Saturday, October 27, 2007

"Memories..."

"...light the corners of my mind...misty, watercoloured memories...of the way we were..."

You know...we all have certain memories that we hold very dear in our lives. Now even though I did a few things outside of the house when I was younger, most of what I remember came from watching TV. Sad? Maybe. But the fact that I have retained most of what I did as a kid should disprove the myth that TV rots your brain. Au contraire, mon frere. While I don't like my kids sitting around on a beautiful day watching the ridiculous Saturday morning cartoons they have on these days, I know that there are some things they can watch that will come in handy later in life. But man, have you seen the shows they put on these days? They're terrible! So if you will allow me, let me take you through sort of a timeline of TV shows I enjoyed and what they mean to me now:

The Banana Splits

Age: 6
Every day after school I would rush home and watch these gigantic animals that I thought were fake but had no way to prove it run around and get into all kinds of trouble. Even though it came out in 1968 our lovely community played reruns right at 3:30 knowing kids got home around that time. There was a CD that came out about 10 years ago where recording artists covered and Juliana Hatfield covered this one. Rox!

Hulk Hogan's Rock 'N' Wrestling

Age: 12
At the time WWF was HUGE thanks to guys like the Hulkster who knew how to make fake wrestling appeal to anyone. I would have watched this show a lot more except my parents enrolled me in this karate class which happened to be the exact same time as when this came on! I was robbed! Looking back now this clip is one of the worst things I have ever seen...but then it was my favourite thing to do Saturday morning. I'll never have those days back but at least I'll always have this.
F.Y.I: No one ever used their own voice. So someone was getting paid for impersonating Hogan, Roddy Piper, Andre the Giant, and so on. What a gig.

You Can't Do That On Television

Age: 15
This one you may have never heard of. It was huge in Canada though. Before Kid Nation came along, there were these kids who put on a show of their own. If you watch this clip, see if you can guess who the girl in the red shirt is. The answer a little later. When we were living in Canada (Toronto to be exact) in the late 80's it was quite a culture shock for me. So, as usual, I turned on the TV to see what was on. There was something about this show that clicked with me. Their humour was my kind of humour. Nickolodeon aired it down here for a while but it wasn't for long. Sometimes I miss the days when I would watch it because it seemed like as soon as I had found it, we moved back to Texas. Gotta love YouTube eh?

Wel, the trip down Memory Lane must divert back to the present day as today we are having Zach's birthay party! He's gonna be two...and there is just something very hard to believe about that. I still remember the day he was born...and I'll never forget how we must enjoy life in our own way. I'm sure I'll have some pictures of the festivities on here before I know it. And here's hoping thee will be some better cartoons on Saturday morning. Like...Transformers? They should totally bring that back!

Oh yeah...the answer to who's in the clip! Well, You Oughta Know who it is by now! I mean...it is so Ironic that she was in Canada while they were filing this show.

Saturday, October 20, 2007

"After Dark In The Park!"

Every year the Living Science Center in Legacy Park (long name right?) has a Halloween party. We went last year and had such a great time we decided to go this year too! Something for everyone. Here's what happened:

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Zach: "I see markers but no knives! How's a brother supposed to make a jack-o-lantern around here!?"
Me: "I don't think these pumpkins are for carving there..."
Zach: "Ehh...probably for the best. Kids shouldn't have knives anyway, right?"

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Emmy: "Hey Dad, do you like my ghost hat?"
Me: "Um...that really looks fashionable there..."
Emmy: "Well, I didn't get it for a fashion statement! I got it to keep ghosts away!"
Me: "Hmm...yeah...that was $9.00 well spent..."

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Emmy: "How do you like my ghost art Dad?"
Me: "I thought we got you that hat to keep ghosts away!"
Emmy: "Oh yeah...think we can get your $9.00 back?"

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Emmy: "Okay Zach, just remember the routine we rehearsed!"
Zach: "Hey, this is a bounce house, not Soul Train!"
Emmy: "Look, dance the routine or I'll have Guy Smiley over there knock ya down."
Zach: "And a one, and a two..."

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Two Coopers full of lit-up jack-o-lanterns...what else can ya say about that?

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Zach: "I'm ready for my close-up Mr. DeMille!"

Finished my SECOND week at Aegon, and I would have to say it went a lot better then the first week. Now we're taking what we learned and finding it in their system. Our trainer actually told me she thinks I'd be a real asset since she has observed me picking this stuff up really well. Really makes me feel great knowing someone sees that in me. I've actually hated most every job I ever had. Either it was too much manual labour or the pay was awful...always something. But with this place it is shaping up to be the company I can see myself retiring from. We have learned a lot about just how many benefits there are with a long term care insurance policy. Who knows, I may even need some of them when I turn 80 lol. There's so many I won't list them, but every contingency has been thought of and planned for. No one wants to go into a nursing home, but wouldn't it be nice knowing the $5,000 a month bill was taken care of due to you thinking ahead and having a policy in place? And no, I don't get commission ha ha.

Monopoly is back at McDonald's. Wouldn't it be nice to get Park Place and Boardwalk and win a million dollars? Or maybe a free burger. Either one would be cool with me.

Friday, October 12, 2007

"Greatest Book Ever!"

Found this at Borders a few weeks ago. Actually Cari found it, but something told me I would want to get this book.

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Unfortunately there was no mention of my favourite toy...(sigh). However, I DID find a book at local competitor Barnes & Noble that had each and every Transformer appraised including pictures. It was $25 but Cari hinted that she might get it for me for my birthday.

Finished my first week at TransAmerica, and to be honest, my brain is officially fried lol. Just a rush of information and terminology and what have you. Kind of dreading going back Monday but I'm not sure why. Self-doubt, no matter how miniscule it is, tends to stress me out. Just have to remember I belong there. I belong there.

If you were in prison, what would you choose for your last meal? No, no one I know is going to prison ha ha. But I wonder if what you chose would provide some kind of insight into one's psyche? Here's the menu:

one(1) appetizer
two(2) meats
two(2) side dishes
one(1) vegetable
one(1) fruit
one(1) drink
one(1) dessert

For me...ME...I would choose:

fried rice from Sake
chicken crispers from Chili's + prime rib from Steak 'N' Ale
hash brown casserole from Cracker Barrel + mashed potatoes from Boston Market
carrots
kiwi
Dr Pepper
strawberry shortcake from Cheesecake Factory

Man oh man would I be full when they threw the switch! But would I be in a place to complain? Really? I have no doubts where I'm going once I take my last breath. Hopefully God doesn't think I'm being arrogant. A part of me doesn't think we have the right to take someone's life via execution. However, if we don't, who's to say they won't kill again? Hard to take that chance I suppose. All I know is I don't plan on taking anyone's life anytime soon, provided I never have to defend myself of my family. If they were part of the equation, then all bets are off. You don't mess with a man's family.

Friday, October 05, 2007

"A Day Off..."

...and man, was it needed! Finished up my "week" out at Caremark in Richardson. Fifty miles...fifty miles ONE WAY I had to drive out to that place. In three days I drove 300 miles. Needless to say, I am SOO glad I start my new job next Monday!

Moving on...

Took Zach to the botanical gardens this morning. His 2nd trip actually, but this one he enjoyed a little more. Here's what we saw:

Zach Botanical Gardens

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Afterwards we had lunch with Cari. Man, my department is officially a ghost town.

Other then that, not a whole lot is going on right now. I have pretty much spent the last 15 years trying to figure out what I am supposed to be doing. When I graduated in 1993 I was certain of two things. One, I had absolutely no idea what kind of career path I was supposed to follow. Two, laying around the house and being lazy was a great way to spend the day. We all have dreams of what we'd like to be at various times in our lives I suppose. When I was six, I wanted to be a football player. When I was nine, I thought maybe being an actor would be nice. At twelve I was hoping strawberry shortcake taste tester would present itself lol. But pretty soon the inspiration stopped coming. Nothing interested me at all. Now, at 32, I have this great opportunity and I hope to make the most of it. The healthcare industry is one that pays well and is not going away anytime soon. Not exactly what I wrote about in school when asked what I wanted to be when I grew up I know ha ha. Then again...how many of us actually live that out?

P.S.: You my...brown eyed girl...=)

P.P.S.: Only one person knows what that means.