Day One Hundred Eighty Two

Dear Readers,
      Okay, I am a little more refreshed today for tonight's blog.  The only downfall is that my Dodgers are playing pretty terrible right now.  I went to the game today and it was not fun.  Getting baked in the sun and watching the Dodgers eek out three measly hits.  Pretty depressing if you ask me.  Matt Kemp hurry back please.  Andre would be nice too.  I am heading to the game again tomorrow, so I am expecting a better showing.  Especially if Scott Van Slyke plays.  I watched him make some mental errors out there today, especially when he didn't run out first base on a ground ball.  He could have been safe instead of hitting into a double play.  Things like that make me upset.  If you do the little things, the big wins will come easier.  Tomorrow is the day they turn it back around.  I can feel it.  I wish I could go to Monday's game too.  It is Star Wars day at Dodger Stadium on Monday.  I would normally be all over that, but school takes precedence right now.  Besides, if I miss two and one half classes then I can be dropped.  That would be such a waste if I allowed that to happen.  So, hopefully there will be some people there that will root on the Dodgers on Star Wars day in my stead. 
      Well, yesterday was the big moving day.  We ended up moving just about everything last night.  One trip to the storage unit and one other to the new home.  I think the biggest difference between Brandon and Brooke's move compared to our own is the ratio of what went into storage and what went into the new home.  I am pretty sure we have more then twice as much stuff in the storage unit as we do here at our house.  While Brandon and Brooke have at least twice as much stuff at their new home as they do in their storage unit.  I think they have plenty of extra space in their storage unit too.  So if you need something stored and don't want to have to get a storage unit of your own, you should talk to Brandon about renting out a two by two foot section in their unit. 
      One thing that is pretty funny about having done this blog now for six months is that certain people are now acting a little different around me.  Take Brooke for example.  She is so worried about doing something around me that may end up in the blog that she really pays attention to what she is doing to prevent that from happening.  Including making sure she wrote all her labels on her boxes correctly.  Double checking the spelling.  Thinking that I might notice and post a picture of it on the blog.  She must realize that it is reactions like this that make it that much more enticing for me to find something to giver her a hard time about on this blog.  My one piece of advice would be to act like she doesn't care.  It wouldn't stop me from doing it, but at least it would keep me from actively looking for something to talk about.  Thanks Brooke.
      The difference between Brandon and myself in this whole moving thing that we are both doing, is that I am a minimalist, as far as deciding on what I needed to have with me at our new limited living space.  While Brandon is trying to squeeze as much stuff into their new place.  Things that are highly unlikely to be used, but there is that small percentage that says he could possibly use it.  Like his paintball stuff, that I think he may have used once in the last two years.  You just never know I guess.  The time might come when he actually has some spare time to go out paintballing within the next six or seven months.  Then there are his football shoulder pads he has.  Yes, I said football pads.  No, he doesn't play in a football league.  He bought them many years ago as a visual aid for one of his bible studies.  He has managed to hold onto them for quite a few years now.  Only for visual aid purposes.  Which I think may be about three times now.  The other part about this that is quite laughable is that they are junior size pads.  So when he puts them on, it looks like he is putting on some pop warner pads on.  I guess there is a possibility of those being used sometime soon too, because they are also taking up space at the new home.  I gave him a hard time about them while moving and even put them on for a little bit.  I probably looked pretty goofy with them on, but I was having a good time.  Brought back some memories, making it a little emotional for me.  Brooke has some pictures of me wearing the youth pads, so I hope she sends them to me or posts them so you can all have a good laugh at me. 

This Day In History: 1974
The mother of American civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. is slain by a 21 year old gunman as she plays the organ for services at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia.

Born This Day: 1966
Mike Tyson - American world heavyweight champion boxer.

"It's not the load that breaks you down, it's the way you carry it."

-Lena Horne

Some pictures of the big move.

At the old house.

Brandon, sitting down on the job.

Yeah, I don't look much better at this point.

The new living room.

Aren't Brandon and Brooke so cute.

The new bedroom.

The infamous youth football pads.

Day One Hundred Eighty One

Dear Readers,
      I got home at about 12:45PM after moving Brandon and Brooke.  I am pretty stinking tired, so I am just posting this little bit of a blog.  Check in tomorrow for some pictures and goofy stories.  I am ready for bed.  Falling asleep while typing this up.  Goodnight everyone.

This Day In History: 1990
Fernando Valenzuela of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Dave Stewart of Oakland Athletics become the first players in American major league history to throw no-hitters on the same day.

Born This Day: 1949
Dan Dierdorf - American professional football player and sports announcer.

"The first need of a free people is to define their own terms."

-Kwame Ture

Reclaim it I say!!

Day One Hundred Eighty

Dear Readers,
      I made it though the first week of class and only five more weeks to go.  I have to be honest, this is the longest I have lasted at any class I have taken at Cerritos College.  So I am already doing better than the first time around.  Three assignments and all completed on time.  I know it is still early, but I am feeling pretty good about the whole going back to school thing.  I may just become an engineer yet, or I could switch careers totally after finishing half the classes.  Just taking it one day at a time for right now.
      Only one day left before moving day.  After work tomorrow, I head on over to Brandon and Brooke's house to move them out.  I hope they have everything packed up and ready to go.  Make it a nice smooth transition.  I also hope there are more guys there than just Brandon and myself.  I am sure they have at least as much stuff as Raina and I did.  They are also moving stuff into storage, just like we did.  So one big trip to the unit and another to the new pad.  There's another thing.  They better have a storage unit ready to go.  They had a lot to do in about ten days, so I am sure they busted their butts to have everything ready to go.  So, if anyone's available to help tomorrow night, we will be in Gardena at about 5:00PM and I am sure they would love the help.  Not to mention how much I would love the help.
      I haven't heard anything from the Beard Bashers crew in a while.  I wonder what happened?  Was it the full time job and raising two kids that did them in?  Just too busy I guess, or maybe lack of commitment.  Maybe they just ran out of things to talk about.  Perhaps they are just not creative enough to come up with more ways to bash the beard.  Maybe this little paragraph will inspire them to come up with something clever to talk about.  Only time will tell.  I'm waiting.  The challenge has been put forth.

This Day In History: 1997
American boxer Evander Holyfield is declared the winner of a heavyweight fight against Mike Tyson after Tyson bites off the top of Holyfield's ear and is disqualified.

Born This Day: 1926
Mel Brooks - American director, actor, and comic writer.

"I base most of my fashion taste on what doesn't itch."

-Gilda Radner

Yup, both.

Day One Hundred Seventy Nine

Dear Readers,
      As I have said before, one of the biggest problems with moving back in with my parents is the overload of good cooking and food in the house.  I cam home today to a double dose of dinner blessings.  My wife surprised me with a batch of her awesome homemade chili.  While my mom had made some of her famous Carne con Chile, which is also awesome.  It was a gourmet dinner overload.  I couldn't eat both before class.  I didn't have enough time.  Besides, I don't think my stomach could handle both meals at the same time.  I wish I could though.  Perhaps my wife's chili before class and a late night snack of Carne con Chile after class.  I have a feeling I might pay the price for that tomorrow though.  Aahh, it will be worth it if I do.
      I got a new upgrade for my truck and now it is time to go back in time and fix the millions of mistakes I have made in my life.

       Okay, I didn't really get a flux capacitor, but wouldn't it be really cool if I did.  The truth is that while at work today I was riding shotgun while driving past the local DeLorean auto shop.  Yup, a business that is dedicated to working on and restoring DeLoreans.  Anyways, while driving by I noticed a bunch of Back to the Future posters hanging up in the shop.  As I was mentioning it to the guy I was driving with, I then noticed they had an actual time traveling DeLorean replica in the shop.  The one with the Mr. Fusion on it, from the second movie.  I had to get a picture of it.  I couldn't zoom in enough with my phone, so I went inside to talk to the lady at the front desk.  She was more then obliging when I asked about going in to get some snapshots.  Then, as I was taking a couple of quick pictures, she opened the driver side door.  It sounded exactly the same way as it does in the movie.  Pretty stinking cool.  The lady then directed me to take a look inside.  Sure enough, it had a fully fledged flux capacitor and electronics system for entering start date and what time you want to travel to.  I then asked if it turned on and showed the dates from the movie.  It sure did.  It was set to travel from November 12, 1955 to October 26,1985, and I wouldn't need a lightning bolt to deliver the 1.21 gigawatts it would take to break the space time continuum, all thanks to the Mr. Fusion.  I wanted to ask if I could put a banana peel and open beer can into it and then say "Where we're going, we don't need roads".  But I have a feeling that she would have laughed at me like I was crazy like I am sure most of you are doing right now.  Just trying to live out another one of my geek fantasies.  Enjoy the pictures.

This Day In History: 1918
A parachute that deploys on command saves a German pilot, the first successful use of this aviation safety device.

Born This Day: 1880
Helen Keller - American author and educator who was blind and deaf from birth but learned to read and write.

"I long to accomplish a great and noble task; but it is my chief duty to accomplish small tasks as if they were great and noble."

-Helen Keller

You mean this things nuclear?

Day One Hundred Seventy Eight

Dear Readers,
      Day two of Operation Back To School is in the books.  Almost, that is.  I still have to do some reading tonight before I go to bed, and just a little bit of homework.  I have to say, I am not the sharpest tool in the shed, but there are definitely a lot of slower people out there.  I thought this was going to be an accelerated class, but it is going so slow.  We spent the entire lecture on explaining how to use the two scale rulers we are using for the class.  Basic architectural scaling.  Basic math conversions.  It was pretty ridiculous.  I have a headache now from trying to stay awake and deal with all the people that were having such a hard time with it.  The teacher would ask an example question for anybody in the class to answer, and it would go silent for minutes.  I didn't want to answer all the questions and seem like some kind of smart alec.  I just wanted to answer enough to get the class moving along, instead of waiting for these silent lulls to get through the class.  I should have sat in the back and just done my homework during the class, but then I wouldn't have been able to hear the teacher as well and probably miss something vital to the class.  Stinking soft spoken teachers with accents.  Two more classes this week and lots of reading and homework to go along with it. 

      My first homework assignment.  It had very specific instructions to something this simple.  The placement for everything has to be perfect.  It is just a copy of the alphabet, numbers, fractions and a paragraph.  Even the lettering has to be a specific print and a specific size with a specific spacing for everything.  I think this is the nicest writing I have ever done.  Took me long enough.  It isn't done yet though.  I have to finish the paragraph for tomorrows class.
      The one bummer about taking this class is that it really fills up my schedule with class, homework and reading.  I missed out on an anniversary celebration for a close friend of mine tonight.  It was just a little get together at the beach to hang out, but I don't get to see them very often, so it would have been nice to go out there.  Just have to sacrifice some things.  Unfortunately also is the fact that I don't even have very much time to spend with my wife.  I think the first time we will get to actually hang out together will be on Sunday.  Between school and helping Brandon and Brooke move this weekend and Raina working a couple of jobs on Friday and Saturday, we are booked up.  At least we have a planned weekend trip for next weekend.  We are both very excited for that.  It will be nice to get away together.  I am also thankful to have the awesomely supporting wife that I have.  Always supportive in my efforts go back to school.  Just another one of the many reasons why I love her.

This Day In History: 1925
British actor Charlie Chaplin communicates masterfully without saying a word in The Gold Rush, which has its Los Angeles, California, premiere.

Born This Day: 1904
Peter Lorre - Austrian born American actor.

"What is new is only new to us."

-Pearl S. Buck

Mmmmm, crumbs.

Day One Hundred Seventy Seven

Dear Readers,

      Back to school day.  While most students are finishing up for their summer break, I am starting up school again for the first time in over ten years.  At least I am not the oldest person in the class.  Most students seem to be working full time and going back to school to further their careers, such as myself.  This is going to be a long six weeks though.  Work from 6:30AM to 4:00PM and then school from 5:30PM until 10:00PM.  Monday through Thursday.  At least Friday will be a little bit of a let up.  So here I am in class for my thirty minute break, typing up my blog for the day.  I have to take advantage of every moment I get.  Don’t want to keep myself up any later then I have to.  The teacher is already scaring us with what sounds like plenty of time doing the homework.  Already have two assignments due by  Wednesday, and I don’t even know for sure if I am in the class.  He isn’t going to let us know until 9:15PM.  Which means I may end up sitting in this class for four hours for nothing.  I am hoping that since I am first on the waiting list, that won’t happen.  Please let me get in this class and get it over with.  I want to be able to start out the Fall with somewhat of a footing.  Maybe improve my GPA enough to get off of academic probation, from my years of neglect as a foolish boy.

      Part of me feels a little bit in over my head.  This whole school thing is not like riding a bike.  Maybe after a few classes I will get into the swing of things.  It doesn’t help that the teacher is a very slow speaker.  Then there is the chairs that squeak every time somebody leans back.  So as I try to lean forward for the whole class, I am also trying to listen to the soft speaking teacher in between squeaks.  Every so often it is like listening to someone talking on the phone that keeps cutting out.  Makes for understanding pretty difficult sometimes.  Then there is the computer screen that sits right in front of you, so you have to lean to one side or the other to actually see the teacher.  Gotta love technology advancements in classrooms. 

      There are some pretty interesting people in this class.  I actually had someone ask if I was typing an essay for another class I was taking.  Nope, I had to explain my situation and my deal with my wife on why I was typing up a blog during class.  Have to take advantage of every moment.  I should keep up some of these relationships.  It sounds like some of them are pretty experienced in computer skills and will be able to help me out in the class and possibly getting some programs for free that will help out in the class.  It really isn’t about what you know, but who you know.  Every little bit helps.  So cross your fingers and say a little prayer to hopefully help me out on getting into this class.  Only another hour and a half until I find out.

       Three hours later, I get in.  By the way, the best part of the class was watching the teacher use a formula to figure out how long and at what time to take the break in the middle of the class.  You know you are in an engineering class when a formula is used for something as simple as that.  You know the teacher is old, when it takes him almost fifteen minutes to used his formula incorrectly before figuring it out.

This Day In History:1951

CBS television broadcasts in color for the first time, but the four hour special program cannot be seen in American homes, which lack color receiving systems.  CBS itself only has four such sets at its headquarters, among three dozen spread throughout its network.

Born This Day: 1903

George Orwell - English author. (1984; Animal Farm)

"All great work is preparing yourself for the accident to happen."

-Sidney Lumet

Very important to consider in this day in age.  Think twice before picking up that razor.

Day One Hundred Seventy Six

Dear Readers,
      Well it turns out that I made a mistake and Brooke is not in fact a fan of O-Town.  My efforts were misplaced and I hope I didn't tarnish her reputation by announcing to the world that she was a fan.  If I had realized how adamantly she was opposed to the autograph then I would not have wasted the poor guys time.  He was probably just excited that somebody recognized him.  Maybe we made his day by asking for an autograph.  Have to look for the silver lining in everything.  Sorry Brooke.  I guess it is no on O-Town but yes on Harry Potter.
      It was a pretty long day today.  Church in the morning, then lunch, then a trip to Barnes and Noble, then dinner with Raina's uncle from Texas and finally picking up Raina's dad from the airport.  Finally getting home at 9:00PM or so.  I have to say, going to book stores has to be one of my favorite things to do.  We spent about three hours there and I could have spent another three hours there.  What takes up about half the time is just checking out all the cool magazines.  There are so many different topics that you can read about.  Places to camp, new technology, sports, food, movies, television, luxury houses, music, cars, history, business, current events and so much more.  Who needs a magazine subscription when you can just go to Barnes and Noble to catch up on all the current events and hottest new recipes.  I read about new movies coming out, the latest backpacking gear for when I finally go hiking again, a new article on Matt Kemp in ESPN the mag and the best parks in the country to visit.  Made me want to hurry up and do some traveling.  Makes you think a little about how many awesome places there is to see here in the United States.  Our first instinct is that we want to get out of the country, but there really is so much to see and do here.  Without having to have a passport.  If only I could find a job that pays to read books and travel.  That would be awesome.  Maybe if I was a descriptive writer, then I could travel writing reviews on books and places to see.  Maybe I should forget the engineering classes and just take English and writing classes.  Work on my grammar a little bit and expand my vocabulary.  Kind of amazing to think how a simple topic of talking about a trip to Barnes and Noble changes into changing my career.  My mind just goes all over the place. 
      Just like how it switches gears into our dinner at Marri's.  Great Italian restaurant in Anaheim, right by Disneyland.  If you like Italian food for a decent price, you have to check this place out.  All you people with Disneyland passes who are in the area anyways, check it out some time.  If you go with enough people, then you can sit at the "Godfather" table.  It is a table slightly secluded with a bunch of framed pictures from the movie The Godfather.  Either way, great food. 

This Day In History:1894
An international agreement that the Olympic games will resume in modern competition is signed.

Born This Day: 1895
Jack Dempsey - American world heavyweight champion boxer.

"The farther backward you can look, the farther forward you are likely to see."

-Sir Winston Churchill

Listen to the advice.

Day One Hundred Seventy Five

Dear Readers,
      It is wedding day for us today.  Nope, not renewing our vows already, we are going to a wedding of a person we have watched grow up from young boy into full fledged and full grown man.  Now he enters into the next phase of his life.  A life with someone he is going to cherish and provide for and be the leader for.  I am really excited for him and happy to be celebrating this big day with him.  Getting married was quite possibly the best day of my life and I am sure Sam is going to feel the same way.
      Over the last four years or so, Raina and I have really enjoyed going to weddings.  Well, maybe not the actual wedding part, they can be pretty boring.  I am pretty sure my own wedding was pretty boring for those who weren't in it.  The reception on the other hand, can really be a blast.  The food, the music, the dancing.  We love the celebrating.  Getting on the dance floor and acting like a fool.  Wedding receptions are about the only places that I actually enjoy dancing and making myself look like an idiot.  I have no idea how to actually dance.  I figure that the more I feel like a fool, the more people actually think I kind of know what I am doing.  So I will be back to finish tonight's blog when I get back.  Time to get suited and booted.
      Man, that was some party.  What a blast we had, getting our groove on.  Again, I am not a dancer, I am just willing to act a fool to have a good time.  That was an awesome wedding.  Short, sweet, and to the point.  And plenty of dancing.  Not to mention tons of sweets, including chocolate covered strawberries.  It was at the Long Beach Museum of Art, with an awesome view of the beach.  Great weather for an outdoor wedding and reception too.  I just have to say Congratulations to Sam and Kasey.  You guys were awesome and I pray for many many blessings on you guys.  Thanks for allowing Raina and I to be a part of something this special.
      By the way, we found out the emcee was a guy who used to be in that band O-Town.  If you don't know who that is, it is basically a boy band that was created on a television show.  Pretty short lived.  We also found out that Brooke was actually a fan of these guys and she knew who he was.  She chickened out on the whole getting a picture and autograph with him.  So we took the liberty of getting his autograph for her as soon as she left.  So, next time I see her, I can giver her the signed card so she can frame it and put it up on the wall.  Maybe I should just do it for her and have it set up for her in their new place.  Don't worry Brooke, we were looking out for you.  Enjoy reading the autograph and personal note to you as you listen to your O-Town album.
      I almost forgot to mention the little bit of beard love I got today.  I actually got a compliment from one of the groomsmen, as he was walking out for the wedding.  I was sitting on the end, so all the groomsmen were walking right past me to get up front for the wedding.  The music is playing and they are walking out, and the third or fourth groomsmen down pointed to me as he is walking down and says "Nice beard man".  Yup, even while the wedding is going on, the compliments keep flowing in.  Just one of the many reasons why I do this.

This Day In History: 1996
U.S. sprinter Michael Johnson breaks a 17-year-old world 200-meter record, setting the new mark at 19.68 seconds.  Amazingly, only two months later at the Summer Olympics at Atlanta, he beat even that mark, setting the new standard at 19.32 seconds.

Born This Day: 1929
June Carter Cash - American country singer, wife of Johnny Cash.

"Good manners will open doors that the best education cannot."

-Clarence Thomas

This is the autograph and message for Brooke.  Hope she enjoys it.

Day One Hundred Seventy Four

Dear Readers,
      Tonight Raina and I head over to Brandon and Brooke's house to help them pack up.  Yup, they took a page out of our playbook and are moving in with Brandon's mom's house to save some money.  I say good for them and what a great idea.  With inflation and how expensive everything is these days, we need all the help we can get.  I know it was a hard decision for them to make, but I think they made the right decision.  Just like us, it is going to be hard for a time, but that time passes on to better times and better things.  We will all look back as it being a very short period in our lives and we were blessed because we did it.  So, the countdown begins for them.  Only eight days left for them to be out of their condo.  They are going to make it one big moving party day, next Friday.  Yup, it is a work day for most, but it needs to be done so that they have Saturday morning to finish everything up and be ready for the Dodger game.  Can't be missing the Dodger game now.  Some things in life are just too important, like rooting for the Dodgers.  Even though they were swept by the stinking Oakland AAA's this week.  My point is, there is a lot to be done in a very short period of time, so here we go to help them be ready in time.  Besides, we need to make sure we help out a lot with this move so that they will be there for us when we are ready to move again.  Which could be within the next six or seven months or so.  I thank them in advance.
      I started this blog before I left to help over at Brandon and Brooke's.  Now I have a little down time to maybe finish talking about tonight.  I couldn't believe they didn't clean up before we got here.  This place was a mess when we arrived, and now we have made it even more of a mess.  Not really a mess per say, but a mess of boxes and packing material.  I hope we have been more of a help then a hindrance to them tonight.  I did totally think that we were going to get a delicious home cooked meal for one last time.  That didn't happen, so we had dinner at Kings Hawaiian.  They do have great food there, and great pastries.  I think we may have overdone the pastries to take home, but that's okay.  At least I worked some of that off beforehand.  I found some ankle weights and wrist weights while packing and decided to do some training for my Spartan Race while packing.  Killing two birds with one stone.  Running around and packing and even hitting up the Perfect Pushup just before it went into the box.  I was feeling pretty good there for a bit.  Now after all those pastries, I am feeling a little bloated.  That means I am going to have to make tomorrows run a little bit longer than normal.  Maybe some extra push ups or maybe even a few sit ups.  I don't know if my gut will allow for that though.  Anyways, let the countdown continue.  Still plenty to do and only a short time to do it all.  We move them out on Friday and Saturday.  Then celebrate the move with the Dodger game Saturday night. 

This Day In History: 1885
Former general and president Ulysses S. Grant dies at the age of 63.

Born This Day: 1903
John Dillinger - American gangster

"I tremble for my country when I hear of confidence expressed in me.  I know too well my weakness, that our only hope is in God."

-Robert E. Lee

Some pictures of the messy house and me getting ready for the Spartan.

I got my war face on.

Don't worry, it doesn't always look this way.

Day One Hundred Seventy Three

Dear Readers,
      Happy retirement to my mom.  She had her last day of work and will no longer have to go back.  So what if it was forced upon her.  Might as well enjoy the fruits of your labor, right?  My mom has been a Spanish teacher's aide for the last several years.  At least fifteen years, I think.  Well you know as well as I do how badly the school system is doing as far as funding is concerned.  They were out of money for her position.  At first it looked like they would have a place for her at a different high school.  That didn't work out so well and now we have a mini retirement for my mom.  She is taking it well and making the best of it.  My two sisters and Raina made a congratulatory sign and did a quick decoration job to surprise her when she came home from work.  We even went out to dinner at Mimi's Cafe.  My mom has put in her time and now she can do some relaxing, or maybe one of the many things she has dreamed of doing for so long.  Maybe just enjoy being a grandmother to my three nephews and one niece.  Either way, she will make the most of it.

This Day In History: 1788
New Hampshire becomes the ninth and last state needed to ratify the Constitution of the United States, thereby making the document the law of the land.

Born This Day: 1850
Daniel Carter Beard - American who organized the first U.S. Boy Scout troop.

"Freedom is what you do with thwat's been done to you."

-Jean-Paul Sartre

Nuff Said.

Day One Hundred Seventy Two

Dear Readers,
      Death comes unexpectedly!  Those are the words of the pastor from the movie Pollyanna.  He yells them out with great conviction to scare the congregation.  How true those words are, and even when it is expected, you are never ready for it.  Raina and I went to a funeral today for a person that Raina grew up knowing.  I only knew her in passing and never really got to know her.  After seeing and hearing about all the amazing things she did and seeing all the peoples lives she touched in so many ways, it made me wish I had known her.  It kind of makes me wish there was more time in the days to allow for more time spent with friends and family.  It really makes you think about taking advantage of family dinners and events, and not taking them for granted.  You just don't know when they will end, or when that person you love to spend time with will no longer be there.  It just really brings into perspective the old Latin term "Carpe Diem!".  Which means "Seize the Day!".  A term to live by.  Take every opportunity that life gives you, because who knows when it might be your last.  When my day comes for people to bury me, I want to be remembered as a person who didn't just watch life pass him by but actually lived it and took advantage of what it had to offer.  And brought that life to others around me. 
      The first instinct about funerals is that most people are sad for the person who has passed on, but the real sadness is that we have to continue to live without that person.  For those of us who are saved and believers in Christ, it really is a celebration for those who are now in a better place then we are here on Earth.  It really is difficult to imagine going on without those people though.  It makes me think about a possibility of living on without my wife.  Which I have no desire to do.  I pray that I am the first to go, because I think I would just sink into a deep depression without Raina.  I don't know what I would do with myself.  She is my reason for living.  I have been with her for almost fourteen years now.  Almost half my life.  I just really cherish the time I have with Raina and pray for many more years of happiness.  I hope the rest of you realize how short life is and start living every day as if it were your last.

This Day In History: 1968
American sprinter Jim Hines became the first man to run 100 meters in less than 10 seconds, setting a world record of 9.95 seconds.

Born This Day: 1942
Brian Wilson - American rock musician. (The Beach Boys)

"It isn't what they say about you, it's what they whisper."

-Errol Flynn

I'll have to be careful if we go up to Big Bear this winter.

Day One Hundred Seventy One

Dear Readers,
      I had another one of my crazy dreams last night.  I actually remembered it today.  Usually I remember it as I wake up and it is forgotten within the next hour.  Actually, I did forget it until my mom told me about her dream from last night and it reminded me of my own.  Here is the difference between my mom and myself.  She had a dream about losing her camera and spending the whole dream looking all over for it.  Waking up to thinking that she was still missing it.  Even to the point that it made her a little upset and snapped at my dad this morning without realizing it.  A very practical and realistic dream.  Mine on the other hand was completely fantasy based and wholly unreasonable.  Either way, it was an awesome dream.  It was the zombie apocalypse and myself and a group of other people, whom I can't remember except for my wife, were holed up in some building with a bunch of weapons and ammunition fending off wave after wave of zombie attacks.  It lasted so long that we used up all our ammunition and then had to resort to knives and swords to kill off zombies.  I remember kissing Raina and going in after the final wave of zombies with nothing but a knife and just as I jumped in, I woke up.  Pretty crazy dream.  No, I wasn't playing any zombie games or watching any movies with zombies in them.  I actually didn't watch any television or play any games yesterday, so I don't know where it came from.  Weird, huh?  That is just the way my dreams roll.  Keeps me on my toes.  I wonder what the meaning behind it was.  If anyone can interpret dreams, I am open to your thoughts.
      I have to ask a question of all the females out there.  There happens to be a female that I know, whom shall remain nameless because I was threatened if I didn't, who finds Loki from the Avengers movie attractive.  Not the actor who plays him, just attractive as Loki.  As a male, I don't understand it.  Is there something I am missing about him?  This certain person had me completely baffled when I found out.  Mind you, this is also the person that found Sylar from the Heroes TV show attractive.  Maybe it has something to do with them being the bad guys.  She must have a thing for guys who are bad boys and are devious.  Seems a little disturbing if you ask me.  The thing that interests me about this, is that the guy who played Sylar, Zachary Quinto, ended up coming out and announcing he was gay.  Makes me think that the guy from the Avengers may end up doing the same thing soon.  So I pose the question to all you females out there.  Is there something inherently attractive about either of these guys, or is it just the devious bad guy thing?  Again, I don't get it.  If you end up figuring out who this female is, you have my permission to give her a hard time about it.  At least I didn't tell anyone who it is.

This Day In History: 1846
The first recorded baseball game is played on Elysian Fields in Hoboken, New Jersey, between the Knickerbocker Athletic Club and the New York Nines.  New York won 23-1.

Born This Day: 1903
Lou Gehrig - American Hall of Fame baseball player.

"What is freedom of expression?  Without the freedom to offend, it ceases to exist."

-Salman Rushdie

If you don't know what Loki looks like, here he is.

Oh, and here is Sylar.

I still don't get it.  Maybe Sylar a little bit.  Weird.

Day One Hundred Seventy

Dear Readers,
      It has been a long day at work.  Have you ever seen that movie Office Space?  Today I definitely had a case of the "Mondays".  I did not want to be there.  Even after the three day weekend, I did not want to be at work today.  Oh well, only two more days of work for me this week.
      Thankfully the evening was much better than work was.  We are back on our Monday night dinners with Chris and Liz.  We haven't really been doing them the last four or five months.  We have just been too busy.  It seemed like we could never get past the point when we didn't have something going on.  Well our Monday night was free and it was dinner over at their house.  We didn't have to prepare or cook anything.  It was fantastic.  Just show up, enjoy the company, eat delicious food and then cap the night off with some Monopoly Deal.  If you don't know what that is, I recommend it.  Lots of fun to play with a small group, and doesn't take nearly as long as real Monopoly takes.  It is just a simple card game, with lots of backstabbing and maneuvering.  Anything that takes a little strategy to win is geared towards me.  By the way, it was Ortega domination tonight.  Out of five games played, Raina won twice and I won three times.  We owned the Allens tonight. 
      It's pretty late and I'm pretty tired, so I am cutting it short tonight.  Have to get up early and I can feel myself willing myself to sleep in and call in sick.  I can't though.  I don't want to miss any more work then I have to over the next few months.  I am already taking a day off this week anyways.  So, that means early to bed so I can be early to rise.  Goodnight everyone.

This Day In History: 1873
For attempting to vote in the 1872 election, suffragist Susan B. Anthony is fined $100, which she never pays.

Born This Day:  1942
Sir Paul McCartney - English musician and songwriter, member of the Beatles.
1977 - Michael Brunenkant  Happy Birthday my fellow Star Wars/Superheroes/Comic Book/LOTR/etc Fan!!

"A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on."

-Sir Winston Churchill

This is what Mike got for his birthday.  All I have to say is "Jealous".  You have an awesomely creative wife.

Day One Hundred Sixty Nine

Dear Readers,
      It is Father's Day everyone.  I am guessing you already knew that though.  A day to celebrate fathers and everything they do.  Being a father is a really tough job.  I have only had a small taste of it with Micah, so I can only imagine what it is like full time.  There are no lunch breaks or vacations days.  All dad, all the time.  My poor dad had to put up with so much with my sisters and myself.  With Yoli's rebelliousness, my breaking everything and Melissa's eloping.  I have been fortunate to have both my parents still together and still amazing examples of what marriage is supposed to look like.  It is almost the norm to have parents that are separated in this day in age.  I am blessed to be able to look to my dad as an example for when I will have children of my own.  He has been a firm father, but never the disciplinarian while growing up.  My dad would always threaten us as kids.  Even to the point of taking off his belt and threatening to whip us with it if we didn't shape up.  The actual spanking was left to my mom.  We had an official paddle that was used to spank us.  I remember those terrible days of being spanked.  There were so many of those days.  I was always getting into trouble, and even when I didn't get caught my sister Melissa would rat me out.  My sister the tattle tale.  Every little thing I did, there she was immediately following it up with a yell to "Mom!".  Most of the time I was getting in trouble because she provoked me.  She used to be the only person that could make me mad. 
      Some of my fondest memories of my dad were when we were camping while in the Boy Scouts.  My dad did it with me.  All the camping and all the events that came along with it.  I am pretty sure my dad got as much if not more enjoyment out of those days camping as I did.  Camping in the mountains, in the desert and at lakes and rivers.  All the hiking, cooking, driving, badge activities and an assortment of other things.  He never complained or griped about doing it.  He loved it.  Went out and bought all the camping equipment.  The packs, the tents, the sleeping bags, the cooking stoves, the water filters and so many other things.  And that stuff is not cheap.  My dad was also the one that went to everyone of my sporting events in high school.  All the football games, home and away.  All the track events.  The only thing neither he nor my mom went to was my wrestling events.  I think they went one time and couldn't handle how painful it looked.  They couldn't take how it looked like I was about to be injured every time I went out.  Always supportive of all the things I wanted to do.  Just think about all the different things they had to pay for, and not one complaint about it the entire time.  Not to mention all the places they had to drive me to.  It was a weekly ritual for my dad to drive me to the school before a football game and stop at the local Mexican Carniceria to pick up a Carne Asada burrito before the game.  This is just a small sampling of all the things my dad did for me.  Which is just a small reason for why I am so thankful for him.  Happy Father's day dad. 

This Day In History: 1885
The Statue of Liberty, a gift from the people of France, arrives in New York harbor aboard the ship Isere,  The head is 10 feet wide from ear to ear and the elevated right arm, holding the torch, is 42 feet long.  Until 1899, "Lady Liberty" was New York City's tallest structure.

Born This Day: 1703
John Wesley - English evangelist, founder of the Methodist church.

"You can take a horse to water, but a pencil must be lead."

-Stan Laurel

Some pictures of the wretched paddle I grew getting hit by.  Notice the inscription on it.  No wonder my mom still tries to whack me with it.

I happened to be all three.

I think my name is first because it was used on me the most.