Happy New Year

Happy New Year! It is not quite time, still have a few hours to go, but happy New Year all the same. I'll be posting again on a more regular basis next week.

Cake: Showroom of Compassion

Well what have we here? It looks like Cake is releasing a new album with the single "Sick of You". I'm already looking forward to 2011 (That's when the album releases). See what you think...

Sleeping in The New Year...

My Pillow

My wife got myself and her and new pillow for Christmas. Now you might think that is a lame gift, but with things the way they are, it is a very responsible and much needed gift. If it is any good, I will have this gift around years to come. It is calling my name right now... as I'm writing this the night before (12/25). Yes, it really is the simple pleasures in life...

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas... I have a house full of people, lots of presents, we'll have food and whatnot later. I hope everyone has a pleasant Christmas, whether it is for "the reason for the season" or it is purely commercial (I myself like it somewhere in the middle)... Merry Christmas!

Classic Film Friday: A Christmas Story

You'll shoot you eye out kid! This film really is a true classic. I mean, I can't think of any other film that gets played in a continuous loop for 24 hours, can you?  

The Smashing Pumpkins - Freak

I don't know how I missed this earlier, but the Smashing Pumpkins have a new album. This came out back in July. Not bad I think, I'll always have a special place for the Pumpkins, see what you think.

Christmas Humbug...

Reflections

You know right about this time off year, just before Christmas, people start talking about the year... a look back if you will. So what has happened to me this year? I lost Thumper and it affected me more than I ever thought. That silly, ugly, and complete asshole being gone... it still hurts.We really don't play in the backyard much anymore. It is not that we can't, it just seems "wrong" to go out there now.  I miss you stupid dog....

But other stuff has happened. I got a 2 year extension at work, so I can keep paying my mortgage. Me and my mortgage company is glad for that. I also have another kid, but she actually came to us in October of 2009 but she is very comical and very sweet...besides those first two months she didn't really do much. She will climb up anything, jump off anything and pretty much do anything. A strong deviation from what the Songbird would do.

The teenager became a high schooler, though she stayed on the middle school complex. And try as we might we can no more understand her than her understand us. I think that is a teenager/parent enigma that I or anyone else can't ever find a solution to... other than wait.

My wife got bad sick and need her gallbladder taken out right at the beginning of the year. That was no fun, for her especially but for me too. Chasing after three girls is the way to make you gray. I do not want to do that again. Also since having the gallbladder removed, my wife makes frequent pit stops at the bathroom. It isn't all the time, but it is enough to be cognizant of, and it doesn't make you feel very good knowing that anything you eat could go through you almost as fast as you get it.

The one thing that remained the same was my Songbird. No strange illnesses, no change in looks or likes or anything. It is kind of a bummer that nothing special happened to her, but it is also comforting that nothing traumatic happened either.

What about me? Heck I'm happier than a pig in shit. I got my family, my younger brother, 3 sisters and my mom all coming out to spend the holidays with me. I know it will be a fantastic mess, no doubt someone will get their feelings hurt, some may not make it, or leave too soon or whatever. But that is you family (that is what mom always said anyway) you don't pick your family you just have to play the hand you are dealt.

So happy holidays to everyone, I may or may not be around for the next couple of weeks. It is going to get extremely busy around here. And that means my blog will suffer, but I will be back, that or you may not even notice I'm gone.

Turkeys!!!

The other day I was looking in my backyard... and a flock of turkeys paraded their way across my yard, around the pond. It was crazy, I know people who hunt for wild turkey, they have camo and various calls and whatever else... I know you have to be absolutely quiet if you go turkey hunting. Yet here we have at least 30 turkeys coming right by house...

And this is just what we got with the camera, there was even more, like some strange turkey version of the twilight zone. Crazy birds...

Dinosaur

I am just amazed by how creative a child can be... given the chance.

We have here a dinosaur (That was traced out of a stencil) the rest is all Songbird. The "foot prints" and the happy face, yeah I'm proud of her.

Drinking + Texting = Drunking? Drexting? Textinking?

You've seen those ads that say no texting while driving, because you may cause an accident same thing goes for drinking and driving. So I came up with texting while drinking at the same time, because there is no law in that, and it will save lives because you won't be driving while drunk or texting.

You can see from the above picture it is bad to drink or text while driving, it is also bad to talk on the phone or do anything else but drive while driving. A remaining vestige of my stroke, I can not do much of anything but drive while driving. Maybe adjust the mirrors, tune in the radio (at the stop light) turn the AC up... that is about it.

Now I need to come up with a name for this game. One benefit to this game is you do not have to wait for someone else to answer such as in drunk dialing, but you also may not remember anything either. That is ok though because we are shooting for fun, not memory. Which is a good thing, because I don't think anyone wants to remember being drunk while texting. I just need to work on a good name...


Anyways be safe out there. You just never know about the other guy...

Classic Film Friday: Emmet Otter's Jug Band Christmas

 This is likely the only Christmas Special from my childhood. It has a sort of Gift of the Magi ring to it. Each individual hocks something or damages something... in order to get an even bigger reward. It doesn't quite work for either party, but in the end they get something even better. This is my wife's all time favorite Christmas movie... I feel it is a bit slow, but it is what it is. Groundbreaking puppetry methods, I mean it was Jim Henson. See how you like it...

Atomic Tom: Take Me Out

 To some this will be old news... others (myself included) will be simply amazed. I don't know much about Atomic Tom, but I'm sure I will after this video. Watch and wonder. Technology sure has come a long, long way.

He Thinks It Glandular, But Everyone Knows It Is Something Else

Robot Unicorn Attack

My eldest, the teenager, came home one day and told me about what an incredible game she played online. And this is a game that I played too. http://games.adultswim.com/robot-unicorn-attack-twitchy-online-game.html You are a robot unicorn, and you must get through without hurting yourself. It is rather easy, you just press "Z" or "X" and you simply have to negotiate your way through, that or die a fiery death. Also it has some really awesome music (sarcasm). You should try it now...

First Christmas.... (In Bluffton)

With the passage of time, we need (or at least I do) something to mark our way. I could mark it by my critical event... the stroke happened 3 years ago, but that is becoming more and more distant, I'm still cognizant of the fact that it happened, I'm still living with the vestiges after all. But this time I wish to remember my first Christmas here in Bluffton.

It was kind of sad if you think about it, but I look back and then I look forward and I see I am in a much better place now... so you need a little bad to let you know just how good you have it. I didn't even have a place to live yet. All I had was a room at the Suburban Lodge. Which for the most part is not a place I would like to call home. I did have my daughter with me (the teenager... who was not a teenager at the time) who was 9 at the time. I didn't know my current wife, so it was just us two, and I bought I small Christmas tree (I call it my Charlie Brown tree). I had gifts from my parents and friends and I drove to the upstate to get them along with my daughter.

So there we are... having Christmas together, which doesn't seem very Christmasy. I guess because I'm used to big family events, not so much a 1 on 1. Also I should note that because of an incident where my daughter thought the conventional oven directions were the microwave directions, it kind of stunk in there. So we are stinking and opening presents, which lasted about 30 minutes at best. It was cold outside, so what were we to do?

I took us on a ride out to Tybee Island. Why? I don't really remember... Probably because our room smelled bad and I thought what is someplace reasonable that we could go, and Tybee is what I came up with. But it was no warmer down on Tybee than it was there in Bluffton. But we were out and about, though nothing was open, we "walked" the beach for maybe 5 seconds, and we decided against it. Still I remember the time together just the now 15-year-old, as a good time and maybe we were not where we wanted to be, but we had each other, and even managed to have a bit of fun to boot. Would I want that again? I don't think so, but it does put a bit of perspective on things.

Yet Another Nickname

My littlest has suddenly become very, very vocal. We thought we were raising a caveman with her grunts, but alas, she appears to have the gift of gab now. And if you tell her no, no, no... she go off muttering under her breath. Sort of like Muttley... You remember him right?

NSFW: ...If you don't like Christmas

This video is extremely funny and also has way too much cussing in it to be seen/heard by kids. Still it is funny... so look at it from your basement, or while everyone else is trimming the tree, or otherwise alone. It is not safe for work, but again very funny...

Classic Film Friday: Miracle on 34th Street

It's the quintessential Christmas movie... well one about Santa Claus anyway. I mean who are you... or anyone else to say this man is not Santa Claus? The movie originally came out in May of 1947, so they didn't want to come out and say it was a Christmas movie. It made more money than any other film that year. So here's the trailer.

Harlem: Hippies

What can I say about Harlem? Not too much, listen and see if you like them...

It's Cold Out There...

Busy Life

So you see, I went to the parade, from there we went to Barnes & Noble because my wife had a thing there, at that point my littlest had no nap, but needed one badly. she slept a good 2 &1/2 hours in the car seat, and since I am such a great guy I stayed with her while my wife and other daughters went book storing. The little one awoke right as the car door opened up (2 & 1/2 hours later) and we went out to eat for lunch/dinner. We then hit the mall, because what else could we do?

And so THAT is the reason I posted late, somewhat... That and I have way too much "other stuff" going on. Not that I wouldn't say or talk about the "other stuff" but it is surprisingly dull and not really noteworthy. Yeah, I have to slow down this 007 lifestyle I'm living... somehow. Maybe a trip to the pediatrician or even the grocery store could do it.

Photos of the Parade

It was a clear day, beautiful in fact...

She is looking, for the beginning of the parade...

Finally started, we see the ROTC contingent

The reindeer were out, and I forgot to take more pictures... But hopefully that is enough to get one in the Christmas mood...

Last Man Standing

I know this is a bit late, but still listen to this, if you want and see what you think... I think some of the same things, just wondering if it will ever change.

Oh The Holidays

So more and more "stuff" is going on lately. Beaufort's Night on the Town Friday night, the big Christmas parade (that my daughter is marching in), parties here and elsewhere, not to mention I have about a house-load and then some of people (my mother and 4 siblings and their significant others, plus one child) coming to visit. Things are busy. But I feel that is what this time of year is all about.

It seems like it is too much and at some times I think it is, but still it is what it is. And to think of the alternative, to have no family or things to go see and do... well that is even more crazy. So with that in mind, I feel like I am waiting in line to ride a roller coaster and It is just about my turn to get on. Maybe nobody will puke, or not... I'll see you on the other side. :o)

Classic Film Friday: The Vagabond King

Sorry to say, Leslie Nealson died this week, and though he doesn't have a main part in this movie, it was the only one that Netflix had that we could view instantly. And it was his Film debut so you know... this is a film from 1956 and the setting of the movie is 15th century France. François Villon (Oreste Kirkop) is a beggar extraordinaire. He doesn't like King Louis, he doesn't like the kings rivals the Burgundians either.

Much back dealing and side swapping takes place. Which is part of the whole problem. People think they can get a better deal elsewhere and that leaves the king vulnerable. Back to François, he falls for a princess... Catherine de Vaucelles (Kathryn Grayson) and he decides that maybe he should pick a side.

And so (after much singing, death threats, and whatnot) François gets the "common people" of Paris behind him, protects the city from the Burgundians, and maybe wins the heart of the princess?

Norah Jones: Featuring...

This offering of Norah Jones seemingly is the perfect purchase for someone that has everything. The headliners are everyone from Willie Nelson to Foo Fighters to Outkast and the recordings are from 2001 to 2010. Here is Norah Jones and Q-Tip playing the song "Life is Better"...

I Heard it Was Even More on Black Friday...