A Pretty Nice Little Saturday

Today was a Saturday full of family fun for us. Since Bailey is not attending summer camp this year we are making at a point to do as much as possible with her. So her poison of choice for this Saturday The Explorium. Usually The Exlporioum is loads of fun but today was just sort of dull. Several mechanisms and gadgets in the Body Works exhibition were out of service or just poor quality. I was very disappointed.

There was no special exhibition as apparently it is between two larger traveling exhibits, Dinosaurs completed its run recently and Reptiles does not open until early July. Then there is the IMAX which I would re dub the INAP. Jimmy Smits narrating California Adventures was a snooze. Some great imagery but I could care less about sky surfing, snow boarding or repelling down the inside of a Sequoia.

From there we had a late lunch at Butch Cassidy's. Butch Burgers and Chili Cheese fries. Unfortunately we had to listen to twenty something douches talk World Cup while they watched the USA vs England. Again what a snooze. Any game that can end in a tie....whats the point?

It was then on to my sisters house to fix her computer(For about the thousandth time. No clue what the hell they do to that thing.). After correcting the PC's proxy settings we hit the pool. It was Logan's first time in a pool and he loved it. Loved it right up until RJ kept jumping in and splashing Logan and I right in our faces. After enjoying some awsome Blubbery and apple cobbler my sister made it was then off to Wallyword to stock up for the week and now finally home to relax with a nice Ultra Premium Malt Beverage and a movie.

Like I said all in a all a nice little Saturday spent with my family I love so much. Maybe next weekend family pictures!!! Or maybe not if I come to my senses.

Well I leave you with this fitting quote for a nice Saturday. From Old School(2003) "Well, um, actually a pretty nice little Saturday, we're going to go to Home Depot. Yeah, buy some wallpaper, maybe get some flooring, stuff like that. Maybe Bed, Bath, & Beyond, I don't know, I don't know if we'll have enough time."

Fishing With Momma

Today while getting a hair cut my barber asked me what my mom would think about the oil spewing into the gulf. You see my mother was an avid fisherman and Glen the barber knew this well as he first met her nearly forty years ago while fishing.
I advised him as he already knew my mother would be livid. She loved to fish. She would fish any where any time she could. Me I hated it. It meant every summer I would be dragged down to Dauphin Island Pier to bake in the sun and come home smelling of a fish processing plant. My earliest memories are of fishing with my mother and father. Being on our boat and shrimping, gill netting, any kind of fishing that could be done they did it.

I suppose being forced into going so much with my mother, grandmother and their elderly friend Skeet made me hat the pastime. After talking to Glen today made me realize just how much I miss my mother and how I would give anything to drive her to Dauphin Island with her grandchildren and great grandchildren to fish. I know nothing in the world would have made her happier. She held state records in red snapper, she became one of the first if not the first female commercial captain in the state of Alabama. Put simply it made her happy to be out there on the gulf. She was in a mans world but she showed them who was boss. I can not remember how many times on a deep sea trip On the Lady Ann she won the jackpot and pissed every guy on the boat off. It made her happy.

Oh how I miss her and would love to go fishing with her. No matter how much I may dislike it, it would make her happy.


Since we are on fishing of sorts I thought I would leave you with this classic line from Jaws(1975) 'You're gonna need a bigger boat. '

Teach Your Children Well

Children look to their parents to learn how to treat others. To me it seems many parents are failing at being a good example. Everyone has a bad day and on occasion and they may say or do something in the presence of their child and that is understandable. As Bailey grows and spends more time with other children at school and she comes home and explains to me that third graders are using such foul language it angers me. I will be the first to admit that I do use such language and at times have slipped and possibly said some of them when Bailey was listening but not every day and not in every conversation I have. I just really wish parents realized that when they do let kids hear them saying these words and do not monitor the television or music your child is exposed to that it’s not only your child that affects but every child your child comes in contact with as well. I am in no way saying we keep Bailey from every bad word, or situation but we try. My qualm is with those that do not try at all.

While on the topic of children and parents asshole sarcastic parents create asshole sarcastic kids.( I myself can be very sarcastic and It’s hard to keep in check in front of the children sometimes but I try) If you have a problem with this kind of child odds are it’s the fault of someone in your house most likely one or both parents. If you have a four year old screaming they hate you, they heard a parent yell that at someone else. You reap what you sow as the saying goes. I know many parents with the greatest kids who treat other children and parents with the utmost respect. Those children have parents who care about more than perception and acting one way in public. Those parents are transparent and in no way two faced. I know a few parents who are the complete opposite and are they in for it when their kids hit the teen years. I know all of this a generalization and there are exceptions to the rule that you are a product of your environment but in most cases it holds true.

If any of you are facebook friends with any adolescents watch the status updates they post and watch the post of their parents as well and you will see exactly what I mean. I have seen some over this past year that is just nasty towards others and or an attempt to humiliate or make fun. Some of these kids have a rude awaking coming when they make it out of school. Parents if you are allowing your children to act in that manner you are doing them a real disservice. They way they are allowed to act will reach every aspect of their lives. In School these children will be the ones in the clicks being pure evil to other children. Playing sports these children will be ridiculing those with less talent and complain incessantly about practicing or others on the team. The attitude will permeate all things they are involved in.

I will leave you with this from Chasing Amy (1997) 'Now that, my friend, is a shared moment.'


How about some Pork Chop Sandwiches before you go ***NSFW, and NSFK***

ONE WEEK

So I am one week in on my blog. It has actually been a fun and interesting undertaking. It at times is very difficult not to go into to much depth on some of the topics and keep it light. As the title suggest at times I do admit I can be drunk with negativity. Which is why I started this to have a medium to get some of that out and focus on other things and it has been successful thus far. I will not lie it is still hard not to just make every blog one big bitch fest on day to day life. I just wanted to thank those that have read what I have posted thus far and especially to those that have encouraged me with kind words. It really does mean allot. I would call people out but you know who you are.

I have set goals for myself and this blog and with your help I can meet them. If you like what you read pass a link on to your friends, if you don't like it let me know. Comments always welcome and can be left anonymously on the blog site. The best way to show support is subscribe.

Well keeping today a short one just wanted to say thanks.

I leave you with this.. "Please! This is supposed to be a happy occasion. Let's not bicker and argue over who killed who. " Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)

iFever!!!!

I will admit it. I am a tech toy junkie. I am addicted to the new gadget and always want it now. When something new and exciting comes along I am just like Veruca Salt. “Give it to me now.” The iPad has me salivating. I would use it at home to check email, read magazines (it would be nice to replace the two foot tall stack of Entertainment Weekly’s) watch netflix and just be an entertainment platform for the whole family. Now the iPhone 4G is in my sites. My current iPhone is a 3G which with release of the 4G makes it two generations old. In tech terms that is ancient. The 3G will be able to do many of the same things as the 4G software wise with the release of iOS 4 but the 4G is so much more hardware wise. Faster processor. Better battery life. It has Scratch resistant glass with Fingerprint-resistant oleo phobic coating on front and back. A Sharper display. Totally cool Video Phone with FaceTime. Just Awesome all the way around. Plus you can play games on it. It’s new design is super sleek and totally professional.

Ok iPhone 4G I am all in. I just convinced myself to pull the trigger and get one. Father’s day gift for me!! Maybe I can swing the iPad as a gift for Logan on his first Christmas. That’s right I am not below using my new sons first Christmas as an ploy to get myself a new tech toy. I am sure I am not the only one who likes the gadgets. I am sure many of you flipped for the NES and begged your parents for one saying it was so much better than the Atari. Hell I can remember a Pong game hooked to our television. After the NES came the Super NES. It was awesome and came with a new Mario game where he rode atop a dinosaur named Yoshi.

Fun Tech toys are my hobby. PS3, PC’s all great fun. Thankfully I have a wife who understands I am a big kid at heart. Friends like Predator53, TideRoll and RAS752000 who also appreciate the finer things like fucking up some smart kids in a good death match on Modern Warfare 2 and telling the loudmouths to STFU (Shut the fuck up). I must disclose neither Predator53 nor TideRoll would use such language but I sure would.

Technology for me is just fun, it’s money better spent there then out drinking with friends, or hitting all the social events with people I really don’t like. SO I am all in on video games. But you know some times “Hell hath no fury like a woman’s scorn for SEGA” as even my wife gets aggravated with the amount of play time I put in some days. Well off to play MW2 on PS3 with some of the nicest people (who again would never say the things I say).

I will leave you with this Movie quote for the night. From The Wizard “50,000! You scored 50,000 points on Double Dragon?”

To all you who say boycott BP

I am seeing more and more locals saying we should boycott BP. What I think they do not understand is that there are no BP owned filling stations in our area. Al BP stations here are franchises owned locally and operated locally. In fact the gasoline they sell does not even come from a BP refinery. They get the gas they sell from a local refinery which would be either Shell or Exxon. They then put an additive in the gas that makes it Amaco/BP branded. Just use some common since people. BP didn't purposely cause a blow out. They did cut corners, but corners they were allowed by our government to cut. They did drill at a depth unreachable by conventional means, but they did so because drilling on land in areas where the largest reserves are is forbidden. If this had happened on land the blowout would have been capped and the oil cleaned up by now.

I am not saying not to be angry, just get the facts before you join the likes of Jesse Jackson saying to boycott BP. How about boycott politicians. We don't need finger pointing and blame games which is what the last 45 days have been about. We don't need a criminal investigation getting in the way of the cleanup and capping the well. Save that for when the well is closed and we no longer have closed waters. We don't need volunteers turned away because they are not hazmat certified. Allot of what is going on and the money being paid out for cleanup is going not to the seafood and hospitality workers who need it but to fat cats who have connections with the good old boys.

The above photo has been going around for days, and sure it's funny but just think about all the local BP station owners and workers. Give them a break.

As always I will leave you with a quote from a film.

Clerks 1994 ' I think you can see her kidneys! '

You Can't Pick Them At All.

It sometimes is a struggle to find things to write about and not offend or call out people on the bullshit they pull. So many topics that I could write pages on but would cause more trouble than it would solve any situations. Family and the things they do or in most cases do not do, you know since allot is going on. Friends rarely heard from, you know since allot is going on. It just seems like a world full of acquaintances all with allot going on. We try but what we can do to help when allot is going on. We don’t go to church because many who do are just there to socialize. I think it would confuse our children to see all those people act and speak one way in church then see them later handing in the church bulletin at El Chico to get 10 percent off and sit around and cuss and carry on like fools. I know it would have confused me as a child. So we are not going to be making new friends at churches or school functions.

It’s hard to find common ground with people who just seem to gravitate towards the popular thing, the cool people, and the new fad. I mean who do you stick with family or go off with the new people you just met at junior’s ball game or little man’s birthday party. I guess our problem is we stick with family. Maybe we should venture off and see how good Billy Bob can BBQ in his back yard, or how nice Mrs. Springhill’s house is.

So take note friends, family we have allot going on too. I am sure this will make some not to happy. I am sorry if it does. Just wanted to give a general heads up rather than name names and list perceived wrongs. Notice I used the word perceived because I am sure what I perceive as a wrong to you is a shrug of the shoulder.

We will continue to make efforts to have a great relationship with you all. For any that we haven’t tried very hard we will. For those we have tried very hard we will try harder.

I leave you with this from Fight Club.. “This is your life and it's ending one minute at a time.”

My Wall Part 1

I believe at one time or another we all build walls to block things out or keep things in, I know several times in my life I have done so. Maybe that’s why I have a always enjoyed listening to the lyrics Roger Waters wrote for the epic Pink Floyd album The Wall. It just resonates deep inside me. No I am not drugged out and going nuts, but emotionally at times in my life I have been numb. I have built a wall and someone did help me eventually tear down the wall.

The portions of The Wall that mean so much to me involve Pink’s childhood. Growing up without a father and with a single mother who loves him so much she dedicated all she had to making sure he was loved and cared for and had all the things his father would have wanted him to have. Yes also mother represented oppression which what mother doesn't rule her child at times with an iron fist. Several weeks ago my wife asked me why l liked The Wall so much. I don’t recall the answer I gave but I am sure it was not the whole story. I suppose these four lines of Another Brick in the Wall Part 1 sums it up.

A snap shot in the family album
Daddy what else did you leave for me?
Daddy what d'ya leave behind for me?
All in all it was just a brick in the wall

When I discovered a cassette tape of The Wall when I was nine years old I didn't understand the drug references, the sexual undertones, the psychosis of Pink. I did understand that pain from losing a father. From that moment on I was hooked. Now this Year we are going to see The Wall performed live by the man who wrote it. Roger Waters will perform the Wall in its entirety and we will be there. I hate crowds and have been to few concerts but this one I had to make happen. I cannot wait to experience it and see a Wall built and torn down before my own eyes. I am so happy that my wife, my best friends and my closest cousin are all going to be there with me. It will be one night I will never forget. Maybe it will help break down walls for others the way it did for me over the years. Everything in life can either be part of a wall or part of what you use to take down a wall. This is Part 1 of my own wall. Between now and November I will share Part 2 with you and after the concert Part 3.

Well I will l leave you with another line form one of the many movies like. This in fact is my favorite musical. Pink Floyd The Wall from 1982.

“Is there anybody out there?”