Style

Let's talk about style for a hot second. What the heck is with the kids/younger people driving really shitty cars with expensive rims? Has the time come that folks check out the rims before the cars? Why don't they just spend that extra money to fix up the car a bit? Sure I drive an 87 celica, but I am rolling with 20s on that bad boy. What's the point? $2000 rims on a $5000 car just does not make sense to me. I guess the rims raise your status to baller (haha, straight ballin). I would think you get the rims to be noticed, but don't people notice the car as well? Now if you want to put in a trunk of funk in a 94 plymouth sundance that is one thing. Nothing wrong with having some extra bass, and a crisp clean sound. Blairing some country or some PE you just have to keep it real. All I am saying is if you are attempting to make your car look better, get some new paint!

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The jerk and the beans

Not sure if you have ever seen ' The Jerk ' staring Steve Martin, yet one part of that movie reminds me of the beans and I get the biggest laugh. At one point in the movie Steve is getting kicked out of his mansion by his wife and he exclams that he doesn't need anything to take with him.... Except for his dog, oh and this paddle ball game, ooh wait and this lamp etc...

Each morning the beans goes to nana and pop pops, and each morning the list goes on. Grover? Ernie? Milk? Take with? Eggs? Two? Kitties? She is starting to put two and three words together, Bird take pop-pop? Apollo come with? Not exactly easy to get out the door with all that stuff on a Monday am.

We also had our first emergency room experience, which wasn't really an emergency room visit for her as much as it was for us. Nurse maids elbow. We all as parents know that you don't swing your kids or any kids for that matter by their arms/wrists/hands. Well, mommy was on one side and a friend on the other and somehow the beans slipped out of my friends grip. She fussed for a second and then no big deal. An hour or so past and she said that her hand hurt and she wasn't really moving it. The beans never complains, and is not a winey kid so we figured aomething was wrong. Off we went to get it checked out, and everything was fine. Done deal. Then in the morning the beans just kept saying that her hand hurt, and wouldn't move her arm. Wifey and I just figured to be those parents that are too cautious then the parents who are not cautious enough. Plus what else are we doing on a Sunday am? We actually went to breakfast first. Why go to the emergency room on a empty stomach? All is well this morning and she had full range of motion and no pain. Back to being captain destruct-o.
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Can't believe I did it.

I hate the haircuttery near me and uncle G my haircut man left me hanging last time he was home. Here I am at great clips! Wifey usually cuts my hair when I can't get uncle G in enough time, just things have been so hectic lately that I am getting great clipped. Hey, I will try anything once and if you read my last two posts about the haircuttery I almost went postal last time. Here I go..... Wait, I am skeered. I sure wish hairdizzer was in my area (and I wish I could link to her blog, new blog). And were offffff....

Not a bad cut, yet the lady really didn't speak great english and when I asked for a number 6 clip on top she said ' 4 ' no mam a 6, ok we do a 4, nope a 6.... Let's just use the 6 and call it a day, ok a 6... Whew that was tough, she did a really great job, yet I did miss the haircut banter that usualy goes on when people speak the same language. Can't win em all I guess. Everything went pretty smooth until I gave her my coupon from super cuts, I was in great clips and working a super cuts coupon for 3 bucks off (the economy is tough, yall). She said that, they honor, but she had to get the manager. This is where I told her not to worry about it, and she was going all crazy to make sure I got my coupon. The manager was at the pizza place next door, yet my lady went and got her. I love when people go the extra mile, but I wanted to get home and spend some time with the beans. Of course the manager couldn't figure out the codes for a supercut coupon. I had to explain to the lady that I knew it was a coupon from another company. In the end I got the 3 bucks off, another $2 coupon and the promise of more coupons in the mail. I am going to be couponed out for crazy clips for the next year, so I certainly understand if you guys flood my in box wanting to be friends with me.
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I admit that....

Gymbo scares the bageezes out of me.

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Farts are funny

I am just gonna put it out there and say it. Farts are funny! The beans shoots bunnies, I know she is only two, yet face it what do you not do to make your kid laugh. She has even learned how to ' push ' em out. What can I say, she is a smart little kid. When a bunnie is let loose she just looks at you and smiles. If you ask what happened she burts out laughing. I think that if farts didn't stink then they would be much more socially acceptable. Hypothetically speaking if you were to have a rough lunch and the gas pains were really getting to you, why do you have to excuse yourself to the washroom to let em rip? We all have those days, all of us. I know women don't pass gas, ever that's a fact, right? Let's just say you work in sales in a stressful environment, I don't see anything wrong with a loud fart to break the tension. Heck I even giggle just posting it here. Just imagine sitting in your cube and passing wind, it relieves your gas pain and everyone else would be all like, what the ... Did you hear that??? Giggle giggle he he he. Just imagine you could eat mexican food at work any time you wanted!
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Today is my birthday!!

Boooyah, 36 is here. A quick look back and sure I would have done a few things different, who wouldn't. I can tell you this 36 went by fast, especially seeing as though I can't remember anything pre 1980. I am not really sure what 36 year olds are supposed to do or be like so I am just going to wing it. I do know that I really don't drink much any more, don't get to the club and get jiggy wit it, and I don't drive as fast as I once did. I do know that I am in a good spot right now, life is good. My family is great, my friends are awesome (although I wish I saw them more), and seriously what more do you want.

Have a great day!
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DMV

Nothing better than having a big breakfast with two cups of coffee, and having to sit at the DMV for an hour or two. I think they just called number 50, I am 66, time to buckle down and make myself comfy. Scanning the room I can't help to notice that I am a few miles deeper into the burbs. Country music is pumping from the speakers behind the counter, some people are missing teeth and nascar is the theme of the baseball hats. Some 16 year old girl looks like she is getting her first drivers liscense, awww. I just realized that as of Tuesday 16 is officially, 20 years ago - holy cow. Time flies! I really can't believe it, 20 years ago I was the youngin getting my picture taken for the first time. Hmm. Before I know it I will be bringing the beans in to get her picture taken. That is how quick the time goes, like two shakes of a lambs tale. I see a guy reading the newspaper, wow, the actual newspaper, amazing. The beans will probably never know what a newspaper is, I am sitting here all over the interwebs and he is reading a newspaper, ha. Can you imagine we used to have to actually talk to people we didn't know, the horror. I have updated my FB status, commented on a few and found out what the deal is with March madness why would I need to talk to anyone. As I said that a young boy yelled ' hi ' to me. Nothing like kids to spice it up. ....... Ok just had a quick elmo convo and now he is bored of me, oh the antics of the DMV. Standing room only now! ... Printer jam, this could be awhile. I think I am the only one who sees the humor in this, I am looking at an emergency exit plan on the wall in front of me which has arrows explaining what to do. This place is big enough so that wherever you are you can see the door, all the emergency plan should say is look at the door and run for it. The little boy next to me is saying hi to everyone and only some people say hi back, WTH is that? What kind of D-bag doesn't say hi to a little kid? I am one away - BANG. I am almost positive that everyone before me, as I am, is an organ donor! That is good stuff people good stuff. My Saturdays sure are crazy!
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Freaky Friday

I am a true believer in the paranormal or at least other stuff is going on than what we can see. A sixth sense as they say. I really believe that some people are a bit more connected than others. some people see more some hear more and some feel more. In the case of animals I think they all know a bit more than us humans. On a few occasions I have been chasing my dog around our house and playing a little fetch. From time to time my dog ' the mighty apollo ' would stop dead in his tracks. I would walk over grab the toy and throw it again and he would run full tilt intil he hit that spot and stop dead. My wife and I would call his name and he wouldn't move. He just sat there staring at nothing or at least nothing that we could see. The kicker is this has happened more than once. We also have to cats that run and chase each other like maniacs at night. One particular night they were running in circles near the front door, our puppy was sitting on the sofa with my wife and myself when all of the sudden the cats stopped dead in their tracks just as the puppy had done before, the puppy jumped up barked once and just stared in the direction of the cats. He stood on the sofa paying full attention to empty space. This was enough for wifey and I to say out loud that something weird was going on, something was spooking the animals. This still happens from time to time and we have had other people see it happen, usually after a glass of wine or two, yet they always look and my wife and I and say ' ohhhh, that's weird'. It is enough to make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up, and you to think for just a brief second that something is behind you.
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Rehab

ACL rehab sucks. I did a month of rehab before my surgery. Stretching and stregth exercise nothing to strenuous for people who have ACLs. My first surgery the surgeon took two graphs off of my hamstring tendon twirled them around each other and screwed one end into my tibia and the other into my femur. Good times! I started real rehab the 3rd day after my surgery. The bending and straightening was the worst. I can handle the muscle building, yet working on getting my leg straight was painful and not fun. I lost all muscle from my hip to my ankle, and had to get it back. This went on for 9 months, and due to the fact that I couldn't get the effer straight I was in an imobilizer that forced it to be straight for the lion share of those 9 months. I learned to sleep on my back with the brace on. I tried a few times to sleep with it off to no avail. Imagine waking up to what felt like getting hit with a baseball bat each time you moved your leg. I remember going into rehab praying that I would have the cute little 80lb blond as my rehab person instead of the dude, she just wasn't strong enough to put me in the pain that he could. She was also pretty hot, and I asked her out, yet she said she couldn't date patients. You never know unless you ask. After 9 months of rehab I was back doing whatever I wanted playing ball, roller blading, you name it and I was doing it for another 4 years.... Then it happened all over again one the other side - WTF

I asked the beans tonight if she wanted to go to the park and ZOOM (go on the slide). Her reply, a very matter of fact ' of course.'. I didn't even know she knew that word let alone how to use it in context.
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Summer 2000- right ACL

I have always played basketball and loved it. When I was young I would jog three miles in the winter to a gym that someone had keys to and played for an hour or two, then jogged home. I would go all over to play, and really enjoyed it. I was always pretty good, just not really good. I was good enough to go to any park and hold my own. Good enough to sit the bench in high school, which I decided not to do and I think that was a mistake. Also, I am 5'8" on a good day which does not help. After college I found a league that a few co workers played in, rounded up a few of my buddies and we played for a few years. Summer league and winter league it was lots of fun and I met some great people. One summer evening, I was playing with two really good friends, one on my team and one I was playing against. The one I was playing against was a lot of fun to go at, because we pretty much knew each others moves. It caused is to play a bit harder throughout the entire game. Nothing sucks more than losing to your friends, and even more losing to a friend who is also your roomate. Well, the game was under control for the good guys (that's me), I drove thru the lane (blwoing by my buddy), and was dropping the ball in for a layup when I felt a hand on my hip. It pushed me just enought to put me off balance. I was in the air and upon landing my weight was all goofy. My right leg landed at about the ankle, with all of my weight in the wrong place. The consequence of this is my shin and femur colliding and my acl tearing down the middle. The pain was pretty rough and I remember my buddy CL standing over me, saying ' dude what do you need?'. All I could muster was ' help me.'. Yes, there I am on the floor, covered in sweat 9 grown men looking at me and all I could muster was help me, I surely would not hear the end of this for a long long time. They scooted me over to the sideline and finished up the game, at which point my friend drove me to the hospital. I don't think I had ever been in as much pain as that short car ride, every bump, every acceleration, every break was excrucitating. No more than an hour later had a wonderful ER attendent put a needle in my knee to pull out CC after CC of blood and who knows what else from my knee. The pressure release was unbelievable and the pain immediately deminished to hurt really flipping bad instead of borderline unbearable. The doctor sent me off with a wrap, a script for pain, a notice of this isn't good, and an appointment for an mri. I drove myself home from the hospital I remember having a stick shift and having to keep my leg straight to push on the gas and break as my entire right leg was in an immobilizer. Just as we thought I had torn my ACL (anterior cruciate ligament). The ACL helps to keep the knee stable.

Rehab is next.
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Just doesn't get any better!

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Thankfully figured it out...

Last night I saw the Nora and Nick movie. I am a sucker for all of those teen drama movies. All of em. As I was watching it I thought for a second how I wish I was a bit more like Nick and little less like the drunk idiot. I think it took me until after college and even a few years after that to figure out that alcohol really doesn't make things more fun. I really enjoy a glass of wine now a days, really enjoy. I think that my priorities have come around, and I am able to put things in a priority order a little better now. Through high school and most of college I figured that getting drunk and doing drunk things was what I was supposed to do. Sure I had fun, I think. Yet, I also think that I could have had as much fun if not more, drinking less. I am the grandson of two alcoholic granddads, and I know my parents were a litte worried about me. Fast forward a few years and I am the one who never goes out. I am a homebody. When we go out it is as a family or once in awhile a date night. I know that my time with a young family is limited, and I just don't want to ever say that I wish I spent more time with the family. The beans changes from day to day, an I work enough that I miss a good deal. I certainly don't want to miss any moments, so I can go out and have a few drinks with my boys, we did that already.
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Just to clarify!

A few things to clean up from yesterdays post. Yes I am up almost (mostly) each night to take the mighty apollo out for a quick walk. He is almost 4 now and in the past he would sleep all night right between mommy and daddies pillows. He is a small dog and we have a really high bed, hence he can't get off of the bed by himself. Let's say about 2 years ago the beans was born. We were up every night in the middle of the night, and hey if we were up he was up and if he was up why not go out. I suppose that over time he has just developed this habit. To further reinforce this trend, when the beans started to talk she quickly learned that mommy and daddy were not that responsive when she yelled from her crib in the middle of the night. She would yell mommy, daddy, MOMMY - APOLLO, pollo, pollo. She had figured out that if she woke him up he would cry at the end of the bed till we got up. I would take him out, and on my way back up I would grab her and bring her to bed with mommy and daddy, win. I think this is just a learned behavior, and once she gets over the night terrors and stops waking up, so will he. It has been a viscious cycle for about 6 months now.

As far as the knees I will get into that in more detail, yet I tore my right ACL in 2000 and my left in 2004. I was playing basketball for both, and it pretty much sucked.

Happy friday.
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I do...

Type on my phone as I drive.

Listen to jay z, and really think that jay z live with the roots is a classic album.

Sing in the car, at work, just in general and I sing terribly.

Wear glasses when I drive.

Have two screws and a button in each knee.

Watch what I eat, and work out because I am scared to feel old.

Walk my dog before I go to bed and again between 2am and 3am.

Mow my own lawn.

Love when the seasons change.

Know more prince songs than I care to say.

Only own one pair of sweatpants.

Love fruit and veggies.

Look forward to reading all of your blogs each day.

Understand why family is so important.

Know how to juggle.

Let my wife control the remote (unless its sunday in football season).

Think I would have been a professional athlete if I was a foot taller and a bit faster and stronger.

Look forward to a time when I can give back more.

Enjoy wine

Pass go and collect $200.

Love 80s pop. NKOTB, Tiffany, debbie gibson.

Know how to drive a stick shift and motorcycles.

Know how to rollerlade down steps.

Throw caution to the wind, yet don't pee into it.

Have to go to work.


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Hate hate hate, well dislike

Stopping to get gas is pretty much the worst. Especially when it is a bit chilly, with a little drizzle in the air. Nothing better than pumping gas and writing away on a blog when your ear is about to freeze off. By freezing I mean it is 44 degrees at 7am. Spring is here and I am happy. I know how well chairpants is going to sell, hence I have a new business idea. I want to make gas stations more like beer vendors at sporting events. I will have a big truck, not a tanker, just a really big pickup truck with tanks on the back. I will drive around and fill people up when they are stuck in traffic or at a long light. I could hang out at the supermarket or the mall parking lots - GOT YOUR GAS RIGHT HERE FOLKS FILL UP WHILE YOUR SHOPPING - bang, I would sell gas like crazy, and of course charge a premium for the service. Hmmm, I could do it nascar style at fast food drive thrus, not to stereotype but if you are eating fastfood you are way too lazy to pump your own gas. Just think you can say you knew me when.
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Boooyah

It is 5:11pm, I am on the road home, its 56 degress and still some what sunny! BANG. Screw that hour of sleep, I was not gonna get it anyway with the beans around. I am so flipping excited to be out of work and have some sun. It is very overcast here in Philly and I don't care, I am gonna go home round up the dog, the beans and wifey and go for a walk. I will just hope the beans doesn't take a spill again although she might just take one for the team with all the goodies nana and pop pop bestowed upon her today. I think she got a big fluffy Grover, who is giving elmo a run for his money, to help sooth her bruises. Back to this weather, did I say boooyah yet? I am so excited I actually believe that winter is over. Time for sunroofs, windows down, vacation days, bbq and wine on the back deck. I know I am rushing it a bit, but hey I need it. Tallyho!
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Skipped home depot today...

I spent my saturday watching stuffed animals dance and lip sync for 2 hours. Elmos is a superstar! The show was pretty good. The beans was captivated for two hours watching all of her favorite monsters/animals dance around and do their thing. It was really awesome to see the look on the beans face and to see her start to dance in her seat. The balloons were 8 bucks a pop, programs were 12 bucks. Wow. We got a program as a keep sake, but that was it. It was a good day.

Sunday was filled with going to breakfast, parks and riding the slides. It was our first weekend that we could be outside, hence we did it up. Hit two parks! One is pretty close to the house and we stopped at a friends house on the way, and picked up more little ones in our travels. Amazing how kids bring all of the parents together. If people are hanging outside we usually gather a parent and the kids and all walk up together. We ended up at a school playground with a nice group of people. On our way home, after playing for an hour, we walked our friends to their house and began our half a block walk home. After about 20 feet the beans was running and took a little spill. A head first slide on the sidewalk. Her face is a bit bruised up, and she looks pretty rough. It was our first big spill. Scraps and bruises and even a little blood. My heart breaks a little each time I look at her. As parents you know it is going to happen, you expect it to happen, it just doesn't make it any easier when it does. She cried for a few minutes and then looked up and said ' better'. We cleaned her up, and now she is good to go. Just looks like she went a few rounds with a boxer.
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BBQ season

Not sure when bbq season starts for most people, yet at pjs house it never ends. Wifey is an extraordinary cook, and I try to assist by grilling to give her some nights off. Over the past few years, since our last move and since we now have a big back yard with space to grill, I have taken over some of the responsibilities of cooking. I have been improving my skills over time and yes I have a gas grill which some serious grillers frown upon.. This year will be different as I now have a little charcoal grill as well. My mission is to learn how to smoke things. A little bbqed smoke salmon will surely raise my status. Last night just some easy chicken, sweet potatoe slices, and some grilled mushrooms. The tough part is being able to gage when the meat is done when you can't see it, and getting my area shoveled from the snow. Daylight savings time starts on sunday, and that will at least help with my visibility. Happy friday!
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Cookies for dinner

The beans favorite place to go for dinner is the diner. No matter how you say out to dinner, if the words dinner, eat, and out are together are in an sentences the beans yells 'diner YEAH.'. We go to the diner about once a week or so, and are working on making it once every other week, as everyone there knows our name. We have a both we like to sit in, and the beans loves to look at the pies, and run around and say hi to everyone. Each time we are there the waitresses offer cookies to the beans. Nice. Um not really. The really don't understand that we don't give the beans cookies and candy and that sort of thing. French fries with her dinner is a great treat. Before you get all, aww beans that's sad, just know that I am allergic to chocolate and red food dye. Those two are in just about every dessert that you can imagine. The red dye that was really bad for me is off the market now, yet I have some reactions to certain things. My point is we give her limited things that I am allergic to and track her reactions. I want to know what chocolate is in that cookie. I usually nix the cookie when offered and say thank you. I am very polite and nice as to not hurt any feelings. It really gets under my skin when people offer the beans food, she is two (almost) and will say yes to cookies each time you ask even if she does not like them. I would really just appreciate it if folks would say hey mom and dad can she have a cookie. Common sense people. I understand it is a wonderful thing that they offer and even better that they don't charge us for it. It is just much easier to turn it down verbally than to take it away once she has it.
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Let's chat about work..

I am in sales. I am a salesperson. Some people seem to look down on that, as if to think that sales people all have some dirty tricks up their sleeve. I have run the entire road of selling stuff. I have sold services to people, as in dj and catering add on some props, prizes, dancers (party enhancers, people to help kids and adults know what they are doing on the dance floor), singers, lights you name it and we could add it on. I have sold major construction as in inground concrete pools, I have sold weight loss programs. Big ticket items and little ticket items. Short pipelines and longer pipelines. Now I sell something to companies that need what I sell. They either need it from me or a handful of other companies. I work my butt off, day in and day out. I do the majority of sales over the phone. I get to work at 8am and hit the phones till 5pm. I work on commission, a small salary and a big cup of put up or shut up. I talked to a lady who made a stupid decision yesterday and I calmly explained to her how she made a mistake and why she made it, and she said I am not going to talk to some sales person about this. I just laughed and she hung up on me. I thought to myself that I would love to see that lady work a job that was performance based. I know people say that all jobs are performance based, yet selling with incentives is the top of the line the most risk and the most reward. My point is this economy stinks so get out there and hug a sales person today.
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Winter is over

I have officially declared that it is time for spring. We always get that last snow storm in March, and now we are done. The good thing about the east coast is that we get some blasts of snow and get to see the beauty of fresh snow falling, then it warms up to melt this junk outta here. We do our sleeding and snowman building, we have our winter fun. Throw in a few snow days and before you know it the spring is here.

Last night the beans made it till 4:30am this morning! We switched her to the big girl bed hoping she would be more comfortable and maybe sleep a bit more, it worked for two days. We then went back to the old routine with the bad dreams (I hate saying night terrors). Last night we started our night time routine at 7pm, she was asleep by 8pm, woke up at 8:30pm, I went in and soathed her back to sleep and she didn't get up till 4:30am. That is a great night sleep for mommy and daddy. I woke up a few times because I heard her stiring, but that was it. She also meowed a few times in her sleep, she loves the kitties.

This morning as she was walking by she said ' daddy hold me.'. This isn't her first string of words, yet it is the first daddy string of words. That makes it a bit tougher to go to work. My heart melted. A great start to a Tuesday morning.
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Driving is fun - SIKE

Nothing like the last snow storm of the year to make driving to work fun. Luckily school is closed, so I have wifeys suv. I think my car would have made it to work ok not so sure about the way home as it is supposed to snow all flipping day. We already have 4 or 5 inches, off to a good start. I am hoping they close work early, but who knows as this is still my first few months. I know next year I will be working from home on a day like today. Just got a text from a friend in syracuse:

i can see all the grass in my whole back yard...and u cant with all that snow from this storm! the end of the world must be near!

Seriously, the cuse gets way to much snow for humans!

Just to show what a great driver I am I will cut this short today. Safety first!
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