Day Two Hundred Forty Four

Dear Readers,
      Today marks being exactly two-thirds of the way complete with my one year beard-a-thon.  It is flying by now.  To the point that I am starting to think of ways to convince Raina to allow me to continue to grow it.  She claims there is not a chance that I could convince her.  About the only thing that she said my sway her is if I agreed to do the dishes every day for the entire year.  And that is just a maybe that I got from her.  The only other thing that would convince her to allow it would be to agree to change every diaper when I am with our child, that isn't even born yet, for one year.  Then she realized that I wanted to continue growing it for one year and not do it again for another year and she said we would have to have a child of our own first before she would agree with that.  All the while I was thinking that possibility in my head and was willing to agree to it.  We could just adopt a child that is already potty trained.  She knows me too well, which is why she backed out of that one really quick.  Oh well, I have another 122 days to find a way to convince her.  I am open to any ideas you might have.
      Raina and I had a wonderful day together.  Starting out early enough to go out to the beach for a run.  I am thinking we made it about four miles today, which isn't bad considering I haven't been able to work out in about ten days.  Have to hit it hard again.  We then made it back for a quick shower so we could go to lunch without stinking up the place.  Which happened to be Fred's Cantina on Main street in Huntington Beach.  We have been wanting to try that place for a long time now and it really wasn't worth the wait.  We were both really disappointed with just about all of it.  The extra salty chips, the bland salsa and meal that was mediocre.  Don't recommend the Mexican food there.  We ended our day with much better food though.  Before that though, we enjoyed our afternoon at the beach.  Hanging out in the sun and trying to not get tossed around to much in the water.  The water was just the right temperature and it wasn't too hot relaxing on the sand.  Just another awesome day with my bride.  Ending it with an awesome dinner at Casa Inka for some Peruvian food.  It was one hundred times better than our lunch.  I love that place and wish I could eat there more often then I do.  Oh, we also topped it off with some Dairy Queen for desert.  Walking over with Brandon and Brooke to walk off a little of our dinner before enjoying the not so good for us blizzards and dipped cones.  I love these lazy days and having my wife with me makes them even better.

This Day In History: 1959
Sandy Koufax set a National League record by striking out 18 batters.

Born This Day: 1945
Itzhak Perlman - Israeli-born violinist, conductor, and instructor of master classes.

"Do not confuse motion and progress. A rocking horse keeps moving but does not make any progress."

- Alfred A. Montapert

Our lunch at Fred's Cantina.

Is this Raina's or mine?

Can you guess which one is Raina's and which one is mine?

I guess your answer is right in front of you.

Day Two Hundred Forty Three

Dear Readers,
      It was another night in with Raina.  She made another wonderful dinner for us and I got her hooked on a new television show.  It was chicken in pasta with tomatoes and all deliciousness.  Something healthy and filling with a healthy dose of time well spent with Raina.  The show that Raina is now hooked on is The Newsroom.  I know I talked about it a few weeks back, or something like that, but she finally sat down and started watching it with me.  There happened to be nothing on TV, so it began.  We started with one episode and here we are in our fourth episode of the night.  These are hour long episodes.  So, I think she kind of enjoys this show.  If only I could have gotten her hooked on this show a little bit sooner.  I have watched almost the entire season, in fact I only have the season finale left to watch.  It's okay though, because I am really enjoying watching the second time around.  Catching things here and there that I missed the first time around.  Again, it's a great show.  Jeff Daniels is amazing on this show.  It is a really long way off from his role in Dumb and Dumber.  Which I actually found very funny.  It just shows how diverse an actor he is.  He isn't the only one though.  This show is stocked full of great actors and characters that will have you getting invested in.  I really hope this show is kept on the air for at least a few years. 

This Day In History: 1996
An expedition to raise part of the Titanic failed when the nylon lines being used to raise part of the hull snapped.

Born This Day: 1918
Ted Williams - Hall of Fame baseball player.

"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."

-Albert Einstein

 My wonderful dinner made by my wonderful wife.

Day Two Hundred Forty Two

Dear Readers,
     After finally being done with my stand by, I got to take off from work early today.  One whole hour early and I relished every minute of it.  Getting to come "home" to our stay-cation house and getting to spend the evening with Raina.  She made some of her fantastically delicious home made hamburger patties.  I got to grill them up while she baked some potatoes as a side.  It was my kind of evening.  Just relaxing at home, grilling up some dinner, hanging with my wife and vegging out to Casablanca.  It has been a really long time since I have seen that movie.  I remember really enjoying that movie and I was reminded of that tonight.  Humphrey Bogart is the coolest guy.  It makes me want to open up a club and be the cool guy in town.  I would have to find my own "Sam" though.  It just wouldn't be right without one.  The movie has cool characters and even a World War II subplot.  Playing to my intense interest in that historical period.  You really have to love those old movies.  There are so many good ones that don't get the credit they deserve.  A time before all the special effects that now dominate movies.  Don't get me wrong, I love an explosion and effects as much as the next guy, but there was really something special about those old black and white movies.  They seem to be going the way of the dinosaur though.  Nobody watches them anymore.  I'm afraid that the next generation will have lost touch with them almost completely.  Never getting to appreciate all those great movies, or even worse, finding them to be boring and unnecessary.  How tragic that would be.  Parents, don't let that happen.  Share those great classics with your children.  Pass on the quality and hopefully it will outweigh the quantity we have now.

This Day In History: 1957
Senator Strom Thurmond of South Carolina set a filibuster record in the U.S. when he spoke for 24 hours and 18 minutes.

Born This Day: 1938
Elliott Gould - American actor

"Do not confuse motion and progress. A rocking horse keeps moving but does not make any progress."

- Alfred A. Montapert

Delicious home made burgers.  I love my wife.

Day Two Hundred Forty One

Dear Readers,
     It was a long day at work.  So long that I didn't even have time to do my blog.  I was at work for seventeen and a half hours straight.  My last night of being on call.  I guess I had to go out on a bang, so to speak.  I tried to come home and type something short and sweet.  Unfortunately, I had some computer work to do for my job.  I was dozing off just trying to finish that.  It was after midnight after all.  I think I got as far as "Dear Readers" before I fell asleep.  I gave up after that.  I couldn't hang after working as many hours as I did over this last week.  I think the grand total for the week was about eighty six hours in one week.  Now it is time to just enjoy the house sitting, air conditioner and hanging out with my wife. 

This Day In History: 1963
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., gave his "I Have a Dream" speech at a civil rights rally in Washington, DC.  More than 200,000 people attended.

Born This Day: 1958
Scott Hamilton - American gold medalist figure skater.

"If you don’t make mistakes, you’re not working on hard enough problems. And that’s a big mistake."

- Frank Wilczek

 Just replace "girlfriend" with "wife".

Day Two Hundred Forty

Dear Readers,
     My week of being on call is coming to a close.  Only two nights left and the last two I am fortunate enough to be able to spend with my wife.  She is house sitting this week in Huntington Beach, which happens to be close enough for me to take the work truck to.  Five miles is my limit and I think this house is three or four.  I have missed Raina very much and am going to enjoy sharing my bed with her again.  Especially after spending five nights on a co worker's couch.  Don't get me wrong, the couch was actually comfortable, it is just fifty times more comfortable sleeping in a bed with my wife next to me.  I think most husbands would agree.  The other big plus about this house sitting thing, is that we get air conditioner for a week.  It will be wonderful to enjoy another week of climate controlled bliss, without fans blowing if five directions only keeping it mildly cooler than outside.  I get to keep using a blanket this week, instead of my air blanket or sheet that I use at home.  Nice and cozy, next to my wife.  Now lets see if it is so comfortable that I don't wake up in the morning.  That could turn out bad.  Raina will just shove me out of the bed to wake me up if it were to come to that.  Unless she sleeps through everything too.  Time will tell.
      I am debating working overtime this Friday.  On one hand, it would be a nice bump in my paycheck and we could always use the extra money.  On the other hand, I have already worked over forty hours of overtime for this check, and it will be a good check either way.  So, a nice relaxing day spent at the beach with my wife is really enticing to me.  We could spend the morning out for a run and then just relax on the sand, jumping in the water every so often to keep cool.  Then there is that extra amount of money I could be earning, that could go towards bills or the house fund.  Every penny counts at this juncture.  What to do, what to do?  If only I could push that overtime to Saturday instead of Friday, then it would work out perfect.  Raina would be working anyways and I would have to leave the air conditioned house as well.  Life just finds a way to make things almost work out, but not quite.  Always torturing us with "what ifs".  What if?

This Day In History: 1921
The owner of Acme Packing Company bought a pro football team for Green Bay, WI. J.E. Clair paid tribute to those who worked in his plant by naming the team the Green Bay Packers.

Born This Day: 1908
Lyndon B. Johnson - 36th President of the United States.

" The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails."

-William Arthur Ward

Do the WAVE everyone!

Day Two Hundred Thirty Nine

Dear Readers,
      I can't believe the immediate impact that the latest trade had on the Dodgers.  I don't think it could have turned out any better last night.  For Adrian Gonzalez to come in, fresh off a flight from Boston, and hit a clutch three run bomb like that, is surreal.  I guess he is comfortable playing at Dodger stadium, considering he had plenty of experience from his years as a Padre.  I mean, the guy belongs here in Southern California.  Have you seen that Mexigoatee he has.  He is built for Southern Cali and we are glad to have him here.  I am counting on many more clutch hits before the year is out.
      Yesterday, we lost an American hero.  Neil Armstrong, the first person to walk on the moon.  Unless you are one of those conspiracy theorists who believe the moon landing was faked.  This man was one of my idols growing up.  For those of you who don't know, I grew up wanting to be a pilot.  Not just any pilot flying for American Airlines or something of that nature, but a fighter pilot.  I wanted to go to the Air Force Academy and fly jets.  A bold venture, but that would have been just the beginning.  Eventually I would have wanted to work my way into NASA.  I wanted to be an astronaut.  I don't know how realistic that would have been for me, but it was my childhood dream.  Growing up, I had gone to a museum that had a life size replica of what the inside of the cockpit of a NASA space shuttle was like.  They let you go inside and sit in the pilots chair.  I remember sitting inside of there and looking at the millions of buttons, switches and knobs and thinking that it would be so cool to know what every one of them does.  To be able to fly a space shuttle would have been amazing.  It just gave me great respect for our astronauts, especially guys like Neil Armstrong, who flew into space before all the advanced computer systems that we now have the luxury of having.  I am probably better off with my feet firmly on the ground though.  Who knows, I may have already killed myself by now.  I find that I don't enjoy roller coasters as much as when I was younger and have a harder time dealing with them as I get older.  Maybe that would have hindered being an astronaut, or maybe I would have become more accustomed to things like that.  Dealing with G forces.  It was just one of my many dreams and wishes growing up, but probably one of my greatest dreams and wishes.
      By the way, I just found out that Vin Scully has announced he will not retire after this year and will return for the 2013 season.  He is rejuvenated by the new ownership and wants to see a championship brought back to the Dodgers.  It really has been a wonderful two days to be a Dodger fan.  I am so excited to see our future and will be cheering them on proudly.  Thank you God for answering my prayers.

This Day In History: 1939
The first televised major league baseball games were shown. The event was a double-header between the Cincinnati Reds and the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Born This Day: 1910
Mother Teresa (Agnesë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu)

" It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer."

-Albert Einstein

He doesn't have a beard, but he has one of the coolest names ever.

Day Two Hundred Thirty Eight

Dear Readers,
     The Dodgers have made me a very happy man today.  Okay, it wasn't the ideal trade or the best possible trade to make, but it really drives home the mentality of the new ownership group in Los Angeles.  They want to win and they want to win now.  Even if it isn't the wisest way to spend their money, they are willing to take the gamble.  I really hope it pays off real soon.  I am thinking this year, if possible.  For those of you who are living under a rock or don't care a lick about sports, the Dodgers made a blockbuster trade today, involving over a quarter of a million dollars in players.  They gave up some quality prospects that I was really looking forward to seeing in the years to come, but winning now comes at a price.  In return they got four players.  One is a player that will probably be sent to the minor leagues right away or spend time on the bench.  Another is Josh Beckett, who is probably the biggest gamble of the group, because of his high salary and lack of performance over the last couple of years.  I am hoping a change of scenery and a switch to the National League will set him straight.  Besides, any pitcher other than Joe Blanton at this point is a major upgrade.  The next player is Carl Crawford, who could be an even bigger gamble, because he has had Tommy John surgery and is out the rest of this season.  So we aren't even sure what we are going to get from him yet.  At least he is fairly young and he was an All Star caliber player as recently as three years ago.  The biggest player of this blockbuster is first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, who can be a major force for the Dodgers, especially hitting between Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier and Hanley Ramirez.  This has the makings of what could be a huge run at the end of the season.  Sparking the offense and igniting a fire under the whole team.  Now we just have to see if this team can get some chemistry and gel as a team.  Forget the whole superstar mentality and work as a team.  It is the right time and the right team for making a run.  Now we need the seats to get filled, and really start rooting for this team.  I really don't care if the Dodgers get looked at as the next version of the Yankees, who are out to just buy a championship.  It has been so long since we won the big one.  I just want a World Series Championship trophy for my Dodgers.  This could be a great year for my sports teams.  Dodgers are on the rise.  The 49ers are looking better than they have been in a number of years.  University of Oregon football is ranked fifth and with their high flying offense, they could be in for another big year.  And then there is the Lakers, pulling off a blockbuster trade of their own to put themselves right in the mix for the next NBA championship.  Let the games begin.

This Day In History: 1972
In Great Britain, computerized axial tomography (CAT scan) was introduced.

Born This Day: 1930
Sean Connery - Scottish actor and producer.

"When a person can no longer laugh at himself, it is time for others to laugh at him."

- Thomas Szasz

Just don't.

Day Two Hundred Thirty Seven

Dear Readers,
      I am so upset with myself.  Not because I didn't get my blog done on time, but because I had it done and then fell asleep, ruining my blog for the day.  I was just about finished typing everything up last night, sitting on the couch with the laptop on my lap, just about ready to head to bed, when I fell asleep with my hands on the keyboard.  I woke up at about midnight to a screen with jumbled letters and almost all my blog missing.  I don't know what I pressed during that time I was asleep, but it was enough to effectively ruin my blog.  I tried using the "undo" button several times, but it didn't fix anything.  If anything, it made it worse.  It was infuriating to have done all that work and then realize that it was all down the drain after falling asleep.  I was so fed up that I just shut my computer off and went to bed.  I didn't want to make myself more upset by spending a bunch of time trying to fix it or retype it, only for me to end up falling asleep again.  The first thing Raina asked me when I told her was how it was possible that I could fall asleep with the laptop in my lap and hands on the keyboard.  I just told her that I was in a very comfortable position, sitting up on Tyler's couch.  I knocked out.  Not that it isn't very hard for me to fall asleep just about anywhere.  You can ask just about anyone that knows me and they will tell you that I have no problems falling asleep.  No matter how awkward of a position my body might be sitting.  As long as my head is on something cushy, then I can pass out just about anywhere.  Both a blessing and a curse.  The curse part you can see.  Wasting all my hard work typing up yesterdays blog.  Now I have to redo that one and then finish one for today as well.  On top of all the work I have had to do today and still have to do today.  Hopefully I won't get called out too frequently, leaving just enough time to finish blogging for the day.  I barely had time yesterday, having to be working all day and then getting called out all night.  I am sure that this is the busiest time I have ever had while being on call.  The paycheck is going to have to make up for my lack of sleep and my time away from my beautiful wife that I am missing very much.

This Day In History: 79AD
Mount Vesuvius erupted killing approximately 20,000 people. The cities of Pompeii, Stabiae and Herculaneum were buried in volcanic ash.

Born This Day: 1960
Cal Ripken, Jr. - Hall of Fame major league baseball player.

"Advice is what we ask for when we already know the answer but wish we didn’t."

-Erica Jong

My fellow bearded brothers, don't let this happen you.

Day Two Hundred Thirty Six

Dear Readers,
     This is day two of "on call" watch.  This day of work just hasn't stopped.  We were busy all day today, and then I kept getting called out all night.  I don't remember the last time I got this many calls in one night.  Those don't even count the awesome one that I got at 2:30AM today.  Yup, they woke me up extra early, or extra late depending on how you look at it, to go out and shut off a fire hydrant that had been hit by a drunk driver.  Those dang drunk drivers.  Why don't they get drunk and drive about four hours earlier so they don't wake me up from my beauty sleep?  Or even six hours earlier.  Usually shutting off hydrants consists of working under a heavy downpour of cold water, while I try to find the valve cover in the street.  Only to then have to get chisels to pull it out and then use our valve key to shut off the valve.  Which can then be problematic at times.  Sometimes those valves aren't very good and you really have to put your back into it to get it off.  Thankfully, this one was not like those scenarios.  The valve cover was just outside the area that the water was falling on and I was able to shut it off without having to put on all my rain gear.  It is great to not have the back of your head and back get beat on by the heavy water falling down on top of you. 
      It is 10:00PM and I finally have some time to sit down and relax a little.  I am getting the notion that this will be one of my busiest times of being on call.  No worries though, because it will make for a great paycheck.  It will definitely help to build the house saving fund.  It has been so busy at my work that I now have enough work to catch up on that we will be working on our two days off to attempt to catch up.  It is going to be a busy weekend.  That's alright though, because the busier I am, quicker this week will go by.  Hopefully I will get to sleep through the night this time.  Crossing my fingers, hoping for a prayer.

This Day In History: 1959
In the Peanuts comic strip, Sally debuted as an infant.

Born This Day: 1978
Kobe Bryant - Future NBA Hall of Fame basketball player.

"The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity."

-Ellen Parr

Work and more work.

Look at all that wasted water.  Doesn't that drunk driver know we are in a drought?

Mangled.

Hoping it doesn't break the electrical wire.

Day Two Hundred Thirty Five

Dear Readers,
      So here I am, in fabulous Garden Grove.  Spending the week on call here at Tyler's home.  It is just like old times.  Before Raina and I got married, while originally living with my parents, I would stay with Tyler for my weeks of being on call.  My weeks usually consist of playing Xbox, reading, working and Tyler and I trying to figure out where to go get some dinner.  Except for the first two or three times I stayed over, when he was living with his then girlfriend, they would make dinner just about every night.  All kinds of fabulous dinners.  Then they broke up, and it was just Tyler and I.  It didn't help that we are two of the most indecisive people trying to figure out what to get to eat every night.  We eventually developed a method to our madness.  We would narrow down to two random options and then pull out "The Decider".  Which was nothing more then a half dollar coin that we would assign sides to, to decide which place to go eat at.  Looking back, it is quite comical to think about.  I think in all those weeks that I stayed with Tyler, we probably ate at about eight to ten different places the entire time.  Just rotating between the different options.  This time around will probably be a little more like the first few times staying with him.  Since he now has a new girlfriend, whom I might add is so much better than the original girlfriend, and dinners will be made again.  The barbeque grill is going and potatoes are in the oven.  This is going to work out much better.  At least I hope it will.
      The Dodgers are really starting to tick me off.  I can't believe they are putting themselves in a place to be swept by the hated giants in their own ballpark.  The hitters that we are supposed to count on, are not producing right now.  The pitchers are doing alright, but without scoring it isn't doing much good.  Watching the game tonight, the Dodgers put themselves in a hole right away, going down three to nothing in the first inning.  It probably doesn't help that Matt Cain is pitching for the giants, who has a perfect game to his name this year.  I really hate the giants.  There is nothing I love more then to see the Dodgers destroy the giants.  Although, it isn't happening enough this year.  Not like the amazing match ups that Clayton Kershaw did last year.  Always coming out ahead of the giants.  I am praying for a win to avoid the sweep.  Just score four runs and keep the giants from scoring anymore.  I am not asking for a lot.  Just a win against our hated rival.  Please.

This Day In History: 1902
In Hartford, CT, U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt became the first president of the United States to ride in an automobile.

Born This Day: 1934
H. Norman Schwarzkopf - United States General

"Normal is getting dressed in clothes that you buy for work and driving through traffic in a car that you are still paying for – in order to get to the job you need to pay for the clothes and the car, and the house you leave vacant all day so you can afford to live in it."

-Ellen Goodman

 Careful, it could happen to you.

Day Two Hundred Thirty Four

Dear Readers,
      Packing up for a big trip today.  I am packing up for a week long trip far away from home.  I am heading to wonderful Garden Grove.  I know what you are thinking.  Who in their right mind would spend a week away in Garden Grove, especially when I already live so close?  It isn't a vacation.  It is a week away for work.  I am on call for work about five weeks out of the year, and starting tomorrow is my next week on call.  When we lived in our condo, it was close enough that I could stay at home, heading out whenever I got called for work.  Now that we are living with my parents, it is too far away to be on call from home.  My limit is five miles, as the crow flies.  Which means that when we are ready to buy a house, it will have to be within that five mile range of the city.  Regardless, for this week, I will be at a co workers home for the next week.  Waiting patiently by the phone for all those emergencies I will need to go out on.  All those trees down, light poles hit, fire hydrants hit, water line breaks, car accidents that need clean up, and all kinds of other calls, including some I have never gotten before.  It never fails that every time I go on call, I get something I have never gotten before.  Just like the time I got called out to pick up a transients belongings to take to our yard for safe keeping.  You read that right, we held on to the belongings because she went to the hospital after overdosing on drugs.  You just never know what might happen during that week. 
      The one unfortunate thing about this week, is being away from my wife for the week.  This will be the first time being on call and being away from my wife since we were married.  So between work, getting called, blogging and homework, I will need to make sure I fit in some valuable phone time with my wife.  Maybe even find a little time to have breakfast or some other meal with my wife.  It will be a long week.  I can feel it.  I am packed up and ready to go.  I cleared enough space from the DVR so that it won't completely fill up while I am gone.  And now I have to get some valuable sleep before heading to work tomorrow.  While still beating the heat.  Go away heat.

This Day In History: 1911
In perhaps the most brazen art theft of all time, Vincenzo Peruggia walks into the Louvre in Paris, France, heads straight for the Mona Lisa, removes it from the wall, hides it beneath his clothes, and escapes.  Peruggia was arrested in November 1913, when he attempted to retrieve a hefty ransom.  The painting was unharmed.

Born This Day: 1936
Wilt Chamberlain - American Hall of Fame basketball player.

"Nobody roots for Goliath."

-Wilt Chamberlain

The bearded playwright, Sophocles.

Day Two Hundred Thirty Three

Dear Readers,
     It was a wondrous day off of work today.  Getting up early and hitting the gym to start the day off.  More cardio and weightlifting.  I am thinking that after just a few more workouts, I won't be as sore from the weight training as I have been.  My body will have become more accustomed to it.  I am sure the aches and pains will never completely go away.  I think they tend to linger more these days, now that I am in my thirties.  Okay, I am barely thirty, but everything takes longer to heal these days.  The aches and pains stick around for a lot longer than I remember. 
      The middle part of my day was filled with catching up with DVR shows, doing some laundry and getting in some Xbox time.  All the while, trying to beat the heat a little.  With our three fans in our room.  Making sure they are all positioned correctly so that cool air was coming in, hot air was going out and the air inside was circulating around and hitting me.  It is all a very precise science.  They should have a college class about that, then I could get an easy A.  By the way, I finally looked up my grade for the summer class I took, and I am proud to say that I earned myself my first college "A".  Actually working at my classes has actually paid off.  Amazing what a difference a mind set can make.
      I started up my fall semester tonight.  I had to jump through a little hoop to get into my class for this semester.  It was a hoop of my own making though.  I originally registered for the class, but didn't pay for it and then forgot until yesterday.  So, I was dropped from the class and had to show up tonight and hope that it didn't over fill and leave me without a spot.  Thankfully, it isn't a real popular class, but a necessary one for me.  A Blueprint Reading class.  The class wasn't full and I got in easily.  This one will be simple to get to in comparison to the summer class.  Only one day a week on Monday nights.  And, only three hours a night instead of four and a half.  This class will be a lot easier for me to enjoy, instead of having everything crammed into six weeks.  Looking forward to improving my GPA.

This Day In History: 1833
With just three months before the election, U.S. president James Tyler withdraws his renomination candidacy.  He became the first chief executive in U.S. history not to seek reelection.

Born This Day: 1948
Robert Plant - English rock singer (Led Zeppelin)

"Learning carries within itself certain dangers because out of necessity one has to learn from one's enemies."

-Leon Trotsky

That's right, kid!

Day Two Hundred Thirty Two

Dear Readers,
      Why won't the heat finally go away?  The heat was supposed to start dissipating, but it feels like it actually got a little hotter today compared to yesterday.  All I wanted to do was stay out of the heat and find a place with air conditioner, all day long.  Except for my run this morning.  Trying to beat the heat, we went out running early, around 7:45AM.  It was still warm out, but not as warm as it got later today.  I am not completely sure how far I made it today, because I ran a new route along the riverbed.  I am guessing it was about five miles.  About a mile shorter than I wanted to get to today, but my body has been really sore from hitting the weights at the gym lately.  Working my way into better shape.
       After church today, it was lunch in any place with an air conditioner, which was Frescas.  Then an attempt to have another day at the park.  It wasn't bad in the shade with the breeze.  Unfortunately, it was too hot to be doing any frisbee throwing out under the sun.  So it was relaxing under the shade until we headed over to Chris and Liz's house, to take advantage of their air conditioner.  Using them for their cool house.  After that run it was just a lazy day of sitting anywhere we could cool down a little bit.  Just too hot to be doing anything outdoors and too hot to be hanging out in our room without any air conditioner.  Not to mention that our window fan just went out yesterday.  It is a dual window fan that can be used to bring in the cool air, or send out the hot air.  One of the two fans busted and hasn't been giving us enough cool air at night to sleep comfortably.  Unfortunately, there is no place that is selling any kind of fan right now.  We have searched high and low.  Target, Wal Mart, Costco, Best Buy, Home Depot, Lowes, Kohls, Big Lots, Sams Club and multiple locations of each store.  I can't believe that nobody is carrying fans right now.  They could be making a killing with this heat wave we have been having.  Nope.  By the time they get some fans it, it will have cooled off and people won't need them like we have.  It will be just our luck to finally find one just as soon as the weather cools down.  I hate the heat.  Go away.
      We spent our evening having a farewell dinner for Raina's nephew, Jeremiah.  Who has been accepted to Point Loma University and leaves this friday for the Fall semester.  Wishing him well, praying for him and giving him what little advice we could.  My most important piece of advice, from my extensive experience of being away at college, was to not get kicked out.  Don't be dumb like I was and get yourself asked to leave.  I am sure he will do well at school, I just hope he completely takes advantage of this once in a lifetime experience to the fullest.  Carpe Diem.

This Day In History: 1692
Four men and one woman are convicted of witchcraft and hanged in Salem, Massachusetts.

Born This Day: 1871
Orville Wright - American aviator who, with his brother Wilbur, developed and flew the first powered airplane.

"The function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers."

-Ralph Nader

My possible future?

Day Two Hundred Thirty One

Dear Readers,
      I was able to take out my new golf driver out for a complete test run today.  I played in a tournament with my father in law, Mark, and my two brother in laws, Brent and Brandon.  I nice four man scramble that we have played for about four years straight now.  Unfortunately it wasn't a great day of golf.  I think it is going to take a little bit to figure out this new driver.  It took nearly a year before I had a good handle on my previous driver, so we shall see how long it takes before I get a handle on this new one.  I think I sliced every one of my drives today.  It was pretty depressing.  It swings really nicely and I feel like I make good contact, I just couldn't get it to go straight.  Not that the rest of my game was any good today.  Mark likes to blame my beard anytime I do poorly while golfing.  He says that it weighs my head down and doesn't allow proper rotation, or something like that.  I think he is just jealous of my beard.
        Brandon also got to finally try out his new driver on the course.  He wasn't looking much better than me though.  Growing pains of having a new club.  Brandon's driver is all white.  The club head, the shaft and the grip are all completely white.  Brandon likes to call it his "long sword", but I think I may have come up with a better name for it.  I call it "White Snake".  To the point that every time he went up to tee off, I would make a hissing noise in honor of his club.  I think the name is fitting, because you never know when it is going to strike.  It could happen at any time and Brandon could have a huge drive.  We are still waiting for it to strike, so I guess Brandon and I should spend some time at the driving range to work on our swings.
      After a long hot day at a golf tournament, I came home and went straight to the gym.  I figured I better go right away, or I wasn't going to make it at all.  Another day of training to be ready for that Spartan Race.  Running, squats, calf raises and some ab workouts.  Have to get rid of that gut that is really getting in my way.  My stomach is completely sore from the workouts I have been doing.  Makes me feel a little bloated.  I can't wait to be rid of the gut hanging over the belt line.

This Day In History: 1982
The volume on the New York Stock Exchange topped the 100-million level for the first time at 132.69 million shares traded.

Born This Day: 1937
Robert Redford - American actor

"The ear of the leader must ring with the voices of the people."

-Woodrow Wilson

Righteous Bro!

Day Two Hundred Thirty

Dear Readers,
     Recently my grandmother had to be taken to the emergency room for a blood clot in her lung.  My grandmother on my mother's side.  She has been very special to me throughout my few years on this earth, even though there is a major language barrier between us.  She only speaks Spanish, and my Spanish is extremely limited.  I have never been able to have a complete conversation with my grandmother and it is one of my greatest regrets.  Just to let you know, my grandmother is doing better and is at home, but she will have to take blood thinners and some kind of injection on a daily basis for a while.   She is much better, but not completely out of the woods.  So I ask for you guys to keep her in your prayers, not only to heal her bodily, but to give her a peace and comfort.  Going back to what I was talking about yesterday, having more time in the day, here is another thing I would like to do.  Learn Spanish.  Learning Spanish would have been a great benefit to me.  Being able to communicate with my grandparents, being able to communicate with all the Spanish speaking community out there that is always trying to speak Spanish to me.  I have that knack for anyone who speaks Spanish to start talking to me, assuming I speak the same language.  That is why one of the first sentences I learned in Spanish was "I don't speak Spanish".  Then I get that look of blank disbelief from everyone of them, like they know I am full Mexican and there is no way I don't know Spanish.  I always get asked how I grew up with bilingual parents and never learned the language.  I just say that my parents didn't want to teach me, so that they could talk in front of my sister and I without us knowing what they were talking about.  I'm sure it came in especially handy during Christmas time.  Eventually I started picking up a few words here and there, and then could decipher what they were talking about.  Maybe I should never have let them known that I knew enough, because I could have found out all my gifts in advance.  It's more fun being surprised anyways and it was worth seeing the surprised look on my parents face when they found out I could understand enough of what they were saying.  So, now I need to learn enough to be able to communicate with my grandparents.  I still have three grandparents alive and I want to make the most of what little time we have left on this earth.

This Day In History: 1903
American philanthropist Joseph Pulitzer makes a donation of one million dollars to Columbia University and starts the Pulitzer Prizes.

Born This Day: 1786
Davey Crockett - American frontiersman and soldier, defender of the Alamo.

" Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self."

- Cyril Connolly

How do I get a house on that street?

Day Two Hundred Twenty Nine

Dear Readers,
      The Newsroom has become my new favorite show.  Well, favorite is a strong word, but it has become a show that I really look forward to watching every week.  I started recording it when it started and our DVR filled up with about six or seven episodes before I finally started watching it.  After the first episode, I was hooked.  Jeff Daniels is great on this show and what makes it even better is that it isn't raunchy like most shows on HBO.  If you haven't seen an episode or anything about it, it is a show about a news show.  Sounds boring, right?  It really isn't though.  I enjoy this show so much that it makes me wish that I knew more about politics and current events.  It makes me want to be more invested in what is going on in our country.  The days need to be 36 hours instead of 24 hours to allow more time for all the things I want to do, and learn.  Is it everyone's plight to feel like there is never enough time in the day to accomplish everything you want to?  To feel like there was so much more you wanted to do with and in your life?  That is the way I feel sometimes and it when I start getting that way, it motivates me to make the best use of my time.  I don't stay motivated, but it makes me feel better about it when I do.
      Tonight will be the first night since I have been married that I will sleep in our bed without my wife.  Yes, we have spent nights apart, but I have always been the one out of town.  This will be the first time Raina has left me to sleep in our bed alone.  It is going to be weird, especially since we are living at my parents house right now, which means it will be a little like when we were dating.  I hear she has been having a good time and getting to try some awesome food.  You know me, I just love trying out new places to eat.  I am pretty jealous of her, but hope she really enjoys herself.  She deserves it, she has been working very hard lately.  Working during the week, weeknights and weekends.  Time for her to get a break.  Hopefully she gets to relax a little and doesn't spend too much time watching Micah.  He can be a handful at times.  That is just one of the many reasons why I love that kid.

This Day In History: 1977
The king of rock 'n' roll, Elvis Presley, dies at the age of 42 in Memphis, Tennessee.

Born This Day: 1935
Julie Newmar - American actress (Batman)

"I’d rather live with a good question than a bad answer."

-Aryeh Frimer

 He he he.

Day Two Hundred Twenty Eight

Dear Readers,
      It was a fairly lazy afternoon today.  Other than my three mile run to get back into the swing of things after two days off.  It always feels good to complete my runs.  I always dread them though.  Afterwards, I am always grateful that I went through it and finished.  I almost always get to that part in my run where I feel like I won't finish.  Like I really don't want to finish.  Where my legs feel like they are going to give out.  Where my breathing gets out of control and I can't get it back under control.  It makes me wonder what it is like for runners who are so strong at it, that they don't get those kinds of problems.  Will I ever get to that point?  Maybe if I don't take long layoffs between training.  It makes me think that maybe I should sign up for half marathons and other obstacle races to continually do them throughout the year, to force me to keep up my training.  It is one way to keep up the motivation, or at least attempt to. 
      The rest of my lazy afternoon was filled with a dinner of In and Out with Raina and staying in the fan area of our bedroom, continuing to catch up on Olympic events that we haven't watched yet.  Raina has gone to bed early though, because she is getting up extra early to head out to Santa Barbara in the morning with my sister Yoli.  Unfortunately, I have to work in the morning, so my one night vacation privileges have been revoked.  Raina works really hard, so she deserves to get away for a couple days and relax.  Hopefully it will actually be relaxing for her.  Micah is going along with them, so who knows if he will allow them to relax at all.  That is one rambunctious kid.  He keeps moving like the energizer bunny all day long.  Then you need to watch out if he gets into one of his moods.  A strong willed child that wants to get his way.  You have to love him though.  He is pretty stinking cute, especially when he wants to be.

This Day In History: 1914
The Panama Canal was officially opened to commercial traffic as an American ship sailed from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean.

Born This Day: 1769
Napoleon Bonaparte

"The person who reads too much and uses his brain too little will fall into lazy habits of thinking."

-Albert Einstein

Waste not, want not.

Day Two Hundred Twenty Seven

Dear Readers,
      I am opening up my blog to suggestions from anybody and everybody.  My imagination of what to discuss and talk about has gone blank and I feel like I have hit the doldrums.  I guess it is kind of like writers block.  I need a jump start.  Something to get my limited creative juices rolling again.  I guess I could start talking about my favorite soda, or where I like to shop the most.  Which would mean I would be talking about shopping, which sounds boring to me.  Maybe it might entertain somebody out there though. Who?  I have no idea.  By the way, I would say I spend most of my time shopping at Best Buy.  Guess I love spending money on movies, video games, computer items and other technology items.  Perhaps I could talk about growing up in drama team from my church.  I spent about four or five years in a drama team called Soul Patrol in middle school and high school at my church.  It included a summer missions trip every year.  Including going to the Olympics in Atlanta in 1996.  Maybe talking about competing in high school sports will interest people.  Or maybe my complete lack of interest in politics will get some surprised looks from people.  There is a part of me that wishes that I were be knowledgeable in what was going on in political current events, or know everything about what the presidential candidates stood for.  It just does not interest me enough to go out of my way to learn those kinds of things.  Am I starting to ramble, or is just me?  It really is amazing how a simple paragraph that started with me having no idea what I was going to talk about, can transform and go through subject changes to get to a point that you don't even realize how you got there.  Don't remember where you started.  Just like a conversation you might have with a friend, the subject matter changes and changes to where you can only remember glimpses of the conversation as a whole.  Amazing how poor our memories can be, especially mine.  Which could be another subject that I could talk about.  How my poor memory has gotten me into trouble over the last thirty years.  Which is quite a bit.  Now I just have to remember all the possible subjects I brought up tonight and talk about them in full later. 

This Day In History:1923
The American comic strip Felix the Cat debuts.

Born This Day: 1950
Gary Larson - American cartoonist (The Far Side)

"A man of action forced into a state of thought is unhappy until he can get out of it."

-John Galsworthy

The presidential Civil War hero beard.

Ulysses S. Grant

Day Two Hundred Twenty Six

Dear Readers,
      Here we are almost two-thirds of the way through the year.  My beard is a mess of hair and my blog is starting to feel like a drag for me.  I would compare it to baseballs term of "the dog days of summer".  I have talked about almost all the topics that come to my mind and am finding that my daily blog is mostly a recap of what I did during the day.  Even if my day was boring and I didn't do much, I find myself trying to stretch it out as long as possible on the blog.  I think one of my biggest problems is not being able to do them until late at night and I am already falling asleep by then.  Procrastinating used to work out for me in my youth.  Now, not so much.  I feel like finishing my blogs are starting to drag.  Right now is a perfect example.  I just fell asleep while trying to type this up.  Falling asleep with heavy hands on the keys is not a good combination.  Leaving random letters on my screen to wake up to.  I am going to have to set aside a little more time and a little earlier time for typing about my daily subject. 
      There I go again.  I really need some sleep and am afraid I won't wake up again without having my laptop fall off my lap.  So sleep, here I come.

This Day In History: 1915
A bullet fired by a German sniper enters the barrel of the rifle held by English soldier Private W. J. Smith, who had been about to shoot at the sniper.  The rifle was badly damaged, but Private Smith was unharmed.

Born This Day: 1912
Ben Hogan - American golf champion.

"Drama is life with the dull bits cut out."

-Alfred Hitchock

Day Two Hundred Twenty Five

Dear Readers,
      Why won't the heat go away?  It is sweltering this weekend.  When Raina and I finally buy our house, there will be a requirement to either have air conditioner or a pool.  I just can't handle this heat without either one anymore.  All the three fans in our room does is push around the already hot air.  Watching Olympic events on the DVR inside of a sauna.  At least we got up early this morning and kind of beat the heat a little during our run.  We went out early this morning to Huntington Beach for our long run of the week.  We made it 5.5 miles today.  Continuing to get back into running shape for the half marathon.  Running a solid three miles or so a few times during the week and then a long run on either Saturday or Sunday.  The same kind of running schedule we had for the last half marathon, which worked out well enough for me to finish and I can't ask for anything more this time around.  Okay, maybe shave a few minutes off my time.  That would be cool.  Running down at the beach is much nicer then running around here.  Just in a matter of degrees difference from Bellflower to the beach, it is that much cooler.  Then there is the breeze that can be wonderful at times out there. I can't wait for the heat to die down.
      We spent our evening celebrating Brandon's birthday again.  This time, a barbeque and hang out over at Chris and Kelly's house.  There just so happens to be a pool over there, so it was perfect time to take the swim trunks and jump in.  Makes me really want one.  I could swim all day if I could.  Just enjoying the cool water, jumping in over and over again, and even getting a little sun to avoid being pale all summer.  Then of course, we ate like kings and queens with another helping of delicious carne asada, rice and beans.  Topping it all off with some awesome pie made by Liz.  Banana cream pie and snickers pie.  It really is a good thing I have been working out, just to counteract all the eating I have been doing this week.  I think the eating habits are going to have to change in order for any of the workouts to show some kind of improvement.  I just love good food.  One of my many vices. 

This Day In History: 1908
Henry Ford's first Model T, affectionately known as the "Tin Lizzie", rolls off the assembly line in Detroit, Michigan.  The Model T revolutionized the automotive industry by providing an affordable, reliable car for the average American.

Born This Day: 1925
Ross and Norris McWhirter - Twins who compiled and edited the Guinness Book of Records.

"If the lessons of history teach us anything it is that nobody learns the lessons that history teaches us."

-Anon

In the jungle, the mighty jungle, the lion sleeps tonight.

Day Two Hundred Twenty Four

Dear Readers,
      It has been a really good day today.  Mostly a day of just trying to beat the heat.  Our morning started off with a trip to the Roger Dunn in Santa Ana, which is an awesome golf store.  I went to pick out my birthday gift from my father in law, Mark.  If you remember, about a month ago, I broke my driver during a golf tournament I was playing in.  So, Mark decided to get a new one for me for my birthday.  Today was shopping day.  I spent some time picking out some drivers and taking them to their indoors driving range for a test run.  I tried about eight different drivers that I had been looking at.  Different makers, different shafts, different weights, different flexes and different grips.  I swung so many times that I was actually getting tired by the end of it.  I had a blast.  They have a tracker that shows how your ball is tracking and how far it goes.  It is pretty stinking cool.  After all those swings and different clubs, it came down to the Rocketballz driver.  I hit that one the best and it felt the most comfortable to swing.  I picked out one that is the right degree in loft and the right flex.  I can't wait to get it out onto the course.  Thanks again to Mark and my brother in law Brent for my awesome gift.
      I wasn't the only one to get a new driver today.  My brother in law Brandon came along for the trip and was offered a new driver for his birthday from his brother, which was just a few days ago.  So Brandon tried out some used drivers and found one that he really hit well with.  On top of that, it was only $99, which is cheap for a nice driver.  Unfortunately, it wasn't as cheap as he thought it was.  When we went to check out, the price for everything was a lot higher then it seemed it should have been.  After checking the receipt, they realized that it was actually $199.  The 1 in the beginning was kind of messed up just enough so that if you weren't looking for it, you would most likely miss it.  That is how Brandon ended up with a nice new driver that was even nicer than he had realized.  Happy birthday to both of us.
      Our plan was to go back to the fair one last time before it leaves town today.  It was so hot today though, that we waited until later in the day when it cooled off a little bit.  So we spent the middle part of our day at Barnes and Noble to stay in the air conditioning.  Just reading magazines and catching up on current events for a couple of hours until it was time to go stuff our faces with delicious fair food.  Which we did, just as soon as we got there.  Starting off the night with some delicious Phillie Cheese Steak French Fries.  You read that right.  It was all the innards of a Philly Cheese Steak sandwich put over a pile of French fries.  It was pretty stinking awesome.  After the pile of fries, it was time for a little desert.  Some caramel and apples, with a nice scoop of vanilla ice cream in the middle, all over a waffle.  I love caramel, apples, waffles and ice cream, so it was just about perfect.  After all that food, and some in between time to walk around and catch anything that we missed, I finished off the night by sharing Mexican Funnel cake with Raina and Brandon.  Phenomenal.  Can't stay away from that stuff.  It was one of those great days that went by way too quickly.
      I also have to mention that we went and enjoyed some pig races at the fair today.  That's right, pig races.  Line them up four deep and watch them run in a half circle.  Even going as far as to give them obstacles that they would have to jump over to win their race.  It was pretty funny to watch and made me glad I am not in Texas where you know that is a normal occurrence.  Only true hicks would be doing that on a regular basis.  It was pretty funny to watch, but I am not a true hick, so one time is good enough for me. 

This Day In History: 1934
A group of federal prisoners classified as "most dangerous" arrives at Alcatraz Island off California, the first civilian prisoners to be housed on this 22 acre rocky outcrop situated 1.5 miles offshore in San Francisco Bay.  Although some three dozen have attempted, no prisoner is known to have successfully escaped "The Rock".

Born This Day: 1921
Alex Haley - American Pulitzer Prize winning author (Roots)

"Boasting of glory does not make glory, and singing in the dark does not dispel fear."

-King Hussein

Pictures of the day.

Still in the testing phase.

A shirt made just for Brandon.

Just destroyed these Phillie Cheese Steak Fries.

Pigs a racing.

Mexican Funnel Cake.  Yum.

My brand spanking new driver.  Now just don't break this one.