He's Back!

Jack Bauer is back tonight! 24 starts it's new season tonight! This series rules! I think the over/under on deaths tonight should be about 10. I really like that they don't interupt the story line with repeats. I gave up on Lost because you had to watch so many repeats. If you haven't check out 24, give it a try. Its not for wimps!

Wanna Lifesaver?

Today I signed my son up for little league. It will be his first experience with organized sports. He is starting kind of late; he will be 11 in March. I am hoping that he will enjoy the experience of being successful on the field. It is hard to beat the feeling of hitting a grand slam after the opposing team intentionally walked the guy in front of you. The only grand slam I ever hit happened just that way. They even brought in their closer to pitch to me, which made it even sweeter, first pitch fastball, GONE!

I grew up playing soccer, baseball, and tennis. I was pretty good. I was never the best guy out there, but I did have the skills to play at a high level of competition. It was my interest in sports that kept me out of trouble as a teenager. I am hoping that this works for my son too.

I am not sure how Austin will do. He is an athletic little guy, but his hand-eye coordination is well…..lousy. His memory is a little sketchy too. I think he may have a hard time knowing what to do in some game situations. There’s a man on first, nobody out and Austin is playing second base. The ball is hit on the ground to him. Where should Austin throw the ball?

One thing that is really cool about my job is that I will be available in the afternoons and evenings for baseball practices and games. My father wasn’t. He worked the night shift for the police department. My mom would come to some of the games, but I wanted my dad to be there. I am hoping that I can do that for Austin. I want to be there when he hits that grand slam, or to offer him a lifesaver when he fails. Who remembers that commercial?

More Glue For You

In previous entries (here, and here) I have referred to my wife as the “glue”. This weekend would be another great example of that very thing.

Friday was my oldest daughter’s birthday. She is now 15. If you don’t know me or haven’t read my site that much, Sarah is in a residential school in Utah. I live in California. Sherri had planned a trip to see her on her birthday a couple of months ago, but with the condition of her father being so bad, things had to change.

Sherri wanted to take Sarah home to see her dad. The students at this school are not usually allowed to leave the property. They can leave campus with their parents, only if they have been good. Sarah has not been good. She would have to do all her visiting on campus. Sherri had different plans.

Sherri explained the condition her father to the school and requested to take Sarah to her father’s for the day. This really wasn’t a problem for the school. We just didn’t want Sarah to know. We also didn’t want her younger brother and sister to know. Austin and Alissa would just think that mommy had to take care of grandpa for the weekend. I would stay home with the younger ones.

Sherri was going to drive to Utah Friday, and pick up Sarah Saturday morning (early). Then she would drive back to California, where Sarah would get to visit Saturday afternoon and some of Sunday morning. Finally, Sherri would drive Sarah back to Utah Sunday afternoon, where she had to be on campus by 7:30pm.

Sherri was willing to do all this because she thought a visit to she her father alive would be better than going to the funeral, and she is just a great mom.

Well the trip went down without any problems. John was having a bad weekend, but was able to visit and comfort Sarah. Sarah was on her best behavior and genuinely grateful for the visit. Sherri said it was one of the most enjoyable times she has ever spent with Sarah. We are hoping the chance to enjoy some of the little freedoms that Sarah has not had for almost year now, will get her to straighten up her act and get her home.

So now it’s Monday afternoon and Sherri is still not home. Did I mention her sister went with her on the trip back? Instead of staying in Utah last night, they went to Las Vegas. So hopefully she is not having one of those “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.” days.

Color Could Be A Problem.

The family van took a dump on New Year's Eve. We were trying to get out of town, but ended up leaving the van at our mechanic's shop. This made Alissa very sad. She was crying, "I don't want Whitey to die! I don't want Whitey to die!" As you can probably guess, the color of our van is white. I never knew that Alissa had a name for the car, let alone such an awkard one. I mumbled to Sherri, "At least she doesn't call it Cracker." Naturally, I got elbowed and was told to shut up.

A couple of days later we were eating dinner and I asked Sherri what the mechanic said about the van. The mechanic said he can fix the problem that broke us down on New Years for about $600.00, but he found a bunch of other stuff that will need to be fixed very soon too. It will probably cost about $2500.00 to do it all. Much more than we want to put in THAT P.O.S.. So he suggested getting a new car. Alissa started to get upset again. We told her that we would get a better car and that she could name that one too! Alissa's response, "Can I pick the color ?" My response, "Just not black." Ow, kick to the shin under the table!

How Is Malathionman Like A Dreamgirl?

I bet many of you were wondering that very thing. How is Malathionman like a Dreamgirl? Does he sing show tunes? Only in the shower. Does he like to dance? When ever there is a pole in the room. Does he like to wear high heals? Maybe if they came from Mocha Mama’s closet. The other day at work I was compared to a “Dreamgirl.”

Nelson is the guy my boss hired to fill my old position. He is a former golf course superintendent from Canada. He is a great guy, and very over-qualified for his current position. He is also very Canadian. He talks just like Bob McKenzie. He does own a copy of “Strange Brew” , and can probably quote the whole thing to you. He even keeps me updated on junior hockey scores, like anyone in the desert gives a rip about junior ice hockey.

While I was out with my surgery, Nelson was in charge of my crew. He did just fine, but it was a bit of culture shock for Nelson and my entire Hispanic crew. They are used to THIS white boy, and apparently missed me very much. I bring donuts every Friday. In fact they all showed up at my house the Saturday before Christmas to see how I was doing. Unfortunately I was at the post office and Sherri was in the shower when they showed up.

I get this call from Sherri, “Where the hell are you?”
Me, “You know where I’m at, I’m at the post office.”
“Get your ass home now.”
“Why? What did I do?”
“Your entire crew is here, and I just stepped out of the shower.”
“ Oh man (chuckle, chuckle, chuckle), that sucks for you.”
“Your dead.”
“I’ll be right there.”

Anyways, Nelson told me the story about how the crew was planning the trip to my house and how the girls were going to bring me flowers and tamales. He was very impressed.

Nelson, “Dude they love you here, you are like………..Beyonce!”
Me, “Thanks.”