I really want to write more about this, but it's late, I'm tired and I know I haven't posted in a few days. Here's the Cliff's Notes version:
1) The root cause is the mortgage problem with the banks. Let's fix that first before we throw a TRILLION a the problem.
2) If Bobby Jindal is the next best thing for the Republicans, they are fucked. He's got nothing and he's a hypocrite. More on that in another post.
3) If Obama wants to get the budget balanced he needs to get us out of Iraq and forget this folly in Afghanistan. Also, and I realize that as a percentage of the budget it is tiny, he's got to keep the earmarks out of future bills as he did with the stimulus legislation. It will restore people's faith in government and get some of the McCain voters off of his ass.
NZS2, the HB and I are doing the bachelor thing. Salmon tonight, shrimp and pasta tomorrow. Woot!
Showing posts with label Bachelor Days. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bachelor Days. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Friday, October 24, 2008
Hookey Day
The HB and I made it to the golf course today. It was a short, nine-hole par-3, hard against the freeway. He was psyched as he had a new bag of clubs (well, new to him, I got them from a buddy who used them when teaching his son to play) and got to play of a "real" course. He seemed to have a good time and was hitting the ball better until he got a blister on his right hand (which is odd since he's a right handed golfer). So, I wrapped up the last few holes and we got him a golf glove later in the day.
Since the NZS wasn't suiting up tonight, we didn't go to his school's football game (which they won). Rather, we grabbed some dinner and went to the LA County Museum of Art, where they have jazz on Friday nights. It wasn't until we saw the banners than I remembered there was an exhibit of Vanity Fair covers. I figured this would be a good diversion for the HB (he'd recognize at least some of them) as there was not way he was going to sit for the music for more than 30 min at a time.
So, we listened to a set and checked out the exhibit. I promised him I would tell him who all the famous people were. Most were pretty easy, and there were a few "teaching" moments, like when we came across photos of Jesse Owens and Ernest Hemmingway. We listened to a bit more music, then grabbed one of the to-die-for brownies (for the wife after she got home, of course) and headed home.
Sleeping in tomorrow would be nice, but I'm not holding my breath.
Since the NZS wasn't suiting up tonight, we didn't go to his school's football game (which they won). Rather, we grabbed some dinner and went to the LA County Museum of Art, where they have jazz on Friday nights. It wasn't until we saw the banners than I remembered there was an exhibit of Vanity Fair covers. I figured this would be a good diversion for the HB (he'd recognize at least some of them) as there was not way he was going to sit for the music for more than 30 min at a time.
So, we listened to a set and checked out the exhibit. I promised him I would tell him who all the famous people were. Most were pretty easy, and there were a few "teaching" moments, like when we came across photos of Jesse Owens and Ernest Hemmingway. We listened to a bit more music, then grabbed one of the to-die-for brownies (for the wife after she got home, of course) and headed home.
Sleeping in tomorrow would be nice, but I'm not holding my breath.
More Bachelor Days
The wife's been out of town the last couple of days (she gets back tonight) and the HB, NZS and I have been making the most of it. Catching both World Series games (can someone tell me what happened to the Phillies hitting with runners on base?) and enjoying seafood extravaganzas (grilled salmon with ginger, cumin and garlic last night), etc.
The NZS has tendonosis in his knee, so I think his short-lived high school football career is over. Not because the injury is serious, but because soccer is really his sport and he'll want to get physical therapy and rest it for that season.
To take advantage of a day off, I promised the HB that I'd take him golfing for the first time. We've gone to the driving range a few times and he seems excited about getting on a real (par 3) course. If he likes it, then he'll get to enjoy the lifetime of frustration that is the game of golf.
The NZS has tendonosis in his knee, so I think his short-lived high school football career is over. Not because the injury is serious, but because soccer is really his sport and he'll want to get physical therapy and rest it for that season.
To take advantage of a day off, I promised the HB that I'd take him golfing for the first time. We've gone to the driving range a few times and he seems excited about getting on a real (par 3) course. If he likes it, then he'll get to enjoy the lifetime of frustration that is the game of golf.
Friday, May 23, 2008
Freak Storm
The HB and I are doing the bachelor thing through Saturday as my wife hopped on a flight to Chicago yesterday morning. After I picked him up from school, he did his homework, etc., and then we went to local event. The event was partially a "taste of" with lots of great food and partially an expo of local businesses and non-profits. Some of the exhibits were indoors, other outdoors. Then, something bizarre happened....
It RAINED.
OK, those of you who read this who don't live in SoCal are thinking, "Umb, yeah, that does happen, y'know." What you don't understand is that it almost NEVER rains here between April 15 and October 15. It's just the the law. The fact that it was a late afternoon sun shower made it even weirder. The storm lasted about 20 minutes and wasn't that big of a deal (though, it led to mudslides in recently burned areas).
Tonight, the HB and I will indulge ourselves in seafood stir-fry and the Laker game. I cannot wait.
It RAINED.
OK, those of you who read this who don't live in SoCal are thinking, "Umb, yeah, that does happen, y'know." What you don't understand is that it almost NEVER rains here between April 15 and October 15. It's just the the law. The fact that it was a late afternoon sun shower made it even weirder. The storm lasted about 20 minutes and wasn't that big of a deal (though, it led to mudslides in recently burned areas).
Tonight, the HB and I will indulge ourselves in seafood stir-fry and the Laker game. I cannot wait.
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Bachelor Party Review
Before getting to last night's festivities, a quick health update. The wound is doing much better. I changed the dressing yesterday afternoon and nothing looked hideous. It felt really good to get that big thing off and replace it with something lighter. I didn't feel the need to take any Tylenol until around 2pm. I slept well last night and the swelling has gone down considerably.
Last night was a blast. I picked up my buddy Joe and we met up with a few other guys at what would be the last stop (we essentially made a cricle) at 2 pm. The best man's wife drove us to the official first stop and we were drinking beers by 3. As one dude said, you can't drink all day unless you start early. I had decided before leaving my house that I would NOT be staying at the hotel, so I made sure that I ate something at each stop and had a least one diet coke to go with my beers. That plan worked well as I didn't get drunk (though kept a good steady buzz) and was more than sober enough to drive Joe and myself home.
It was a good group of guys, many of whom I hadn't met before. We had a bus take us from place to place (we went to 5 different micoro-breweries) and had some growlers of good beer while traveling from bar to bar. Joe, being Mr. Life of the Party, gave us all 'frat' names which he wrote on our cups. Due to circumstances, I was Fuck Face. One guy, who initially gave some bad directions to the driver (but was pretty good after that) was Shit For Brains, which we chanted each time he talked to her after that. It was that kind of night.
A few people bought shots for the guest of honor, which turned out to be a bad thing as he ended up puking by around 8 when we got to the fourth place. By that time we were close enough to the hotel for the bus to drop him and the best man off there. The rest of us hung there and then the last stop until about 10. This worked out well in that we had an 8 hour party and I was still in good shape to make it home by a little after 11.
I hear the HB and my nephew stirring, so I'm gonna head downstairs now. Have a good Sunday.
Last night was a blast. I picked up my buddy Joe and we met up with a few other guys at what would be the last stop (we essentially made a cricle) at 2 pm. The best man's wife drove us to the official first stop and we were drinking beers by 3. As one dude said, you can't drink all day unless you start early. I had decided before leaving my house that I would NOT be staying at the hotel, so I made sure that I ate something at each stop and had a least one diet coke to go with my beers. That plan worked well as I didn't get drunk (though kept a good steady buzz) and was more than sober enough to drive Joe and myself home.
It was a good group of guys, many of whom I hadn't met before. We had a bus take us from place to place (we went to 5 different micoro-breweries) and had some growlers of good beer while traveling from bar to bar. Joe, being Mr. Life of the Party, gave us all 'frat' names which he wrote on our cups. Due to circumstances, I was Fuck Face. One guy, who initially gave some bad directions to the driver (but was pretty good after that) was Shit For Brains, which we chanted each time he talked to her after that. It was that kind of night.
A few people bought shots for the guest of honor, which turned out to be a bad thing as he ended up puking by around 8 when we got to the fourth place. By that time we were close enough to the hotel for the bus to drop him and the best man off there. The rest of us hung there and then the last stop until about 10. This worked out well in that we had an 8 hour party and I was still in good shape to make it home by a little after 11.
I hear the HB and my nephew stirring, so I'm gonna head downstairs now. Have a good Sunday.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
End of Bachelor Week...Or Is It?
The one day per week that I normally pick up the HB we try to do something special, or, as we call it, go on an adventure. Unfortunately, when that day moved to Wednesday it meant that we couldn't go to the LA County Museum of Art as that is the day it is closed. So, today we relived old times by going. Even better, the new BCAM wing is now open.
I've never been a big believer in taking the HB to a museum so he'll be "exposed" to art. Rather, I look for exhibits that he can relate to. I won't walk him through hallways of virgin mary paintings or Monet's cathedrals and haystacks (no matter how much I love them) because he'll just be bored.
I think like most kids he's drawn to the bright colors of modern art. When we go into a gallery I'll let him walk ahead and see what he goes to. Sometimes it's Picassos, but today it was Koons (because we could make funny faces in the reflections) and some Lichtenstein (because they looked like cartoons). It gave us a chance to have a conversation about art and artists and make some jokes. For instance, when the nephew was really young he would give me and my wife his scribbles. Whenever we saw some abstract art we would look at each other and say, "Nephew Art." When I mentioned this to him while we were looking at some paintings without identifiable subjects he thought it was HILARIOUS.
The ground floor has a great Serra installation. Besides the hugeness of it (something else that appeals to kids) it was cool to walk (OK, run) through it and hear the different echoes.
Tomorrow my wife comes home, though I don't exactly know when yet. It depends on her meeting schedule in the morning. However, she won't get back until after my surgery (I'll post about that separately). Her return is NOT the end of bachelor week as a buddy of mine is having his bachelor party Saturday night. Woot!
Best I can tell is that about 10 of us are going to meet up near his place at about 1:30 pm on Saturday where he or his best man have already reserved us a few hotel rooms and a bus to drive us around to all of his favorite bars in SoCal then back to the hotel. As far as I know, no strippers have been hired for the evening nor are any such clubs on the itinerary. I'm ambivalent about this. Going to strip clubs was never one of my favorite things to do, but it doesn't seem like a bachelor party without making the obligatory stop at one. Then when one considers that many of the women at the clubs or who we could hire for a private party would be young enough to be my daughter, it just gets down right creepy.
After filling my wife in on the general plan, especially the, "I'm not coming home on Saturday night" part she says, "Well, you should check with the doctor to see if you can drink this weekend." Hahahahha. Since I'm just getting a local, I'm thinking it's not a problem.
I've never been a big believer in taking the HB to a museum so he'll be "exposed" to art. Rather, I look for exhibits that he can relate to. I won't walk him through hallways of virgin mary paintings or Monet's cathedrals and haystacks (no matter how much I love them) because he'll just be bored.
I think like most kids he's drawn to the bright colors of modern art. When we go into a gallery I'll let him walk ahead and see what he goes to. Sometimes it's Picassos, but today it was Koons (because we could make funny faces in the reflections) and some Lichtenstein (because they looked like cartoons). It gave us a chance to have a conversation about art and artists and make some jokes. For instance, when the nephew was really young he would give me and my wife his scribbles. Whenever we saw some abstract art we would look at each other and say, "Nephew Art." When I mentioned this to him while we were looking at some paintings without identifiable subjects he thought it was HILARIOUS.
The ground floor has a great Serra installation. Besides the hugeness of it (something else that appeals to kids) it was cool to walk (OK, run) through it and hear the different echoes.
Tomorrow my wife comes home, though I don't exactly know when yet. It depends on her meeting schedule in the morning. However, she won't get back until after my surgery (I'll post about that separately). Her return is NOT the end of bachelor week as a buddy of mine is having his bachelor party Saturday night. Woot!
Best I can tell is that about 10 of us are going to meet up near his place at about 1:30 pm on Saturday where he or his best man have already reserved us a few hotel rooms and a bus to drive us around to all of his favorite bars in SoCal then back to the hotel. As far as I know, no strippers have been hired for the evening nor are any such clubs on the itinerary. I'm ambivalent about this. Going to strip clubs was never one of my favorite things to do, but it doesn't seem like a bachelor party without making the obligatory stop at one. Then when one considers that many of the women at the clubs or who we could hire for a private party would be young enough to be my daughter, it just gets down right creepy.
After filling my wife in on the general plan, especially the, "I'm not coming home on Saturday night" part she says, "Well, you should check with the doctor to see if you can drink this weekend." Hahahahha. Since I'm just getting a local, I'm thinking it's not a problem.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
It's Bachelor Week!
My wife's off to DC until Friday night (yes, she'll miss the surgery), so that means a guys' week for me and the HB. Woot!
So, we start by hitting the seafood counter at the market (for those just joining us, my wife next to never eats things that used to live in the ocean, so the HB and I get our fix when she's gone). I intentionally went to the market that has a good soul food selection because I wanted to get some crawfish while they were in season. We get to display and didn't see any, so I ordered up some shrimp while looking in the other cases to see if maybe they had some pre-packaged ones, which they didn't. So, when the guy asks me if I want anything else I said, "I'm surprised you don't have any crawfish." Why I'm so passive and can't ask if he has any is beyond me. But that's for a different discussion. So, he looks around, doesn't see any and says, "Yeah, we have some...strange that we don't have any out." So, he brings out a bag of pre-boiled ones which at first was disappointing, until I realized that I didn't really have the time or inclination to whip up a crawfish boil. Happy as, ahem, clams, the HB and I head home.
In the car we discuss how we are going to enjoy our crustaceans. Then we arrive at a decision only two boys can make--crawfish and shrimp pizza. We ate dinner (with steamed green beans, so you don't think I completely abandoned all semblance of parenting) while watching the first half of the Tennessee vs. Vanderbilt basketball game (ilu, HD-DVR). Then we decided a jump in the jacuzzi was in order. After showering, we watched the end of the game (the Vols lost...but those 72 hours as #1 sure felt good).
After some playing with the dog and reading Harry Potter, it was time for lights out. I can't wait for tomorrow.
So, we start by hitting the seafood counter at the market (for those just joining us, my wife next to never eats things that used to live in the ocean, so the HB and I get our fix when she's gone). I intentionally went to the market that has a good soul food selection because I wanted to get some crawfish while they were in season. We get to display and didn't see any, so I ordered up some shrimp while looking in the other cases to see if maybe they had some pre-packaged ones, which they didn't. So, when the guy asks me if I want anything else I said, "I'm surprised you don't have any crawfish." Why I'm so passive and can't ask if he has any is beyond me. But that's for a different discussion. So, he looks around, doesn't see any and says, "Yeah, we have some...strange that we don't have any out." So, he brings out a bag of pre-boiled ones which at first was disappointing, until I realized that I didn't really have the time or inclination to whip up a crawfish boil. Happy as, ahem, clams, the HB and I head home.
In the car we discuss how we are going to enjoy our crustaceans. Then we arrive at a decision only two boys can make--crawfish and shrimp pizza. We ate dinner (with steamed green beans, so you don't think I completely abandoned all semblance of parenting) while watching the first half of the Tennessee vs. Vanderbilt basketball game (ilu, HD-DVR). Then we decided a jump in the jacuzzi was in order. After showering, we watched the end of the game (the Vols lost...but those 72 hours as #1 sure felt good).
After some playing with the dog and reading Harry Potter, it was time for lights out. I can't wait for tomorrow.
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