Monday, September 18, 2006
I need more time...
If some one could invent a pill I could take that would allow me to only sleep 1 hour a day, but feel as if I had gotten 8 hours, please let me know. I just need more time in my days. I want to play with my daughter more, I want to watch movies with my beautiful bride more, I want to play my computer games more. So much to do, so little time.
Monday, September 11, 2006
Saying Goodbye
Last month, I made a decision that still haunts me today. After 10 years, I traded in my Mustang Convertable. I loved that car, I still do. I have to drive by the dealership that I traded it into on my way to work. I see her just sitting there, and I feel like I have betrayed my best friend.
I was 25, single, and just got a new job at a TV station. Coming home one day, the dealership had 4 Mustang Convertables on their used car lot. A red one with a white top, blue with black top, white with a black top, and a Silver on with a Black top and Red interior. They were all program cars, and still in great shape. I test drove the Silver one, and fell in love instantly. Traded in my Ford Tempo, and never looked back. I remember seeing people's heads turn as I drove by. Just a V-6, but still pretty powerful. I joined the local Mustang Club, and did some parades. Went to some Car shows, and won a couple of Trophies. It was great. I got some personalized plates "S1LV3R", added a couple of cosmetic things to her: roll bar, speedster cover. She looked great. Got her up to 100mph with the top down one day, and 115 in the middle of the night, on a nice stretch of downhill road, she didn't even break a sweat.
But after 10 years, and 190,000 miles, she was starting to show her age. The engine was still in good shape. I took care of her very well. But the paint, and the seats were starting to wear out. Doors didnt quite shut all the way, the convertable top had a hole here and there. My baby was starting to fall apart.
Driving home from the store one day with my beautiful bride, and daughter, we noticed an older car in the lot of the dealership. We go to check it out, a 1966 Ford Fairlane 500. It was very cool, and in pretty good shape. As we are getting ready to leave we decide to drive around a bit, and I see a PT Cruiser in the used lot. I have always liked the way they look, and my wife and I really enjoyed a rented one when we went to Vegas The price was good, and with another baby on the way, the Mustang just isn't a practical family car. The next thing I know I am trading in the best car I have ever owned.
Driving the Mustang from the bank back to the dealership, it hits me that this will be the last time I get to driver her. So, I pull off on a nice curvey back road, and put her through her paces one last time. She does great, and we find ourselves at the top of a hill with no one in sight. I smile quietly to myself, and gun it. Hitting 90 in no time, we run out of visible clear highway, and I shut her down.
Those last 10 miles were as great as the first 10, with the other 189,980 coming in at 3rd.
Goodbye old friend.
I was 25, single, and just got a new job at a TV station. Coming home one day, the dealership had 4 Mustang Convertables on their used car lot. A red one with a white top, blue with black top, white with a black top, and a Silver on with a Black top and Red interior. They were all program cars, and still in great shape. I test drove the Silver one, and fell in love instantly. Traded in my Ford Tempo, and never looked back. I remember seeing people's heads turn as I drove by. Just a V-6, but still pretty powerful. I joined the local Mustang Club, and did some parades. Went to some Car shows, and won a couple of Trophies. It was great. I got some personalized plates "S1LV3R", added a couple of cosmetic things to her: roll bar, speedster cover. She looked great. Got her up to 100mph with the top down one day, and 115 in the middle of the night, on a nice stretch of downhill road, she didn't even break a sweat.
But after 10 years, and 190,000 miles, she was starting to show her age. The engine was still in good shape. I took care of her very well. But the paint, and the seats were starting to wear out. Doors didnt quite shut all the way, the convertable top had a hole here and there. My baby was starting to fall apart.
Driving home from the store one day with my beautiful bride, and daughter, we noticed an older car in the lot of the dealership. We go to check it out, a 1966 Ford Fairlane 500. It was very cool, and in pretty good shape. As we are getting ready to leave we decide to drive around a bit, and I see a PT Cruiser in the used lot. I have always liked the way they look, and my wife and I really enjoyed a rented one when we went to Vegas The price was good, and with another baby on the way, the Mustang just isn't a practical family car. The next thing I know I am trading in the best car I have ever owned.
Driving the Mustang from the bank back to the dealership, it hits me that this will be the last time I get to driver her. So, I pull off on a nice curvey back road, and put her through her paces one last time. She does great, and we find ourselves at the top of a hill with no one in sight. I smile quietly to myself, and gun it. Hitting 90 in no time, we run out of visible clear highway, and I shut her down.
Those last 10 miles were as great as the first 10, with the other 189,980 coming in at 3rd.
Goodbye old friend.
Thursday, September 07, 2006
The wonders of a 3-year old.
My daughter never ceases to amaze me. Just when I have settled into thinking I have everything under control, she throws a wonderful surprise my way. Most of these surprises are in the form of a question. They come out of left field, and ALWAYS catch me off guard.
A good one came when she was upstairs laying in bed trying to go to sleep. Suddenly, she comes downstairs, and asks "What do Robots eat?". My beautiful bride told her "Gas and oil, just like the car." This seemed to satisfy her, but it was the urgency in which she asked that made it great. As if there were a stray robot about to expire in her bedroom.
A biggie was "Who made the Sun?" Granted, this is a fairly easy question to answer, but the thing that leaves me bewildered is how did she get TO that question. What was she contemplating? Better yet, was she contemplating??
Getting her ready for a bath one day, and she asks me to take a bath with her. I accept her challenge. We are splashing each other and playing with squirt guns, when my wife checks in on us and asked me, "Why are you wearing your bathing suit?"
There are some questions that I just don't want to answer right now...
A good one came when she was upstairs laying in bed trying to go to sleep. Suddenly, she comes downstairs, and asks "What do Robots eat?". My beautiful bride told her "Gas and oil, just like the car." This seemed to satisfy her, but it was the urgency in which she asked that made it great. As if there were a stray robot about to expire in her bedroom.
A biggie was "Who made the Sun?" Granted, this is a fairly easy question to answer, but the thing that leaves me bewildered is how did she get TO that question. What was she contemplating? Better yet, was she contemplating??
Getting her ready for a bath one day, and she asks me to take a bath with her. I accept her challenge. We are splashing each other and playing with squirt guns, when my wife checks in on us and asked me, "Why are you wearing your bathing suit?"
There are some questions that I just don't want to answer right now...
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
A Nice Crazy Weekend
The Good:
My family and I had a nice weekend, thanks for asking. Satuday was spent in the garage, cleaning and organizing. Sunday was housework, and going to see my parents. Which turned into dinner, which is always nice, and greatly appreciated. Sunday night was spent playing games on the computer, which is always nice, and greatly appreciated. Monday was housework, and laundry, which my beautiful bride thought was nice, and greatly appreciated. We went to her Mom's and met the new puppy. My daughter enjoyed playing with the dogs, and that was nice. The wife and I watch a semi-funny movie, and then had a nice long talk about problems some friends are having. She thanked me for being so nice, and told me I was appreciated.
The Bad:
My brother's (ex)wife is crazy, and obviously cares about nothing but herself. My wife's Step-Grandfather had a stroke and fell. He was rushed to the hospital, the doctors worked like crazy, but he passed away the next evening. My Wife's work has been crazy, and my daughter isn't helping the situation. Some good friends are going through a VERY crazy time in their relationship. This is driving my wife crazy.
My family and I had a nice weekend, thanks for asking. Satuday was spent in the garage, cleaning and organizing. Sunday was housework, and going to see my parents. Which turned into dinner, which is always nice, and greatly appreciated. Sunday night was spent playing games on the computer, which is always nice, and greatly appreciated. Monday was housework, and laundry, which my beautiful bride thought was nice, and greatly appreciated. We went to her Mom's and met the new puppy. My daughter enjoyed playing with the dogs, and that was nice. The wife and I watch a semi-funny movie, and then had a nice long talk about problems some friends are having. She thanked me for being so nice, and told me I was appreciated.
The Bad:
My brother's (ex)wife is crazy, and obviously cares about nothing but herself. My wife's Step-Grandfather had a stroke and fell. He was rushed to the hospital, the doctors worked like crazy, but he passed away the next evening. My Wife's work has been crazy, and my daughter isn't helping the situation. Some good friends are going through a VERY crazy time in their relationship. This is driving my wife crazy.
Friday, September 01, 2006
Where to start
Well, I have been sitting here for about 20 minutes trying to decide what I want to start my blog career off with. I don't want to do the "standard" I am blah blah years old, I have blah blah, and enjoy blahing. What do I want this blog to be? Should I post about stuff I like? Things I think are funny? who knows? I will just start posting like I have been doing this for years...
I can't stop thinking about old video games. I really want to build a MAME Cabinet, so I can play all the old classics the way they were (kinda) meant to be played. For my birthday, my beautiful bride took me to an arcade here in town called "1984". $5 at the door, lets you play all you want. All games are free play, except for pinball which is only a quarter to help keep them maintained. I was 14 years old again. I walked around the place first, just laughing, pointing, and saying "Oh, man! (Insert Video Game Title here)!". Asteroids, Ms. Pac-Man, Battlezone, DigDug, Pole Position, Tempest, Gorf, and many more. I decided to check out the High Score board, to see what was in reach. Asteroids - 26,000. "I can beat that!", I think to myself. Started the game, and was transported back to the Bowling Alley I grew up next to in Kansas City. The arcade in that bowling alley is the thing I remember most about playing games. Dark room, music playing overhead, and the sounds of all the machines. It all came back to me in a rush. The controls were lower than I remembered, and I kept bumping my head on the Marquee. But the sounds, the music, the flashing screens... Heaven. I spent the next 3 hours, just giggling. With a stupid grin on my face, that didn't go away for days.
I did beat the Asteroids High Score, nearly doubled it. I got a free pass, and a button stating " I beat your High Score - 1984 Hall of Fame". I talked to one of the owners, and found out that the high score board had recently been "reset". So, my accomplishment wasn't that great after hearing the previous score was in the 300,o00 range.
Oh well, for one night, I was king of the Bowling Alley again.
I can't stop thinking about old video games. I really want to build a MAME Cabinet, so I can play all the old classics the way they were (kinda) meant to be played. For my birthday, my beautiful bride took me to an arcade here in town called "1984". $5 at the door, lets you play all you want. All games are free play, except for pinball which is only a quarter to help keep them maintained. I was 14 years old again. I walked around the place first, just laughing, pointing, and saying "Oh, man! (Insert Video Game Title here)!". Asteroids, Ms. Pac-Man, Battlezone, DigDug, Pole Position, Tempest, Gorf, and many more. I decided to check out the High Score board, to see what was in reach. Asteroids - 26,000. "I can beat that!", I think to myself. Started the game, and was transported back to the Bowling Alley I grew up next to in Kansas City. The arcade in that bowling alley is the thing I remember most about playing games. Dark room, music playing overhead, and the sounds of all the machines. It all came back to me in a rush. The controls were lower than I remembered, and I kept bumping my head on the Marquee. But the sounds, the music, the flashing screens... Heaven. I spent the next 3 hours, just giggling. With a stupid grin on my face, that didn't go away for days.
I did beat the Asteroids High Score, nearly doubled it. I got a free pass, and a button stating " I beat your High Score - 1984 Hall of Fame". I talked to one of the owners, and found out that the high score board had recently been "reset". So, my accomplishment wasn't that great after hearing the previous score was in the 300,o00 range.
Oh well, for one night, I was king of the Bowling Alley again.
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