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!
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Favre and Vick
Brett Favre FINALLY called it quits yesterday. I think. Really, he means it this time. At least he told the Vikings that he wasn't going to play for them this season.
I feel for the guy and all athletes who are at the end of the road. I can see how their minds say "Yes" but their bodies say, "No." My empathy for Favre is somewhat tempered by the mean-spiritedness of this last "comeback." Sure, he knows the Minnesota coaches, but when you've been in the league as long as he has you know just about everyone. And it's not that a 39 year old quarterback is the Vikes' missing piece to the Super Bowl. Rather, he just wanted two shots a year to stick it to the Packers who eventually cut him loose after several off-seasons of him fucking with them with his "will he or won't he" retirement talk.
People tend forget great players' last gasps (Willie Mays with the Mets, Joe Namath with the Rams, Johnny Unitas with the Chargers) and they should. We can't blame athlete's for wanting to keep doing something they've mastered since they were a children. Hopefully Favre has gained some grace about this.
Yesterday, the NFL gave Michael Vick a conditional reinstatement. Basically, he can practice with the teams as soon as he's signed, play in two pre-season games and be elgible no later than week 6 (assuming he's on the straight and narrow). I wrote about Vick a couple of days ago, so I won't rehash my feeling about him. I can see how the commish would want to give some flex to the timeline for him coming back. Without deadline pressure, teams can take a longer look at Vick and their situation before making the decision to bring him onboard.
It's somewhat unfair to Vick in that if he's in football shape and ready to go week 1 he's essentially being punished AGAIN for the same crime for which he's already been in the slam for two years. And he seriously needs the money to pay off his debts, etc. I still think someone will sign him, though for the life of me I can't think of who (hm...maybe the Vikings are still looking for a third quarterback). It may not happen until a quarteback (starter or second string) gets hurt during pre-season.
I feel for the guy and all athletes who are at the end of the road. I can see how their minds say "Yes" but their bodies say, "No." My empathy for Favre is somewhat tempered by the mean-spiritedness of this last "comeback." Sure, he knows the Minnesota coaches, but when you've been in the league as long as he has you know just about everyone. And it's not that a 39 year old quarterback is the Vikes' missing piece to the Super Bowl. Rather, he just wanted two shots a year to stick it to the Packers who eventually cut him loose after several off-seasons of him fucking with them with his "will he or won't he" retirement talk.
People tend forget great players' last gasps (Willie Mays with the Mets, Joe Namath with the Rams, Johnny Unitas with the Chargers) and they should. We can't blame athlete's for wanting to keep doing something they've mastered since they were a children. Hopefully Favre has gained some grace about this.
Yesterday, the NFL gave Michael Vick a conditional reinstatement. Basically, he can practice with the teams as soon as he's signed, play in two pre-season games and be elgible no later than week 6 (assuming he's on the straight and narrow). I wrote about Vick a couple of days ago, so I won't rehash my feeling about him. I can see how the commish would want to give some flex to the timeline for him coming back. Without deadline pressure, teams can take a longer look at Vick and their situation before making the decision to bring him onboard.
It's somewhat unfair to Vick in that if he's in football shape and ready to go week 1 he's essentially being punished AGAIN for the same crime for which he's already been in the slam for two years. And he seriously needs the money to pay off his debts, etc. I still think someone will sign him, though for the life of me I can't think of who (hm...maybe the Vikings are still looking for a third quarterback). It may not happen until a quarteback (starter or second string) gets hurt during pre-season.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Happy Birthday to Me...
Yup, the big day was today. Actually, we started celebrating on Sunday when we took the HB to his first rock concert (George Thorogood). It took him a while to get into it (he had the stereotypical drunk dude in front of him until we switched seats), but he thoroughly enjoyed himself.
Yesterday a friend gave me one of his season tix to see the Angels (they lost after Fuentes coughed up a two-run lead in the 9th). It was a beautiful night at the park (which reminds me, I still have to do that Angel Stadium vs. Dodger Stadium post one of these days) and we had a great time.
Today I had a full work plate. As an aside, right now the recession is an abstract concept for my business. I've gotten 3 calls to start projects in the last 48 hours. WTF? Doesn't matter...I'm gonna ride it as long as I can.
My parents joined us for dinner. Both the HB and the wife's allergies are acting up, so there was much sniffling. But the food was awesome and we had a tasty bottle of wine (Holus Bolus 2006 Syrah).
Overall, a fun weekend. I'm definitely one to embrace my birthday. Besides it being one of the few times I enjoy being an attention whore, it's a good excuse to hear from people and get caught up (yes, I did get bday greetings from Lynn). And, what the hell. I'm not feeling that old, yet.
Yesterday a friend gave me one of his season tix to see the Angels (they lost after Fuentes coughed up a two-run lead in the 9th). It was a beautiful night at the park (which reminds me, I still have to do that Angel Stadium vs. Dodger Stadium post one of these days) and we had a great time.
Today I had a full work plate. As an aside, right now the recession is an abstract concept for my business. I've gotten 3 calls to start projects in the last 48 hours. WTF? Doesn't matter...I'm gonna ride it as long as I can.
My parents joined us for dinner. Both the HB and the wife's allergies are acting up, so there was much sniffling. But the food was awesome and we had a tasty bottle of wine (Holus Bolus 2006 Syrah).
Overall, a fun weekend. I'm definitely one to embrace my birthday. Besides it being one of the few times I enjoy being an attention whore, it's a good excuse to hear from people and get caught up (yes, I did get bday greetings from Lynn). And, what the hell. I'm not feeling that old, yet.
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?
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Budget Breakthrough?
Well, Ahnald and the CA legislative leaders have come up with a budget fix. Note that neither the state senate or assembly have voted on it yet.
Somehow, they've come up with $23b of cuts, raids on local government and accounting tricks to close the gap. Some of the proposals will be lasting while others merely push the problem into the future.
As a Libertarian, I like shrinking the state government and pushing services to the cities. This way the cities can implement the programs their citizens want and tax them appropriately. But, I hate the extra borrowing as that will hamstring the budget for the foreseeable future.
Of course now there is going to be tons of screaming and lawsuits about the cuts. Every government program has passionate sponsors who feel that life as we know it and modern civilization will collapse if it's cut or eliminated. However, right now the citizens of the state (or, at least the minority that elects republicans, who have outsized power over the state given their numbers) have proven unwilling to pay more for state services. This will change the reach of the state in terms of providing programs and subsidizing college education.
What will be interesting is how much individuals and the private sector will make up the difference. Will more parents volunteer at their kids' schools?; Boy Scout troops clean up state parks? Large companies develop more welfare-to-work opportunities?; People quit having kids they can't afford?
I know that we'll definitely keep the HB in private school. And I'll continue to tutor at the local public school.
Somehow, they've come up with $23b of cuts, raids on local government and accounting tricks to close the gap. Some of the proposals will be lasting while others merely push the problem into the future.
As a Libertarian, I like shrinking the state government and pushing services to the cities. This way the cities can implement the programs their citizens want and tax them appropriately. But, I hate the extra borrowing as that will hamstring the budget for the foreseeable future.
Of course now there is going to be tons of screaming and lawsuits about the cuts. Every government program has passionate sponsors who feel that life as we know it and modern civilization will collapse if it's cut or eliminated. However, right now the citizens of the state (or, at least the minority that elects republicans, who have outsized power over the state given their numbers) have proven unwilling to pay more for state services. This will change the reach of the state in terms of providing programs and subsidizing college education.
What will be interesting is how much individuals and the private sector will make up the difference. Will more parents volunteer at their kids' schools?; Boy Scout troops clean up state parks? Large companies develop more welfare-to-work opportunities?; People quit having kids they can't afford?
I know that we'll definitely keep the HB in private school. And I'll continue to tutor at the local public school.
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?
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