I forgot to follow up on Browns job in NYC... he is doing great. And the store that he works for is obviously doing well... I tried to barter a 2000 dollar set of coasters down to 5 dollars but it didnt seem to work.... left is a sign that was prominently displayed in the store....

Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened. --Dr. Seuss

well last week was eventful... full of travel and seeing old friends... first stop was in Raleigh to see the Wyatts... we had an opportunity to sit around and eat wings and sip Canadian Mist while the kids ran around and had fun... Raleigh is a long way and traffic sux there... just sayin. But I do think time between visits was waaaay too long. But their relative proximity to Florence will make it easier in the future to plan something out. perhaps a day trip into town and a trip to the museum in town or some other sites. Got a chance to see Josh's EV car... needs a little work still but looks close to being a reality, it seems... Josh also (with Alicia's help) gathered up a lot of photo albums and photos from the FRAT from WAYYYYY back and gave to me to give to the Historian. A lot of pix of the colony members and pix of the Alpha thru Delta classes...

Then it was off to New Jersey, traveling up 95 around Washington, thru traffic, under Baltimore Harbor, thru traffic, around Philly, thru traffic and across to Jersey to Kristen... thru traffic. Hung out and ate Chinese and then woke up the next day and traveled into NYC... thru... NO traffic for the most part. Into Manhatten, across Chinatown, across the bridge into Brooklyn where we met up with Aunt Pam and Uncle Erik and then headed onto the subway to go into NYC to go to the Museum of Natural History. We ate a dog from the street vendors and then spent around 4 hours roaming around inside. I was impressed that the kids could have stayed even longer and had a LOT of fun.... we then went across Central Park to FAO Swartz and I-Man got him a cool SPACE PATROL lego set while Ryles made herself a bracelet... then back on the subway where we then went to Browns work place which seems to be flourishing.... we then went and grabbed some dinner at a cool joint in Brooklyn, then hit up Brooklyns Best Ice cream and spent some time under the Brooklyn Bridge at a park there enjoying the great view and the nice cool temps... then back to Jersey...






The next day saw us with the Redmonds hitting Dorney Park, a Carowinds type place (coincidentally owned by the same company) with some mean coasters that i managed to avoid riding. There were a couple of other ones that I-Man rode and several kiddie rides I enjoyed immensely. Temperatures were great and we managed to spend almost seven hours there deftly navigating all the fun with the occasional expected melt downs... Red Robin for dinner and a incredibly cool candy store treat from the Redmonds for dessert ended the day. I was kinda amused and sad to have to leave. As always time is way to short on these visits and seeing how much I-Man enjoyed playing with Kristen's son was cool...the twins got along great with all the kids. Kinda strange thinking about how we never could have imagined this 15/19 years ago....

The next day saw the loooong trip back, hitting Cracker Barrel at the exact same place and exact same parking spot as the year before... back home to reality, back at work and already mentally planning... for next year.

Fathers Day!!!

Jessica and the twins treated me to cube steak and eggs, bacon, hash browns, gravy, orange slices, biscuits and Arizona Ice Tea. And a couple of homemade cards that they obviously took a lot of time to make. Much appreciated!!!

here we go again

a couple years ago Brandy sent me a link about companies/web sites/brands that were going to be folding, etc. I remember reading it with skepticism but that article proved to be eerily true... well, here is another article that i am wondering if it will prove to be true. If so.. wow....

on deck

Looking forward to seeing... Josh, Kristen and Brown this week... should be fun...

Slumber party

last night the Harwoods daughter spent the night at our house and in typical fashion, none of the kids wanted to go to bed. Finally the girls went to sleep and I went upstairs around midnight and found I-Man still awake... his comment..."I feel like such an adult now"

It is not so much our friends' help that helps us, as the confidence of their help. ~Epicurus

Had a great visit from Brandy and AJ this time last week and got to visit with their newest addition to their family. They seem to be adjusting well to a considerable change between having one child to having two. While I never have known what it was like to have one kid, it always felt from afar that the task was far easier than having two at one time. Of course, that does make sense... i suppose.

Then yesterday, we went over to see The Harwoods and the twins hit the pool with their kids. I am amused at just how much I-Man and Ryles never seem to tire of swimming, either in a pool or down at the lake in Camden, or at the ocean...at any rate they spent about three hours in the pool then played inside for another 4 or so, taking in some pizza along the way, as well as creating all sorts of Play-do thingys...

I was fortunate to be allowed to use Harwoods' lift to replace my skid pad/belly pan on my Jetta. I had been driving for 3 months without protection for my oil pan, which sits extremely low to the ground on the TDI and is exceptionally vulnerable to rocks, etc and therefore, catastrophic engine failure if oil starts dropping out while traveling down the highway... i am always grateful that using his lift has probably saved me hundreds, if not now thousands of dollars in cost to dealership or mechanics.

It is interesting to see the budding friendship between Ryles and Harwoods daughter. I think this will be a long term thing ( one would hope ) that will be cool to look back at in 10 years...

"Dude, We're Gettin' the Band Back Together!"

Perhaps one of my mostest fave episode EVER on Disney Channel...i ended up watching this instead of the second half of the USA/SLOVENKA(whatever) match.... why do I like this episode so much... because there is a understated core them of the fact that MUSIC brought the band together initially and MUSIC was the tie that binds them together after many years away from each other....

so... i get up on my first day off to go downstairs and watch USA in the World Cup. Of course, the kids are watching a Power Rangers DVD they have only seen.. what.... 400 times? So rather than force the issue, i trudge back upstairs to watch it in my bedroom... good thing i moved my old 37incher upstairs.

Not sure if it was some sorta virus or what yesterday but I feel much better today. Except that I now notice virtually every joint in my body creaks and pops when I wake up and get out of bed...

Kinda weird... last night i felt really strange, all achy and ever so slight chills... but what was strange was how i couldnt really sleep well... almost didnt go to work but wanted to keep my sick days in the pocket.... and I am now starting to feel a little better...

interesting....

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/17/fashion/17BFF.html?src=twt&twt=nytimes

USA ties England.. kinda appropriate considering the symbiotic nature of the relationship between the two countries... I will take it and hope the USA doesn't pull a USC (or worse, Clemson) and lose to the two lesser teams in the group in matches they are favored to win. And I hope the English goalie doesnt end up like the Columbian goalie from 1994.

Did You Know?...

The USA team jersey is made from recycled plastic bottles with each individual jersey having the equivalent of 8 bottles... that on the back at the jersey neck is a small graphic that says simply USA... that inside the back at the neck is a coiled rattlesnake graphic... that underneath the USA soccer Federation crest, on the inside OVER THE HEART is another coiled rattlesnake embroidered... with the letters DTOM, which stands for DON'T TREAD ON ME

"Η καμήλα δεν βλέπει την καμπούρα της"

• "The camel does not see her own hump."
• We readily see other people's faults but fail to see our own.

Non se collen as troitas coas pernas enxoitas. (No trouts are caught with dry legs)

WORLD CUP!!!

watching the World Cup match between South Africa and Mexico right now.... Mexico comes out in all black with their green accents. Unusual to see them in that color. So used to seeing Mexico in some form of Green with their usual Aztec/Mayan accents.... Interesting... might have to get me some of those vuvuzelas...... it always amazes me how the ENTIRE WORLD watches these matches, yet hardly anyone in the US even know this huge event is going on.... right now, the entire countries of Mexico and South Africa are at a stand still, glued to the TV. Tomorrow, US will play England... a match full of historical and symbolic importance... and most of the US wont even know it is happening. I lay some fault with ESPN and the entire US press. Bet you that if the Yankees and Red Sox were playing, we would be inundated with the same old stories and hype over and over for the 75th time since April.

But I bet you this... at 2:00 tomorrow afternoon, ALL of England will be watching....

but I also ponder how i see things... The guys playing for Mexico look...Mexican. The guys playing for South Africa dont look South African to me... by that i mean that for so long I associated South Africa with White(caucasians, whatever) people, with the Black people being oppressed into poverty/slavery/whatever. Perceptions... obviously things are changing for the better in South Africa, slowly but surely. But I almost expect to see the South Africa team as all white blond guys with crew cuts dressed in all black with swastikas on their arms. Yeah, i know... getting time periods/locations/stereotypes all mixed up, but.. well.. it is MY blog, isnt it?

today is the last day o school for the kids. Looking back, i try to remember what that was like for me. And I can barely remember... kinda scary. I can remember that it was always kinda sad as it always seemed like August was SO FAR AWAY. And that I didnt hear from or see any of my friends for the entire summer. Now... I think of how August seems like tomorrow for me. Plans for June and July are set and I am thinking of the August timeline and how I might be able to fit a Darlington truck race into family stuff. I can realistically think of what is planned for every weekend thru July. Kinda weird getting ready for school again, already. What book bags will they have? Will they go LLBEAN again or something totally different? in a related note, I-Man made Tiger Strip Brownies for his class today. And he left me a note telling me not to touch his brownies last night... kinda funny.

"The camel does not see her own hump."

We went to the Twins award ceremony today at school... I-Man and Ryles both got awards for Perfect Attendance for the year, as well as ALL A's for the entire year. Then we got to talk to I-Man's Gifted and Talented teacher for next year... as well as confirmed that they will be split up into separate classes next year... so all in all a good year academically. Lets hit the 3rd grade full speed in two months...

slowly...but.. surely?

slowly, as sure as the sun will probably rise tomorrow....

random stuff

Santa told me that I-Man can expect this in his stockings come December...

the Braves get to June in first place... Do I dare start to believe? I am afraid to say much as to not jinx them...