in his bare feet, so he stubbed his toe. I look at his toe & it's swollen & dirty.
Eventually the party starts to slow down & people leave. Joe & I are ready to head out, so I hug my mom goodbye when I get slammed in the face with a bean-bag. Not like the chair, but those hard little square ones for bean-bag tossing games. My oh-so-loving-dad was trying to hit my mom in the leg with it, but hit me in the face instead! Now, for those of you who know us, my mom is shorter than me!!!!
After arriving home safely lastnight, I sit here this morning with a slightly swollen nose to type this, while Joe lays in bed resting his toe. This year the party was super fun. There were only about 20-25 people, I think. Normally that count is a lot higher. This year a lot of people still had to work or had multiple parties to go to. But the core guest list came, just like every year, which is very nice because at least once a year, we all get to catch up. Oh, it also never rained.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Training Day
Twice this week I was lucky enough to go into work late because I had "training". The first day I did a 6 hour shift, then today I got to do a 2.5 hour shift. Only today, I had no patients to do the training with. I spent my time at work farting around on the computer & hiding in the lab. It was a good time! I was swapping "war stories" with a paramedic from NYC.
The advantage to going in later on both days is that I was able to get some pictures of the pond on Milford Road & Bushkill Creek. They would've been nicer with my manual camera because I have the polarizing filter to get rid of the haze that creeps up in a lot of nature pictures. Although, while I was taking pictures of the creek, I got talking to a fisherman about the area. He was nice enough to tell me about some of the other cool spots around here that the tourists & transplants don't know about.
Now that I'm home I get to start cooking things for my parents party tomorrow. I'm making a batch of sausage & almond rice, along with a cake, blueberry cheese pie & cherry cheese pie. The pies are one of my world famous recipes that everyone loves!
I must get cooking...
The advantage to going in later on both days is that I was able to get some pictures of the pond on Milford Road & Bushkill Creek. They would've been nicer with my manual camera because I have the polarizing filter to get rid of the haze that creeps up in a lot of nature pictures. Although, while I was taking pictures of the creek, I got talking to a fisherman about the area. He was nice enough to tell me about some of the other cool spots around here that the tourists & transplants don't know about.
Now that I'm home I get to start cooking things for my parents party tomorrow. I'm making a batch of sausage & almond rice, along with a cake, blueberry cheese pie & cherry cheese pie. The pies are one of my world famous recipes that everyone loves!
I must get cooking...
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