Principal or Principle?

And for December....

2009-12-31T06:14:00.001-08:00

They get around

2009-11-13T17:27:00.001-08:00

Sometimes when I am traveling...I don't feel like myself!

I don't feel like Gwen either, though!

There are several pics to share from the last few days...

First, who knew?

Who knew Chris was a butt man?

The shoes get around...and I keep breaking rules...

Max made a new friend...and may have ticked off his mother...

MEANWHILE....

Other than Chris' slow adjustment to the ways of the big city, the Tierney boys are having fun!

More!

2009-11-05T19:16:00.000-08:00

It's beautiful

2009-11-05T15:14:00.000-08:00

Sometimes you see something you've dreamt about your entire life. Most of the time, it never quite lives up to what you've imagined and built up over time. Sometimes it exceeds what you expect. That's a phenomenal thing....seriously phenomenal!

Off I go

2009-11-04T09:29:00.000-08:00

Here I am at LAX (which of all airports...this is just the BEST...really! Just the BEST!) waiting for my flight to Pittsburgh! Behind me is the 28-30 year old trophy wife of very grey man who appears to think not wearing a tie with his grey suit and wingtips is a real dip into casual wear. She's complaining that they are not anywhere close to the VIP lounge and are having to wait at the gate ("Right next to the can! It's right next to the can!)

I love airports! More later!

I can't add anything more....

2009-10-25T09:29:00.000-07:00

For those of you who aren't Facebook-ites

2009-10-19T20:17:00.000-07:00

Paula Deen makes DIET food....seriously...

2009-10-14T08:20:00.000-07:00

at least in this contest

Wanda's 7000 calorie Macaroni Salad!

You know...she may be on to something...

2009-10-12T21:44:00.000-07:00

"...and by the way...any involvement in the Holocaust? Bygones!"

To all my friends from South Carolina...

2009-10-12T21:33:00.000-07:00

Miss South Carolina's take on geography....the congressman whose mother never taught him any manners...and now this car dealership...

Really Awkward Car Commercial Slogan - Watch more Funny Commercials

It just never stops!

Jon and Kate minus ten, please!

2009-09-10T11:28:00.000-07:00

My thoughts (and, yes, I am getting on this bandwagon a bit late but it is what it is!):

Each of those kids deserves a loving, supportive home
BOTH of the parents are flipping idiots for taking on more than anyone should. As one friend said on the birth of his and his wife's third child "NEVER let them outnumber you!"
He may be reliving his youth now but after living through hell with her, who can blame him?
The hair (on both) has got to go!

Gotta love Kathy Griffin and George Takei!

This sort of says it all...

2009-09-09T01:09:00.001-07:00

Strange thngs happen...

2009-09-02T21:01:00.000-07:00

So I've been out of work for a few days. I came in today and was immediately in a meeting for a few hours. I finally got to my desk and saw what was set in the middle of it. I stopped. Then shut the doors sat down and opened my "School photos"

Because these were always for my mom, I had a moment. Not bad...not good...just a moment. I think I'm turning a corner and have hit enough of these "first times since Mom died" that I just deal with them. They aren't easy or pleasant.

I get through them.

Barely.

Miss you, Mom!

Been a busy day...

2009-08-16T23:43:00.000-07:00

I've been filling boxes with things that Anthony left at my house when he passed away on June 6. I still have boxes of my mom's things from her house after she passed away in January. It really sets me thinking doing this twice in one year for people that I cared for. First with my mom, going through her clothes wasn't too tough although she had WAY too many. Going through boxes of things she kept, however, was hard. I don't envy my brother at all. He had to deal with so much more than I did. Some things were confusing. Who were these people in photographs or why did she keep this? We'll never know.

With Anthony, because his last few years were so difficult for him there wasn't a lot to go through. However, he'd just tried to consolidate all of this things at my place over his last few months to make it easier to rebuild his life. Sadly, that wasn't going to be an option for him but he was forever optimistic!

So, going through these things have really shed light on who he was and who my mom was, what each of them valued and who each of them cared for. Both them have had one thing in particular that have just stopped me in my tracks and given me a good cry.

Being a principal, I get school pictures taken every year. Every year since 1964 except for my college years, my mom would get a nice set of photos of unphotogenic me. When I was a little boy, I'd give them to her when I got home that day. I was slightly more photogenic then although that's debatable!

As I've gotten older, I've waited til I went home for the holidays to give them to her. It's always been the joke that I expected them to at least be displayed on par with my nephew Max's pictures. He's MUCH more photogenic.

A couple of years ago our school had cards made for the students that had their picture, some vital statistics and a "Missing or Exploited Children Hotline" phone number for parents to call should that nightmare happen to them. Well, I mailed mine to my mom and suggested in the accompanying note that before she called the hotline she might want to ask herself if I was missing voluntarily or if just maybe I was enjoying being exploited. She did mention that she got it and giggled along with the note along the bottom of the note blaming my sense of humor on her side of the family.

We found this note in her desk. She written the date she got it and put a smiley face next to the "your side of the family" notation. Yeah...I cried.

Anthony was different, of course. I have things to give to his family, to his close friends and other things I have no idea what to do with. The guy needed to clear his pockets out of change and clean (I hope) Kleenex once in a while! Every pair of pants, coat, and jacket had some of each. But in his box of papers, was a copy of a picture I had take of him in the snow. He'd written in his scrawl "First snow February 12 Thanks, Kevin!" Yeah...I cried.

Just a few random thoughts...

2009-08-16T17:11:00.000-07:00

This is after watching CNN and MSNBC all day long...

Why are we, as a people, so belligerently uneducated? I watch the news and I wonder.

Health Care musings:

If you've ever spoken to an British Citizen or Canadian citizen and asked about their health care system, you will usually get a laugh and an eye rolling. Why? Because the American media and far right so ridiculously overstate the negatives of their system it is laughable. What is embarrassing is that most Americans (who never leave the good old USA to see the rest of the world) believe it!

I'm not saying single payer is the way to go. Nor am I saying that the current plan is the way to go. And I would never say that we have the BEST health care in the world here in the USA. All I am saying is that I think I would trust the government equally as much as I trust the insurance companies who currently make my health care decisions now. I have to fight with them, too! For some reason, I believe the insurance companies have profits as their first concern...not MY health. That's why I will say that I agree with a lot of the current proposed regulation of the current insurance run system.

Obesity:
Does anyone really need this?

MMMM Chocolate Covered Bacon!

Fires:
California is a big state. I understand that it's hard to realize just how large it is.

Just like when you get a snowstorm back east, it sounds like life has come to a standstill
OR
you've had bitter cold and the news makes it sound like old people are being frozen solid in mid-stride as they step out of the Piggly Wiggly with their Hamburger Helper
OR
a tornado rips through a block of Pisgah, Iowa and it sounds as if the entire Midwest has disappeared off the map!

When there is a fire in Santa Cruz, I no more notice it than when you're in Omaha and Casper has a hailstorm.

Oh...and the same goes for an earthquake! If it's under 5.0, we all look around to see if anyone else felt it. Then we stand there to see if anyone else will dive under a desk or run for the door. When they don't, we all go back to what we were doing and start making up stories to tell you when you call us!

Aliens
When I hear a proclamation about the illegals milking the system or not respecting the USA, I know that generally the speaker means anyone looking, speaking or acting Latin. They don't mean my Irish friend who was illegal and was bypassed by Immigration when he was at work so that they could arrest the Brooklyn born busboy.

As far as respecting our country, so many of our own citizens don't vote, don't understand our system of government, don't know the difference between the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, think that their elected officials must vote as a reflection of the constituents views, etc. We, as Americans, show very little respect to other countries even when we visit them. We hate the French because they think they are SO great and expect us to speak French when we are there. Don't they know they owe their freedom to us? Well, are we so different? We don't learn a second language (they do), we expect visitors here to speak English, and we don't seem to remember that we owe OUR freedom to them just as much as they owe us!

Anyway, I do go on! Watch this for some neighborly respect

Mexico Builds Border Wall To Keep Out U.S. Assholes

Dear Faux News...

2009-08-04T23:35:00.001-07:00

I was sick of seeing...

2009-08-04T21:07:00.000-07:00

the Wanda Sykes title on ProjectChristopher and MaxDad blogs everytime I read them. It's been a HORRIBLE TERRIBLE NO GOOD VERY BAD last 2 months! However, things are looking better...

And with that proclamation I will celebrate with two video presentations of music and Maru to make you smile...or at least smirk! Start the first one and after a bit the audio of the first one goes quite nicely with the video of the second one...You'll see what I mean..

and then there's this...MY FAVORITE MARU VIDEO...at 0:56 you just know Maru's look is saying..."Put down the &%I%# camera and you can make this a LOT easier!"

With the power of positive thinking, perseverance and a real fetish...er...fascination for something you, too, can fly!

You gotta love Wanda Sykes!

2009-05-10T09:44:00.000-07:00

Part 2

There's nothing I can add!

She cracks me up...

2009-03-31T07:03:00.000-07:00

and she doesn't sound bad at all....

Maybe it's me...

2009-03-27T00:00:00.000-07:00

BUT does anyone else find this a bit ..um...disturbing? I don't mean that in a bad way, of course! But this is a sandwich commercial, isn't it?

Mmmmmmm Toasty!

I know you MUST be as shocked as I am!

2009-03-11T20:53:00.000-07:00

I'm shocked, shocked that this has happened!First, Jennifer and Brad

then Chris and Rihanna
and now this!
Is traditional love, romance and marriage safe from these traditional couples?

Check it out here!

I'm sorry, Rush...

2009-03-10T18:41:00.000-07:00

Check it out!

I'm sorry, Rush!

Random thoughts...

2009-02-19T00:35:00.000-08:00

I feel the need to update the blog just because I hate to see too many days pass between them. Not because anyone is waiting for the next installment but I hate to look lazy! It's too late for running sentences together in a coherent way so here goes

1. I'm on Facebook now. And while I am tempted to write 25 random things about myself like "Jimmy Hoffa isn't buried in my back yard." or "I think toothpaste is a bad choice for personal lubricants" I'll just abstain.

2. Seeing snow through the eyes of someone who had never experienced snow falling is interesting but I still hate it.
3. My mother had WAY too many clothes.

4. So do I.

5. Is it just me or is Joe Biden getting on President Obama's nerves?

6. Grief sneaks up on you at really odd times.

7. I have some REALLY good friends and supportive family members.

8. My nephew's is a hoot.

9. There's not a better way to spend a cold night alone at home than a pint of Ben and Jerry's a watching an hour or two of guilty pleasure TV off the Tivo.

10. I think if you're dead, the Oscar should really go to someone else. I'm just saying...

11. And while I am on the Oscar subject, Marisa Tomei may not be Lawrence Olivier, or even Joan Plowright or Vivien Leigh, but the character she created in My Cousin Vinny is memorable and well done. Isn't that Oscar worthy?

Do a Mary Poppins/Mona Lisa Vito comparison for depth and nuance and see if they compare.

12. They're getting rid of Pontiac? How about still building them like Pontiacs not just as Chevys with a different badge on them. Then people might buy them!

My playlist

2009-02-03T18:13:00.000-08:00

Here's how it works:
1. Open your library (iTunes, Winamp, Media Player, iPod, etc.)
2. Put it on shuffle
3. Press play
4. For every question, type the song that's playing
5. When you go to a new question, press the next button
6. Don't lie about the songs (they can be funny if you just leave them)

What's my mood right now? Sit Down James

Hows tomorrow going to be for me? I Can’t Take It Cheap Trick

What kind of person am I? O Que me importa ( 'I care' in Portuguese) Marisa Montes

Am I loved? Night Life Stacy Sullivan

How can I achieve my highest potential? My Life Billy Joel

What should I do with my life? If I Were A Bell Josie de Guzman

Is everything going to be alright in the end? Just to be next to you Dave Koz

What is my best quality? The Sky is Broken

How does my social life look? The Christmas Blues Dean Martin

Whats the meaning of life? I Remember California REM

What do people think of me? A Strange Education The Cinematics

How crazy am I? Love’s Great Ocean kd lang

Where will I be a year from now? Ain’t that a shame Cheap Trick

What is my fondest wish? The Maker Makes Rufus Wainwright

How did my best friend and I meet? The Breath of Life Erasure

What will I dream about tonight? Mohammed The Dandy Warhols

What should I be working on right now? When I First Saw You DreamGirls

Whats my mom up to currently? Take Back Your Mink Guys and Dolls

What did I do last weekend? Love Vigilantes New Order

Describe me. Sick Child Siouxsie and the Banshees

What does my ipod say about me? Thank You Dido

OK, ProjectChristopher's was funnier.....

When I die...

2009-02-01T09:52:00.000-08:00

I want to come back as a dog.

Baldwin had a rough morning today. After being rudely awakened at 7:15 and put on the elevator downstairs, he was set off on a walk to the Village. He was stopped by three different fans who had to pet him. They totally interrupted his sniffing but he put up with it with patience. As is his usual habit,he got to poop right in front of his favorite breakfast place, thrilling the patrons as always.

After finally reaching Starbucks, being tied up outside where strangers fed him pieces of $3 scones, he was cooed over while he waited for me to get my triple vente mocha. Then, the poor thing, had to walk past Some Crust bakery where he had a special delivery of a Some Crust dog biscuit from the owner of the Chocolate Lab that had barked at him on his way to Starbucks. The owner, somehow, knew his name (not mine) and that he'd be coming back that way again. After his tiring 2 block walk home, he fell exhausted into a deep sleep.

Life's rough, ain't it?

With Thanks to TMI Tuesday...

2009-01-27T03:33:00.000-08:00

1. What was the last movie you saw in a theater?
Revolutionary Road
2. What is your favorite movie theater snack?
Malted Milk Balls
3. Have you ever snuck in 'outside' food into a theater?
You bet!
4. Have you ever made out in a theater?
No
5. What is the 'farthest' you have gone in a theater?
Answer 1 Because the theater was so crowded I had to sit in the second row with my parents to see "Moonstruck" and my father, though he liked the movie, complained that he's spent 2 hours looking up Cher's nose.
Answer 2 See #4

So far, 2009 has been eventful..

2009-01-25T20:44:00.000-08:00

So much has happened to distract me from blogging. I've started many, many blogs about Mom that may be finished someday. I've started a few about President Obama but they just seem to repeat what so many others incl Brother Chris and Southern Chris have written about the hope and promise the country seems to feel. AND I refuse to write anymore about former President Bush.

Overall, I just haven't felt much like writing (or talking or working or a whole lot else...) However, this got a giggle out of me and since I haven't seen it anywhere else,

Welcome back to the Kevin Principle...

O!

2008-12-22T18:48:00.000-08:00

I'm in Omaha, my home town and a city I truly love to visit, regardless of the weather. (That's a tough admission this week, believe me!) During trips here I often have to find a gift for a coworker or dogsitter or someone I am trying to convince to visit with me. I've found bells, plates, steaks, shirts and hats. This trip I am supposed to find a snow globe. I can't find an Omaha snow globe to save my life! I went to the Chamber of Commerce and the city's Visitor's and Convention Bureau. I asked why they don't have a snow globe to reflect their great logo...

They looked at me like I was mad. I guess living in a snow globe they couldn't imagine that other people collect snow globes. But don't you think this symbol could have made a great snow globe?

Check out the O! Gallery here

OH GREAT!

2008-12-22T18:17:00.000-08:00

Six Random Facts about Me

Just what everyone wanted....

Thank you, Chris at "As Seen from Up Here..."

The rules are: 1. Link to the person who tagged you. 2. Post the rules on your blog.  3. Write six random things about yourself.  4. Tag six people at the end of your post and link to them.  5. Let each person know they've been tagged and leave a comment on their blog.  6. Let the tagger know when your entry is up.

I think I will skip #4 & 5 (Mostly because I have to get along with my brother this week and I don't know 5 other bloggers) but here goes.

1. I eat peanut butter and miracle whip sandwiches regularly.
There! That should stop most people from reading any further.

2. I never ever go to the gym regardless of how I look.
I know...I know....that sounds like an ego unchecked but I can thank my mother for my body type. I pretty much can eat what I want and not gain much weight. Living on the 3rd floor with a very slow elevator helps with that as well as having a dog who loves his walks!

If I do gain weight, I just need to cut down the soda and snacks from the machines at work and I lose 20 lbs in a very short time. Thanks again, Mom. Sorry, Chris, you got Dad's body type ... and walk.

3. I get a real boost going to the Kindergarten rooms and being told I'm pretty.
I know they don't mean it but some days it's all I'm gonna get!

4. I love riding the teacups at Disneyland so fast that anyone riding with me has to ask me to stop!
5. I love classic cars and can look at them for hours on end.
Unfortunately, the closest I have come to owning one is this...

6. I can fall asleep anywhere I am warm, comfortable and slightly reclined!
A movie, the barber, the dentist...you name it.

OK! That's it. I'm done. Brother Chris? Do you want to be tagged? Jen? It's up to you!

I don't need no stinkin' Hummer

2008-12-07T11:57:00.000-08:00

Just who do you suppose had more fun, had more people thinking "CHRISTMAS!" and got a few dreary shoppers to smile?

Scenario #1

Scenario #2

Even the local Village cop, who tickets everyone except the jaywalkers (freakin' jaywalkers!), waved and smiled as I drove the 2 miles home.

A Special Request for a repeat...

2008-12-02T18:29:00.000-08:00

Christmas when I was a kid was always fun. I look back at it now and while it may not have been sleigh rides to Grandma's and big family gatherings, it was full of fun and some crazy goings on for a conservative, midwestern state. I'm sure the nuns would have been mortified if I'd shared a few of the stories from the Santa's Reindeer files.

I got the Beany doll from Santa Claus , of course. Beany and Cecil was an animated show. I don't remember anything about it except that Beany always was in some kind of trouble, he was almost always happy and smiling, and he could fly with his Beany. I wanted a flying Beany so badly!

Every Christmas eve, Santa would come to our house to make sure we were ready for him to come during the night. He was huge! His red suit was bright and clean and his belly did shake when he let out a loud "Ho! Ho! Ho!" He'd bring us one present or two. Then sometimes he'd remember something about when we'd been bad or good during the year. Sometimes he'd make a joke with the adults, particularly any visitors, about something they'd done bad or good. I didn't get why they'd laugh but I was glad that everyone loved Santa coming to our house. When he'd leave after a few minutes, (He had to get to your house, too!) Santa would take us to the door. He'd tell us to listen for his reindeers' sleigh bells. We'd stand at the door in our pjs and after a few seconds we'd hear real, honest to goodness sleighbells! He'd tell us to go to bed and he'd be gone. It was magical!

As I got older, and figured things out, I insisted we continue with the tradition. I know my folks thought "There's something wrong with that boy!" But I insisted. It was all EXACTLY the same Everyone knew this was Santa. Now, I would get the jokes with the adults but otherwise nothing changed. After Santa left, brother Chris and I would put on our coats and gloves & go out the other door. We'd head out to the driveway, where Santa, his daughters Sue and Nancy Adams and my dad were waiting in a steamed up car that smelled of hot humans, beer and Christmas! We headed out to stand around the corners of other houses all over town. Nancy, Sue, Chris and I would listen for the door to open, wait for our cue and ring the heck out of those real, honest to goodness sleighbells. Then we'd get back in the car and drive to the next house. Santa might enjoy the beer the dad at the last house handed him. We might get some treat they sent to the reindeer but it was great fun. We were packed tight in the car, getting hot, jumping out into the piles of snow, laughing, trying to be quiet and had some real magical once in a lifetime moments.

One time, as Santa was getting into the car, someone pointed out there was a little boy looking out the door up the hill at his house across the street. Santa grabbed up something, got out of the car, talked to the little guy, gave him some trinket and, as he was leaving, the mother touched his elbow and said, "I don't know who you are, but, bless you, sir." I do know who he was and he was Santa. He did have an alter-ego disguise that was pretty convincing. He'd act a little gruff and scary 364 days a year in this "Clark Kent" disguise but I know that was all an act.

He wasn't Mr. Adams....he was Santa.
You can ask my brother or my mom or anyone else who was
lucky enough to have him come to their house.
Just look! Can't you tell?
This must be a costume! Who'd dress
like this for real? It's just a
distraction to hide his true identity!

Bless you, Santa!

TMI Tuesday again!

2008-11-25T17:00:00.000-08:00

1. What is your favorite Thanksgiving food?
I really don't like most Thanksgiving foods and have been known to grill a steak for myself to avoid the turkey to the envy of many at the table. I guess my favorite would be really good stuffing or sweet potatoes (No marshmallows, please!)

2. You can flip a switch that will wipe any band or musical artist out of existence. Which one will it be?
I really would have so many choices,,,The Spice Girls, Mariah Carey (just because you have that 7 octave range you don't have to use it on every song or screech to reach them), Neil Diamond ("He sings like your Daddy should!" one female friend said...No he sings like my Daddy DID!), Black Oak Arkansas...

3. You seem to be having an excellent day because you just came across a hundred-dollar bill on the sidewalk. Holy crap, a hundred bucks! How are you gonna spend it?
It seems like this might be a good time to buy low and get some deals in the stock market... really

4. What is your favorite curse word?
Nothing can replace a long drawn out sheeet or a fast and low Fuck!

5. Rufus appears out of nowhere with a time-traveling phone booth. You can go anytime in the PAST. What time are you traveling to and what are you going to do when you get there?
I'd love to have seen so many eras for so many reasons, The American Revolution, Ancient Greece, the Antebellum South, Berlin in the 20s and again in the 30s, etc. But I would have loved to have spent time with Eleanor Roosevelt as I think she was so inspirational as someone who came into her own despite the naysayers beating down on her.

Bonus You accidentally eat some radioactive vegetables. They were good, and what's even cooler is that they endow you with the super-power of your choice! What's it gonna be?
I really have to admit I stole this from a few other blogs I read but...

I want that Star Wars Obi-Wan Kenobi hand wave

**I should be bumped up to First Class!**

You should be bumped up to First Class!

**You really don't want me in the standard room!'

I don't want you in a standard room. I'lI have to upgrade you to the Imperial Suite!

awwwwwwwwww

2008-11-21T23:21:00.000-08:00

Live streaming video by Ustream

Wow

2008-11-21T20:32:00.001-08:00

I mentioned before the power of music in the last blog. It can move us to tears or laughter. It can conjure up our greatest moments of pain or joy.

One song that my students wanted to sign was 'Imagine'. It would have been great because the words are simple, the tempo is slow and the meaning is positive. However, when that song was chosen overwhelmingly by the kids and me, it was vetoed by the principal. Why? Because of this one lyric. -

And no religion too.

So, today I was reading the paper and there was an article about a billboard in Rancho Cucamonga. The city asked the billboard company to take it down because they'd received complaints. This is the billboard:

Is their faith in God so shaky and limited and unsure that a simple message must be removed? What if it made someone ask a question? Isn't exploration of our beliefs the best way to confirm them and make them stronger? I guess that is only if they are firmly established in our being.

I found it ironic that this happened on the same day I read that the Vatican had finally forgiven John Lennon. When you're playing catch up to the Catholic Church in forgiving people who have offended your beliefs (Copernicus, Galileio, John Lennon, Dame Edna, etc), you are really backward. Even God must be rolling his eyes in disbelief at the fragility of their beliefs!

**Note: I first read about this offense on the Freedom of Speech this morning. Then, I planned how to make it blog worthy. THEN as I signed on tonight, I read what my bro Chris blogged over at Max's Dad. Great minds, bro....Great minds!

The Power of Music...

2008-11-21T19:56:00.000-08:00

I started my career teaching the deaf. If you saw Children of a Lesser God, that is what I did only with Pre-school - Fifth grade kids. I moved to California and taught hearing kids. After an unfortunate year at one school I transferred to a school that was predominantly Air Force officer's families. Life was good. Those kids behaved!

Each year when I was teaching Kinder or First Grade, I taught the kids how to sign a song. We usually did a simple Ella Fitzgerald song. My favorite was her slow jazzy 'White Christmas'. The kids would not sing. They would sign only. During the instrumental bridge, the kids would whip out some Ray Ban Wayfarers and snap their fingers to the music, doing their best to look cool. Just as Ella started to sign again they would fall back into an orderly group and finish their silent sign language interpretation.

I promised them their moms would cry! The kids were beside themselves thinking they could make their moms cry. As they sang, I could see they were gleefully waiting for their moms to cry. It always happened! The kids were thrilled, the mothers thought I was the most wonderful teacher in the world and I'd get my hands kissed by some overwrought mother. All was good with the world.

In 1991, when I had the great opportunity to teach 5th grade to the same group of kids I had taught 1st grade to, we approached it differently. They were all excited about learning a different song. So we planned on doing a song at the Winter Festivals. However, my school had a major review by the state planned and we would perform at the weekly flag ceremony the week the review team visited. Manipulative, huh? I told the kids they could pick the song. So early in the year, probably September, they started to pick songs. It had to have a positive meaning, be pretty repetitive and have simple lyrics. They had a few choices and I was torn. We finally chose "From a Distance". It was great. We were to perform it on January 25.

The First Gulf War started January 16, 1991. By then, most of the fathers and some of the mothers were fighting. I had not only the mothers in the audience, but the principal, the other teachers and the entire review team from the State in tears. My kids, overwhelmed at the sobbing, almost lost it.

I'll never forget the serendipitous choice of songs that the kids made. I returned later for these kids' high school graduation and they all still recalled the entire experience. The power of music is amazing.

I loved this joke so much

2008-11-19T20:38:00.000-08:00

Thank you, Lea!

Koala was sitting in a gum tree smoking a joint.

When a little lizard walked past, looked up and said,

'Hey Koala! What are you doing?'

The koala said,

'Smoking a joint; come up and have some.'

So the little lizard climbed up and sat next to the koala and shared the joint with Koala.

After a while the little lizard said that his mouth was dry and that he was going to get a drink from the river.

But, the little lizard was so stoned that he leaned too far over and fell into the river.

A crocodile saw this, swam over to the little lizard, and helped him to the side. Then he asked the little lizard,

'What's the matter with you?'

The little lizard explained to the crocodile that he got too stoned, and then fell into the river while taking a drink.

The crocodile said that he had to check this out, walked into the rain forest, and found the tree where the koala was sitting finishing the joint. The crocodile looked up and said

"Hey you!"

So the koala looked down at him and said,

'Shit, dude.....How much water did you drink?!!'

My Dad was cool...

2008-11-18T21:20:00.000-08:00

My dad was cool. No, not because he purchased a used monstrosity of 1970 GM design like you see above.

Chris over at "As Seen from Up Here..." wrote about his experience with a slutty Chevrolet Chevette when he was in high school. Lea came out of a long hibernation to confirm the Chevette's slutty behavior in a comment, too! (Welcome back, Lea!) I think it was something in the Chevies of the 1970s. It certainly wasn't any of us.

My experience was driving a dark green 1970 Chevrolet Station Wagon through high school. I don't think I have ever shared this story with my family so fasten your blogosphere seatbelts...

I went to a high school in a well-to-do community. Not only did most of the kids seem to drive presentable cars, but a good sized group of them actually drove cars I'd still only be able to lust after in my heart. There were Camaros and Mustangs, Trans Ams and Celicas! There was also a smattering of more exotic cars... a Porsche 911, an MGB, a Triumph, a Citroen SM and a Lotus Eclat...One dad was a car collector.

So, you'd imagine that I was really mortified driving this big station wagon. Well, no...

The problem with those desirable cars was the same problem Chris had with the Chevette. No Room!! However, the wagon could easily accommodate a friend, his girlfriend and most anything they'd need to make themselves comfortable.

Friends can help friends in a number of ways. Here's the way it worked.

Around 8, I'd meet a friend and his girlfriend at a predetermined location, usually (and stupidly) close to the high school 6 blocks east of my home. We'd swap keys and determine a time to meet back up. I'd have the evening cruising the streets of Omaha in a nice Mustang or a really cool Lotus. Of course, I have no idea what they did.

So, what's all this got to do with my dad and his coolness factor?

One evening, 2 blocks into my evening of fancy car cruising,
I stopped at the light at 90th and Pacific just a few blocks from home. I think I was driving Mike's Porsche 911. My head was swimming with ideas of where I'd drive, who I might take along or something. I heard a honk and turned my head to see what fool I'd be leaving in my exhaust fumes when the light changed.

The orange Toyota beside me was no match for the Porsche. I had it made! When I met the aggressive gaze of the other driver, my Dad just nodded and turned his eyes back to the road.

I believe I chose to turn right. So clever I was!

Since there were no cell phones to frantically call Mike, I met up with him at the appointed time and spedt home. I made it in the door and crept halfway down the stairs to my basement bedroom when the door to the upstairs opened.

"I don't know why you were driving that car. I don't know where our car was. I do know you won't be able to drive any car ever again if that happens again."
And, I swear, he snickered.

Needless to say that was the end of my exotic car cruising.

My Dad was cool.

Oh, yeah...Bro? Never, ever sleep on the mattress on that fold out bed Mom has in the basement, okay?

This just about sums it up...

2008-11-11T18:11:00.000-08:00

File under "Texting Discretion"

2008-11-06T18:39:00.000-08:00

An anonymous friend might be a bit chagrined that he forgot one of the

Communication Rules for the 21st Century
#271 Remember that you don't know who may be holding the phone when it receives your text message!
Luckily, I am too discreet to mention the identity of my friend or to say how kind it would be of you to call this anonymous friend (if you knew his identity!) and inquire about his condition!

I've been quiet...

2008-11-05T17:37:00.001-08:00

But I have been so torn up waiting for yesterday to happen. I was sure that the election was going to be rigged again against my side and we'd have 4 more years of the Bush years. I was sure the hatred and lies spewed by the Yes on 8 supporters would win out and discrimination was going to be written into our state constitution. Well, I was only half disappointed. However, no one can ignore the change in the way things feel with President-elect Obama's election. It's a real gift to our country, a chance to reclaim our reputation as a leader of the free world and a beacon of hope for the world. Let's hope we don't blow it.

I'm eager for the continued fight to gain my full rights as an American citizen and have Prop 8 taken down. There has been not one single argument that makes any sense at all if you know what this phrase means: All men are created equal....

Now to my election story:

I went to my polling place as identified on my election guide, waited in line for 45 minutes, got redirected to the correct polling place, walked two blocks, waited in the longer line for a bit under an hour and got to vote! Yippee!

While I was there an elderly woman (EW) came in being pushed in a wheelchair by a cute young female attendant (CYFA). The woman behind me (WBM) in line leaned down to her and started the most amusing conversation. (I kept thinking Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton bumping into each other on a street having a very similar conversation)

WBM in that "She's old so I will talk to her like she's a 5 year old" tone:

"Don't you look pretty today!"

EW with a very wry look in her eye:

" I try to look my best everyday when I get out but..."

CYFA interrupted a little too fast which made me start listening

"She's 101 and is as sharp as a tack!"

WBM still with that tone:

"You must have lived right and done all the right things to have lived that long!"

EW, less wry looking, more pissed off looking:

"I did whatever I wanted to do or whatever I thought was the right thing to do and that's how I made it to 101. Mother Teresa didn't make it to 101!"

CYFA looking a little amused and like there was a parade about to start:

"I've learned not to get into it with her. She's always got something to say!"

EW, now less pissed and more matter of fact, she turned her face toward the room of election workers and people in their booths and said in a slightly louder voice:

"I have something to say! Don't vote for that idiot John McCain. He is an idiot!"

LBM was speechless and I stifled a giggle as EW was wheeled up to the registration desk.

I loved listening to this polite, well spoken, opinionated woman not be condescended to. She reminded me of my own grandmother with her double-entendre jokes and naughty side comments she'd make to me when she knew only I could hear her.

It also reminded me of Mother Dexter from the TV show Phyllis...

Odd food...

2008-10-29T15:52:00.000-07:00

Other than freshly helicopter-shot caribou (I have to make a Palin reference somehow), do you have any odd things you like to eat?

Over at As Seen from Up Here , Chris is asking about odd food combos. You'll have to check out the interesting combo he came across today. His blog's comments started talking about odd food choices or habits. These are mine:

* Peanut butter and Miracle Whip sandwiches. I once was reading through a book of trivial facts at a gift shop years ago. One page said

"Omaha, Nebraska has the lowest
per capita consumption of
mayonnaise in the US."

I almost spit across the room. I know that almost every salad, many deserts and some casseroles of my Nebraska experience require mayonnaise in HUGE quantities. Then I saw an * at the end of the sentence. I went to the bottom of the page and read

"The same can't be said for
Miracle Whip consumption."

Now that I must agree with. I have recipes that specifically state

"2 cups Mayonnaise (NOT Miracle Whip)"

because ... well, regardless of the popular sentiment there, they are not the same!

* I won't put a lemon wedge in my drinks. I'll squeeze the juice in and set it aside.
If it's already in the glass, I can live with it but won't put it back in. This drove my mom nuts for some reason. I reasoned that I had worked once in a very upscale restaurant for a month (hated it!) and saw lemons rolling everywhere. So I forwarded this to her ...

"Stop! Is that Poop on your Lemon?"

Mom came around.

I saw lots of things that I don't want to remember. But I'll always remember this:

Never piss off your server before the food arrives!
Do you have any beloved food combos or quirky food habits?

OK, I couldn't sleep! So...

2008-10-28T00:32:00.000-07:00

I took a quiz and my insomnia actually was pertinent information!

Enjoy!

Your result for How Long Would you Survive in a Horror Film?...

The Black Guy

44% chance of survival!

Look, I think the whole "the black guy always dies first" stereotype in horror films is just awful. In fact, the black guy usually dies second. So cheer up. The black guy is the one who always wants to turn back; who thinks that what the rest of the gang is doing is crazy. In other words, he's the sane guy. It's always a shame to see the black guy get cut down, because he's almost always right and you know that the group's going to just go charging right in without him.

If you're ready for a lead role check out: Danny Glover, Predator 2; Laurence Fishburne, Event Horizon; Calvin Lockhart, The Beast Must Die; Taye Diggs, House on Haunted Hill; Sanaa Lathan, Alien vs. Predator; Tory Kittles, Frankenfish; Carla Greene, Shadow: Dead Riot; Teresa Farley, Breeders; and Alex Datcher, Body Bags.

All possible results:

Jock/Cheerleader

The Black Guy

The Horror Aficionado

The Hero/Heroine

The Killer

Please remember to rate, but more importantly, please message me if you've found any blatant errors (especially with the results page and links). Thanks!

Take How Long Would you Survive in a Horror Film? at HelloQuizzy

Opie!

2008-10-25T16:56:00.000-07:00

Been a lazy lazy day but that hasn't kept me from finding this!

OPIE!!!

See more Ron Howard videos at Funny or Die

Mea Culpa! Mea Culpa!

2008-10-23T19:04:00.000-07:00

I promise I will stop! I will stop in two and half weeks! Well, I hope I can stop in two and half weeks!

Man, these two are funny...

TMI Tuesday

2008-10-20T22:13:00.000-07:00

Hey I think I was first! And it's Monday...

So welcome to TMI Monday! Nods to TMITuesday!

(Mom, stop reading now!)

1. Have you ever felt guilty or ashamed after a sexual experience?

Let's see...8 years of Catholic schooling...would it be possible to say "No."? No, it would not.

2. Did you ever own a fake ID?

Yes! My brother's draft card described me better than it did him. I used it from the time I was 16 until I was legal age of 19. I remember the bouncer who knew me rolling his eyes and saying "Oh, shit!" when he first checked my real ID and I had just turned legal age!

3. How often do you tell white lies? Is it with or without thinking?

It's a part of life to avoid hurting feelings, not spill secrets, maintain professional decorum, etc....isn't it? I stop and think once in a while, I guess.

4. On a scale of 1-10, how well do you receive constructive criticism?

5. Have you ever shaved your pubic hair?

Have I? No.

My wife thinks you're daid...

2008-10-20T21:06:00.000-07:00

Because:

I am trying to break my Palin habit.....

And I love a song that sticks in your head....

And

This one

This one

seem to be all over this week...

So here's one I have always liked!

I'm just sayin....

2008-10-20T20:53:00.000-07:00

http://www.palinaspresident.us/

JUST SOME RANDOM THOUGHTS!

2008-10-19T19:43:00.000-07:00

I sat around most of the weekend and had time to have random thoughts....

With the economy the way it is and airline prices being what they are, it looks like the holidays will be a time of spending carefully and prioritizing those expenditures.

How does this tie all of the random thoughts below together? It doesn't.

Yes, I am thankful I am securely employed...as of Friday at 4:30 anyway!

#1
Since Christmas flights are out of this world, the first economic casualty appears to be any trips home to see Mom while she's at "The Hotel" as we call it. Since I have forbidden her to say that she's "in Rehab" (see my June blogs!) in my presence, we had to call it something. Lockdown sounded so...severe! She says she's doing better and will get home in a few weeks.

#2
It appears Thanksgiving will be the same as it has been nearly every year I have been in California. Not really knowing what I was going to do or where I would be eating until the last moment! Southern Chris and Lea were thinking about coming to beautiful Claremont for a So Cal Turkey Day but that looks like it won't be happening. I'm all disappointed as I was looking forward to a Southern Thanksgiving!

Please accept my heartfelt apologies as this could just as easily be anywhere USA
but that bucket really lent itself to this blog!

#3
I hate to admit it but I thought Sarah Palin was funny on SNL. I mean at least she made an effort to memorize the lines well enough to outdo Alec Baldwin's dullard reading from the cue cards! Oh, and I almost spit up when I saw the moose during the rap!

#4
I am not sure if I am supposed to be flattered or what but when you get mistaken for a porn star at the mall, do you say thanks? Someone came up to me at Nordies this afternoon when I stopped to get a new tie (It's picture day tomorrow!) and my fellow shopper (eventually) said I looked like Colton Ford. A lot like Colton Ford. I had no idea who that was but thought I should check it out considering my fellow shopper scared me a little. Well, to save doing "The Google" on him...
Former porn star, currently in the music biz, subject of a documentary....

You decide...

Johnny, we hardly recognize ye....

2008-10-13T19:05:00.000-07:00

In the past, when the radical Republican right wing began showing their ugliness, John McCain, the maverick, the straight talker, the man who puts country first, repudiated it and said it "would never happen again!"

What has happened to that man?
Why is the John McCain I've admired for his candor and integrity suddenly like everyone else?

This kind of talk and ignoring or, worse, encouraging it, will live with us throughout the next administration, regardless of who wins. Stop them, John! Bring things back to our normal unacceptable levels and not to this embarrassment from our country's past!

Funny and NOT Political

2008-10-09T20:20:00.001-07:00

This is what it looked like to me as a child! Really!

What a song!

2008-10-09T20:14:00.000-07:00

I love it!

And you can sing along!

Coochie Coochie? You Betcha

2008-10-04T07:59:00.000-07:00

Gary Shandling, on Bill Maher's show last night, said that Joe Biden prepped for the debate by watching tapes of Johnny Carson with Charo!

BRILLIANT!

Now, I can agree with that!
Palin is (or acts like) a white Charo!

That's my point but I have to make the comparisons

Charo Sarah

Largely incomprehensible English grammar that you somehow manage to understand.

Charo X
Sarah X

Uses traditional feminine flirtation as a technique to connect with the audience.

Charo X

Sarah X

Has a verbal cue ending with the ch sound followed with a vowel

Charo Coochie

Sarah Betcha

Inspiration from yesterday!

2008-10-03T19:00:00.000-07:00

First!

I have a whole new logic model I may use to understand the hockey moms of one of the miscreants at my school. See below:

(and, yes. I stole this from some website that I forgot but have seen it everywhere since)

And before you write, I apologize to ALL hockey moms.

This accurately charts Gov. Palin's circuitous route to winning any argument. Let's face it, she didn't do that badly. She played to the crowd who already doesn't know much in detail about the issues and thinks she's down home and "just like us". She's plays that down home role so well. She'd be fun to work with as long as that razor wit wasn't aimed at you. She'd be a hoot!

It had to get a little wearing on everyone after the third or fourth wink, however. And what does she mean giving kids extra credit!? Get government out of the schools! Lame but nevertheless her education answer was about her worst! Give them more money but isn't that the opposite of the Republican mantra?

So consider... Palin as Mayor? Yeah, though she's not that good at knowing how to plan growth in an attractive or fiscally responsible manner, administer the departments with finesse or improve a city's rep. She was a great booster for Wasilla, though...if you like anonymous big box stores.

A governor? Well, when running it means cajoling big bucks from Washington, managing a non-diverse population, and taxing oil companies to get each resident some share of their state's wealth, she's done okay for two years even though she seems to have run it like her own personal treehouse (No Palin Haters allowed!)

President? C'mon. No. Never. Haven't we learned what a C student can do? Seriously. Not having someone with a command of the issues has really wrecked us....

We aren't having a beer with her for goodness sakes, she'd be representing us and running this country! And, shame on John McCain, the maverick, the straight talker, for not choosing someone who he knew would be good for the USA and instead pandering to the far right wing of his party.

But you know the one thing that really bothered me at last night's debate? Her greeting and asking "May I call you Joe?"

Did she really think he was that stupid?

The moment he tried to call her 'Sarah' and take her down a notch, he'd be accused of "attacking a woman!" He'd have been called every name in the book and she'd have scored big. But leave it to Joe the Shark...he called her Governor Palin! God love ya, Joe!

It reminded of a fellow Kindergarten teacher I worked with in a heavily military community. An arrogant father came to a conference. He always gave the teachers almost as much trouble as his sons did. She said, "Hello Sgt. Conrad!" He said "Hi Sharon! Call me Pat!" She stood up, looked up at him and said. "No, I'm Mrs. Penn and you're Sgt. Conrad." And that was the end of that. She had no trouble with him and very little with his sons.

Oh, and one thing I gotta give Gov. Palin...

I admire her hair much more than Sen. Biden's!

Sarah, that really cool girl from Alaska...

2008-09-29T18:45:00.001-07:00

Sarah, that really cool girl from Alaska who is, like, so funny, was on tonight again.

I thought we were gonna be cracking up laughing about Russia and the health care plan for the economy and keeping all the jobs and the international stuff and all kindsa talk but, sheesh,

her old man was with her.

Damn!  She'll never get out alone again!

Oh, but next time she's out with Joe Biden alone!
(unless her old man decides she still needs a chaperone!!)

Head of Skate!

2008-09-28T15:35:00.000-07:00

Be sure you listen for the son's name as she responds to the request to be Vice President!

Too funny!

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

Random thoughts

2008-09-23T20:38:00.000-07:00

A very wise friend and co-worker was once asking me about someone I worked with. I was having a great amount of difficulty describing this obviously intelligent, educated and kind-of-experienced person who was a dismal failure at the job. My friend said

"She's one of the scariest kinds!
She doesn't know what she doesn't know."

I can't think of a better application of that description than with Sarah Palin. And that is why she's dangerous.
* She isn't curious about the world (Never been out of the US until a year or so ago?)

* She isn't interested in divergent thought or opinion (She called anyone who disagreed with her in Alaska, even her supporters "Haters")

* She's willing to take her lumps because of it. (Speak to her daughter)

But should we have to suffer along with her? She may have opposed the Bridge to Nowhere after she supported it and accepted the money for it but should we have to join her on another bridge to nowhere?

Dr. K has got to be thinking "She's got A+ legs and a D- intellect!"

Sexist? No, honest. I love strong women! (see below)
We all use our looks to the best of our abilities (That shy grin, the innocent eyes, the conspiratorial smirk, whatever..) so there's nothing sexist about being called on it when we do.

Next thought:

While suturing a cut on the hand of a 75-year old Texas rancher whose
hand was caught in a gate while working cattle, the doctor struck up a
conversation with the old man. Eventually the topic got around to Sarah
Palin and her bid to be a heartbeat away from being President.

The old rancher said, 'Well, ya know, Palin is a post turtle.' Not being
familiar with the term, the doctor asked him what a post turtle was.

The old rancher said, 'When you're driving down a country road and you
come across a fence post with a turtle balanced on top, that's a post
turtle.'

The old rancher saw a puzzled look on the doctor's face, so he continued
to explain. 'You know she didn't get up there by herself, she doesn't
belong up there, she doesn't know what to do while she is up there, and
you just wonder what kind of dumb ass put her up there to begin with.

Next thought:
My mom's new hip!

No, not that hip!

The other one Yes! She fell and broke the other one on Saturday night. She's doing fine, surgery was the same as last time only reversed. She's feeling well enough to complain! You gotta love a SMART strong woman!

And a small request to my devoted and wonderful brother who works his way through these trials and tribulations without complaint:
Never!
Ever!
Start a post surgical update with the words:
"It's all over..."

"It's all over..."

A Picture = Lotsa Words...

2008-09-03T17:44:00.000-07:00

I was speechless when I saw this picture...

Thoughts and conjectures were flying through my brain...

They were so unfair, so untrue and so downright unAmerican...

AND perfect to post during the Republican Convention! The party that encourages Swiftboating, talk of McCain's nonexistent illegitimate black baby, Ann Richards' untrue lesbianism, Valerie Plame's real and confidential CIA status and Karl Roves' performance of "I'm just a Girl who Can't Say No" as Karla Rovingeye at the Monday night Drop In Drag Karaoke in St. Paul...

So here are what might be a few good captions...

"My freakin' sister...I mean...um... My freaking mother AND my freakin' sister don't know how to use a condom but I get left holding the damn baby!""Honey, when the school nurse says who needs some condoms,
just do this!"

Be afraid! Be very afraid!

"No, he can't have a beer in the limo but get some condoms for the older two and a security guard for the younger one!"

and finally...
"Hell! I know they can't get a tan in Alaska like I do in Phoenix! The local WalMart's gotta sell some knee-his for these bumpkins!"

or

"Look, Alaska Girl, Michelle can get away with no stockings
and I can get away with no stockings
but you ain't us!"

The Broom Man.....

2008-08-31T10:25:00.000-07:00

My brother posted about the death of a man who was a real part of my Omaha experience. From when I was a small boy there was The Reverend Livingston Wills, an elderly blind man who would be seen walking the sidewalks with his white cane and a bundle of brooms. I think even my mother, who is no friend to sales people in person or on the phone but that is another blog, bought a broom from Reverend Wills. Check Chris' blog, MaxsDad here for his graceful and eloquent writing.

I'll retreat to the less warm and fond memories. Chris touched on the mean blonde lady at the Countryside Pharmacy. She also was there from my early school day memories at Christ the King Elementary which was across Shamrock Avenue. We were forbidden to go there by the nuns. They actually patrolled the sidewalks of this small shopping center to chastise us (and beat us with a ruler was my assumption) if we were evil enough to go there. Along to that memory line, I once was told by my mom to pick something up down at "The Village" after school. Being a good son, who rarely got caught being bad but I got caught. I nearly had a meltdown as Sister Mary Butch not only accused me of trespassing, breaking nun rules and being a candidate for Hell but also lying about my sainted mother. A "good mother like yours" wouldn't send me to this commercial pit of sinful activities after school! Sister Butch KNEW that my mother knew the rules. I don't think I even told my mother that I was punished for that. My brother probably did if he knew. He not only got caught at everything he ever did wrong but seemed to enjoy making sure I got caught once in a while, too. The mean blonde pharmacy lady worked there until the last few years the pharmacy was open in the late 90s.

She always was as mean as anyone could be. She treated us kids like we were shitting on her counter when we bought candy, a soda or a Chapstick. She would warmly greet the nice, upper middle class, white, well dressed neighborhood residents. She'd either ignore or browbeat everyone else.

I stopped to buy some sundry item ten or so years ago when I was visiting from California once. She was very polite and gracious. After getting my change, she thanked me. I couldn't resist. I very politely said that she could have been this polite to me when I was purchasing things here as a small child and I would have more confidence in her courtesy now as an adult. She immediately wiped the fake smile off her face and said that I must have been a loud, obnoxious, rude shoplifter like all the kids that still come in here. I wanted to do something dramatic like put my purchases on the counter and say I didn't want anything from her. But I just left shaking my head. She died a few years ago, too. I doubt there are many good memories of her.

I'm still going to be watching the sidewalks of Omaha for the The Reverend Livingston Wills whenever I visit. They need statues of people like him in the public spaces in Omaha. They'll probably get one of Hal Daub instead.

TMI Tuesday again!

2008-08-26T18:14:00.000-07:00

You find a fairy. With a wave of their wand they can change anything for you.

What is the one thing you would change about your body?

A worked out body would be nice...since I hate working out. Thank you, Mom, for making sure that I inherited your metabolism and tendency toward being thin!

What is the one personality trait you would change?

I'd love to be more organized and goal oriented.

What is the one thing about your job you would change?

I wish everyone didn't assume they all knew what I do and how I do it and how they could probably do it better. It ain't what you thought it was when you were 8 years old...believe me!

What is the one thing about your home you would change?

I bought this place new and because of circumstances I didn't get any of the builder options (countertops, outlets, can lights, flooring, etc) I wanted. None. I wish that they were all in the my place because some of them I really miss! The pin spots on either side of the bed with their own switches is the one I really liked. Even the builder was taken with the idea and suggested it to a few other people who came in after me. Sigh...

What is the one thing about your Significant Other you would change?

uhhhhhh

Who is the one person you would poof out of your life and why?

My former boss...the jerk. I think he has done and continues to damage people in the most horrible way.

Who is the one person you would poof back in and why?

My Dad. I miss him all the time but particularly during this election year! I'd love to hear his cursing out of the GOP, and his quips about McCain. How much did that airplane he lost cost us?

Natural Disasters R Us

2008-08-26T17:38:00.001-07:00

Update from the Ritz Carlton Grand Cayman Tuesday, August 26, 2008 at 8 p.m.

Blizzards? Been there!
Done that!!

Tornadoes?
Yep...
Earthquakes?
Ditto!

I think I will take a hurricaneany day!But...uh....check back with me on Saturday, ok?

TMI Tuesday For Lea

2008-08-19T01:13:00.000-07:00

1. Are you truly politically correct? Be honest.
Yeah, I think I generally I am. However, since anyone can be offended by almost anything, is it possible to be 100% politcally correct? My attitude really is

"Live and let live... if the goat's happy then I'm happy!"

...just keep your misbehaving children away from me during non-work hours, don't jaywalk in front of my car when I am less than 2 blocks from my home and never expect me to eat pork rinds! Do those simple things and we should all be fine.

2. Will you ever streak in public during rush hour? I have and given the same circumstances (and my near complete lack of modesty) I would again.

3. Would you ever do something sexual in public (more than 20 people around)? Only because this could mean anything from an act that is illegal in a couple of Southern states to this day (Sorry, Lea) to a simple grope, I can, once again, safely say yes.
4. Do you ever not have good table manners?
Most definitely!
5. Do you ever fantasize about a public sexual act? Describe. Nah! The general public is really not attractive enough to work their way into my fantasies. Do they work their way into yours? Seriously? Ewww! Bob Dole? Your next door neighbor...well, now hold on....my next door neighbor...hmmmm....

Bonus (as in optional): Have you ever gone through a true sexual fantasy? Describe. Gone through? GONE THROUGH? In High School wasn't EVERYTHING a sexual fantasy? I gone through those!

There's nothing like a man in a kilt!

Movie meme

2008-06-28T11:22:00.000-07:00

Thank you Southern Chris for this!
I had nothing to do today but fill this thing out! ;-)

Las Reglas

- Bold the movie if you’ve seen it
- Put asterisks next to the movies you’ve seen and liked it. (this is where Chris changed the rules a bit, if it’s bolded it means I saw it and enjoyed it! If it’s bolded and RED I saw it and hated it.) and, of course, I added my comments.

1. Pulp Fiction 1994
2. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (I only saw one of them, please, I get it! I don't read Microsoft Word Manuals or speak Klingon in my spare time either!
3. Titanic 1997 Kate Winslet has redeemed herself but her acting was the only thing that could distract you from the special effects....and not in the good way. "Jack--sniffle--this is where we first met!" Oi
4. Blue Velvet 1986 I think of this movie whenever I see my mom's oxygen mask.
5. Toy Story 1995
6. Saving Private Ryan 1998 The most realistic battle scene ever. George Bush will have to watch it for eternity when he finally lands...down there. Don't even go there, even Satan doesn't want to clean up after him if he made W experience it for eternity!
7. Hannah and Her Sisters 1986
8. The Silence of the Lambs 1991 I still have nightmares of him touching her hand. Ewwww.
9. Die Hard 1988
10. Moulin Rouge 2001
11. This Is Spinal Tap 1984 Better than a real Spinal Tap!
12. Matrix 1999 Oh Good God. I don't speak Klingon either
13. GoodFellas 1990
14. Crumb 1995
15. Edward Scissorhands 1990 Johnny Depp!
16. Boogie Nights 1997 Julianne! Julianne! Julianne! John C.! John C.! John C.! Philip Seymour! Hmmm doesn't have the same ring but they're all incredible!
17. Jerry Maguire 1996
18. Do the Right Thing 1989
19. Casino Royale 2006 He is the new Sean Connery!
20. The Lion King 1994 At the El Capitan on Hollywood Blvd!
21. Schindler’s List 1993 Amazing...absolutely amazing. Even with the stupid couple behind me rustling papers, eating sushi, announcing not only that they were going to the toilet or concession stand to each other but also precisely why it was the perfect time to go! THEN! leaning way forward and moaning loudly at every death. My movie mate finally turned around and said "6 million people are gonna die! Are you going to do that for every one of them."
22. Rushmore 1998
23. Memento 2001
24. A Room With a View 1986 Loved it! Maggie Smith!
25. Shrek 2001
26. Hoop Dreams 1994
27. Aliens 1986 Also, creepy but not for the actual scary parts but at completely unexpected times
28. Wings of Desire 1988
29. The Bourne Supremacy 2004 What's next? 'Bourne Enough Already' ?!
30. When Harry Met Sally… 1989
31. Brokeback Mountain 2005 I know it was Canada but Wyoming never looked so good. Of course, neither has any real cowboy!
32. Fight Club 1999
33. The Breakfast Club 1985 Oh Molly Ringwald....sigh
34. Fargo 1996 I still laugh uproariously The foot coming out of the wood chipper
35. The Incredibles 2004 The Edith Head character. No, F-man, it was NOT Margaret Cho! Dope!
36. Spider-Man 2 2004
37. Pretty Woman 1990 Let's teach our daughters that if they turn tricks on Hollywood Blvd They'll meet Richard Gere and live happily ever after. Sheesh. OK, I admit it. I liked it. But if she guffawed one more time I was gonna barf.
38. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind 2004 I am not sure I get it to this day but I liked it.
39. The Sixth Sense 1999 (OK...Bruce gets shot. In the very next scene, he is wearing the exact same clothes and chasing little Haley Joel down the street and following him around the church and no one calls the cops? Or screams "Child Molester!" He must be a ghost, right? I mean he was shot in the previous scene, or did you forget? Then Little Haley Joel says...."I see Dead people!" Ok, 10 minutes into the movie I think any idiot should have understood that. After that there is NO plot! So the movie now is just a series of random scenes. I turn to my movie mate and say "This is the most pointless movie I have ever seen!" He says "I love it! I still can't figure out what's gonna happen from one moment to the next." I thought I was gonna die. Couldn't he have just worn a different shirt? The rest of the clues seemed so ham handed. Blech!
40. Speed 1994 Ok...a bus....jumps across a gap....never mind...
41. Dazed and Confused 1993
42. Clueless 1995 letOne of my all time favorite movies. Well written, witty, and full of great dialogue. "She such a Monet" that immediately made sense!
43. Gladiator 2000
44. The Player 1992 It is so LA of that time
45. Rain Man 1988 It was like visiting the State School all over again and also the beginning of the end of any star power Tom Cruise may have had for me. But very nicely done
46. Children of Men 2006
47. Men in Black 1997
48. Scarface 1983
49. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon 2000
50. The Piano 1993
51. There Will Be Blood 2007
52. The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad 1988
53. The Truman Show 1998 I began to like Jim Carrey
54. Fatal Attraction 1987 (Glenn Close with the knife and in the bathtub...eww...but have you seen "Hard Candy" ? It does for Child Molesters what Fatal Attraction did for philandering husbands....rent it. You'll understand.)
55. Risky Business 1983 I started to like Tom Cruise....and Chicago
56. The Lives of Others 2006
57. There’s Something About Mary 1998
58. Ghostbusters 1984
59. L.A. Confidential 1997 Kevin, Russell, Kim, etc etc and so beautifully over done visually
60. Scream 1996
61. Beverly Hills Cop 1984
62. sex, lies and videotape 1989 ugh
63. Big 1988 (if I heard once I heard a thousand times...You look like Tom Hanks in Big!..I don't think it was a compliment any more than when I heard from one person "You look like Tom Hanks in Philadelphia! Not at the beginning...but at the end when his hair is grey like yours!" You mean when he was nearly DEAD?
64. No Country For Old Men 2007
65. Dirty Dancing 1987
66. Natural Born Killers 1994
67. Donnie Brasco 1997
68. Witness 1985
69. All About My Mother 1999
70. Broadcast News 1987 I have sweated like whatshisname I swear
71. Unforgiven 1992 A western I liked
72. Thelma & Louise 1991 Love the T bird and the performances
73. Office Space 1999
74. Drugstore Cowboy 1989
75. Out of Africa 1985
76. The Departed 2006
77. Sid and Nancy 1986
78. Terminator 2: Judgment Day 1991
79. Waiting for Guffman 1996
80. Michael Clayton 2007
81. Moonstruck 1987 letMy mom and dad and I went to see it in San Diego on their first visit to CA when I lived her. Being CA we showed up too late and sat in the second row. My Dad said at the end "I liked it but I was staring up Cher's nostrils for two hours! It was a funny love story full of Italianism and Jewish isms I felt like I grew up with. You've got a love bite on your neck! Your life's going down the toilet."
82. Lost in Translation 2003
83. Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn 1987
84. Sideways 2004 Loved when he drove the car into the tree
85. The 40 Year-Old Virgin 2005
86. Y Tu Mamá También 2002 (What about my Mama???)
87. Swingers 1996
88. Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery 1997 (although I did like the following two)
89. Breaking the Waves 1996
90. Napoleon Dynamite 2004 A real classic
91. Back to the Future 1985
92. Menace II Society 1993
93. Ed Wood 1994
94. Full Metal Jacket 1987
95. In the Mood for Love 2001
96. Far From Heaven 2002
97. Glory 1989 (Morgan Freeman can do no wrong. Excellent movie)
98. The Talented Mr. Ripley 1999
99. The Blair Witch Project 1999
100. South Park: Bigger Longer & Uncut 1999

My Mom --- --- Attention Pig

2008-06-28T10:41:00.000-07:00

OK, Mom.

First it was being the only mother of a performer at the Boys and Girls Club Show on April 4 to attend three times. (Attend and beg...BEG I tell you!...'not' to be introduced.
Then, later in April, it was the infamous pneumonia scare and hospital stay. Well, that faded away eventually.

Then, just a few short weeks later, she resorted to that Classic "Lady of a Certain Age" Show Stopper Attention Grabbing Stunt -

Breaking her hip!
(No shame I tell ya!)

It got so bad that Brother Chris' mother in law, Sally (god love her!) had to fake some sort of something and go to the ER to get a tiny bit of attention for herself!

So, I get a call from my brother Friday and I know it's trouble. What has she done now?

Another cliche attention getting device! A tornado in Nebraska! Oh Mom! Will it ever stop!?
Seriously, what a year for Mom! Her house had some siding ripped off when the telephone pole in the back yard was split down the middle by whatever it was. Without that there is no electricity. So Brother Chris and she had to go to the ER for her oxygen since the machine wasn't working without power. But she's fine. She's staying with her other mainstays, Cousin Nina and Gil!

Thank God! Love ya, Mom!

Chris....You're the oldest. You should have moved a long way away before I got out of college! But you stayed and you're the greatest! Thanks!

Flikr meme

2008-06-12T02:03:00.001-07:00

Amazing how I can't sleep after a botched spinal tap. Just too sensitive, I guess! So while reading blogs I found a Flikr Meme on

Are You There, Blog? It's Me, Stephen

and it looked like fun! Thank you Stephen! Anyone with a Judy Blume referenced title must be good!

So, I have searched and cut and pasted and saved and thought and almost put myself to sleep...almost. Forgive me if I have done some blogger misdeed but I'm new (ish)!

I'm not sure what the mosaic will tell you but if you want to share, comment away!

The concept:
1. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search .
2. Using only the first page of results, pick one image.
3. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into Big Huge Lab’s Mosaic Maker to create a mosaic of the picture answers.
4. Tag as many people as you like.

The questions:
1. What is your first name? Kevin
2. What is your favorite food? right now? Chocolate Cupcake
3. What high school did you go to? Westside
4. What is your favorite color? Brown
5. Who is your celebrity crush? Wallace Shawn (No, not really but I thought the pictures would be good)
6. What is your favorite drink? Coca Cola
7. What is your dream vacation? Dubrovnik
8. What is your favorite dessert? Chocolate Chip Cookie
9. What do you want to be when you grow up? Architect
10. What do you love most in life? Loyal Friends & Family
11. What is one word that describes you? Funny
12. What is your flickr name? Huh?

Gee, Wally! Meme's are fun!

2008-06-12T00:42:00.000-07:00

I've been waiting for midnight in order to make sure I have something to answer on number 2!

1. What was I doing ten years ago?
I was at the beginning of a very tough cycle in my life. Although with my usual outlook I can tell the funny stories that go along with it! !
I had just been transferred at my request to another school after 5 years of working for my good friend, and wonderful mentor, Pat! I knew it was time for me to see if I was as good as I looked working with Mama Pat. But that request set off events that really changed my life.

I went for my short meet'n'greet with the new boss (aka UPS Bitch...explanation soon). UPS B told me she knew I was there to spy on her, to gather info & to get her fired. She'd see that it was me who left with a shattered reputation not her. "Welcome! Glad you're here!" The higher ups heard about it & tried to transfer me elsewhere but when I burst into tears hearing the name of THAT Boss' name**(Call her Dot), they rethought it and put me back with UPS B.

I won't go into too many details but basically as #2 in charge I ran the place with #3 in charge while #1 was missing in action. One morning, #3 and I were working in my office (the former supply closet...seriously...that adjoined the UPS B's office) #3 looked up and cocked her head. I looked at her and I knew that look. "Ignore it! Turn up the radio!" She turned it down and really screwed up her face listening. "Is that ? What's she doing in her office?" I put my pencil down and looked at her as I waited as a look of disgust spread across her face. "Oh MY GOD! Who's in there with her!?" I simply turned the radio up, pointed at the UPS packages piled in the hallway and went back to work. We kept that place in ship shape while the UPS B kept herself busy (....in her office....in her home while her husband was gone....in a dirty van behind the 7-Eleven). And, yes, when I left after a year that included having to look at the photographic evidence gathered by a PI, my work rep was okay if tattered a bit. Some assumed I ratted on her...I didn't, but I was told that she was being investigated...and she was fired. It was horrible.

**The reason for the tears? 13 years earlier in my early 20s and a new hire, fresh to California, no friends or family nearby, the boss, Dot, gave me excellent evaluations. Then she got very touchy feely. When I told her to stop, I was put on the road to being fired. It was to the point of signing a resignation letter when I told the HR man what was going on. Fellow workers more than backed me up and I got a reprieve. Men didn't get sexually harassed in the mid 80s so no surprise that the HR man asked why I didn't just f*** her. My only response was to hold up my hands and say "I eat with these hands!" I got a laugh from my union rep at least!

2. What are five things on my list to do today?
Smile, pass out awards, Smile, hope no one barfs on me during the BBQ at lunchtime, Smile

3. Snacks I enjoy? Dreyers Frozen Juice Bars

4. Things I Would Do If I Were A Billionaire? I'd set up a foundation to support & protect public education against right wing attacks that give half the facts, undermine our system of free and equal education for all and works to create a system of public education that gives public monies to private entities/schools while still allowing them to pick and choose their students.

Then I'd move to the beach and read.

5. Three of my bad habits? Biting my nails, staying up too late, driving too much

6. Five places I have lived? Omaha, Denver, Redlands, Rancho Cucamonga and, finally, I got it right with Claremont, California.

7. Five jobs I’ve had?
A/V Aide but that is so insufficient to explain the job. I was what the timer/recorder on a VCR replaced. I turned on these enormous VCRs at all times of the day and night to record programs for my school district when I was in High school and for a few years more. I had a master key to the school...as a student--a master key!....and, yes, though I was a very responsible teenager there ARE stories, lots of stories!

Men's Clothing salesman - and a short time selling Women's Shoes. Ladies, don't go shoe shopping commando, please!

Teacher (Speech to Deaf/HH children, Kinder, 1st, 2nd, 5th gr)

Assistant Principal

Principal

8. How did you name your blog?
It seemed obvious.

You sho' is ugly!

2008-06-10T18:38:00.000-07:00

OK...this is a rant!

In The Color Purple, Celie is waiting at the front door as Albert, her husband, brings home Shug Avery, the love of his life, for her to take care of. Celie's anxious to see what this woman of legendary beauty and talent must look like.

Shug, happy drunk that she is, looks into Celie's eyes for the first time and says with a laugh...

oh, just check out 3:40 on this clip

So, why is it that people feel free to say things like that when they aren't drunk? These days society tries to be more accepting of our differences. Call it PC but it's the way it should be.

Today I was gathering my mail at the community mailbox as Baldwin sniffed around picking up his P-mail, adding his own commentary and moving on to the next bush.

One of my neighbors stopped and said "Have you lost more weight?"

Buying into the proposition that it was any of her business I explained that I'd actually gained 8 pounds according to the doctor's scale this week.

She then said I was too thin...that I might be trying too hard to lose weight... I needed to gain back that weight I'd lost a year ago. She went on happily that a guy my age should be heavier, and ended by saying I didn't look good "this thin".

I am 6'2" on a good day with dress shoes on and weigh 204 pounds. I ain't gonna be blowing away like a plastic bag anytime soon. I did lose 20-25 lbs a year ago when I got tired of taking the cholesterol and blood pressure meds. I take a bag of healthy food to nosh on all day at work(fruit, yogurt, juice, or whatever isn't chips or junk). I don't eat out of machines or at potlucks or anything like that. My rule is that I can only eat what's in the bag! My office staff, god love 'em, will slip a good home made cookie into the bag ince in a while since they are my weakness. The result has been that I am hungrier when I get home. I actually eat dinner and then am done eating.

It shows you how poorly I was eating that the weight came off quickly. My cholesterol went from 220 to 132. My blood pressure came down. AND I fit in the same size pants I wore in college. I abhor exercising! I was a fat teenager. I've been as much as 60 lbs heavier as an adult than I am now. But this time the weight, the cholesterol, the blood pressure came down because I changed my eating habits at work. I know...I'm lucky.

But are all American men supposed to be paunchy and bloated? Is it because so many people struggle to get their weight down that it's okay to make commentary on someone else's thinner frame? Is a thinner person's body up for public commentary?

Steven Jobs introduced the new iPhone this week. I've read several commentaries on it and one actually went on for several sentences saying he was too thin and no 53 year old man should be that thin. Who says? Look at Europe! They aren't like us. You can always spot the Americans by their white tennis shoes and their big guts. Is that really a model we need to strive for?

I almost wanted to say to neighbor that she should follow my lead and lose some herself!

"That ass is looking a little wide, Margaret!"
But that would be rude! Right?

A New Frontier for TheKevinPrinciple - - Memes?

2008-06-09T22:52:00.000-07:00

Oi...

First, I am so sorry (Lea) for taking so long to post to my blog but it's been a hectic time. A few weeks ago, I shared with all 2 of my readers what a wonderful mom I have, about her bout with pneumonia which caused me to fly last minute to Omaha, about my, visit with her in the hospital and even more about fun stuff about that visit.

Well, I hadn't been home a few weeks when Princess Grace tripped and fractured her hip. It wasn't a bad fracture. The docs said that if you got to fracture it, that was the place to do it. So, I shuffled my Memorial Day visit with the tall and handsome Chris in Fort Worth and Chicago around a bit. I made some major contributions to the "Let's Make the Airlines Profitable Again" fund, and stopped to see Mom in her new location Brookstone Meadows aka The Ritz Carlton with Hospital Beds. It's a beautiful building, with a sincerely nice staff who actually care individually about the people staying with them.

Now if we could just get Mom to stop announcing to people ...

"I'm in Rehab".

So, Lea, that's my excuse and here's my post:

Alphabet Meme
A is for your age: I'm almost 50. I'm 48 until September 13 and a new iPhone would make a lovely early birthday present, Terry.

B is for your burger of choice: The Blue Burger, The Blue Job, Blue Burger Blue... You get the idea. A rose by any other name...

C is for the car that you drive: BMW Z4 but I've just about had it. I love the little zoomer but, well, I really like Mom's Prius. (Oh, lord help me, I'm old! I want to drive the same car as my mother. At least she doesn't drive a Buick.)

D is for dog's name: Baldwin! He's truly the best dog ever. He has a fan club. People will text me out of the blue to ask how he is. He gets attention wherever he goes. He's very quiet. He knows almost everything I say to him and reacts accordingly. I've lived with him since 1996 when I got him at the pound. He was sitting up in his cage. He's probably about 13-14 years old now. People always are amazed he's not 10 years younger than he is and even though Southern Chris is making plans for his ultimate demise**, he'll be around for a long time.

E is for an elevator: Yes. My loft has it's own private elevator. Here's Baldwin in it!
It sounds so Upper East Side to say I have my own elevator but the most common passenger would be groceries, dry cleaning or someone who is not claustrophobic and is on the their very first visit. I can load you in it on the first floor and have your favorite cocktail ready for you by the time you arrive on the third floor.

It was a white box with white tile flooring when I moved in. Baldwin was scared to death of it. I think it was because it resembled a shower. Now, it's a bit over the top in a Sunset Boulevard kind of way but how often do you get to decorate your own elevator?

F is for your favorite television show: Uh, I dunno.

G is for favorite game: Oh, any team game that takes creativity, a vast knowledge of trivial information and plenty of opportunity for clever cheating would be fun.

H is for hometown: Omaha

I is for instruments played: None, though I have a purple ukulele waiting for the end of scuba classes.

J is for favorite juice: Tangerine!

K is for what you'd like to kick: The butt of whoever thought up No Child Left Behind. Think back to your most stellar and exemplary school. Were 100% of the kids at grade level? C'mon! At the bare minimum, there's a dolt in every class! What about doctors having a 100% recovery rate? Accountants having a 100% accuracy rate? A President getting a 100% on a 3rd grade test in any subject? Not going to happen!

L is for last restaurant you dined at: The Yard House with my good friend, Gary!

M is for your favorite Muppet: Bert

N is for number of piercings you have: Two

O is for overnight hospital stays: Let's see, birth, then shortly afterward for some kidney infection ( see photographic evidence of the problem here ), tonsils out at 7, then a long stretch with none until my reward for overworking myself my first year at the new job: pneumonia at 40.

P is for people you were with today: Depends on how you define "with". It could be anywhere from 0 to 745 people. Yeah, go ahead, fantasize all you want.

Q is for what you do in quiet times: If it's sorta warm and I am anywhere near comfortable? I sleep.

R is for regrets: Oh, I should have stayed with Mom a few more days on the last visit, I should have bought a Prius, I should have moved to the beach a dozen years ago, shoulda coulda woulda

S is for status: Single but the times they are a-changing!

T is for time you woke up today: 4:45

U is for what you consider unique: About myself? That's way too hard to say. I mean, I'm me, doesn't that make me unique? Aren't we all? Should we all celebrate our "uniqueness'" instead of trying to make sure we fit in? I guess I'd say my ability to go off on a tangent with only a little provocation...

V is for favorite vegetable: Fresh Nebraska bought on the roadside Corn Cob on the grill

W is for your worst habit: Nail Biter

X is for x-rays you have had: Dental, arm, lungs, hand, and others I don't remember. Never broken anything...

Y is for yummy food you ate today: Grilled pork chop after it marinated in my own secret marinade for the day.

Z is for zodiac sign: Virgo

**That may be an exaggeration but Southern Chris does talk about buying some flat faced dog and naming him Barium as soon as Baldwin takes that big elevator to dog heaven. Actually, he loves his Mr. BEEEEEEEEEE!

TARDY TMI TUESDAY!

2008-05-14T18:03:00.000-07:00

1. Is there a TV show you HAVE to watch? If so, what is it?
No, I can't say there is. I do love "The Newlywed Game" though...
2. What is you favorite drink if you are going to drink more than one?
Sorry, again, I am way too inconsistent but among the faves are Coca-Cola, Arnold Palmers, or adult beverages Gin and Tonic or Mandarin Vodka and Cranberry Juice.
3. How long do you carry guilt around with you?
Sorry, after going through intensive training and seeing the professionals at work at Catholic School for 8 years, I was out of my element and dropped out of that race.
4. Where is or would be your number one romantic get away spot?
I'd say wherever my number one romantic interest would be...

You may say Awwww now (or "B***sh**!") but it's true!
5. Have you ever seen a counselor?
Yes, and that was with the F-man. Write for details! ;-)

I'm on a roll...

2008-05-06T17:18:00.000-07:00

How did I get around before I had the blue BMW roadster?

There were still four contacts with the ground. I was blue and speedy. I'm sure at times Mom could catch me and, at other times, she let me think I got away. But I was much too social to stay away for long and I'd be back. Vroom! Vroom!
Which makes me want to comment on a previous blog when I said how different my brother and I were. I remember that it seemed like we fought a lot but I have so many memories of laughing at things together, or plotting against my parents some way. I was better at it than he was. I knew very early if we did something wrong together to make sure I stayed as far away from him as I could! If ANYONE was going to get caught, it was him. Another thing, you know how if you have two dogs you can never tell which one chewed the couch or did his job on the floor because of "Collective" guilt. They both look guilty. My brother could look guilty of something he didn't even know had been happening, before it was even discovered even. In case you ask, that was to my advantage more than a few times. Here are pictures that show how different we could be.

At a dam on the Columbia River

My brother, just one of the guys, in his Little League T shirt.
He was a star pitcher and played on champion teams with our dad as the team coach. It was great going to the games.

But I look like I think this is some fashion shoot.
My year of Little League (Dad, bravely, was my coach , too) was famously marked by the ball going past me in left field leaving me wondering why everyone (incl. my mother in the stands) was yelling at me.

More Christmas
(It's the only time we reliably took pictures)
This is the famous "Grump" picture.
It was referred to (and still is)
whenever we'd see the mood strike
or want to comment on
his generally good nature.
The mood is NOT my fault! My parents gave me the Santa for the first picture. This was the result of that poor parenting decision.

Brother Chris has denied permission for me to use this in my blog. But, just like during our childhood, I know when I can get away with poking him a little.

And the next picture in the series has both of us smiling!

I could go on but am going to end with few other pictures.

This one is just so 1960s proper.
My mom says that she looks so unhappy but it was one of the happiest times of her life.
I had to ask if it was one of the happiest times of her life
because she'd just ordered new drapes
but she looked unhappy because
the old ones were still up in her new house?

In case that picture makes you think I had a
prim and proper upbringing,
there is this.

Someone call Child Protective Services!!

That boy ain't right...

2008-05-06T07:55:00.000-07:00

Bless you, Santa!

Family, home, traditions

2008-05-05T20:19:00.000-07:00

Here we are. My immediate family. Brother, Nephew, Mother, Sister-in-law, me. Sitting on the deck above the back yard of the house I grew up in. From age 3 to 24 I lived in this house. My parents bought it in 1962. For the next 46 years, this has been our family home. Compare that to my 22 years in California. I've lived in 10 different apartments/houses/lofts. Amazingly, it isn't a house that Dad and Mom liked. My mother, in particular, didn't like it. However, my maternal grandmother was going to move in with us and the walkout basement is basically a 2 bedroom apartment. So, it was a good fit. But for some reason, after closing. she decided not to move in. I guess my parents weren't interested in getting in the house flipping game, huh?Among my friends, I'm alone in being able to be in my childhood home. When I come home, different memories wash over me and I notice different odd things. On Saturday night, I was exhausted by the time I came home to go to sleep. As I walked through the house, I was turning off the lights. I missed each of the switch plates by a good distance. I hit a good foot above each of them. As I lay there, starting to drift to sleep I wondered how sleepy was I to miss them by that much. Each of them. Isn't there, more or less, a standard height from the floor? Did I miss them because as I grew groggier some automatic part of my brain that remembers the routes, distances and spaces of this house reverted to some distant 12 year old version of the house? I know I can always feel the 'smallness of things' looking at it from my 6'2" perspective. Kind of odd...

Tomorrow, more random pictures and memories. Ever wonder about what I meant when I said my brother and I were quite different as kids? You thought your childhood had great Christmas memories. I will swear my life on the fact that Santa Claus lived across the street from me. I have proof! How did I get around when I couldn't zip around in a blue Beemer roadster? What am I holding here and who just gave it to me?? Find out the photographic answers in the next blog! Later!

She didn't say that! Oh no, she didn't!

2008-05-05T13:30:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know she's well enough to go home. My mother has now officially gained the much-feared status of "Mother with too much time on her hands"!! That's official psychological terminology or at least it should be.

I would have led with "Mom is home!" but this prompted an immediate response. I was on the phone taking directions for her return when these words came out of her mouth:

"A man your age shouldn't get on a ladder. You might fall off and die."

I was shocked! I was offended! My male ego was bruised! What the hell did she mean by that? I know. I should be patient. And listen and ignore her. But this age thing is her big issue. She won't tell her age because of the generalizations people make, because of the way people treat you as a lesser person, etc. She's right! Ageism, like sexism or racism is just wrong even when phrased in the "I know what's better for you than you do" tone. How could I make her see she's guilty of the thing that gets her blood boiling! Hehehe Read on....

"What the hell do you mean by that?" I asked.
"Just that as you get to be your age,
[When did 'your age' become an insult? I dunno but, at 48, it has!]
you're almost 50, you need to be more careful!"

"Mom! Don't say it again!"

"But men your age..."
"Mom, it's a short drive from the door of Bergan Mercy Hosital to
Mercy Care Nursing Home where a woman your age..."

There was a short silence and we changed the subject. I picked her up at 2:00.

But before doing any of that, being who I am, I had one thing to do.

By the way, she thought this exchange was as funny as I did! I come by this sense of humor from both of my parents...

MOM READS THE KEVIN PRINCIPLE BLOG AND LIVES!

2008-05-05T01:18:00.000-07:00

At this point, it's early Monday morning and I did make it to Omaha. The closed TSA check in LAX, the incorrect gate in Houston and some confusion in picking me up at the airport. That last one put me at the hospital about two hours late. Luckily, no one called Mom to ask if I was here yet!

She looks good and is breathing better. They were going to let her out on Sunday but on Sunday afternoon one of her lung doctors came in and listened to her breathing.

Oh, to be back in the day...

Now, remember, they said she wasn't going home until the wheezing had stopped.
He asked if she had post nasal drip. 'No' was the answer.
Did she have allergies? Again, 'No'.
Did she have acid reflux? She takes meds but she hasn't experienced it.

He hesitated. Then said "All of those things could cause wheezing."

He stood there, looked blankly at us for about 10 seconds, said goodbye and walked out. I was afraid he was going to keep grasping for another cause of the wheezing!
Do you have a hangnail?
Did you have your hair done last Tuesday?
Did you wear patent leather maryjanes as a little girl?

So, we're thinking she's coming home today! WHOOHOO

First of all....

2008-05-03T04:10:00.000-07:00

Ahhh...the luxury of flight!

If you're reading this before 3 p.m. Central time on May 3 you're in on a secret! My mom, who has been hospitalized since April 24 with pneumonia, forbade me to come back to Omaha to see her when her stay was extended beyond a week. She actually forbade me to come back just because she's in the hospital!

After all she's getting better!

So, what did I do being a reasonable adult? I was immediately on kayak.com to get a flight home. Thank the great goddess of flight that the airfare was actually cheap cuz after being forbade from something I was driven to do it regardless of the price. But I am not going back because she's in the hospital! I have a completely unrelated reason that I shall share with her when I arrive in her room around 3.

So, my Continental Airlines boarding pass said to be here an hour before security even opened.
Being punctual I got here at 4:05, walked up to the security line and was told they don't open til 4:30. I asked if I could sit there and work on the Mac. They said no. I went down the escalator and sat near the bottom, plugged in and was told I had to move behind the ropes. I moved behind the ropes and while I have been sitting here about 7,000 people have gotten in line right where I sat down. I love LAX!

More from Houston. I can almost guarantee it. (Don't ask me WHY HOUSTON on the way from LA to OMAHA!? It was cheap! Sheesh! And I'd been forbidden! I was compelled to take it!)

No news from Houston except to say for an airport it is poorly signed, with bad graphics, and indifferent workers. Four of us went from the LAX flight to the Omaha flight. We were told it was at one gate but as the time approached we realized nothing was happening indicating any imminent departures. We asked, they referred us to the monitors which were not visible from where we stood. Exasperated, one of the gentlemen said to the Continental employee that even pointing us in the right direction would seem to be the least he could do. And the dope looked up, pointed and looked down. Well, we made it. 5 minutes before the plane took off. (That's 10 minutes after the point where they could have given away our seats.) But I've made it to Omaha....

More to come

A lifestyle choice...

2008-05-01T18:49:00.000-07:00

Oh this is soooo not what you're probably thinking.

I went to work today, top down, after a Dr. appt which was more intimate than many relationships I've had, with a smile on my face and it wasn't from the Doctor's treatment. It was just a lovely day. Near the end of the day, I had someone at my front counter demanding something that was not going to be done. This was not her first visit demanding something that couldn't be done. Today's demand was well advertised as "not gonna be done, sweetheart!" It was posted on the door that this was not done. It was posted on the counter that this was not done. Anyone's common sense would tell you that what she wanted was not done for safety, consideration and any number of other reasons.

However, I negotiated and managed to do ALMOST everything she wanted except for one small aspect of it. It wasn't going to cost her time, money, energy or self pride. It just couldn't be done. She even acknowledged at one point that she didn't want ANYONE ELSE to get what she wanted because it wasn't safe. But she got angrier and angrier, berating the clerk for all kinds of professional and almost personal things.

I finally said "Even though it's against our usual policy, I've done everything you asked, except for one small thing that'll be solved in less than 30 seconds. What can I do to get you to stop talking to the clerk that way?"

At that point, she said that she wouldn't be talking to anyone and stomped out the door, turned around and kicked the bottom of the door.

Goodness knows I have had my share of confrontations with indifferent salespeople, rude museum docents and arrogant health care providers. I try not to be rude but I won't be distracted from the problem either. I usually get them politer and more service oriented before too long or at least acting that way. It's a win win or at least a win- let's hope they're like this for the rest of the day kind of win

And I wonder.... Do some people make a deliberate decision every morning to just be unpleasant? I'm not talking about the here and there bad day but a real lifestyle choice to ensure that life sucks. Do they choose to make every situation unpleasant and a lose-lose?

I mean, if these people down here can be at work during this event and smile, anyone should be able to....

It's TMI Tuesday! WhooHooo

2008-04-28T21:59:00.000-07:00

Wouldn't you know that on the second TMI Tuesday there is a question I am not going to answer in a blog! After saying I liked seeing which questions OTHER bloggers didn't answer, I am busted! Regardless....here goes!

1. Early bird or night owl?
I suppose my nature is much more night owl but I have a tendency to wake up with any light. So, that sometimes stops any excursions into the night for me sometimes!

2. Where was the first place you ever had sex?
My mother reads this..I hope she does anyway.

3. On a scale of 1-10, how happy are you?
(1 is lowest, 10 is highest) I'd say I'm at an 8 or so right now.

4. Are you more submissive or dominant? Oh, I'll just face it and say dominant. I love when someone else will take the reins and get things done and done well. But the First Grade teacher comes out in me and I will fill in any spot that equals crowd control. That was the job where I had the most absolute control. They understood what I wanted and they really tried to do it. (and they told me they loved me and that I was pretty! Bet that doesn't happen at your job!) You think that happens as a principal?! You poor naive fool....

5. Do you believe in love at first sight? Yes, I do. Of course, it fails more than it succeeds but I think there's some sort of destiny between some people and when you meet them, you know it.

Bonus: Describe your bed time habits. I get in bed and fall asleep.

What side do you sleep on? Whichever side isn't taken.

What do you usual wear? Ummm....Mom reads this...

Any night time rituals? No

My mom....

2008-04-27T13:29:00.000-07:00

Mom's 29th birthday (repeated for our pleasure) with
Bob, Anthony, Me, Patty and Bean!

I love my mom! We all love our moms! Well, most of us do! My mom just survived another visit with me and had a good time. I drag the poor woman all over creation and force her into humiliating situations when she's here. For example, The Boys and Girls Club Celebrity Luncheon that I unfortunately am forever tied to as a performer along with the Chief of Police, various city dignitaries and other school employees (all male). We do a little dance, get introduced and do another little dance. Then, it's out into the crowd to earn our dinner! I always insist that the mayor should NOT introduce my mother out in the crowd but he must forget and he always does. Along with a comment like
"Who'd want to take credit for that?!"

BTW-I had $100 bucks tucked in my... er ...given to me by the crowd at this year's event. We made nearly $15K that day.

B&G '05

Each year, after attending, she insists she'll never do again that she's gotten the idea. But once again, for the third time, she returned to support me in the show. That's her way. She's supportive in a quiet, refined, way. Well, as quiet and refined as this event can be. She still tells me it's almost as crazy and twisted as I am!! Hey, she's not that accepting. But both my parents were this way in raising us. They were there for us when we needed but they were going to make us learn to support ourselves, too! My dad passed in 1999. There are still days that something happens or some politician says something stupid and I think "I can't wait to hear what Dad'll say about that!"

B&G '08

The Whole Fam Damily '99

While it couldn't have been easy raising my brother, Chris, and me in conservative Nebraska, they told us to think for ourselves, be true to what we believed and to never vote Republican (I'm kidding on that last part...sort of). They have lived with the consequences! Both of my parents were there for me even when I knew they didn't agree with my choices or plain old disapproved! I always knew where they stood on an issue and that was on my side. Chris and I were so different in temperament, interests and outlook that it must have made for some very schizophrenic parenting decisions. But it worked since we're both loving and caring people, although my brother takes it too far at times.

My mom, who is older than you think and has forbidden me from telling, still works full time for the Rotary Club and loves it. She's survived my dad's bouts with cancer three times and was with him when he died. She's beat back lung cancer twice now herself! She's a survivor.

She's busy, got a wide circle of friends and admirers as did my dad. Many of my friends stick with me only in order to keep in contact with her. She's even gotten love letters from my exes at Christmas... "It's odd! Just so odd!" As kids, my brother and I used to hate walking into a restaurant with them because my dad and then, later, my mom and dad would get stopped, called over to tables, chatted up, etc. We thought we'd never get to eat. I had a flashback of that this year when Mom and I attended a formal dress ball when I went home for Christmas. Of course, several people knew her from Rotary. I had one man tell me he loved my mother. I politely agreed and he vigorously nodded his head and repeated "I've loved your mother for 30 years!" I replied with "I've loved her for 48 years!"

I think when you meet her, you'll understand.
Mom and me at the Getty Center
She had her artsy & gelled hair-d0

It's TMI Tuesday!

2008-04-22T18:35:00.000-07:00

Every Tuesday, another blog ( TMITuesday ) posts questions! I always enjoy reading the answers on friends' blogs. And I REALLY enjoy seeing which questions other bloggers choose NOT to answer! I guess I just gave away that little guilty pleasure, huh?

HAPPY TMI TUESDAY!

1. Pancakes or waffles? With or without toppings?
I usually prefer pancakes but I love a good waffle. Toppings? Maple Syrup? You bet! All that Rootin' Tootin' fruit stuff? Uh, thanks, but no!

2. They say, "Way to a man's heart is through his stomach." What is the way to your heart?
Being a great cook can't hurt, that's for sure. However, a good generous spirit, a great laugh, intelligence, and being tall also help a lot!

3. Have you ever gone to a topless/clothing optional beach? If yes, did you participate?
Amateurs! Who needs it to be clothing optional? I'm hardly modest. In fact, the few times I have been modest have been more worrying about other people's embarrassment than my own. I went to Ireland with the F man in August but who expected it to be in the 80s and sunny? As we drove through Donegal we came across a beautiful beach surrounded by rocky cliffs and greener than green fields. There were families there and a few visiting Spanish tourists! (They left Spain to go to the beach on the North Sea in Ireland?) We walked for a while and got around a few boulders, and, having no swimming 'costumes', we stripped. I wasn't about to get in the cold water but the F man did his always impressive and stunning swim way out as I lazily sunned on a rock. A family with toddlers suddenly came around the boulder and, being Euros, they were unfazed! Just imagine if I were in the OC!!

4. What song reminds you of a previous relationship (for good or bad)?
There are a few, Best of my Love by The Emotions keeps in mind that one person's best is someone else's worst. Just recently, when I would be justifiably angry, the song I Say a Little Prayer for You with customized lyrics (designed to make me soften my stance and get over it) would float from the next room accompanied by soft strumming on a guitar!! And it worked! That song always reminds me just being creative and talented with music doesn't mean one isn't also manipulative and unwilling to accept responsibility for one's actions. I still love to dance to it! Then there's Ode to Billie Joe,which always reminds me that laughter makes for a great memory !!

5. When, where and with who was your best kiss ever?
Oh, I wish I could say I remember but, unlike the songs, anything that was the best or even close gets minimized in my mind when it's all over. But there's nothing like a great kisser, the right situation and the right mindset.

Between previous relationships and best kissers and nude beaches covered in this TMITuesday, this clip seemed appropriate...

At least I'm consistent...

2008-04-18T23:49:00.000-07:00

HOUSES!

Ever since I was a little guy in Omaha I've had a fascination with cars, old cars, blonds, convertibles and houses. I loved doing those charity collections where you had to hit up everyone on your block. I got in every house on the block in Sunset Hills. Sometimes I got homemade cookies for my generous efforts at making the world a better place. HA! I did so well some of the charities gave me a bonus block! Needless to say, between oncoming adolescence and multiple charities, I was less popular as the years dragged on. But while it lasted, I knew everything about some of these families. They should have known better because I had real issues with chattering away as a child.

But I loved seeing how all these mid-50s ranches could appear to be more or less the same but were quite different. The Hagstroms had a huge kitchen with a bay window...the Manchester's was too small for a table even...The Williams' had a fabulous intact 50s kitchen with turquoise appliances and big windows. Mr. Dowd's kitchen was big but I don't think any food was ever prepared there.

I still love houses. Just ask Chris...not brother Chris...Southern Chris. When visiting him in Chicago, we drove out to Glen Avon Woods Ellyn to see my cousin's house. He thought we'd do a quick drive by, see if they're home and head back to the safety of urban life. No! Even though he was driving, I sneakily suggested a few "I-don't-know-where-I'm-going" turns because of something I'd seen on Google maps. But he was a good sport. Just set me loose in a neighborhood of interesting houses and I can meander like an old lady in the health and beauty aisle at the Safeway.

So here's my topic for my first blog. (The crowd yells "Finally!")

I think you should be able to take over your neighbor's house if they completely ruin the neighborhood.

Repaint, remove ugly additions, relandscape all at their expense!! You have to look at what they've created, for goodness sakes. A simple vote of your neighbors and you'd better hold onto Grandma or she'll get a makeover, too!

I have an example of course:
Hancock Park in Los Angeles is a beautiful neighborhood of large homes with great architectural style from the 20s and 30s.
.

There are wonderful Tudors

(although someone chose to cut down all the trees)

& Spanish/Italian Villa-esque homes (C'mon...it's LA!)

Then we come to this!

Don't miss the details! Check out the droves of Davids along the drive!

And does anyone really need that many bars when there's so much evidence there is NOTHING worth stealing from this house?
I tell you, they should come home from work some day and find that it's been returned to it's original 50's mega-ranch house blandness, AND huge bills from a contractor and a trash hauler.