It sounded good to start

I recently decided that I didn't have enough time wasters in my life. I was perilously close to having to resort to work to pass the time. So, I gave crack a try ... or as the layman calls it, "Facebook".

Actually, I broke down and opened an account after the 1000th person chided me for not having one. I have been there ever since. Sorry about that.

Happy New Year!

Welcome to 2009 people!

After all our holiday travels, we like to spend New Year's a bit more quiet than most. There was an early evening visit to a friend's house, with homemade pizzas and store bought cake. That soiree adjourned around 9 so we could get the kids to bed. Our evening was spent quietly in front of the TV watching a $0.99 rental of Iron Man (I love Amazon Unbox and Tivo!!!). It's a great movie with a ridiculously powerful cast for what was, ostensibly, an action super hero movie. The movie was so good, we forgot to pause it at 11 so we could watch the ball drop. We didn't even notice til my mom called a bit after 11 to wish us a happy new year.

For those that haven't heard yet, my dad lost his battle with pancreatic cancer on the 18th. It was a bittersweet moment, but I was glad to see he didn't suffer. We were planning to head to Detroit for Christmas on the 23rd. Obivously, that was delayed so we could fly to and from Baltimore for the funeral. I wish the weather cooperated a bit more. Our flight back was delayed due to a ground stop at O'Hare (surprise). Lauren and Eric were both wonderful seeing as we had to sit in the plane for an hour before it was allowed to take off. It would have been better if I had remembered the DVD player, but they were still very good. The drive to Detroit was marred by downpours for most of Michigan that limited visibility to about 1/2 mile.

I'm hoping to post this on the 2nd, but the hosting company for chrispy.net is having connection issues.

WTF?!?!

Before continuing, please click the linka nd read the second to last paragraph.

http://www.wsmv.com/news/18299454/detail.html

Okay, WTF?!?!?! No, not the torturing with barbecue tongs. I just want to know where the hell this guy gets off calling 5'5" "very short"?!?! Dennis Ferrier better watch it or he may find a very short person's foot where the sun don't shine

For you, I'd consider it.

On Saturday, Debbie and Lauren went to a mother-daughter event at our church. That left Eric and I home to cause all sorts of troubles. A few months ago, I joined Lifetime Fitness so Lauren and I could use their pool. They have a lovely walk in pool, so I figured Eric might enjoy a mid-winter swim. Lauren and I normally use the family locker room since children of the opposite sex are not allowed in the regular gender specific locker rooms. With Eric, I got to use the men's locker room.

I had always known my pasty, jiggly, rotund figure did not really blend well with the physiques on display at Lifetime. I didn't care though, I was there for my daughter. I had no idea how insulating the family locker room was for my self image. In the mens locker room, there are 4 sets of lockers in a U shape with a bench in the center. I picked one and started getting Eric and myself ready. At this point, a young man I could only describe as an Adonis walked in. This guy was tall, muscular (but not too much), square jaw, the works. So, there I stand, flubby (it's fatty with the flubber jiggle) and white next to a male super model. I'm not gay, but if this guy asked nicely, I would have to consider it.

Words you do not want your mechanic to say

When explaining a problem the van is having, the mechanic had a reaction that did not inspire confidence. Four times now, when Debbie was driving, all the warning lights on the dashboard would light and the van would shut off. The mechanic's reaction: "Really? ... Huh." That prompted an internal monologue reaction of "Crap. Kaching."

My fears seem warranted when the follow up call came:

Mr Brown? This is Drippy the Grease Monkey. Um ... we're going to start with replacing the air control valve, updating the computer, and performing an induction service

This cannot end well.

Post Thanksgiving Wrap up

Thanksgiving at the condo went very well. My brother got his Vicadin, so he's doing much better now. Dinner was fantastic. My sister in law cooked the turkey, steaks, green beans, corn, mashed potatoes, and crescent rolls while we went down to the inlet to walk the boardwalk and play some video games. Lauren and I had a blast playing a mini bowling game, another game where you roll 5 balls so they fall into these slots to make poker hands (she hit a full house!), and skee-ball. She loved all 3 and hated it when we had to head back. My niece, Alexis, is a riot! She would run around with a ball, throw it to someone (say Debbie), exclaim "I Trowed it to Debbie!" and repeat. Lauren got through dinner pretty well, especially with the promise and threat of dessert. Eric kept running and running until we put on the Peanut's Thanksgiving Special. As with all things TV, he stopped dead in his tracks and watched that for a while. I watched closely to see if he would undo the button of his pants, belch loudly, and fall asleep. Alas, only dad did that.

Obligatory Happy Thanksgiving Post

Happy Thanksgiving to all! Hope yours is as uneventful as mine. So far, we've traveled to the hospital where my brother was admitted for a kidney stone. Have you tried finding an open pharmacy on Thanksgiving morning? It's not easy. We're back at the condo now, where my sister-in-law is going to start preparing our Thanksgiving feast of steak, crab cakes, Turkey, homemade mashed potatoes, puppy chow, and other traditional Thanksgiving food items. While she cooks, we are required to vacate the premises, so we're going to get some breakfast (finally!). Then it's down to the inlet to play video games and skee-ball at Marty's Playland. Tonight, we're going to the Winterfest of Lights. We saw a sampling of it last night with Lauren. She was thrilled and cannot wait to tell her friends at school. She saw Santa Claus, Snowmen, reindeer, penguins, whales, starfish, seashells, mermaids, and octopi. So, a typical American Thanksgiving.

What?