"They Say It's Your Birthday!..."

...it's my birthday too yeah! Okay, so I have to wait till December 8 for my big ol' 32, but Zach will be turning the big 0-1! I am still in shock that the last year has gone by so fast, but it definitely has been interesting having him around as a kind of yang to Emmy's yin. Both of them are very different, but they compliment each other very well. Sometimes I just get this feeling that both of them will like different things and not have much in common. Only time will tell I guess. I know me and my sister Keri had nothing in common. Nothing. Except arguing. We were never shown the importance of working together and being a team during those tumultous teenage years. So we tended not to talk about anything which continues to this day. It just seems like it wouldn't matter to any of us if the other wasn't around. Not that I want anything to happen to her, but say she gets a job opportunity in Europe or something. I'd be like "Okay, have fun" and not be affected by it. And I know she'd be the same way. She's kind of selfish and shallow, but that's how she was raised. She was always the favorite and whatever she wanted, she got. Each time. Every time. Made me feel like crap and it always seemed like no one cared. This will never happen to my kids. Never.

Detroit is down 3-1 in the World Series. Can they win it? Probably not. No one on that team other then Pudge Rodriguez has much postseason experience. But hey, they gave it a shot right? I remember the Simpsons episode where Mr. Burns brought in major leaguers to win his softball game vs. Shelbyville, one of them being Darryl Strawberry. Later, Homer complains that Darryl is "bigger then me, faster then me, and already has more friends around the plant then I do." to which Bart says "You're the one who told me I could do anything if I just put my mind to it!" to which Homer replies "No matter how good you are at something, there's always about a million people better than you." Bart then says "Gotcha, can't win, don't try". That's not a good thing to teach your kids...if it was then nothing would have been accomplished.

Emily: "Daddy, how come all fo our laundry baskets are falling apart?"
Me: "Well...it has something to do with kids climbing in them constantly."
Zach: "I knew he'd blame us for that eventually."

"Cards Win! Cards Win!"

Well, I'm shocked. Literally shocked! From the way the Mets dominated the National League this year who would have thought they would suffer a collapse like that. Bottom of the ninth, bases loaded, and none other then Carlos Beltran at the plate against a rookie for the Cardinals no less. Full count, the pitch, and...curveball over the plate strike three call! And Beltran knew it...which is sometimes the worst feeling a hitter can have. During my glory years in Little League (1984-1986), I was always taught one thing: If you have a 3-2 count, you always swing. Always. The pitcher isn't going to try to walk you and knowing that is to the advantage of the hitter. But you have to swing. Here is a list of my Little League accomplishments to date:

1. Hitting a home run on the very first pitch of a game where the coach put me in to bat first for which the reason still baffles me as I was quite terrible.

2. Getting another hit in the same game which got me the game ball (1 of 2)

3. Getting some kind of trophy after my last game and then going to Mr. Gatti's pizza afterwards where we got a big cup with our name on it.

I still have the ball and I still have the cup.

So the Tiger and Cardinals in the World Series...No Yankees, no Mets...no problem. Everyone thinks it's Detroit's destiny to win it all this year. But it isn't. No one ever accomplished anything because they were "supposed to". They did it because they put the time and the work in and when it was all said and done, they could look back and realized that everything they had worked for was worth it.

I really like this Tigers club though. Plus, they're young enough to really put a dynasty together. Maybe even a late 90's Yankee dynasty. What's funny about the Yanks is when they were winning it all, they didn't need a $200 million payroll. They just had a bunch of guys who meshed very well together and played with heart. I guess their decline started when they signed Mike Mussina to a 6 year, $88 million deal. Now this guy has been one of my favorites ever since he came up with Baltimore back in 1991. He has been nothing short of a rock for them ever since. But they lost to Arizona in 2001. So they go out and get Jason Giambi for $120 million. In the wake of A-Rod's megacontract, they sign Derek Jeter to a $189 million contract. They get Gary Sheffield for $39 million. They get Randy Johnson for $48 million. They trade for Kevin Brown for the balance of his $105 million contract. They sign Jared Wright and Carl Pavano for a combined $80 million. They sign Roger Clemens for $20 million. What's funny is even though they lost the 2001 and 2003 Series, at least they were going. Then A-Rod came along, which apparently means now they don't even go anymore. Three straight years of sweeps at the hands of the Red Sox, Angels and Tigers. Wouldn't it be funny if The Cubs with their new manager Lou Piniella traded for A-Rod? Everyone seems to think reuniting them would put the swagger back in Rodriguez's step. Maybe it will. But everyone knows he doesn't belong in New York. You have to have a thick skin to play there. If you don't, then your performance suffers as a result. They'll chew ya up if you give them a chance. A-Rod needs to go. He needs to be the rock in a lineup, not one of the many rocks.

Why do we like doing things we know we're not supposed to? For me it was stealing. Why did I do it? (shrug) I have no idea. Let's take a look at what I've stolen since I was a kid:

Fishing lure from Sears
-I still have this somewhere, by the way...it just looked neat...great excuse right?

Shiny rock on a keychain from the Grand Canyon
-Again, just looked neat...We were driving home and had driven about 100 miles when my mom saw me playing with it. She was all "Where'd you get that!?" and I told her. They were like "Well, we're sure as heck not turning around now..." and let me keep it.

Some MAD magazines from the local grocery store
-I was really into these and didn't think anyone would miss them.

Some jelly beans from a bulk buy store in Canada
-Now this I didn't get to keep...there was an undercover guard standing outside the store who could see everything. He came up to me as I was leaving and said "You wanna go back in there and pay for that?" About scared the crap out of me.

And the doozie...a video game from a temp job I was working back in 1995
-This was the doozie because I actually went to jail for this one. From 5:30pm-5:30pm in September 1995 in the Carrolton jail I laid there, wondering why I had been cursed. The thing is, when they took me away int he cop car, I had left my car unlocked. When I finally got out of there, I had to go from memory how to get back to get my car. Finally I figured it out after a couple of miles of wrong turns. As I was nearing the warehouse, I thought of something. What if they had had my car towed while I was in there? It was certainly possible. Then I would have walked back there for nothing. So I said to God "If my car isn't there, I think I'm going to kill myself" and I was never more serious. So I make my way back, and...there it was. Untouched. I was so thankful.

We have to not only own up to our mistakes, but also atone for them. It's not enough to say "Oh, I screwed up"...you have to say "Here's what I'm going to do to fix it", whether it be marriage, job, parenting, whatever. I really wish I could go back to my high school graduation and just start over from there. Go to college when it was offered to me. Have more self-confidence in myself and really give some thought to what I wanted to do with my life. But hey, I'll be 32 this year, I have pretty much everything I could ask for. I applied for one of the sales positions here at Pharmacare. It pays double what I make now which means soon I will be able to give my family a much nicer life. I hate to think about how much time I wasted...but as of now I'm turning a corner.

How do you get your kids to understand what it means to steal? I used to work with a cop at the mall and he told his kids if they ever steal then he would take away everything from them. Everything. All they would have is a room...not even a bed. That's a great idea. Kids never think about the consequences of their actions, which frustrates the heck out of parents. Parents are usually "I told them not to do that, but they did it anyway!". Because they don't think about it. Not until they're adults do their brains fully develop. Fortunately for Emmy and Zach, I have not forgotten what it's like to be a kid.

"Radio Fun...?"

...or something much more revealing? This was what I asked myself yesterday as I was driving to work. I had it on the Mix 102.9 (which I raged on big time back in Janurary, but that's neither here nor there. They stopped playing the songs I hate but instead of playing my favorites, they just bring in a new crop of crap. Ever here this song "Sugar We're Going Down Swinging" by Fall Out Boy? Talk about putting something together in 10 minutes. Moving on...). We'll start with "Ellen", the wife/girlfriend of "Toby", who worked with a woman called "Stacy" who was a full out of the closet lesbian with a girlfriend. Now, one day, Ellen found a naked picture of Stacy on Toby's cell phone. When she questioned him about it, Toby said it was just a joke and nothing to worry about since Stacy is a lesbian. Well, that didn't sit too well with Ellen so she decided to get some answers on her own. So she called the Mix and with the help of "Tony and Kappy", the morning DJ's, they set of a fake phone call where they called Toby pretending to be someone from DFWFlowers.net and offering to deliver flowers to anywhere in the US if he would just answer two survey questions. So Toby agrees and they first ask him if he has sent flowers to anyone in the last twelve months. He said yes, three times. Then they asked him what the bouquets consisted of, which he replied roses, a mix and some tulips. Now keep in mind that Ellen is listening to the whole "survey" and getting madder by the minute. Now this is where it could have gotten interesting if Ellen hadn't interrupted everything. Tony and Kappy were about to ask Toby who he had sent the flowers to when Ellen blurts out "Who have you been sending flowers to!?" Well that took Toby by surprise and he's all "Huh? Who is this?" Then Ellen starts grilling him about his and Stacy's "relationship" and boy did Toby get mad. I know I would if I was ambushed like that. So they bickered for a bit then Toby says "F*** you! I never want to see you again!" and hangs up. But man, it would have been so sweet to hear who he was going to send the flowers to...

Going (hopefully) to the After Dark night tonight at the River Legacy Park and Science Museum. What is it you wonder? Well, first you park at the park and go to the museum on a hayride. Then there are crafts, games, treats, and a pumpkin patch too. I know Emmy and Zach will get a big kick out of it. And, I suppose I'll have some fun as well ha ha. I always have fun when the kids have fun.

We're more then likely going to get a new digital camera as our Christmas present. And not a moment too soon! After really finding my creative edge with our old camera, we have been without one ever since we got back from our Disneyworld trip. I've gotten some new toys which I want to post on my site here but just haven't been able to do. And I likes me toys heh heh

Leaving @ 1pm today. Why? No reason, other then I have 30 hours of vacation to use and 2+ months to use it. Why not start the weekend early? Plus I get to pick up my girl from kindergarten today. What will we do afterwards? Mmm, not sure. I think they get to have a donut after school. I never got donuts after school. *pout*

And finally...I have to say soemthing about Dan's Toy Museum. I discovered this site about a year ago. As a fellow toy lover, Dan like me has a vast collection of toys ranging from Transformers to GI Joe. However, he would open them (unlike me lol) and put them in funny situations and give them lines to say and whatnot. Ol' Dan really seemed to live in his own little world, which, hey, more power to ya. I would leave comments on his site, he would leave comments on mine. And then...he stopped responding. Anytime I would say something, he would never respond. So I started wondering if there wasn't something bigger going on here. From what I know about Dan...

1. He is between 25-30 years old.

Nothing okay with that, but lately some of his posts seem to reflect diminished thinking, like someone with a mental handicap.

2. He lives in a rental property that his parents own.

I don't know if he pays rent or not, but if he doesn't, then it sounds like he may be mentally challenged as this might be an attempt by his parents for his to live somewhat independently of them.

3. He works at a grocery store as a jack of all trades (cashier, bagger, stocker, etc...)

Hmm...seeing a pattern here...someone who is MC could certainly make a living doing that...

4. He recently got married.

I saw "The Other Sister" with Juliette Lewis a few years ago. It was about a MC girl who wanted to live on her own and she showed everyone she could and even got married to a MC boy (Giovanni Ribisi). So I guess it can be done.

5. He doesn't ever respond in kind when someone asks him a question either n his site or theirs.

After analyzing this information, I have come to the conclusion that Dan Prange of Boise, Idaho is mentally handicapped. Is this a bad thing? Certainly not! I would never make fun of him or anyone else for that reason alone. It's just...I needed answers as to why he never seemed to answer my questions. Will I still go to his site? Sure, every now and then. Sometimes it's humorous what he has his action figures doing. If he ever reads this, best of luck in everything you do Dan.

"Fall Of An Empire"

Well, almost an empire. Although, at $207 million, the New York Yankees are by far the most overwhelming team in the game today. When they come into town the other team automatically goes into defensive mode. "If we can just hold them to minimal damage, maybe we can avoid being swept." Right there, the psychological damage has been done. No team can beliee in themselves when they've already conceded defeat. And with good reason. When your number nine hitter (Robinson Canoe, who will be a future AL MVP) winds up 3rd in the batting race, you know you've got firepower. A while back I listed the salaries of the 2005 Yankee lineup plus their starting pitching. Their rotation is more then some people's entire payroll. And it was shaky all year. But they muddled through and wound up with the most wins in the AL. And Mr. Steinbrenner wouldn't have it any other way. It was never "Are we going to make the playoffs?" but "When do we receive our World Series rings?". When the owner expects that from day one it puts a lot of pressure on the other players. Most of them have stepped up and thrived in the role, including team captain Derek Jeter. But there's one player who just cannot seem to come through in RBI situations. And we all know who he is. Number 252.

Alex Rodriguez...is he the greatest player in the game today? Numbers wise he just might be. Everyone expects Barry Bonds to break Hank Aaron's record of 755 dingers but Rodriguez will most certainly surpass Aaron sometime in the next 7 or 8 years, barring unforseen injuries. And he won't even be 40! Every year he has a great year...on paper. But he just can't drive em in when it counts. Only when the game isn't on the line does he deliver. And this just doesn't fly in the Bronx. Currently he is 1 for 11 in the series against Detroit who are up 2-1 and need just one win to shut down the Yanks and go on to Oakland, who just swept Minnesota and what had to be the surprise of the year. If the Yankees lose this series (and a chance at the World Series for the 3rd straight year), expect A-Rod to be with another team by the winter. Expect it. Combine his awful post-season numbers with his constant remarks about his teammates making him feel bad (gaw, grow a pair already) and that spells out da door.


Found these guys at Big Lots about a year ago. Was going to use them in my live action comic book which some day I will get off the ground. $2.99! A bargain! Maybe Zach will get more use out of them then I will. But I will open them one day.


Zach: "Dad, can I go into the garage and start opening your irreplacable toy collection?"
Dad: "I...HAVE...NO...SON..."

Just kidding brutha man! You and your sister will never wonder if your mom and dad love you. Ever.

Me and Emmy had a great day off yesterday. Once we got the errands out of the way, we went to the mall and walked around for a bit. Had some lunch at Wendy's, which, by the way, why is Northeast Mall the only one that has a Wendy's? Although, Hulen Mall is the only one around that has a Corn Dog On a Stick and an Orange Julius, but that's neither here nor there. Then we went to Toys "R" Us and checked out the toys. She's so funny when we go there. She makes a beeline for the bikes and finds one and rides it around while I chase her. Then she sneaks upon me and plows right into me! My knee still hurts lol. Got her some scribble pads so there's not piles of loose paper all over the house. I hate to stifle her creativity so I let her do it but it sure does get messy fast! Then we went to Petco and checked out the...you know, pets. They had three ferrets in a glass enclosure and all they did while we were there was wrestle. One of them I think just wanted to be left alone but kept getting sucked into the "melee". Came home and chilled until it was time to pick up Zach. We never got a Starbucks, or "coffee Slurpee" as Emmy calls them lol. But we will...soon...