We Are The Champions

Well, I hate to post this right out in the open but it has to be said. Last night, the guys put the whipping of whippings on the girls at Trivial Pursuit. We played the 80's version, and having Randy on our team was the deciding factor.

Since Reese didn't care for the photo of my granddaughter in an earlier post (boring), maybe this photo will be a little more scintillating??

We won six pies to ZERO. Poor Reese didn't have her game on last night. I mean, I love her to death but wow she embarrassed Trivial Pursuit aficionados the world over. You gals WERE around in the 80's right?

I am gloating because it will probably never happen again. However, it did and we ARE the champions. I speak the truth. Dan, Lee and Randy. Unbeatable last night.

Oh, and did you want to know the kicker??? The question/answer we won on was a Howard Stern question. If there is a bigger Howard Stern fan out there than Reese, I wouldn't know who it was. Took the wind right out of her sails, it did. I just hope Robin, Artie, Fred, Gary and Benjy never find out.

I promise you she is scheming her revenge, studying every 80's resource she can find....Some people are gluttons for punishment.

The Monster Lives

Well I had just decided earlier tonight not to post every single day. It's not that I don't have enough to say, believe me. I was just thinking that people would get bored reading them on a daily basis.

Then Shannon (thanks, thanks A LOT!) goes and emails that she likes the blog and reads it every morning. I got a couple other nice words of encouragement from others too. So maybe I have created a monster, one that needs to be fed on a regular basis? This is said tongue-in-cheek by the way.

I guess I have mentally committed to posting blogs at least three times a week. A good compromise. Any less and I would lose my loyal following. Any more and I would quickly wear out the weak and the feeble.

I guess the "Joe Dirt" in me is itching to get out.

One last thing. Robin and I watched "Because of Winn Dixie" tonight and we both recommend it. Robin cried. I didn't (I am a man, for Pete's sake).

Ok, one last, last thing. I know everyone just loves my corny jokes. I was thinking of throwing in some free of charge every now and then? What do you say? Here's a sample:

Did you guys hear about the two peanuts walking down the street? One of them was a salted. Get it????

Thomas Edison Where are You?

We made some serious headway today on the new website. It will be an ongoing, dynamic process for quite some time but it is nearly to the point where we can begin beta testing it with live people. I am JACKED, to say the least.

It's really a testament (or indictment, depending on your point of view) of how technology has impacted the life of the average American. Here I am, with no "job" to speak of. However, I am so excited that I find it hard to wind down at night in order to go to sleep. When my eyes open in the morning, the first thing I do is head to the laptop to check out my online concerns. As the photo shows, this is what happens every night at our abode. We are internet ensconced.

It's not such a bad thing. This is the age of information. The old ways of doing things are nearly dead. We are living in the middle of a state that is in desperate financial straits, yet we are stoked at the possibilities that living in the information age affords us. We are all living on the edge of a new frontier. I would guess that one more generation-shift and the old ways will be nothing more than history lessons (in our online textbooks, no doubt).

It's time to face facts. The industrial age is over. Welcome to a new era.

Unbreakable

Sorry for the graphic picture, but let this be a lesson to all of you. Don't ever try to make tools work when they are not the right tool!

Don't worry, though. This happened a couple of years ago, before we left for Nicaragua. I was at my ex's house, borrowing tools to try and change the oil on our Saturn Vue. Since I couldn't bear to part with a whole $20 or so to pay someone to change the oil, I decided to do it myself. I didn't have any tools that would work, so I went to the ex's to borrow some from her husband.

I was laying under the car in the driveway, reefing on a conflagration of sockets, reducers, bits, etc when something gave way and something flew back and hit me in the eye. I crawled out and was on my hands and knees with one hand over my eye. My ex asked me if I was ok. I pulled my hand away and it was bloody. I replied, "not exactly". I stood up and asked her to take a look. She quickly responded with a negative, apparently because of her weak stomach. I went into the house and asked my oldest daughter to take a look (she is not squeamish - more like her dad). She informed me that I had cut my eye open and offered to call my wife to fill her in. "No!", I shouted. "She would have a heart attack."

I borrowed an old towel to cover my eye, and asked my daughter to drive me down the street to my son's apartment where my wife was. As we arrived and were walking into the building, my daughter asked me again if she should go in first to prepare Robin. "No! She would FLIP OUT." We walked through the door and I started speaking fast. "Honey, everything is fine. I just had a little accident. Now, I need you to stay calm. I was working on the Saturn and a tool broke and I hit myself in the eye". All this while holding the towel over my face. I could see the impending panic, but maybe because of my calm speech she didn't get excited. I got brave and showed her the eye. She DID insist on going to the urgent care facility of course.

The doctor at the urgent care facility looked at the eye and confirmed my worst fear: I had cut the white part of my eye. All I could think about were all the instances that I joked with my friend Dave about him losing HIS eye in a construction accident. (Sidebar - he always took my joking in stride, I am sure he knew I meant no harm). She arranged for us to see an opthmalogist immediately.

We got the that doctor's office and he came in right away. I continued to maintain my composure, even kept joking. I wondered what it would be like to live life with only one eye. After peering into my eye with a bright light for maybe 10 or 15 seconds, he pronounced his diagnosis.....

"You'll be fine."

What?? Fine with only one eye? How can that be?

"Your eye is not cut, only bruised. The outer clear covering has not been breached." Just take some pain medication and wear a patch for a few days was the entire recommendation. Once I got past the shock of NOT losing my eye, I was quite relieved. As was the wife.

Since it was obvious I wasn't losing my eye, I could joke about it! Hence the title of this post. I was happy to tell everyone that I am just glad it happened to me, and not to a normal guy. Anyone else would be blind. I am apparently unbreakable.

The moral of the story is: Don't lose sight of your common sense. If you don't have the right tools for the job, either get them or hire someone else to do it.

Thinking of Puerto Rico

I was reading an email from our good friend in Puerto Rico just a bit ago. It made me think about our time there. Definitely bittersweet memories.

While we were there we made very close friends, but suffered some very tragic events as well. It certainly was better weather-wise. Anyone that knows me knows that I am not a cold weather person. The year-round warm climate is what I miss most I suppose (besides our amazing friends).

What I don't miss are the bugs. Huge roaches, tarantulas, centipedes, scorpions, big flat spiders, biting ants and more. Hope you enjoy the photo.

The other thing I am glad about is being out of the culture-adaptation bubble. I consider myself a pretty flexible person but I admit I had a hard time with some of the cultural differences there. Let me just say it's good to be back on the home turf, but I will expound on all that in later posts.

I did leave the house today to go for a walk with Robin. She had to drag me out, and I had to put on a sweatshirt, but I did leave. It wasn't too bad! A little cool, a little windy, but all in all (for here) a nice walk. I prefer 70 degrees or warmer, but that's from our time in Puerto Rico, Nicaragua and Florida.

Finally, it's cool to sleep without netting every night but I also miss showering outdoors under the stars. Ups and downs, but more ups than down for sure.

Offspring Day

Well today was great. I got to spend time with all three of my kids, and my granddaughter. Isn't she adorable??

Went to visit my oldest daughter (Sis) and my son (JR) brought HIS daughter over to visit with us. She is three months old now and quite a cutie. We hung out for a couple of hours, before heading to watch my youngest daughter Lucy's boyfriend play basketball. They won too. It was fun.

Then back to the ranch. The shoulder is still hurting, but it will have to wait until we have more cash. It's not getting any worse, just not getting any better.

This is THE week for us to get our new website up and running, so I can get out into the field to show it off to people. It will be a busy week.

I am exhausted. Was up til 2am last night, and woke up fairly early today because the wife was coming back from her night away, for us to go see the kids. It's amazingly warm today, so it was a good day to get out of the house.

Probably won't make it too late of a night tonight.

Sunday Morning

Day two of my blogging journey. It's funny how such a simple thing can consume your thoughts. All I have been able to think about since I posted the first time last night was about how many things I want to say. And of course that I wish I had been blogging for the last 30 years.

I guess my blog journeys will occasionally go back in time. I was watching the movie "Joe Dirt" yesterday on Comedy Central (the movie with David Spade in a mullet), and the premise of the movie is that he is on a radio show telling stories about his life. Of course he has more than his share of interesting stories. As I watched it, I thought "that could be me", hopefully without the mullet.

I have a reputation for always having a good story to tell. I am not sure if the stories are always interesting, but they keep coming just the same.

Today I am leaving the house. That is relevant, because for the last couple of weeks I have been inside for the most part pushing away at the latest greatest business opportunity. Ahh, the power of the internet. I can work on building an empire without even leaving the house. I know, I have had many latest greatest ideas, but I think we may be on to something this time. It's all about timing and having the right people in place. More on that later.

I think I will try to post in the evening, at the end of my day. Then I can use this process as a "clearing and clarifying" of the day's activities. So on that note, see you tonight.

Here Goes

Well, here goes. I have been wanting to blog for quite some time now. Seems like I have a lot to say. I suppose even if I am the only one to ever read these posts, it might still be a cathartic experience for me.

As anyone who knows me can attest, I have an unlimited number of stories I like to tell (sometimes over and over - sorry). I also like to share a good joke, or maybe a strong opinion, asked for or not.

My intention is to use this space as a journal. Sort of a letting off steam kind of place. I know, a novel idea for a blog. Hey, it's my blog. I am realizing that I can be Mr Obvious if I choose to.

You of course, can choose not to read these posts. I hope you choose to stick with me. I promise to keep you entertained (and hopefully - for my loved ones especially - not too mortified peeking inside my head).

Since it's 1:07 am and Robin is gone for the night celebrating her friend Amy's birthday I can't sleep as usual (not without my Bun Bun). Not sure how we have turned into night owls, since I am by nature a morning person. In Puerto Rico we couldn't stay awake past 9:30 or so, and we were normally in bed by 9pm! Thankfully however, we are not in Puerto Rico any more.

Tomorrow we get to see the kids!! And Gracie, my beautiful 3 month old granddaughter. She really wants to see her Granddad, of that I am sure. On that note, time to turn in - or at least try to. Good night.