No Family

My previous blog as well as a conversation also has me thinking and kind of stresses me out a bit.  I went over to visit my gran last Friday and we were chatting and I told her about the e-mail that I got from Dan.  We talked about what I thought about it and what I said, and she told me what she thought and that I really told him off "good and proper", which is gran talk for doing it well.  But then we were talking about family in general and how we interact and how often we see each other.  We got talking about Easter and how we didn't end up doing anything.  Danny came over and they ate, but that was it.  I said we were at Becky's family and I didn't know anything was going on, and she said she felt bad that she didn't plan something.  However, the thing she said that really stuck with me and has been bothering me is that once we talked about dinner and their dinner with just Danny she said, "There isn't a family anymore."

There is no family anymore.

She's right, there isn't.  That bothers me.  This is especially true when I think about my previous blog about how many people are gone now that we used to have.  I came from a large family.  Yes, the immediate family is smaller.  I have two uncles and four cousins.  But, growing up we always just called my grandma's siblings our aunts and uncles too, so all those people I listed yesterday were aunts and uncles too.  It was a big family, and now it's not.   It's slowly been getting smaller, but I feel like it's been the worst since we lost my Grandpa.  I don't know why that is but it just feels like everything fractured at that point and people stopped making an effort.  Maybe it's just a correlation not a cause of it all, but the last eight years has moved to more and more isolation.

I suppose part of that is my fault because I find a lot of the behavior and shit I lived through to be unacceptable and therefore I don't go seeking out interactions.  However, how long and at what price do I allow that to continue the fracturing?  I mean there certainly are limits, for example the situation with Dan and my decision not to repair that at all.  But what about with my sisters or my mother?  Part of it also is everyone's inability to be in a room together and do things socially without being crabby assholes.

Thinking about it I don't know if there's really anything I can do about it.  I can't fix the issues of others, but that then just makes me angry.  Why can't people just get their shit together?  Grandma hates the aunt, they hate the uncle, the other uncles is annoyed by dealing with crap.  No one likes the weirdo cousins.  It's so dysfunctional that it's hard to do anything.  It's really fucking annoying actually.  It makes me angry, to be honest, that people have to make things such a pain.  At least I make and effort, or my Uncle makes an effort and shows up despite the feelings of annoyance.  At the same time, what's the point of showing up if you're just going to be angry?  Perhaps part of it is the location and being stuck in some places makes it easier to be annoyed.  Perhaps it's that there aren't enough people to socialize with and now that my cousin lives in town it'll be easier.

I don't know.  I'm annoyed by all of this.

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When they made the building they didn't put downspouts so the grass was being killed by a cascade of falling water that created craters.  The solution was to put in tiles and sod around all of it.  I'm not sure if this is much of a solution, but I guess they're trying.

Old Family

Over the weekend I had to help my uncle move some furniture around my Grandma's house.  This is because my grandma's older sister is apparently going to be moving into live with my gran, and so they needed to clear out some room for her.  As such when I went over my Aunt had already arrived and it was the first time that I've seen her since my Aunt Liz's funeral.  Or perhaps it was my Uncle Joe's funeral.  I don't recall which one it was, but both were about ten years ago I think.

It was weird to see her because to start off I really didn't recognize her.  We didn't see her often, but I saw her enough that I knew her when I saw her, but this time when I saw her I only knew it was her because I knew she was going to be there.  That's really weird to me that she's aged so much that I don't recognize her.

She also didn't seem to be doing well.  She'd been living alone since her husband died a number of years ago, which I'm sure didn't help, but she seemed a little confused.  Not terribly confused, but enough that it was a little sad.  It was strange because her voice is a lot more quite than it used to be, but it still sounds the same as I remember it growing up, which was kind of a weird blast from the past.

It's kind of weird that it's only the two of them left.  They were from a family of 11 siblings, and growing up I spend some time with the ones that live in the area.  There was my uncle Clay, aunt Liz, aunt Helen, aunt Dean, and then their spouses, aunt Barb, Uncle Joe, Uncle Jim, and then of course my great grandma for a lot of time growing up, and of course my grandparents.  It gives me a bit of anxiety to think about the idea that out of the 10 of them that I knew, only my grandma and aunt Dean are left.

This actually makes me kind of sad because I remember going out to my uncle Clay's house on the lake in Hillsdale.  I actually remember going to his house in the Detroit area and playing in his motor home, though I don't remember how old I was but it must have been very young.  I also remember going to my aunt Dean's who I feel like lived near the airport.  It's strange becuase they were so old and it almost felt like an episode of Mad Men being around them all.  They all smoked like chimneys, and sat around drinking and made food with a bit of a 50s-60s feel to it.

But now, all of them are gone.  Actually, I'm not sure if my aunt Barb is still around or not.  After Liz, Clay, and Joe were gone we never really heard about her much.  But the rest are gone and have been gone for quite some time.  It makes me really sad sometimes thinking about it.  I have nice memories like my uncle Clay's laugh and how he always seemed to be happy.  My aunt Liz was so quite but kind, and her husband seemed happy and nice, but I feel like he could be stern if necessary.  Uncle Jim was kind of a wild card, and there was always some sort of drama it seemed for a while there.

I know time doesn't stop, and while I didn't necessarily know them all that well since I was just a little kid, I know what it meant to have them around, and perhaps that is what I miss and that is why it stresses me out.  Those people are gone, and nearly that entire generation, but also that family element is gone now too.  The aunts, the uncles, the events, it's all gone now and there's nothing to take the place of it.  It's a bit sad, really.

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The plant I saved last year doesn't seem to be doing too well.  I've watered it and tried to take care of it, but lately it's been seeming not so great.  Though, there are a bunch of new branches coming up but just haven't opened up yet, so perhaps this is just a transition period.

Game Off

In addition from my job sucking the soul out of my body, I've determined that the mindless games I use to distract myself from the soul crushing waste that is my job also sucks any motivation I have to do anything.  It just puts me in the "must beat level" mindset and I find it hard to do anything else.  I decided that perhaps I should limit my usage of them more since they aren't helping me get done what I need to get done.


My hope is that by limiting this I'll be able to get more done that I'd like to accomplish.  We'll see how it works.

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I lost a freaking button on my shirt!  What is up with that?!  I mean it's not really a big deal because I found it and will take it home and reattach it, but I'm sitting here at work looking all stupid because I don't have a button on my shirt.  I mean, there's a good chance no one noticed, but still, I've got this big open flappy section on my shirt.  Perhaps I should have done Napoleon impressions all day.

Travel Bug

That webcam I posted the other day has really made me want to travel, specifically go back to Europe.  It's been two and a half years since our trip, and we really packed in a lot while we were there.  I'd like to go again and see some new places and things.  I'd also like to take some people with us like "family" who would have a lot of fun.

Last time we made it to London, Rome, Venice, Paris, and the Normandy beaches.  I feel like if we went I wouldn't mind revisiting a few of those places.  We didn't get a chance to visit the natural history museum in London, and I think that would have been neat.  We also didn't get to see the Globe, which I think might have been fun to watch a performance there, or Westminster Abbey.   If we go again in the summer we could visit Buckingham Palace.  In Rome we got to see most everything we wanted, but I would have liked a bit more time in the Roman Forum, especially since there were some specific sites in it I would have liked to see.  There's also a trail that goes along the Aqueducts that you can rent bikes and ride along the path, which I think would have been super fun.  In Venice we didn't get a chance to go in the Palace there, and there seems like there would be plenty more for us to explore.  And Paris, we didn't get a chance to check out the catacombs, or go buy a for real baguette.

I think having gone once it really would help us go again because we know what to expect.  I think that might help relieve some of the stress that I found when we went.  London was really stressful trying to figure out how to eat.  It's not like in the US with host stands, so we ended up at the hotel eating because it made sense to us, and then also eating at a McDonald's.  I also feel that by the third day in Paris we had an idea of where we should be eating and where we should be avoiding, and in general how to interact and get around.  The first day was really hard, but by the third day we had things pretty well figured out.

At the same time there are places we didn't get a chance to go to that I really want to.  First in the UK the Harry Potter studio tours is one of my must do events.  To be able to walk through the sets is amazing and I totally want to do it.  I need to go back so I can see it before it closes.  I'd also like to visit Stonehenge, and probably Bath.  You've also got the white cliffs of Dover, which I'd like to see with my own eyeballs, as well as perhaps a visit to Stratford-upon-Avon, because as a theatre person it just seems like something you should do.  I'd also love to visit Scotland and Ireland, but it almost seems like that would be it's own trip and perhaps the third visit to Europe would be a UK/Ireland only trip?

Outside of that I've had Krakow Poland on my list for quite some time.  Most famous for being near Auschwitz, it also has some amazing salt mines that at first I thought sounded kind of lame, but then found picture of the mines that are amazing.  I also found out that you can visit the Schindler factory, which I've seen dozens of times from watching Schindler's List in my history classes.  Being that far over I'd love to hop over to Prague, and Austria would be amazing to visit.  Then there are a few places in Germany that I'd like to see, specifically Neuschwanstein Castle.

Then there's Italy, which we probably could spend a month in.  Becky would love to visit the Amalfi Coast, with all those beautiful cities right on the cliffs overlooking the sea.  It's also near some great ruins down near Salerno, as well as the ruins of Pompeii.  We never made it to Florence or Pisa, which I would like to visit, and I'd love to see the Last Supper fresco in Milan.  We'd also love to do a tour of Tuscany and the vineyard, though the scenery alone is enough to be awesome.

Add in Greece, Russia, Spain, Egypt, and then Petra in Jordan and some sites in Israel and it seems like I'll never get to see it all.  I mean, sure I probably can but it's going to take a long time and a lot of money and planning.  Lucky I've got a number of years to still get to all of it.

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Yesterday we got lunch at Yotsuba in Ann Arbor.  We've never been there before and it was quite tasty.  I can't believe how much food I got.  As you can see there was soup, sushi, rice, chicken, tempura shrimp and veggies, a seafood fried section and then the box in the bottom right corner that I have no idea.

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I mean, look at that stuff in the right square, what is that?  I mean the orange seems to be carrots, and I'm assuming the green is some kind of seaweed or something?  I don't know.  It was good, I just don't know what half of what I was eating was.

Let's Go To The Zoo

Alright, cross off the first new experience of the year, because today I went to the Toledo Zoo!  So, it may seem like kind of a lame new experience, but I've never been to the Toledo Zoo before, and I hear all the time about how it's better than the Detroit Zoo, so today we decided that it was nice out and we didn't want to spend the entire day indoors, so away we went down to Toledo to check out the zoo.

As it turns out the Toledo Zoo is quite nice.  It didn't feel like they had all that many animals, and it was kind of small feeling, but I think that it's just how many zoos are.  I've probably been to the National Zoo the most and it's quite large so perhaps that skews my idea of what a zoo should be like, but at any rate I think I did like it better than the time we went to the Detroit Zoo.

One of the first animals we got to see were the Polar Bears, and boy were they active today.  When we arrived at the viewing area there was a big lazy bear sleeping on the rocks in the sun, but there were two other bears in the water swimming around.  One was playing with this really large barrel and the other decided that they should wrestle instead.  So they moved around in the water and played back and forth with the barrel, then spend some time chasing each other in the water before they decided they had enough play time and went their separate ways.  It was pretty fun to watch.

After that we walked around a bit. The Tigers were all sleeping, so that was kind of boring. We walked around toward the elephants and they were out but kind of far away and one seemed to be trying to get back into the shelter area but the door was closed and so the elephant couldn't really get in. They had a giant salt water crocodile, and I wanted to go see it, but the problem was that it was located in the reptile house, and given how Becky feels about snakes, it wasn't really the place she wanted to go. However, we went in and I did a little scouting to figure out where it was safe for her to go and where it wasn't. We were able to see the giant croc without having to see any of the snakes, which was good. However, on my scouting mission I got to see a tiny little Basilisk (Harry Potter totally could have beaten this guy in the picture), and some cool frogs. The problem was that some of these animals were housed with snakes, so Becky didn't get to see them. I will say that King Cobras are far more threatening looking in real life than on TV. I mean, they don't look like something you'd want to snuggle with on TV, but they really don't in person.

After that we got to go around this little path and got a much better view of the elephants, who decided to try and get the food out of the hanging barrels instead of trying to get back in the shelter area that they were locked out of.  We also go to see the hippos, and it was weird because they were out on the ground rather than being in the water.  It seems that everywhere we go, if there are hippos they're in the water and never on land.  It was kind of neat to see them on land, but then I wonder what had them on land instead of in the water.  Also, I know that they were hungry, but were they HUNGRY-hungry?  It didn't seem like it, they just seemed regular hungry.

On this little path there was also a lone Otter swimming around with his toy.  He was super cute and seemed to enjoy the audience because he kept swimming up to the class and getting close where people could see him and go back and forth almost showing off, it seemed.

The aquarium portion of the zoo was closed for renovations, but we also go to see the Cheetas snoozing on the lawn and then headed into the monkey and bird area.  The monkeys were kind of boring, though there was one set that seemed to be playing tag.  The aviary was actually pretty cool.  it was a combination of cages and open areas so some parts there were birds flying all around, one almost took of some kids head, and then some who sat in their large enclosed areas.  This one on the right was super shiny and pretty but he kept moving all around and so the best I got was a blurry picture.

It was a nice day, and I had a good time.  It was very spring like and super sunny, so I'll say success on my first new experience of the year. 


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Here is that lazy Polar Bear that I mentioned previously.  Look at him just snoozing up there on the rock while all sorts of nonsense is going on right below him in the water.  Like, dude, you're missing it!  What's up with that?  Maybe he got home late from work.

Road Kill

I found this site that makes me amuse and at the same time annoyed.  Apparently, there is a live webcam from Abbey Road in London that shows tourists being tourists and trying to mimic the Beatles and get their pictures snapped crossing the street.  The reason that I find this amusing is that we were there and got to see it.  Watching the video reminds me of happy memories of our trip to London, and it also makes me wish we could go back and this time bring some friends along that would appreciate the chance to see all the things we've had the chance to see.

At the same time it really annoys the crap out of me because there are these inconsiderate assholes holding up traffic so they can get their photos taken.  And not just one or two, no it's happening all the time.  I mean, I've been watching the cam a bit and there have been a few who wait and wait and then do it when there's no traffic coming.  However, there are far more who do not wait and then traffic has to wait for them.

Anyhow, I just found that and thought I'd share it.

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Incidentally, when we were in London this is how we did out picture at Abbey Rd.  We found the sign down the street and took a picture there rather than inconvenience everyone by holding up traffic. 

Passive Aggressive Much?

A few weeks ago I did a post on getting ambushed by some people from my past and I wasn't at all impressed by it.  I think I mentioned that I strongly shut it down and said that I had no interest in that and highlighted a few of the points as to why Dan is an asshole and not worthy of contact.  It was very strongly worded, but it was as polite as possible and I did tell the woman that I didn't mean to be rude to her and I'm sure she's perfectly nice and all but it's just not going to happen.

I expected that my e-mail would shut shit down enough that I wouldn't need a response.  It seemed like the case too, because the e-mail was read the same day and for ages there was not a response.  Well on Tuesday I got a response, much to surprise.  It just amazes me that after what I said anyone would have the balls to respond to it.  It amazes me more at the passive aggressive tone it had.  The start was fine, being thankful for my reply, which I guess is disingenuous since I was not kind about him, so who would thank me for that?  But then the end she said, "I hope you can live your life with no regrets. I have seen a lot of that in my hospice career."

That line is just sticking in my head and begging me to respond to it.  I kind of feel like I should just let it go and move on.  But then again, I don't have anything to regret.  I didn't abandon my children, I didn't neglect them their entire lives, I didn't fail to provide anything for them, and then 30 years later pop up like I have the right to be here.  So what exactly am I going to regret.  I want to respond and say the only thing I regret is not being able to rip him a new asshole in person and that it had to go through her. 

I haven't yet decided what I want to do.  There's a good chance I'll just ignore it.  Then again maybe it's time to unleash without the kind filter that I put on my last one.  Only time will tell.

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I was waiting for Jasmine to pick me up from work today and decided to walk around my building to kill some time.  I came around the back corner and found out that they refilled the pool and the fountain was running.  Now if only the leaves would get with it and we could get some warmer weather.  Someone mentioned snow for next week...  I'm not amused.

The Class Dance

Once again I have the joy of scheduling classes and again have the joy of none of them being when I need them.  I have a six course program that I'm working on.  I need to take six classes.  SIX.  Let's be honest here, that's freaking nothing.  I took six classes my last semester at EMU, so this is a piece of cake.  Or at least it would be if they ever offered the classes.  In the fall they have ONE class that I can take.  ONE!  There's another that I need but they don't have any that meet in the evening.  I could also take another related course that isn't necessary but would be helpful in a broader sense, but guess what, it needs a prereq, and that prereq is right at the same time as my other class.

Could someone explain why every freaking class is on Tuesday and Thursday nights?  Has anyone ever heard of Monday?  Wednesday?  How about a nice Saturday morning class?  You know, I let that go at somewhere like EMU since they're a university where many people live on campus.  WCC is not like that.  Half the population are working full time and need night classes.  WTF is up with the class schedule?!  I'm so not amused by any of this.  At that rate it's going I may finish my six course class in three years.  I'm not exaggerating that.  Three.  THREE YEARS!

I hate colleges.

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We were at Kroger because we ran out of Ziplock bags and I noticed someone abandoned their entire shopping basket of candy.  Poor candy, left all alone.  It's quite tragic, really.

Fluffy Wants To Eat The Bunny

Last night fluffy was walking around and she stopped at the screen door in our dining area.  She seemed very interested in what was out there, and when I walked over she meowed at me but I looked out and I didn't see anything.  She was very interested in something and I noticed she was looking directly down to the ground right below the screen door so I looked and at first I didn't see anything, but then I noticed there was a bunny sitting right up against the house.  So it made sense that she was interested and wanted to eat the bunny.

Well after a second I realized the bunny was not along and there were in fact at five or six little baby bunnies sitting under and around the big bunny!  BABY BUNNIES!!!  So, I carefully opened our screen door so I could get a better look and sure enough these adorable little baby bunnies were scampering around!  I went to grab our super good awesome camera but it had a dead battery, which sucks.  I ended up having to take pictures with my iPhone, and they are below.  It was pretty cool, and they were super cute.  I probably watched them for 10 minutes before they all hid.

This isn't the first time we had babies in our yard.  I found some while mowing a year or two ago along the side of our house hiding behind the old deck stairs we have over there.  They ran off and I didn't see them after that.  I don't know how long they'll hang out in our yard, but for now, SUPER CUTE!

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Look at the little baby bunnies! SO CUTE!  There was one that was rolling all around and laying on his back.  It was super cute.  The others were just chilling out.  They didn't seem to notice that we were right above them only a couple feet away, but that's cool, I didn't want to scare the parent and have her run off and leave them or move them somewhere thinking she wasn't safe there.






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It looked like they were eating, and then afterwards they crawled down a little hole.  Or at least it looked like a hole.  Actually I think it's just an indentation on the dirt and she used the grass to cover it.  That pile of dead grass covers where the babies went when they were done.  You could see the grass moving around so I don't think it's a hole, but just a ditch in the ground covered with grass.  Once they get older and aren't living there I'll check it out. 

But Daddy, I Love Him!

I've spent a good deal of my life being exposed to people making bad decisions under the guise of love.  I've been negatively impacted by a number of those decisions, watched people in my life fail time and again over those decisions.  And I got to thinking about why it is that this happens, and what exactly causes people to continue to make the same mistakes over and over.  And even different people making the same mistakes that I've seen over and over despite being warned.

I think part of it has to do with the culture we've grown up in, and the message that is sent out that love is all you need and the most important and powerful factor in a relationship.  In fact I believe simply stating the contrary position will results in people scoffing and instantly bristling at the idea that there are more important factors, or at the very least equally important factors than simply love.  However, I think that is why you see these huge divorce rates and failed marriages because from a very early age we are bombarded by this idea that love is all that matters and as long as you have that then you're set and you are doing what you should.  That you have to follow your heart despite what others may say and that love will conquer the obstacles in your path.  But the fact is, that isn't the case, and while love will help without other more important skills you're doomed to making poor choices and bad decisions until you can think clearly and see beyond the childish idea that love is a magic bullet that defeats anything.

I feel like this idea is pushed from the very beginning when you look at media like movies, songs, cartoons.  They boil down human life into these quickly digestible portions where there is some obstacle to "true love" and they have to overcome it.  In fact they even push the idea that there is a true love, a soul mate, one person who you are destined ore meant to be with.  But that's absurd.  There are billions of people on this planet and I'm sure there are many that you could easily be a great match for, and that you would love as much as anyone else.  But the idea that there is one, a needle in a hay stack, that you're meant to find and be your prince and will love you and you'll go riding off with birds and woodland creatures scampering about you in joyous celebration of the miracle of finding the single other individual that the cosmos have decreed as your only one, your moon and stars,  your only love, is about as foolish as believing the Earth is the center of the universe and we are the only life that the universe could possibly have.  Humans just have this self-centered attitude like that.

But that's the story we get.  We get the prince charming, love is all that matters, find your prince, be in love and you'll live happily ever after.  It's a fable but we believe it.  Look at the Little Mermaid.  Ariel is getting lectured as to why she needs to stay away from humans due to how dangerous they are and she's all "DADDY I LOVE HIM!" and then her dad is all "bitch you don't even know him."  Nearly all Disney movies, and probably all romantic movies of any kind, put forth this idea that all you need for anything is love.  Even the fucking Beatles seemed to think this was enough.  You can even take their one movie that challenges the prince as your only choice idea, Enchanted, where the princess questions what she really wants and not what she's expected to want, but even that still pushes the idea of love is all that matters, though at least she's starting to think about it.

I think what annoys me is that I see this time and time again in my past.  This Hollywood fantasy about love being the only ingredient necessary.  If you love someone you'll find a way and everything will be peachy and nothing else matters.  Except that time and time again it fails, and I have seen it fail.  And every time it fails I've seen these people get up and do the exact same thing justifying it with the excuse that "It's different this time" or "I'm not like other people, I won't make that same mistake".  And yet, they will, and they do.  Over, and over, and over.

The reason is that love is not all you need.  Love is an important ingredient, and you absolutely need to love the person you're with, but it is by far not the only necessary component.  You can love a great many people in this world, but that doesn't mean that they are the right person for you to be with.  Long term relationships, and choosing that partner takes a lot more than love, and a lot more than just the fairytale nonsense that everyone has shoved in their face.  Love is great, but what about responsibility?  Dependability?  Honesty?  Dive? Critical Thinking? Character?  Honor? Wisdom? Kindness? And these are just a few traits that you need to think about in a long term relationship.  But it seems to me what happens is the "Daddy, I love him!" portion with no thought of what comes next.

As a result I see these people over and over from as far back as I can remember bringing in this parade of losers into their lives because "Daddy, I love him!"  But with no thought of anything beyond right now.  Beyond the Romeo and Juliet star crossed lovers meant to be together despite the odds.  Never beyond the woodland creatures frolicking with joy at your togetherness.  So they end up with these losers and ignore any advice to the contrary because "Daddy, I love him!"  Ignore the fact that he has abandoned two other children and had two failed marriages already.  Ignore the fact that he's a drug addict and that won't change and require you to deal with it from time to time.  Ignore the fact that he's going nowhere with no ambition, drive, or plans for the future.  Ignore the fact that he's irresponsible, lazy, and self centered.  Ignore the fact that he is manipulative and dishonest.  Ignore the fact that he is financially dependent and unable to take care of the simplest of things in his life.  Ignore the fact that he sits and expects everyone else to do things for him.  Ignore the fact that he has cheated on everyone else he's ever dated.  Ignore the fact that he always has excuses for why he can't do something and why it's not his fault and out of his hands.  All that matters is love.  Everything else will sort itself out, because love is the only ingredient that matters.

The problem is that in the short term yeah, you can over look things and let things go, but when you look at long term relationships it's going to take a lot more. The "we love each other and that's all that matters" thing is for a childish romance, but a long term relationship or marriage is going to have greater expectations than just that, and I think that's why so many fail.  People are unprepared for the challenges and demands of committing to someone long term and having to grow with them and start to focus on those other things that they don't make movies about because we are spoon fed from an early age that "some day my prince will come" and "love is all you need" and then we'll go off into our "happily ever after".

I don't feel that many people aren't told that it takes more than that.  That love is great but when you're looking at THE REST OF YOUR LIFE it's going to take more than that.  Life isn't just going to movies, listening to music, and haven't "deep conversations" about teenage nonsense.  Long term is joint finances.  Long term is planning your life.  Long term is figuring out what you want AND getting it done because you have a partner that you have to consider now too and their wants and desires.  Long term is being on the same page about how you do everything from where the spoons go, to how to spend disposable income, to how to raise a kid.  Long term is taxes.  Long term is insurance.  Long term is a lot of times financial, and this is one of the things cited as a leading cause of conflict and divorce.

It's easy to think that the movies are right, that you're destined for someone and that as long as you love them that's all that matters.  But the movies are fiction.  The movies lack subtlety and the gray area that the world really sits in.  So many people remain stuck in these adolescent relationships in a state of mind that is detatched from reality.  They never grow up and realize there is more to a relationship than just love, and that you are choosing a partner for the rest of your life, which may be the next 30, 40, 50, or who knows how many years.  Will this person help you meet your goals?  Will you have the money you need to support yourself, or a family if you choose?  Will they be there to help you figure out life?  Will they pull their share?  Will they think ahead and take care of what they need to?  Or will they become your extra child?  Will they sit and only move when you prod them?  Will they make excuses and blame instead of taking responsibility and ownership.  Will they think past the now and look at the long term?  Do they even think past today,  And if they do what are they doing anything to get where they wan

In order to survive long term you need to find someone that is more than just a Disney fairy tale "Daddy I love him."  You need the person that compliment you.  The person who is responsible, who thinks ahead, who takes care of what they need to take care of.  You need to avoid the person who doesn't sit around passively trying to 'figure life out' because you're going to make it to your death bed and realize that you never really figured life out, and that you just have to go and do and work your ass off to do the best that you can do.  You need to avoid the person who blames everyone else for why they are where they are.  Who blames all their troubles on a person rather than taking ownership of their own choices.  You need to avoid those that can't take care of themselves.  You need to avoid those that stagnate and don't move or do anything.  Look at that person and look at them a year ago.  Are they still doing the same thing?  Do they still have the same problems?  The same excuses about why they are where they are?  Do they complain but do nothing to solve their situation?  Do they sit around wasting their time and energy.  Well guess what?  A year from now they're going to be doing the same thing they are now, if they are doing the same thing now that they were a year ago.

But people change!  People grow up!  It'll be different in the future, you're just not giving them a chance!  I'm different than those other people, I won't be like that.  I've heard the same protestations for years and years, but the truth is that pie is baked, and the flavor isn't going to change.  Yeah, a person will change and grow but the older they get, the more that line starts to diverge.  The older it gets the more set it becomes.  So take a look at these people, and notice if they're moving, and how drastically they are moving.  What is the trajectory that they are on, because the more time passes the harder it is to change that trajectory.  Think of it like an asteroid headed for earth, if you nudge that early on then that is going to mean a huge miss, but the closer it gets to Earth, the more it's going to take to move it and at some point there will be nothing left that can change it.  People have the ability, but meaningful change is the exception not the rule.  It's why you see so many people lose so much weight and then gain it all back.  Or so many people take out loans to pay off credit cards, and then end up with huge credit card debt again.  They just backslide right back into their behavior, because that is their nature and that won't change.

Love is more than just the Disney story.  Love is boring, it's full of tedious nonsense like going to the DMV, taking out the trash, and cleaning toilets.  It's full of stress and headaches trying to figure out financial planning for the future.  It's full of team work and sacrifice.  Marriages need more than love.  Long term relationships need more than love.  They fall apart when all you have is love, because love wanes.  It fades, where it's still there but it's not the same.  People who have more than love can navigate the progression of life.  They can walk with each other down the bumpy road of life because they are truly partners.


Love is not all you need.  It's important, but life demands more than that to find a partner fit for you.  If all you have is love then you need to move on and acknowledge that you love someone, but that doesn't mean they aren't right for you and meet your needs.  They may always occupy a special place, and perhaps they will transition into being one of your closest friends, but they aren't right for you long term. Don't keep filling your space with someone who isn't right or you could miss the person who is because you're too focused on the wrong people.  Don't make those mistakes.  Be honest with yourself and don't be afraid tob ranch out into larger waters and find a partner that is fit and matches  your needs and the needs of a long term partnership.  Don't settle for what you have because "Daddy I love him."

It takes a lot more ingredients than love to make a relationship work. We need to teach people that while it's not as glamorous as the movies that there is also a practical element that you need to consider.  That the demands of life are forceful, and look hard with the partner you're choosing and decide if they are fit to meet those demands.  If not, then you're making the wrong choice.  If you refuse to admit it and cling to the idea that love is all that matters, then you're making bad decisions based on fiction.  But, if you can look at it honestly and take into account more than just what your heart things and consider what your head knows is true, then you can make good choices.  You can make choices that are right for your long term.  You can realize that you can love someone but that they aren't the partner that you need or the partner that will help you meet your goals of life.  Then you'll be able to say "Daddy, I love him, but I want more from my life and he isn't the right match for me."

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Oh no! It's a giant furry beached whale!  Oh wait, not that's just Errol laying around the house being all fat.  He looks extra fat in this picture and I don't know why, but there you have it.

Finish Line

Well, I've not officially finished all my work for the semester and I'm very happy that I don't have to spend any more weekends behind a computer doing work.  I have classes this week and exams next week so there's still stuff going on, but all the projects are finished.  The coding class was good, I like that the entire class was slowly making a website in small little steps.

The other class was stupid.  The project I finished today really pissed me off because again there was something we were supposed to do but it was something we never discussed, never read about, never had any information on at all.  Basically the class is simply learning what all these things are, and then being expected to know how to create a report simply because we know what it is.  It's like learning what a car is and being expected to be able to drive just because we know what a car is.  It makes me really angry, and I will pass the class but it was really worthless and I don't feel like I learned much of anything.

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The dogs were all sprawled out this morning on the floor.  I especially like that Ronan lays on his back like that, he's so weird.  Well they both are really weird actually.

Home Work and Pizza House

A rather boring day today.  I have a bunch of projects due next week and the weekend is about the only time I'm available to take care of them.  I have four projects due for my coding class and one project due for my other class.  I probably could have started them a little earlier than I did but they kind of surprised me by how fast the end of the semester came.  So, I spent most of the day in my office working away.

The upside was that we headed out for dinner with friends at Pizza House.  I enjoy Pizza House, but it's been a really long time since we've been.  It was nice to get out and also nice to see people.  I managed to finish my coding assignment today, tomorrow will be devoted to my other assignment.  Once I make it through this weekend then it's just coasting down hill for the rest of the semester, which will be nice.  Two more classes and then off until fall!  I'm glad.

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Making stupid faces at the beach after our wedding.  Becky had really long hair.

Jackhole

I was supposed to get off of work today at three.  This usually happens before holidays, but generally it's the holidays that include a three day weekend.  Well today I was told I could leave at three which seemed fair since I just finished up working on these absurdly annoying conferences.  Well instead captain jerkface decided that I had to schedule an interview for Tuesday.  TUESDAY!  First he got all huffy that I didn't have availability yet for the people who need to be at the interview doing the interviewing because one of the four people hasn't responded to me and how I need to be on that.  What the fuck am I supposed to do about it when someone isn't responding to me?  How does that have anything to do with me? I can call, e-mail, or do whatever I want but if SOMEONE ELSE won't respond I can't do anything about it.  The plan was if I didn't hear from this guy by today I would corner him when he is actually physically in my office.  Additionally, I was just asked to set this up the other day and got 3/4 of the people.

So, I finally got the availability of the interviewers when I actually cornered the guy that wouldn't respond to me.  But then I had to try and get the candidates and see if they could even make it on Tuesday.  So instead of leaving at 3, I had to wait around till almost 4 when I finally got in contact with all the candidates.  I hate this job.  I hate the people I work with.


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Took this when we went out to Martha's Vineyard.  This Sea Gull was trying to get some food or something and was just kind of flapping over our heads  He seemed a bit pissed off.

Busy April

April has been far too busy at work with all these stupid events that I've had to work overtime for.  Today the last of the events finally took place so I finally don't have all this shit hanging over me.  It also means that I won't be working much with the giant dick of the office in the same way.  He complained all the time during these events about being asked to make decisions on the events but then wouldn't let anyone else make any choices at all.  When he complained about it and was told we would be happy to make the decisions (such as how many tables, or how to set up the room), he said he needed a say in that.  You can't complain that you're being asked too many things that are below him if he refuses to let anything go.

I'm glad this shit is over.  I need to move on, and someone needs to hire me.

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Oh look, it's Norbert and Fluffy as almost kittens.  They used to just lay around like this, it was really cute.  They didn't like to be separated.  Actually once my mom locked Norbert in one room and Fluffy in a different and Norbert totally destroyed everything in the room she was in, including knocking over a glass dolphin statue which shattered.  She didn't take crap.

Leveled Off

The past week or so I've felt like while I'm still stuck in the middle of the ocean and not happy about it, at least I'm not floating through a hurricane.  Or more precisely, I feel shitty about where I'm at, but I'm calmer about it than I have been.  It doesn't feel the same as it did, though still terrible and I need it to change, I'm not feeling as physically stressed out about it as I have.  This happens sometimes, and perhaps it's just because I've been busier at work than I usually am with all the events that are going on.

The problem is I'm sick of being in the ocean.  It seems like my entire life has been a bunch of situations where I'm not happy because it's all a bunch of shit.  I'm in a job I don't like now that sucks the soul out of me.  We had the Jacobs drama, before that it was the whole school and work thing, before that it was more jobs I didn't like, before that it was stupid family and moving and never being in the same spot for more than a couple of years.  It all been very disruptive, and it seems like there is always some sort of drama happening.

Could someone please tell me when it's supposed to get better?  Or is it like this until I die?


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Every day a student comes over and makes a cup of coffee, but I could never figure out how he was doing it.  He didn't seem to be bringing new coffee, and he wasn't drinking our pot.  But every day he'd come and go and he'd take his cup of coffee.  Well the mystery is solved.  He apparently uses part of a package and just does a cup and saves the rest in a cup.  I found the cup today.

Get It Done

So, I have probably a weeks worth of blogs sitting in drafts because I've been really bad about getting my pictures of the day taken.  It's really stupid, but they're just sitting there waiting to be posted.  I think what I'm going to do is some throw back pictures for funzies.  So, hopefully tomorrow I can take some time, pick out some pictures and get this done so there are blogs posted instead of a ton of drafts waiting for me to post.

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Places I wish I was right now.

Ungrateful

Last week we had a huge board meeting that is held twice a year and is a very big deal.  In the two days of the meeting I worked seven hours of overtime.  I devoted a lot of time and effort to make sure it went as they wanted it to go.  It was well received by the guests, everything went off well, I kept people in the loop at every step, I made sure everything was taken care of.  Basically it went perfectly and there were no complains anywhere.

Yet, in the staff meeting we had where we talked about the meeting everyone was thanked for putting together their presentations, for being at the meeting, and for making it successful.  Well not everyone, because absolutely nothing I did was acknowledged.  Sure, thank them for getting me their presentations days late so that I'd have to rush and work through lunch to make sure I could print them for the books you insist on having, but ignore all my efforts.

This place is shit.  I don't need the praise, but don't praise everyone else, say nothing about me, and then when my review comes around tell me that I suck and ignore anything I do because you don't like me.  I need a new job.


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I don't know if I ever saw this picture before because it was on Becky's computer.  This is from Simon's "sweet 16" party we threw for him.  Ronan was all dressed up and looked kind of stupid, but in a funny way.  It made me laugh when I saw it, so enjoy.

Challenge Accepted

Recently I started getting back to running, but I've been very hit and miss on it.  I've got quite a few runs in, but nothing overly consistent.  I've been doing short mile runs and then occasionally a few of the 5k training runs I have on one of my apps.  I'm actually seeing some improvement in my endurance as I've been able to shave about two minutes off my mile runs, which is pretty good.

I thought this week I'd challenge myself to run one mile every day this week.  I did it today, so I've only got six more to go.  I think that's a pretty reasonable challenge to have, as in the end at my slowest time we're talking 13 minutes a day.  It also helps boost my steps for the day since a mile is about 25% of my daily goal of steps, so that's cool.

So there you go, my challenge this week is to run seven miles in seven days!  Let's see how it goes!

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Today we drove to Kalamazoo to see Alexa in The King Stag.  She was wonderful and we're so happy that we got to see her in her first college performance!  The show was actually really well done and I was very impressed by the quality of the puppets.








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We actually almost didn't make it in.  When we arrived for the show there was a sign that said the performance was sold out and we could go on a waiting list.  We were the 4th or 5th people on the list and were worried we drove all that way to not even get to see it.  Luckily about 15 minutes before the show they released more tickets.  We had to sit in the very back row, but it turned out fine for us and we got to see it, so it ended up fine.

That's A Lot Of Money

When we bought our house interest rates were pretty good, we were happy and the television kept telling us that rates were at historic lows.  Apparently they're even lower now than they were before because we decided to refinance to a lower rate and move it to a 15 year instead of a 30 year.  That means that our house will be paid off ten years faster than it would have before, and it means that with the lower interest rate combined with the faster pay off time we end up with a payment that is nearly identical to what we're paying now, but will save us over $100,000 over the life of the loan.

WHAT!?

That is a lot of money!  I mean, our house wasn't that expensive, and even with the interest for 30 years we would have got out for less than the house was built for thanks to the terrible housing market when we bought.  But to save that much money in interest is kind of shocking when the guy gave us the figures.  That's a lot of money that we can use on better things, like retirement, or sending our yet to be had kids to college (if any).

I'm pleased with this decision, now I just have to go through the process and get them all the little annoying things they need to prove we're still employed.  Boring.


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Shaking hands with the giant FDR statue.  Turns out visiting the memorials the morning of the Inauguration meant that we had them all to ourselves.  This is one of my favorite places in DC, especially in the spring during the cherry blossoms.

Youths!

I don't think I can deal with the world today.  Maybe it's just that they're still young and learning, or maybe it's because they have no ability to think critically but younger people make me want to punch them in the face and tell them to stop being morons.  Perhaps it's because the internet provides so much "information" that it's hard to pick through and figure it out, but they seem to have no sense of how to find credible information.  They can't seem to do this at all.

There was a time when I thought Wikipedia was the worst, but now I think I'd rather have them citing than than regurgitating something they read on Tumblr, or something one of their bonehead friends said because they read it on some random blog or message board.  The internet has given a megaphone to every loon in the world and they now uniting to creating a giant loony network of village idiots who somehow are managing to get people who should be able to think about these things to actually believe their crazy ideas, or at the very least question legitimate sources.

Why is this hard?  Why can people not think critically about things and say, "hey that sounds too good to be true, I better do more research on this subject and the source."  This is why the world is a place of inanity these days.  It used to be we all got our information from the news, the papers, the radio.  We all got the same information and thus could have a conversation.  Now instead of getting the news, people get "information" to back up what they want to believe, despite if it's news or not.  Instead of having a conversation we end up debating reality instead of what we should do.  That's not a way to live, and it's only going to get worse if it turns out people never develop critical thinking skills to be able to throw out bad sources.

Perhaps it's just the inexperience of youth.  Or perhaps it's just that the youths of the world are just terrible.

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Southern car dealership. No.

Travel

I think part of the reason why I like to travel so much is because it was never something we did when I was little.  We didn't really go anywhere.  There were occasional trips to Cedar Point, but other than that there wasn't much.  We went to Bronner's once, and I recall going to the Binder Park Zoo and on a canoe trip in elementary school.  The first real trip I remember taking was in 6th grade I drove down with my grandma and aunt to visit my uncle in DC.  That was actually pretty cool, we went to the memorials, went up in the Washington Monument, visited the Museum of Natural History.  It was a good time.

That year we moved to Virginia, and while in school there we did a few field trips here and there such as the Ford Theater, and the Holocaust Museum.  But that was about it.  Right before we moved we went on a trip to Michigan by way of Niagara Falls and then through Canada.  I think that might count as the first trip because we went somewhere that was new.  It was neat because we had extra people with us, and we got to go down behind the falls on the Canadian side.  It's funny how easy it was back then as my mom drove a car full of kids, some who weren't hers, across an international border.

Once we moved to Michigan trips happened more often.  The first long trip we took was to drive across to Kansas City to visit some friends of my mom.  On the way we stopped off at Mammoth Cave, and at the St. Louis Gateway Arch.  After that we headed back to Michigan and stopped off at Lake Michigan to swim and have a good time.  That was the biggest trip I took up to that point and I was almost 18.  My senior year I got to see a lot.  I went to New Orleans with the choir, we did a trip to New York City for the first time, visited Niagara Falls again, and went up to Toronto.

By this time I was old enough to start traveling, and really that's what all my vacation time has gone to since.  We've been to Washington DC, New York, Chicago, and Rhode Island/Boston a number of times , as well as Atlanta, Florida, Disney World quite often.  Recently we visited a dark sky park in Pennsylvania, I got to tour the mansions in Newport, and FDR's home and presidential library in New York.  The best was our trip to Europe where we got to see London, Rome, Venice, Paris, Versailles, as well as the beaches of Normandy.

I was just thinking of all the places I've been, and thinking about planning a trip soon since I have not traveled since last July.  Part of me wants to return to Disney World just because it's so relaxing.  But then again, I also have a lot of places that I'd like to see that I've never seen before.  This is the problem with only getting two weeks a year.  It's not enough.  I need at least four.  Right now I'm looking at Maine and visiting Acadia National Park.  However I'd also love to go to Utah and visit Arches,  Zion, and Natural Bridges parks.  Then there's also Yellowstone, Glacier, and let's not even talk about California.

Too many places, not enough time.  It's no good.

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I don't think there was anything more adorable than Ronan as a tiny puppy.  He was so fluffy and small and SO CUTE!  I can't even deal with his tiny cuteness.

Burned Out

I'm totally over it.  I just have no interest.  I think part of it may be knowing that realistically I probably have no way to finish the program I've started.  The other part is that my Wednesday class it just worthless.  It's a bunch of buzzwords that could be done in an afternoon seminar instead of a semester class.  I feel like the only think I've learned is the lingo that these people talk with, but absolutely no skills that I'd need to do the job they're training for.

I do still like my coding class, but other than that I'm just so uninterested in going to class at all.  I'd rather stay home and do anything else other than what I'm doing right now.  I've got three weeks from today before I'm done with these classes.  I know I can make it three more weeks.  I just don't want to do the work.  My grades in my Wednesday class have progressively gotten worse probably because my endurance of nonsense, and opinions of that class have gotten worse and worse.  At this point I don't really even care.  I care enough to pass the class, but I'm not learning anything.  It's a waste of my time.  The articles don't relate to the lectures, the lectures don't relate to the activities.  The activities are the equivalent of throwing someone in a river and telling them to learn to swim.  He's not saying, "Ok, you need to kick your feet, and move your arms like this.  You need to do this, or do that." Instead it's just "Go do this now."  It's absurd.

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With Easter on the way I thought that perhaps everyone could use a glitter Jesus, because what says Easter more than glitter Jesus.  This is an old picture from back in the days of Borders, and perhaps tells a little of why they went under.  I mean... SOMEONE thought this was a good idea and bought them...  insane.

Goals

Well, it's that time again, our fourth recap of goals and where I stand.

Goal Number One - Get A New Job: Yeah, nothing going on for this.  On the upside work has managed a way to become worse than it already is, so that's fun.

Goal Number Two - Read At Least 12 Books: I am up to five texts so far for the year, four of them are novels, one is a play.  I finished The Casual Vacancy in January, so in the past month I read Divergent, Insurgent, Allegiant, and Macbeth.  I'm still working on The Odyssey.  I find I'm having trouble reading at work these days.  A paragraph in and I just want to not do anything anymore.

Goal Number Three - Go Out West: No travels so far this year, but this is still high on my to do list.  There is talk of going out East, which isn't the same, but it would be somewhere I've never been, so that could be fun.

Goal Number Four - Be Consistently Active:  So, I started this up again.  My goal is to run more, and so far I'm getting at least two runs a week in for the past few weeks.  I want to get that number up.  It's just still really hard to get out of bed.

Goal Number Five - Digitize My Photos: Well, unknown to me I've hit a snag in this.  I haven't used my scanner since I got my new computer, and when I went to work on this I found that my scanner doesn't work because there is no driver currently set up for the new OS that I have.  I don't know if they'll do one or not since the thing is pretty old.  I'd appreciate it if they did.

Goal Number Six -  Have Seven New Experiences: Nothing new yet.

Goal Number Seven - Work on Mystery Projects No movement here either.  I should really do something this month so I can report back

So there you go, a brief update of what the what is going on with my goals.

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I found this picture while scrolling through iPhoto today.  What the hell was she doing.  She just thought everything was hers.  Though it makes sense that she'd be sitting on the bread box as she was a bread fiend.  I miss this little kitty.

Resolution

Last week I did a little post on the unexpected return or attempted return of people that are so far removed from my life that it would be no different than some stranger walking up to me on the street saying "hey I'm your long lost family, let's be friends."  I wasn't sure how I wanted to handle the situation.  Should I give it a chance, should I not?  Should I rage, should I just ignore?

Well, I finally decided what I wanted to say and I said it.  I firmly said I wasn't interested and explained exactly why listing the actions that he had taken that led me to that decision.  I was matter of fact and not angry.  I was clear what I thought but kept it as clinical as possible.  In the end I said that he didn't matter to me, which is fair since I never mattered to him.

I think I feel better about this because it's not something that I need.  It's not something that has any influence on my daily life, there's nothing that can add to my existence from being in contact with him.  In the end it's all about him without even thinking about me.  And in the end it was just as disinterested as always since it wasn't even him, it was his wife.

At the same time when I think about it I keep seeing the ending of Derek, who had an equally shitty father who suddenly shows back up.  Derek initially told him to go away, but then decided to let it all go and just accept him.  He drives away and tells him no, only to change his mind and accept him and opens himself to a relationship.  I guess I'm not as good as he is, but I said that at the time I saw it.  I suppose in my defense, he is also a fictional character.

In the end,  I don't think it's worth it.  I mean, I've let it go, but that doesn't mean I want to interact.  Judging by the Facebook stalking I'd just be opening up to people so different from me that I don't see any common ground.  Do I really want to bring religious right-wing nuts into my life?  I think I've had enough.  Sounds like more strife and more drama with no payoff whatsoever.  I'm happy with my choice, and I'm happy to have had the chance as an adult to lay out exactly why I'm not open to a relationship.

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While out and about we saw a car with a crazy mustache on the front.  It actually looks a lot like the first logo we had for our theatre company.  Though the first logo we had for our theatre company we said looked like two sperm kissing.  This kind of looks like that too.  It amused me today.

Movie Day: Captain America - The Winter Soldier

Today we got to see Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and I'm going to say right off the top of the blog that I really enjoyed it.  Now, I think I've mentioned before, but I really like Captain America to begin with.  The first movie I thought was great, and I love that simple "we're the good guys and I'm the symbol of the best that America can be" that we get from Captain America.  I'm also not going to lie that World War II period of time is an area that I find absolutely fascinating.  So, it's not much of a surprise that I thing Captain America is great.

This movie isn't set in that time period, as we know.  We know from the Avengers that the Captain is alive and kicking in the modern world, and I think that's why I love Captain American even more.  I love that chance to have someone from a different period taking the best propaganda from that time and putting it up in a world that's so different from how it was.  (Disclaimer, yes I know that the time period had terrible things going on, I'm a history major for heavens sake, but we're talking about symbols here, not reality). 

This movie takes the current world, and the questions and challenges we're all facing with the ideas of giving up freedoms for security, the ideas of a monitored state, the idea that the NSA is collecting so much information, and it takes those issues and shines a light on them through the prism of "the greatest generation".  It juxtaposes them next to that symbolic and simple "we're fighting for freedom" it's a simple black and white world where we know the bad guys and they want to take your freedom and we have to fight for it.  It takes the best of that time period and the idea of the best that America can be and has that symbol look at the way it is now.  It gives that chance to look at where we are and ask, is this what we stand for now?  To have someone pulled out of one period and thrown into the other allows you to question those themes.

About the movie itself, I really enjoyed it.  It had a good amount of action, but it also had a very good story.  It had the guy trying to figure out his life now, but not that baggage that sometimes can drag down stories like that.  Rather than spending time on that, he's having to deal with it and act at the same time.  It was a well thought out plot and over all a well put together movie.  I greatly enjoyed it.  In my ratings I'd give it a f"ull price on opening night" rating, though I know part of that is because I love Captain America, and in general most of the Marvel movies.  If you liked the first one, you'll like this one.

And now, for the side rant.  Can we take a minute and talk about that poster picture?  Like, for real.  WHAT IS WITH STUPID STUDIOS!?  Do they not have anyone who can look at things and say, "yeah, that's wrong, fix it."  Pay attention to the details.  Now I know there are places in the movie that don't exist (i.e. Shield Headquarters), but the view in this picture is a place that does exist, and exists in the movie as it does in reality.  What I'm saying is the portion of Washington that's in the picture appears in the movie as it really exists.  So first, um, where's the rest of the land that goes along the tidal basin?  You know, the part that Captain America JOGS ON in the first part of the movie?  The part that houses the FDR and the MLK memorials and leads to the Lincoln memorial?  What are all those buildings directly West (below) the Washington Monument?  You know, where the WORLD WAR II MEMORIAL IS, you know, that thing that Captain America jogs past, and is a memorial to the war he fought in?  I mean, did no one have google maps?  Was it so hard to take something that is well documented and to do it correctly?  Did you have a consultant on from the Lone Ranger movie?  WHAT IS UP!  I'm just saying, just make the damn poster correctly.


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Ronan wanted nothing but to play today.  He just kept walking around with this, though he was reluctant to actually give it to me so I could throw it for him.  I eventually was able to convince him.  He also wanted to go on a walk, and was so disappointed when we went to the movie instead of taking him for a walk.  He actually was pouting.  He's too cute.

Bad Timing

Well, Becky's car is dead at the moment.  I don't think I can complain too much since it's nearly 9 years old and has almost 200,000 miles on it.  Still, today really wasn't the best day for that to happen.  Turns out the timing chain is taking a crap and needs to be replaced.  The guy we took it too said we'd probably be better off putting in a new engine, but I think he might be full of it.  We knew this day was coming, but it would have been nice if it had waited a bit longer so we were in a position to actually take care of it.

We've gone so long with no car payments, I really don't want to have to do them again.  I know we haven't had one since we moved to our current house, and it was a good deal prior to moving out that we paid it off, quite early if I recall properly.  Becky's been wanting a new car for a while now, but a few more months would have been appreciated.

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Look at this goon.  He insisted on trying to cuddle with me while I was sitting on the couch.  I really didn't think it was the best time for that, but he was very insistent.  He's such a pain in the butt sometimes, but also so cute!

The Lone Ranger

Tonight I decided to just sit and do nothing on account of being exhausted.  We ended up watching two movies that were not great.  Well one was not great and one was completely awful.  The first movie we watched was The Watch, it's pretty much this guy who starts a neighborhood watch so he can catch the killer of his friend.  Turns out the killer is an alien, and he and the watch have to stop the invasion.  It had moments but it was very immature comedy, and really kind of low level.  It killed some time, and was ok.

After that we watched probably the worst movie I've seen in a while, The Lone Ranger.  I heard this movie was terrible and it got awful reviews, but I figured I might as well since there was nothing else on to watch.  Wow.  Just. Wow.  I actually laughed out loud on a few different occasions because it was so absurd, or they did something so stupid.  The only thing that was worthwhile was the weird horse.  It was this strange mixture of Captain Jack as an "Indian".  The story was actually ok, the basic plot was logical and would probably have worked if it wasn't so absurd.

But let's get to the thing that really drove it over the edge for me: The Music.  I don't know why it drove me so insane, but It really annoyed the hell out of me.  The film was set in like 1867 or something like that.  It was the late 1800s, and they had these scenes that were super patriotic right?  Flags, people cheering becuase yay America, and the band is playing JOHN PHILIP SOUSA! Things that haven't been composed yet.  Then, THEY HAD THEM SINGING THE NATIONAL ANTHEM!  EXCEPT IT WASN'T THE NATIONAL ANTHEM UNTIL 1931!  I couldn't even deal with that.

This really was a terrible movie.

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This is apparently Dragon Fruit.  It's terrible.  There's no flavor, it's the consistency of a kiwi with a bunch of seeds in it.  I really don't know why anyone would eat it.  I decided to give it a try because it was on the buffet.  After eating it I immediately worried I could have a kiwi like reaction to it, and seriously questioned my choice.  Turns out nothing bad happened, well other than the flavor, or lack thereof.