First of all, I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and a happy holidays....pick out whichever one you observe....and I'll wish you a happy one.
So, I'm in the middle of a two week vacation--which is so sweet I can't even begin to tell you--and I've been taking in a few movies and other assorted DVD's. Here's what I've looked at, so far:
1) The Matador: Wow! What a surprise! This was a terrific little movie with a really bold and fun performance by Pierce Brosnan. He knows how to finally rid himself of the James Bond stereotype by playing--an international assassin! Seriously, what's great about the movie is that he's everyone that James Bond isn't: He's having a crisis of confidence, he's been living for years on booze & sex ("I have no home address" he admits early in the movie) and in a great shot at his Bond legacy, suffers from a slight
(only slight mind you) case of perversion. It seems that Julian Noble, the character that Brosnan portrays....well....let's just say he likes his women......young. Really young.
But amazingly, his little perversion is done so boldly, that its not a repugnant feature here. It makes him more fascinating and it helps flesh out (no pun intended) a terrific character made more interesting by a terrific performance. Who knew Brosnan had it in him? Anyway, the basic plotline is that international assassin meets regular guy (Greg Kinnear--also in fine form) in a bar one night and begins to re-examine his life and profession. Its a very interesting story and I recommend it. ****
2) Hostage--Let's see, tell me if this sounds familar. Bruce Willis plays the proverbial "seen it all" cop who's a step away from being totally burned out and is put in that one final situation that tests his mettle. Eh. The best part of this movie is the performances by the young teenagers, who are very believeable punks. Seriously, I see kids just like this at the mall every weekend. And Bruce casts his daughter "Rumor" (pretentious name alert) as----HIS DAUGHTER!! Hey, how'd ya guess? Problem is, he picks the ugliest daughter he has and her entire dialogue consists of: "Aaaaahhh!" Seriously, this all seems like something we've seen before. **1/2
3) Saw II--Here's the thing. Beneath all the sick, gory torture scenes....there is a really interesting compelling morality play going on here. The character of "Jigsaw", who once again has trapped a group of people in a house full of deadly traps, forces his prisoners to examine and look inside themselves and realize the mistakes they've made. The trick is simple: you can escape, but you'll pay a price---is the price worth it? That's the ultimate decision that has to be made. ***1/2 interesting.
Later,
Jeff
Thursday, December 28, 2006
12/27/06--Middle of my holiday vacation
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
12/20/06--A proud moment as a father
Sometimes, its the little things that strike you as meaningful as a parent. The other night, Kim & I are driving home--and Andy is laying around in the backseat of the car (Kellie was over at a friends house). And we're playing a little of the Led Zep on the stereo.
Double shot.
1) Nobody's Fault But Mine--Robert Plant wailing the electrified blues. And....
2) Whole Lotta Love--Way down inside.....woman.....you neeeeeeeeeed me......
And so I'm humming along....and from the backseat....Andy, who shows zero--and I mean ZERO interest in anything music related--says:
"Hey, this is a pretty cool song."
My heart sang. My son....getting into Led Zepplin. (Sniff, sniff)
I get a little choked up, just thinkin about it.
And then...two days later....I'm out shopping with Kellie Poe-Bowdren (the original little Miss Hip Hop) for her mom, and stopped in to pick up a gift card for a friend. Kellie tells me that she's going to wait in the car. Now, I have the radio on the 80's station when I get out. I get back in the car....and.....
The hard rock station is on.
"What's up with that?" I asked.
"Huh? Oh, uh...I've been, uh...sorta...ya know, listening to the rock stations lately."
My heart SOARED to the heavens! I wanted to leap thru fields of barley!
That phase---that phase of really crappy music my daughter has been listening too?
She may be coming out of it! Can the Jim Morrison & Robert Plant posters be far behind???
Later,
Jeff
Double shot.
1) Nobody's Fault But Mine--Robert Plant wailing the electrified blues. And....
2) Whole Lotta Love--Way down inside.....woman.....you neeeeeeeeeed me......
And so I'm humming along....and from the backseat....Andy, who shows zero--and I mean ZERO interest in anything music related--says:
"Hey, this is a pretty cool song."
My heart sang. My son....getting into Led Zepplin. (Sniff, sniff)
I get a little choked up, just thinkin about it.
And then...two days later....I'm out shopping with Kellie Poe-Bowdren (the original little Miss Hip Hop) for her mom, and stopped in to pick up a gift card for a friend. Kellie tells me that she's going to wait in the car. Now, I have the radio on the 80's station when I get out. I get back in the car....and.....
The hard rock station is on.
"What's up with that?" I asked.
"Huh? Oh, uh...I've been, uh...sorta...ya know, listening to the rock stations lately."
My heart SOARED to the heavens! I wanted to leap thru fields of barley!
That phase---that phase of really crappy music my daughter has been listening too?
She may be coming out of it! Can the Jim Morrison & Robert Plant posters be far behind???
Later,
Jeff
Saturday, December 16, 2006
12/16/06--Tales of Andy Poe-Bowdren
So the other day, Kim & I ventured over to our local high school--the public one--to have a meeting with some of the school administrative types regarding Andy.
We were trying to get him some assistance for school---and primarily we were doing this with an eye towards him in college more than high school--because one of the main identifiers of Aspergers is a problem multitasking. So, in Andy's case, he can sit and listen to a lecture in class, but if the teacher wanted him to listen AND take notes, he runs into problems. So even though Andy is in a private school, to get some sort of public assistance for him we have to go through the public high school who we live nearest too. So we get there early in the morning at the lovely Taravella High School being interviewed about Andy.
And the staff there (counselors, the school psycologist, etc) reviewed Andy's transcripts, a psycological profile on Andy....took a call from one of Andy's teachers for her impressions, and then told us.....uh....basically.......
That Andy's just too smart and we've done too good a job as parents.
Nice.
So essentially, if Andy was flunking....and if as parents we let him, ya know, run wild....
we probably would've gotten the assistance. Uh, thanks for asking folks, but.....nope.
Later,
Jeff
Saturday, December 9, 2006
3 dogs + Christmas tree=Angry phone call from wife
So I decided that this year I wanted a REAL tree--we had a few years worth the plastic kind, and I just felt like it was time to go back to the old real mccoy. So Kim picked it up at the old Home Depot--since it was a rare day that I was actually working to, ya know, the end of the day and all--and when I got home, there it was, propped up against the garage door. Kim informed me that the base of the tree needed to be trimmed up and made even. It was at that point that I ruggedly threw off my shirt, worked up a good sweat, put on a headband, popped a little chaw in the side of my mouth--just a pinch tween my cheek and gum--and started up the old chainsaw.
The electric chainsaw, but that doesn't really matter, does it?
Yep, there's nothing to make you feel quite so manly as a deadly object in your hands while your sawing wood. I tell ya what, I felt like I had just took some steriods or something....felt like maybe I should start ordering Kim to get me a beer and have my dinner on the table, hot and waiting for me when I was done! But, I digress.
So I straightened out the tree with a limited amount of cursing involved (no--really, its true) and we took it into the house. We positioned the tree in the corner by our front window and Kim of course had to straighten it "just so" (woman thing) and then the various insundry lights---and then of course remembered that someone had to go under the tree and plug it in. Guess who "someone" was? I gotta tell ya, "back in the day" I was quite the limber one at getting under trees come holiday time, but time has, uh....hmm...made me just a little less limber.
Okay, fatter! There, I said it--are you happy?
Anyway, I'm dragging my fat ass across the tile floor (thank God we got rid of those carpets or I would've had a nasty burn!) trying to stick the freakin plug in the socket, while branches are smacking me across the face and that miserable tree sap--you know, the kind that NEVER ever comes off--is dripping on my arms and mixing with the hair and....yeech. Anyway, I got the damn thing plugged in. Shockingly, the wife was satisfied, which is amazing because usually, as stated before, it has to be "just this way" or "just that way" and I have to adjust here or there. I'm confident that at least 63% of all divorces are a result of women finding some inperfection in their husband not putting something--lamps,trees, curtains--in "just the right spot".
The wife is worried about the dogs smelling the "live" tree and thinking that....ya know, I got a little business to transact and here's a real live bush right here in the house! I'm more worried about the dogs running to the window the first time another dog comes, oh, I dunno....within 3/4 of a mile from our house and they run to the window to let that dog know that by God, this is our house! Its OUR territory! Get your miserable purebred behind away from our yard! These are the things I imagine my dogs are saying to the other dogs as they pass by. I'm worried, but I bluff the wife by telling her that everything will be okay.
Hmm.
So the beloved Midnight, as I may have mentioned, has this unusual habit of rubbing his butt up against the bushes in the back yard. God knows why, its just his thing. Which is what may have been the reason for the phone call I got about 3pm yesterday afternoon at work.
"Hello."
"Well, I just got home," Kim said. "Guess what's all over the floor?"
I don't know exactly why, but the first thing I thought of was that Midnight had gotten sick or something. Other guys think about their wives, or the children--I think about what might be wrong with my dog. Hey, its who I am, its what I do.
"I dunno....what?"
"The CHRISTMAS TREE! Its all over the floor and the ornaments and balls are broken and scattered everywhere!"
She was kind of upset...not a "mad" type of upset...more of a "distressed" type. I couldn't help wonder if I should prepare myself for the "I told you we shouldn't get a real Christmas tree" speech.
"Uh, honey....I'm really sorry. We'll go out tonight and get a fake tree and some new ornaments if you want. I shouldn't have suggested the real tree."
"No, I'll clean up here and see what's still okay to use."
So I hung up with her, and imagined the carnage that the dogs had wrought at home.
Of course, no one was suspecting that it could've been those damn cats....but that's another story for another time. I got home and you couldn't even tell there had been an incident. Kim had pretty much calmed down. Lord knows if it had been me that discovered it, the mess would've still been there, I'd still been screaming or complaining
and the dogs would've been hiding somewhere in the house.
But luckily for them, and me....Kim got home first....and handled it calmly.
Marriage....its all about keeping that fine balance. The calm one, and the emotional one.
Its who we are----its what we do.
Later,
Jeff
The electric chainsaw, but that doesn't really matter, does it?
Yep, there's nothing to make you feel quite so manly as a deadly object in your hands while your sawing wood. I tell ya what, I felt like I had just took some steriods or something....felt like maybe I should start ordering Kim to get me a beer and have my dinner on the table, hot and waiting for me when I was done! But, I digress.
So I straightened out the tree with a limited amount of cursing involved (no--really, its true) and we took it into the house. We positioned the tree in the corner by our front window and Kim of course had to straighten it "just so" (woman thing) and then the various insundry lights---and then of course remembered that someone had to go under the tree and plug it in. Guess who "someone" was? I gotta tell ya, "back in the day" I was quite the limber one at getting under trees come holiday time, but time has, uh....hmm...made me just a little less limber.
Okay, fatter! There, I said it--are you happy?
Anyway, I'm dragging my fat ass across the tile floor (thank God we got rid of those carpets or I would've had a nasty burn!) trying to stick the freakin plug in the socket, while branches are smacking me across the face and that miserable tree sap--you know, the kind that NEVER ever comes off--is dripping on my arms and mixing with the hair and....yeech. Anyway, I got the damn thing plugged in. Shockingly, the wife was satisfied, which is amazing because usually, as stated before, it has to be "just this way" or "just that way" and I have to adjust here or there. I'm confident that at least 63% of all divorces are a result of women finding some inperfection in their husband not putting something--lamps,trees, curtains--in "just the right spot".
The wife is worried about the dogs smelling the "live" tree and thinking that....ya know, I got a little business to transact and here's a real live bush right here in the house! I'm more worried about the dogs running to the window the first time another dog comes, oh, I dunno....within 3/4 of a mile from our house and they run to the window to let that dog know that by God, this is our house! Its OUR territory! Get your miserable purebred behind away from our yard! These are the things I imagine my dogs are saying to the other dogs as they pass by. I'm worried, but I bluff the wife by telling her that everything will be okay.
Hmm.
So the beloved Midnight, as I may have mentioned, has this unusual habit of rubbing his butt up against the bushes in the back yard. God knows why, its just his thing. Which is what may have been the reason for the phone call I got about 3pm yesterday afternoon at work.
"Hello."
"Well, I just got home," Kim said. "Guess what's all over the floor?"
I don't know exactly why, but the first thing I thought of was that Midnight had gotten sick or something. Other guys think about their wives, or the children--I think about what might be wrong with my dog. Hey, its who I am, its what I do.
"I dunno....what?"
"The CHRISTMAS TREE! Its all over the floor and the ornaments and balls are broken and scattered everywhere!"
She was kind of upset...not a "mad" type of upset...more of a "distressed" type. I couldn't help wonder if I should prepare myself for the "I told you we shouldn't get a real Christmas tree" speech.
"Uh, honey....I'm really sorry. We'll go out tonight and get a fake tree and some new ornaments if you want. I shouldn't have suggested the real tree."
"No, I'll clean up here and see what's still okay to use."
So I hung up with her, and imagined the carnage that the dogs had wrought at home.
Of course, no one was suspecting that it could've been those damn cats....but that's another story for another time. I got home and you couldn't even tell there had been an incident. Kim had pretty much calmed down. Lord knows if it had been me that discovered it, the mess would've still been there, I'd still been screaming or complaining
and the dogs would've been hiding somewhere in the house.
But luckily for them, and me....Kim got home first....and handled it calmly.
Marriage....its all about keeping that fine balance. The calm one, and the emotional one.
Its who we are----its what we do.
Later,
Jeff
Sunday, December 3, 2006
12/2/06---See if you can match 48 hrs with me....UGH
So check this out and see if you can match it. Friday morning "the wife" and Kellie caught a flight to Ohio for a baby shower. I'm trying to figure out what her response would've been if I had caught a flight somewhere for a bachelor party....but I digress.
Now she's flying up there to see some of the kids relatives on the kid's fathers side.
I would never begrudge the kids from staying in contact with anyone from their father's side of the family---but, uh---it'd be nice if they would do the same, ya know? I've been with Kim and the kids since mid '99, and let's just say that considering their father came from a VERY large family (like 12 kids), its pretty amazing that no one remembers to send them a birthday card.....a Christmas card.....anything. No birthday phone calls...nothing. The only reason there is any contact whatsoever is because of Kim. God bless her for that, but I'd like to see someone--ANYONE--from that family attempt to stay in contact with the kids.
There...that's enough venting on THAT subject.
So Kim is flying up to Ohio, with a layover in Tampa. The night before she leaves, she checks out the weather. Well, if you've been following this weekends weather up in the midwest...I don't need to tell you what the forecast looked like. Can you say "50 mph wind"? So I was a little worried as she left (I tried not to show TOO much emotion--I wouldn't want her to think I like her or anything like that), and a couple hours later I got a phone call from her from her stop in Tampa. She was originally scheduled for a layover of like 1 1/2 hours.
"Well," she says, "I got off the plane and I looked up at the board to see what was going on with my flight to Columbus."
"Yeah."
"We were originally supposed to leave around 11am."
"And? Has it changed?"
"Well, the board now says we're going to leave at 5pm."
Ouch. An 8 hour layover. Talk about cruel and unusual punishment. I have to be honest with you. I would've caught a plane back to Ft Lauderdale.
So she tells me that she's going to keep me updated. Surprisingly, she called me an hour later to tell me that the flight was going to leave as scheduled afterall. I'm sitting there trying to figure out how in God's name they were going to land a plane with 50 mph winds, but I digress. Around 3pm....I get a phone call.
"Well, we're on the ground," she says.
"They landed the plane in those wind conditions??"
"Well, uh....no. They tried twice but apparently the WINDSHEAR (a word that polite people do not mention when flying) was too severe."
"So what happened?"
"So, uh....we're in Louisville, KY."
"Okay...how far is that from Columbus?"
"About 4 hours.....hey, I was wondering....what do you think if I rent a car and drive the rest of the way?"
"If that's what you want to do....how are the roads up there?"
"Oh, their fine...its just cold. But, I have to tell you....after that last flight, I'm not in any big hurry to get back on an airplane."
"I understand.....go ahead and see what you can do....and call me back. I'll call your Dad and let him know what's going on."
I let her Dad know and the phone rings about an hour later.
"Well, we're on the way to Ohio in a car."
"Alright....should I call your Dad an update him?"
"No...he already called me."
Why did I even BOTHER to ask that question. UGH.
So Kim and Kellie are on their way to Ohio, and its me & Andy for the weekend.
Now, the next day (Saturday), Andy is set to take the SAT's. Kim had left me a fairly detailed list of instructions as to what exactly he needed to bring with him for the testing:
calculator, pencils, photo i.d., etc etc. So I told Andy before he went to bed that I wanted him to make sure and have everything that he needed out on the table so that we wouldn't have to go searching for anything on Saturday morning.
Famous last words. But stay with me here while the story sidetracks slightly.
Now the test started at 7:45am on Saturday morning, so Kim told me that I needed to be up no later than 6:45am, to ensure that Andy had something eat and was there with plenty of time to spare. My wife--the original anal retentive person when it comes to ANYTHING....and I mean ANYTHING "time related". Hey, its all part of what makes her so special. (Just don't tell her I said that)
So around 3am, Midnight the Wonder Dog starts a barking. At what, I didn't know.
So I very politely (I swear!) told him to be a little bit quieter. Then, around 5am, he comes to me on the side of the bed (as only he can do), and lets me know that, uh--ya know--he needed to use the facilites. Alright, alright. A quick hey-how-do-ya-do, and I'm back in bed for another hour, right? Uh....again, famous last words.
The boy (I call him that cuz, ya know, he's my boy) goes into the corner of the yard and spends around 10 minutes there....uh...."gently straining"....if ya know what I mean and I think ya do. So I'm a little concerned...but nothing major. I end up staying up the rest of the morning (and do I need to tell you that there is not much on at 5:30 on a Saturday morning? What's that Springsteen line: '500 channels and nothing on?') So around 6:45ish I go in and wake up young Andrew, and get him started on his big day.
So its about 5 minutes before we're scheduled to go, and I'm washing dishes (Aren't I domesticated? Its so humiliating) when Andy comes in and lets me know that he's ready. I mention to Andy that in his pile of things to take to the testing I noticed that he hadn't put his calculator in there, and to go and get it so he doesn't forget it. And he says...in words that absolutely make me mental:
"Uh, Jeff....I looked for my calculator last night and I couldn't find it."
"You what?"
"I couldn't find my calculator."
"Um, Andy...do you remember our conversation last night where I told you that you needed to have everything in one place so that you wouldn't forget anything? Do you remember when I told you this?"
"Uh...yes."
"And when were you planning on telling me that you couldn't find your calculator?"
Mental. Absolutely mental. That's what I get when he does things like this---but I also know that part of it (or most of it) is do to the Aspergers.
"Do you have to have a calculator for the test?"
"Um, they recommend it, but its not required."
So I make a quick phone call to the wife and inquire (again, ever so gently) whether or not our daughter might have a calculator handy. She does and Andy goes and gets it.
We drive over to the test site where Andy joins the other hundreds of high school kids preparing to test.
When I get back home I call the vet's and ask if they can recommend anything to, um..."loosen the boy up" if ya get my drift. They recommend---no lie here---pumpkin.
Not pie filling---full on pumpkin in a can. So I figure after I pick up Andy I'll swing by the store and get some pumpkin.
So the rest of the morning crawls by as Andy is taking his test...and I'm noticing that the boy is looking just a tad on the "loggey" side. Just a bit under the weather-esque.
So around 11:30am I still haven't heard from Andy...sort of wondering what's going on, since the last time he tested he was done by 9:30am. Noon comes and goes, and I call his Mom and ask her why Andy wouldn't have called me. She tells me that he should have been done by now and that I should go up to the school. Which I do. I had this mental picture that I would get there and Andy would be standing there by himself and then he would say that he "forgot to call me". Instead, the parking lot was still full with cars of kids taking the test. I figured that it had to be almost over, so I got out and stood by the school entrance and waited for him.
And I noticed something. All these high school kids....they all dress the way that kids did when I was in high school. Bell bottom jeans for the girls---Led Zepplin t-shirts for the boys (and how cool is THAT?). It was really amazing. So Andy finally comes out and we head home. I pick up the pumpkin and make a nice little presentation for Midnight and his food....and he promptly turns his nose up at it. Now just that is a cause of concern, because Midnight is anything but a picky eater. Especially after I give a touch to his brother and sister and they gobble it up like there's no tomorrow.
So towards the late afternoon I'm noticing that Midnight is still looking a little bit not-so-right...so I give the hospital a call and ask what they think...they suggest I bring him in as a pre-caution and let the doctor take a look. I get there about 5pm and get to see the doctor...at about 6:15. UGH. Anyway, she gives me some stuff to settle his stomach and we're on our way---with the proviso from her that if there are any problems later with Midnight that I can bring him back (remember that for the purposes of our story).
All is fine and I get ready to hit the sack around 11:30ish, with a few minutes of t.v. before.....when Midnight comes over to my side of the bed and "informs me" that he needs to go outside. He goes outside and I hear him throwing up. He comes back in and as I turn out the lights....about 15 minutes later I have him breathing in my face, letting me know that he needs to go out. Things are not going well at this point. He goes outside and it sounds like....um....let's just say that things have apparently taken a 180 degree turn with my boy. I think I let him out approximately 3 more times before 3am. Now, remember here....I had been woken up around 5am the morning before, so by this point I had been up almost 22 hours and I think I was starting to hallucinate--that's how tired I was. I called up the hospital and spoke to the doctor, who suggested I bring him in--which isn't a huge deal because we live about 40 seconds from the animal hospital...literally. So I walk him over and leave him there for the night---for his health and my sanity at this point, because if I didn't get to sleep I may have lost my mind. It had gotten to the point where I was so tired that I couldn't fall asleep---and trust me, that has NEVER been a problem for me. The nurse shows me the prospective bill---which gives me a "lowball" and a "highball" amount for what the bill should end up at.
Let's just say....Midnight got his Christmas gift a wee bit early this year.
I think I'll go take a nap.
Later,
Jeff
Sunday, November 26, 2006
11/26/06--How was my day? How do you THINK my day was???
44-24, USC over ND. Well, at least I told my friend Dave to "play the over". It was pretty obvious that SC had the more talented players---that'll happen when a simple thing like an arrest for assault & battery gets you a few laps around the stadium and not kicked out of school, but I digress.
What really (Edited with knowledge that parental units read this blog).....um, annoys me is that the media's talking heads all get to sit back with a smirk on their faces and tell everyone how overrated ND was this year. The Notre Dame websites have an expression for the way that ND is talked about in the media. We call it:
"Embrace the hate".
I decided to write a letter to Tom Dienhart, who has put his degree in journalism to use in writing a column for the Sporting News, where in he spouted this week that Notre Dame is really not that good, etc etc and that Charlie Weis is basically, uh, really overrated. What a brilliant piece of writing.
Here's my response:
What really (Edited with knowledge that parental units read this blog).....um, annoys me is that the media's talking heads all get to sit back with a smirk on their faces and tell everyone how overrated ND was this year. The Notre Dame websites have an expression for the way that ND is talked about in the media. We call it:
"Embrace the hate".
I decided to write a letter to Tom Dienhart, who has put his degree in journalism to use in writing a column for the Sporting News, where in he spouted this week that Notre Dame is really not that good, etc etc and that Charlie Weis is basically, uh, really overrated. What a brilliant piece of writing.
Here's my response:
Okay, look....I've sat back all season while you and the talking heads on ESPN talked about how Notre Dame was overrated, and how Charlie Weis is not really a good coach, etc etc etc
I just have a few questions for you. Do you honestly think this team would be better off with Tyrone "I can't go recruiting I have 18 holes to play" Willingham as their coach? How come the announcers love to point out whenever the team is well that their "winning because of players that Tyrone Willingham recruited", but whenever the team plays poorly (as they did last night--no question) its because Charlie Weis got outcoached? How come its not because of the players that Tyrone recruited then?
How come when you point out that Charlie Weis has lost big to Ohio State, Michigan & USC (uh, by the way---I'm not sure if you noticed, but those are the top 3 teams in the nation)
and is like 18-1 against everyone else......well, exactly how did Ty & Bob Davie do in those "other games"????
Why don't you look at this season's UW record. Ty Willingham is a horrible coach. He was a horrible coach. Has Charlie Weis established himself as Lou Holtz or Ara Parseighean yet? No. But what he has done is establish himself as a coach who wins the games that he is supposed to win (something that Davie or Willingham did not do). Next season, fans of ND who follow the program are expecting a "down" season with the graduation (and I probably don't need to say "graduation" when talking about Notre Dame players---don't you wish we could say the same about the fine representatives of the community currently playing at Ohio State???) of guys like Quinn, Samardzja & the rest of the senior class.
Ty had ONE (repeat--ONE) good recruiting class and no one is denying him that. However, did you know that next year's senior class (the one that features RB Darius Walker) has 9 players left in it? NINE PLAYERS. Do you know how many of those NINE players are o-linemen? Zero. Great job recruiting Ty---why don't you mention that in your next article?
People who go to Notre Dame fan sites like NDNation & IrishEyes have a saying:
"Embrace the hate". I guess when dealing with writers like yourself, you obviously have some sort of personal issue not only with Notre Dame football, but with Notre Dame itself, we have no other choice. Will you be having lunch with Mark May this week?
By the way, just in case your wondering.....I did not attend Notre Dame. Just a fan.
Jeff Bowdren aka DoubleB88@aol.com
10-2....not bad...still not quite good enough for ND fans....or for Charlie Weis. We'll get there...don't you worry.
Brady Quinn won't win the Heisman this year....they'll give it to Troy Smith, the QB from Ohio State....the guy who was suspended for a couple of games last year for admitting that he TOOK MONEY FROM A BOOSTER. Wow, I hope the Downtown Athletic Club of NY is proud of their newest member. Meanwhile, I will remember Brady's career with great fondness. Thanks to Brady & the Shark for two years worth of great memories.
I just have a few questions for you. Do you honestly think this team would be better off with Tyrone "I can't go recruiting I have 18 holes to play" Willingham as their coach? How come the announcers love to point out whenever the team is well that their "winning because of players that Tyrone Willingham recruited", but whenever the team plays poorly (as they did last night--no question) its because Charlie Weis got outcoached? How come its not because of the players that Tyrone recruited then?
How come when you point out that Charlie Weis has lost big to Ohio State, Michigan & USC (uh, by the way---I'm not sure if you noticed, but those are the top 3 teams in the nation)
and is like 18-1 against everyone else......well, exactly how did Ty & Bob Davie do in those "other games"????
Why don't you look at this season's UW record. Ty Willingham is a horrible coach. He was a horrible coach. Has Charlie Weis established himself as Lou Holtz or Ara Parseighean yet? No. But what he has done is establish himself as a coach who wins the games that he is supposed to win (something that Davie or Willingham did not do). Next season, fans of ND who follow the program are expecting a "down" season with the graduation (and I probably don't need to say "graduation" when talking about Notre Dame players---don't you wish we could say the same about the fine representatives of the community currently playing at Ohio State???) of guys like Quinn, Samardzja & the rest of the senior class.
Ty had ONE (repeat--ONE) good recruiting class and no one is denying him that. However, did you know that next year's senior class (the one that features RB Darius Walker) has 9 players left in it? NINE PLAYERS. Do you know how many of those NINE players are o-linemen? Zero. Great job recruiting Ty---why don't you mention that in your next article?
People who go to Notre Dame fan sites like NDNation & IrishEyes have a saying:
"Embrace the hate". I guess when dealing with writers like yourself, you obviously have some sort of personal issue not only with Notre Dame football, but with Notre Dame itself, we have no other choice. Will you be having lunch with Mark May this week?
By the way, just in case your wondering.....I did not attend Notre Dame. Just a fan.
Jeff Bowdren aka DoubleB88@aol.com
10-2....not bad...still not quite good enough for ND fans....or for Charlie Weis. We'll get there...don't you worry.
Brady Quinn won't win the Heisman this year....they'll give it to Troy Smith, the QB from Ohio State....the guy who was suspended for a couple of games last year for admitting that he TOOK MONEY FROM A BOOSTER. Wow, I hope the Downtown Athletic Club of NY is proud of their newest member. Meanwhile, I will remember Brady's career with great fondness. Thanks to Brady & the Shark for two years worth of great memories.
Thursday, November 23, 2006
11/23/06---Movie reviews
So I know its been forever and a day since I mentioned any movies to you. Over the last week or so I've had the chance to watch about 6 movies that I hadn't seen before and so I wanted to give you an idea of what to look out for when they come out or if you see they're going to be on t.v.
1) The Mortal Storm (1940)--James Stewart and Margaret Sullivan are joined by an amazingly young Robert Stack (good Lord, I didn't recognize him until the end of the movie) & Robert Young--pre Marcus Welby obviously. The story shows the effect of the rise in power of the Nazi's in Germany and although heavyhanded at times, I thought it was pretty strong stuff considering when it was made we weren't at war with the Germans yet. Robert Young as a Nazi!! Who woulda figured? *** good stuff
2) Click (2006)--okay, here's one thing that I hate. I hate when comedians decide they want to be "accepted" as serious actors. Ugh. Jim Carrey, Bill Murray and others have tried and they almost always fail miserably. This one was no acception. Someone please tell Adam Sandler to just do stupid movies like The Waterboy & Big Daddy and leave the serious acting to people who can, ya know....ACT. If you haven't figured out by now, Sandler essentially plays the EXACT SAME CHARACTER in every one of his movies. Ya know, the quiet, misunderstood guy who has been kept down his whole life and then eventually explodes in "hilarious" anger at some point. Yawn. And you will always see Rob Schneider and Henry Winkler (who has come up with a 2nd career playing a supporting role in Sandler movies). There were a couple of cute scenes, almost all involving the great Christopher Walken playing a Bed, Bath & Beyond employee (especially the "Beyond"). *1/2
3) Mission Impossible 3--its apparently true. In real life, Tom Cruise is some kind of a huge weirdo with that religion of his. Still, the guy can make a good movie, I'll give him that. I love when you have zero expectations of a film and then get a nice payoff.
That was the case here. Cruise is ably supported here by Ving Rhames & Laurence Fishburne and also, and this is a key, by Philip Seymour Hoffman. Nothing makes an action film great like having a superior villian to play off of and PSH gives Cruise just that. Tons of terrific action scenes and the movie also starts off right in the middle of the action, so there's not a lot of time setting anything up.....big surprise here. ****
4) Night of the Hunter---oh man, I have wanted to see this movie forever and I finally got a chance the other day. What a run of movies that Robert Mitchum was having in the mid 50's to the early 60's! Cape Fear, Night of the Hunter, Thunder Road.
Just some terrific films, and the performance in this one may have been his most memorable. Here he plays Harry Powell, who travels around small towns as a preacher, which is a way of disguising the fact that he's also a serial killer (Heavy stuff for the mid 50's!). After a chance meeting in jail with a very young Peter Graves, he seeks out and attempts to become a part of the life of Shelly Winters and her two young children--who he believes know the location of a stash of stolen money. Watching Mitchum stalk the young children--before America knew what exactly a "stalker" was, is truly creepy stuff. Also features a memorable role by legendary film star Lillian Gish as a lonely woman who encounters the children. A terrific film, and American classic.
*****
5) Green Street Hooligans--Elijah Wood continues to move away from the Frodo Baggins-type of roles in this story about the fantaticism of English football (soccer) fans.
Tons of violent images, but a fairly well done movie that keeps you interested, although you might need subtitles to follow some of the English slang. ***
Later,
Jeff
1) The Mortal Storm (1940)--James Stewart and Margaret Sullivan are joined by an amazingly young Robert Stack (good Lord, I didn't recognize him until the end of the movie) & Robert Young--pre Marcus Welby obviously. The story shows the effect of the rise in power of the Nazi's in Germany and although heavyhanded at times, I thought it was pretty strong stuff considering when it was made we weren't at war with the Germans yet. Robert Young as a Nazi!! Who woulda figured? *** good stuff
2) Click (2006)--okay, here's one thing that I hate. I hate when comedians decide they want to be "accepted" as serious actors. Ugh. Jim Carrey, Bill Murray and others have tried and they almost always fail miserably. This one was no acception. Someone please tell Adam Sandler to just do stupid movies like The Waterboy & Big Daddy and leave the serious acting to people who can, ya know....ACT. If you haven't figured out by now, Sandler essentially plays the EXACT SAME CHARACTER in every one of his movies. Ya know, the quiet, misunderstood guy who has been kept down his whole life and then eventually explodes in "hilarious" anger at some point. Yawn. And you will always see Rob Schneider and Henry Winkler (who has come up with a 2nd career playing a supporting role in Sandler movies). There were a couple of cute scenes, almost all involving the great Christopher Walken playing a Bed, Bath & Beyond employee (especially the "Beyond"). *1/2
3) Mission Impossible 3--its apparently true. In real life, Tom Cruise is some kind of a huge weirdo with that religion of his. Still, the guy can make a good movie, I'll give him that. I love when you have zero expectations of a film and then get a nice payoff.
That was the case here. Cruise is ably supported here by Ving Rhames & Laurence Fishburne and also, and this is a key, by Philip Seymour Hoffman. Nothing makes an action film great like having a superior villian to play off of and PSH gives Cruise just that. Tons of terrific action scenes and the movie also starts off right in the middle of the action, so there's not a lot of time setting anything up.....big surprise here. ****
4) Night of the Hunter---oh man, I have wanted to see this movie forever and I finally got a chance the other day. What a run of movies that Robert Mitchum was having in the mid 50's to the early 60's! Cape Fear, Night of the Hunter, Thunder Road.
Just some terrific films, and the performance in this one may have been his most memorable. Here he plays Harry Powell, who travels around small towns as a preacher, which is a way of disguising the fact that he's also a serial killer (Heavy stuff for the mid 50's!). After a chance meeting in jail with a very young Peter Graves, he seeks out and attempts to become a part of the life of Shelly Winters and her two young children--who he believes know the location of a stash of stolen money. Watching Mitchum stalk the young children--before America knew what exactly a "stalker" was, is truly creepy stuff. Also features a memorable role by legendary film star Lillian Gish as a lonely woman who encounters the children. A terrific film, and American classic.
*****
5) Green Street Hooligans--Elijah Wood continues to move away from the Frodo Baggins-type of roles in this story about the fantaticism of English football (soccer) fans.
Tons of violent images, but a fairly well done movie that keeps you interested, although you might need subtitles to follow some of the English slang. ***
Later,
Jeff
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
W11/21/06---So what did I do last night???
So I go to the Bank Atlantic Center where I met Mr. Sexay RPM, he of the supreme scalping skills....and manage to secure a ticket for the evening's show.....$100 face value for $60---and I'm in the 6th row, right next to the stage. Opening the show?
Chrissie Hynde and the Pretenders!! And that was the opening act! Top notch, also.
She apparently doesn't like to play "Brass in Pocket" for some reason, but other than that they played all their good songs. I particularly like that they played one of her songs that I've always liked, "My City Was Gone".
It goes:
I went back to Ohio
But my city was gone
There was no train station
There was no downtown
Southtown it had disappeared
All my favorite places
My city had been pulled down
Reduced to parking spaces
Ay! Oh! Where did you go, Ohio?
I went back to Ohio
But my family was gone
I stood on the back porch
There was nobody home
I was stunned and amazed
My childhood memories
Saw this world past
Like the wind thorugh the trees
Ay! Oh! Where did you go, Ohio?
I went back to Ohio
But my pretty countryside
Had been paved down the middle
By a government that had no pride
The farms of Ohio
had been replaced by shopping malls
And Muzak filled the air
From Seneca to Cuyahoga Falls
Said Ay! Oh! Where did you go, Ohio
Needless to say....they were a great opening act......and then, and wouldn't you know it I was getting a soda at the time, the headliner hit the stage....cue the guitar chord:
Wow, what an awesome concert....one of the 2 or 3 best shows I've ever seen!!!
Who are you?.....Indeed.
Later,
Jeff
Saturday, November 18, 2006
11/18/06--Yours truly on a plethora of subjects
I know, I know...it has been awhile. I could offer the usual myriad of excuses, but I won't. Hey, I've been busy, you know?
The kids football season ended last night. Thank God. As much as I love high school football.....its a real hassle to have to rearrange anything we might want to do in order to go to one of their games. Geez, how would I feel about it if I didn't like football?
We went out to the Panthers hockey game the other night....absolutely killer seats.
2nd row right behind the visiting team's (Washington Capitals) bench. Just an unbelievable view of the action. So naturally the Panthers played one of their worst games of the season...45 shots....1 goal. Ugh.
Kellie got tonsillitis this week. A pretty nasty case too. She missed a couple of days of school while the anti-biotics took effect. We thought she might have to miss last night's game because of it. The band director told her that if she missed the game....she would have to write an essay on "respect" and "responsibility". Mind you, this is for someone with a doctor's note. Now, if she just skipped the game, or even if she was out of town for whatever reason....that's one thing. But she had a freakin doctor's note! So she showed up at the game, sat with the band but didn't participate--and I called the wife of the school's owner today and complained. Squeaky wheel gets the grease people.
By the way, she appears on the road to recovery since she didn't start crying when I told her that her room was a pigsty. What is it about teenagers being slobs?
So yesterday we had an office luncheon--ya know, for Thanksgiving and all. We had it catered by Boston Market and it was actually quite good. So why do I mention this?
Because we have around 90 to 100 people in our office. 30 people showed.
Why so low? Some people felt the price was "too high". Now the $12 got you 3 pieces of sliced turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, a corn muffin, drink and desserts...all delivered to our door. I find it amazing, yet not totally surprising that those same people that didn't want to spend the $12 (cough, cough...cheap bastards!...cough)
for the lunch were the first ones to come and grab some of the leftover desserts that we brought back to the office. I mean, people....work with me here. We have maybe one or two luncheons per year. Live a little.
And don't even get me started on the group in the office that didn't participate because, as near as I can figure, the "usual" party planner wasn't involved in planning this one.
We felt oh so spurned by your failure to attend. What a bunch of idiots.
Do I seem crabby?
I guess its a week worth of venting being let go. Some of you sports fans may have read that former Michigan head coach and (cough) "icon" Bo Schembechler died yesterday....the talking heads at ESPN have been laying it on a little thick in their praise for the old Wolverine coach.....Okay, first of all...I'm sorry the guy died, feel bad for his family and all....
But....
I hate to speak ill of the dead...but I'm sorry, this guy in death has suddenly become this "loveable, but crusty" old coach. Nope.
He was a huge a-hole. I mean...HUGE. I'm not even talking about his stint with the Tigers either...
As some of you may know, I'm a big Notre Dame fan.
Bo hated Notre Dame. I mean, as in....a vile, low, snake in the grass kind of a hate. When the ND-Michigan series started up again in 1978, Bo was (needless to say) not in favor of it. He used to say things like....that Michigan didn't need Notre Dame, ND needed them. I guess Bo was only up on Michigan & Ohio State football history, and hadn't read up on Notre Dame's exploits on the gridiron. Whenever the subject of Notre Dame joining the Big Ten would come up, Bo would lead the Michigan brigade in spouting the anti-Notre Dame venom--much of it bordering on anti-Catholic rhetoric. So you might say that I had a good chuckle when I heard the p.a. announcer at Notre Dame stadium exhort the fans at the Notre Dame-Army game this afternoon to:
"Observe a moment of silence for Notre Dame's friend Bo Schembechler."
I almost choked on my lunch at that comment.
Bo Schembechler was a lot of things....but a friend of Notre Dame's was not one of them.
Fortunately, the administration had more class in his death announcement towards Bo than he ever showed towards the Irish.
Oh, and one more thing. Bo was a highly successful coach at Michigan. I don't deny that, although I would point out that the majority of his tenure in Ann Arbor was during a period when he could phone in at least a 9-2 or 10-1 record.
There were no limits on scholarships, so he could load up on kids who might play at another school but would basically ride the bench for 4 years at Michigan. The reason the Bo-Woody series was so memorable was that essentially it the only game that either of them really cared about. I always found it hilarious that when the Wolverines might lose an early game, maybe out of conference, and essentially cost themselves a realistic shot at the NATIONAL title, Bo would remind the media that all he really cared about was winning the Big Ten title and going to the Rose Bowl. Yeah, sure.
And finally, let me remind you that the guy NEVER won a national title. Geez, even Lloyd Carr has done that. And yet, there on ESPN last night, I sat there and listened to John Cooper try and tell the audience that....get this one....that Bo was one of the top 5 coaches of alltime.
Say what?????? Top 5 of alltime? He's not even the best Michigan coach of alltime (Ya might want to look into the names Fielding Yost & Fritz Crisler). I mean, c'mon...that's just embarassing. The guy was a fine coach, with an impressive (if slightly inflated) coaching record.
Its a sad day for Michigan fans. But let's not make like Bo was Bear Bryant.
There, now that I've vented, my sympathies to his family and Michigan fans.
--------------------
I'm done being crabby for now.....although, I might point out that Notre Dame, despite winning today by 41-9, allowed a pathetic Army team to score on the last play of the freaking game. Can't we put anyone away??? I can't help but think that some stupid voter who only listens to ESPN will find 41-9 to be different than 41-3. Just my opinion though.
There, now I'm done.
Later,
Jeff
PS...next time? Movie reviews!!!! Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeewwwwwwwwwww!!!!
The kids football season ended last night. Thank God. As much as I love high school football.....its a real hassle to have to rearrange anything we might want to do in order to go to one of their games. Geez, how would I feel about it if I didn't like football?
We went out to the Panthers hockey game the other night....absolutely killer seats.
2nd row right behind the visiting team's (Washington Capitals) bench. Just an unbelievable view of the action. So naturally the Panthers played one of their worst games of the season...45 shots....1 goal. Ugh.
Kellie got tonsillitis this week. A pretty nasty case too. She missed a couple of days of school while the anti-biotics took effect. We thought she might have to miss last night's game because of it. The band director told her that if she missed the game....she would have to write an essay on "respect" and "responsibility". Mind you, this is for someone with a doctor's note. Now, if she just skipped the game, or even if she was out of town for whatever reason....that's one thing. But she had a freakin doctor's note! So she showed up at the game, sat with the band but didn't participate--and I called the wife of the school's owner today and complained. Squeaky wheel gets the grease people.
By the way, she appears on the road to recovery since she didn't start crying when I told her that her room was a pigsty. What is it about teenagers being slobs?
So yesterday we had an office luncheon--ya know, for Thanksgiving and all. We had it catered by Boston Market and it was actually quite good. So why do I mention this?
Because we have around 90 to 100 people in our office. 30 people showed.
Why so low? Some people felt the price was "too high". Now the $12 got you 3 pieces of sliced turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, a corn muffin, drink and desserts...all delivered to our door. I find it amazing, yet not totally surprising that those same people that didn't want to spend the $12 (cough, cough...cheap bastards!...cough)
for the lunch were the first ones to come and grab some of the leftover desserts that we brought back to the office. I mean, people....work with me here. We have maybe one or two luncheons per year. Live a little.
And don't even get me started on the group in the office that didn't participate because, as near as I can figure, the "usual" party planner wasn't involved in planning this one.
We felt oh so spurned by your failure to attend. What a bunch of idiots.
Do I seem crabby?
I guess its a week worth of venting being let go. Some of you sports fans may have read that former Michigan head coach and (cough) "icon" Bo Schembechler died yesterday....the talking heads at ESPN have been laying it on a little thick in their praise for the old Wolverine coach.....Okay, first of all...I'm sorry the guy died, feel bad for his family and all....
But....
I hate to speak ill of the dead...but I'm sorry, this guy in death has suddenly become this "loveable, but crusty" old coach. Nope.
He was a huge a-hole. I mean...HUGE. I'm not even talking about his stint with the Tigers either...
As some of you may know, I'm a big Notre Dame fan.
Bo hated Notre Dame. I mean, as in....a vile, low, snake in the grass kind of a hate. When the ND-Michigan series started up again in 1978, Bo was (needless to say) not in favor of it. He used to say things like....that Michigan didn't need Notre Dame, ND needed them. I guess Bo was only up on Michigan & Ohio State football history, and hadn't read up on Notre Dame's exploits on the gridiron. Whenever the subject of Notre Dame joining the Big Ten would come up, Bo would lead the Michigan brigade in spouting the anti-Notre Dame venom--much of it bordering on anti-Catholic rhetoric. So you might say that I had a good chuckle when I heard the p.a. announcer at Notre Dame stadium exhort the fans at the Notre Dame-Army game this afternoon to:
"Observe a moment of silence for Notre Dame's friend Bo Schembechler."
I almost choked on my lunch at that comment.
Bo Schembechler was a lot of things....but a friend of Notre Dame's was not one of them.
Fortunately, the administration had more class in his death announcement towards Bo than he ever showed towards the Irish.
Oh, and one more thing. Bo was a highly successful coach at Michigan. I don't deny that, although I would point out that the majority of his tenure in Ann Arbor was during a period when he could phone in at least a 9-2 or 10-1 record.
There were no limits on scholarships, so he could load up on kids who might play at another school but would basically ride the bench for 4 years at Michigan. The reason the Bo-Woody series was so memorable was that essentially it the only game that either of them really cared about. I always found it hilarious that when the Wolverines might lose an early game, maybe out of conference, and essentially cost themselves a realistic shot at the NATIONAL title, Bo would remind the media that all he really cared about was winning the Big Ten title and going to the Rose Bowl. Yeah, sure.
And finally, let me remind you that the guy NEVER won a national title. Geez, even Lloyd Carr has done that. And yet, there on ESPN last night, I sat there and listened to John Cooper try and tell the audience that....get this one....that Bo was one of the top 5 coaches of alltime.
Say what?????? Top 5 of alltime? He's not even the best Michigan coach of alltime (Ya might want to look into the names Fielding Yost & Fritz Crisler). I mean, c'mon...that's just embarassing. The guy was a fine coach, with an impressive (if slightly inflated) coaching record.
Its a sad day for Michigan fans. But let's not make like Bo was Bear Bryant.
There, now that I've vented, my sympathies to his family and Michigan fans.
--------------------
I'm done being crabby for now.....although, I might point out that Notre Dame, despite winning today by 41-9, allowed a pathetic Army team to score on the last play of the freaking game. Can't we put anyone away??? I can't help but think that some stupid voter who only listens to ESPN will find 41-9 to be different than 41-3. Just my opinion though.
There, now I'm done.
Later,
Jeff
PS...next time? Movie reviews!!!! Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeewwwwwwwwwww!!!!
Tuesday, November 7, 2006
11/07/06---Sometimes I'm not proud of myself
Last week was not a good week. And for a very weird reason. Here's your gateway to my innermost thoughts of the previous week.
I came back to my desk mid-afternoon on Monday and saw a gaggle of women standing around, yapping like a bunch of washerwomen--and I say that with all due deference, mind you. Anyway, as I walk past the group I hear someone say:
"Does he know? Did anyone tell him?"
The group of women were surrounding my friend Ceci, who stood beaming. I was asked what news could Ceci have which would be the biggest possible news I could think of.
"You're getting divorced?" I said, half sarcastically, as I think I knew the answer.
I made eye contact with Ceci, who truly is one of the nicest people currently walking Earth.....and gave her a hug and congratulations on her pregnancy. I knew that she and her husband Jorge were both elated at the news and I was happy that she was happy.
And then...I dunno. Something happened. I was sitting there, listening to the women in our office ask for every detail, every minute moment, every iota of what happened when the news was delivered to this person and that person.....and all of a sudden I just couldn't listen anymore. It just became so much noise. I walked out of the office and towards the empty courtroom that I usually work in. I stood there for a moment......
and I screamed.
And I wasn't sure why. I wasn't upset at Ceci. She had wanted to get pregnant for a long time....her wish had finally come true. So why was I unhappy. I ended up leaving work early, still not sure why I was feeling what I was feeling.
Thank God I have a wife that I can talk too. We're very open with each other. I was worried at first that I couldn't talk to her about this one...unsure if she would understand, or help me understand, the source of my unhappiness. I tread very carefully....cautiously seeing if this was a subject I could broach with her.
"I don't understand why I'm so unhappy about this," I told her.
"Well," she replied, "have you considered that maybe what this is about is that she's going to experience something you never have. She & Jorge are going to be able to experience the birth of their child. You've never had that experience before."
"Hey, I don't want you to think that I don't regard Andy & Kellie as my own. I do."
"I understand that. But the truth is that they're not your biological children.....its something that you didn't experience."
We sort of had a moment of silence and then she spoke again.
"You're not rethinking the whole 'having a baby together' thing are you?"
Now when Kim and I first began to get serious, we each decided that our days of having children were past......that a child was not something that was going to be part of our future. I say that, and yet I believe that Kim is an absolutely awesome mother.
I remember when I was younger....and I was with my first wife. I wanted a large family.
Five kids....maybe more. Then I met my 2nd wife, and after a year or so together, I felt that I did not want to have children with her--that emotionally it was something that she would not be able to deal with---that she had other concerns that needed to be dealt with. By the time I met Kim, kids were not something that I still considered an option.
Andy & Kellie are great kids....I'm very lucky.
And yet somehow, my friend's happy news dug up something inside me....way deep down there. Something that I thought was way past gone. I talked to Kim and my sister (blessed mother counselor) and I finally understood my initial reaction.
And I felt beyond embarrassed by it. I felt ashamed of how I had reacted. The rest of the week came and went and I went out of my way to avoid talking to Ceci. I tried to be polite, but I suppose it came off as being distant or aloof. I got to the point where I was worried about how I would broach my next conversation with Ceci. My sister, quite correctly, told me not to tell Ceci what I had been thinking, because it wouldn't be fair for her to feel guilt at my unhappiness---afterall, she didn't do anything wrong.
It just so happened I was in court with the one person in my office who could understand (maybe) what I had been thinking. I told my friend Cathy (aka Momo) what I had been going through. She told me that she could tell that something had been troubling me. She & her husband Scott don't have children. I told her what had been going on inside the vast wilderness known as my mind and she made an interesting revelation to me. She told me that the day that Ceci made her announcement, she went home and later that evening she was ironing some clothes.
And then she suddenly began crying.
And she didn't understand why either. Maybe, I told her, we both looked at it as sort of an "end of the road" for our own prospects for children of our own. Ceci is the youngest person in our group of friends and work, and within the circle of friends that Kim and I have she's also probably the youngest person also. Maybe I realized that this was the last person I really am close with that is going to be experiencing the birth of their own child....and maybe it made me feel just a little bit older.
And then yesterday, a week since the news came out, and right after my conversation with Cathy......Ceci came over to my desk. And she told me that she couldn't help noticing that I hadn't been talking to her. I was a little flabbergasted.....I figured that she hadn't even noticed. I asked her to do me a favor and speak to Cathy---not because I was a coward, but because, true to my sister's advice, I didn't want her to feel some sort of guilt over the way I had been feeling.
This morning I walked out into the hallway at work and saw Ceci coming towards me.
She told me that she had talked to Cathy....I felt myself shuffling my feet....almost as an awkward high school kid would.
"What I am about to say," she began, "I want you to know that I say very selectively.
I really love you very much."
We hugged and I told her that I loved her very much too. Later I called Cathy to find out what their conversation had been about. She told me that Ceci had been very concerned about my silence to her and that she had cried when discussing it. After she had explained everything to her Ceci understood and wanted to say she was sorry.
Cathy told her that she was absolutley NOT to do that. She had no reason to be.
And she didn't. The problem had been mine....not hers.
I'm really very lucky. I have a terrific wife and two great kids.....most of the time they call me "Jeff". But when my daughter introduces me to her friends, she says:
"This is my Dad."
And that sounds pretty good.
Later,
Jeff
I came back to my desk mid-afternoon on Monday and saw a gaggle of women standing around, yapping like a bunch of washerwomen--and I say that with all due deference, mind you. Anyway, as I walk past the group I hear someone say:
"Does he know? Did anyone tell him?"
The group of women were surrounding my friend Ceci, who stood beaming. I was asked what news could Ceci have which would be the biggest possible news I could think of.
"You're getting divorced?" I said, half sarcastically, as I think I knew the answer.
I made eye contact with Ceci, who truly is one of the nicest people currently walking Earth.....and gave her a hug and congratulations on her pregnancy. I knew that she and her husband Jorge were both elated at the news and I was happy that she was happy.
And then...I dunno. Something happened. I was sitting there, listening to the women in our office ask for every detail, every minute moment, every iota of what happened when the news was delivered to this person and that person.....and all of a sudden I just couldn't listen anymore. It just became so much noise. I walked out of the office and towards the empty courtroom that I usually work in. I stood there for a moment......
and I screamed.
And I wasn't sure why. I wasn't upset at Ceci. She had wanted to get pregnant for a long time....her wish had finally come true. So why was I unhappy. I ended up leaving work early, still not sure why I was feeling what I was feeling.
Thank God I have a wife that I can talk too. We're very open with each other. I was worried at first that I couldn't talk to her about this one...unsure if she would understand, or help me understand, the source of my unhappiness. I tread very carefully....cautiously seeing if this was a subject I could broach with her.
"I don't understand why I'm so unhappy about this," I told her.
"Well," she replied, "have you considered that maybe what this is about is that she's going to experience something you never have. She & Jorge are going to be able to experience the birth of their child. You've never had that experience before."
"Hey, I don't want you to think that I don't regard Andy & Kellie as my own. I do."
"I understand that. But the truth is that they're not your biological children.....its something that you didn't experience."
We sort of had a moment of silence and then she spoke again.
"You're not rethinking the whole 'having a baby together' thing are you?"
Now when Kim and I first began to get serious, we each decided that our days of having children were past......that a child was not something that was going to be part of our future. I say that, and yet I believe that Kim is an absolutely awesome mother.
I remember when I was younger....and I was with my first wife. I wanted a large family.
Five kids....maybe more. Then I met my 2nd wife, and after a year or so together, I felt that I did not want to have children with her--that emotionally it was something that she would not be able to deal with---that she had other concerns that needed to be dealt with. By the time I met Kim, kids were not something that I still considered an option.
Andy & Kellie are great kids....I'm very lucky.
And yet somehow, my friend's happy news dug up something inside me....way deep down there. Something that I thought was way past gone. I talked to Kim and my sister (blessed mother counselor) and I finally understood my initial reaction.
And I felt beyond embarrassed by it. I felt ashamed of how I had reacted. The rest of the week came and went and I went out of my way to avoid talking to Ceci. I tried to be polite, but I suppose it came off as being distant or aloof. I got to the point where I was worried about how I would broach my next conversation with Ceci. My sister, quite correctly, told me not to tell Ceci what I had been thinking, because it wouldn't be fair for her to feel guilt at my unhappiness---afterall, she didn't do anything wrong.
It just so happened I was in court with the one person in my office who could understand (maybe) what I had been thinking. I told my friend Cathy (aka Momo) what I had been going through. She told me that she could tell that something had been troubling me. She & her husband Scott don't have children. I told her what had been going on inside the vast wilderness known as my mind and she made an interesting revelation to me. She told me that the day that Ceci made her announcement, she went home and later that evening she was ironing some clothes.
And then she suddenly began crying.
And she didn't understand why either. Maybe, I told her, we both looked at it as sort of an "end of the road" for our own prospects for children of our own. Ceci is the youngest person in our group of friends and work, and within the circle of friends that Kim and I have she's also probably the youngest person also. Maybe I realized that this was the last person I really am close with that is going to be experiencing the birth of their own child....and maybe it made me feel just a little bit older.
And then yesterday, a week since the news came out, and right after my conversation with Cathy......Ceci came over to my desk. And she told me that she couldn't help noticing that I hadn't been talking to her. I was a little flabbergasted.....I figured that she hadn't even noticed. I asked her to do me a favor and speak to Cathy---not because I was a coward, but because, true to my sister's advice, I didn't want her to feel some sort of guilt over the way I had been feeling.
This morning I walked out into the hallway at work and saw Ceci coming towards me.
She told me that she had talked to Cathy....I felt myself shuffling my feet....almost as an awkward high school kid would.
"What I am about to say," she began, "I want you to know that I say very selectively.
I really love you very much."
We hugged and I told her that I loved her very much too. Later I called Cathy to find out what their conversation had been about. She told me that Ceci had been very concerned about my silence to her and that she had cried when discussing it. After she had explained everything to her Ceci understood and wanted to say she was sorry.
Cathy told her that she was absolutley NOT to do that. She had no reason to be.
And she didn't. The problem had been mine....not hers.
I'm really very lucky. I have a terrific wife and two great kids.....most of the time they call me "Jeff". But when my daughter introduces me to her friends, she says:
"This is my Dad."
And that sounds pretty good.
Later,
Jeff
Sunday, November 5, 2006
Quick Notre Dame thoughts as the season nears an end....
Troy Smith Vs. Illinois (2-8): 13/23, 108 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT
Brady Quinn Vs. UNC (1-8): 23/35, 346 yards, 4 TD, 0 INT
FACT: Brady is on pace to throw for over 1,000 more yards than Smith.
FACT: Troy Smith has not thrown for 300 yards in a single game all season. Quinn averages just under 300 yards per game.
FACT: In order for Troy Smith to catch up to Brady Quinn against common opponents, Smith will have to pass for 491 yards and 8 touchdowns against Michigan's top-ranked defense.
FACT: Smith has thrown for less than 200 yards in 5 of his last 7 games.
FACT: Troy Smith was suspended for taking money from a booster.
Food for thought.
Later,
Jeff
Sunday, October 29, 2006
10/29/06---I think I'm ready to move
The other night Kim and I went to the venerable Broward Mall. The comedian Chris Rock has a great line about malls in the town he grew up in. He said:
"There are usually two malls. There's the "good mall" and then there's the "other mall".
The 'other mall' is usually the older mall that has started to go downhill, and now there's all sort of shops that shouldn't really be in a nice mall...."
And that's what is starting to happen to the Broward Mall. When we moved back to Ft Lauderdale from St Louis, the Broward Mall had just opened. Mind you, this was back in (gulp) 1979. (Man, if I knew then what I know now--oh my!) At the time, the Broward Mall was said to be the biggest mall in all of Florida. It was state of the art.
Mind you, I suppose you really shouldn't ask for a shelf life of over 25 years for your neighborhood mall--I mean, I don't want to appear to be greedy with the memories of my youth here. But, we sat and had a really crappy dinner and I looked around at the food court. Its about 1/2 the size it used to be, and one of the retailers was having some mid-week special that brought out a lot of young mothers and their screaming kids (that always makes for the best dinner environment). Kim & I commented on all the fast food joints that USED to be there and how much bigger the food area used to be.
Then we had some time to kill and we walked around....and I started noticing all the sort of sort of new retail stores that attract....ya know....the lower income buyers.
Your dollar stores, the...well, I think ya know what I mean. And it hit me that the Broward Mall---a place that I spent so much time in during the waining years of my youth--had turned into "the other mall".
When did I get old? Did I have fun while it lasted?
Later,
Jeff
"There are usually two malls. There's the "good mall" and then there's the "other mall".
The 'other mall' is usually the older mall that has started to go downhill, and now there's all sort of shops that shouldn't really be in a nice mall...."
And that's what is starting to happen to the Broward Mall. When we moved back to Ft Lauderdale from St Louis, the Broward Mall had just opened. Mind you, this was back in (gulp) 1979. (Man, if I knew then what I know now--oh my!) At the time, the Broward Mall was said to be the biggest mall in all of Florida. It was state of the art.
Mind you, I suppose you really shouldn't ask for a shelf life of over 25 years for your neighborhood mall--I mean, I don't want to appear to be greedy with the memories of my youth here. But, we sat and had a really crappy dinner and I looked around at the food court. Its about 1/2 the size it used to be, and one of the retailers was having some mid-week special that brought out a lot of young mothers and their screaming kids (that always makes for the best dinner environment). Kim & I commented on all the fast food joints that USED to be there and how much bigger the food area used to be.
Then we had some time to kill and we walked around....and I started noticing all the sort of sort of new retail stores that attract....ya know....the lower income buyers.
Your dollar stores, the...well, I think ya know what I mean. And it hit me that the Broward Mall---a place that I spent so much time in during the waining years of my youth--had turned into "the other mall".
When did I get old? Did I have fun while it lasted?
Later,
Jeff
Saturday, October 21, 2006
10/21/06--Holy crap! The Irish give me a birthday present!
Okay, first of all....the offense totally sucked the whole game. The defense, with the notable exception of 2 pass plays, played well the whole game. The Shark just wrote his name in Notre Dame lore, and Brady Quinn had a Heisman-esque moment.
This sorta stuff is NOT good for my blood pressure. Amazing.
Later,
Jeff
This sorta stuff is NOT good for my blood pressure. Amazing.
Later,
Jeff
10/21/06---Happy Birthday to me!!!
Yikes! When did I get to be 45 yrs old? Its been an interesting week, not without the usual drama (of course) here in the Bowdren household. Kim & I went out last night and helped my good friend Pat celebrate her (cough, cough) 60th birthday at a surprise party thrown for her by her son & daughter. She was totally shocked, which of course makes it all that much more fun. Monday will be my brother Chip's birthday (he'll be a very young 52--cough--OLDTIMER!) and he gave me a call to wish me a happy birthday on his way to the FSU football game.
So the other night, Kim and I went to a seminar given at the kids school regarding finding different ways to afford sending your kids to college....whether its financial aid or finding different grants and scholarships...it was pretty informative. We get home, and Kim goes to read her email and sort of gives me a solemn sounding request to come and look at something on her computer. I'm expecting a letter that one of the kids has flunked a test at school, or is missing some homework assignment....and then I read:
"This letter is to inform you that one of the Dean's at the school caught Kellie making out with a boy in a school hallway today."
Excuse me while I let loose a parental scream.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!
As my brother would say....."Now, you're OFFICIALLY the parent of a teenager."
Oh yes, it was an interesting night. So we call Kellie out to the living room and ask her how her day went and if anything happened out of the ordinary. And she did what any self respecting teenager would do in a situation like this:
She lied, she lied, she lied.
And you could just see that mind working a mile a minute.
"What in God's name am I going to say? How do I get out of this one?"
And all along, Kim and I sat there....with a printed out copy of the letter in our hands.
Gotcha. And naturally, being a good Dad....I promptly overreacted. Hey, I'm a guy and its my little girl, what did you expect? So a little while later Kim came into our bedroom and asked me if I was upset because she had been caught kissing a boy or because she had lied to us.
"Well," I said, "aren't you using a little semantics there? She wasn't caught 'kissing' a boy. She was caught 'making out' with a boy. In my mind, those are two different things."
But my wife, God love her, she's got way more sense than me. I'm the emotional parent, she's the analytical one. The next day I called her at work and spoke with her about what happened and how I wanted to talk with Kellie about it that night. Man, the world has changed so much where now you have to sit down with your daughter at age 14 and discuss things like reputations, and making out, and kissing.....it would seem like its way too young to do that....but kids aren't like they used to be......trust me.
So the three of us sat down for dinner that night (Andy had an SAT prep course and wasn't there) and had a pretty frank discussion. I told her about the importance of having a good reputation and how, in general (and I find this to be especially true)......
Men are pigs.
And especially men when they are 14 yrs old. I told her that while she's kissing them, thinking how nice and romantic this moment is.....most 14 yr old boys are thinking:
Will she let me go any further?
Being 45 doesn't mean that I can't remember what it was like when I was 14--trust me.
And although she seemed a touch mortified that she had to have a discussion like this with her Dad, she handled it pretty well. Hopefully she'll remember the conversation the next time the situation confronts her....and that very thought makes me think one thing:
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!
Parenthood. It ain't for everyone.
Later,
Jeff
So the other night, Kim and I went to a seminar given at the kids school regarding finding different ways to afford sending your kids to college....whether its financial aid or finding different grants and scholarships...it was pretty informative. We get home, and Kim goes to read her email and sort of gives me a solemn sounding request to come and look at something on her computer. I'm expecting a letter that one of the kids has flunked a test at school, or is missing some homework assignment....and then I read:
"This letter is to inform you that one of the Dean's at the school caught Kellie making out with a boy in a school hallway today."
Excuse me while I let loose a parental scream.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!
As my brother would say....."Now, you're OFFICIALLY the parent of a teenager."
Oh yes, it was an interesting night. So we call Kellie out to the living room and ask her how her day went and if anything happened out of the ordinary. And she did what any self respecting teenager would do in a situation like this:
She lied, she lied, she lied.
And you could just see that mind working a mile a minute.
"What in God's name am I going to say? How do I get out of this one?"
And all along, Kim and I sat there....with a printed out copy of the letter in our hands.
Gotcha. And naturally, being a good Dad....I promptly overreacted. Hey, I'm a guy and its my little girl, what did you expect? So a little while later Kim came into our bedroom and asked me if I was upset because she had been caught kissing a boy or because she had lied to us.
"Well," I said, "aren't you using a little semantics there? She wasn't caught 'kissing' a boy. She was caught 'making out' with a boy. In my mind, those are two different things."
But my wife, God love her, she's got way more sense than me. I'm the emotional parent, she's the analytical one. The next day I called her at work and spoke with her about what happened and how I wanted to talk with Kellie about it that night. Man, the world has changed so much where now you have to sit down with your daughter at age 14 and discuss things like reputations, and making out, and kissing.....it would seem like its way too young to do that....but kids aren't like they used to be......trust me.
So the three of us sat down for dinner that night (Andy had an SAT prep course and wasn't there) and had a pretty frank discussion. I told her about the importance of having a good reputation and how, in general (and I find this to be especially true)......
Men are pigs.
And especially men when they are 14 yrs old. I told her that while she's kissing them, thinking how nice and romantic this moment is.....most 14 yr old boys are thinking:
Will she let me go any further?
Being 45 doesn't mean that I can't remember what it was like when I was 14--trust me.
And although she seemed a touch mortified that she had to have a discussion like this with her Dad, she handled it pretty well. Hopefully she'll remember the conversation the next time the situation confronts her....and that very thought makes me think one thing:
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!
Parenthood. It ain't for everyone.
Later,
Jeff
Monday, October 16, 2006
10/16/06--My daughter's first big dance
Well, young Kellie Poe-Bowdren had her first big high school dance the other night.
Funny thing about those high school dances. When I went to a high school dance, they had it in the cafeteria--Kellie's high school has it at the Broward County Convention Center for $60 a ticket.
That's right....$60. And its not even the prom. Yeesh.
So she went out that day, did the whole hair thing (got it straightened), various insundry.....ya know....other beautification things, tried on the dress that her Mom helped her pick out (reportedly the only one of the 3 she liked that her Mom thought I would let her out of the house wearing---what a reputation I have), walked somewhat awkwardly in her high heel shoes while complaining just a little too loud about how bad they hurt her feet (IS ANYONE NOTICING ME??? HELLO????) and generally, ya know.......
Looked like some young woman that I had never met before.
And I remembered stuff like tickle-time, like how I could always rely on getting her a stuffed animal, about how she liked to be tucked into bed (well, okay, she still sorta likes that), about how on one of our first dates she screamed at her mother that she
"WANTED A DADDY!". I remembered all those things. And I remembered all those songs about stuff like "Daddy's little girl" and all that and how I never could really understand why some people felt that way.....
And how, looking at her as the young woman she's becoming....
I now totally understand.
Kellie was my 2nd chance at being a Dad. She told me once that she didn't think I would blow it....I'd like to think I haven't. She looks a lot like her Mom. Lucky girl.
Later,
Jeff
Funny thing about those high school dances. When I went to a high school dance, they had it in the cafeteria--Kellie's high school has it at the Broward County Convention Center for $60 a ticket.
That's right....$60. And its not even the prom. Yeesh.
So she went out that day, did the whole hair thing (got it straightened), various insundry.....ya know....other beautification things, tried on the dress that her Mom helped her pick out (reportedly the only one of the 3 she liked that her Mom thought I would let her out of the house wearing---what a reputation I have), walked somewhat awkwardly in her high heel shoes while complaining just a little too loud about how bad they hurt her feet (IS ANYONE NOTICING ME??? HELLO????) and generally, ya know.......
Looked like some young woman that I had never met before.
And I remembered stuff like tickle-time, like how I could always rely on getting her a stuffed animal, about how she liked to be tucked into bed (well, okay, she still sorta likes that), about how on one of our first dates she screamed at her mother that she
"WANTED A DADDY!". I remembered all those things. And I remembered all those songs about stuff like "Daddy's little girl" and all that and how I never could really understand why some people felt that way.....
And how, looking at her as the young woman she's becoming....
I now totally understand.
Kellie was my 2nd chance at being a Dad. She told me once that she didn't think I would blow it....I'd like to think I haven't. She looks a lot like her Mom. Lucky girl.
Later,
Jeff
Sunday, October 15, 2006
10/15/06--More updates on my Dad
So my father is visiting one of his doctors the other day...and while he's there, he began to experience some chest pains. The doctor got him some nitroglycerin and when my Dad began to get dizzy, the doctor suggested that my father go right to the hospital and called for the paramedics to take him.
They arrive and take him to the emergency room (although the chest pains by this point had subsided)....they run an EKG which is perfectly normal but decide to keep my Dad through the night to observe him. The only problem is that the hospital their at is not the one that is relatively close to their house--but one that is closer to the downtown Orlando area. So my Dad is concerned as to how my Mom is going to get home, since the only exit from the hospital is to cut across a fairly major road that does not have a traffic light. The paramedics inform my Dad that they're going to take care of my Mom.
Mom follows the paramedics out to the highway---at which point they put on their blue overhead lights--stopping traffic in both directions.......
So that my Mom can cross the highway.
I think that's some pretty cool stuff.
Dad is now back home...feeling better...no heart attack.....maybe just some residual effects from his pneumonia. Mom calls the paramedics before she goes grocery shopping......you know, in case she runs into any major intersections.
Later,
Jeff
They arrive and take him to the emergency room (although the chest pains by this point had subsided)....they run an EKG which is perfectly normal but decide to keep my Dad through the night to observe him. The only problem is that the hospital their at is not the one that is relatively close to their house--but one that is closer to the downtown Orlando area. So my Dad is concerned as to how my Mom is going to get home, since the only exit from the hospital is to cut across a fairly major road that does not have a traffic light. The paramedics inform my Dad that they're going to take care of my Mom.
Mom follows the paramedics out to the highway---at which point they put on their blue overhead lights--stopping traffic in both directions.......
So that my Mom can cross the highway.
I think that's some pretty cool stuff.
Dad is now back home...feeling better...no heart attack.....maybe just some residual effects from his pneumonia. Mom calls the paramedics before she goes grocery shopping......you know, in case she runs into any major intersections.
Later,
Jeff
Saturday, October 14, 2006
10/14/06--Yet more....Tales of the Courthouse....#837
So one of the great characters in the history of my stay at the courthouse has been Leni.
She's an in-court clerk like I am, with even a more.....hmm.....checkered history (that's the best I could come up with) than me. She has this amazing ability to always get herself either in some sort of hot water or bizarre situation. Trust me---its a gift.
So here's the details of Leni's latest story....believe it or not...its 100% true.
She pulls into the courthouse parking lot the other day and as she turns her car off, for reasons unknown to anyone, her power locks jam. Her car door is locked shut.
She sits there and fiddles with the lock, trying to get the thing to work. She's beginning to sweat and sees a car pull up a few spots away from her. She begins to pound on her windows, in hope that the other driver will hear her and come over and help. The guy driving the car comes over and is apprised of the situation. He tells Leni (and trust me, she's one of those women who NEVER, EVER wants to sweat) to turn her car back on so she can at least have the air conditioning going. Leni thinks this is a terrific idea.
She quickly begins to cool down as she talks to the guy outside the car and they try and figure out what in the blue hell they can do about the situation. The guy offers to go into the courthouse and advise the members of the sheriff's office there of her situation, in hope that someone can help her get out of her car. He leaves and a few more minutes go by. She calls up her supervisor to advise her that she is having a car problem in the garage and will be in the office soon.
Are you staying with me?
Next, as she sits there, she begins to wonder where in the heck the members of the sheriff's office are to help her. Her car engine is still running, wasting gas....but she doesn't want to get too hot...........and it was at this point that she decided to....you guessed it...........
Roll down the windows.
She still doesn't understand why she was marked as being late that day.
Later,
Jeff
She's an in-court clerk like I am, with even a more.....hmm.....checkered history (that's the best I could come up with) than me. She has this amazing ability to always get herself either in some sort of hot water or bizarre situation. Trust me---its a gift.
So here's the details of Leni's latest story....believe it or not...its 100% true.
She pulls into the courthouse parking lot the other day and as she turns her car off, for reasons unknown to anyone, her power locks jam. Her car door is locked shut.
She sits there and fiddles with the lock, trying to get the thing to work. She's beginning to sweat and sees a car pull up a few spots away from her. She begins to pound on her windows, in hope that the other driver will hear her and come over and help. The guy driving the car comes over and is apprised of the situation. He tells Leni (and trust me, she's one of those women who NEVER, EVER wants to sweat) to turn her car back on so she can at least have the air conditioning going. Leni thinks this is a terrific idea.
She quickly begins to cool down as she talks to the guy outside the car and they try and figure out what in the blue hell they can do about the situation. The guy offers to go into the courthouse and advise the members of the sheriff's office there of her situation, in hope that someone can help her get out of her car. He leaves and a few more minutes go by. She calls up her supervisor to advise her that she is having a car problem in the garage and will be in the office soon.
Are you staying with me?
Next, as she sits there, she begins to wonder where in the heck the members of the sheriff's office are to help her. Her car engine is still running, wasting gas....but she doesn't want to get too hot...........and it was at this point that she decided to....you guessed it...........
Roll down the windows.
She still doesn't understand why she was marked as being late that day.
Later,
Jeff
Saturday, October 7, 2006
10/7/06---Tales from the Courthouse....#293
So this week we deviated from the normal playbook and did a civil trial. Ya know, someone suing someone else for money. I was actually looking slightly forward to it at the beginning of the week, since it would be a chance for our courtroom to do something that did not involve the initials "DUI" in them.
I'm here to tell you....I was wrong for wanting the change.
Dull....deadly dull. That a way to describe the civil trial, and all things considered it was actually better than most civil trials.
Get a load of this one. Two older ladies--we'll use the names Ann & Esther. They've known each other for awhile and Esther goes over to visit Ann one day and enjoy an evening out. They leave to go out and Ann drives--apparently as she usually does--and as they are driving along through their residential neighborhood, their car is broadsided (or "T-boned" if you will) by a car that runs through a stop sign. The car is pretty much a total loss, an ambulance comes to check on them. Esther is complaining of stomach pains and Ann instructs the paramedics to take her to the hospital first. Esther is placed into the ambulance and Ann gets into the back of the ambulance with her, since she has only complained of a slight bump in the head. They go to the hospital.
That's pretty much what happened the day of the accident---stay with me here.
Esther is kept in the hospital a couple of days for "observation". Ann apparently comes to visit her a few times to check on her condition. After she is released, Esther goes to her doctor complaining that her stomach is still bothering her. An examination and some tests reveal that Esther has suffered a slight tear in either her colon or digestive track.
Esther ends up back in the hospital and has surgery to repair the problem. She is forced to wear a colostymy bag for approximately a month but has now been declared fully cured and is no longer wearing the bag.
Esther, as she undoubtably should have, sues the driver of the car that hit them and his insurance company along with a few others (the city or county, the car company....I dunno, anyone she probably could think of). All of the parties that are sued by her end up settling out of court for agreed upon amounts. However, there is apparently one problem. Esther still owes for some medical bills (I believe it was approximately $3,000). So what does she do? How does she hope pay for those last bills????
She sues Ann. Her friend. The one that was driving. The one that told the paramedics to put Esther in the ambulance first. The one that rode with her to the hospital. The one that visited her in the hospital. The one that was the victim in the car accident. The one who got "t-boned" by the other driver.
Esther's lawyer makes the subtle inference during the trial that Ann had a glass of wine that day before they went out for the drive in the car. He claimed that perhaps that was the reason that Ann couldn't avoid the driver that hit her. The one who blew through the stop sign. Esther's lawyer asked the jury to do one of two things--either pay her the amount that was still outstanding for medicine, or for her "pain and suffering" in the amount of.....hold onto your hats folks....
$300,000.
The jury was sent out and came back with their verdict.
Butkus. Zero. Zilch. Nada. Nothing.
First of all, Esther's lawyer should've gotten the outstanding amount due to her from one of the other parties that they had sued. Instead, they sued the only party they hadn't sued. Her friend.
Something tells me that these ladies are not exchanging cards during the holiday season.
Amazing.
Later,
Jeff
I'm here to tell you....I was wrong for wanting the change.
Dull....deadly dull. That a way to describe the civil trial, and all things considered it was actually better than most civil trials.
Get a load of this one. Two older ladies--we'll use the names Ann & Esther. They've known each other for awhile and Esther goes over to visit Ann one day and enjoy an evening out. They leave to go out and Ann drives--apparently as she usually does--and as they are driving along through their residential neighborhood, their car is broadsided (or "T-boned" if you will) by a car that runs through a stop sign. The car is pretty much a total loss, an ambulance comes to check on them. Esther is complaining of stomach pains and Ann instructs the paramedics to take her to the hospital first. Esther is placed into the ambulance and Ann gets into the back of the ambulance with her, since she has only complained of a slight bump in the head. They go to the hospital.
That's pretty much what happened the day of the accident---stay with me here.
Esther is kept in the hospital a couple of days for "observation". Ann apparently comes to visit her a few times to check on her condition. After she is released, Esther goes to her doctor complaining that her stomach is still bothering her. An examination and some tests reveal that Esther has suffered a slight tear in either her colon or digestive track.
Esther ends up back in the hospital and has surgery to repair the problem. She is forced to wear a colostymy bag for approximately a month but has now been declared fully cured and is no longer wearing the bag.
Esther, as she undoubtably should have, sues the driver of the car that hit them and his insurance company along with a few others (the city or county, the car company....I dunno, anyone she probably could think of). All of the parties that are sued by her end up settling out of court for agreed upon amounts. However, there is apparently one problem. Esther still owes for some medical bills (I believe it was approximately $3,000). So what does she do? How does she hope pay for those last bills????
She sues Ann. Her friend. The one that was driving. The one that told the paramedics to put Esther in the ambulance first. The one that rode with her to the hospital. The one that visited her in the hospital. The one that was the victim in the car accident. The one who got "t-boned" by the other driver.
Esther's lawyer makes the subtle inference during the trial that Ann had a glass of wine that day before they went out for the drive in the car. He claimed that perhaps that was the reason that Ann couldn't avoid the driver that hit her. The one who blew through the stop sign. Esther's lawyer asked the jury to do one of two things--either pay her the amount that was still outstanding for medicine, or for her "pain and suffering" in the amount of.....hold onto your hats folks....
$300,000.
The jury was sent out and came back with their verdict.
Butkus. Zero. Zilch. Nada. Nothing.
First of all, Esther's lawyer should've gotten the outstanding amount due to her from one of the other parties that they had sued. Instead, they sued the only party they hadn't sued. Her friend.
Something tells me that these ladies are not exchanging cards during the holiday season.
Amazing.
Later,
Jeff
Tuesday, October 3, 2006
10/3/06---Back from a trying week
I'm back....Kim & I went up to Orlando this past week to spend a few days with my Mom & Dad. My father was in the hospital for almost 10 days recovering from a bout of pneumonia that turned into blood poisoning...which turned into....well, pretty much everything you can imagine. Don't get me wrong...there were PLENTY of stories....good Lord, you know that's true. However, some things really need to be private....and this is one of those rare occasions when I'll respect my father's wishes.
Let's just say that, for a couple of days, Dad was on some really strong medication that apparently led to some pretty wild hallucinations. Whoops! Did I give something away? Dad...along with everyone else...I'm glad you're back home and on the road to recovery. Speaking of "on the road"....let's get on that road to Jacksonville, okay?
A few brief sports notations, if you ladies won't mind. First of all, my Fighting Irish are now 4-1 after a brutal opening month. If you had told me at the beginning of the season that the first 5 games would leave us at 4-1....I probably would've taken it. However, while the offense appears to be rounding into shape....the defense is looking particularly brutal. And its not talent....or scheme (well, okay...maybe its a little bit scheme). What really drives me crazy is watching all those kids who were so highly recruited--and they cannot freakin tackle!! Everyone goes for a knockout shot so they can be on an ESPN highlight reel. Wrap up and tackle!! I feel like watching that famous Vince Lombardi quote---"Grab, grab, grab!"
My Chicago Cubs made me happy yesterday when they finally cut their losses and canned Dusty Baker. The guy got us as close as we've ever been to the World Series in 2003...and basically has been horrible since then. He's ruined more than a few pitcher's arms since then, relied too much on players that he viewed as "his guys" (hello, Neiffi Perez anyone?) and was resistant to any sort of new ideas or players--unless he was basically forced into doing it. The Cubs can't hire another guy who has the old "my way or the highway" routine. That was Dusty's way, and it may very well work for another team....but a change was definitely needed. Oh, and don't go printing up those "Joe Girardi, manager, Cubs" business cards just yet. I hear that Lou Pinella is going to get more than just a courtesy looksee.
Finally, Florida Panthers and the NHL start up again this week. We'll finally get to see if the right choice was made in trading Roberto Luongo or not......expect more offense, slightly less defense.
Later,
Jeff
Let's just say that, for a couple of days, Dad was on some really strong medication that apparently led to some pretty wild hallucinations. Whoops! Did I give something away? Dad...along with everyone else...I'm glad you're back home and on the road to recovery. Speaking of "on the road"....let's get on that road to Jacksonville, okay?
A few brief sports notations, if you ladies won't mind. First of all, my Fighting Irish are now 4-1 after a brutal opening month. If you had told me at the beginning of the season that the first 5 games would leave us at 4-1....I probably would've taken it. However, while the offense appears to be rounding into shape....the defense is looking particularly brutal. And its not talent....or scheme (well, okay...maybe its a little bit scheme). What really drives me crazy is watching all those kids who were so highly recruited--and they cannot freakin tackle!! Everyone goes for a knockout shot so they can be on an ESPN highlight reel. Wrap up and tackle!! I feel like watching that famous Vince Lombardi quote---"Grab, grab, grab!"
My Chicago Cubs made me happy yesterday when they finally cut their losses and canned Dusty Baker. The guy got us as close as we've ever been to the World Series in 2003...and basically has been horrible since then. He's ruined more than a few pitcher's arms since then, relied too much on players that he viewed as "his guys" (hello, Neiffi Perez anyone?) and was resistant to any sort of new ideas or players--unless he was basically forced into doing it. The Cubs can't hire another guy who has the old "my way or the highway" routine. That was Dusty's way, and it may very well work for another team....but a change was definitely needed. Oh, and don't go printing up those "Joe Girardi, manager, Cubs" business cards just yet. I hear that Lou Pinella is going to get more than just a courtesy looksee.
Finally, Florida Panthers and the NHL start up again this week. We'll finally get to see if the right choice was made in trading Roberto Luongo or not......expect more offense, slightly less defense.
Later,
Jeff
Sunday, September 24, 2006
9/24/06---Couple of movies to recommend
Lord knows that its been probably around a year since I did a movie review--so I thought I'd let you know about a couple of old favorites that you can find on DVD and watch at home....both are absolutely top notch.
1) The Sure Thing--John Cusack is one of my favorite actors. He's one of those guys who's movies are almost always good--and if there not, he's interesting in his role.
Sort of like a less popular Johnny Depp. Back in 1985, John was a relatively unknown teenager from Illinois who had gotten a nice reaction for his role in "16 Candles" as one of the two brothers who bet Anthony Michael Hall "floppy discs" that he couldn't get Molly Ringwald's underpants. But I digress. Here you absolutely lights up the screen as a college freshman at a northeastern school who gets a phone call from a buddy, who's going to school out in California and advises him that he's gotten a lead on a "sure thing". Its one of those things that maybe only men understand. Cusack then heads out on a cross country trip to see his buddy and the title character. Its one part "It Happened One Night" and one part "Taming of the Shrew". Cusack is terrific as always and is ably assisted by Daphne Zuniga (never better than here), Anthony Edwards (pre-Top Gun, Revenge of the Nerds & "ER"....and with a full head of hair!),
Tim Robbins (hilarious in a small but crucial part) & Nicollette Sheridan, incredibly good looking and vapid--all at once--but a fine performance. This is a great date movie. Grab some popcorn, turn off the phone....and enjoy. ****
2) Best in Show--I'll be the first to admit that it might be helpful in your enjoyment of this movie if you're a dog owner. Or maybe a dog lover. Or maybe even one of those people who talks to your dog like their a human. Or treats them like a human. You know the type--or maybe, you ARE the type. Christopher Guest and many of the same faces that brought you "Waiting for Guffman" and "This is Spinal Tap" are here again in this side-splitting tale of competition run amuck at a national dog show. You are introduced to the owners, the dogs, the hotel clerks....you name it. And all of them seem to have...well....a slightly quirky side to them, shall we say. One of the really great things is that Guest could've written the best part for himself, but he probably has the least interesting character in a movie full of them. Eugene Levy & Catherine O'Hara play a couple from Florida--he literally has two left feet and she keeps running into men that she, well.....that she used to date (that's a nice way of putting it). Michael McKean & John Michael Higgins are a hilariously over-the-top gay couple, Jennifer Coolidge
plays the wife an elderly millionaire who seems a little too close to her dog trainer (Jane Lynch). Parker Posey & Michael Hitchcock play the "parents" of a neurotic Weimarainer, who's visits to the shrink reveal way more about the couple than we probably needed to know. Finishing of the cast is Fred Willard, in what might be the performance of a career, as the network announcer who's sort of winging it in broadcasting the dog show. The movie is worth seeing just for Willard's performance.
Luckily, there's a lot more to it than that, which is why I give it ****1/2
Later,
Jeff
1) The Sure Thing--John Cusack is one of my favorite actors. He's one of those guys who's movies are almost always good--and if there not, he's interesting in his role.
Sort of like a less popular Johnny Depp. Back in 1985, John was a relatively unknown teenager from Illinois who had gotten a nice reaction for his role in "16 Candles" as one of the two brothers who bet Anthony Michael Hall "floppy discs" that he couldn't get Molly Ringwald's underpants. But I digress. Here you absolutely lights up the screen as a college freshman at a northeastern school who gets a phone call from a buddy, who's going to school out in California and advises him that he's gotten a lead on a "sure thing". Its one of those things that maybe only men understand. Cusack then heads out on a cross country trip to see his buddy and the title character. Its one part "It Happened One Night" and one part "Taming of the Shrew". Cusack is terrific as always and is ably assisted by Daphne Zuniga (never better than here), Anthony Edwards (pre-Top Gun, Revenge of the Nerds & "ER"....and with a full head of hair!),
Tim Robbins (hilarious in a small but crucial part) & Nicollette Sheridan, incredibly good looking and vapid--all at once--but a fine performance. This is a great date movie. Grab some popcorn, turn off the phone....and enjoy. ****
2) Best in Show--I'll be the first to admit that it might be helpful in your enjoyment of this movie if you're a dog owner. Or maybe a dog lover. Or maybe even one of those people who talks to your dog like their a human. Or treats them like a human. You know the type--or maybe, you ARE the type. Christopher Guest and many of the same faces that brought you "Waiting for Guffman" and "This is Spinal Tap" are here again in this side-splitting tale of competition run amuck at a national dog show. You are introduced to the owners, the dogs, the hotel clerks....you name it. And all of them seem to have...well....a slightly quirky side to them, shall we say. One of the really great things is that Guest could've written the best part for himself, but he probably has the least interesting character in a movie full of them. Eugene Levy & Catherine O'Hara play a couple from Florida--he literally has two left feet and she keeps running into men that she, well.....that she used to date (that's a nice way of putting it). Michael McKean & John Michael Higgins are a hilariously over-the-top gay couple, Jennifer Coolidge
plays the wife an elderly millionaire who seems a little too close to her dog trainer (Jane Lynch). Parker Posey & Michael Hitchcock play the "parents" of a neurotic Weimarainer, who's visits to the shrink reveal way more about the couple than we probably needed to know. Finishing of the cast is Fred Willard, in what might be the performance of a career, as the network announcer who's sort of winging it in broadcasting the dog show. The movie is worth seeing just for Willard's performance.
Luckily, there's a lot more to it than that, which is why I give it ****1/2
Later,
Jeff
Saturday, September 23, 2006
9/23/06---My heart can't stand this sort of thing
I'm not usually in the habit of waking my wife up after she's gone to bed, but tonight I made an exception. I told her that I had to kiss someone, and she was my best choice.
Notre Dame...on the ropes and looking like a team that had gotten their collective asses kicked TWO weeks in a row....through a wild loopy punch and knocked out Michigan State to win a wild game 40-37. The great news was that the offense...after 3 1/2 games, finally woke up in the 2nd half of the game....and the defense? After looking like a high school defense for most of the 2nd half, the ND defense looked like exactly what they've been created to look like---lean, mean, slick and quick. Seriously, the talking heads on ESPN mentioned it, but....is there a wacky team than Michigan State? They say a team takes on the personality of their coach (man do I know that--That's why a Ty Willingham coached ND team could have NEVER come back like this) and the Spartans seem a tad schizo...much like their head coach John L Smith.
Geez Louise....I may never get to sleep after a game like that.
Later,
Jeff
Notre Dame...on the ropes and looking like a team that had gotten their collective asses kicked TWO weeks in a row....through a wild loopy punch and knocked out Michigan State to win a wild game 40-37. The great news was that the offense...after 3 1/2 games, finally woke up in the 2nd half of the game....and the defense? After looking like a high school defense for most of the 2nd half, the ND defense looked like exactly what they've been created to look like---lean, mean, slick and quick. Seriously, the talking heads on ESPN mentioned it, but....is there a wacky team than Michigan State? They say a team takes on the personality of their coach (man do I know that--That's why a Ty Willingham coached ND team could have NEVER come back like this) and the Spartans seem a tad schizo...much like their head coach John L Smith.
Geez Louise....I may never get to sleep after a game like that.
Later,
Jeff
 |
| Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis has a big hug for Terrail Lambert, who scores the winning touchdown. (AP) |
9/23/06--Other things on our mind
I haven't posted in a few days, as I've been just a touch preoccupied. I got a phone call from my wife the other day at work, and she told me that my mom had left a message on the answering machine at home advising me that my dad had been taken to the hospital and had been diagnosed with pneumonia. Grrrrrrrrreeeeaaaatttt.
Apparently after their trip to New York, the both got home and caught head colds, and my mom took the time to actually, ya know....take care of herself.....as opposed to dad, who tried to fight his way through it, not eating or taking general care of himself....and so now he's in the hospital. I called him up the other day and spoke to him, and I think more than anything he's sort of worn out from the dehydration and all....but the doctors have him on all sorts of anti-biotics---since of course they determined after he got to the hospital that he had also contracted some sort of blood poisoning---so he'll be there to probably Monday.
Anyway, please think a good thought today for him.
Later,
Jeff
Apparently after their trip to New York, the both got home and caught head colds, and my mom took the time to actually, ya know....take care of herself.....as opposed to dad, who tried to fight his way through it, not eating or taking general care of himself....and so now he's in the hospital. I called him up the other day and spoke to him, and I think more than anything he's sort of worn out from the dehydration and all....but the doctors have him on all sorts of anti-biotics---since of course they determined after he got to the hospital that he had also contracted some sort of blood poisoning---so he'll be there to probably Monday.
Anyway, please think a good thought today for him.
Later,
Jeff
Sunday, September 17, 2006
9/17/06--Bowdren reunion....final day
So everyone else had decided to take the 6am flight home on Sunday--which of course meant they had to be up by 3am, to get to the airport by 4am, to do the security screening, to do the.....well, you get the idea.
We of course, decided to sleep in and catch a later flight back....which wasn't such a bad thing, because it gave us a chance to have a late breakfast with some of our cousins. Its always entertaining to walk into a restaurant on a Sunday morning and announce:
"Uh...breakfast for 25 please."
And then watch the expression on the hostess. Blind panic. 25 people? Here? On a Sunday morning? What are you....crazy? We managed to squeeze our way into about 6 booths and enjoy each others company. It was my Uncle John's brood--minus two.
That meant only 6 of his kids were there--with their families. Kim & I sat with my cousins Mary Ellen & Sheila....who I referred to as "the only woman who could now legally be allowed to refer to herself as...'Sheila Bowdren'." And thank God for that.
I asked Kim later if she still thought I was the funniest one in the family. She said I was still number 1...followed by my cousin Maureen....and that my cousin Kathleen was funny also....but in a raunchy way (trust me, Kathleen will take that as a compliment).
She then said that Mary Ellen & Sheila were....."people you would just like to be friends with". Which I thought was a fairly profound thing to say....because as we were driving to the airport later that day I told Kim that I was pretty happy that, since I hadn't seen most of my cousins in 20 years.....that they had all ended up being people that, even if were weren't related....that I probably would hang out with anyway. Must be in the genes.
Later,
Jeff
We of course, decided to sleep in and catch a later flight back....which wasn't such a bad thing, because it gave us a chance to have a late breakfast with some of our cousins. Its always entertaining to walk into a restaurant on a Sunday morning and announce:
"Uh...breakfast for 25 please."
And then watch the expression on the hostess. Blind panic. 25 people? Here? On a Sunday morning? What are you....crazy? We managed to squeeze our way into about 6 booths and enjoy each others company. It was my Uncle John's brood--minus two.
That meant only 6 of his kids were there--with their families. Kim & I sat with my cousins Mary Ellen & Sheila....who I referred to as "the only woman who could now legally be allowed to refer to herself as...'Sheila Bowdren'." And thank God for that.
I asked Kim later if she still thought I was the funniest one in the family. She said I was still number 1...followed by my cousin Maureen....and that my cousin Kathleen was funny also....but in a raunchy way (trust me, Kathleen will take that as a compliment).
She then said that Mary Ellen & Sheila were....."people you would just like to be friends with". Which I thought was a fairly profound thing to say....because as we were driving to the airport later that day I told Kim that I was pretty happy that, since I hadn't seen most of my cousins in 20 years.....that they had all ended up being people that, even if were weren't related....that I probably would hang out with anyway. Must be in the genes.
Later,
Jeff
9/17/06---Bowdren Family Reunion---Part 3
So before we get to last Saturday, the day of the big event....I would be remiss if I did not mention something that I totally forgot happened while we were at West Point.
I slammed the car door on m brother-in-law's hand. I had told him before that if he made anymore snotty remarks about Notre Dame that I was going to lose my temper, but he just......ahem.
Actually we were getting into the van and I didn't realize where his hand was as he was getting into the van--or more specifically, his finger. OUCH! Sorry about that Johnny.
Good thing we had a certified hand therapist on board.
Now, onto the events of Saturday....so we make our way back to my cousin's farm and we get to really see it in the light of day. The farm is, in a word, spectacular. You know things are going to be good when you notice that the road they live on has THEIR name on it....as we approach, we are greeted by a highway sign that reads....
CAUTION....APPROACH WITH CAUTION.....BOWDREN'S PARTYING
Its always good to know someone with the highway department, am I right?
We park at the bottom of the hill and are met by two classic Model T-esque cars, both from the 30's that drive us up to the house. We couldn't help but notice that the door handles on our car were, uh....a pair of pliers. Hey, so there's a little bit of remodeling left to do, okay??
It was an amazing day....truly one of the best days of my life. The whole day was spent seeing people I hadn't seen in at least a decade, catching up on old stories, introducing my wife and kids to relatives they didn't know they had. Oh...and karaoke.
As the afternoon grew later, a d.j. showed up and it was determined that I would be leading our family in a karaoke number. That's what I get for being the family idiot.
Before that, a bunch of my cousins are getting ready to sing "Paradise by the Dashboard Light" and Kim urges me to go up and...ya know....be King Fool. Here's a karaoke tip:
Don't read the crawler. It will totally throw your timing off.....just go by what you remember, sing like crazy....and humm your way through the parts you don't know.
So here I am, along with my cousins Patrick (doing a good Meatloaf by the way), Maureen & Terrance (before he walked away) being in joined in harmony by my cousin Kathleen (taking the girlfriend role)....and we are singing our collective behinds off.
And all of a sudden I look up....and there's my dad standing there, joining my sister in watching the show.....and all I could think of was:
Good Lord....I hope he doesn't know the words to this song.
Oh well, I'm sure he'll eventually ask me what it was about...and I'll have to break it to him...the important thing was, we were having a good time. After that, the Florida version of the Bowdren's came up--introduced by Rene, apparently having no problem with a microphone and creating a spectacle (who knew?) and we launched into our own version of "Soul Man" by the Blues Bros. My brother did a good job of dancing around in a circle when we got to a part in the song he didn't know. The really scary thing? Its available for all to see on video--for my complete embarassment and your pleasure. Hey, what a little humiliation amongst family members, eh?
I did make sure at the end of the song that my cousin Aileen heard that Penn State had lost to Notre Dame that day....she had talked trash all weekend...payback was sweet.
We made our way back to the hotel, driving slowly through the fog...and of course still managed to lose my sister on the way back....Kellie was happy to point out that it was areas like this that crazed killers hung out in the movies. Thanks for your support.
Thankfully, we avoided Freddy Krueger that evening.
Later,
Jeff
I slammed the car door on m brother-in-law's hand. I had told him before that if he made anymore snotty remarks about Notre Dame that I was going to lose my temper, but he just......ahem.
Actually we were getting into the van and I didn't realize where his hand was as he was getting into the van--or more specifically, his finger. OUCH! Sorry about that Johnny.
Good thing we had a certified hand therapist on board.
Now, onto the events of Saturday....so we make our way back to my cousin's farm and we get to really see it in the light of day. The farm is, in a word, spectacular. You know things are going to be good when you notice that the road they live on has THEIR name on it....as we approach, we are greeted by a highway sign that reads....
CAUTION....APPROACH WITH CAUTION.....BOWDREN'S PARTYING
Its always good to know someone with the highway department, am I right?
We park at the bottom of the hill and are met by two classic Model T-esque cars, both from the 30's that drive us up to the house. We couldn't help but notice that the door handles on our car were, uh....a pair of pliers. Hey, so there's a little bit of remodeling left to do, okay??
It was an amazing day....truly one of the best days of my life. The whole day was spent seeing people I hadn't seen in at least a decade, catching up on old stories, introducing my wife and kids to relatives they didn't know they had. Oh...and karaoke.
As the afternoon grew later, a d.j. showed up and it was determined that I would be leading our family in a karaoke number. That's what I get for being the family idiot.
Before that, a bunch of my cousins are getting ready to sing "Paradise by the Dashboard Light" and Kim urges me to go up and...ya know....be King Fool. Here's a karaoke tip:
Don't read the crawler. It will totally throw your timing off.....just go by what you remember, sing like crazy....and humm your way through the parts you don't know.
So here I am, along with my cousins Patrick (doing a good Meatloaf by the way), Maureen & Terrance (before he walked away) being in joined in harmony by my cousin Kathleen (taking the girlfriend role)....and we are singing our collective behinds off.
And all of a sudden I look up....and there's my dad standing there, joining my sister in watching the show.....and all I could think of was:
Good Lord....I hope he doesn't know the words to this song.
Oh well, I'm sure he'll eventually ask me what it was about...and I'll have to break it to him...the important thing was, we were having a good time. After that, the Florida version of the Bowdren's came up--introduced by Rene, apparently having no problem with a microphone and creating a spectacle (who knew?) and we launched into our own version of "Soul Man" by the Blues Bros. My brother did a good job of dancing around in a circle when we got to a part in the song he didn't know. The really scary thing? Its available for all to see on video--for my complete embarassment and your pleasure. Hey, what a little humiliation amongst family members, eh?
I did make sure at the end of the song that my cousin Aileen heard that Penn State had lost to Notre Dame that day....she had talked trash all weekend...payback was sweet.
We made our way back to the hotel, driving slowly through the fog...and of course still managed to lose my sister on the way back....Kellie was happy to point out that it was areas like this that crazed killers hung out in the movies. Thanks for your support.
Thankfully, we avoided Freddy Krueger that evening.
Later,
Jeff
Saturday, September 16, 2006
This....this was not a particularly good day
Excuse me for momentarily interrupting the Bowdren reunion story. Today, and the last couple of days for that matter---just haven't gone really well. Beginning with:
1) So I picked up my computer the other day from Best Buy after having it in for repairs. You might recall it was....er...."dropped". I get home, plug the thing in....and I got a particularly ominious message to the effect of :
"Physical memory wipe initiated.
Physical memory wipe completed."
Anyway you look at it....that's not good. So we go back to Best Buy to find out what in the Sam Hill has happened. The tech at the Geek Squad says they have a name for what appeared on my computer screen that day:
THE BLUE SCREEN OF DEATH
Yeah, like I said....not looking good. So late today I get the phone call that my harddrive has apparently begun to fail and the laptop is going to be..."shipped out".
UGH. Followed of course by me having to pay to have Windows REINSTALLED.
That little bit of good news was followed by.....
Yesterday afternoon we get home from work and Kim is looking at the floormat in front of our refrigerator--noticing a stain.
"I hope one of the dogs didn't do what I think they might have done."
I have to admit, that would be pretty unusual because, as whacky as our dogs are....they don't do THAT particular thing. Further inspection by my wife revealed the stain to be:
Water....as in......uh oh.
It was about that time that I opened the freezer and noticed that my popsicles (I like grape for the record) had turned into liquid syrup. The wife and I load up the SUV and make the trek to Brandsmart.....and walk out with a new refrigerator that will be delivered on Sunday.....easy come, easy go---ya know?
Then, of course.....as some of you who read this little journal may have noticed.....the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.....uh......ahem......well......they did not play very well today.
People with larger vocabularies than mine refer to it as----
Well, even they refer to it as an ass whipping. Pathetic. Horrible. All I can say is, thank God it didn't happen last week vs. Penn State or cousin Aileen would've been all over me like a cheap suit. As if that weren't bad enough.....I showed my Notre Dame temper in the 2nd half. Now mind you, I really have tried to change from the man I used to be--literally screaming at the television for 3 hours, allowing my emotional rollercoaster to eb and flow with literally every play. So maybe, as my team was getting shellacked today, Kim expected them to come out. So I flashed a bit of temper---it wasn't much....but it was enough. I suppose I felt a bit like someone who had quit smoking being asked if what was happening had me considering a cigarette.....it wasn't, but the fact that I was asked the question annoyed me....which of course lead to the flash. We sat down, after a somewhat chilly few minutes and talked about what happened (the whole "we sat down and talked" comment is what seperates Kim from my other wives by the way) and I found myself really wanting this day to end.
So we went out to dinner, started the car....and my satellite radio wasn't working.
And Kellie says from the back seat....
"Wow, I wonder if this is like the 3rd thing we own that's going to break. Doesn't stuff like this always happen in threes?"
I'm happy to say I didn't flash my temper....I'm trying to be a better man....I'm trying to be a better husband and father....thank God she didn't offer a critique of the Notre Dame game....cuz that might have been rough.
Later,
Jeff
PS.....the Bowdren reunion will be completed manana....I swear....just not out loud.
1) So I picked up my computer the other day from Best Buy after having it in for repairs. You might recall it was....er...."dropped". I get home, plug the thing in....and I got a particularly ominious message to the effect of :
"Physical memory wipe initiated.
Physical memory wipe completed."
Anyway you look at it....that's not good. So we go back to Best Buy to find out what in the Sam Hill has happened. The tech at the Geek Squad says they have a name for what appeared on my computer screen that day:
THE BLUE SCREEN OF DEATH
Yeah, like I said....not looking good. So late today I get the phone call that my harddrive has apparently begun to fail and the laptop is going to be..."shipped out".
UGH. Followed of course by me having to pay to have Windows REINSTALLED.
That little bit of good news was followed by.....
Yesterday afternoon we get home from work and Kim is looking at the floormat in front of our refrigerator--noticing a stain.
"I hope one of the dogs didn't do what I think they might have done."
I have to admit, that would be pretty unusual because, as whacky as our dogs are....they don't do THAT particular thing. Further inspection by my wife revealed the stain to be:
Water....as in......uh oh.
It was about that time that I opened the freezer and noticed that my popsicles (I like grape for the record) had turned into liquid syrup. The wife and I load up the SUV and make the trek to Brandsmart.....and walk out with a new refrigerator that will be delivered on Sunday.....easy come, easy go---ya know?
Then, of course.....as some of you who read this little journal may have noticed.....the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.....uh......ahem......well......they did not play very well today.
People with larger vocabularies than mine refer to it as----
Well, even they refer to it as an ass whipping. Pathetic. Horrible. All I can say is, thank God it didn't happen last week vs. Penn State or cousin Aileen would've been all over me like a cheap suit. As if that weren't bad enough.....I showed my Notre Dame temper in the 2nd half. Now mind you, I really have tried to change from the man I used to be--literally screaming at the television for 3 hours, allowing my emotional rollercoaster to eb and flow with literally every play. So maybe, as my team was getting shellacked today, Kim expected them to come out. So I flashed a bit of temper---it wasn't much....but it was enough. I suppose I felt a bit like someone who had quit smoking being asked if what was happening had me considering a cigarette.....it wasn't, but the fact that I was asked the question annoyed me....which of course lead to the flash. We sat down, after a somewhat chilly few minutes and talked about what happened (the whole "we sat down and talked" comment is what seperates Kim from my other wives by the way) and I found myself really wanting this day to end.
So we went out to dinner, started the car....and my satellite radio wasn't working.
And Kellie says from the back seat....
"Wow, I wonder if this is like the 3rd thing we own that's going to break. Doesn't stuff like this always happen in threes?"
I'm happy to say I didn't flash my temper....I'm trying to be a better man....I'm trying to be a better husband and father....thank God she didn't offer a critique of the Notre Dame game....cuz that might have been rough.
Later,
Jeff
PS.....the Bowdren reunion will be completed manana....I swear....just not out loud.
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
9/13/06--Bowdren Family Reunion...Part Deux
So the next day on our trip was Friday, the 8th of September. We had decided to make a trip as a family to West Point, site of the U.S. Army officer training--you know, that sort of thing.
We got up early--well, relatively early since Scarlett was with us (oh its a joke!)--and after a terrific $8.95 Villa Roma breakfast buffett (hilited by the limp bacon & cold toast--mmm, that's good resort eatin!) and headed out towards West Point. We decided to go in 2 cars, with my brother & Angie taking the point car with my mom & dad and Kim & I with the kids going with Rene and her family. Now, I need to stop and mention something here. My mother, God bless her, may be the most wonderful person on the planet Earth. But truthfully, and she will admit this herself---she is the world's WORST backseat driver. I don't just mean in our family....I mean in this particular solar system. So as they're driving in front, Chip mentions the turnoff to the academy....which he corrects a few moments later. We get onto the base, which is truly breathtaking in how beautiful it really is and park the car to go to lunch. My dad had planned for us to have lunch inside the hotel that is located on the base for the really big military brass, and after some debate about who's going to park where, we all are seated around a table with a spectacular view of the Hudson River. My brother and I go outside to take some photos and I asked my brother how mom was on the drive up.
"Well, besides the whole getting directions from everyone in the car....I think if I tapped the brakes everytime Mom was backseat driving I would have had to put the flashers on."
Now mind you, I'm not saying this as a knock on my mom. Far from it. Its part of her personality and truth be told, when I do my impression of her--its the best part of my act.
Lunch is excellent and we all enjoy giving dad a hard time about being a career navy officer in the heart of the army. The only bad part of the day is that I wished we could've stayed longer--really. The view from parts of the base is that unbelieveable.
We did manage to sneak inside Michie Stadium, home of the Black Knights of the Hudson--the Army football team--and get some nice photos before we left.
That night, we had all planned on meeting up in the heart of downtown Jeffersonville, NY--which is so smalltown that on the drive in you can see someone's laundry hanging from the back of a building--and having some dinner. We park across the street and manage to wade through the infestation of gnats to make it to the back of the restaurant, which has been taken over by Bowdren's. God help them. More relatives that I haven't seen in...well, a couple in 24 hours and a few more in like 20 years. Aunt Gerri is there and is definitely Queen Bee. Its a tough weekend for her. I figure she's torn between the happiness of everyone she cares so much about getting together and enjoying each others company and the love of her life, my Uncle Ken, not being there.
So naturally I try and give her a show....and apparently I am matched by my cousin Maureen, who is dubbed a "close # 2" by my wife in the category of "funniest Bowdren".
I'm hurt that there's even a list.
But the best part of the evening was my dad. You'll recall that I mentioned that the evening before that my Aunt Gerri had blurted out the story about the guy who had the vasectomy? Well towards the end of our dinner, somehow the subject came up of how all these people (estimated 125) were going to be there that hadn't seen each other in seemingly forever, and how we were all wondering how we were going to be able to tell who was who in the zoo. So, we are told that my cousin has come up with the bright idea of having nametags for everyone, including a listing of who they're related too.
My tag for instance, would say:
Jeff Bowdren, son of Larry Bowdren and so on and so on.
So all these ideas are going around about how we could abbreviate the nametags, and Dad says something to the effect of....."what about the guy with the vasectomy"......
at which point Aunt Gerri, who's sitting next to him, points to the guy on the other side of her, my cousin Maureen's husband....and smiles.
We all just about fell off our chairs laughing as Dad began apologizing to the poor guy.
My brother told him that if it made him feel any better.....he was a vasectomy survivor also. :)
The best part of the evening wasn't the food....it was the company. It was reconnecting
with the people that are the most important part of your life.....your family.
Vito Corleone....the Godfather of the movies....truly had it right.
"Do you spend time with your family? Good. Because a man that doesn't spend time with his family can never be a real man." — Don Vito Corleone, The Godfather (1972)
That night....I felt like a real man.
Later,
Jeff
We got up early--well, relatively early since Scarlett was with us (oh its a joke!)--and after a terrific $8.95 Villa Roma breakfast buffett (hilited by the limp bacon & cold toast--mmm, that's good resort eatin!) and headed out towards West Point. We decided to go in 2 cars, with my brother & Angie taking the point car with my mom & dad and Kim & I with the kids going with Rene and her family. Now, I need to stop and mention something here. My mother, God bless her, may be the most wonderful person on the planet Earth. But truthfully, and she will admit this herself---she is the world's WORST backseat driver. I don't just mean in our family....I mean in this particular solar system. So as they're driving in front, Chip mentions the turnoff to the academy....which he corrects a few moments later. We get onto the base, which is truly breathtaking in how beautiful it really is and park the car to go to lunch. My dad had planned for us to have lunch inside the hotel that is located on the base for the really big military brass, and after some debate about who's going to park where, we all are seated around a table with a spectacular view of the Hudson River. My brother and I go outside to take some photos and I asked my brother how mom was on the drive up.
"Well, besides the whole getting directions from everyone in the car....I think if I tapped the brakes everytime Mom was backseat driving I would have had to put the flashers on."
Now mind you, I'm not saying this as a knock on my mom. Far from it. Its part of her personality and truth be told, when I do my impression of her--its the best part of my act.
Lunch is excellent and we all enjoy giving dad a hard time about being a career navy officer in the heart of the army. The only bad part of the day is that I wished we could've stayed longer--really. The view from parts of the base is that unbelieveable.
We did manage to sneak inside Michie Stadium, home of the Black Knights of the Hudson--the Army football team--and get some nice photos before we left.
That night, we had all planned on meeting up in the heart of downtown Jeffersonville, NY--which is so smalltown that on the drive in you can see someone's laundry hanging from the back of a building--and having some dinner. We park across the street and manage to wade through the infestation of gnats to make it to the back of the restaurant, which has been taken over by Bowdren's. God help them. More relatives that I haven't seen in...well, a couple in 24 hours and a few more in like 20 years. Aunt Gerri is there and is definitely Queen Bee. Its a tough weekend for her. I figure she's torn between the happiness of everyone she cares so much about getting together and enjoying each others company and the love of her life, my Uncle Ken, not being there.
So naturally I try and give her a show....and apparently I am matched by my cousin Maureen, who is dubbed a "close # 2" by my wife in the category of "funniest Bowdren".
I'm hurt that there's even a list.
But the best part of the evening was my dad. You'll recall that I mentioned that the evening before that my Aunt Gerri had blurted out the story about the guy who had the vasectomy? Well towards the end of our dinner, somehow the subject came up of how all these people (estimated 125) were going to be there that hadn't seen each other in seemingly forever, and how we were all wondering how we were going to be able to tell who was who in the zoo. So, we are told that my cousin has come up with the bright idea of having nametags for everyone, including a listing of who they're related too.
My tag for instance, would say:
Jeff Bowdren, son of Larry Bowdren and so on and so on.
So all these ideas are going around about how we could abbreviate the nametags, and Dad says something to the effect of....."what about the guy with the vasectomy"......
at which point Aunt Gerri, who's sitting next to him, points to the guy on the other side of her, my cousin Maureen's husband....and smiles.
We all just about fell off our chairs laughing as Dad began apologizing to the poor guy.
My brother told him that if it made him feel any better.....he was a vasectomy survivor also. :)
The best part of the evening wasn't the food....it was the company. It was reconnecting
with the people that are the most important part of your life.....your family.
Vito Corleone....the Godfather of the movies....truly had it right.
"Do you spend time with your family? Good. Because a man that doesn't spend time with his family can never be a real man." — Don Vito Corleone, The Godfather (1972)
That night....I felt like a real man.
Later,
Jeff
Monday, September 11, 2006
9/11/06--The Bowdren Family Reunion
Now, onto happier thoughts and times. Someone much smarter than I am once said that you can pick your friends--but not your relatives. I was going to take a chance and find out how true that was this past weekend, as I journeyed to upstate New York for a Bowdren family reunion. Now, there was one of these shindigs about 12 years ago, but...quite frankly I was still with my 2nd wife at that point, and I can remember her not being too keen on the idea of hanging out with 100 people who were just like me.
I mean, can you really blame her?
Fast forward to this past weekend, and myself, the wife and the two young un's flew up to the first reunion in over a decade. It was quite the experience, I don't mind telling you. I'll try and keep it short---but you know me....I like to go into detail.
The four of us were flying JetBlue, and I have to tell you....it was one of the nicest flights I've had in a long time. Every one of the seats on the plane has a t.v. screen in front of it with Directv....so instead of flying and being bored out of your mind, you have 35 channels to choose from to watch. What can be better than that? So we arrive in the beautiful haven of Newark, NJ (which caused me to wonder why NJ was ever termed the "Garden State" I gotta tell ya) and after a slight disagreement of which rental car we would take (the kids and I wanted the new Mustang--the wife wanted the Infiniti---I let her win) we were on the one road that leads to everywhere in Jersey.
The Jersey Turnpike.
And I gotta mention, that once you get out of Jersey (no offense), its actually one truly amazing drive. The proverbial rolling hills and mountains, my ears are popping left and right from being clogged from the flight--then being unclogged--and so on and so on.
So we're zipping along in our Infiniti, which is actually a real nice car--although the whole Hertz slogan about how every car has Sirius satellite radio is a bunch of nonsense, because OUR car did not--and in about an hour and a half we cross into New York, having managed to totally miss the city and we start making our way towards upstate New York. Hills....mountains....I am not talking about the sort of hills that we have in south Florida, which are of the "hey, we just drove across the I-95 overpass--wow, what a hill that was" sort of a hill. These things were freakin MOUNTAINS. I mean, you would lose radio signals for about half a mile and then regain it after you got out of the valley. Truly, truly awesome.
It reminded me of one of the reasons that I hate Florida so much. It might be the nation's most boring state to drive through. The Florida Turnpike? If it wasn't for the billboards you might begin to hallucinate. I mean this was like some sort of a painting.
Every mile you came across a stretch that was more beautiful than the one before.
Eventually we pull off the main highway and make our way towards our intended stay.
This was a good 30 miles on 2 lane roads going up and down, up and down. My wife and I kept remarking how beautiful it was while figuring that in the winter that the old snowplows probably weren't going to make this stretch of road their first destination....ya know what I mean?
Finally we pull onto an even smaller two lane road and go up into the hills, past farmhouses and.....swear to God....meadows that have DEER grazing in them. I was beginning to wonder if we secretly weren't like the couple at the end of the movie Funny Farm....where the whole town was being paid to act like authentic country folks with little picturesque things happening here and there....seriously, it was like something out of a movie.
We were staying at the lovely Villa Roma resort. Here again, let me recall a movie to describe the place. Remember the resort that Baby and her family stayed at in Dirty Dancing? That was what this place is like--which is also to say that, while its very nice, it was probably way nicer about 20 years ago. It just has that slightly dated feel to it.
So we check in and as we're walking down the hall, looking for our room, I begin to hear my brother's voice. So I start yelling out for him, figuring if its him, he'll respond, and if its the ghost of one of the past residents of the Villa Roma, they'll probably shut right up. So we hook up with him and his wife Angie and then my parents emerge from their room, and we're all together. Well.....all together that is except for my sister and her family--and I'm about to get to that.
So I can't help noticing that we are missing a key element to the family gathering--to wit:
One sister and her family. Now, I had gotten a phone call from her earlier in the day telling me that they had missed their plane--which of course began the inevitable inquires as to whether or not her daughter had overslept again (sorry Scarlett)--because they had gotten there, oh...I dunno, like 30 minutes before the plane was leaving and were told that it was too late to get their luggage on the plane, so if they were going to make the flight they would have to carry the luggage on the plane with them....which of course meant that all their cosmetics would have to be thrown out---which was where Scarlett drew the line. Think about it. Your in upstate New York for a family reunion with people you haven't seen in 20 years, and won't see for another 10 years....AND NO MAKEUP??!!!???
Well needless to say, the decision was made right then and they began looking into later flights. (I say that sentence with total respect and admiration of my bro-in-law Johnny, because if that had been me---I'd have been tossing my daughter's makeup into the trash--your a better man than I Gunga Din!) So then they finally get into Philadelphia, and begin to watch as their luggage is sitting out on the tarmac....and there's no plane to take them to their final destination. And naturally the good folks at USAir are offering zero explainations. So finally, a couple of hours later they finally are on board and make their way to join us. By that point, those of us already in New York had made our way to my cousin Lynn's farm. You know their well connected when the road they live on is named after them. Again with the rolling hills and valleys, and then on the side of a large hill is this picturesque (there's that word again--get used to it) house and farm. We get out and walk up to say hello with relatives that we haven't seen in literally forever.
My cousins Lynn, Gerri & Bridget along with my Aunt Gerri, who's always been a favorite of mine since I was a kid. She was...hmm....appearing to feel no pain that evening as the toddies were flowing quite liberally.
Apparently Aunt Gerri had warned the NY crew about me, so...ya know....I tried to put on a bit of a show for them (Very Important---You have to KNOW your audience). Soon after, my sister arrived with her family and then Aunt Gerri's youngest daughter Maureen showed also. At some point during the evening Aunt Gerri started telling a story about someone getting a vasectomy, but we really weren't sure who she was referring too (keep that reference in mind for later). After way too short a stay, we all bid our good nights and headed back to our hotel. Lynn and her husband still had lots of planning to do....and we had a whole day to explore the surrounding area.
We decided to head up the Hudson River and visit West Point.
End of Part 1.
Later,
Jeff
I mean, can you really blame her?
Fast forward to this past weekend, and myself, the wife and the two young un's flew up to the first reunion in over a decade. It was quite the experience, I don't mind telling you. I'll try and keep it short---but you know me....I like to go into detail.
The four of us were flying JetBlue, and I have to tell you....it was one of the nicest flights I've had in a long time. Every one of the seats on the plane has a t.v. screen in front of it with Directv....so instead of flying and being bored out of your mind, you have 35 channels to choose from to watch. What can be better than that? So we arrive in the beautiful haven of Newark, NJ (which caused me to wonder why NJ was ever termed the "Garden State" I gotta tell ya) and after a slight disagreement of which rental car we would take (the kids and I wanted the new Mustang--the wife wanted the Infiniti---I let her win) we were on the one road that leads to everywhere in Jersey.
The Jersey Turnpike.
And I gotta mention, that once you get out of Jersey (no offense), its actually one truly amazing drive. The proverbial rolling hills and mountains, my ears are popping left and right from being clogged from the flight--then being unclogged--and so on and so on.
So we're zipping along in our Infiniti, which is actually a real nice car--although the whole Hertz slogan about how every car has Sirius satellite radio is a bunch of nonsense, because OUR car did not--and in about an hour and a half we cross into New York, having managed to totally miss the city and we start making our way towards upstate New York. Hills....mountains....I am not talking about the sort of hills that we have in south Florida, which are of the "hey, we just drove across the I-95 overpass--wow, what a hill that was" sort of a hill. These things were freakin MOUNTAINS. I mean, you would lose radio signals for about half a mile and then regain it after you got out of the valley. Truly, truly awesome.
It reminded me of one of the reasons that I hate Florida so much. It might be the nation's most boring state to drive through. The Florida Turnpike? If it wasn't for the billboards you might begin to hallucinate. I mean this was like some sort of a painting.
Every mile you came across a stretch that was more beautiful than the one before.
Eventually we pull off the main highway and make our way towards our intended stay.
This was a good 30 miles on 2 lane roads going up and down, up and down. My wife and I kept remarking how beautiful it was while figuring that in the winter that the old snowplows probably weren't going to make this stretch of road their first destination....ya know what I mean?
Finally we pull onto an even smaller two lane road and go up into the hills, past farmhouses and.....swear to God....meadows that have DEER grazing in them. I was beginning to wonder if we secretly weren't like the couple at the end of the movie Funny Farm....where the whole town was being paid to act like authentic country folks with little picturesque things happening here and there....seriously, it was like something out of a movie.
We were staying at the lovely Villa Roma resort. Here again, let me recall a movie to describe the place. Remember the resort that Baby and her family stayed at in Dirty Dancing? That was what this place is like--which is also to say that, while its very nice, it was probably way nicer about 20 years ago. It just has that slightly dated feel to it.
So we check in and as we're walking down the hall, looking for our room, I begin to hear my brother's voice. So I start yelling out for him, figuring if its him, he'll respond, and if its the ghost of one of the past residents of the Villa Roma, they'll probably shut right up. So we hook up with him and his wife Angie and then my parents emerge from their room, and we're all together. Well.....all together that is except for my sister and her family--and I'm about to get to that.
So I can't help noticing that we are missing a key element to the family gathering--to wit:
One sister and her family. Now, I had gotten a phone call from her earlier in the day telling me that they had missed their plane--which of course began the inevitable inquires as to whether or not her daughter had overslept again (sorry Scarlett)--because they had gotten there, oh...I dunno, like 30 minutes before the plane was leaving and were told that it was too late to get their luggage on the plane, so if they were going to make the flight they would have to carry the luggage on the plane with them....which of course meant that all their cosmetics would have to be thrown out---which was where Scarlett drew the line. Think about it. Your in upstate New York for a family reunion with people you haven't seen in 20 years, and won't see for another 10 years....AND NO MAKEUP??!!!???
Well needless to say, the decision was made right then and they began looking into later flights. (I say that sentence with total respect and admiration of my bro-in-law Johnny, because if that had been me---I'd have been tossing my daughter's makeup into the trash--your a better man than I Gunga Din!) So then they finally get into Philadelphia, and begin to watch as their luggage is sitting out on the tarmac....and there's no plane to take them to their final destination. And naturally the good folks at USAir are offering zero explainations. So finally, a couple of hours later they finally are on board and make their way to join us. By that point, those of us already in New York had made our way to my cousin Lynn's farm. You know their well connected when the road they live on is named after them. Again with the rolling hills and valleys, and then on the side of a large hill is this picturesque (there's that word again--get used to it) house and farm. We get out and walk up to say hello with relatives that we haven't seen in literally forever.
My cousins Lynn, Gerri & Bridget along with my Aunt Gerri, who's always been a favorite of mine since I was a kid. She was...hmm....appearing to feel no pain that evening as the toddies were flowing quite liberally.
Apparently Aunt Gerri had warned the NY crew about me, so...ya know....I tried to put on a bit of a show for them (Very Important---You have to KNOW your audience). Soon after, my sister arrived with her family and then Aunt Gerri's youngest daughter Maureen showed also. At some point during the evening Aunt Gerri started telling a story about someone getting a vasectomy, but we really weren't sure who she was referring too (keep that reference in mind for later). After way too short a stay, we all bid our good nights and headed back to our hotel. Lynn and her husband still had lots of planning to do....and we had a whole day to explore the surrounding area.
We decided to head up the Hudson River and visit West Point.
End of Part 1.
Later,
Jeff
9/11---A day not to forget...being part of history.
First of all, before I begin telling you what a great time I had this past weekend, I would be remiss if I didn't mention that today is the 5 year anniversary of 9/11. I'm sure everyone has their own thoughts, views and memories of that horrible day.....just as I do. I remember being in court around 9am when an attorney came and told me a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center. I can still recall thinking of what a freak sort of accident that must have been--not realizing at the time the horrible piece of living history that I was going through at the time. The day went on and began to unfold like a bad dimestore novel, with everyone beginning to slow freak out over what was happening--and then of course wondering if more attacks would be forthcoming. We all went home in an almost blind panic....wanting to hold our families a little bit tighter that night...to keep them a little bit closer to us. I was still relatively new to the whole business of being a "dad" at that point, and I can remember talking to my own father, trying to understand the madness that was unfolding on television in front of me and my own children. My wife and I made the decision to have the children watch what was happening, to try and let them know that they were viewing a part of our nation's history right there on television before their very own eyes.
I can remember my daughter Kellie, then aged 9, asking me if they were going to attack us here in Coral Springs, Florida....and remember telling her that what was happening was in New York City--and had nothing to do with Coral Springs, Florida.
It was a couple of days later that I read that one of the terrorists had in fact, lived in Coral Springs, Florida the previous year---not even a mile from my house. I might have walked past the guy one day in a mall or at the grocery store.
And I realized that what happened that day was not about New York City. It was about ALL of us......you, me....them.
This was our generation's Pearl Harbor...being broadcast to us in our living rooms.
We were part of history, and 5 years later....we must not, we cannot...ever forget.
Later,
Jeff
I can remember my daughter Kellie, then aged 9, asking me if they were going to attack us here in Coral Springs, Florida....and remember telling her that what was happening was in New York City--and had nothing to do with Coral Springs, Florida.
It was a couple of days later that I read that one of the terrorists had in fact, lived in Coral Springs, Florida the previous year---not even a mile from my house. I might have walked past the guy one day in a mall or at the grocery store.
And I realized that what happened that day was not about New York City. It was about ALL of us......you, me....them.
This was our generation's Pearl Harbor...being broadcast to us in our living rooms.
We were part of history, and 5 years later....we must not, we cannot...ever forget.
Later,
Jeff
Sunday, September 3, 2006
9/3/06---Never a doubt in my mind
GULP.....well, maybe just a little bit of doubt in my mind.....seriously, if we had one of our previous two coaches, we lose last night's game. As it was:
 | |
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Post-game salute |
Saturday, September 2, 2006
9/2/06---This is the time....and this is the team
Yes, its that time....college football season is here. Or, as my ex-wife used to say:
"Time for you to show that you love something more than me". Hey, that's one of the reasons why she's an EX-wife.
My beloved Fighting Irish open the season tonight in Atlanta against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets....or Ramblin Wreck if you prefer. Some of the "experts" are forecasting an upset. I'll just say this. If Ty Willingham was still our coach....they'd probably be right. But Charlie Weis is our coach now. I don't think so.
Notre Dame-35 Georgia Tech-20
And now....as we prepare for tonight's game...courtesy of Blue-Gray Sky blog:
"Time for you to show that you love something more than me". Hey, that's one of the reasons why she's an EX-wife.
My beloved Fighting Irish open the season tonight in Atlanta against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets....or Ramblin Wreck if you prefer. Some of the "experts" are forecasting an upset. I'll just say this. If Ty Willingham was still our coach....they'd probably be right. But Charlie Weis is our coach now. I don't think so.
Notre Dame-35 Georgia Tech-20
And now....as we prepare for tonight's game...courtesy of Blue-Gray Sky blog:
I can't wait.
I can't wait for the Irish captains to walk to midfield before the game.
I can't wait for Travis Thomas to make his first tackle as a linebacker.
I can't wait for Rhema McKnight's first receiving touchdown.
I can't wait for the first Weis outburst on the sideline.
I can't wait for Victor to toss his man aside and get the sack.
I can't wait for Zibby to hit someone so hard he forgets his name.
I can't wait to see which kicker gets the call for the first field goal.
I can't wait to watch Darius find the hole in the line that no one else sees.
I can't wait to watch for the first bomb from Quinn to Samardzija.
I can't wait for Asaph Schwapp to lay out his first linebacker.
I can't wait to see all of the freshman making their first play for the Irish
The 2006 Notre Dame football season starts in a few hours.
I can't wait.
I can't wait for the Irish captains to walk to midfield before the game.
I can't wait for Travis Thomas to make his first tackle as a linebacker.
I can't wait for Rhema McKnight's first receiving touchdown.
I can't wait for the first Weis outburst on the sideline.
I can't wait for Victor to toss his man aside and get the sack.
I can't wait for Zibby to hit someone so hard he forgets his name.
I can't wait to see which kicker gets the call for the first field goal.
I can't wait to watch Darius find the hole in the line that no one else sees.
I can't wait to watch for the first bomb from Quinn to Samardzija.
I can't wait for Asaph Schwapp to lay out his first linebacker.
I can't wait to see all of the freshman making their first play for the Irish
The 2006 Notre Dame football season starts in a few hours.
I can't wait.
Go Irish.
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