*a place to say what's on my mind,

and in my heart...

01 Nov 2011/6:45a

I'm not sure what's worse;

a hang-over/headache from alcohol,

lack of sleep or too much crapola sugary stuff.

but right now, they all feel about the same.

we all didn't get back from disneyland until just past midnite, and I was up with the mexican mafia peeps

until almost 2am.

it was a wonderful weekend with homecoming, the party, 9ers winning, and then taking everyone to d-land

yesterday was the best of the best.

besides having Ash and her girls just happy as anything,

the little kiddo's dressed up in their costumes and running around the park was as cute as could be.

so here I sit having my morning coffee,

swallowing a couple advil and watching the old men climb up a ladder to inspect my roof.

apparently, I am in need of a new roof,

and how the mexi-godfather knows this shit is beyond me. and once again I will be as useless as tits on a boar while this task is being accomplished.

ok, Ash is here watching me peck these keys, so I'm going to stop now and make my daughter some breakfast

and do the kiss shuttle thing.

-continued/noon-

I came back home this morning to find over a dozen young men, and 4 seniors on top of my roof just tearing everything off and throwing it into a pile on my front drive.

well, I guess I'm getting a new roof whether

I wanted it or not.

so considering the fact I was not 'needed' in the work-force, I started making calls to get all the supplies necessary.

one of these days maybe I'll stop

spending money on this prop.

-continued/10:30p-

good evening.

well; except for having my roof in a huge pile on my front drive, almost '2 dozen' (yes, more showed up) mexi-americans sleeping throughout my house, my new pup shitting all over my brand new comforter, and having a crown come loose while I secretly ate a frozen snickers bar that belongs to grandpa jack;

it was just another boring normal day.

I just hope it doesn't rain the next couple of days,

or I be screwed.

02 Nov 2011/5:45a

up early... busy, busy day.

I thought that by getting up as early as possible I could get a head start on the day by getting coffee, doughnuts, orange juice or whatever for everyone before the work detail started. I was 30min too late. the early morn ralph's run was already completed, and the scrapping, puttying,

and noise has just begun.

the mexi-godfather, grandpa jack, a neighbor who is a retired contractor and myself are all going to home-depot in about an hour to pick-up everything we need.

I am going to go to a dentist's office afterwards

(without an appointment) and hopefully get this

crown re-attached.

ok, I am going to get in on some of this coffee train

we got going on here.

-continued/4p-

have had a very nice and semi-eventful day.

after spending time with the senior circuit at home-depot,

I arrived at a local dentist office at 8am in hopes of having my pearly whites repaired.

this was abit weird for me to be at a 'strange' dds

where I don't know anyone.

(as you know, my 'ex' is in the industry)

but as soon as I walked thru the door,

the sounds of the bee gee's discoin' and the over-friendly staff was enough to make me totally comfortable.

I was in/out within the hour. normally, I like female dentites, but this guy rocks. (and Ash will think he is gorgous)

so, I think I found our new dentist. great timing also; I want to get my daughter on a progressive retainer for about a year, and then have her 'front 10' capped with lumineers before her senior year. not that she really needs it,

but she has asked if she could have that 'hollywood' smile thing going on. and of course, I said... yes.

so after the dentist, I came back home and got

'devil the liquid shit-shooter' and dropped him off to the vet for some tests to see what's up with the massive crap puddles he has been producing which caused the untimely death of my 'very new' comforter on my sleeping space.

(comforter in trash, everything else in the wash)

after dropping off devil, I needed food; so I had lunch at this adorable little cafe in this asian market place.

the food/service was exceptional, I had chinese cashew salad and a huge bowl of hot/sour soup.

and it was nice to just be alone. (so peaceful) after my lunch, I went to thousand oaks to look-in on some 'best buy' electronics and see what the 'I just gotta have it'

christmas item was this year. there are like 10 of them.

after drooling all over 'everything', I was enroute to west covina to pick up grandma p and bring her back here to boss the mexi-godfather around.

*not really, she just wanted to come over to help out with the 'construction crew' dining meals/mess/clean-up.

so, here I am back home boring you with these so

exciting details of my day.

I am drinking a ice cold bud-light lime tho, and smelling the aroma of the fantastic foods grandma p brought with

her from west covina.

(5 huge coolers full of everything mexican)

I think we are all in for a mega-feast tonite.

oh, little devil will be spending the night at the vet's for observation, will pick him up in the a.m.

going downstairs to snack.

-continued/11p

oh my goodness. dinner was crazy.

picture a huge mexican buffet with everything 'mexican'.

EVERYTHING!!! all the food this woman brought would have fed me for a year; but with the workers along with some of their wives/girlfriends showing up

(I seriously had no idea of this fiesta happening)

almost all the food & drink was thrashed. I think there is a avacado half and a scoop of sour cream left downstairs.

even all the chips/salsa are so gone.

so after dinner, we had a huge poker game (buy in $5), winner take all. it lasted nearly 3 hours, with the winner

(a young roofer) winning $245.

after you were eliminated, almost everyone went out back and wondered throughout the prop,

and just enjoyed themselves.

no wives/girlfriends are staying over

(that I know of, mind you); hey, this ain't no bordello.

so, it's nearing 11pm and I do want to get to the vet at 7a when they open, I guess I'll call it a day. g'nite...

03 Nov 2011/6m

good morning everyone...

just a 'quickie' before I officially start my day.

I see my email inbox is getting full again, I will try to make time and answer some of your notes tonite if I have the time. the godfather said they should be finished today,

so if my 'company' is no longer here,

I may be able to have some time and send most of you some

homecoming and halloween pictures.

I was going to 'post' some pics on my 'just pictures'

(the one with Ash & I in formal is classic)

but thought better of it.

will be picking-up devil this morning at 8am along

with his digestive tract medication, and then take all the kidz to the dog park.

apparently 'the devil' has a little infection that is causing his exploding shits to occur, and needs to be exercised rigorously the next 5-7 days. I've never heard of that type of 'home care' before, but the dog park is going to have to do. besides, bev will keep the pup on his toes.

alright, I gotta get started, talk soon.

-continued/1:30p-

what a beautiful day here in agoura hills.

the dog park was an excellent idea, and seeing how it was a thursday morning, there were only a couple of other pooches present. which meant my pack of sibs had the entire run of the park. devil was alot more energized than he had been the last couple of days, and as I had said in my earlier statement; beverly the bassett hound was all over him. reason being, the puppy is the only dog small enough to tumble with. also, this is only the 2nd time I brought the germans to the park, and they loved it. not that I don't consider 'the germans' one of the gang, but they are still being trained for property security purposes.

but even 'the beasts' need a break now and again.

after the park, we did a mcdonalds drive-thru, and 'we' each had our own egg mccmuffin.

(no lectures guys, they don't get junk food that often)

on the way home from mcd's, Ash's mom called me.

so I pulled over to talk with her.

considering the personal nature of the call, I'd rather not discuss it until I can talk with my daughter.

I've already talked with grandpa jack & grandma about the details, but they say it's up to me. shit!!!

so, I will take Ash for a snack after I pick her up from school, and see what she says.

ok then, I'm going outside to check on this roof-thing.

-continued/9p-

hey. well, my house now has brand new clay roof tiles, and something called tri-flex extreme underneath the tiles.

I really don't know what the 'ingredients' are,

but the house looks great. and the total cost was just under half of what a roofing company would have charged.

and yes, my aesthetically pleasing roof is beautiful;

just please........ no leakage.

so everything was almost all cleaned up before Ash and I returned home from our little chat (it's all good btw);

and it was decided that we were having domino's pizza, wings, bread sticks, pasta bowls and of course,

beer for dinner.

after dinner, (and payments), my little mexi-mafia clan, including the godfather and his wonderful wife just left.

I 'almost' felt lonely... almost. but as I was trying to decide what to do with my free time, my kid chimes in and reminds me to answer some of your emails.

so I just spent the last hour, returning emails and sending out photo's of weekend past. I hope you guys enjoy them. ok, so I'm really exhasted and have to take care of a couple things before I crash.

also, it's back to the old routine tomorrow, nobody here to do the shit wheel barrow duty in the morning.

good nite all...

04 Nov 2011/7:30a

good morning.

it's raining outside, a little thunder also.

I have already walked around the house outside checking

the new gutters, they be working fine.

and from what I can see 'so far',

no leaks inside the house.

I am so thankful I met the palacios family.

if I had done this job...... niagra falls.

alrighty then, no more boring roof talk.

so here I sit, surrounded by all my pupz,

drinking some green tea grandma p gave me,

listening to the storm brewing outside.

this is the kind of day you just want to stay in bed and watch 'no brainer' tv shows all day.

by no brainer, I am talking of; the 'old' jerry springer shows, maury, some of those judge shows... and so on.

and I guess you could throw 'the kardashians'

in that mix also.

ok, this green tea just ain't doing it, so I'm going to dunkin' and get some beans. I'll check back in later.

-continued/11:45a-

well crap; I'm sooo bored. ya I know, stfu greg!

just a lazy, quiet rainy day here at casa-kiss.

I've already watched the movie nine months '95

w/hugh grant, julianne moore, tom arnold.

tom arnold; now here is a guy that 'should' be just

kicking-ass in hollywoodland. I just love this guy.

his sense of humor is phenomenal, his timing perfect,

and he just has the look of an everyday 'joe'.

I have read of different reasons for his castration from the 'in-crowd', and I think his only mis-step

(besides the roseanne thing)

is that he is just totally mis-understood.

one of my fav movies of all time is 'true lies'94

w/arnold schwarzenegger, jamie lee curtis, and tom arnold. now if you've never seen this movie, it's a typical arnold action vehicle with an above average plot, billions of dollars of special effects, lots of dead bodies and the slight use of humor attached. and even though I am a mega-arnold fan (ya he cheated on his wife... oh well) tom arnold is what really pulls this movie together.

his sarcastic attitude of one-liners and brilliant delivery techniques are spot-on.

jeesh, now I'm all horny for this movie, I may have to preempt my plans of an afternoon nap and watch this classic. I just talked with the mexi-godfather, he was curious as to the condition of his latest project. no worries.

so, as we were talking, I mentioned to him that I was now planning on doing an over-nighter to the sf49er game against the nygiants on sunday, nov 13 up in the bay area and wanted to know if he'd like to go

with grandpa jack and I?!

of course he says YES.

very, very cool. not that I wasn't excited about seeing the 9ers for the 2nd time this year, but with these scrappy seniors attached at my hip, anything is possible.

and with ucla football being in utah that w/e,

we can fly out early sat-morn and enjoy the city by the bay the entire day/night. my cousin is a little miffed that he will have to give me 3 outa 4 of 'our' season tix,

but he'll get over it.

we all have already planned on doing the sf-arizona game on sunday, nov 20. so this is like a 'bonus game'.

besides, if the boys from the bay end up winning the whole damn thing this year,

at least I can say I attended a few games.

ok then, I'm hungry; I'm thinking a feta cheese omelette with avacado wedges and maybe even a beer.

the things we do when we are home alone...

(the grandparents went to a matinee) talk soon.

-continued/4p-

well, this day is just full of surprises.

as soon as my daughter walked in the door

with her grandparents

(they picked her up from school), I hear her running upstairs screaming my name like she just won the lottery.

so she comes in my room as I was just awakening from my afternoon siesta and jumps on my bed saying

'can I go'? 'can I go'? jesus Ash, go where I say.

she begins to explain to me about this birthday party tonite at a 'skating rink' and this boy she likes in her class

(the shy guy that 'didn't ask' her to homecoming)

kinda hinted to a mutual friend that he wants to ask Ash to go to the party, but he is to embarrassed.

so my daughter being the soft-spoken forward person she is asked the 'birthday girl' if she could come to her party;

and the girl said sure.

hmm. you ask a person (you don't even know) who is having a private functioned birthday party at a 'roller rink'

(and you've never skated before) because you want to say 'hi' to a boy who is too embarrassed to ask you out???

and as I say this exact statement to her, she is looking at me with those adorable baby-blues wondering what my

answer is going to be.

so there we sit, on my bed, with me having a 'slight' 4 beer headache, surrounded by 6+ hounds still sleeping and my daughter barely able to contain her obvious excitement.

ya ok, I say... boom, she goes running outa my room down the hall screaming, singing or whatever.

aj the malamute then lifts his head, looks at me and says: you are so fucked!!!, ya, I'm owned by a 15yr old girl!!!

tell me something I don't already known furball!

so then I do the 'parent thing';

where is it? who do you know who is going? am I taking you? am I picking you up? can I go? (kidding, kinda),

curfew restrictions in LA county is 10p,

so who is the parent/chaperone?

what is his/her phone number?

how much money do you want/need?

are you taking a 9mm or a .45?

just the normal 'new' dad question stuff.

so I'm down here in the kitchen with the grandparents

and as I am looking up info to this skating arena

(ya I know, leave me alone guys) grandpa jack gets a call from the mexi-godfather about next weekends san fran trip. and as I eavesdrop to the convo of my senior members,

they both decide we should 'also' go to the oregon-stanford game that saturday night;

'since we're going to be in the bay area anyway'.

I guess the look on my face was one of 'shock and rock', cause grandpa jack looks at me and asks

'is that ok w/you greg?' I just replied 'sure' quickly,

and continued doing my 'dad thing'.

so I guess we are going to the game that saturday night. (buying the tix thru stub hub)

without getting into the reason why,

I actually have a very strong attraction to the

stanford cardinals this season and have been rooting them on as if I was a 'real fan'.

I do enjoy watching 'andrew luck' play the game also,

he is by far one of the games brightest stars this season.

for him to bypass the millions in guaranteed money at last years draft and show the integrity to return for his senior year is just incredible. and when he speaks, he is just overflowing with superior knowledge that is a joy to listen to. I can only imagine how proud his parents must be.

I wish nothing but good fortune for this young man.

ok, so even for me, in a span of 9 days it's going to be busy and laden with sporting adventures;

nov 11, friday

college basketball

los angeles sports arena

loyola marymount lions-vs-ucla bruins

nov 12, saturday

college football

stanford stadium

oregon ducks-vs-stanford cardinals

nov 13, sunday

nfl

candlestick park

new york giants-vs-san francisco 49ers

nov 15, tuesday

college basketball

los angeles sports arena

middle tennessee blue raiders-vs-ucla bruins

nov 20, sunday

nfl

candlestick park

arizona cardinals-vs-san francisco 49ers  

I can't wait.

each game will be exciting in it's own right.

alright, gotta go; we are going to go buy a 'cute' pair

of in-line skates for her to wear at the party tonite.

and also get a gift card for the birthday girl.

I no longer ask why, just do what I'm told... ha ha ha.

talk soon, have a great friday night everyone.

-continued/9:30p-

hey guys, I just got in a little while ago.

so since we last 'talked'; had dinner w/Ash at applebee's, bought her some 'bitchin' inline skates;

rollerblade activa mx90 w/a hardcase,

a best buy gift card for the birthday girl,

took her and 2 friends to northridge skateland,

met the parents of the birthday girl and thanked them for allowing my daughter to invite herself and 2 friends,

(they both laughed, very nice couple)

saw the 'shy guy' from afar (cute kid),

stopped and picked up rocky road ice cream for grandma,

and now I'm just having a scotch as I type this up.

I had no idea that two of her gf's were going,

but actually felt better once I found out.

I know, I know I need to relax about this parenting thing,

but I'm still fairly new to all of this responsibility dad stuff. there is such a huge difference to being a step-dad with barely any input what-so-ever,

and then being thrust into fatherhood basically overnight and being 'the one and only' as far as the rules go.

sure, her grandparents are here and have been a HUGE help;

but when 'anything' of importance comes up,

everyone looks at me for the final say-in-the-matter.

I know I will make mistakes as her father,

I just want them to be as minimal as possible, and never, ever tarnish our relationship.

she is my life now; and when I'm gone, I want to make sure her memories of me are as wonderful as they can be.

so if I appear to be a little too lenient, I know I am;

I also realize I'm a little over-protective, worry to much,

play certain scenarios in my mind,

and am very inexperienced in general.

I am, as you say, a work in progress.

the mother of one of her friends will be picking them up,

and then she will be spending the night at the girls house.

so here I am kid-free on a friday night in southern cal;

sitting in my study upstairs, surrounded by 'all' my animals, plucking away on this laptop and on my 3rd scotch.

yes, my life is an exciting one.

actually, as soon as I wrap this entry up, I am going to go outside on my deck and look thru the telescope at some of the stars beaming through the scattered clouds.

I love astronomy.

ok then,

big game tomorrow at the rose bowl against arizona state,

I think about 14 peeps are meeting up here around 11am before we leave to the stadium in the rv and a couple cars.

I have no opinion in the outcome of the game,

I just wish we would get another coach that cares more about the team/program than himself; enuff said.

I've received so many responses/replies to the pics I sent out last night to you all, thank-you for the compliments concerning Ash and myself.

and yes, I know I have my hands full with her.

ok then, I gotta buzz working here,

so I am going to stop now. good nite my friends.    

05 Nov 2011/10am

it's game day boys and girls!

why I am so excited about today's match-up is beyond

my comprehension.

it's mixed feelings for me;

I 'always' will cheer on for my alma-mater, no matter what. but with a win today over a ranked opponent,

just may give coach dick, I mean rick another season as our fearless leader. (fearless my ass!!!)

but I 'love' my team, so whatever.

so my day started at 6am with coffee, poop scoops,

and chit-chat w/grandpa jack.

I adore Ash' grandparents, but sometimes I feel like he is 'grading' me on all aspects of my life.

I guess I would do the same thing if I was in his shoes.

after we finished watching sportscenter I decided to take the kidz to the dog park, and again I had the germans tag along. we were there barely 30min and grandpa palacios drives up with his grand nephew and his 8yr old boxer, daisy.

daisy is such a cutie-pie, and friendly as anything.

chloe and her just loved to play together,

aw chloe... I so miss her.

so after letting the 'pack' run around for nearly 2 hours,

and playing football catch with young andreas,

we all came back home to freshly made waffles

and sausage links.

*one of many things I will miss when grandpa jack and grandma jo leave in january; having wonderful meals 'ready to eat' as soon as I walk in the door.

as I'm writing this right now here in the den,

the mexi-godfather, grandpa jack and andreas are outside looking over their latest project and probably

planning their next. these two old men are so damn dangerous together.

Ash called me this morn while I was at the park,

and was a chatterbox gone crazy.

she said she had a fabulous time last night and 'shy guy' spent the entire evening teaching her how to skate.

I have a feeling my kid 'milked it' abit.

she and her gf will be here by noon to go to

the tail-gater/game. which reminds me, I need to wrap this up and 'ready the rig' for todays event.

I'll try to touch base before the game starts;

have a great saturday guys.

-continued/12:15p-

hey ya... just a quickie while the rig is being loaded-up.

ok, I get a call from my kid about an hour ago asking me if 'shy guy' can go with us to the game today?

holy-shit, mother-fucker shit; and it has begun!

I was quite surprised as Ash has never 'asked'

to have a boy visit, or go anywhere with us.

after my heart slid back down my throat,

I told her 'absolutely' but we may have to make some seating/ticket arrangements as the group of us are in the same section area, but not all together. she responds saying lisa isn't going after all and 'christopher' (shy guy) can sit in our family seats. hmm. how convenient I think to myself.

so after fueling the rig, making a stop at safeway

(chips, pretzels, dogs, buns... antacid)

I get back to the house that now has a few cars in the drive, and upon entering meet christopher, his mom,

dad and 2 sisters. wow, talk about being surprised.

you think someone, anyone at my house could have informed me that this kid and his entire family unit were waiting to meet with me. ok. I'm over it. as we were 'visiting' my daughter comes walking down the stairs all showered, dressed and beautiful.

(jeesh, I didn't even know she was home)

apparently, as soon as she hung up with me,

she called christopher (not chris mind you) and his entire family went to pick-up my daughter and brought her home. I will say, the entire family is very attractive and just overall nice people. so here I sit, typing this up while Ash is giving the nickel tour of the prop to c-man and his fam, grandpa jack and the mexi-godfather are readying the rig for 'game day' and I'm wondering 'now what'? never a dull moment. just one more thing before I go; as I shared with you yesterday I watched the movie 'nine months'.

there is this one scene with the song playing;

'turn back the hands of time', very funny.

and then today as I was just driving home from the store the song, sung by 'tyrone davis', came on the radio.

this song has always been one of my favs,

and the words are just so true:

oh darling, I'm so lonely without you.

can't sleep at night, always thinking about you.

but if I had the chance to start all over,

I would be wishing today on a four leaf clover,

and leavin' would be the last thing on my mind;

if I could turn back the hands of time. 

oh darling, I can't hold out much longer.

but the pain is getting deep,

oh the hurt keep gettin' stronger.

but if I had just one more try,

I would be your's alone until the day I die,

and we would have a love so devine;

if I could turn back the hands of time.

ok I feel better now.

something I 'have not' shared with you guys is;

that I have been seeing a therapist for the past couple of weeks. and she has told me that whenever I feel the urge to 'share', just do it.

(I think she got that 'just do it' thing from nike)

I actually have additional pages on this site that I am using to 'bleed on' (as she puts it), but won't ever be sharing those ridiculous feelings... ever!

I just wanted to share those words above as they

really mean something to me.

well, I was just informed 'it's go time';

so I shall see you guys later...

-continued/3:45p-

before I go into the ucla game,

I would like to honor someone whom I have been watching on tv for probably over 30 years:

Andrew 'Andy' Aitken Rooney

January 14, 1919 - November 4, 2011

while we have been 'tail-gating' here in the parking lot of the rose bowl, some conversations we have shared have been about this man pictured above.

I'm not exactly sure when I began watching 60 minutes on sunday nights, but I know it was in the late 70's while living with my dad in arlington, washington.

sometimes the news stories were not that interesting to me as I was just a teenager, but always looked forward to Mr. Rooney's crotchety comments at the end of nearly every broadcast. in fact, if Rooney didn't give his usual 'that's what I think' statements because of a vacation or illness,

I considered that show a waste of my time.

as the years rolled by and 'my life' schedule no longer included the constant viewing of 60 minutes, I would sometimes hear/or read Rooney's comments the following week either on radio or news print.

and almost always would get a chuckle.

these past few years I have resummed watching the weekly broadcast normally by dvr, and have once again been entertained by Mr. Rooney's words and thoughts.

Mr. Rooney's last show on sunday, 2 Oct 2011 was another classic; showing all the people he had worked with over his 60+ year career and also how he transformed his 60 minute closure into a cult-like following.

I can't exactly remember everything he said during that piece, but do recall something that goes like this

(don't quote me): 

"many of you have sent me letters and said nice things to me on the street. I wasn't always gracious, as it's hard to accept being liked. and I don't say this often, but... thank-you.

but if you see me in a restaurant just let me eat my dinner."

another classic Rooney.

I know that I did not quote him word for word,

but I think I came pretty close. in fact, being 60 minutes airs tomorrow night, I'm thinking they may re-run that clip in honor of his memory. if you didn't catch 'it' the first time around, watch it... it's worth your time, I promise.

in closure; I would just like to thank the bushy eyebrowed, raspy voiced, overbearing, tell-it-like-it-is, grandpa-like 'writer' who seemed to never care what others thought of him (but really did) for being who he was:

honest, direct and brilliant...

-continued/11:30p-

mixed emotions with the ucla win over arizona state.

I'm of course very happy the team won, but that also extends the life of coach rick. now, apparently I had been given false information before concerning the players attitude towards the coach. I was told at one time that the players didn't like him at all, but was told differently tonite.

so whatever is good for the program; it would be nice to compete all season long though and just not win a big game every once in a while.

all righty then, I'm beat so I'll update you all later.

g'nite...

06 Nov 2011/8:45a

good sunday morning.

it's raining today, the forecast says it should clear up by

early afternoon, no worries.

will be quiet here for the nfl games today, just the 4 of us. Ash and grandma normally are else where while the games are playing, so it will probably be just grandpa jack and I watching the 9ers at 10am.

yesterday was pretty fun at the rose bowl;

these past couple of years I've had a better time tailgating than actually watching the football game.

(how much fun can you have when you lose, regularly?)

and with Ash having 'her friend' at the event was interesting to say the least. nice kid, very polite young man.

but 'he is' a teenage boy, my now sworn enemy.

seriously tho, he was such a gracious and wonderful addition to our little gang, everyone liked him.

as far as him being shy?... I'm thinking he may have turned the corner on that little personality trait.

so besides the standard tailgate, the semi-full stadium,

(was just over 60,000 in a 90,000+ seats)

the awesome company, and perfect weather for football;

the game itself was very well played and exciting.

after the win, we waited out the traffic and after dropping off christopher (I don't think he liked me calling him c-man) at his house, we made our way to west covina for a little bit of a celebration party, and head back home around 10p.

if it hadn't been for grandpa jack being with Ash and I,

we most likely would have spent the night parked on the drive of the mexi-godfather. which would have meant church this morning, and another mexican food fest afterwards.

both are wonderful to attend, but I am just in the mood for a relaxed sunday. I'm sitting downstairs in the kitchen watching grandma jo prepare veggies for a stew we are having for dinner, listening to grandpa jack play with devil-the-pup (puppy is doing much better btw)

and wondering wear my daughter is. she is still in bed;

I believe she was up late talking on the phone with friends.

no worries, she can sleep all day if she wants to.

well, I think it's time to start up the main fireplace,

I have some special log composite thing I'm suppose to burn first before using regular wood. I just checked to make sure today wasn't in high pollution warning,

you can get fined here in southern cal if you burn wood during the wrong times, crazy eh?

well, well, the sleeping princess just walked into the kitchen... I can always tell when she is up, cause aj, elles and rustin always begin to 'talk' and act all crazy.

hmmm. I was just 'told' that bagels, lox and creme cheese sounds good for breakfast. yes it does, and my little girl is putting on sweats to go with her old man.

ok, gotta run, happy sunday all. go 9ers!!!

-continued/9p-

hey.

how was everyone's sunday?

I myself had a very laid back uneventful day;

made a bagel run with my child,

burned a cleaning log in the main fireplace,

watched the sf49ers beat the redskins of d.c.,

played ps3 madden 2010 against grandpa jack,

(we both are really 'not that good')

listened w/my kid to a new amy winehouse cd she just got,

took the sibs out for a walk after the rain stopped,

worked-out before dinner,

had a wonderful meal of beef stew,

watched some mindless tv programs, and now getting ready to call it a day. I told you my day wasn't that exciting...

-07 Nov 2011/7:45a-

good morning.

as ugly as yesterday was, today is just as beautiful.

chores were completed some time ago,

and I've been enjoying the time change which has the sun rising a little earlier now.

standard morning here so far.

grandpa jack will be riding along this morning during the whole school transport thing,

and then after we drop off Ash and her friends,

we will both be enroute to san diego to look at a property that the elders are interested in purchasing.

why they would prefer to be in san diego than the

LA area is beyond me.

I love LA, everything you could ever want is here.

grandma jo doesn't want to come along,

saying she has 'some things' she wants to get done

around the house.

ok then, will get back to you all after we return,

have a great monday all...

-continued/9:30p-

well, I guess I understand now what the strong

attraction is to san diego:

number one;

the traffic is not even close to the congestion

of the LA area.

number 2:

the smog is... no where to be seen.

number 3;

the people appear to be so much nicer.

number 4;

it looks/feels so much cleaner.

and number 5;

it is just so damn beautiful... everywhere!!!

now in reference to the last 'reason';

every city I've ever been to is beautiful in it's own right,

but the area's we were visiting today were breath taking. and the weather was majestic; maybe 70' was the high,

no clouds, just a slight breeze on the beaches and the air was crisp and clean.

I am not at all familar with the san diego area,

but recall these spots; sunset cliffs, ocean beach, del mar, cardiff by the sea. some of these places had houses we looked at, some we just drove thru.

and you know what, for this time period being a

'buyers market', you would never know it by the listings.

no matter what someone is 'asking' for a product, it's only worth what someone is willing to pay for it. period.

ok then; the drive south was smooth once we passed long beach, and after 405 hit the 5, we were rockin.

we actually detoured at el toro to drive aboard the old marine base I had been stationed at in the early 80's; it's called orange county great park now. it appeared that there was suppose to be a 'guard' at the entrance, but we just drove on. I couldn't believe how desolate the area is, and the golf course is no longer there. I was stunned.

so we just drove the entire perimeter around the ex-base while I was telling jack 'what used to be there'.

and what the hell is up with the giant orange balloon?

I can't be sure, but it appeared to be going up and down while we viewed it, maybe a ride or something.

*I just googled the park, 'it is a ride', that would be awesome to see the base from that vantage point.

I feel a day trip coming on at a later date.

alrighty then, after the detour, we were back on the 5 towards san diego. we got there a little before noon,so we found a hooters (market & 4th) and had a couple beers with wings while we waited for a realtor call back.

I used to enjoy hooters alot before I got married the 2nd time; now the girls just seem so damn young,

and I guess I'm just too damn old.

so after the realtor met us, showed us a few props and we tired of her 'yaba-daba-doo' we just drove around for a little while, before heading back home.

even though we had only traveled about 170 miles from

the house today, it was so nice to get home.

(a little later than I had wanted to tho)

so after playing with the kidz, listening to a couple 'locker stories' from Ash while I scarfed down some left-over stew,

I took a hot shower; and now here I sit upstairs in my bed surrounded by mounds of breathing furballs, drinking a ton of water and watching the movie 2012 as I once again bore you with my drabbling. my immediate plans for tomorrow are unknow; but I'm thinking... not much!

would like to finish up a couple pages I have

started for this site;

maybe I'll just post what I have so far.

well it's nearly 9:30pm and I'm just beat; we drove over 400 miles today and ended up at the same place we started... don't figure.

alright, going to sleep now.

I hope you all had a wonderful monday, good nite.   

08 Nov 2011/10a

good mid-morning all... have a very 'easy' day planned.

to begin with, my lazy ass didn't even get outa the bed until 7:15a; which is almost 2hrs past the time I normally like to start my day. both cats and 4 dogs were still in bed w/me as I decided to 'get going'.

grandpa jack had already done the 'wheel barrow push' by the time I got downstairs (jack is 'da-bomb'),

and a fresh pot of caffeine was waiting for me. nice.

so as I sat there w/the grandparents discussing our san diego trip, my kid comes down fully dressed and informs me she wanted to get to school 'early' today. early?

it's almost an hour before we were due to leave

(unless we pick-up her crew).

hmmm. well, why ask why I say.

in retrospect, maybe I should have.

but I trust her, so if she says she has something going on,

so be it.

after dropping Ash off, I gassed up the suv,

picked up doughnuts, and made it back here just in time for the 8am sportscenter. so that's been my day so far; I have absolutely 'nothing' going on, so I'm thinking I will just 'play around' all day. maybe even taking the kidz to the dog-run later this afternoon. will check-in through-out the day, especially if something noteworthy happens.

-continued/11:15a- 

Joseph 'Smokin-Joe' William Frazier

January 12, 1944 - November 7, 2011

god bless you champ...

-continued/7p-

home-made potato soup w/thick-cut hickory bacon bits,

fresh chopped chives, shredded extra sharp cheddar,

and sour cream on top;

scratch witchetty grubs (these are awesome) and a 'small' slice of pecan pie. just thought I would let you guys know that I'm eating well. grandma jo has 'tweaked' my potato soup recipe abit, adding potato-buds towards the end to thicken it up, among other tidbits of ingredients.

and those 'witchetty grubs' (named after the larvae of a ghost moth in australia); well they are just wonderful, kinda like a biscuit, kinda not. they are made with cream corn, flour, shredded cheddar, sliced almonds.

ok then, enough food talk.

as I had hoped, my day was nothing worth mentioning;

I worked on my tv/movie quote page a little, helped prepare the veggies for the soup, and sat out back for a while enjoying the brisk morning.

I did go to the best buy electronic store in hopes of beginning my christmas shopping early and with no one tagging along peeking at what I have in the bags. but, after talking with the sales associate, I decided to wait until black friday to get some of the deals we were talking of.

I can't really say what my gift giving ideas are, as someone might just read this and then boom; 'santa kiss' is discovered. this is going to be one of the best holiday seasons of my life, and I am as excited as I ever have been

for 'the season' to arrive. for the past couple of years it's just been the kidz and I, and that's just been fine with me.

but, seeing how the dogs and cats don't really change in demeanor when they are ripping the wrapping off their presents, it's hard to determine if they like the gift or just making a mess with the tissue paper.

after looking and touching everything at best buy, I had about an hour to kill before picking up the girls from school, so I had a coffee at dunkin' and just sat outside and people watched.

I remember the day when people were so much nicer to one another, not anymore. I actually observed this very nice looking young man 'try' and begin some harmless chit-chat with a young lady, and she just totally blew him off.

in fact he was re-buffed very directly!

who knows, maybe they knew each other.

I actually felt sorry for him at the time;

but maybe I should have felt sorry for her having her 'quiet me time' interrupted by an unwanted advance.

anyway, I picked up the 'girl six' gang, took them to arby's for a snack, dropped everyone at home, and then Ash and I talked/laughed while we drove home. my kid has a wicked sense of humor, and loves telling/hearing jokes.

after dinner, the seniors decided to go the movies again,

Ash went to her room for homework, and I am sitting here bymyself typing this up.

devil the pup got in trouble today for eating a toilet paper roll off the spool, and then of course he yaked it up, which just added insult to injury. he is going to be a wonderful dog,

but his name 'devil' is suiting him just fine.

oh, I gotta go, Ash is ready to practice her oral report on me concerning the events surrounding the louisiana purchase

(us history). jeesh; I can't remember shit, I guess I will 'google' to check her facts.

I'll tuck you guys in, in a couple of hours or so.

hope everyone had a wonderful day...

*hey, look in on my tv/movies quote page and give me some feedback please; good idea, bad idea, layout, etc. thanx.

-continued/10:15p-

just checked my emails, thanks for the feedback so soon on the 'tv/movies quote page', and some of you were absolutely correct, some of the quotes that I had listed were severly wrong; ie; mis-quoted, some not even close.

I admit I was using 'imdb.com' as a refresher to scenes that I remembered as memoriable, and some of the quotes were directly from this site. they be wrong baby!

example: I put the 'due date' movie in, and what imdb.com lists as the quotes differ dramatically

from what is actually said...

they've been corrected on my site.

so, I guess, I will have to do that page the old fashion way; watch the movie and transcribe directly from

what I actually hear.

what a pisser that you can't rely on what is written on the net(ha-ha), especially on a site so well respected as the

internet movie database. alright, again thanx for the quick response from so many of you. glad you like it.

so my kid gave a great 10min presentation concerning the historical event she was assigned. goodness, the things you forget you've ever known. but seriously, how many times has the subject of the louisiana purchase of july 1803 regarding 15 states come up in the last 30 years of your life?

as for me?....... none!

after we finished with 'homework', we took the herd for a walk, and then came back inside to find the grandparents had returned. they saw the movie 'in time'. when I asked how they liked it, grandpa jack said wait til it comes out on cable. that'll be about 120 days.

well, I just started watching 'pulp fiction' on cinemax,

so I'll be checking the quotes I've listed.

only 3 days until ucla basketball, oh yea baby!!!

everyone have a great night...

09 Nov 2011/11a

ugh... I caught a germ somewhere in my mis-adventures. and I am so willing to bet it was at the 'best buy' yesterday;

I was touching everything;

tv remotes, video game controls, etc.

it just grosses me out that someone else's biohazard has invaded my personal space... literally!

grandma jo saw me this morn when I came downstairs and sent my ass back to bed. I was too exhasted to argue,

so I went back to sleep for a couple of hours.

orange juice, gatorade, and tylenol; breakfast of champions. so here I lay all congested, temp of 102.4, and sweating like I just had incredible sex. (I wish)

ugh; I'm going to go back to sleep. so many pets on my bed here; maybe I'll go lay on my couch, maybe not.

-continued/3:30p-

don't you just love it when;

you wake-up/come back home/return to to your table from the bathroom... and something is waiting for you?

in this case 'waking-up' and finding my laundry done/folded, more gatorade in my room-fridge,

an assortment of cold remedies/vitamins on my vanity, chicken noodle soup in a thermos,

and fresh water/food for the kidz. I know that was grandma jo who did these things, oh btw; grandpa jack did my 'shit detail' this morning also... I love these guys.

ugh; I so hate being sick; hate it, hate it, fuckin' hate it!

I do feel a little better since my 4 hour nap tho.

I hear my kid running up the stairs, and here she is.

gotta go.

10 November 2011

today is thursday, 10 nov 2011.

just another day in the normal work week for nearly all of you; but for a few of us it is something more;

today we celebrate the 236th anniversary of the 'birth' of

'the United States Marine Corps'.

samuel nicholas (1744-1790) was the first officer commisioned in the united states continental marines.

(now the united states marine corps)

and by tradition is considered to be the very first commandant of the marine corps.

'captain' samuel nicholas while discussing procedures with other officers in 'tun tavern' located in philadelphia, pa formed two battalions of continental marines on 10 nov 1775 as a naval infantry. the marine corps is and always have been a component of the united states department of the navy. often working closely with u.s. naval forces for training, transportation and logistic purposes;

however in the military leadership structure,

the united states marine corps

is a seperate branch.

I dedicate the following to every man and woman who has ever worn the marine corps uniform,

and also to all the families and friends who have/had

'a marine' in their lives: 

the Marines hymn

author: unknown

from the halls of montezuma,

to the shores of tripoli;

we fight our countries battles,

in the air, on land, and sea.

first to fight for right and freedom,

and to keep our honor clean;

we are proud to claim the title

of united states marine.

our flag's unfurled to every breeze,

from dawn to setting sun;

we have fought in every clime and place

where we could take a gun;

in the snow of far-off northern lands,

and in sunny tropic scenes,

you will always find us on the job;

the united states marines.

here's health to you and our corp,

which we are proud to serve;

in many a strife we fought for life,

and never lost our nerve;

if the army and the navy

ever look on heaven's scenes;

they will find the gates are guarded

by the united states marines.

-continued/8:30a-

good morning all.

usually at this time I would be 'shuttling' my beautiful little girl and her entourage (now known as girl-6)

to their daily place of learning;

all the while listening 'loudly' to a wide assortment of 'tunes' I wouldn't have normally picked for my listening pleasure.

but grandpa jack decided I still needed to rest and recover from whatever the fuck has invaded my bio-spere.

I am actually feeling much better today, but the elders are correct when they say I don't want a relapse to occur. especially since I have a mega-huge weekend planned,

that will begin in about 35 hours or so.

I have all our game tickets, air fares, and hotel all set up;

just waiting for the clock to hurry up and say

'it's time to go'.

I also got my cousin a tik to the stanford-oregon game on sat-nite so he would not be so upset at me taking 3 outa 4 tix for the sf49er game on sunday.

I know he is a uc berkeley fan (california golden bears), so I'm sure he will be rooting against stanford 'loudly', which will make the entire experience a little more fun.

the old men and I will be cheering on 'luck and the boys'.

as I've discussed in an earlier entry, I am just so impressed with andrew luck's decision to come back to the school and play his senior year. oh, and I had forgotten that 'big jim' had gone 'north' to coach the 9ers, so stanford is doing all of this with a new leader, fucking impressive I say!!!

my ucla bruins, after 4 years with the same coach, are barely hanging on for post season play.

alright, I was just called downstairs for breakfast; pancakes, bacon and orange juice. we'll 'talk' later...

-continued/10:30a-

yo yo yo.

I'm feeling a little better, especially since I just had a hot fat-laden breakfast, shaved, trimmed my facial, plucked my brows, (stfu ladies... lol), took a steaming hot shower, brushed my teeth, and put on a brand new pair of pj's.

(without the footies).

ya, all I need now is a brandy, silk robe and about 1000 naked women running around the house.

ok, I'll settle for... one, but the grandparents may be a little embarrassed by my intentions to play 'twister' in the nude. idea: we could play in the barn!!!

I don't think jack, jill or sammy would mind.

getting hay up my tush may put a hamper on things tho,

'exit only.'

actually, I'm feeling alot better; still waiting for that euphoric sensation you get upon realizing the 'slimey bug' that poisoned your 'well-being' has died and moved on with his/her bad-ass self. so, my plans are; to catch up on some emails, return a couple pending calls, go thru my snail-mail, and probably take a nap as I'm still running a temp.

I'm not that big of 'a baby' when I'm sick, but mostly like to be left alone. but when someone such as the grandparents, my daughter and yes, even my petz are trying to make me feel better, I just let them all boss me around and do whatever they want me to; alot less stress that way.

oh, and one more thing before I sign-off for a bit; why is it 'men' always 'think' they are 'in-charge' of the house?

stupid, stupid, stupid!

hey guys, the faster you realize the only thing you are

'in-charge of' is going to the bathroom on your own, the faster your life will be smooth sailing.

hmmm. and actually, being told to 'use the bathroom'

before a trip usually is said by a female travel companion,

so guess what men?: we ain't in charge of shit!!!

-continued/12:15p-

'songs, thongs, bongs & schlongs'

that is the funniest two and a half man line I've heard since they kicked charlie sheen to the curb.

actually, the entire episode; 'thank-you for the intercourse' was the best episode yet. but I'm thinking it's because the writer's used alot of the 'charlie harper' antics from other eps.

I won't get too excited about the new format tho,

this may be just a 'one-time-deal'.

but I did save 'it' on my dvr, for later viewing.

so, as you can tell, I'm catching up on my normal activities; my dvr has a 'shit-load' of shows that need to be viewed and/or erased. I heard from the elders that 60 minutes did indeed have a segment dedicated to the passing of 'rooney', so I may have to watch that next.

btw, thank you for all your emails/voice-mails wishing me a speedy recovery, you guys are just so nice to me always.

ok then; I am going to go out back and get some fresh air,

the horse-groomer just arrived and I need to

ask her some questions.

be back in a while...

-continued/10p-

I may have overexerted myself a little bit today; as I am feeling a little flushed and extremely tired.

my temperature is holding steady at 100.5, so I am going to bed shortly and will be hydrating myself all night.

hopefully I will 'sweat' the rest of this 'shit' outa my system. ok then. well, after my visit with the horse-groomer/trainer,

I sat out back and chatted with grandma jo about what her and Ash had planned for sat/sun while we

were in the bay area. apparently there will be some sort of slumber party going on sat-nite with about a dozen teenaged girls here at the house. I asked her if she could handle that many girls herself?, and she said that grandma p was also going to be here along with a couple of her grand-daughters. jeesh, the things that I am no longer privy to.

I was going to ask my daughter about this, but decided to let this pass for now. I'll see what is what later.

I picked up girl-6 from school, and they had other friends with them, and they all wanted to go get a bite to eat;

so the remainder of the kids; 4 boys and another girl followed us in a 70's van to the olive garden.

that was an adventure in itself; and I don't think we should be going back there anytime soon.

by 'anytime soon' I mean within the next year.

yes, it was quite an obnoxious event.

after the 'dinner show', I dropped off a couple of the girls at their homes and the remaining 3 of them are spending the nite here at the house.

(no school tomorrow; veteran's day)

so let me tell you; I had an idea earlier today about taking my daughter south to san diego tomorrow to watch a graduation ceremony at the marine corps recruit depot. but, after making contact with the officer of the day of the base, was notified that there is no 'ceremony' on friday.

reasons; the marine corps ball is this evening, and tomorrow being veterans day is a national holiday. so be it.

and when I mentioned this idea to Ash, she was into it.

so we will try another time/day.

ok, I drank a couple shots of nyquil and it is starting

to 'hit me hard', so I will be wrapping this up now.

also, be advised that I will continue this on

mt.13.1 tomorrow morn. I have been rather long winded this month (so far) and this page takes forever to load/save.

good nite; stay safe, sleep well.

sweet dreams all...    

continued on my thoughts.13.1...

G.A.'HOLLYWOOD'KISS