Wow - been away for a long time. Just so much stuff going on that does not really matter I guess. Kids out of school, working my ass of for a bunch of jackholes, etc.. I have been tired and unhappy with work and shit for a while. Vacation in August cannot come fast enough.
Riding has been my only source of stress relief - I am so thankful I have that. It really makes a difference. Plus, My 34 shorts will fall off me without a belt and I am about 182 right now - still pushing for 175 and I will be happy.
Riding has been good - DK and I can just shy of averaging 20 mph for a 46 mile ride. It was tough but it's cool to know I can do it - feel like I bumped up another small level.
I have kick ass farmer tan lines now!!!!!
computer died - using work laptop now - I think it is the heat sync on the chip - open up the case and the damn thing fell out!! not good - I worked on it a little and it seems to run if I keep the PC on it's side (so the heat synch cant fall off.. . hahhahhaa)
Maddie goes to her Art Express next Saturday for 5 days.. I think she is going to have the time of her life there.
Bro in law, Sis in law and nephew were down for a few days - her for a follow up on her back surgery and plus it will probably be our last time to see him - he should be getting deployed at the end of the month to Iraq. As it is now, they will be the force left behind as others start to pull out and go home - I really hope the violence does not escalate.. I am a bit worried for him due to that.
Neighbor kid gets back in November so he only has a few months to go then he is getting married in January. Wrider , he is 20 why do so many military get married so young???
MAMA - HAPPY BIRTHDAY and welcome to the 40 CLUB!!!! Dont sweat it - age is mental, not physical.... just go with it and have fum. I'll buy you a cup of coffee one day for your b-day if I ever see ya in person!
As soon as the PC crap gets sorted etc. I will post some 4th pics etc.
Not much here - just been working and laying low. I have a couple days off next week and I am dying for them - cant wait.
DK, AVman and I signed up for the Amtrak Century on Sept 12. I can't wait. If I can do a 100 mile bike ride - I can do anything!!! It feels good to have a goal. I had not realized how long it has been since I really had one - i know that is something I need to keep doing - life can pass you by without one it seems.
House is a mess. Wifey likes to post school clean the girls rooms - move the furniture around etc. but she has no method and all madness - Jillly's room is a mess but I know in a few days all will be good but good god woman - do one section at a time!!!! hahahahha
Girls both did really good in school. I am proud of both of them. I had twonieces graduate 8th grade and one got perfect attendance for two years - and at this school it means not missing one period - that is amazing although she did get sent to school feelin pretty crappy.. hahhha
My oldest niece wants to be a doctor/pediatrician/psycho/nurse etc. and got accepted into a program at UCLA (started by Patch Adams himself) where for 10 days they follow around doctors, watch surgeries etc.. This is way cool for her - she is smart as chit and all the blood and stuff has no effect on her. In her high school anatomy class they dissected a cat and watch a vasectomy. She saved photo of the cut up cat on her phone.
Finally two songs for you all.
Turned onto these guys by the Wrider - Vitamin String Quartet doing a classical version of Mr Brightside. Check out all their stuff on you tube - Tool, Metallica, etc - phenomenal.
Now I have always hated this band but this song by Matchbox 20 kicks ass. I saw them on Live at Abbey Road on Sundance Channel and loved this song:
It really does. I have been in some meetings where I really see how sucky a lot of mgmt is. It's pathetic and it really wears you down. Hour and a half meeting starting at 4 pm. I wanted to run out of there screaming!! I am mentally done. Good thing I have Friday off - nice 50 mile bike ride will clear the head and heart.
Friday is also Fun Day at good ole Woodsboro Elementary so I am sure I will be having a BLAST with all the kids!!!
Next week is the last week of school - I want the summer off to!!!
Got a new car - but not like that. Father in law bought a 2002 Land Rover Discovery for Costa Rica (he has a place there) He got it for $2800 as it has 140k miles. Turns out to import it, they charge taxes on the high blue - not what he got it for. So since the wifey's sister already has a 7 passenger car (durango) he got it fixed and gave it to us and we will take my super cool Isuzu Rodeo up to her sister in WA in August. It is still in great shape - feels weird to drive it but the girls LOVE it, especially Jilly as the have little seats in the very back.
Wifey has been crankin out some work on personal quilts so I will have many for sale for the holidays (I hope)
Love that thunder and lightning last night??? I love it!!!
Got some good news at work today - followed by the "it figures" news but that is typical at Merc. As of now, no raises bonuses etc.. that is for at least a year I am sure but today I find out that with some changes I am being made the lead BA for all things Mercury First (our point of sale program) since I know the system better and basically do that job anyways. Of course, at this time the increase in workload and responsibility comes with a big fat NOTHING! But with the way things are, I did not see it prudent to turn it down.. I hope to make them pay at a later date.
So I take the good, I take the bad I take them both and there you have the facts of life @ MERC!!!
Monday was Jilly's big number 8 on the b-day scale. She got some nice gifts but I swear her favorite was her 6 pack of orange tic tacs!!!
Glad the warm days are here - time to get in more bike rides. Took our new and only female rider Robbin up a decent climb yesterday - she indicated that during the climb which beat her to death she was think the phrase "F@&* you guys!!!" over and over. HAHAHHA - totally worth it. But to her credit - it was slow but she never stopped pedaling and climbed the whole thing.
Only heard part of the new Linkin Park from the new Transformers movie - it's OK from what I heard - nothing to get excited about.
Work has been crap - so many stupid people who really get on your nerves when times get rough and just make things worse - I totally want to get sick right now....hhahah
All the shows are ending but that means some new one for the summer -Monk, Burn Notice and True Blood on HBO so much to watch this summer.
First off - HAPPY MOTHER's DAY to all you mom's out there. Hope it was a good one. Got the wifey a nice Garmin GPS. She gets lost way to often.. hahaha she loved it.
I guess this was my long sabbatical from blogging - been tired, busy and just not in the mood. The only big thing since my last post was a week in FL. Flew to Tampa Intl and then crossed the bridge into Clearwater. The weather was great for us and the trip was not as bad as we thought.. FL people can be tough....but we survived.
Here are a couple photos
From the VP's balcony
The Gulf of Mexico
Other than that.. not much sadly. I have just been coming home and either riding or just chillin. I think I needs me some time off. Hopefully soon. I think work has just gotten to me again. Mentally tired - I just don't want to think and I am sure that is why I have not blogged. Bloggin be some form of thinking.
Here is a nice photo of my crazy daughter. She heard talk how I used to wanna grow my goatee long and braid it so she got the materials etc (all on her own) and had the wifey braid it for her. She is creative and crazy all at the same time.
Sup y'all.. have the day off which is nice. Got back yesterday from a bike ride in Salt Lake City with AVman and T-MAY. We had a great time. Long ass drive but AVman has 60 gig of music that spanned the music spectrum - old stuff new stuff and everything in between. That made the drive go by faster and was fun as shit!.
We stopped in southern Utah and I saw a real Big Love girl at a gas station market. She had the old style dress and hair just like in the show. She must have noticed me staring at her cause when she came out - she ran to her car. hahahaha
The area is very beautiful and the ride through SLC was the most scenic ride I have ever done.
The ride started at 6 am at the University. It was cold as all git out. The start was only 4 miles away so we figured it would be a nice warm up. Little did we know that there was a climb up to the start - a big one. We were the only people there that we saw that rode their bike there. Stupid Californians.. hahahaa
The ride itself was a blast. About 1500 riders so you always got to ride in a pack - pass lots of people etc. All the streets were closed (due to the marathon) so there was no stopping the whole way which is way cool. AVman and I had a good ride the whole way. The finish was in the downtown area and riding through those streets with all the big buildings and stuff was just awesome.. made you feel like a real pro!!!!
Here is a nice goofy photo of me and AVman at the finish line... just for your viewing and laughing pleasure:
CHECK OUT THE MEDALS!!!!!
Big thanks for T-MAY (merc employee) for the idea to go and to AVman for letting us use his truck. We are definitely in for next year!!
BTW: did you know in SLC at some street crossing with no lights, they have signs reminding you to look both ways and to grab a orange flag from the basket on the pole to make you more visible.... and... no one steals the flags!!! They were everywhere - all full. what is this world coming to?? hahahha
Finally - get the new Silversun Pickups CD - best of the year so far for me - it's fantastic!!!
