The big 5-0 party went off without a hitch. It was a beautiful day and I think all 103 guests who RSVP'd came. My dad's cousin, who was the best man at my parents' wedding, gave a HILARIOUS toast and several other people made very nice ones.
My mom had a hard time getting around to just enjoying things. Even though she was involved in approving all of the big plans, she told a friend of my brother's that she was in the dark about everything. We surprised her with a slide-show of pictures, which I obtained one weekend when they were out of town. Her response? "If you would have asked I would have given them to you." But, she liked the M&M's with a picture of her and my dad from their engagement party. They came out surprisingly good.
I'll make the obligatory Ted Kennedy comment. The wife and I were in Boston when Romney ran against him for the senate in 1994. During the summer Romney spent a ton of money on ads, etc and appeared to be relatively close in the polls. Then, after Labor Day, Kennedy returned to Massachusetts as Santa Claus with federal money for a new jobs center here, road repair there, etc. He went to a GE plant in Lynn (north of Boston) where they make fighter jet engines. Basically he said, "Yeah, most of you guys probably don't like my social policies. But, as long as I'm chair of the armed services committee, you have job. Will you vote for me again?"
He didn't campaign as battler for liberal causes, fighting for the little guy, or any of that shit, though he busted a little bit of that out in the debates. Rather, he ran using all of our money to buy votes. Comforting, huh?
Showing posts with label family. Show all posts
Showing posts with label family. Show all posts
Friday, August 28, 2009
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Family Justice
I have a friend, let's call him Matt. I've know him since we were teenagers. He went to a rival school, but his female bff (who he was totally crushing on) had the hots for my best friend, so our paths crossed. We became great friends and still stay in touch even though he's moved out of the LA area (more about that in a minute).
He went to a small christian college near here where he met his wife Lawryn (her real name is a common one that has an unusual spelling). They both were believers, but didn't let it interfere with them having partying (though, they were a little weird about the pre-marital sex thing). They eventually got married and pumped out two boys. He worked for an engineering company and she did some part time work for non-profits and did volunteer work. He remained a fairly low-key believer whereas she became more strident.
He decided to almost quit the rat race and began to take over his dad's business in a growing exurb in the southwest. He used his engineering skills to make the place run better. Lawryn cared for the kids (turns out that they both as Asberger's) and helped out with the books.
As she became more obsessed with god and he stayed as the same old Matt, they went through therapy, etc and got divorced. Financially, he really took it up the ass as the divorce settlement was based on the company's performance during what turned out to be the peak of the economic boom. They agreed on relatively shared custody since they still lived nearby and Matt is very close with the boys, particularly the older one. Matt's not a perfect guy, but he loves his kids, doesn't yell at them, supports them in what they do, etc.
Lawryn eventually found a guy two states over who obviously prefers praying over getting his dick sucked. So, Lawryn goes to court to change their divorce agreement so she can move the boys out of state and marry this guy.
As a general rule, I think that single mom's probably make better single parents than dads. 95% of the time, as you would think by how kids are handled in divorce settlements? No. 65-35? Yeah, probably. Given that Lawryn has the kids a majority of the time, I thought that Matt was going to be on the losing end of this.
But, I was WRONG! The judge denied the motion. Now Lawryn's calling him asking if she can take the younger one, she's going to appeal, blah, blah, blah. Well, this serves the bitch right. She's so fucking holy and christian and family values, but puts her own happiness ahead of her kids having a good relationship with their dad. I hope that she writes them nice cards at xmas. Heh!
He went to a small christian college near here where he met his wife Lawryn (her real name is a common one that has an unusual spelling). They both were believers, but didn't let it interfere with them having partying (though, they were a little weird about the pre-marital sex thing). They eventually got married and pumped out two boys. He worked for an engineering company and she did some part time work for non-profits and did volunteer work. He remained a fairly low-key believer whereas she became more strident.
He decided to almost quit the rat race and began to take over his dad's business in a growing exurb in the southwest. He used his engineering skills to make the place run better. Lawryn cared for the kids (turns out that they both as Asberger's) and helped out with the books.
As she became more obsessed with god and he stayed as the same old Matt, they went through therapy, etc and got divorced. Financially, he really took it up the ass as the divorce settlement was based on the company's performance during what turned out to be the peak of the economic boom. They agreed on relatively shared custody since they still lived nearby and Matt is very close with the boys, particularly the older one. Matt's not a perfect guy, but he loves his kids, doesn't yell at them, supports them in what they do, etc.
Lawryn eventually found a guy two states over who obviously prefers praying over getting his dick sucked. So, Lawryn goes to court to change their divorce agreement so she can move the boys out of state and marry this guy.
As a general rule, I think that single mom's probably make better single parents than dads. 95% of the time, as you would think by how kids are handled in divorce settlements? No. 65-35? Yeah, probably. Given that Lawryn has the kids a majority of the time, I thought that Matt was going to be on the losing end of this.
But, I was WRONG! The judge denied the motion. Now Lawryn's calling him asking if she can take the younger one, she's going to appeal, blah, blah, blah. Well, this serves the bitch right. She's so fucking holy and christian and family values, but puts her own happiness ahead of her kids having a good relationship with their dad. I hope that she writes them nice cards at xmas. Heh!
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Sweet 16
The wife and I celebrated our 16th wedding anniversary at the theater on Friday. Well, at the kids theater watching the HB's troupe. It was a fun night as the HB really enjoyed being the the play and he did well. My parents came to the show that night and back to the house for dessert. They left relatively early so we weren't cock blocked. The wife and I will have a bit of a delayed celebration next weekend as we're going to drive up the coast north of Santa Barbara for a weekend of wine tasting and Indian casino gambling.
I got some plans back from the contractor for redoing the kitchen in terms of options if we knock out a wall or two. Nothing big is really grabbing me, though there are a couple of minor options that may make a big difference. We gotta decide soon as I'd like for them to get going on this right after Labor Day. Of course, that assumes that the wife can make up her mind and stick with it, so Halloween may be a more accurate start date.
Been loving how the Angles have been playing. Winning 9 in a row and scoring a ton of runs. They've been coming from behind a lot as well. Now they just need to keep that up through the week and thump on Texas and put them out of the race.
With football training camps opening this week (yay!), I've been giving more thought to the whole Michael Vick situation. It seems weird that there are guys in the league who have plead guilty to vehicular manslaughter who have gotten lighter suspensions than Vick. Granted, it's a different commissioner and Vick was also involved in gambling and lying to the NFL. But, they guy plead guilty and served his time. Anything else the NFL throughs on top of him is just piling on and is unfair. Whether another team give him a chance is a completely different question. There's not way he's anywhere near football shape, and probably won't be for months. With all the shit a team's gonna get for signing him won't be worth it for this year. But next? Who knows?
I got some plans back from the contractor for redoing the kitchen in terms of options if we knock out a wall or two. Nothing big is really grabbing me, though there are a couple of minor options that may make a big difference. We gotta decide soon as I'd like for them to get going on this right after Labor Day. Of course, that assumes that the wife can make up her mind and stick with it, so Halloween may be a more accurate start date.
Been loving how the Angles have been playing. Winning 9 in a row and scoring a ton of runs. They've been coming from behind a lot as well. Now they just need to keep that up through the week and thump on Texas and put them out of the race.
With football training camps opening this week (yay!), I've been giving more thought to the whole Michael Vick situation. It seems weird that there are guys in the league who have plead guilty to vehicular manslaughter who have gotten lighter suspensions than Vick. Granted, it's a different commissioner and Vick was also involved in gambling and lying to the NFL. But, they guy plead guilty and served his time. Anything else the NFL throughs on top of him is just piling on and is unfair. Whether another team give him a chance is a completely different question. There's not way he's anywhere near football shape, and probably won't be for months. With all the shit a team's gonna get for signing him won't be worth it for this year. But next? Who knows?
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Like Changing Socks
Several months ago when writing about the presumed kitchen remodel I mentioned how the plan will change several times due to the wife's inability to make up her mind. We're at that point.
As her mom's house has been sold and we'll be coming into some money from the proceeds, she's thinking a bit grander. So, we talked about blowing out some walls and redesigning the front part of the house and expanding the kitchen. So, I do a bunch of measurements and send them to our contractor (who's thrilled with the prospect). The wife and I sat down and talked about how we would rearrange things. I bring up a few options, none of which she likes. Now she's thinking that we'll just leave it the same size. I suspect that this will change a few more times before we do anything. And we ahven't even picked out appliances, colors, etc yet.
Also, much to my surprise, the wife announced that she's not really that interested in going to NZ next spring. Never mind that we've talked about this a hundred times. WTF? What's not to like about NZ? The plane trip from here is only 2 hours more than London, it's beautiful there and we have a ton of friends we can stay with. I think that I need to find out about continuing education programs/conferences sponsored by the NZ Psychological Society and come up with a boondoggle.
As her mom's house has been sold and we'll be coming into some money from the proceeds, she's thinking a bit grander. So, we talked about blowing out some walls and redesigning the front part of the house and expanding the kitchen. So, I do a bunch of measurements and send them to our contractor (who's thrilled with the prospect). The wife and I sat down and talked about how we would rearrange things. I bring up a few options, none of which she likes. Now she's thinking that we'll just leave it the same size. I suspect that this will change a few more times before we do anything. And we ahven't even picked out appliances, colors, etc yet.
Also, much to my surprise, the wife announced that she's not really that interested in going to NZ next spring. Never mind that we've talked about this a hundred times. WTF? What's not to like about NZ? The plane trip from here is only 2 hours more than London, it's beautiful there and we have a ton of friends we can stay with. I think that I need to find out about continuing education programs/conferences sponsored by the NZ Psychological Society and come up with a boondoggle.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Drip, Drip, Drip
Had a great time with the two exchange students. We went to the Dodger game (more about going to Dodger Stadium versus Angel Stadium in another post) and they really enjoyed it (the HB read a book). I got them on their planes yesterday. I heard from the Argentinian, but not the Belgian yet.
Yesterday we went to my in-law's house for one more "party". As it turned out, it was mostly a cleaning party (the house gets its inspection tomorrow) and a mini-bday party for me (I got a very cool red peppermill). I cannot get over how OCD they are about the house and its contents. They can't throw hardly anything out. My oldest s-i-l, who has the amount of shit in her place normally found in the homes of the mentally ill, keeps deciding what more crap she wants to add to her collection. Stuff gets moved back and forth. We finally put some in our car to take to Goodwill today. This whole process went from 3pm until 7:30pm. That's when went to see the new Harry Potter movie.
I thought the movie was OK. The cinematography is great and some of the characters are fleshed out a bit more. Alan Rickman continues to be great as Snape. But, at the end of the day (and it's a 2.5 hour film) it's a bridge movie. Nothing that important happens (until the very end). It's all about setting up the last two.
Lots of housework and looking for new counter tops today. Oh, and after two years the wife says that she really doesn't want to go to NZ afterall. Anyone up for a trip with me?
Yesterday we went to my in-law's house for one more "party". As it turned out, it was mostly a cleaning party (the house gets its inspection tomorrow) and a mini-bday party for me (I got a very cool red peppermill). I cannot get over how OCD they are about the house and its contents. They can't throw hardly anything out. My oldest s-i-l, who has the amount of shit in her place normally found in the homes of the mentally ill, keeps deciding what more crap she wants to add to her collection. Stuff gets moved back and forth. We finally put some in our car to take to Goodwill today. This whole process went from 3pm until 7:30pm. That's when went to see the new Harry Potter movie.
I thought the movie was OK. The cinematography is great and some of the characters are fleshed out a bit more. Alan Rickman continues to be great as Snape. But, at the end of the day (and it's a 2.5 hour film) it's a bridge movie. Nothing that important happens (until the very end). It's all about setting up the last two.
Lots of housework and looking for new counter tops today. Oh, and after two years the wife says that she really doesn't want to go to NZ afterall. Anyone up for a trip with me?
Thursday, May 21, 2009
My Wife a Cunt?
My wife is one of the kindest people you would ever meet and goes out of her way not to offend people. Let's put it this way. If you got in her car and asked her to change the radio station, she would, no questions asked. If she got in your car and didn't like what you had on the radio, she would never say a word.
So, she goes to the market last night to pick up a few things and comes back with an unbelievable story. She's on her way to the 15 item or less line and this woman cuts in front of her with more than 15 items. Whatever, as she would never say anything about it. At any rate, the other woman is sllloooowwww in putting her stuff on the conveyor and my wife is holding onto her groceries as the cashier keeps running it. Finally, the cashier puts a divider between the two sets of groceries. The slow woman then pulls out out a check and finally pays for her shit. She then looks at the wife and says, "Have a nice day, you cunt."
What in the fuck?
I don't think anyone's ever even called her a bitch to her face. She was taken somewhat aback, but was pretty good humored about it by the time she got home. But, sheesh. When the wife starts getting called names, you know that civil society is crumbling.
So, she goes to the market last night to pick up a few things and comes back with an unbelievable story. She's on her way to the 15 item or less line and this woman cuts in front of her with more than 15 items. Whatever, as she would never say anything about it. At any rate, the other woman is sllloooowwww in putting her stuff on the conveyor and my wife is holding onto her groceries as the cashier keeps running it. Finally, the cashier puts a divider between the two sets of groceries. The slow woman then pulls out out a check and finally pays for her shit. She then looks at the wife and says, "Have a nice day, you cunt."
What in the fuck?
I don't think anyone's ever even called her a bitch to her face. She was taken somewhat aback, but was pretty good humored about it by the time she got home. But, sheesh. When the wife starts getting called names, you know that civil society is crumbling.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Another Shake of the Death Rattle
My m-i-l came home from the assisted care hospital on Sunday. Part of her release was that she would begin getting hospice care. At this point that means that she gets the cool bed and weekly visits from a nutritionist, rn, etc. She's still catheterized and has the portable commode as she's too weak to get in and out of bed herself. As usual, she spent her time in the assisted care facility complaining instead of doing anything to improve her strength.
Ever since her husband died in 2001 she's been in the "woe is me" mode. Her current situation has seriously upped the ante and she's (figuratively) searching the yellow pages for Dr. Kevorkian's number. At this point, I honestly can't blame her.
The wife went to see her yesterday and said she was very clear headed about things (for a change). It's hard to refute her logic. Who would want to spend X months in bed getting worse by the day. Of course, she could try to make her life better by reading, inviting people over, etc., but she wouldn't do that when she was doing somewhat better.
CA does have a weak assisted suicide law, but with her history of depression no doc would ever certify that she's making the decision with a clear head. So, she's going to go on like this for at least a bit longer. But, probably not much longer.
Ever since her husband died in 2001 she's been in the "woe is me" mode. Her current situation has seriously upped the ante and she's (figuratively) searching the yellow pages for Dr. Kevorkian's number. At this point, I honestly can't blame her.
The wife went to see her yesterday and said she was very clear headed about things (for a change). It's hard to refute her logic. Who would want to spend X months in bed getting worse by the day. Of course, she could try to make her life better by reading, inviting people over, etc., but she wouldn't do that when she was doing somewhat better.
CA does have a weak assisted suicide law, but with her history of depression no doc would ever certify that she's making the decision with a clear head. So, she's going to go on like this for at least a bit longer. But, probably not much longer.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Up and Running
After a very stressful beginning of the week, I got my laptop back up and running. Best I can tell, there's only one program that I lost (I had it as a zip file and not on CD and hopefully I can find it on Limewire) and I saved all of my data. Still, I'm kinda pissed at myself. I'm so fucking stubborn sometimes. I could have easily had this resolved late last week if I wouldn't have been so worried about reloading programs. Yeah, it takes a little time, but about 10% of what I fucking wasted with Norton tech support. I'm such an idiot sometimes.
In m-i-l news, she got admitted to the hospital overnight, then moved to an assisted living joint (she's been there before). She'll be coming home this weekend and will be getting intro to hospice. Her MRIs show that her cancer has spread to her liver. Also, the bigger problem in her back is that the disk where she has the compression fracture is herniated. Oh, and she can't pee, like she's got an enlarged prostate or something.
The wife's birthday is Friday, but she's in no mood to celebrate (including canceling her family bday party on Saturday). We're going to go hear some music tomorrow (the HB's at a school overnight) and we'll do an immediate family birthday dinner when the HB gets back on Friday.
Hopefully things will get better soon.
In m-i-l news, she got admitted to the hospital overnight, then moved to an assisted living joint (she's been there before). She'll be coming home this weekend and will be getting intro to hospice. Her MRIs show that her cancer has spread to her liver. Also, the bigger problem in her back is that the disk where she has the compression fracture is herniated. Oh, and she can't pee, like she's got an enlarged prostate or something.
The wife's birthday is Friday, but she's in no mood to celebrate (including canceling her family bday party on Saturday). We're going to go hear some music tomorrow (the HB's at a school overnight) and we'll do an immediate family birthday dinner when the HB gets back on Friday.
Hopefully things will get better soon.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Death Rattles
One reason I haven't been blogging so much this week is that my computer got a virus. Actually, I think it got a couple and has probably had some low level ones in it for a while. I had been thinking of getting a new one soon anyway, but spending a week reloading software (assuming it would even be compatible with Vista) made my stomach turn.
So, my first stop is Symatec since I use Norton. Not really by choice as it came loaded on the computer. The one thing I love about their tech support is that they take control of your computer and do all of the work. The thing I don't love about them is that they only react to the problems you can describe (despite the $100 fee), so their fixes are minimal and it usually takes 2-3 calls to get it done right. This has been the case so far. I say so far in that each time I've called I've gotten something taken care of (first it was uncontrollable pop-ups, yesterday it was Google hijacking). The good news of all of this is that since they've done the cleanups, my computer hasn't run faster in years. The bad news is that between the cure and virus damage my computer is having non-virus related problems.
So, my second stop was HP tech support. This is always pretty hit-and-miss. Unfortch, they don't have the cool remote help so I had to spend some time on the phone with them on Friday night. Until 3am. Actually, before I got on the phone with them I tried their on-line tech support chat. This was an enormous waste of time. The only thing they wanted to do was reformat the drive and reinstall windows. Uh, I don't think so (see reloaded all of my software comment above).
The primary problem was that the system would boot, flash a blue screen error, then reboot. The tech I worked with got this (eventually) resolved. However, in a bizarre twist, the USB ports will read my external hard drive (you can bet your ass the first thing I did was back-up my data again as soon as the call was over) and replicator port, but not any other USB devices (e.g., MP3 players, camera, etc.). Nor will those things work when I plug them into my replicator's USB ports. So, I have a "date" with the senior tech who was helping me with these after midnight on Friday.
The other week my m-i-l was diagnosed with a compression fracture in a vertabrae in her back. He's got osteoporosis, so it's not a huge surprise that she's got this. It's causing her a lot of visible pain, in addition to her other pains, real or imagined. Falling into the latter is her emphysema diagnosis. My wife found out at the last doctor's visit that her lung capacity is between 92% and 94%. Not exactly emphysema range. But, because she all but refuses to take her Prozac and Xanax she gets a lot of anxiety. Which makes it hard for her to breathe. Which gives her more anxiety. Which makes it hard for her to breathe. Etc. In fact, the doc needs to sign special paperwork to get her the 24 hr. oxygen.
Given the situation, it makes one wonder why she needs the 24 hour care, oxygen, etc. if all she needs to do is take her fucking medicine. Dont' get me wrong, she's old and frail, but she seems to be making this tougher on herself, and far more tougher on her kids, than she needs to.
So, my first stop is Symatec since I use Norton. Not really by choice as it came loaded on the computer. The one thing I love about their tech support is that they take control of your computer and do all of the work. The thing I don't love about them is that they only react to the problems you can describe (despite the $100 fee), so their fixes are minimal and it usually takes 2-3 calls to get it done right. This has been the case so far. I say so far in that each time I've called I've gotten something taken care of (first it was uncontrollable pop-ups, yesterday it was Google hijacking). The good news of all of this is that since they've done the cleanups, my computer hasn't run faster in years. The bad news is that between the cure and virus damage my computer is having non-virus related problems.
So, my second stop was HP tech support. This is always pretty hit-and-miss. Unfortch, they don't have the cool remote help so I had to spend some time on the phone with them on Friday night. Until 3am. Actually, before I got on the phone with them I tried their on-line tech support chat. This was an enormous waste of time. The only thing they wanted to do was reformat the drive and reinstall windows. Uh, I don't think so (see reloaded all of my software comment above).
The primary problem was that the system would boot, flash a blue screen error, then reboot. The tech I worked with got this (eventually) resolved. However, in a bizarre twist, the USB ports will read my external hard drive (you can bet your ass the first thing I did was back-up my data again as soon as the call was over) and replicator port, but not any other USB devices (e.g., MP3 players, camera, etc.). Nor will those things work when I plug them into my replicator's USB ports. So, I have a "date" with the senior tech who was helping me with these after midnight on Friday.
The other week my m-i-l was diagnosed with a compression fracture in a vertabrae in her back. He's got osteoporosis, so it's not a huge surprise that she's got this. It's causing her a lot of visible pain, in addition to her other pains, real or imagined. Falling into the latter is her emphysema diagnosis. My wife found out at the last doctor's visit that her lung capacity is between 92% and 94%. Not exactly emphysema range. But, because she all but refuses to take her Prozac and Xanax she gets a lot of anxiety. Which makes it hard for her to breathe. Which gives her more anxiety. Which makes it hard for her to breathe. Etc. In fact, the doc needs to sign special paperwork to get her the 24 hr. oxygen.
Given the situation, it makes one wonder why she needs the 24 hour care, oxygen, etc. if all she needs to do is take her fucking medicine. Dont' get me wrong, she's old and frail, but she seems to be making this tougher on herself, and far more tougher on her kids, than she needs to.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Walking In the Past
I mentioned in a previous post that my uncle (my father's younger brother) and his wife moved into the same apartment building in the city where my grandparents lived. Going there to meet up with them for dinner on Saturday was somewhat odd.
I should say that the neighborhood has changed quite a bit for the better since I had been there. It was a few blocks between the building and where I parked and I noticed many more restaurants and food stores than before as I hustled my ass through the cold wind.
The foyer of the building had been redone since I was there last, but it was still very recognizable. The color scheme around the elevators and in the hallways were the same. The building was financed by the local teachers union and setup as a co-op. As my grandmother was a teacher, she and my grandfather lived there for what seemed like next to nothing. So, of course, there were lots of retired teachers living there.
My uncle's place is on a different floor than my grandparents' was, but the place was unmistakable and brought back a lot of good memories. I remember watching fireworks from their roof (32 stories up) and swimming in the rooftop pool as a kid.
One good thing that I noticed was that it didn't smell like like a well-cleaned nursing home, nor did I hear TVs being blasted at full volume. Perhaps there are fewer old folks there than before?
Getting ready to leave my aunt and uncle's place yesterday, it occurred to me that I would never be in that house again. It was always the central spot for happenings on my mom's side of the family and it will be weird not going there after weddings, funerals, anniversaries, etc. Mentioning this to my cousin, we talked about the fun stuff we did as kids at the different aunt's and uncle's houses. One time we had so many people at my house, a bunch of us slept in a trailer my parents borrowed from a friend. I told her that if this summer we run into that problem for my parents 50th anniversary that her son and the HB could camp in the backyard. Good times, past and future.
I should say that the neighborhood has changed quite a bit for the better since I had been there. It was a few blocks between the building and where I parked and I noticed many more restaurants and food stores than before as I hustled my ass through the cold wind.
The foyer of the building had been redone since I was there last, but it was still very recognizable. The color scheme around the elevators and in the hallways were the same. The building was financed by the local teachers union and setup as a co-op. As my grandmother was a teacher, she and my grandfather lived there for what seemed like next to nothing. So, of course, there were lots of retired teachers living there.
My uncle's place is on a different floor than my grandparents' was, but the place was unmistakable and brought back a lot of good memories. I remember watching fireworks from their roof (32 stories up) and swimming in the rooftop pool as a kid.
One good thing that I noticed was that it didn't smell like like a well-cleaned nursing home, nor did I hear TVs being blasted at full volume. Perhaps there are fewer old folks there than before?
Getting ready to leave my aunt and uncle's place yesterday, it occurred to me that I would never be in that house again. It was always the central spot for happenings on my mom's side of the family and it will be weird not going there after weddings, funerals, anniversaries, etc. Mentioning this to my cousin, we talked about the fun stuff we did as kids at the different aunt's and uncle's houses. One time we had so many people at my house, a bunch of us slept in a trailer my parents borrowed from a friend. I told her that if this summer we run into that problem for my parents 50th anniversary that her son and the HB could camp in the backyard. Good times, past and future.
Friday, January 9, 2009
Hangin' with my Cousins
One of the benefits of coming to Philly is that I get to hang with my cousin. On my mom's side of the family there's 12 of us, including me and my brother. While only four still live in Philly, it is ground zero of our get togethers. So, while most of the mourners went their separate ways tonite, I got together with one of my cousins and her hubby as, by coincidence, they had a sitter already lined up for tonight.
We started at one of my fave cheesesteak places in Philly, Chubby's, then went to the Manyunk section of town for a couple of drinks. It was great getting caught up with them. My cousin used to have a decorative plate business, but gave it up to home school her son (who's the same age as the HB, pretty smart, but has some significant behavioral issues) and take care of her mom (my aunt) who is in a nursing home after suffering a signfiicant stroke 4 years ago. Her hubby, who's a great guy, is a computer programmer. The wife and I hang with them when we can. In fact, when another one of my cousins got married in Santa Barbara, the four of us went wine tasting and were totally smashed by the time we got to the rehearsal dinner.
So, we got caught up about the kids, work, etc and generally had a really good time. I wasn't surprised by it because the 12 of us have always had a pretty special bond. This was the big reason I came out here this weekend. I know they'll do the same for me and my brother when the time comes.
We started at one of my fave cheesesteak places in Philly, Chubby's, then went to the Manyunk section of town for a couple of drinks. It was great getting caught up with them. My cousin used to have a decorative plate business, but gave it up to home school her son (who's the same age as the HB, pretty smart, but has some significant behavioral issues) and take care of her mom (my aunt) who is in a nursing home after suffering a signfiicant stroke 4 years ago. Her hubby, who's a great guy, is a computer programmer. The wife and I hang with them when we can. In fact, when another one of my cousins got married in Santa Barbara, the four of us went wine tasting and were totally smashed by the time we got to the rehearsal dinner.
So, we got caught up about the kids, work, etc and generally had a really good time. I wasn't surprised by it because the 12 of us have always had a pretty special bond. This was the big reason I came out here this weekend. I know they'll do the same for me and my brother when the time comes.
Friday, December 5, 2008
Small Milestones and Work
A couple of milestones at the Wrecker house on Friday.
First, Nugz the Pug had her 3rd birthday. Yes, we had a doggie cake (OK, wet dog food) with a candle in it. At least the wife has quit inviting over the neighbor kids and their dogs.
Second, we had a family game of Scrabble and the HB won. OK, he had a little bit of help at the beginning, but closed the deal himself. It was all very cool, though the NZS was a tad bent, but he's kinda competitive that way.
As I've mentioned before, one of the things that sucks about having my own biz is that my emotions can really swing depending on whether I get new customers or not. It's usually not that big of deal, but this week was something else.
I heard from a company that's referred me work before about a potential client. So, I work up some numbers for them and take a call with the client. Everything seemed to go OK. So, the dude who referred me calls back a couple of days later and says, "It all looks good, I'm gonna ink the deal tomorrow." Well, he calls back the next day and says that it's off. Fuck, but that kind of shit happens. Then, he calls back two days later and says that we are back on.
At this point, I don't know what to think until I get that first check. I should probably ask for some money down just to be sure they are serious.
In the meantime, I won a project that I submitted a proposal for (something I rarely do) and I sent in a bid for another project today. That one would be a cool entree to a big consulting firm, but we'll see. What they pay me cuts into their profits for the deal, so I'm not getting my hopes up.
First, Nugz the Pug had her 3rd birthday. Yes, we had a doggie cake (OK, wet dog food) with a candle in it. At least the wife has quit inviting over the neighbor kids and their dogs.
Second, we had a family game of Scrabble and the HB won. OK, he had a little bit of help at the beginning, but closed the deal himself. It was all very cool, though the NZS was a tad bent, but he's kinda competitive that way.
As I've mentioned before, one of the things that sucks about having my own biz is that my emotions can really swing depending on whether I get new customers or not. It's usually not that big of deal, but this week was something else.
I heard from a company that's referred me work before about a potential client. So, I work up some numbers for them and take a call with the client. Everything seemed to go OK. So, the dude who referred me calls back a couple of days later and says, "It all looks good, I'm gonna ink the deal tomorrow." Well, he calls back the next day and says that it's off. Fuck, but that kind of shit happens. Then, he calls back two days later and says that we are back on.
At this point, I don't know what to think until I get that first check. I should probably ask for some money down just to be sure they are serious.
In the meantime, I won a project that I submitted a proposal for (something I rarely do) and I sent in a bid for another project today. That one would be a cool entree to a big consulting firm, but we'll see. What they pay me cuts into their profits for the deal, so I'm not getting my hopes up.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Got Me Some Mangy Pussy
When my wife and the HB were leaving the house this morning to spend a good chunk of Sunday with my mil, they came across a very sad looking black cat in front of our house. It was totally exhausted (could barely keep its head up), had matted fur and ridden with mange. So, I called to find a shelter that was open on Sundays and went and got our rarely used dog carrier. About 30 minutes later (it was tired, but its flight reaction was still operational), we were able to corral the cat into the carrier and off to the shelter.
That was all well and good, but it put me and the NZS about an hour behind in heading to my brewing buddy's house. More on that in a bit. However, the big news was that it gave me the opportunity to take the NZS to Tommy's for the first time. He's had In-and-Out burgers, but, IMHO Tommy burgers are far superior. The NZS now agrees.
So, we grabbed some burgers and chili fries and headed to my brewing buddy's house. I like dark hoppy beers (stouts and porters), he tends to like lighter ones. Since we were at his house, I picked up stuff for a red bitter ale. I'll letchya know how it comes out, in about 2 months.
One cool thing about heading to his house is that he has the DirectTV Sunday ticket for the NFL games. He primarily has it because he and his wife are big Packer fans (she grew up in Oconomowoc, WI). Since the Pack isn't playing until tomorrow night, he wasn't married to any one game in particular. So, we dialed into the Sunday Ticket RedZone channel. Essentially, on this channel they switch to games where a team is about to score. As such, you get to see lots of improtant action and NO COMMERCIALS! It's the first time that I've really wanted to have Sunday Ticket. But, since it's a crapshoot as to whether I'm even home on Sundays, I'll still probably pass. Even with DVR, I still wouldn't get to see most of it.
Should be a good work week. Finally got some client data on Friday that I've been waiting for and I launched another survey in Asia about an hour ago. The HB has school tomorrow and and half-day on Tuesday.
The NZS is off all week, but his football team crushed during their first round playoff game on Friday night, meaning they have another one this Friday, so he'll have practice and physical therapy all week. He called me right after their playoff game and they were very psyched, espcially considering the nearly 3 hour bus ride they had to get there. He really enjoys the comaradarie of being on a team so this was a big thrill for him.
That was all well and good, but it put me and the NZS about an hour behind in heading to my brewing buddy's house. More on that in a bit. However, the big news was that it gave me the opportunity to take the NZS to Tommy's for the first time. He's had In-and-Out burgers, but, IMHO Tommy burgers are far superior. The NZS now agrees.
So, we grabbed some burgers and chili fries and headed to my brewing buddy's house. I like dark hoppy beers (stouts and porters), he tends to like lighter ones. Since we were at his house, I picked up stuff for a red bitter ale. I'll letchya know how it comes out, in about 2 months.
One cool thing about heading to his house is that he has the DirectTV Sunday ticket for the NFL games. He primarily has it because he and his wife are big Packer fans (she grew up in Oconomowoc, WI). Since the Pack isn't playing until tomorrow night, he wasn't married to any one game in particular. So, we dialed into the Sunday Ticket RedZone channel. Essentially, on this channel they switch to games where a team is about to score. As such, you get to see lots of improtant action and NO COMMERCIALS! It's the first time that I've really wanted to have Sunday Ticket. But, since it's a crapshoot as to whether I'm even home on Sundays, I'll still probably pass. Even with DVR, I still wouldn't get to see most of it.
Should be a good work week. Finally got some client data on Friday that I've been waiting for and I launched another survey in Asia about an hour ago. The HB has school tomorrow and and half-day on Tuesday.
The NZS is off all week, but his football team crushed during their first round playoff game on Friday night, meaning they have another one this Friday, so he'll have practice and physical therapy all week. He called me right after their playoff game and they were very psyched, espcially considering the nearly 3 hour bus ride they had to get there. He really enjoys the comaradarie of being on a team so this was a big thrill for him.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Taking a Trip
Next week I may be even more sporadic than usual as we're getting ready to take a family trip. Note that if you travel with the kids or are visiting family, it's a trip, not a vacation.
We're flying to Denver, then driving to Boulder to say with friends. For the rest of the weekend we're going to be at their lake house with 2 other families. These are all people I've known for 20+ years, including our vacation buddies. There will be plenty of kids the HB's age as well.
Sunday evening (all the other kids have to go to school on Monday) we're gonna start a looooooooong drive to Carlsbad, NM. We'll stop near the CO/NM border for the night. The next morning we'll check out the Capulin Volcano before continuing to Carlsbad.
We have reservations to go on a ranger led tour of Carlsbad Caverns. We've been to some cool caves in Sequoia National Park, but we're really looking forward to this. After that, we'll head towards Albuquerque (with the obligatory stop in Roswell) and try to get there in the evening. It's going to be 3 serious days of driving. But, we have the audio books, DVD player, etc. Plus, it's new (to us) scenery, so it shouldn't be too bad.
I'll check in when I can.
We're flying to Denver, then driving to Boulder to say with friends. For the rest of the weekend we're going to be at their lake house with 2 other families. These are all people I've known for 20+ years, including our vacation buddies. There will be plenty of kids the HB's age as well.
Sunday evening (all the other kids have to go to school on Monday) we're gonna start a looooooooong drive to Carlsbad, NM. We'll stop near the CO/NM border for the night. The next morning we'll check out the Capulin Volcano before continuing to Carlsbad.
We have reservations to go on a ranger led tour of Carlsbad Caverns. We've been to some cool caves in Sequoia National Park, but we're really looking forward to this. After that, we'll head towards Albuquerque (with the obligatory stop in Roswell) and try to get there in the evening. It's going to be 3 serious days of driving. But, we have the audio books, DVD player, etc. Plus, it's new (to us) scenery, so it shouldn't be too bad.
I'll check in when I can.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Bachelor Plus
This morning my wife caught a 7 am flight to Boston through Sunday. At 8:10 am, the bus will pick up the HB for camp where he is staying overnight until I pick him up at 4:15 on Friday. So, it's 28 hours of a quiet house. I'm very psyched.
On a more serious note, Russia has found a good excuse to show its ass in Georgia. OK, Georgia pretty much started it by trying to put down the pro-Russian separatists in South Ossetia. So, Russia decides to, well, put down their ex-separatists. Their incursion is clearly a message to all of the ex-Soviet republics (or those who want to be) that Chechnya was an aberration and they better watch themselves.
On a more serious note, Russia has found a good excuse to show its ass in Georgia. OK, Georgia pretty much started it by trying to put down the pro-Russian separatists in South Ossetia. So, Russia decides to, well, put down their ex-separatists. Their incursion is clearly a message to all of the ex-Soviet republics (or those who want to be) that Chechnya was an aberration and they better watch themselves.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Hanging w/My Bro
I finally got my brother to come up my way from our parents' yesterday. He came up for lunch (we grabbed some Mex) and I got him going on Guitar Hero (I knew he'd like it). The HB was a little bummed that he didn't get to teach him, but that's life.
He stayed for dinner and he, the HB and I hopped into the jacuzzi for a while. The HB really likes hanging with him, so it was pretty cool.
My brother's catching a red-eye tonight, so he and my parents will come up here for dinner and I'll take him to the airport (probably 3 hours before his flight since he acts like such an old man).
He stayed for dinner and he, the HB and I hopped into the jacuzzi for a while. The HB really likes hanging with him, so it was pretty cool.
My brother's catching a red-eye tonight, so he and my parents will come up here for dinner and I'll take him to the airport (probably 3 hours before his flight since he acts like such an old man).
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
My Bro's Back in Town
My brother from Florida is in town for a week. He'll be staying with my folks as he has the extra car there and it's more convenient to his friends.
Hosting him is a pain in the ass because he's so passive. I ask him what he wants to do when he's here and he says, "I dunno." It's the 2nd fucking biggest city in the country. I'm sure you can think of SOMETHING. As such, I refuse to monkey with my schedule. If he calls with an idea, then great, we'll go do it. Otherwise, he can stare at the four walls at my parents for all I fucking care.
We will see him on Friday night. My buddy who has Angel season ticket just became a dad, so maybe he won't be using them for the game against the Yankees. Or, maybe we'll go hear some music.
The HB's looking forward to getting him hooked on Guitar Hero when he stays here. Heh.
Hosting him is a pain in the ass because he's so passive. I ask him what he wants to do when he's here and he says, "I dunno." It's the 2nd fucking biggest city in the country. I'm sure you can think of SOMETHING. As such, I refuse to monkey with my schedule. If he calls with an idea, then great, we'll go do it. Otherwise, he can stare at the four walls at my parents for all I fucking care.
We will see him on Friday night. My buddy who has Angel season ticket just became a dad, so maybe he won't be using them for the game against the Yankees. Or, maybe we'll go hear some music.
The HB's looking forward to getting him hooked on Guitar Hero when he stays here. Heh.
Friday, August 1, 2008
Sticking Around the House
While the HB was between camps this week, we decided to stick around the house. Don't even use the word "staycation" or my wife will slap you...hard.
Wednesday we grabbed our nephew (and the HB) and went to the fair. I LOVE the fair. The goofy performers, the stick food, getting to see what's hot in unwed mother wear and prison tattoos. It's all good. The boys won some stuff animals, we went on rides that looked unsafe (funny, more people seem to die on Disney rides than on carny ones), saw some Chinese acrobats and took in a hypnotist show. Great fun.
Yesterday, we all (yes, the nephew slept over) went to Universal Studios, mostly to go on the new Simpson's ride. It boggles me how much time we spend at Universal because, quite frankly, there really isn't that much to do there (at least the tickets were Costco cheap). And it's not the lines are that long (I don't think we waited more than 20 min to get on a ride). I guess it's because we do some attractions as well. At any rate, the Simpson's ride is fun and not bad to stand in line for because they show episodes from the show as well as some new stuff. Driving home in rush hour kinda sucked, but was made bearable since the Angels were kicking the shit out of the Yankees (I'll have to blog about the big baseball trades soon).
Today, we all (yes, the nephew continued to sleep over) kinda of hung out (I went to a schmooze and then worked in the morning) then went and saw the 3rd Mummy movie. Why they bother writing dialog for these movies is completely beyond me. And Brendon Fraser must be pretty content with his lot in the actor's life because between this and Journey to the Center of the Earth, he's had to deliver some pretty bad lines. But, he can recite Shakespeare under his breath on the way to the bank.
Tonight we're all gonna Wii (yes, the nephew is STILL here--which is a good thing) and probably watch another movie. This is not prob as the Angeles beat the Yankees again (1-0). Having a couple of drinks and watching a mindless movie (or a bunch of Simpson's episodes) sounds kind of good.
Wednesday we grabbed our nephew (and the HB) and went to the fair. I LOVE the fair. The goofy performers, the stick food, getting to see what's hot in unwed mother wear and prison tattoos. It's all good. The boys won some stuff animals, we went on rides that looked unsafe (funny, more people seem to die on Disney rides than on carny ones), saw some Chinese acrobats and took in a hypnotist show. Great fun.
Yesterday, we all (yes, the nephew slept over) went to Universal Studios, mostly to go on the new Simpson's ride. It boggles me how much time we spend at Universal because, quite frankly, there really isn't that much to do there (at least the tickets were Costco cheap). And it's not the lines are that long (I don't think we waited more than 20 min to get on a ride). I guess it's because we do some attractions as well. At any rate, the Simpson's ride is fun and not bad to stand in line for because they show episodes from the show as well as some new stuff. Driving home in rush hour kinda sucked, but was made bearable since the Angels were kicking the shit out of the Yankees (I'll have to blog about the big baseball trades soon).
Today, we all (yes, the nephew continued to sleep over) kinda of hung out (I went to a schmooze and then worked in the morning) then went and saw the 3rd Mummy movie. Why they bother writing dialog for these movies is completely beyond me. And Brendon Fraser must be pretty content with his lot in the actor's life because between this and Journey to the Center of the Earth, he's had to deliver some pretty bad lines. But, he can recite Shakespeare under his breath on the way to the bank.
Tonight we're all gonna Wii (yes, the nephew is STILL here--which is a good thing) and probably watch another movie. This is not prob as the Angeles beat the Yankees again (1-0). Having a couple of drinks and watching a mindless movie (or a bunch of Simpson's episodes) sounds kind of good.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Birthday!
First, something I was going to comment on last week, but seems appropriate now, even if it only appeals to my adolescent sense of humor. There was a big article on how Viagra may help the sex drive of women who are on a certain type of anti-depressants. The researcher from the Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender and Reproduction? Dr. Julia R. Heiman. Yeah, the spelling's wrong, but you just can't make that shit up. Do all the researchers at Kinsey have either anatomical or porn star names?
This past weekend was my bday (thanks to all of my well wishers). Sunday we did the big family party at my s-i-l's, which was mostly fun. My mom drank WAY too much and with all the loud talking and incessant retelling of inane and inaccurate stories, I just wanted to go into my nephew's room and play on the computer.
Among the cool presents (automatic martini shaker?), the wife and the HB got us tickets for the Dodgers-Giants game for last night. This surprise was a bummer because I had made plans to see one of my buddy's son, with whom I share a birthday, who turned 21. Fuck...it was either piss of the wife or break a promise. So, after the wife gave me the out I still decided to go to the game. I'm bummed that I missed his bday (I called and explained), but it wouldn't have been worth all of the shit. BTW--The Dodgers played like shit, rallied, but still lost, 7-6.
Before going to the game, I cashed in a "golden movie ticket" from the HB and we all went and saw Journey to the Center of the Earth. We saw it in 3D, which was cool. But, there's not a whole lot there and dialogs is horrendous (I can't believe they credited three people with the screenplay).
The HB's between camps this week, so it's going to be a sorta work week. Today I worked in the morning and the HB and I played some GH and got some new fish for his tank. Tomorrow we're gonna get the nephew and go to the fair, have him sleepover then go to Universal on Thursday (they boys can't wait to get on the Simpson's ride).
This past weekend was my bday (thanks to all of my well wishers). Sunday we did the big family party at my s-i-l's, which was mostly fun. My mom drank WAY too much and with all the loud talking and incessant retelling of inane and inaccurate stories, I just wanted to go into my nephew's room and play on the computer.
Among the cool presents (automatic martini shaker?), the wife and the HB got us tickets for the Dodgers-Giants game for last night. This surprise was a bummer because I had made plans to see one of my buddy's son, with whom I share a birthday, who turned 21. Fuck...it was either piss of the wife or break a promise. So, after the wife gave me the out I still decided to go to the game. I'm bummed that I missed his bday (I called and explained), but it wouldn't have been worth all of the shit. BTW--The Dodgers played like shit, rallied, but still lost, 7-6.
Before going to the game, I cashed in a "golden movie ticket" from the HB and we all went and saw Journey to the Center of the Earth. We saw it in 3D, which was cool. But, there's not a whole lot there and dialogs is horrendous (I can't believe they credited three people with the screenplay).
The HB's between camps this week, so it's going to be a sorta work week. Today I worked in the morning and the HB and I played some GH and got some new fish for his tank. Tomorrow we're gonna get the nephew and go to the fair, have him sleepover then go to Universal on Thursday (they boys can't wait to get on the Simpson's ride).
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Roller Coaster Day
The HB started watching a new cartoon recently, Mighty B. Pretty funny stuff and I can see why he relates to it. One episode has her wanting to go on this hellacious rollercoaster. That was kind of my Friday.
Since I work at home, I'm in charge of getting all the house and care repairs done. The wife's car's (2000 Jetta wagon) brakes were squeaking, so I took it in. Let's just say that if she came home one day and said, "Oh, I pushed the Jetta over a cliff" I wouldn't shed too many tears. It's got about 100k miles on it, so I kinda figured it would need some work. Just not $2,500 worth. Holy. Fucking. Shit. That's a down payment on another Prius. But, if she wants that new kitchen, we're not also getting a new car. So, I give the repair dude the go ahead.
A few hours later he calls back and says, "Umb...we can't do all of this in one day, can you leave it overnight." I tell him no, we can't be without the car this weekend while he starts making his future travel plans based on my repair bill and to get it back running and I'll bring it back on Tuesday. I'm going to need to find a new client to pay for all of this shit.
Speaking of client things, I get this very cool e-mail from the client I saw in KC. He requested some additional data analysis (no biggee) and told me who I should work with to expand the project, and copied that person on the note. YES!
Of course, to balance my karma, I got a very bitchy note from another client complaining about a project. I, wisely, waited about 30 minutes before responding. The e-mail addressed some of the factual errors in her note, as well as describing her team's contributions to the supposed shortcomings of the project. Strangely, I didn't hear back from her.
The HB had a later theater rehearsal last night and my wife wanted to do her weekend stuff with my mil. That gave me a free part of the evening. Normally, I would have strongly considered a long bike ride, but my left knee's still swollen and the gashes on the right shin still have a way to go (but, I'm getting on the elliptical on Sunday for a light workout, no matter what). Instead, I headed up to LACMA, where they have jazz concerts on Friday nights. The music was OK and I wandered the galleries during the breaks.
On the way to get the HB, I stopped at a BBQ place I've driven by a million times, but had never stopped at. I grabbed a bbq beef sandwich and some onion rings (to DIE for) and watch the Cavs beat the Celtics to force a game 7 (I've got the Laker-Jazz game 6 on my DVR) then go to pick up the HB.
The HB has been wanting to watch The Simpsons for a long time. The wife and I were holding out as he already had a bit of a smart mouth, and we figured a constant diet of Bart and Homer wouldn't help. We told him that if he watched what he said a bit more (he is 9, after all) we would let him watch it. He has and we did. So, we watched a couple of episodes last night. I've always loved the show and am glad that I can watch it more regularly now.
My wife got home around 9, and after getting the boy in bed we chit-chatted and watched the Angels (my fave baseball team) beat the Dodgers (her fave baseball team) then I powered through the Laker-Jazz game while she read the paper. It was a pretty satisfying road win for the Lakers which finishes the series (4-2) and gives them an extra couple of days rest before starting the next series with the San Antonio-New Orleans winner. I'm liking LA's chances in both.
Since I work at home, I'm in charge of getting all the house and care repairs done. The wife's car's (2000 Jetta wagon) brakes were squeaking, so I took it in. Let's just say that if she came home one day and said, "Oh, I pushed the Jetta over a cliff" I wouldn't shed too many tears. It's got about 100k miles on it, so I kinda figured it would need some work. Just not $2,500 worth. Holy. Fucking. Shit. That's a down payment on another Prius. But, if she wants that new kitchen, we're not also getting a new car. So, I give the repair dude the go ahead.
A few hours later he calls back and says, "Umb...we can't do all of this in one day, can you leave it overnight." I tell him no, we can't be without the car this weekend while he starts making his future travel plans based on my repair bill and to get it back running and I'll bring it back on Tuesday. I'm going to need to find a new client to pay for all of this shit.
Speaking of client things, I get this very cool e-mail from the client I saw in KC. He requested some additional data analysis (no biggee) and told me who I should work with to expand the project, and copied that person on the note. YES!
Of course, to balance my karma, I got a very bitchy note from another client complaining about a project. I, wisely, waited about 30 minutes before responding. The e-mail addressed some of the factual errors in her note, as well as describing her team's contributions to the supposed shortcomings of the project. Strangely, I didn't hear back from her.
The HB had a later theater rehearsal last night and my wife wanted to do her weekend stuff with my mil. That gave me a free part of the evening. Normally, I would have strongly considered a long bike ride, but my left knee's still swollen and the gashes on the right shin still have a way to go (but, I'm getting on the elliptical on Sunday for a light workout, no matter what). Instead, I headed up to LACMA, where they have jazz concerts on Friday nights. The music was OK and I wandered the galleries during the breaks.
On the way to get the HB, I stopped at a BBQ place I've driven by a million times, but had never stopped at. I grabbed a bbq beef sandwich and some onion rings (to DIE for) and watch the Cavs beat the Celtics to force a game 7 (I've got the Laker-Jazz game 6 on my DVR) then go to pick up the HB.
The HB has been wanting to watch The Simpsons for a long time. The wife and I were holding out as he already had a bit of a smart mouth, and we figured a constant diet of Bart and Homer wouldn't help. We told him that if he watched what he said a bit more (he is 9, after all) we would let him watch it. He has and we did. So, we watched a couple of episodes last night. I've always loved the show and am glad that I can watch it more regularly now.
My wife got home around 9, and after getting the boy in bed we chit-chatted and watched the Angels (my fave baseball team) beat the Dodgers (her fave baseball team) then I powered through the Laker-Jazz game while she read the paper. It was a pretty satisfying road win for the Lakers which finishes the series (4-2) and gives them an extra couple of days rest before starting the next series with the San Antonio-New Orleans winner. I'm liking LA's chances in both.
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