Perfect Strangers...

We got the first season of Perfect Strangers from Netflix this week...

When we got it, we had to do the dance of joy:



So, yeah - that is what we have been doing...

Paging Mr. Ayala...

Mom and I went out on Friday night. First we went to Carraba's and had a nice meal (except that the evil sun kept trying to blind me). As we were finishing up, a woman that was in Cindy's class all while we were growing up came by with her daughter. She sat down at our table and started talking to us.

Remember, I've known this person (although not as well) for as long as Cindy has. When her 10 year old daughter came over, the lady introduced us to her as Cindy and Tom Ayala...

I mean I know I LOOK hispanic, but c'mon....

Btw, we loved Zombieland - it was really a lot of fun.

On Saturday, we took Jefe and Dude to the farm and let them run around with Tomlin. It was great fun. Got the washer and dryer hooked up, so no more laundromat...

Kinda cool...

So, the other day I'm sitting at my desk at work and Rob sends me an email asking if the name Jim Wohlford means anything to me. I (being a sports nerd - especially Kansas City Royals) replied:

You mean former Kansas City Royal left fielder, Jim Wohlford?

Rob quickly emailed back that he thought I would remember him.

I replied with a paragraph full of useless information detailing his career.

Rob replied that Jim worked for his company (in the California branch) and that he had met him...

About 15 minutes later, my phone rang. I answered and the voice on the phone said:

"Tom, this is Jim Wohlford!"

Evidently Rob had forwarded my email to him and he was so pleased that someone knew who he was that he called me (my phone number was in the email).

We had a nice 15 minute conversation and he told me some stories from his playing days. It was awesome...

Made me feel 12 years old again.

Here's a picture of my new friend (btw, I have this card):

A Dale moment...

Teams allow player with Down Syndrome to score a touchdown...



Here is the story:

http://www.kansascity.com/105/story/1451.html

Okay, sometimes people don't suck...

So. . . . last night we took a load of garage sale items (blue recliner, over the toilet cabinet, chest of drawers, Sam's old black, red and white dresser, stereo) to Grandma Janice's for the garage sale Aunt Gayle was having.  Of course it was dark by the time we got there to unload and we had to do it with flashlights.  I guess we sold all but the toilet cabinet and the dresser, but Layne & Amy might take the dresser.  This morning we got up bright and early to go to Sedgwick to help the little brown ladies set up for their Fall Festival booth.  When Dad opened the shower curtain he hurt his shoulder.  He doesn't know how.  He couldn't even drive to Sedgwick.  Anyway, he faked it well while we were unloading everything for them and then we went to the American Legion breakfast.  We came back home, switched vehicles and took off for Oklahoma City, OK.  Dad was able to drive, but it rained the whole way and traffic was bad due to some dumb college football game (OU vs OSU, I think).  We did our shopping at Camping World and got some lunch and headed back home.  We stopped at some gas station to take a potty break and I ran into a cousin in the bathroom.  She is Uncle Sergio's daughter, Stephanie.  (Elena was a flower girl in her wedding.) I haven't seen her for years!  It was very weird.  She was on her way home from the Brittany Spears concert in Dallas, TX.  We got home and Dad camped on the couch with a heat pack and lots of ibuprofen.  I did some packing and laundry.  Oh yeah, Jefe had a sleep-over at Sam's!  We were going to have Sam come by to let him out Saturday to go potty, but he just decided to take him home with him on Friday evening and then bring him home when he went to work.  He took Jefe's bed and put it in his closet.  Sam said Jefe sniffed around for about 10 minutes and then got in his bed and went to sleep.  He woke Sam up around 8 and got in Sam's bed with him.  So I guess he did alright over there!

So I hope to get a lot of packing done tomorrow, as well as the laundry.  We are going to Grandma's for Carly's birthday in the evening.

Sorry I don't put cool pix on here, like Dad.  I'm just not as much of a geek as he is, I guess.

Oh, yeah . . . AARRGGHHH!  (It was talk like a pirate day!)

At the Fair...

Mama and I went to the Fair on Tuesday night. We figured out that the last time we went to the fair as a family, Joel was in a stroller (so it had to be at least 5 years ago).

We had a good time (they had RV's!!!). We wandered around for about 3 hours, ate some really delicious (but very bad for us) food - pronto pups, funnel cakes, etc...

Here are some pics:

Does anything say "State Fair" like a good fatball?


Scarecrows (kinda blurry, but one of them is supposed to be Spock).


Fair people make me feel smart and skinny...


Butter Sculpture...



Giant Cow...

Dad thoughts...

Written by Joe Posnanski (writer for KC Star and Sports Illustrated) - made me laugh...

These are simply … Dad Thoughts:

– Dad thought: Any and all Dad activities related to building, repairing, restoring or renovating something for a child will take at least one hour longer than expected. It may take several days longer.

– Dad thought: You spend an hour or more driving an air-conditioned car to an amusement park. You then spend all day wandering the park and looking for a ride like an air-conditioned car.

– Dad thought: A birthday party for 8-year-old girls is high pitched enough to be heard by dogs six states over.

– Dad thought: A 2-door car may look cooler and it may spark something from your youth and you may justify it in your mind (“Hey, this is MY car”) … but, in the end, it just ain’t worth it.

– Dad thought: Little kids really can’t spell.

– Dad thought: Two young daughters are an excellent excuse to lower the driveway basketball goal as low as it can go. And since it’s that low anyway … might as well dunk.

– Dad thought: People really have stopped waving when you let them cut into your lane, haven’t they?

– Dad thought: When I was young, Dads wore shorts and black socks which made them look utterly out of touch. I don’t wear shorts and black socks, but I am no doubt doing something that makes me look utterly out of touch. What is it?

– Dad thought: I don’t dislike the new music or find it to be corrupting — so I can at least cling to that bit of youth. But I must admit not being able to tell much of it apart.

– Dad thought: I have been wearing the same sneakers for about three years now. They are green from lawn mowing and dirty from overuse. And yet, I haven’t replaced them and am not especially eager to replace them. I used to want new sneakers every three months … what happened to me?

– Dad thought: The older my daughters get, the easier it seemed when they were babies.

– Dad thought: People ask me how my life has changed since I became a Dad. There are too many ways to explain, but perhaps the most telling is that I get up at 7 a.m. now, even when I’m on the road.

– Dad thought: Why can’t I fix a car? I always thought that when I became a Dad and turned 40, I would just naturally and instantly be able to fix cars. I just thought that file would be uploaded, like in The Matrix.

– Dad thought: Sneezing hurts. That’s just not right.

– Dad thought: There are still three big leaguers — Jamie Moyer, Tim Wakefield and Randy Johnson — who are older than I am. I’m just not sure how I’ll handle it when that number is zero.

– Dad thought: I am not sure if I am more amused or ticked off when one of my daughters tries to pull off a get-out-of-trouble trick I tried to pull as a child. It depends how well they pull the trick, I suppose.

Life Lesson #24531

Do not store your laundry soap on top of an unbalanced washing machine.

Cleanup is a %$#@!...

More moving...

We moved three truckloads of stuff into our storage unit. We basically have no living room furniture upstairs and we are using one of the folding tables for a dining room table...

Just got back from seeing All About Steve. Funny movie...

Oh yeah, thought about this today...

Hiking at Toronto Lake...

Here are a few pictures from when we went camping at Toronto Lake back in June..

Sort of ironic...

http://www.kansas.com/news/breaking/story/967201.html

Moving...

We have been spending the weekend getting stuff packed for the big move into the wilderness...

We also got the mifi from Sprint. This is the device that lets you take the internet with you. We took it to the camper yesterday, but unfortunately, it doesn't get very good service out there (enough so G'ma Janice could read your blog) - so we are going to take it back.

I think we are going to use DirecTV for internet. Then I did some research and discovered the Elgato Eye2 Hybrid. This device lets you watch TV on your Mac - so we can have TV without having a TV (you may have to read that sentence a time or two for it to make any sense).

So, it looks like we will be roughing it with 250 digital channels of entertainment...

We are getting ready to go see Extract at the Warren...

"Pimped out Granny car" - bumper sticker seen on beat-up Buick LeSabre

Soooo. . . . I finished the first book of the "True Blood" series.  I'm sorry but I won't be continuing with this series.  They just are not my cup of tea.  A little too obvious and predictable for me, I guess.  Anyway, just wanted to let you know.  Now on to more adventures in reading (going to the library tomorrow!).

Garage Sales, Golfing Grannies and Grover...

We spent most of the week getting ready for the garage sale but we took some time out on Wednesday night to go do some kayaking with the Arkansas River Coalition. They provided the kayaks and Mama and I spent a couple of hours paddling around a local lake...

We had the garage sale today and had a front row seat as every conceivable member of society roamed around our garage looking at and buying our junk. Jefe was nervous about all the visitors and tried to chew one ladies arm off (she tried to pick him up). We also almost smashed him when the ping pong table fell over.

One old lady came by and started telling us her life story. She talked about how one time she was at Walmart in the parking lot and heard a meowing coming from the car next to them. They waited until the car's owner came out and told him that he had a cat in his engine. The guy made some smart remark about how it would fall out eventually. The lady told him he better get that cat out of there right now "or else!". The dude said "Or else, what?". At this point the lady headed back to her car and got out a golf club and marched over to him and told him that she was "one helluva golfer".

He got the cat out and she has had the cat for eight years...

Oh yeah. Here's Grover to teach you a very important lesson:

Quick week...

That week went by very quickly. Not a lot happened - I received my Ipod Touch but we haven't gotten the Macbook Pro yet - probably Monday.

We cleaned out the garage today in preparation for a garage sale that we will be having in a couple of weeks.

We also went with Sam to his new apartment complex to see his apartment and get him signed up. He will be moving into the Sundance Apartments (right across the street from Barnes & Noble) on Rock Road - nice place.

I have been playing with the Ipod Touch and I sort of got obsessed with making sure that every song that I have on there (660 - I know, I'm just an amateur compared to you guys) has the correct cover art. I mean really obsessed (I think it may be driving your mother crazy).

Stormy weather here off and on today - tonight Mama and I are going to stay in and finish watching Lonesome Dove.

Weekend...

We got up yesterday (Saturday) and went to Sedgwick to do some work in the camper to prepare for the grand experiment (TGE).


Then we came home and went to Harbor Freight to get some supply's for TGE and later, we went to Johnny Carrino's for dinner and then to see (500) Days of Summer...

Great Movie! This is what a "romantic comedy" should be. Well written, well acted (Zooey Deschanel is awesome as always). 10,000 times better than The Ugly Truth.

Today, we went to church at Elizabeth Ann Seaton then to get groceries.

Later I went to work for a while and now we are probably going to settle in and watch a movie.

I finished reading A Thousand Splendid Suns. I had started listenin to it on the drive home and checked it out at the library to finish reading it. Great book - Highly recommended!

Oh yeah, I ordered a Mac Book Pro yesterday (never thought I would type that sentence). We should get it (and my free IPod Touch) sometime this week...

Free Pizza...

Scored a couple of free pizzas from Talliano's tonight. We called in our order, but when I went to pick it up, they discovered that whoever answered the phone had set the order down on the counter instead of giving it to the kitchen.

Had to wait an extra ten minutes while they apologized profusely. I think they were waiting for me to go ballistic.

They are still waiting...

Free pizza does taste a lot better, though.

Why being a guy is better than being a girl...

I miss Calvin and Hobbes...

(and I'm getting close to the "puttering around" stage).

Quiet evening...

Who have you sent invitations to for the new blog? Please send one to Sam...

You also might make a note at the old blog that points to the new one.

We didn't do much this evening. Watched a little TV, read our books, went to get Mama her shaved ice stuff, watched the Royals lose.

Mama did watch the dancing wedding party video - she liked it...

Book-a-de-Gallo

I went to book-a-holic this evening to trade in some books and look for a paperback copy of A Thousand Splendid Suns. I had started listening to it on the way home, but now I want to read the rest of it.

Anyway, Donna was working and she wanted to know all about what you are doing and how you are adjusting to the East Coast culture.

I told her that you seemed to be doing well and that I had just returned from there.

I told her that you had a blog and she stopped what she was doing, looked at me as if I was crazy and told me that the cash register was sometimes more than she could handle.

Anyway, she says to tell you "Hi" and that they all miss you...

(and they didn't have a copy of A Thousand Splendid Suns)

Mama and I made some pico de gallo to have with our supper tonight - it was pretty good for someone who is a few frijoles short of being a mexican and a white dude...

We picked up Joel/Erin's old room and Sam and I are going to move the treadmill in there tomorrow (yes I know it is cliche to turn your kid's old room into a home gym - I am a middle aged white guy so I really didn't have much choice).

Trip home...

The ride home was mostly uneventful. It did take me a while to find 90 west - I made it to Tremont street, but then all the roads started twisting and turning and hiding their names, making themselves one way when I needed to go the other, then the trees started taunting me and throwing their fruit.

I eventually found it and then enjoyed the bumper to bumper cars all the way across Massachusetts.

Once I got to New York, the traffic was a little better (I bet no one has ever written that sentence before!). I headed south and, like Christine when the food kept passing her by, I whined a little when I passed the turn off for Cooperstown (the home of the Baseball Hall of Fame)...



But I kept going and made it to Cleveland around 8:00...

I was up early the next day and left at 7:30. I stopped in at the gas station right next to the hotel and ran in to grab a diet Mt. Dew (Elena - you are thinking of that one girl now, right?)


and something quick to eat. Sadly, I selected a pack of Zingers and took my breakfast of champions to the counter.

The guy working there was obviously Mr. Buff Fitness Guy. He looked over my purchases, looked at me and asked:

"Did you know you grabbed a DIET Mt. Dew?"

I grumbled something about how I knew what I wanted and did the Hooper walk out to the truck and headed out.

Not the best way to start the day...

The rest of the trip was long (I went 1,000 miles in 15 hours) but I was happy to make it home to Jefe (I mean, of course, Mama and Sam)...

(Joel, put that in the log...)

Loading up the truck...

We are packing up Joel tonight (and all the other stuff that Momma and the Grandma's are sending). Hope we have enough room in the truck...



Momma had her first day of work - her feet are sore, but she thinks she is going to enjoy the job. She gets to work with a couple of women, neither of whom seem too chatty (which is good) - they listen to music and prepare the instruments.

She did have one awkward moment when she worked until the job was done then her boss (who never really told her when to go home) told her she shouldn't be working overtime. She also was so busy that she didn't get to eat lunch.

Otherwise, her first day went well. She wouldn't let me take a picture of her on her first day - that seems wrong after making you guys pose with your book bags year after year.

Oh yeah, she also thinks my taste in music and clothes (sweater vests) are gay...

Hmmmm...

The Ugly Truth...

Momma and I went to Red Robin and then to see The Ugly Truth last night. The food was good but the movie was baaaaad...

It is essentially the same movie that you have seen a hundred times - nothing really original except that this version was a little (okay, a lot) more crass than the typical romantic comedy.

We also got to sit in front of annoying loud guy...



Okay not him, but this guy didn't know how to use his "theater voice". Luckily, we really didn't care what the actors were saying, so he only bothered us a little.

Some young teenybopper girls sat next to us and just laughed and hooted at everything. We enjoyed hearing them more than the actual movie.

So, while I'm in Boston I'm going to need some more music to listen to on the way back. Here is my list of what I want (please check your huge music libraries):

1. Come On Get Higher by MATT NATHANSON
2. You raise me up - Josh Groban
3. Viva la Vida - Coldplay

If I think of any more, I'll post them - feel free to make suggestions...

Weird...

So the other day I finished Lonesome Dove and decided to go to Book-a-holic to find, ummm, well... a book.

I ended up getting a couple of books, Correlli's Mandolin and a book called How to be Good by Nick Hornby.

I started reading Correlli's Mandolin but after a few days I'd only managed to get about 35 pages into it. So I decided to switch to How to be Good.

It is a much better book and as I continued to read, I got to this passage on page 15:

Ok, so I am not in any way qualified to be a literary critic, not least because I don't read books anymore. I used to, back in the days when I was a different, happier, more engaged human being, but now I fall asleep every night holding a copy of Correlli's Mandolin...

So in an entire store stuffed full of books, I picked two completely unrelated books, one of which referred to the other...

Paging Rod Serling...

So, we have decided that when our lease runs out in late September, we are going to move into the camper out at G'pa Jello's barn.

Yes your parents are going to live in a trailer, in a barn. Bet you can't wait to tell all your friends... We are doing this to save some money so that we can afford to buy a house like those we posted earlier.

Mystery solved...

Mysterious Change of Plans...

Momma and I have changed our plans - we are not going to immediately buy a house. More details to come...




Don't you just love a mystery?

Another house...

You might want to read the "Busy Weekend" post below first...

This is the house in College Hill just down the street from Mondo and Linda's old house. It is on a cul-de-sac (so no through traffic). I kind of liked this one the best - but Mom liked the other one (below).

Front:


Backyard (looking toward the house - this one had the better backyard and a great deck!)

Looking into the backyard from the deck (did I mention it was a GREAT deck!).

Front Porch (roomy!)

The kitchen was a little small...

Breakfast Nook! (well... the white people love it.)

Dining room (cool walls!)

Living room (fireplace is kind of dated)...

Basement was awesome (in a man cavish sort of way...).

Houses we are looking at

Here is the one Momma really likes (I like it too).

Front (note the front porch):


Side (It is four bedrooms, 2 baths - I guess Jefe needs lots of room).


Living room with built in book shelves...


Other end of living room with fireplace and funky "phone chair"

Dining room...

Kitchen (all the cabinets are that "Mission" style that Mom loves).


That is a big whirlpool tub (kind of hard to see in this picture). When we saw this, Mom decided this is where she wants to live!

Backyard:

Busy weekend...

We spent yesterday morning at Christine's cleaning up her hail damaged yard with G'ma Ayala, then driving to Sedgwick to dump the leaves in G'pa Jello's burn pile.

Jefe enjoyed the day - he got to play with Dude while we raked, then go to the farm where he got to frolic in the meadow for a while...

We started to watch the Spiderwick Chronicles last night, but I fell asleep so we'll try again tonight.

Woke up this morning and went to Church at St. Francis. This afternoon we went to several open houses as it looks like Mom and I are going to buy a house instead of rent. We saw two that we really liked (both with nice yards for Jefe, see frolicing above). One of them is in College Hill (over by Mondo and Linda's old house) and the other one is in the Riverside area (just two blocks from the Castle Inn at Riverside - see picture).

Momma has some potatoes on the grill and I'm getting ready to do the chicken (sorry Elena).

Looking forward to seeing you guys next week!

Momma got a job today!!! I'll let her post the details...

Cow Appreciation Day!

Roll down your window and say "Hi" to a cow today!

http://www.holidayinsights.com/moreholidays/July/cowappreciationday.htm

We just watched "Under the Same Moon"...

Miss you guys...