Hospital Visit

Nothing new tonight, spend three hours in the ER with Lily. Do not panic, it was just a little bleeding. We spent three hours and one hundred dollars to find out that the combo of infection and shifting tube caused the irritation and bleeding. She is ok and all is well again. She is to just continue her medication and ear drops. She has a follow up for next Tuesday, pray that all is healed and that the ENT will not suggest that the tubes go back in.

Father/Daughter Day

Today, Lily woke up tugging at her ear and with a low grade fever. Obviously, she was not going to school/day care so what to do, what to do? I volunteered to keep her home and take her into the doctor's office to check it out.

The doctor confirmed what we feared, ear infection! Second time in two weeks. Diagnosis was that her tube has shifted and irritated her ear. That combined with sinus trouble has created nasty drainage and the trouble. So ear drops and antibiotics and we go back next week.

After the doctor's visit, we proceeded to get her meds and a special treat. I bought her a new DVD, Disney's Bolt. We came home had lunch and she napped. Afterwards, she woke up in a pretty good mood so we decided to venture outside and enjoy the nice spring day. Wow, it was really nice.

We went across the street to the local school and took advantage of the open field to fly a kite, ride around in her car and just stretch our legs. Lily also played on the playground, and must have gone up and down that slide fifty times. A few times I had to stop her and get her to drink some juice to slow down. We had a great time and it was really fun to have her all to myself to play and be outdoors.


She is such a ham!

If it were not for bad luck...

I would not have any luck at all, at least when it comes to the fishing tournaments! Yesterday was our second day of fishing on the FBC Blanchard tournament trail and wow, what a day!

First, a little background, I am not a fisherman in any way, shape or form. I like to fish and I somewhat enjoy it, but I am not good at it no matter how you slice it. Last year, our church expanded the increasingly popular tournament to include three days with an overall winner of combined weight. This year, we added a fourth date and drew even more teams into the tournament. The entry fees are split 50/50, with half going to payouts for prizes and half going to the churches mission work. The tournament rules are pretty simple, two man/woman teams, with a five string limit, you can fish any public water and have to be at the weigh in for each day.

Last year I teamed up with a good friend and Sunday school class member who shall not be named to protect his innocence, ha ha. So he and I fished last year and teamed up again this year. Neither of us have much fishing experience nor have we fished much since our childhoods.
He had a boat and could get away on the times of the fishing days and we were set. We bought some rods, reels, baits and set out to "fish". Sounds easy, but that is where the trouble began.

The first date this year forced us to fish with my uncle as the barge was broke and the part was on back order. We went out, fished in the cold, grey, windy day and brought zero fish in, wasted day. This time, again, it was cold, grey and windy, but being the novices that we were, we decided to fish the Red River. MISTAKE NUMBER ONE!

I knew it was a bad omen when the boat would not crank but did we listen, of course not, we are men and we are stubborn and want to have things our way. My friend insisted that we launch and we will "fix" the boat in the water. Ok, after a few failed attempts, we purchased a battery for the boat because it seemed to not be getting enough power. MISTAKE NUMBER TWO!

Once the battery was in place and a few connections were double checked, the boat would still not turn over. Here we should have known that it was time to load up and head back but we, being thickheaded decided to go in the opposite direction. We decide to manually pull start the boat, and it worked! So with the wind blowing, sub zero temperatures and no clue as to where to go, we set out to find a spot to fish.

Once we got into the channel and headed north, we found what we thought was an excellent spot, wrong, it was shallow, and we almost ran aground. Quick thinking by the two of us to throw the boat in reverse and push out with a paddle saved us some embarrassment and got us moving again. From here we pushed on and found a nice spot to drop anchor and do some fishing. A half hour later and no fish, we decided to move. We pulled the anchor up and got prepared to move. MISTAKE NUMBER THREE!

Once the anchor was pulled, the wind pushed us across the channel and as we pulled and pulled and pulled on the motor. No luck, we tried everything we knew to do and finally realized that a battery cable had burned through and we had no power. No power, means no motor, no matter how it is started. Before we had a chance to react, we were pushed against a rock jetty and we were stuck. Thankfully we had cell phones and the number to the marina that we launched from. Forty-five minutes later the Bossier Parish Sheriff patrol boat came into sight and provided us with some assistance. We were towed back to the launch. How embarrassing, but the sheriff said it was not an uncommon thing and that they do it all the time. Not sure if that was true but it lessened the blow, a little.

Tired, frustrated and cold we almost called it a day but I was not going to give up just yet. I had a back up plan, we had to catch some fish. So I called up dad, got permission and set sail to a pond in an undisclosed location.

We arrived with a positive attitude and some hopes for at least one fish. All I wanted was one, to weigh in and show the others guys that we could catch fish. We fished the entire pond with only a few bites. I managed to pull two all the way to the edge of the pier only to have them get away. So with time winding down and our spirits almost crushed we decided to make one more round. I am glad we did not give in. On a whim I decided to change lures and bingo, it worked. On the first cast I caught a fish, on the second, the same result. I then asked my friend if he wanted one of the lures, he decided against it, until cast three. Another fish, I was on a roll.

Now with us both fishing the same lure and time winding down we landed twelve fish. They were small but we kept a few for the weigh in. Once we had our fill and the fish slowed, we packed up and headed in to the weigh in at the church. Officially, we weighed in two fish, totaling just under two pounds! We laughed, as did others but hey we came in fifth place of twelve teams. It was a hard day all around, everyone fought the elements more than the fish.

Ultimately, we had a good day and I won a nice door prize as I got a bass pro gift card. I will be sure to use it to buy some more of those bass killer lures. Who knows, maybe next time it will be warm and the boat will behave! Next time, we will catch some fish, maybe some of them will be noteworthy.


PS, I can catch fish, here is proof. This one was caught last year in Arkansas. This green beauty weighed in at eight pounds, ten ounces. This is by far the largest I have ever landed.

Tournament Day

Today was tournament day, we fought the boat, the wind the waves, and caught some fish. I am too tired tonight to tell the tail, but tomorrow, be ready to read all about it as I tell you all about our day at the river and an unnamed pond. Stay tuned for details.

Fishing Tournament

Tomorrow, aka Saturday, I am going to once again compete in our church's fishing tournament trail. This is day 2 of 4 total. My friend Ray and me and will be fishing on the Red River. We are both very unfamiliar with the launch point and the river itself but I hope we can follow the advice we were given and find some fish. As usual it will be rainy and cold, like it has been the last few times I have been fishing, which will make it even more difficult.

I hope we do well but I would just be happy to catch a few, at least my limit. We will see, I will post results tomorrow.

Another Suprise Party

This time I was an attendee and not the guest of honor. Yesterday (the 25th) was Jimmy's birthday and in what seems to be the trend this year, there was a surprise party held in his honor. HAPPY BIRTHDAY JIMMY!

Unlike my party, the cat got out of the bag a little early for Jim when his brother ruined the surprise element last week. Oh well, everyone had fun and I think Jimmy racked up on presents so that is always good.

While there I got to somewhat reunite with an old friend. A friend from back in my 4H days, who is also friends with Jimmy and Tonya, attended and sat beside me and Lorna. You know you are good friends with someone when you can recall stories and instances with just a phrase or a word. Cool thing about reuniting with Sara is that she has a daughter about Lily's age. Hopefully, we can all get together with Jimmy/Tonya/Landry and Sara/Eric/Addison for a barbecue or something and let the kids play.

We joked that it would be funny if all of our girls became friends. They could get together and cause as much trouble as we did back in the day. Back in our youth, we (mostly Jimmy and myself) led the pack in our group and were notorious for stiring up trouble and keeping everyone on their toes. Good times!

Don't we look like trouble?

Urban Cowboy?

My apologies for the lack of an entry yesterday, time, the bad weather and a spunky little girl kept me busy and I was not able to get my thoughts together long enough to do an entry. I hope to squeeze in one or two today to make up for it though.

So about the title of today’s blog, urban cowboy; No, I do not speak of the old John Travolta movie but rather something I saw yesterday as I returned home from work.
Every day, my travels to and from work take me through some of the back roads of my area and through some of the underbelly of this town. One of these “ghetto” areas is the Allendale neighborhood.

Historically, the Allendale area of Shreveport is significant in that it was home to and named after Civil War General, Henry Watkins Allen, the only governor of Louisiana to take the oath in Shreveport, at the time; the capital of Louisiana. The significance of this area ends there. Now it is mostly a rundown shell of its former self, complete with shotgun houses, bad roads and the site of many lead stores of the local news programs. As bad as I feel for its residents, they do provide entertainment from time to time. The amusement ranges from basketball games in the streets to brightly painted cars with loud music and now the urban cowboy.

I saw the urban cowboy yesterday on my way home and I was not quick enough with the camera so you will have to imagine as I describe this guy. Picture this; guy in basketball shorts, with the required six inches of underwear exposed, with some bright orange Nikes, unlaced of course and a blue, knee-length shirt under his gold chains. To complete the Cooper Road inspired ensemble, he topped it off with a blue bandanna, under his flat billed, sideways worn ball cap. He was perched high atop his horse and was strutting down the shoulder waving at his boys as they passed and honked. As I reached for the camera I missed and only got a blur of the scene, nothing post worthy unfortunately. Believe me this was a sight.

He definitely was not what you picture when you say cowboy, or even urban cowboy with the bad, snap up, polyester printed shirts. This guy was far from stereotypical cowboy and was seemingly proud of his outcast status in this less than rural area. While I am not sure if he goes by “cowboy” in his circle of friends, he was a cowboy for a day to me and humorous to boot.
As a dedicated blogger now, I will try to get a picture of this horseman to show the audience. Maybe this will happen soon, if not I will be diligent in my efforts!

All the Rage?

No, not the blue truck nor the rain, which by the way was excellent and rid us of the pollen for now. No, I speak of Brookshire's, our local chain grocery store. All the rage is not a positive phrase in this instance.

Do not get me wrong I prefer Brookshire's to say Wal-mart or any of the other grocery stores in our area, because they are clean, well lit and have a nice mix of mostly well behaved patrons, but I hate the way they do business. This is where the "rage" starts.

Now you have heard of road rage and going postal, and shopping rage is not too far from this. I suffer from lack of patients, I readily admit that I do not like to wait, for anything. I especially do not like to wait in lines at stores, whether it is a fast food restaurant, department store or a grocery store. The grocery store is the worst, I believe that they have 12, 24 or even 36 lanes for "show" because they dang sure do not use them. I will not go into the cost saving measures and under staffing to stay in the black, I understand the bottom line to make money at the customers expense. I get that. What I do not get is the fact that several checkers will stand around with their thumbs up their rear, while you and sixteen other people wait in one of three lanes that are open, with at least one being a 12 items or fewer checkout.

This is where our story begins. Today, I was on my way home and the wife asked me to pick up a few items, no problem. I will just whip into the local Brookshire's on North Market and pick up the FIVE items I needed. Where did I put that list again?

So I enter at 5:34 pm and right away I know that the rage is about to spring out of me. I grab a wet buggy, as it is raining, remember, and apparently no employee can dry the buggies. At least Wal-mart will do this for you. So wet buggy in hand, I head to the necessary aisles to pick up milk, dog food, a mop, muffins and toilet paper. After side stepping the woman with four children with no home training and almost get run over by an employee, "price checking" an item, I secure all my items. The time is now 5:42, not bad, eight minutes and I am rolling.

Again, I position my buggy toward the front of the store and navigate the old woman with the walker, complete with tennis balls, picking over sliced cheese, trust me lady pay the extra for Kraft singles, they make better grilled cheese sandwiches, ask Lily and my wife. I also make it back around two of the previous four unruly children as they have found the cereal aisle, ugh. I make it to the front of the store to be greeted by four lanes open. Two are the 12 items or fewer and two are the regular lanes. Well after sizing up the other patrons and realizing that "12 items" is more of a guideline or suggestion, I fix my gaze on lane 6 and make my final approach.

As I step up, I count the buggies in front of me and what luck, I am number four! Not too bad, and everyone in front of me only has a few more items than me, great this should be a breeze.

Not so fast, my rage radar detects a "disturbance in the force". I see a lady, not much older than myself, with eight items and she is armed with a checkbook! OMG, who writes checks in public anymore! I know right away she is going to stall this line and raise my rage meter to hulk like levels. Four, three, two, almost, she WAITS until the transaction is almost completely rang up before she decides that she needs cigarettes, ugh, why does she do this to me, she knows about my rage, she has to! Well after the cancer sticks are secured, she then starts to fill out the check. Whew, in the clear, until the cashier, sensing my green tint, asks the lady for her loyalty card so she can save twenty-two cents on her purchase! The time is now 5:53.

Now it is my turn. I am poised and ready to break the sound barrier with the speed at which this transaction is about to take place. I set my keys on the counter, whip out the plastic. The cashier decides now is the time to strike up a conversation about the weather, come on, not now. I do not want to talk to you, you are wasting my time, either die or ring up my stuff, at this point I do not care. She grabs my keys, swipes my loyalty card, without asking and rings up my items. Swipe, four digit pin and bang, grab the bags and hit the door. Foiled again, the bagger boy has now loaded my items into a second wet buggy and wants to assist me with this huge load.

Now I am beyond green, I am going red, Incendiary Hulk maybe? This guy, who is probably a high school kid at best is lumbering behind me, dodging every rain drop as he pursues me to my Jeep. I pop the hatch, load my own groceries as he is just the buggy protector and wish him a good day and jump in and crank up the car. It is here that my rage level starts to subside as I listen to comedy on XM radio. My skin regains is natural color and I pull out of the parking lot at 6:02.

On the bright side, I did save $0.43 on my purchase. Aw, Brookshire's does care about me after all!

End of a good weekend

Nothing much here, just wrapping up a wonderful weekend. So I did not get everything done I set out to do or even get close on some things but I had a great weekend. I got to spend quality time with family and friends and that is all that matters. Tomorrow starts a new week with new opportunities and lots to do and hopefully, some will be blog worthy.

Birthday Party Part Two

Today, was a lovely and surprising day!


Saturday stated just like any other, we got up, watched some cartoons with the baby, and had waffles. Then things got interesting. I had to go help my dad do some house painting. Not a major amount, but difficult to get to as it was the chimney on the steeply slanted roof.


See in order reach the roof, my dad had to come up with a "contraption" of sorts to get me not only on the roof but high enough to reach the chimney, without laying on or climbing on the roof. Painting required a track hoe and and steel frame mounted to the front bucket. I was then placed into the bucket and lifted high into the air to paint. The painting itself was not difficult, it was the contortions in which I had to position myself to reach all the angles, nooks and yes, crannies. I will be sore in the morning and got too much sun for my effort but I got it done and helped out, that made it worthwhile.

After that was all said and done, I went home to clean up and attend a party for my less than favorite, great aunt. I had been told, that it was a family reunion of sorts for her 70th, birthday. I was forcefully drug to what turned out to be a surprise birthday party in my honor. I was shocked and happily surprise all at once. The "other" party had been a hoax all along to keep me off the trail.


So I walked in and was greeted by my family and good friends. It was not quite, the lights come on, everyone jump out surprise party, but it was just as good. I had fun, got to see everyone and even got a few more presents (aren't I spoiled?). I was also treated to a 30 minute video montage of all of my "best" pictures from birth to present. That was really touching, funny and humiliating and the same time. LOVED IT!

The theme was LSU, of course, and the room was decorated with LSU posters, pennants, stickers, purple and gold M&Ms and huge cake and LOTS of food. So much food in fact, that we brought some home as did EVERYONE else.

I was very touched by the video and the time and effort everyone put into making the party a success. In addition to lots of LSU gifts, my friend Jimmy, indulged my little habit of collecting transformers, with some new additions. Three to be exact. I will check them out and post pictures soon.




I have to say that I was very surprised and very grateful to have such a wonderful, loving family and such caring and kind friends. I guess that is all one can ask for and I have it!

I have to thank my wife as well, she helped plan, kept me in line about the hoax party and put up with me complaining all week, all the while, she endured a rough week at work. I love you honey!

Here is the huge cake, anyone want a piece?

My Lily is in there somewhere!

Friday Night

Not much tonight, went to dinner and ran a few errands.

Just a follow up, McAllister has redeemed themselves to me once again. They are again serving the large glasses of iced tea, sweet, of course!

Pollen, Pollen, I Hate Pollen

So I am sidelined again today with yet ANOTHER allergy attack. This ones is pretty bad, I am achy and miserable. I can not swallow, I can not talk or drink without pain. I am not stopped up, I am not congested, but my sinus are draining right down my throat. The only way to describe the pain is like having a baseball lodged in my windpipe. And the cause of all this lovely pain? POLLEN.

I am prone to allergies like most others in this area, but this year the pollen count has been extremely high and apparently I have been sniffing it like coke or some other sniffable, illegal drug. Unfortunately, since I went to the doctor about three weeks ago and got another shot, I cannot have another right now. So I will have to suffer with my nasal spray and clarinex. I hope it helps and I hope the pollen goes away quickly. I need relief.

Sorry to sound whiny but I am in pain and miserable. I spent most of the day at home. On a day when most play hookie to watch the March madness tournament, I was home with a legit illness, I could not even enjoy watching LSU beat Butler. I slept through most of the game. Ugh.

Day 2 of 365

Well day two of year thirty has just about come and gone. Other than work, I have spent a majority of my day downloading and researching apps for my new iTouch. If you have any good ones, pass them along. I am sure this will be a new obsession. OH NO!

On another note, we went to some friend's house tonight and had dinner. Christine prepared some excellent enchiladas. They were very good and I over ate as usual with Mexican food. Oh well, I am working out everyday, I should be able to cheat a little here and there. In addition to working out, I have cut out sweets and soft drinks. This has been difficult but seems to be working for me so far. Less calories means I am doing more good in the gym.

Anyway, not much to report today, nothing too exciting happened today but I am sure I will find something soon to amaze and entertain you once again. Until then have a good one.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Well today is the day. The big 3-0. I made it with little or no trouble. I got a few "old man" ribbings and I responded with a few "whippersnapper" comments and the like.

The morning started off good, Lily and Lorna were happy and everyone got off to work/daycare on time and without any trouble. Work was pretty easy going today. Lots of birthday wishes from friends both here and at work and on Facebook. I thank you all! My boss took me to lunch which was nice and I got out the door on time today!

My birthday party was great! I got to spend time with my family as well as some extended family. We had dinner and some wonderful cupcakes that my wife prepared. They were awesome, key lime, coconut with white chocolate icing and sunny lemon with lemon curd. If you want the recipe, let me know, I will direct you to it and you can make and try your own.

As I grow older I learn to appreciate the time spent with family even more than the gifts, but this year's gifts were pretty cool. I got tickets to a Nascar race at Texas Motor Speedway, Gift cards, a Wii game, some movies, a LSU window cling, a St. Patrick's day stein, and and sweet Ipod touch. I have a first generation nano, but the touch is so much cooler. It is basically an Iphone less the phone calling capability. I will be sure to download plenty of music, videos and apps. I am sure you will find out about some of my favs soon!

Overall this was a great birthday and I look forward to this year, thirty is not so scary, at least not the first day. More to come, stay tuned.

PS I am working on a big blog but it has been a little delayed as I cannot find all of the stuff I am looking for, but soon I will.

More Transformers

Well first of all, this is my last post of 29, first post of 30 as it is midnight.

Second, I promised and I am now delivering, more Transformers. I dug into storage tonight for this one. I have a huge Rubbermaid box full and I mean FULL of Transformers. I know you do not care, but I will share anyway. Sharing this makes me happy and gives you a window into my madness. You will learn through time and blogs my madness. (insert evil laugh here)

To give you a view of the sickness, here is an over all shot of my current collection, new, old, and anywhere in between.


Yes, I have some in boxes and some loose. Wish I still had the boxes for some! Ok so for all!

This is the my current favorite! This was my major award for 2008. This is the special Pepsi remake of the original G1 Optimus Prime. I drank way too much mountain dew and Pepsi for this one.

Here are my Toys R Us re-issued G1 versions of Smokescreen, Grapple, Hoist and Sideswipe. I love Toys R Us and they used to be the go to site for my Transformer fix. Now TRU is just a sad shell of what they used to be. The glory is gone! And for that matter KayBee toys is bankrupt too. Many a day were spent standing in the aisles of these stores as the cash burned a hole in my pocket and I had to pick which one to bring home this time.

Here are the old originals, yes that is an original G1 optimus prime, thanks Ebay! I had to snipe that one. Hate it when others do it to me, but it is sweet when it works in my favor. The others cars and trucks were actually mine from back in the day so these are the oldest of the collection. The blue firetruck has to be in the worst shape.


Here are some of the good guys (Autobots) from the 2007 movie. Optimus Prime, and crew. Love the new version of Bumblebee, boy did GM do an awesome job with the new concept camero.

Here are some of the bad guys, aka Decepticons. Love the Saleen Mustang. The side of the police car reads "To Punish and Enslave"!

Finally, here are my latest purchases, the 25th anniversary editions of Starscream and Hound. These are very close to their original counterparts as they maintain the original color schemes. For some reason Hound came with Ravage. Puzzles me as to why, but hey, he was a bonus, now if they will just release Soundwave!

Well you have now seen how big a nerd I am with the toy collection! And yes I admit it, I collect toys like a kid, but hey I can grow older but I do not have to grow up!

Oh and by the way, it is St. Patrick's Day now as I finish this, so be sure to wear your green, because if you do not, I will pinch you for sure!

Old Things are New Again

Well being the nerd that I am, I get enthusiastic about things, 99% of people our age do not even think about or care about for that matter. Take for instance the latest trend of bringing back the toys of our youth. Barbie, who does not look a day over 35, is 50 this year! GI Joe, is 35 and my all time favorite Transformers turn 25. These were toys of our choosing as children and toy executives have brought out the special editions to draw us into buying them for our "kids" and by "kids" I mean ourselves. They continue to find ways to separate our hard earned cash from our pockets by sending us retro versions of our old favorites. And I am biting, hard in fact.

Where am I going with this you ask? Well I said I am a nerd and that goes right along with my obsession (there is that word again) with Transformers. As a child I had a lot of them. I had the little ones, I had the big ones, I had the good ones (Autobots) and the bad ones (Decepticons). I even had a few knock off versions called GoBots. All in all I had way too many of those little robot/car/airplane toys. I can remember my first (Blaster, a boombox) and my favorite (Tracks, a blue corvette). I can also remember every garage sale where I parted ways with my toys for a quick buck to waste on stupid things or other, newer toys. And thanks to Ebay, I will never be able to afford the ones that got away.

With the most recent release of the live action version of Transformers, which I loved, they have released a ton of new toys. Many of which are renamed versions of old classics, and yes, I have picked up a few in a moment of weak nostalgia. Even more recently they have released the 25th anniversary editions which are trickling out and yes, I have one of those too. While they are not quite the same old, same old, they are closer than some of the more recent editions.

While the target audience for the new toys is definitely the kids, they do not appreciate nor care about them as much as we ever will. For example, I have a nephew that has a few transformers but his primary focus is Nintendo everything, Wii and DS. He has no concept of how great those toys are and what he is missing out by not taking full advantage of playing with them and collecting them. But as for me on the other hand, I am really enjoying the re-release as it makes it more affordable to pick up a few pieces of my childhood and have something to pass on to a younger generation. Something to show to my kid or kids when they grow up. A bit of a time vault for them but sweet memories for me.

So do I as I did and reclaim a piece of your childhood, no matter what it is. If it is transformers, barbies or GI Joe, they are still out there, and you can grab a few retro versions. If it is something else, well I hate to say it but Ebay is there.

Maybe I will go a little deeper this week and show you my "collection". We will see. And if you have any old transformers you want to part with, give me a shout. I am sure we could make an arrangement.

Until next time...

New Obsession

Sorry for today's delay. I am working on a few ideas for blog entries and they are progressing, maybe you will see one or two this week but the best one will take some time. I need to do some research and take some pictures. Anyway, in the meantime, I have to tell you about my latest obsession or addiction rather.

I am on facebook, like most or all of you. I am loving the facebook apps section. Previously I was obsessed with the groups and finding things to become a "fan". Well now, thanks to an unnamed friend I am wasting my free time playing the street racing and mafia wars games. You might have received an invite, and I am sure you have no interest in but, hey humor me and join my race crew or my mafia family. I benefit from it, and you continue to fuel my addiction. Do not worry, it will go away soon. Like anything else I become obsessed over, it will change and I will find something new to obsess over. Luckily this one does not cost any money!

Until next time, where I share about another obsession or collection or something else that humors me, enjoy this post and keep checking back as I count down the days until I hit the three decade mark.

Friday Nights

Well, it has been a long week and a lot has happened, some bad, but mostly good. Tonight is Friday and it is slow! I remember when Fridays used to be crazy, going out, dinners, movies, dates with the wife, well mostly to Walmart, but dates none the less. Now we come in and try to stay awake after the kiddo woke us up at 5 AM, that would be IN THE MORNING. Ugh, anyway, not much to report tonight but hopefully something exciting or at least noteworthy will happen over the weekend. Until then!

Appreciation

Well readers, all two or three of you! Ok so maybe four, but that has to be it, tops. Just wanted to touch base today and let you know about something cool that happened at work today.

As you know and have read, I went to that concert on Tuesday, I will not go over that again, two days worth is two days too many. What you may not know is that my plans for that night included taking my wonderful wife to dinner before the concert event, as it was her early birthday present. Well as luck would have it, that did not happen. I ended up having to work extremely late on the only day this month, I had actual plans. Murphy's law I believe. Anyway, so I usually leave work around 5-5:15, but on this night I did not leave until 7! Some unexpected requests came from one of our joint venture partners, the largest JV partner in fact. Since they are the 800 pound gorilla as we call them, I had to work late doing various reports and answering emails about said reports.

My frustration level was high and I was not the only one! I was working with two other co-works, one being my boss. He was aware of my plans but needed me to stick it out. So I did as long as I could and that included scrubbing plans for dinner. About a quarter till seven he came into my office and offered to finish up for me so I could leave in enough time to make the concert. This was an extremely nice gesture on his part, and he covered for me and finished up. So I left the office, the wife picked me up and we made it just before the opening act. (if you are unfamiliar with the concert in question, see previous posts)

When I came in on Wednesday, my boss told me that he finished up the work in about 15 minutes and was out the door so no big deal, he apologized for my delays and thanked me for all the help. I told him, no big deal, we made the concert and that was all that really mattered. So I thought end of story, right? Wrong, today, it got even better.

This morning my boss came in and dropped a few twenties on my desk. I asked what for? He stated that he felt bad about me missing dinner with my wife and wanted to make it up to the two of us! Awesome! I graciously took the cash and thanked him profusely. He wanted to convey his appreciation for my hard work and dedication. In a time where everyone is fearful of losing their jobs, putting in extra hours and often disgruntled about it, it is nice to be shown a measure of appreciation, even if you are just doing your job.

As an added bonus to this story, he also gave me my company anniversary gift (five years now). While I will not disclose what it was, let me just say that it was overly gracious and will be thoroughly enjoyed.

The wife and I will definitely have to make him some treats!

The New Kids on the Block experience

Well last night was the night my wife has been anticipating for a few weeks now. We attended the New Kids on the Block concert at the CenturyTel Center in Bossier City. Me, being the loving and caring husband that I am, purchased a pair of tickets for my wife as a birthday gift. While not a fan, nor really knowing any of the music, outside of the few pop hits that play on the 80’s station from time to time, the overall concert was not too intolerable; the guys put on a good show for being older and no longer “kids”. The atmosphere, however, was definitely something to write home about. If I had a warning sign to post, it would say “Eighties flashbacks ahead”. Overall, my wife had a great time and got to relive some childhood memories, which was my goal.

A few weeks ago when the concert was announced I immediately purchased the tickets for my wife who attended the first concert in Shreveport, some twenty years ago. She like other girls in our age group attended the concert in the “boy bands” height of popularity. She loved it, she sang and danced and carried on like the other four thousand plus screaming women. She was much more dignified in her celebrations than most other women who attended, thankfully. The scene was a sight to behold. Four thousand screaming women and a handful of unenthusiastic guys watched as the group sang and danced their way through about two and a half hours of songs both familiar and obscure to me.

The opening act called the Jabbawockeez, a dance group, put on a thirty minute show of dancing and theatrics that amped up the crowd somewhat. The “all-male dance troupe” as described in the wiki article, told a story through dance and was actually more entertaining than I thought they would be. They danced to tunes ranging from Jungle Boogie to a medley of Michael and Janet Jackson tunes. The masked dancers got the crowd warmed up and made sure the NKOTB fans had plenty of time to consume more fruity drinks to justify their behavior.

Intermission allowed me to get a look at the swelling crowd of new kids fans. Wow, there were many women who were in most cases ten or more years too old and several pounds too heavy to be wearing the attire of their youth. Leg warmers, fishnet stockings, blue jean jackets, massive I heart boy band member buttons and twenty year old, ratty concert tees seemed to be the apparel of the masses. Some of the fans went to the extreme with all of the above, while some more subdued outfits included home-made shirts that featured the boys and or lyrics to their songs.

Once the new kids hit the stage, the screaming intensified. All around me they screamed for each song, each dance move and each gratuitous crotch shot displayed on the big screen. The fans became teens again, singing and dancing and screaming “I love ____ (insert member here)”. The less than sold out crowd seemed to know every word, but for the most part I was lost. I will admit that while the guys are pushing forty now, they put on a decent, energetic show. Unfortunately for me, I got several looks as I seemed to be the only one in my section that did not know the words or hand gestures for each song. OH AND WOMAN IN SECTION 122, ROW L, SEAT 5, THROWING ROCK HORNS IS NOT ACCEPTABLE AT A BOY BAND CONCERT. And with that out of my system, now I can press on.

While there I ran into or saw several friends and acquaintances of my youth, including a friend from my elementary through high school years that sat right beside us. She had missed out on the first go around and was making up for it by attending this time with her sister in law and niece. While she will remain nameless she was one of the few that remained dignified during the show.

By the final song and following encore of Hanging Tough, I had a pounding headache and ringing ears but overall the experience was somewhat enjoyable from the people watching standpoint and my wife was stress-free and worry-free for a few hours. All of the above was bearable because it made her smile and made her a very happy woman. I would do it all over again, just for her.

New Kids (Old Kids?) On the Block

Well, it is official, I will be attending the New Kids On The Block concert with my wife. Should be ok, I am not really "jacked up" to go because I am not into the music and really never listened as a child but I will just be along for the ride cause my wife is stoked. I hope she loves it, that is my goal, to make her day and make it a wonderful experience.

I got her the tickets as an early birthday present. She went to the concert here in town back in the late 80's. She loved it and has fond memories. I hope she can re-connect tonight and that she has a great time.

While I do not remember much about the first concert, other than it being held at Independence Stadium, I do remember it being all the rage with the fourth or fifth grade girls in my class at the time. I am pretty sure they all went together but who knows. Wonder how many of them will be there tonight? We will see. I will give a full report tomorrow, if I make it out alive.

Pigs and Cows and Katfish, Oh My!

No, it is not another version of The Wizard of Oz or a horrible re-imaging that has been all the rage lately with classic horror films, but this little trip will take you far from Kansas and nowhere near the rainbow. What am I rambling about you ask? Well over the weekend I visited the in-laws in Winnfield, Louisiana and got to see the latest crop of Uncle Earls Hog Dog Trials, Parade of Pigs contest entries. While this year’s entries are not quite complete or even started for the most part, I wanted to share some pictures of some of the past years’ entries. And make no mistake; I am in no way making fun of the town, pigs or the festival. I actually would like a pig myself, much to my wife’s dismay.

A quick search found that the trials are named in honor of Earl K. Long and were inaugurated in 1995, on the 100th anniversary of his birth. "Uncle" Earl was the most colorful and well-liked governor Louisiana has ever elected and one of three Louisiana governors to be born in Winnfield. The festival, as written into law in July of 2003, Acts 2003, No. 808 §1, eff. July 1, 2003, established the Hog Dog Trials Festival and all of the hop la surrounding the event.

Now that the history lesson is over, it is to my understanding the 600 pound pigs are delivered and decorated as part of a city wide contest to bring attention to the town’s mid-March celebration as well as showcase the local artists’ talents. All of the pigs are identical in that they are large, concrete and stand on all fours, but that is where the similarities end. Beginning the first week or so of March, the pigs are unloaded at the participants’ business and the artists get to work. Paint is not the only thing used on these porkers as wigs, shoes, feather boas and other props are applied to the pigs. And while the contest is for fun, some of the themed pigs are planned out and are really good, while others well, are just decorated.

I first came across the pigs in 2005 as my family and I descended upon Winnfield in order to make final wedding preparations. We turned the corner and there they were, splendid painted pigs. My wife was horrified but I was curious. Since then I have gone down every March to check out the pigs and snap pictures of some of the better examples. The pigs line the main “downtown” portion of the town as well as outlying areas. Some of my past favorites include:

"Tubby" complete with suds and tub

Pig E Bank, in front of the Winnfield Bank

Over the years the pigs have been superheroes such as Spiderpig and Superpig as well as bankers, ball players, and celebrities like Hamma Montana and Elvis. They have been professionals such as nurses, doctors and loggers as well as ballerinas and bikers. Some have even been abstract! Each lovingly created to be enjoyed by all.

Now while Winnfield has their pigs, they are not the only ones with painted pigs. The city of Seattle, Washington also holds a parade of pigs with various painted themes. For what I have gathered the pigs are fiberglass but just as large and just as decorated. Here are a few shots of said pigs from my internet search:

Space pig

Dino Pig

These two locations are not the only ones with decorated, larger than life animals. There are groundhogs in Punxsutawney, Stallions in Saratoga Springs, Toms in Tennessee and Longhorns in Texas. Each city seems to put on some type of seasonal competition with the focus on that area’s animal being painted to match a theme or promote a business. Some of those examples are below:

I cannot say all of that without mentioning my own hometown of Shreveport with their Katfish for Kids. New to the city this year, the Katfish are part of a fundraising effort by the Volunteers for Youth Justice and a local bank. While I am not associated with the campaign nor really know much about it, I am enjoying the art work that is being done to the huge fiberglass Katfish. While there are supposed to be approximately one hundred in and about the town, I have only encountered a few in the downtown area with two being in my building.

Caddo Kat

B-52 Kat, very cool, Represents Barksdale

LSU Kat, Kat after my own heart, I would bring this home in a heartbeat

Not sure what my fascination is with these animals, maybe it is the size, maybe it is the quirkiness, or maybe it is just something different, but I like them. If your local town has a similar festival, drop me a comment and send me a link.

Disclaimer: Although I have pictures of both Winnfield pigs and Shreveport Katfish, none of the pictures used in this blog were personally taken by me, if they are yours and you wish for their removal, please let me know.

Sweet Tea

Back again today, yeah I know, that means you have to read ANOTHER entry.

Anyway, just got back from a local eatery, I will not mention any names but is it so hard to make a decent glass of sweet iced tea? I love sweet tea, no secret, I live in the south so it goes without mentioning but some people just can not make a decent glass. How hard is it to brew the tea and add SUGAR, not splenda, not sweet n low, just plain old sugar? The concept is simple yet so many get it wrong. And before you say anything, yes, I know I can order unsweet and add my own sugar, but that does not work either because at that point the tea is cold and the sugar will not dissolve. Oh well, guess I need to start sneaking in my own tea, like the Seinfeld episode with the maple syrup. Maybe I can get a flask for my birthday and bring in my contraband tea. Hmm...

Oh and to balance things out, so this is not totally negative, some places do have great sweet tea. Chick fil a makes a good tea, as does Cane's and McAllisters (who I am very unhappy with for downsizing their large cup). Maybe they should train other restaurants on the "art" of making sweet tea. Couldn't hurt.

Funny thing about southerners and their sweet tea, John Reap (comedian and the dodge hemi guy) said in the south we can not say T(ea) with out sweet in front. Even in elementary school, kids learn their ABC's... Q, R, S, Sweet T, U, V...

Other March Birthdays

Well it is that time again, March is upon us and there are several birthdays I would like to recognize. So here it goes, Happy Birthday Mom (6th)LOVE YOU!, Rhett (6th), Grandpa (2nd), Christine (15th), and Jimmy (25th). Hopefully I did not forget anyone. Congrats to you all and to Christine and Jimmy, we are leaving our twenties now but hey I hear the 30's are the new 20's, or so the say. Here is to us growing wise but not growing up.

Reason for blogging?

So I have stated that I am keeping this blog for me, no one else. Well that is not exactly true, I am sure I will broadcast this to friends and family and might even have a few that take interest long enough to read this drivel. So if you are reading this, thanks, I will try to entertain you and keep you coming back.

I want to do this as a way of sharing my thoughts, ideas and hell, I might even share a few funny stories about my life and maybe some people we both know.

I am open to comments so if you want more info, or less info, let me know. If you want me to die in a fire, well keep that to yourself.

The Blog World

Ok, so I am new to the idea of keeping a blog. I know what a blog is and I have friends that keep blogs. Sometimes I know what is going on in their life, ONLY because they keep a blog. Is that not odd? I remember when the phone was the life line, that was the way of communication, actual voices. Funny how I can remember phone numbers of friends from elementary and middle school but can not remember my brother's cell phone without my own phone. Such a shame. Now it is twitter, blogs, texts, facebook, ugh. But you know how technology is, either get with it or get left behind. So in keeping this blog, I am getting with it, for the time being anyway.

Day 2 of the Test

Today, I am testing my ability to post a picture or two. Let me see what I have in my files. While this is not my art by any means, I really thought this was cool. The great pumpkin came to life!!

Testing...1, 2, 3

This is just a test for now. If you happen to stubble across this blog, have no fear, I plan to start up with entries, on a daily (hopefully) basis starting March 17th. If you know me, leave a comment, if you do not, that is ok too I will still read your comments.

The purpose of this blog is to record my 30th year on this earth. I want to see how it goes and have something to look back on. It might be entertaining, it might be lame, but it will be mine.

Enjoy