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July 31, 2008

A mother's triumph!

I am really proud of myself!

"Why?" you may ask... Well, I'll be happy to tell you.

It is because I have completed Jonah's baby book. It is, in it's end state, a ridiculously large volume detailing his first year of life and I have finished it! (Don't worry, I won't make you look through it unless you really want to!) And further, I have begun working on Joshua's baby book, which in the end, will also be an embarrassingly huge scrapbook of his first year.

As proud as I am for having completed the one project and begun the other, I have to admit I'm a little bit embarrassed by the sheer number of pictures we take of our children. We literally have hundreds of pictures of each of them and hundreds more of them together. We actually also have a similar number of the dog too! I blame digital cameras. They just make it too damn easy! Well, there's that AND the astounding daily demonstrations of cuteness. What's a parent to do?

Posted by Jon at 07:40 PM | Comments (0)

July 30, 2008

Wordless Wednesday...

Posted by Jon at 04:41 PM | Comments (0)

July 29, 2008

Can't Post...

...Training...

You are only seeing this post 'cause I am on a break.

See you tomorrow.

Posted by Jon at 09:52 PM | Comments (0)

July 28, 2008

I Miss You Guys...

Just got off the phone with one of my sisters. It was good to talk to her and her youngest son. I spoke to another of my three sisters on Saturday, and it was good to talk to her as well. At the same time, I spoke to Ben (we were on a conference call) and it was good to talk to him too.

I miss you guys and your families.

Maybe we will see each other again soon.

See you tomorrow.

Posted by Jon at 08:42 PM | Comments (0)

July 27, 2008

Move Over!

This could have been me. How? No, I'm not a Police Officer, but I do work on the sides of busy roads. To watch people zoom by and not even acknowledge that a human being is there, is, to me, sickening. Please, please, please, for the safety of those who work on roads, move over when you see an ambulance, tow truck, police car or fire truck. If you can't move over, then slow down. This Officer was, and is extremely lucky. It was not his time. Someone was watching out for him.

So far, someone has been watching out for me.

Will it be you, when you see a Firefighter working on the side of the road?

Thanks.

For more information, please go to Families For Roadside Safety.

See you tomorrow.

Posted by Jon at 11:35 AM

July 26, 2008

Fell Asleep...

Long day.

See you tomorrow.

Posted by Jon at 11:37 PM | Comments (0)

July 25, 2008

We Are All One Now...

...Well at least XM and Sirius Satellite radio are, anyway!

July 25, 2008
FCC Approves Sirius Satellite Acquisition Of XM
By REUTERS

Filed at 9:14 p.m. ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Sirius Satellite Radio Inc's $3.3 billion purchase of XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc was approved with conditions by U.S. communications regulators on Friday, clearing the way for a deal that will leave just one U.S. satellite radio service.

The FCC's commissioners voted by a 3-2 margin in favor of a proposal that would allow the deal to proceed as long as the companies met a series of consumer protection conditions, including a three-year cap on prices, setting aside 8 percent of their channel capacity for minority and non-commercial programming and payment of a $19.7 million penalty for past FCC rule violations.

"I think this merger is in the public interest and will ultimately benefit consumers," FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said.

The companies also will have to make available to consumers radios that receive both Sirius and XM. As part of the order, the FCC also will conduct an inquiry into whether it should require that all satellite radios be built with technology that allows them to also receive high definition terrestrial radio signals.

Martin said the conditions the FCC imposed on the merger would ensure that satellite radio customers would be able to access the best programming from both XM and Sirius and choose smaller, lower-priced packages of programming if they want.

With the approval, XM and Sirius cleared the final hurdle in a regulatory marathon that began after the merger was first announced in February 2007. Antitrust authorities at the U.S. Justice Department gave their approval in March.

The merger would bring entertainers such as Oprah Winfrey and shock jock Howard Stern under the same banner. It has been criticized as anti-competitive by the traditional radio industry, and by some U.S. lawmakers.

A major obstacle was removed on Thursday when XM and Sirius said they expected to pay a total of about $19 million to settle FCC compliance issues involving certain radios that include FM transmitters and terrestrial repeater stations.

The companies also said they would take steps to make sure their ground-based transmitters are brought into compliance with FCC rules. Critics have complained that some of the transmitters have exceeded allowable signal strengths.

The approval came over the objections of the FCC's two Democratic commissioners. They have warned against allowing further consolidation of the U.S. media, and have said the concessions sought by Martin were not strong enough to protect consumers and preserve competition.

However, a 2-2 logjam over the deal was broken on Wednesday after Martin reached a compromise with the final commissioner to vote on the deal, Republican Deborah Taylor Tate and won her support for the deal.

It's me again. Thank heavens! This deal took WAAAAAAAY to long to approve, and in the process, nearly devalued all of Sirius' stock, and made XM's stock plunge as well. The FCC and the Fed's were concerned about the effect this would have on consumers. What effects? If I don't want to pay for satellite radio, I DON'T HAVE TO! If I don't want to hear something objectionable, I CAN CHANGE THE STATION!

FCC, you took too long to make this happen. Hands off my airwaves! They belong to me! Now I can listen to BOTH NFL games when I am in my car, as well as Howard Stern! I can listen to NASCAR, and whatever else Sirius has to offer.

Those are the effects I was looking for, and now I can't wait!

See you tomorrow...

Posted by Jon at 09:39 PM | Comments (0)

July 24, 2008

Hey!

A thought just occurred...

Well, two thoughts actually.

First, I have no topic, no ideas, and nothing to offer you tonight, except this crummy post.

And second, I would like to offer you my thanks.

I never realized (until now) that after almost eight months of blogging each and every day (save for two) I never thanked you, my loyal readers, for checking in, day after day, week after week, month after month, to see what I come up with next.

This labor of love is for you, not for me, and it is you I thank. I know your time is precious, and you could be surfing the web, watching TV, hanging with family and friends, and yet you choose to check in here at OutOfHans.com.

Your sacrifice does not go unnoticed.

Thanks.

See you tomorrow...

Posted by Jon at 10:06 PM | Comments (0)

July 23, 2008

...This Just In...

It was hard to smile yesterday, after learning that Golden Girl Estelle Getty passed away. The show was one of my favorites, and I was saddened to hear of her passing. She worked so hard, all of her life, to make it, and she did. But I was smiling when I learned that the Lifetime Network will honor Ms. Getty on Friday.

The network is planning to show a Golden Girls marathon on Friday.

I'm not feeling very well...

As I posted yesterday, I loved that show, and thought the cast was fantastic, the writing was funny, and it was just nice to see these ladies interact with each other.

I found this information on TVSquad, so read more about it there, or just click on the Continue Reading linky below!

Lifetime to honor Estelle Getty this Friday

Posted Jul 23rd 2008 10:38AM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Other Comedy Shows, Celebrities, Reality-Free

Golden Girls

Lifetime is going to honor Estelle Getty, who died yesterday at the age of 84, with a marathon of Golden Girls episodes.

The 10 episode marathon will start at noon this Friday with the pilot episode (the Sophia character looked a lot different in the first few episodes, if I remember correctly). The episodes have been picked because they focus on Sophia.

Fans will get a chance to vote on which episode ends the marathon, the episode they think shows Getty and Sophia the best. MyLifetime.com has narrowed down it down to five episodes: "It's A Miserable Life," "Sisters," "Old Friends," "My Brother, My Father," and "Old Boyfriends." And if you don't know the plots by the episode titles (you'd have to be a Golden Girls fanatic for that), the site gives you a quick synopsis of each one.

"Old Friends" is a good episode, but it centers on a character having Alzheimer's, and that now seems like a sad reminder of what happened to Getty. Looking at the eps, I'm not even sure if those are the best choices. The best Sophia moments actually came in episodes that didn't feature her in the main storyline.

See you tomorrow...

Posted by Jon at 01:53 PM | Comments (0)

July 22, 2008

Another Sad Day...

One woman who made me laugh passed away today.

You may not know her name, but you knew her character...

Estelle Getty was 84. She played Sophia Petrillio, one of the four ladies who lived together in Florida, sort of as bachlorettes.

I am not ashamed to say I liked this show. I like Estelle Getty, and I will miss her, though I can watch her any time I want.

Thank you for making me laugh, Estelle.

Visit her website here.

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- Estelle Getty, the diminutive actress who spent 40 years struggling for success before landing a role of a lifetime in 1985 as the sarcastic octogenarian Sophia on TV's "The Golden Girls," has died. She was 84.

Getty, who had advanced dementia, died about 5:30 a.m. Tuesday at her Hollywood Boulevard home, said her son, Carl Gettleman of Santa Monica.

"Estelle always wanted to be an actress, and she achieved that goal beyond her dreams," former "Golden Girls" co-star Rue McClanahan said. "Don't feel sad about her passing. She will always be with us in her crowning achievement, Sophia."

"The Golden Girls," featuring four female retirees sharing a house in Miami, grew out of NBC programming chief Brandon Tartikoff's belief that television was ignoring its older viewers.

Three of its stars had appeared in previous series: Bea Arthur in "Maude," Betty White in "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" and McClanahan in "Mama's Family." The last character to be cast was Sophia Petrillo, the feisty 80-something mother of Arthur's character.

"Our mother-daughter relationship was one of the greatest comic duos ever, and I will miss her," Arthur said in a statement.

When she auditioned, Getty was appearing on stage in Hollywood as the carping Jewish mother in Harvey Fierstein's play "Torch Song Trilogy." In her early 60s, she flunked her "Golden Girls" test twice because it was believed that she didn't look old enough to play 80.

"I could understand that," she said a year after the show debuted. "I walk fast; I move fast; I talk fast."

She came prepared for the third audition, however, wearing dowdy clothes and telling an NBC makeup artist, "To you, this is just a job. To me, it's my entire career down the toilet unless you make me look 80." The artist did, and Getty got the job and won two Emmys.

"The only comfort at this moment is that although Estelle has moved on, Sophia will always be with us," White said.

"The Golden Girls" culminated a long struggle for success during which Getty worked low-paying office jobs to help support her family while she tried to make it as a stage actress.

"I knew I could be seduced by success in another field, so I'd say, 'Don't promote me, please,' " she recalled.

She also appeared in small parts in a handful of films and TV movies during that time, including "Tootsie," "Deadly Force" and "Victims for Victims: The Theresa Saldana Story."

After her success in "The Golden Girls," other roles came her way. She played Cher's mother in "Mask," Sylvester Stallone's in "Stop or My Mom Will Shoot" and Barry Manilow's in the TV film "Copacabana." Other credits included "Mannequin" and "Stuart Little" (as the voice of Grandma Estelle).

"The Golden Girls," which ran from 1985 to 1992, was an immediate hit, and Sophia, who began as a minor character, soon evolved into a major one.

Audiences particularly loved the verbal zingers Getty would hurl at the other three. When McClanahan's libidinous Blanche once complained that her life was an open book, Sophia shot back, "Your life's an open blouse."

"I always told her she should be a standup comic. She was so funny in person," McClanahan recalled. "She would always say, 'Why couldn't we make these characters Jewish? Why am I Sicilian?' "

Getty had gained a knack for one-liners in her late teens when she did standup comedy at a Catskills hotel. Female comedians were rare in those days, however, and she bombed.

Undeterred, she continued to pursue a career in entertainment, and although her parents were encouraging, her father also insisted that she learn office skills so she would have something to fall back on.

Born Estelle Scher to Polish immigrants in New York, Getty fell in love with theater when she saw a vaudeville show at age 4.

She married New York businessman Arthur Gettleman (the source of her stage name) in 1947, and they had two sons, Carl and Barry. The marriage prevailed despite her long absences on the road and in "The Golden Girls."

Getty was evasive about her height, acknowledging only that she was "under 5 feet and under 100 pounds."

McClanahan said her nickname for Getty was Slats.

"Because she was so short, itty-bitty," she said.

In addition to her son Carl, Getty is survived by son Barry Gettleman of Miami, Florida; a brother, David Scher of London, England; and a sister, Rosilyn Howard of Las Vegas, Nevada.

See you tomorrow!

Posted by Jon at 09:52 PM | Comments (0)

July 21, 2008

Working...

...Sucks.

But, it must be done.

For I need to eat. My boys need to eat. Same for my wife. We need to keep this roof above our heads.

We need to keep clothes on our backs, and gas in our tanks.

It's gettin' tough, but we'll make it through.

We have to.

We have no choice.

I say this because working two jobs, seven days a week sucks. It makes me cranky. It makes me tired. And it sucks any creativity out of me. (There wasn't much there to begin with anyway.) That's why you have this crummy post. Sorry I wasted your time.

See you tomorrow....

Posted by Jon at 09:04 PM | Comments (0)

July 20, 2008

Holy Crap!

I didn't even know...

Today is National Ice Cream Day!

Apparently, back in 1984, then President Ronald Reagan declared that the third Sunday in July would be forever known as National Ice Cream Day! (Well, at least he did something right!)

Who knew?

Not many, according to this article...

My all time favorite is vanilla ice cream, with cookies and cream (with vanilla ice cream, of course) coming in a close second. Anything with peanut butter is in my top three, with Pink Bubblegum from Baskin & Robbins right up there in my top five.

What's yours?

Now I've done it. I've kicked off a craving. But not because I am writing and thinking about ice cream, but also because it's National Ice Cream Day!

I feel so empty. So devoid of that which is woven into the fabric of American culture. I cannot indulge my craving thanks to being stuck at work.

Maybe later.

Can I pick some up for you and the boys, sweetie?

I SCREAM FOR ICE CREAM!

See you tomorrow...

Posted by Jon at 12:15 PM | Comments (1)

July 19, 2008

When Will It End?

Here's some OutofHans.com family math for you:

What do you get when you add a one year old, and a three year old? You get three trips to the hospital.

If you're keeping score at home, Jonah is in the lead now, with one surgery, and one emergency room visit, while Joshua, not far behind, has had his hospitalization at four months old.

When I am editing assignments at my part time job at the TV station, I work from 8:30am to 6:30pm on the weekends. (Sounds bad, eh? It used to be 3:00pm to midnight!) Tonight, thanks to Tropical Storm Cristobal tickling the coast of North Carolina, I knew I was going to be late getting out. So I called Megan to tell her to kiss the boys for me, and I would see her later. Much later. As if my day didn't suck enough, she tells me that Jonah had been fooling around on the couch, rolled off, and hurt his arm somehow. I told her to touch his arm, ask if it hurts, look for swelling, etc.
Thankfully, no swelling, but he was favoring his arm and wincing in pain when he tried to move it. Megan then decided to take the poor boy to the emergency room.

She called our neighbor Rebecca, who came over to keep watch over Josh while he slept. I finished my work, sent out my notes, and headed on to the hospital.

Jonah, ever the showman, spent his time in Room 22 cracking the nurses up with his wonderful Jonah-esque way of speaking. Then came the diagnosis: Radial head subluxation. Oooh. Sounds bad. Here are some other names for it:

nursemaid's elbow, supermarket elbow, temper tantrum elbow, pulled elbow, elbow injuries in pediatrics.

Nothing serious at all. The boy just pulled his elbow out, and it had to be replaced. One of us (me) were instructed to hold Jonah's legs and right arm, and that he was going to cry, when the PA popped the elbow back in. Jonah looked a bit nervous as I was holding him, but just before the 'procedure', the PA promised him a popsicle.

In about the time it will take you to read this sentence, the PA had it back in place. Jonah didn't even bat an eye.

And moments after that, he was his same old self. (He never really wasn't his same old self, he was just favoring his left arm a lot, but since he was soooooo excited to be at a hospital (for some weird reason) you couldn't tell he was suffering.)

And then, he enjoyed the most expensive popsicle in the world.

He should have. That green flavored ice on a stick cost one hundred fifty dollars.

It's okay. There is no price on his (or Joshua's, or Megan's health.)

See you tomorrow.

Posted by Jon at 11:34 PM | Comments (0)

July 18, 2008

An Open Message To Arsonists...

...Cut it out!

Simple. Concise. To the point.

Whatever your motivations are, either sickness, some sort of joy is derived, whatever, please cease and desist all fire causing activities.

Why?

Well, besides the obvious reasons, potential loss of life, property, insurance rates skyrocketing, you cause Firefighters to become tired.

Very tired.

We had, what I believe to be an arson fire today. It was at least a mile from the road. We had to walk to the fire, then drag thousands of feet of hose through thick brush, and then we had to extinguish the fire. Then it rained on us. A lot. Then, we had to go back to the Station, and clean all that hose.

The house was very old, and so it had no power to it. It was sunny out, so lightning could not be the culprit. We worked hard to extinguish the house and surrounding woods fire, despite the high, high, super extra moist humidity we were working in. Your goals were reached: house burned to the ground. Sweaty Firefighters. (If that was a goal of yours, though I have no idea why it would be...)

I am tired right now. I took the worlds longest shower, and now I am going to bed.

Please, arsonist, keep your urges in check.

No one got hurt, this time.

See you tomorrow...

Posted by Jon at 11:07 PM | Comments (0)

July 17, 2008

And the somewhat less well-known...Wordless Thursday

Posted by Jon at 08:30 PM | Comments (0)

July 16, 2008

Wordless Wednesday...

Posted by Jon at 10:15 PM | Comments (0)

July 15, 2008

Mmmmm...Chinese Food Anyone?

So on Monday, I eluded to the fact that I had to say something. Now that I have my appetite back (sort of) after being violently ill, comes news that the Chinese government has told restaurants to stop serving dog food during the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

This is a big deal, because, apparently, Chinese people eat dog. Which begs the question, do they do that here, because I love Chinese food, and I can't stomach eating dog. Literally.

I don't know. Perhaps dog is good. I just can't do it. Perhaps I have already eaten dog at my favorite Chinese eateries and not known it. Either way, not knowing is better, so please pass the Sesame Chicken, thanks.

Besides the sporting events, the Olympics are about diplomacy. How cultures react to other cultures, how standing in the personal space is an affront to a Middle Eastern person, but burping at the end of the meal in front of an Asian person is just fine. Dog, I would guess, is offensive to most, but who knows? I live here, where eating dog would be offensive to me. This diplomacy winds up being a delicate dance amongst peoples of many nations, some who have never had contact with each other. Offend a sensibility, disprupt a custom, and it upsets the peaceful balance of the Games. It is why they give diplomats lessons on what actions, speech or inactions are acceptable to others.

I, for one, am happy with the decision to take dog off the menu.

For more information on this, please read this article...

And after reading the article, please help plan our menu for our Opening Ceremonies Party on August 8th, 2008!

See you then, and see you tomorrow!

Posted by Jon at 10:23 PM | Comments (0)

July 14, 2008

A Firefighter Lost...

Three years ago, on this date, a Firefighter lost his life doing what he loved to do. Helping others. Some help by donating cash, or time. Others have a desire to lay down their lives for others, and Todd did that. I just want Todd and everyone else to know that he hasn't been forgotten, so I am re-posting what I originally posted three years ago...

I didn't know Todd Alan Blanchard, but he was my Brother. If asked to, and if given the chance, I would have saved Todd's life, even though we've never met. Does that sound surprising? It really isn't when you begin to understand the culture of the fire service. Firefighters are a special breed; all we want to do is help. Some do it for various reasons, but underneath it all, all we want to do is help. Since Todd was a young boy, all he wanted to do was be a Firefighter. After a lot of hard work, he got his wish, and became a Firefighter with the Eastern Wake Fire Department. It was Todd doing his job, helping, that ultimately cost him his life.

When you join the fire service, you immediately understand that there are certain inherent risks that you will be taking during the time you spend there. Most of us don't think about those things, because we want to help, and we are going to do everything in our power to make sure that we all go home at the end of the day, or at the end of our tour. We rely on training, on our skills, and on our Brothers and Sisters to accomplish the very important task of returning home to our loved ones. What happened to Todd was the result of a freak accident, and no amount of training, skills or Brotherhood could change that. On Wednesday July 14th, 2005, Todd and his crew were called out to a large tree on fire, that had been struck by lightning. They extinguished the fire, and went back to the station. Early the next morning, someone called to report that the tree was still on fire. Without question, without hesitation, and knowing that all he wanted to do was help, Todd and his crew returned to the scene, and that's when the accident happened. A large section of the tree, some two and a half feet in diameter, came crashing down on Todd. His Brothers managed to get the tree off him, but it was too late. Todd made the ultimate sacrifice.

On Saturday July 16th, 2005, I was honored to take part in a Memorial Tribute for Relatives and Friends of Todd Blanchard. Now, I didn't do very much, I got dressed in what we call a Class "A" uniform, and rode in a Wake New Hope Volunteer Fire Department firetruck, from Eastern Wake Fire Department to the Edenton Street United Methodist Church, where Todd was a member. Our truck (Engine Two) was part of a procession, that included more than 90 Firefighting, Law Enforcement and Emergency Medical Services vehicles. But even though I didn't "do very much", I felt that I had to be there, to honor Todd, and let others know that even in death, we don't leave a Brother or Sister alone.

Todd leaves behind two young daughters, a fiancee, and a Fire Service that is forever indebted to him for all of his hard work and dedication. Our lives are better, thanks to Todd, and all of the Brothers and Sisters who risk their lives each and everyday, to make sure that the rest of us can go home safely to our loved ones.

We will miss you Todd.

To visit a memorial page dedicated to Todd Blanchard, click here.

Or visit his Fire Department's website here.

Posted by Jon at 09:58 PM | Comments (0)

July 13, 2008

Something Just Needs To Be Said...

...And I guess I am going to be the one to say it.

The problem is, I can't say it until Tuesday.

No surprises or anything, I just don't have the time at the moment to put my thoughts into any cohesive structure. (As if I ever do.)

Tuesday's post, barring anything else that might strike my fancy, is going to be about the lack of dog being served as food at the 2008 Olympics.

And tomorrow's post? A sad anniversary.

See you then.

Posted by Jon at 10:46 PM | Comments (0)

July 12, 2008

Under, Over And Out...

So this past Thursday, I was sick as a dog. But really, how sick is that? I don't think I've ever really seen a sick dog. (Not as sick as Megan and I were, anyway.) Okay, so I guess I was under the weather. But aren't we all under the weather? Or are we all in the weather? Or is the weather over us?

Idioms...

See you tomorrow...

Posted by Jon at 10:52 PM | Comments (0)

July 11, 2008

What? I Missed Another Day?!?

Yup.

There comes a time in every person's life when they just have to stop, and get sick. And get sick, and get sick and get sick.

My time was Thursday, when I was sick all night and all day long.

I will spare you the awful, graphic details (and believe me, they are awful and graphic) to let you know, faithful readers, that that is why I missed a day. So far, since January 1st, I have posted each day, every day, 184 times. I missed one due to an emergency, the other, just the other day, due to sickness.

Jonah got it first, then Megan, then me, and then our babysitter. Joshua has escaped this bug. Lucky stiff! We are all on the mend now.

I am not proud that I missed two days, and that my goal is forever tarnished.

But I'm still plugging away, trying my best.

Wish me luck.

I am feeling better, though.

See you tomorrow...

Posted by Jon at 10:43 PM | Comments (0)

July 09, 2008

Wordless Wednesday...

Posted by Jon at 08:13 PM | Comments (0)

July 08, 2008

One Month Away...

...Until what I consider the greatest spectacle in sports takes place...The 2008 Beijing Olympics!

I can't wait!

As I said in a previous post, I am a HUGE fan of the Olympics. The Games have certainly changed, thanks to politics, drugs, terrorism and other factors, but the Games themselves are what's important. The fact that athletes from around the world have trained for years for this, is amazing to me. The sacrifices they have made. The goals they have set for themselves. Their hard work is about to pay off.

Last week, during my birthday, I suggested that Megan and I should have an Opening Ceremonies Party at our house on Friday August 8th, 2008. I further suggested that everyone can come dressed as their favorite Chinese athlete. She almost blew water out her nose!

Not at the suggestion of the party, but of dressing as a Chinese athlete. I think.

Anyway, if we have a Opening Ceremonies Party, consider yourself invited!

Leave me a comment, and I'll get you all the details!

(When we make them, and then really decide to do it!)

See you tomorrow!

Posted by Jon at 10:38 PM | Comments (0)

July 07, 2008

Yup. You Guessed It...

...Another crummy post.

Sorry.

All I can say is that I have many, many, many cute pics of the boys to post here.

I'll get to it soon, I promise.

Sorry.

See you tomorrow!

Posted by Jon at 10:24 PM | Comments (0)

July 06, 2008

Updates...

I haven't done this in a while, so I thought I'd update ya'll on the boys, and how they are progressing, chronologically.

See you tomorrow!

Posted by Jon at 08:08 PM | Comments (0)

July 05, 2008

Fourth Of July 2008...

On Thursday the third of July, I posted that the Fourth of July could go really, really well, or it could be really, really bad.

Here's why:

Josh usually hits the sheets around 7:30pm or so, with Jonah following about a half hour later. That depends of course, on how tired the boys are, how much they are irritating me, or if they've had decent naps. If they are tired, they can be downright nasty, sometimes. Megan and I decided long ago that life would not stop, simply because the boys are tired. If we did, then we would have to cut short all sorts of activities, and we are just not prepared to do that! So we deal with their stuff when they are sleepy, but if we can plan around sleep times, all the better. Which is what we did on the Fourth of July.

So here, on the fifth of July, is what happened...

We decided to keep the boys awake longer than normal during the day, put them down for their naps later than usual, and then they would be in great shape for fireworks. We had no second thoughts about how Josh would handle the fireworks, but we were concerned about Jonah, who seems to be skittish of lots of things, just like his Daddy.

Everything was going great. They took a long nap; we ate dinner, packed a cooler, and headed off to the Fairgrounds for some fireworks and some fun.

We walked around, saw some stuff, and then headed back to the Vini-Van, to open the cooler, get some drinks, have some ice cream, and wait for the show.

It was not to be. That's because Mother Nature provided her own fireworks, and cancelled the man made ones. Of course, this happened mere moments before the show, and caused us to hole up in the Vini for a really long time, as the rain came down, the lightning lit up the night sky, and the thunder boomed. I don't really think the boys cared one way or the other, but I was sad.

To add insult to injury, it was windy, so I couldn't even light sparklers! %$#@!

I remember as a kid going to the fireworks shows with my family, and always having a good time. I know the boys are young, but if I can help provide good, positive memories of doing stuff with their family, then I am all for that.

What will their memories of their first Fourth of July celebration be?

Sitting in a mini-van, waiting for traffic to ease so we could head home.

Oh well. There's always next year.

Posted by Jon at 07:43 PM | Comments (0)

July 04, 2008

Happy Birthday, America!

Today is July 4th, 2008. It is the day we celebrate our independence. It is the day we gather with friends and family to both celebrate, and, hopefully remember the sacrifices made by others so that we could be free. I am not the most patriotic guy, but I love this country, and I love what it stands for. I love that I can criticize my President, without fear. I love that I can pay four dollars for a gallon of gas, and not carry papers with me when I move from state to state. I love the fact that I can vote, in spite of the fact that so many won't. I love that right now, thanks to the First Amendment, I can burn the American Flag in protest, though I never would, and consider such an act to be disgusting. I love that we our cable and satellite TV systems have umpteen channels with nothing on, but that I am not forced to watch government propaganda. I love the freedoms we have. I love the choices we have. I love my wife, I love my boys, and I love the United States Of America!

Happy Birthday, America!

Posted by Jon at 10:27 AM | Comments (0)

July 03, 2008

A Day To Remember, And A Day To Look Forward To...

July 3rd was always a weird day for me. I was born on July 2nd, so partying for the Fourth was just a bit premature. Besides, I had my own special day to deal with. But I always knew that after my party, another, much bigger party was just around the corner. (Or was it just down the hall?) Anyway, July 3rd was (is) a time to look back, play with my gifts, re-read my cards, and just live in the memory of the day before. Perhaps eat some leftover birthday cake, wonder what the next year will bring, and just enjoy the glow. And after all of that, I had to get excited again for th Fourth of July. Fireworks! Barbecues! Parties! Fireworks! (And as I got older, beer! Liquor! Women!)

This July 3rd has lived up to its billing, for me, as I remembered what a wonderful birthday Megan and the boys had in store for me, and as I looked forward to taking the boys to see some fireworks tomorrow night.

This could either go really, really well, or really, really bad.

I'll let you know on Saturday!

See you tomorrow!

Posted by Jon at 10:38 PM | Comments (0)

July 02, 2008

A Birthday To Remember...

And so, the day of my birth, celebrated 38 years later, winds to a close.

It was a fun day, filled with two happy boys and their Mommy helping me enjoy the day. (I have a few pics. I will try to post them soon.)

It was complete with well wishes from co-workers, friends, and of course, family. Some far away, some close.

There were surprises, and there were cards.

There were two cakes, some ice cream and a pound cake.

It was a good day.

Thank you to all who remembered, and all who participated.

Next up, we celebrate the birth of our great Nation, and then, Megan's birthday!

Whoo-Hoo!

See you tomorrow, and have a safe and happy Fourth Of July!

Posted by Jon at 11:01 PM | Comments (0)

July 01, 2008

38...

The only good thing about 38 is that it is an even number.

..Sigh...

Yes, it's that time again, my birthday is upon us, Wednesday July 2nd. Some would say it's self serving to announce that here, but in this case, it's more like trying to ward off a poltergeist or something. No, I can't stop it (because if I could, I wouldn't be blogging every day for a year!) and I really don't want to. I just don't like the fuss. I used to, but for some reason, I just can't get into it anymore.

Megan and the boys have been working hard to make my birthday a special one, and all I have been doing is giving Megan grief. Again, I really don't know why. Maybe I'm good at it. She calls me a nudge. She's right. I am a nudge. I'm good at it.

We are going to have a nice dinner, and to that I look forward. I am going to spend the day with my boys and my wife, and to that, I look forward. Perhaps it's the build-up to the day, and the letdown after, when you have to start building up, for 364 days.

That's a lot of building.

Speaking of which, as all of you should know by know, I hate math. Can't stand it. But I found these numbers quite interesting...

Today is July 1st, 2008. It is the 183rd day of the year. We have 183 days left. They match!

Neat!

Math sucks, but that kind of thing gets me all giddy.

See you tomorrow, when I begin my 38th year in earnest.

I look forward to sharing it with you.

Posted by Jon at 10:12 PM | Comments (2)