"Camp AGAIN??"

This is my favourite song as of right this minute:



I heard it when I was listening to B96 Dance on the Radio.com app on my iPod. They only played it once over a like 6 week period. Then...they played it again, and I managed to catch who it was. And yes, I have already downloaded it off iTunes. Rocks!

We had a picnic last weekend with Emmy's Girl Scout troop. Well, what was left. Hardly anyone showed up. Had some hot dogs, told some Disneyland stories...even though I was the only GUY there, it was fun. Emmy received her five-year pin! Man, has it been that long? I took a picture but can't find it on the memory card. Grrr.

And yes, Emily has decided to use her second and final week of YMCA camp for this week. "Party At the Palace" is the name of it. Pretty swanky eh? Despite it always being 100 degrees during the summer hopefully they're staying cool. Here is the letters she has sent home so far:



Sounds like a lot of fun...if you're a girl. Although...something tells me Zach wouldn't mind riding around in a limo.

Zach has really come a long way in his swimming. He will jump right in and can swim pretty much anywhere...as long as he can touch the bottom of the pool ha ha. Now it's actually kind of fun to go go the pool without someone hanging on my shoulders 24/7. That goes for Emily too. She's a force to try and shake off of you when she's determined. Her favorite thing now is wrestling. I'm like, "Where were you 6 years ago and I wanted to and you didn't?" But better late than never I guess.

A while back I found a school project I did in 6th grade and scanned some pictures. Here's the gem:


If you hadn't figured it out yet, I'm the one looking like a blowfish on the right. No good pictures of me back then. None. And why the bowl hair cut? Although, I wish that was an option nowadays. I miss that shirt though. I loved it so much I wore it to summer church camp three days in a row. By the third day the boys...THE BOYS...were complaining that I stunk. When your friends, who stink all the time, complain, you know you got something special. The blonde-haired kid's name is Peter Bellamy. I actually connected with him on Facebook a couple of years ago. We're going to try and go to a Ranger game together. In 6th grade they really screwed his name up in the yearbook:


Bellamy Pester!? Did they really think that was his name? See, this is why you should never put kids in charge of anything. He hadn't seen that in 20+ years and it all came rushing back to him.

The other kid with the white and green shirt was Ray Graves. Or is...I'm sure he's still alive. We used to hang out all the time back then. Then after 7th grade I moved away to Canada. I think Ray was a little bummed out by it. He gave me some packs of baseball cards as a going away present. We called each other every now and then and hung out some during the summer but when I came back in 1990 he wasn't really interested in being friends anymore. We were going to go to the after-graduation party they had at the Holiday Inn but he ended up going with some other guys. So Mom dropped me off and I stayed for about an hour, but just wasn't in the mood to "party". So I walked home. Haven't seen him since. If I saw him today I probably wouldn't even recognize him. He doesn't do the Facebook thing either, so...who knows.

Can't wait for some fireworks this weekend. Plus, I get off at 3pm today while everyone else has to work till 4. Heh heh. Holidays are the only time this 10-7 schedule pays off. Should have some pics from the Overall cookout next week. As usual, we've been e-mailing back and forth about what to bring. It's good to come from a family that has a sense of humour. Plus, we can make jokes at each other's expense and (hopefully) don't offend anyone. I dish it out but I also take it so it all evens out.

"Father's Day...Is Here..."

...and what a fun weekend that was! Swimming, a trip to the park, and presents!!

Saturday after we got the house looking good...well, good-ish...I took Zach and Emmy to the YMCA outdoor pool for about an hour. Why only an hour? Because they close at five pm! On a Saturday? Cari swears I knew what time they close but it was all news to me. So, we went home and got cleaned up, and since Cari was going out with her friends for a well-deserved girls' night, we had to brainstorm about what to do. Finally we decided to go to Braum's, pick up some dinner, then go to Chisholm Park near my office for some park time. I got Zach the 1/6 burger which is pretty small. He ate about 1/2 of it and said "I'm full!" I tell you, if there's anyone to get stuck on a deserted island with, it's him. Eats like a bird. Afterwards, we went by Sonic and got a treat and went home and crashed. I was asleep by 11.

The next night we went to Cari's parents house for a cook-out and presents! Zach's favourite thing to shout is "Present time! Present time! Open the present and see what's inside!!" I think he got it from Blues' Clues. Cari got me four pair of shorts for the pending Texas summer. They say summer beigns June 21st, but around here it starts mid-May. Emmy made me a coil pot during her week at camp and painted it and gave it to me!


Isn't that a good shot of us? People always say Emmy looks just like Cari, then when they see me they quickly change their mind. Everyone at work thinks she's my "Mini-Me".


Zach appears to be holding...nothing...but he did make me not one but TWO Father's Day cards! he made one at his YMCA camp that even has his picture on it! He thought I saw it early when it was on the table and started to cry that the surprise was wrecked. But I had only seen the back of it. So all was good. I swear, he's just like me. Loves to plan surprises but gets a little freaked if something threatens to ruin it.


Me: "Hey John, smile for the camera!"
John: "How's this?"
Me: "That's more of a scary I-just-saw-a-bear face than a smile."
John: "Well that's the best I can do!"
Me: "I know...(sigh)..."

Emmy has her second week of YMCA camp next week! Her first week was "Hammocks and Ceramics". I guess cuz they made ceramics and...laid around in hammocks...I guess...I wasn't there, so I don't know. Next week is something else. I forget what it's called though. So next week it'll just be me and the boy in the mornings. I keep telling myself to take him in to camp early then go work out, but I keep sleeping until the alarm goes off. No motivation. Fortunately, the building we work in now has very few decent parking spaces and by the time I get there the only ones left are in another zip code. Literally. the line falls between us and Birdville High School. So I am walking a lot during the day, whether it's to my car, to the front door, or to clock out. To quote Joey Tribbiani when he and Ross were throwing that ball and he missed a meal: "Yup...my pants are a little loose!" Mine actually are. So it's good that when I can't work out, I can still get a mini-workout...at work!

"MAVS WIN!! MAVS WIN!!"

Oh man!!! There was nothing sweeter than listening to Chuck Cooperstein, the voice of the Dallas Mavericks, whoop it up as the final seconds ticked off in Game Six in Miami! His exact words were, "...and the Dallas Mavericks...have scaled the championship mountain...and have left their flag!!!" We were very busy that day as we got Emmy packed for her annual week-long Girl Scout Camp! I honestly don't know how they manage to have fun in 98+ degree days, but they find a way. By the time we got her settled in her cabin, which is basically an outdoor tent with walls, it was after six thirty. By the time we got to the inlaw's house for dinner it was already 7:45. The Mavericks had a 1 point lead which they turned into a 2 point lead at halftime. Then...the show really began. 3-pointers, jump shots and the occasioanl slam jam dunk started showing up. Throw in some steals and some sloppy play by Miami and you get a 6-game, knock down drag out series in which Dallas out-played, out scored, out-defended, and out-classed a Miami team who, let's be honest, was looking for a shortcut and trying to buy a championship. If Miami had won it, I probably would have lost faith in any other team trying to do it honestly. But,they didn't. They folded in the 4th quarter and showed they do not have what it takes to close out the important games despite all of their weapons. Man it feels good to have a team that doesn't whine and pout when they don't get their way.

Heard a couple of Lebron James jokes on the radio the other day:

"Don't ask LeBron for change for a dollar, he's only good for three quarters."

"Today is LeBron James Day in Ohio. All kids get out of school 12 minutes early!"

Get it? No? Well let me explain them to you. LeBron's performance in the 4th quarter of all six Finals games was...well...awful. God-awful. Talk about letting your team mates down in every possible way. Everyone else was busting thier butt trying to hold the double digit lead they had in two of those games but not Bron-Bron. Ah well. He's got a l-o-o-ng summer to figure it out.

Zach is starting swim lessons again! He's already had one session last year. He's almost there. He can almost swim across the pool without a float or noodle. Here are a few pics of him doing his thing:


Zach: "Hey Dad, how long have I been holding my breath?"
Me: "Um, about 15 seconds..."
Zach: "Ohhh..."
Me: "Hey how can you talk if you're underwater?"
Zach: "Hmmm...that's a mystery!"


Not sure what he's trying to do here. If his mission was to impersonate a bullfrog, then...mission accomplished!

Then he had his final T-Ball game of the year:


There's my little Michael Young, looking manly and professionial and not at all like a teacup.


Great action shot, if I do say so myself. And I do. No one runs the bases better than Zach. And I'm not just saying that because he's my son. Well, maybe a little.

Afterwards we went to someone's neighborhood community pool and had our end of year party! Here's Zach getting his trophy:


I hate our camera. Hopefully I can make this one a little more..less blurry.


That one's a little better...I guess...whatever.

I've been uploading all of our pictures onto Cari's Flickr account since that is the one we can view on channel 91. So far I have 6,636 pictures on there. I'm about halfway through 2009. Almost there!

It's too bad that when one of the kids is away, the other one is a little more...less bad-behaved. Zach hasn't screamed or threw one of his world-famous fits all week, and man has it been music to our ears. Emmy hurt her ankle roller skating right before her camp started and she had to wear a little boot for a few days including on the way to her camp. First the arm, then the ankle. What's funny is Cari begged her to not choose to go skating since she wouldn't have much time to do it but Emily, whose heart is bigger than her head, just had to do it. But I know she's having a great time down there.

"HOW BOUT THEM MAVERICKS!!!!!"

Man oh man can you believe this! Our beloved Dallas Mavericks...always the bridesmaid, never the bride...are just one win away from hoisting their first NBA title! If you play the clip above you can see just how determined they were to win on their court. And, since we won Game 2 on their court last week, we have proven we have what it takes to win anywhere. Can we do this? We...must...do this.

I felt like I was jinxing the Mavericks for a while. Every time I would turn the game on in the middle they would be ahead, then as I watched them they would slowly give the lead up and have to play from behind. So...Game Four...it happened again. So I turned the game off, turned on an episode of "Friends", and hoped for the best. Several Facebook friends gave me kudos for my extreme sacrifice. And if you knew how much I enjoy watching the Mavericks, you would agree the sacrifice was extreme.

Emmy has her week-long Girl Scout camp next week! She always hesitates a little on the way there cuz it's so hot, but after a while she can't wait to get there. We always make a trip of it cuz sometimes we stop at Taco Casa or Dairy Queen. Man I love those Blizzards. So next week it's just gonna be me and Young Zachary in the morning. He has a YMCA camp that I know he will love. Man, it seems like just yesterday I was taking Emmy there when she was five.

No pictures taken in a while! A rarity for me. I've been moving all of them under Cari's Yahoo account so we can watch them on channel 91. Man, it is hard to figure out when some of these were taken. Some show up as 2003 (before we had a digital camera) or baby pictures taken in 2011 (which is impossible). Fortunately, work lets me organize them on Flickr between calls. Good times. Here are a few gems I unearthed along the way:


I had forgotten all about this one. Back in 2006 Pharmacare participated in a series of sporting events and awarded medals. I still have the shirt and medal. To my left is Javier Alonzo. He was a supervisor and a good friend. Last I heard he was selling cars in Irving. Maybe I should look him up.


This was a Girl Scout meeting at the park in 2007. I can't believe Emmy was ever this small. Nowadays she asks me to pick her up and she's so solid it takes everything I have. I can still do it though.


This was us at the "flower gardens" back in 2005. Every Saturday morning we would wake up early and head out somewhere. I think about doing this again but Saturday mornings are the only chance I get during the week to work out. I guess I have a choice, but I really need to do it when I have the chance. Sucks not having a clone.

Zach and I really had a lot of fun being on our own last weekend. Studio Movie Grill tried to charge me twice for movie tickets...grr...but they resolved it. We had a nice meal and watched Kung Fu Panda 2 which was a lot better than the first one. A lot deeper. I kept waiting for Zach to fall asleep and he almost made it...until about 20 minutes before the movie ended ha ha. I picked him up and carried him to the car and tucked him in our bed about 10:15. He loves sleeping there. The next morning we played Legos! He's really getting good at building things. We tried to organize them by colour but eventually they'll get mixed up again. I should have mowed the backyard but didn't. Too hot. Cari was nice enough (with some help from her dad) to find a place and get it fixed. Had been broken for almost a year. Turns out all it needed was a good cleaning. I started it up last week and it seems to run fine now. Maybe I'll get it mowed this weekend.

I think this summer is going to be a great one. We've got a 3-day weekend coming up in a few weeks plus two weeks after that is my vacation. GO MAVS!

"A Blast From The Past!"

I remember watching this back in 1997 and thanks to Daily Motion I was able to find it after 14 years. There is this guy, Steve Oedekerk, and I knew he did some stand up comedy from time to time, but he actually wrote a lot of movies, most notably the Ace Ventura movies. But he is also a bit of a computer guru, and he created this show for prime time TV where he can basically do anything he wants in the CGI realm. Here is the entire show in three parts:


Steve.Oedekerk.com, Part 1 by VinnieRattolle

Steve.Oedekerk.com, Part 2 by VinnieRattolle

Steve.Oedekerk.com, Part 3 by VinnieRattolle

Did you recognize the angry guy at the gas pump and the talk show host? That was none other then Tom Wilson, aka Biff Tannen from Back To The Future! Even though he has denounced the movies that made him known to everyone, he still shows up from time to time on various shows and movies. I remember seeing BTTF in 1985 and not being able to sleep good for a while because I was afraid I would be wiped out of existence just like the McFly family almost was. Even to this day I still wonder if that could ever happen. My thought is, if someone at some point had discovered how to time travel, wouldn't we know how to already? At some point someone would have showed up with this knowledge by now. Food for thought.

Had a nice time at Campbell Sunday. Finally got to meet some people everyone else already had months ago, but what can ya do sometimes. Cousin Caleb is having a kid! Finally, Grandma can have a great grandchild under the age of 6 instead of a grandchild! So on the way home, I drop Grandma off since it's on the way and then I get a text from Cari asking me to meet her at this address. So I make my way there, and it turns out they found a guy who fixes iPhone and iPod screens! Mine had been broken for the last year after Zach dropped it on the floor at one of Emily's indoor soccer games. So he fixed it for $40 and now it looks so much better. Now when Zach asks if he can play with it I may have to decline his request. Unless he's on a bed. On a bigger bed. Surrounded by pillows. And air mattresses.

Cari and Emmy are going to Great Wolf Lodge this weekend! For Girl Scouts of course. They do so many things and each one seems to be more fun than the last. There's a trip to Hawaiian Falls coming up plus a trip to the 6th street museum in downtown Dallas where they look at how Kennedy was possibly killed. Sure, we all know the stories. Lee Harvey Oswald in the textbook depository window who picked him off...the 2nd shooter on the "grassy knoll"...but will we ever really know the truth? Someday...someday...anyways...this means Zach and I will be on our own! What to do...what to do...so far, we are planning on going to Six Flags in the afternoon till about 6:30 or so. Then...head home...clean up...and head off to the Studio Movie Grill to see Kung Fu Panda 2! I already reserved tickets for the 3D showing (all they had in the evening) which I don't mind. Then Sunday...maybe go to a couple of parks. Of course, I'll make sure the house gets picked up and the laundry done. Maybe try to work on re-tiling the guest bathroom. So far I've managed to get four tiles down. Hey, it's a start right? Only about 30 more to go I think...maybe a few less. The front of it looks darn good though. Looks like one big piece of tile.

No pictures this week? Nope. None taken all...week. Zach has been out of school this week and Emily gets out after this week. Man it's gonna be nice. Sleeping till 8 every day. I don't sleep that well anymore. I wonder why. What i won't wonder about is...

...THE DALLAS MAVERICKS HAVE TIED THE 2011 NBA FINALS 1-1!! Please let this be the year...PLEASE...