I just finished watching the new "Predators" movie down here in Orange County; Papa and I went to the show while Logan and Breanna stayed behind to play their favorite board games and watch one of Nana's 3,678 movies (and I'm not kidding on that number.....well OK, plus or minus about 100 DVDs or so, but that's still TONS of movies she has! Nana is the movie-watch from HELL !! !! !! ;)
Anything that she likes, such as TV movies: CSI, Law & Order, Law & Order: SVU, 24 with Kiefer Sutherland, Scrubs, The Price is Right, Wheel of Fortune, Rin Tin Tin, you name it, if she really likes it, she'll either copy it onto a VHS tape or copy/record it directly onto a DVD disc!!! She's really techno-savvy with all the movie recording devices!!! "Ohhh here she comes, watch out Lord, she'll chew you up!!!! Whooooaaaaa here she comes, she's a DVD/VHS eater!!!!!!!!!" :)
Ed's 2010 Retirement party was a BLAST! It was about 4 weeks ago; it was hotter than shit that day, about 95 degrees, we worked our asses off to throw Ed one hell of a retirement party, I took all the pics and video of the event; it turned out great! June and Gary were talking to me quite a bit and Gary seemed aloof and funny as always, happy and in his element teasing/making life miserable or at least questionable for the kids cause he'd ask them off the wall questions and humorous stuff.
That's it for now, more to come.....
Brian & Tressa
Friday, July 16, 2010
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Wow, Christmas 2009 has now passed us. Amazing, where did the year go? Logan and Breanna made out like bandits, like they always do at X-Mas! Breanna got a new "beginner's Singer sowing machine," a Mermaid Barbie, some really cool glow in the dark bracelets, and one of her favorite things, a Crayola Magic Doodle canvas with its drawing wand. It's pretty awesome....basically you take the protective plastic coating off the canvas, you install three AAA batteries, and turn the wand on and start drawing.
It looks best in the dark (after all it's a Magical Glow in the dark Doodling canvas). :) It's incredible, the tip of the wand has two types of applicators, one looks like a 35 carat diamond head which disperses some of the "glowing ink" when you're drawring, makes a thicker line too; you access the other tip by pulling off the diamond tip and it's a more pin-point accuracy tip that draws straighter well defined lines. She played with the canvas and drew for hours last night.
Logan loved it too cause when they turned off the lights, "Holy cow, Dad, it glows so bright!!!!" Breanna read some of the instructions and turned to me elated, "Daddy, the drawing stays on the canvas for about 4 or 5 minutes, then goes away so I can draw again!!!" The smiles were priceless . . . . now on to Logan. He got a Mattel Police chopper with sound effects and lights (the turbine for the rotor blades spins inside the shaft of the choppy and lights up, he loves it)! Then I think he got his favorite gift from here: It was the NERF N-Strike shoot-em-up game for the Nintendo Wii. Logan also got a Crayola gift, it was sweet, a spray painting, template driven, art spraygun. That was a mouthful, but basically he has lots of templates like animals or cars, etc, that he can airbrush onto his arms or legs and it looks like a tattoo; it then comes off in about 2 days or so (as per the instructions, so that means most likely 4 to 5 days the tattoo will be gone).
Christmas Eve we always have X-Mas with my folks, so we went over to Tia's for a great dinner and present opening.
Logan opened his presents from Nana & Papa, he got a cool Tool Set, looks like a Black & Decker set from Home Depot....has a drill, saws-all, screwdriver, etc, etc. He then opened up his favorite gift, he got the Star Trek Enterprise 1701 replica starship. It's got lights and sounds from the latest Star Trek movie, "Target the enemy ship, open up with everything we've got, FIRE!!!!" LOL!!!! And he loves the Red Alert sound and the ship lights up like a Christmas tree.
Breanna got makeup and hair scrunchees, and also the hair strings you can put in your hair to make interesting pony tails and styles. She's all about FASHION so she loved those gifts. She got a gumball/candy machine and an ATM machine for playing Enron-Financial VP-gonna-take-your-money-gone-wrong games!! ;)
I got a wonderful X-Mas card from Tressa, it made me cry and a waterproof AM/FM radio for the shower (so I can listen to Lamont & Tonelli on 107.7 The Bone)!! !! !!
I got Tressa the Scorpions 20th century: Millenium Edition CD via iTunes (OK, so I download the tracks then made her a CD, but you get the picture!! :)
It's 6:00am, go back to sleep. I'll wake you up in 10 minutes and we can watch cartoons on Nickelodeon! I just don't ever tell them that it's not 10 minutes that I'll wake them up in, it's more like 2 or 2.5 hours so they get some good sleep. ;)
It was a wonderful Christmas: good times, good food, always great people, and a beautiful Wife and two amazing children I thank God for.....they're the reason I exist. My Dad got out of the hospital about 1.5 weeks before Christmas and is recovering well. I was worried about him and wished I could have visited him more, but duty called and the mortgage got paid. Tia's doing well, complaining every day via the phone or in person that her knee's going to explode like Chernobyl on a Super-Vodka Sunday!!! LMAO!!!!! AND!!! Mom has not run into any more Monkey Bars on the kid's school campus, so life is good.
Even if I had gotten NOTHING for X-Mas, it would have been a perfect day . . . because my kids walk up to me every morning, give me a warm hug and say those four magic words that Melt My Heart, "I Love You, Daddy."
I love you too, Angels.
All my love forever,
Daddy (aka: Brian :)
It looks best in the dark (after all it's a Magical Glow in the dark Doodling canvas). :) It's incredible, the tip of the wand has two types of applicators, one looks like a 35 carat diamond head which disperses some of the "glowing ink" when you're drawring, makes a thicker line too; you access the other tip by pulling off the diamond tip and it's a more pin-point accuracy tip that draws straighter well defined lines. She played with the canvas and drew for hours last night.
Logan loved it too cause when they turned off the lights, "Holy cow, Dad, it glows so bright!!!!" Breanna read some of the instructions and turned to me elated, "Daddy, the drawing stays on the canvas for about 4 or 5 minutes, then goes away so I can draw again!!!" The smiles were priceless . . . . now on to Logan. He got a Mattel Police chopper with sound effects and lights (the turbine for the rotor blades spins inside the shaft of the choppy and lights up, he loves it)! Then I think he got his favorite gift from here: It was the NERF N-Strike shoot-em-up game for the Nintendo Wii. Logan also got a Crayola gift, it was sweet, a spray painting, template driven, art spraygun. That was a mouthful, but basically he has lots of templates like animals or cars, etc, that he can airbrush onto his arms or legs and it looks like a tattoo; it then comes off in about 2 days or so (as per the instructions, so that means most likely 4 to 5 days the tattoo will be gone).
Christmas Eve we always have X-Mas with my folks, so we went over to Tia's for a great dinner and present opening.
Logan opened his presents from Nana & Papa, he got a cool Tool Set, looks like a Black & Decker set from Home Depot....has a drill, saws-all, screwdriver, etc, etc. He then opened up his favorite gift, he got the Star Trek Enterprise 1701 replica starship. It's got lights and sounds from the latest Star Trek movie, "Target the enemy ship, open up with everything we've got, FIRE!!!!" LOL!!!! And he loves the Red Alert sound and the ship lights up like a Christmas tree.
Breanna got makeup and hair scrunchees, and also the hair strings you can put in your hair to make interesting pony tails and styles. She's all about FASHION so she loved those gifts. She got a gumball/candy machine and an ATM machine for playing Enron-Financial VP-gonna-take-your-money-gone-wrong games!! ;)
I got a wonderful X-Mas card from Tressa, it made me cry and a waterproof AM/FM radio for the shower (so I can listen to Lamont & Tonelli on 107.7 The Bone)!! !! !!
I got Tressa the Scorpions 20th century: Millenium Edition CD via iTunes (OK, so I download the tracks then made her a CD, but you get the picture!! :)
It's 6:00am, go back to sleep. I'll wake you up in 10 minutes and we can watch cartoons on Nickelodeon! I just don't ever tell them that it's not 10 minutes that I'll wake them up in, it's more like 2 or 2.5 hours so they get some good sleep. ;)
It was a wonderful Christmas: good times, good food, always great people, and a beautiful Wife and two amazing children I thank God for.....they're the reason I exist. My Dad got out of the hospital about 1.5 weeks before Christmas and is recovering well. I was worried about him and wished I could have visited him more, but duty called and the mortgage got paid. Tia's doing well, complaining every day via the phone or in person that her knee's going to explode like Chernobyl on a Super-Vodka Sunday!!! LMAO!!!!! AND!!! Mom has not run into any more Monkey Bars on the kid's school campus, so life is good.
Even if I had gotten NOTHING for X-Mas, it would have been a perfect day . . . because my kids walk up to me every morning, give me a warm hug and say those four magic words that Melt My Heart, "I Love You, Daddy."
I love you too, Angels.
All my love forever,
Daddy (aka: Brian :)
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Sunday, July 12, 2009, 5:45am
Well, it was a sad day on Thursday night. Man, I have not written anything on this Blog for almost a year......anyway, my Dad called me up and said, "We've got Trudy down here at the Vet, but have some bad news..... I thought she broke her neck or her legs gave out cause her hind legs were having some bad arthritis; I wasn't prepared for what came out of my Dad's mouth, "Bri, she had a slipped disc in her back and couldn't even walk, the Vet Doctor said it'd be 7,000 to 10,000 just to try to repair the disc in her back, with NO Garantee she'd pull out of it and be able to walk or not. We had to put her to sleep, so she wouldn't suffer or be in any pain.
My poor Trudy, couldn't even walk in her last days, but at least she could see clearly since she had cataract surgery ($3,800) worth about a month ago. That's why what Dad told me blew me away so much; she was walking around great and getting her energy back and playing with Hailey and Brisco (my Dad's Beagle and older Australian Shepherd). Trudy was such a love, she'd give you kisses all day if you got close to her face. She'd howl when you came in the door for the 1st time, telling you, "I'm so excited to see you, but all I can do is howl and bark since I can't speak English!!!!" She'd herd Brisco and Hailey into the kitchen like a good sheep dog would. She knew how to sit and shake, and "Speak" on command if you wanted her too. What a powerful bark she had; in her prime, she weighed a good 120 lbs, and man could she bark!!! ;)
OK, time for some happy postings instead of this depressing crap. On another note, we're getting Tia all setup at home now that she's not at Sunnyvale Carecenter anymore. She's a lot stronger now from the physical therapy and excersizes which is awesome! She still does not like to use her cane, I think it's a mental defiance, "I don't need this damn cane, you idiots, I can walk just fine without it!!!!" :) That's my Tia, defiant and independent till the end.
I bought her a remote control for her Toshiba combo TV/VCR/DVD unit and finally she'll be able to program all the cable channels instead of having the TV jump channels like from 7 to 11, then to 14, 26, 48, etc, etc.
For the wife's and my 5th Anniversary, I bought her a Dove dark chocolate bar, dinner at our favorite Restaurant, Maggiano's in Santana Row (San Jose, CA outdoor mall, it's an awesome place to do some good walking and enjoy the nightlife and stores). We had out favorites: Crab Cakes, Chopped Salad, Gnochi, and Baked Mussels Diavolo style! Mmmmmm, YEAH!!!!!!!!!!! Very tasty and I kept it fairly cheap, it was only $63 including tip, so not bad at all. We split each entree and enjoyed the night completely.
I also bought Tressa the BlueAnt S1 car speakerphone (you put it on the visor of your car and can answer calls, end calls, etc, via voice commands, and the clarity is awesome; usually people don't even know you're on a speakerphone, that's how clear it is. Found this one through CNET, I almost got the LG one, because it reacharges the speakerphone through it's Solar Panels, but it was expensive and the BlueAnt had amazing call quality as per the Editor's Choice statistics. Alright, I'm tired, I'm going back to bed. Take care all.
Daddy, out . . . . :)
Well, it was a sad day on Thursday night. Man, I have not written anything on this Blog for almost a year......anyway, my Dad called me up and said, "We've got Trudy down here at the Vet, but have some bad news..... I thought she broke her neck or her legs gave out cause her hind legs were having some bad arthritis; I wasn't prepared for what came out of my Dad's mouth, "Bri, she had a slipped disc in her back and couldn't even walk, the Vet Doctor said it'd be 7,000 to 10,000 just to try to repair the disc in her back, with NO Garantee she'd pull out of it and be able to walk or not. We had to put her to sleep, so she wouldn't suffer or be in any pain.
My poor Trudy, couldn't even walk in her last days, but at least she could see clearly since she had cataract surgery ($3,800) worth about a month ago. That's why what Dad told me blew me away so much; she was walking around great and getting her energy back and playing with Hailey and Brisco (my Dad's Beagle and older Australian Shepherd). Trudy was such a love, she'd give you kisses all day if you got close to her face. She'd howl when you came in the door for the 1st time, telling you, "I'm so excited to see you, but all I can do is howl and bark since I can't speak English!!!!" She'd herd Brisco and Hailey into the kitchen like a good sheep dog would. She knew how to sit and shake, and "Speak" on command if you wanted her too. What a powerful bark she had; in her prime, she weighed a good 120 lbs, and man could she bark!!! ;)
OK, time for some happy postings instead of this depressing crap. On another note, we're getting Tia all setup at home now that she's not at Sunnyvale Carecenter anymore. She's a lot stronger now from the physical therapy and excersizes which is awesome! She still does not like to use her cane, I think it's a mental defiance, "I don't need this damn cane, you idiots, I can walk just fine without it!!!!" :) That's my Tia, defiant and independent till the end.
I bought her a remote control for her Toshiba combo TV/VCR/DVD unit and finally she'll be able to program all the cable channels instead of having the TV jump channels like from 7 to 11, then to 14, 26, 48, etc, etc.
For the wife's and my 5th Anniversary, I bought her a Dove dark chocolate bar, dinner at our favorite Restaurant, Maggiano's in Santana Row (San Jose, CA outdoor mall, it's an awesome place to do some good walking and enjoy the nightlife and stores). We had out favorites: Crab Cakes, Chopped Salad, Gnochi, and Baked Mussels Diavolo style! Mmmmmm, YEAH!!!!!!!!!!! Very tasty and I kept it fairly cheap, it was only $63 including tip, so not bad at all. We split each entree and enjoyed the night completely.
I also bought Tressa the BlueAnt S1 car speakerphone (you put it on the visor of your car and can answer calls, end calls, etc, via voice commands, and the clarity is awesome; usually people don't even know you're on a speakerphone, that's how clear it is. Found this one through CNET, I almost got the LG one, because it reacharges the speakerphone through it's Solar Panels, but it was expensive and the BlueAnt had amazing call quality as per the Editor's Choice statistics. Alright, I'm tired, I'm going back to bed. Take care all.
Daddy, out . . . . :)
Tuesday, December 09, 2008
Last Thursday, December 4, 2008 was a hard and sad day for me and my family:
My Grandfather, Geronimo Valdez, Jr. passed away, he was 85 years old. This is a brief recount of the things we did together:
12/10/08 Por Valdez Chico!
Hello, ladies and gentlemen . . . nod, a bit less formally, hello to my family and friends;
“Ohhh, quieres mucho, tu!” Tio always used to say that to me, or the famous phrase: “Vas patras, tu…” Either way, my Tio was the best Grandpa a boy and now the man presenting this speech to you could ever have.
He’d take me anywhere and everywhere. To San Francisco by the beach to have fun in the sand and take cool 70’s plaid pants on the Grandson pictures, me smiling with his sunglasses on atop Tia’s ‘65 Ford Mustang hood.
Being an “Only Son,” it was a privilege when spending the night with Tio & Tia; which as you all know, back in the 70’s I practically lived at Tio’s from Friday after school until Sunday night after my parents long recovery from partying; watching Led Zeppelin, Eric Clapton, The Doors, Jimmy Hendrix, and Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young up at the Fillmore in S.F. ;) It’s OK Dad, you then got to instill an amazing taste in Rock N Roll music in me and hey, I got a new Transformer toy every weekend, YEAH BABY!!! We’d often take a quick trip to the closest arcade. Tio and Tia would drop me off inside the local arcade and be waiting outside in their car, sometimes for hours while I played away and enjoyed myself. They’d have a sandwich or snack from the liquor store close by and chat the night away while I spent quarter after quarter on perfecting my Jedi Knight reaction times.
I remember Tia telling me, “Mijo, here’s another $5 dollars, but don’t tell Tio cause that’ll be $10 you’ve spent here on these games…now go play quick, and don’t say NOAUSSSING to you Tio!!!!” J Those were the days. There were the unforgettable weekends at Tia’s playing my Atari 2600 (a friend of mine’s Dad worked for Atari and every three or four months would give me two EPROM chips to stick in the special cartridge he gave me to play the new games that just came out (I got em’ for free and everyone else was buying them at Toys R Us or Kmart, Radio Shack, etc, etc).
I used to love it when I got older, at the end of Junior High or being a Junior or Senior at Cupertino High School . . . Tio would start a debate with me, and I knew I was right about a certain thing and he’d pipe back at me, “Yeah, that’s what I mean, that’s right…that’s what I was going to say!” Ahhh, My Tio. He was an amazing gentleman. Both Tio and my Dad taught me to be gentle, never to hit a woman, to treat them with respect and dignity. To say what many kids these days forget or never think about, they are simple phrases: Please, Thank you, and You're Welcome. My Dad especially taught me about chivalry and to be courteous, respectful, and thankful for everything I have.
I’m really going to miss Tio. He would cherish every time I showed up at Tia’s, whether for dinner or just to stop by with some donuts from Donut Wheel on Saratoga-Sunnyvale Rd and 280. Every time I came through the door he knew I’d make a quick right, walk over to Tia and kiss her on the lips or on the forehead and give her a hug, “Hello.” After all, Ladies first, right? I’d then wander over his direction; he was always plopped down on the couch watching TV. ;) He’d see me come around the corner from the kitchen and just beam with pride and love—being so happy and glad I had come over. He was like the NEW Puppy you get from the Pound, that puppy knew you were its new owner that would give it undivided attention and the Pup would be elated and excited as all get go to see you, his tail wagging 100 miles an hour and never stopping; that’s how happy he’d be to see us all come over, what a smile, it always made me smile to see him light up that way.
A couple funny things I’ll mention, he always thought that if he left his old cars in the driveway getting older, that, “Mijo, you better believe it that car's gonna be worth more because it’s a classic!” Well, that “Classic 396” was only worth $2,000 when he sold it; but prior to the sale he told me, “Ohh yeah, don’t worry I’m gonna get $4,500 for that Chevelle, you watch….easy!” And I think my Dad picked up what I call the “Urgency Syndrome” from Tio. If Tio wanted something done now or tomorrow at 9:00am, then by-golly it better friggin’ be done at the time he wanted it done; if you couldn’t do it, then he’d find someone else who could help him or do it himself, cause you weren’t good enough (until the next time he needed some heavy lifting done that he couldn’t do). His task had to be done now, man, NOW!!! :)
Tio always kept me laughing or smiling in one way or another, I’ll never forget that. And as we used to say in a short game on the drive home from school to his house: “OK, alright . . . . alright OK, OK, alright, OK, OK, ALRIGHT ! ! !”
I Love You, Tio. God Bless You, keep you safe, watch over us now that your with God and Jeana and when you see Grandma Cruz, tell her I said, “Ohhh Lord!” I miss Grandma Cruz’s laugh, she was an Angel. I will always remember you, Tio, and thank you for touching my life, in your special way. I’d like to repeat the last words I said to you before you passed, you were waiting for all of us to get there. I kneeled over at your side and said, “Tio, I’m here. I love you with all my heart. You’re the best Grandpa a man could ever have and I don’t want you to be scared…..there’s no need to be afraid, because whether you go now or in 5 or 10 years, you will be with God and you’ll get to see Grandma Eusevia, My Grandma Cruz, and Grandma and Grandpa Greig and all of our family that have passed before us. You tell that special lady of mine, Jeana that you want some Spaghetti and homemade meatballs and Lasagna. But most importantly tell her I said “Hello and we miss her” from Breanna and me. I love you so much, Tio, but it’s OK to go if it’s time. Don’t let us hold you back, God needs you by his side to help others in Heaven and here on Earth. Godspeed, and God Bless you . . . I will always be with you in Spirit and you’ll always be in my Heart.
So I finished talking to him, knelt over closer and gave him a hug, and with that said, approximately 5 or 10 minutes later, my Tio took his last breath and passed away on Thursday, December 4, 2008, at 7:20pm.
Thank you all for coming today, it means the world to Tia, My Dad, me and my family. Anybody got three shots of Tequila or some J.D. I might need to get blitzed and drown out my sadness for a few days. I’m just kidding, but I will have one or two for Geronimo Valdez, Jr….why, because he was THE MAN!
God bless all of you and again, thank you for coming to this service, we appreciate it more than you know. Take care, ALL . . . . .
My Grandfather, Geronimo Valdez, Jr. passed away, he was 85 years old. This is a brief recount of the things we did together:
12/10/08 Por Valdez Chico!
Hello, ladies and gentlemen . . . nod, a bit less formally, hello to my family and friends;
“Ohhh, quieres mucho, tu!” Tio always used to say that to me, or the famous phrase: “Vas patras, tu…” Either way, my Tio was the best Grandpa a boy and now the man presenting this speech to you could ever have.
He’d take me anywhere and everywhere. To San Francisco by the beach to have fun in the sand and take cool 70’s plaid pants on the Grandson pictures, me smiling with his sunglasses on atop Tia’s ‘65 Ford Mustang hood.
Being an “Only Son,” it was a privilege when spending the night with Tio & Tia; which as you all know, back in the 70’s I practically lived at Tio’s from Friday after school until Sunday night after my parents long recovery from partying; watching Led Zeppelin, Eric Clapton, The Doors, Jimmy Hendrix, and Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young up at the Fillmore in S.F. ;) It’s OK Dad, you then got to instill an amazing taste in Rock N Roll music in me and hey, I got a new Transformer toy every weekend, YEAH BABY!!! We’d often take a quick trip to the closest arcade. Tio and Tia would drop me off inside the local arcade and be waiting outside in their car, sometimes for hours while I played away and enjoyed myself. They’d have a sandwich or snack from the liquor store close by and chat the night away while I spent quarter after quarter on perfecting my Jedi Knight reaction times.
I remember Tia telling me, “Mijo, here’s another $5 dollars, but don’t tell Tio cause that’ll be $10 you’ve spent here on these games…now go play quick, and don’t say NOAUSSSING to you Tio!!!!” J Those were the days. There were the unforgettable weekends at Tia’s playing my Atari 2600 (a friend of mine’s Dad worked for Atari and every three or four months would give me two EPROM chips to stick in the special cartridge he gave me to play the new games that just came out (I got em’ for free and everyone else was buying them at Toys R Us or Kmart, Radio Shack, etc, etc).
I used to love it when I got older, at the end of Junior High or being a Junior or Senior at Cupertino High School . . . Tio would start a debate with me, and I knew I was right about a certain thing and he’d pipe back at me, “Yeah, that’s what I mean, that’s right…that’s what I was going to say!” Ahhh, My Tio. He was an amazing gentleman. Both Tio and my Dad taught me to be gentle, never to hit a woman, to treat them with respect and dignity. To say what many kids these days forget or never think about, they are simple phrases: Please, Thank you, and You're Welcome. My Dad especially taught me about chivalry and to be courteous, respectful, and thankful for everything I have.
I’m really going to miss Tio. He would cherish every time I showed up at Tia’s, whether for dinner or just to stop by with some donuts from Donut Wheel on Saratoga-Sunnyvale Rd and 280. Every time I came through the door he knew I’d make a quick right, walk over to Tia and kiss her on the lips or on the forehead and give her a hug, “Hello.” After all, Ladies first, right? I’d then wander over his direction; he was always plopped down on the couch watching TV. ;) He’d see me come around the corner from the kitchen and just beam with pride and love—being so happy and glad I had come over. He was like the NEW Puppy you get from the Pound, that puppy knew you were its new owner that would give it undivided attention and the Pup would be elated and excited as all get go to see you, his tail wagging 100 miles an hour and never stopping; that’s how happy he’d be to see us all come over, what a smile, it always made me smile to see him light up that way.
A couple funny things I’ll mention, he always thought that if he left his old cars in the driveway getting older, that, “Mijo, you better believe it that car's gonna be worth more because it’s a classic!” Well, that “Classic 396” was only worth $2,000 when he sold it; but prior to the sale he told me, “Ohh yeah, don’t worry I’m gonna get $4,500 for that Chevelle, you watch….easy!” And I think my Dad picked up what I call the “Urgency Syndrome” from Tio. If Tio wanted something done now or tomorrow at 9:00am, then by-golly it better friggin’ be done at the time he wanted it done; if you couldn’t do it, then he’d find someone else who could help him or do it himself, cause you weren’t good enough (until the next time he needed some heavy lifting done that he couldn’t do). His task had to be done now, man, NOW!!! :)
Tio always kept me laughing or smiling in one way or another, I’ll never forget that. And as we used to say in a short game on the drive home from school to his house: “OK, alright . . . . alright OK, OK, alright, OK, OK, ALRIGHT ! ! !”
I Love You, Tio. God Bless You, keep you safe, watch over us now that your with God and Jeana and when you see Grandma Cruz, tell her I said, “Ohhh Lord!” I miss Grandma Cruz’s laugh, she was an Angel. I will always remember you, Tio, and thank you for touching my life, in your special way. I’d like to repeat the last words I said to you before you passed, you were waiting for all of us to get there. I kneeled over at your side and said, “Tio, I’m here. I love you with all my heart. You’re the best Grandpa a man could ever have and I don’t want you to be scared…..there’s no need to be afraid, because whether you go now or in 5 or 10 years, you will be with God and you’ll get to see Grandma Eusevia, My Grandma Cruz, and Grandma and Grandpa Greig and all of our family that have passed before us. You tell that special lady of mine, Jeana that you want some Spaghetti and homemade meatballs and Lasagna. But most importantly tell her I said “Hello and we miss her” from Breanna and me. I love you so much, Tio, but it’s OK to go if it’s time. Don’t let us hold you back, God needs you by his side to help others in Heaven and here on Earth. Godspeed, and God Bless you . . . I will always be with you in Spirit and you’ll always be in my Heart.
So I finished talking to him, knelt over closer and gave him a hug, and with that said, approximately 5 or 10 minutes later, my Tio took his last breath and passed away on Thursday, December 4, 2008, at 7:20pm.
Thank you all for coming today, it means the world to Tia, My Dad, me and my family. Anybody got three shots of Tequila or some J.D. I might need to get blitzed and drown out my sadness for a few days. I’m just kidding, but I will have one or two for Geronimo Valdez, Jr….why, because he was THE MAN!
God bless all of you and again, thank you for coming to this service, we appreciate it more than you know. Take care, ALL . . . . .
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Thursday, 8-29-08, 12:36am
Holy cow, OK, as if my last post wasn't bad enough, the heat today in Houston was a whopping 104 degrees!!!!!!! With the humidity it felt like 120, GOD DANG ! ! ! ! ! ! ! :( I hate this heat. :)
OK, now on to something I rarely comment on cause most politicians suck and are thiefs and liars, much like myself. LOL!!!!!!! NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :) OK, humor aside, here's a quote from Yahoo News concerning Bill Clinton's truthful support of Barrack Obama:
-----------------------------------------
"He was not used to the 24/7 news cycle and people with cell phones recordin what he said at every stop,” a close associate of his told me. “But you can’t blame Bill Clinton for the loss. At end of the day, he was a huge plus.”
Now, both Clintons have a chance to be a plus for Obama. But one of the greatest contributions they can make is to leave the spotlight. There can be only one nominee.
Conventions are a time for unity and good feelings, however, and the crowd received Bill very, very warmly Wednesday night.
Basking in the applause, he said: “I love this.”
And who says Bill Clinton doesn’t tell the truth?"
-----------------------------------------
Amen to that reporter, Roger Simon. That was a great article, it was much longer than the cut out paragraph above, but that last bit was perfect. A nice way to defend one of the greatest Presidents this country has ever had. He was a great leader and did a lot for us, but got tarnished, severely for his extra marrital affair with Monica Lewinsky. Everyone said, "No President should ever do that and remain in office."
You know what, leave the man alone. It's his "personal business." Even though he WAS the most powerful man in America, nobody has the right to judge or delve into his personal life. How would you like reporters, paparrazi and teens with cell phones recording your every move and writing down or typing in WHATEVER YOU SAY? It would be an "invasion of privacy," right?
Your Honor, I rest my case. Three words:
Bill Clinton Rocks!
I'd elect his ass again over Obama any day, but alas, he served his two terms in Office.
"Say Goodnight, Gracie . . . . ," and with that, I exit, Stage left. ;)
-Brian
Holy cow, OK, as if my last post wasn't bad enough, the heat today in Houston was a whopping 104 degrees!!!!!!! With the humidity it felt like 120, GOD DANG ! ! ! ! ! ! ! :( I hate this heat. :)
OK, now on to something I rarely comment on cause most politicians suck and are thiefs and liars, much like myself. LOL!!!!!!! NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :) OK, humor aside, here's a quote from Yahoo News concerning Bill Clinton's truthful support of Barrack Obama:
-----------------------------------------
"He was not used to the 24/7 news cycle and people with cell phones recordin what he said at every stop,” a close associate of his told me. “But you can’t blame Bill Clinton for the loss. At end of the day, he was a huge plus.”
Now, both Clintons have a chance to be a plus for Obama. But one of the greatest contributions they can make is to leave the spotlight. There can be only one nominee.
Conventions are a time for unity and good feelings, however, and the crowd received Bill very, very warmly Wednesday night.
Basking in the applause, he said: “I love this.”
And who says Bill Clinton doesn’t tell the truth?"
-----------------------------------------
Amen to that reporter, Roger Simon. That was a great article, it was much longer than the cut out paragraph above, but that last bit was perfect. A nice way to defend one of the greatest Presidents this country has ever had. He was a great leader and did a lot for us, but got tarnished, severely for his extra marrital affair with Monica Lewinsky. Everyone said, "No President should ever do that and remain in office."
You know what, leave the man alone. It's his "personal business." Even though he WAS the most powerful man in America, nobody has the right to judge or delve into his personal life. How would you like reporters, paparrazi and teens with cell phones recording your every move and writing down or typing in WHATEVER YOU SAY? It would be an "invasion of privacy," right?
Your Honor, I rest my case. Three words:
Bill Clinton Rocks!
I'd elect his ass again over Obama any day, but alas, he served his two terms in Office.
"Say Goodnight, Gracie . . . . ," and with that, I exit, Stage left. ;)
-Brian
Wednesday, 8-27-08, 5:10pm
OK, Houston . . . . this hot weather and humidity bullshit: YOU CAN KEEP IT ! ! ! ! I've been in this Hot Zone for three days now and Jesus H, come on, where's the give?! :)
Thank God the green 2008 Mustang they gave me has A/C otherwise I'd have to check out. I'm definitely hitting the pool tonight, no Spa, it's hotter than the proverbial "whorehouse in Texas." ;) Yesterday, I went from the front of A-4 to the "visitor parking" section, which is close, but I was drenched in a downpour of torrential rain. No biggie, it was just water.
Well, when I got to the car, I got in and pulled down the mirror and was like, holy flash floods, Batman!!!!!! I was soaked, I looked at my shirt and pants and they were drenched too.....at least half way down my pants was.....man and the thunder sounds like something out of the war movies we all watch: BOOM, crack, BOOOOOOM!!!!! One thunder burst went off right over head when I got back to my hotel and I actually ducked. It was so loud, that I thought a tree or something right behind me got struck, it was a trip! :)
I did get to hear the new Metallica, which SUCKED! I do enjoy the Schizophrenic Psycho song by Puddle of Mudd, that tune rocks. I'm waiting to hear the other two Metallica songs to see if they're any good, but for now that tune, "The Day That Never Comes," friggin' blows goats. Sorry Metallica, but I am a LONG TIME True Fan, and I don't mince words. Pick up your guitars and riff out some better sounding music; again, I'll await the other two, you'd better not disappoint.
Cable Guy, Jack of all Trades, Master of None: It's 5:00am, do you know where your Son is? :) LOL! ! ! ! ;)
This is Valdez Chico, signing off . . .
OK, Houston . . . . this hot weather and humidity bullshit: YOU CAN KEEP IT ! ! ! ! I've been in this Hot Zone for three days now and Jesus H, come on, where's the give?! :)
Thank God the green 2008 Mustang they gave me has A/C otherwise I'd have to check out. I'm definitely hitting the pool tonight, no Spa, it's hotter than the proverbial "whorehouse in Texas." ;) Yesterday, I went from the front of A-4 to the "visitor parking" section, which is close, but I was drenched in a downpour of torrential rain. No biggie, it was just water.
Well, when I got to the car, I got in and pulled down the mirror and was like, holy flash floods, Batman!!!!!! I was soaked, I looked at my shirt and pants and they were drenched too.....at least half way down my pants was.....man and the thunder sounds like something out of the war movies we all watch: BOOM, crack, BOOOOOOM!!!!! One thunder burst went off right over head when I got back to my hotel and I actually ducked. It was so loud, that I thought a tree or something right behind me got struck, it was a trip! :)
I did get to hear the new Metallica, which SUCKED! I do enjoy the Schizophrenic Psycho song by Puddle of Mudd, that tune rocks. I'm waiting to hear the other two Metallica songs to see if they're any good, but for now that tune, "The Day That Never Comes," friggin' blows goats. Sorry Metallica, but I am a LONG TIME True Fan, and I don't mince words. Pick up your guitars and riff out some better sounding music; again, I'll await the other two, you'd better not disappoint.
Cable Guy, Jack of all Trades, Master of None: It's 5:00am, do you know where your Son is? :) LOL! ! ! ! ;)
This is Valdez Chico, signing off . . .
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Sunday, 8-24-08, 12:50pm
Flying out to Houston, TX, for HP. Wow, I've never been away from the kids for more than a day or so, and at that I was still close. Tressa used to leave for 2 or 3 days work with Del Valle Homes, but she was still only an hour and a half or two hours away.
This will be an adventure that's for sure. I'm going to HP's Houston campus to the Color LaserJet University training for five days (Monday through Friday).
It was a bit rough leaving the kids and Tressa at the Security Screening gate. Breanna was crying stating she'd miss me, Tress was crying and telling me she loves me so much. Logan was crying cause he toppled over a Security Screener guy by the window. LMAO! He was rough horsing with Breanna and somehow hurdled himself towards the back of the guy's knees and he went down: BOOM!!! I helped him up a little and he said, "That's OK....no problem." But we railed Logan, "You don't do that young man, you tell him you're sorry." Which he did, but he was humbled and embarrassed and knew he was in trouble, so he started crying.
I waved goodbye to Tressa and Logan (since she was holding him) until I couldn't see their faces as I walked down the terminal. Holding back a few tears of my own. I will miss them this week. IT's gonna be a lot of traveling. Flight leaves San Jose at 1:50pm, gets to Houston at approximately 5:40pm (by that time, I'll have covered a little time zone hop, so it'll be 7:40pm Houston time. :)
Then I'll fly back from Houston at 6:40pm and arrive in San Jose at 8:40pm (minus the two hour time zone hop back to Pacific Standard Time). Hey, all I can say is: God Bless Overtime. ;)
I'm gonna get some snacks now for the flight. I'm sitting at Terminal C2 awaiting boarding time for now. At least San Jose Intl has FREE Wi-Fi internet for travelers waiting around. :)
Tressa, Breanna, and Logan, Daddy loves you with all his heart. Be good, have fun, listen to Mommy, watch some good movies, and I'll see you soon. I love you guys! Kisses and BIG HUGS!!!
Love,
Brian
Flying out to Houston, TX, for HP. Wow, I've never been away from the kids for more than a day or so, and at that I was still close. Tressa used to leave for 2 or 3 days work with Del Valle Homes, but she was still only an hour and a half or two hours away.
This will be an adventure that's for sure. I'm going to HP's Houston campus to the Color LaserJet University training for five days (Monday through Friday).
It was a bit rough leaving the kids and Tressa at the Security Screening gate. Breanna was crying stating she'd miss me, Tress was crying and telling me she loves me so much. Logan was crying cause he toppled over a Security Screener guy by the window. LMAO! He was rough horsing with Breanna and somehow hurdled himself towards the back of the guy's knees and he went down: BOOM!!! I helped him up a little and he said, "That's OK....no problem." But we railed Logan, "You don't do that young man, you tell him you're sorry." Which he did, but he was humbled and embarrassed and knew he was in trouble, so he started crying.
I waved goodbye to Tressa and Logan (since she was holding him) until I couldn't see their faces as I walked down the terminal. Holding back a few tears of my own. I will miss them this week. IT's gonna be a lot of traveling. Flight leaves San Jose at 1:50pm, gets to Houston at approximately 5:40pm (by that time, I'll have covered a little time zone hop, so it'll be 7:40pm Houston time. :)
Then I'll fly back from Houston at 6:40pm and arrive in San Jose at 8:40pm (minus the two hour time zone hop back to Pacific Standard Time). Hey, all I can say is: God Bless Overtime. ;)
I'm gonna get some snacks now for the flight. I'm sitting at Terminal C2 awaiting boarding time for now. At least San Jose Intl has FREE Wi-Fi internet for travelers waiting around. :)
Tressa, Breanna, and Logan, Daddy loves you with all his heart. Be good, have fun, listen to Mommy, watch some good movies, and I'll see you soon. I love you guys! Kisses and BIG HUGS!!!
Love,
Brian
Saturday, May 24, 2008
May 24, 2008, 7:50am
Memorial Day Weekend, it's nice to have a three day weekend once in a while. I was super tired last night. Didn't really talk to any one, just text'd my buddy Rome about next week. Hopefully taking the kids to The Jungle next Tuesday or Wednesday. They'll love it!
My Dad finally got his Samsung base and remote for his new LCD TV (it's a 40", mine's still bigger)!!! ;) All kidding aside, it's a nice TV, good, sharp colors, contrast is nice and when he tweaks the color settings to where he likes it, it will look awesome in his bedroom.
Had to go down to the Police Impound garage (aka: Sunnyvale Tow) and get his 1995 Ford Escort out of lock up. What sucked is S'vale PD said it would only cost him $145, but it's that, plus a $70 gate fee, and a $45 storage fee after 4 hours (which is horseshit) . . . . . you would think they'd charge you the forty-five AFTER it was there overnight. NOPE, not the case. A-holes! The tow truck driver that met us there at approx 7:40pm last night was a real dick as well.
I stated, "Why does Sunnyvale PD only mark and then tow one vehicle on this residential street?" There are cars parked UP and DOWN this street ALL the time. They don't move, they're there ALL THE TIME, because people parallel park in front of their houses every day and every night. It's been that way since I was 10 (I'm 34 now). "Why do they pick one Mexican's car and tow his vehicle out of the hundreds of cars on the street?"
The "Tow Truck Driver" from behind the counter says, "Well, you know.....you seen one Mexican you've seen em' all." This PISSED ME OFF. I responded without hesitation, "Yeah, so that's like you've seen one White Guy you've seen them all, huh?" His face turned red, and he didn't say another damn word for about 3 or 4 minutes, he just typed in what he needed to do on the computer terminal and charged my Dad the stupid $265 to get his Ford Escort out of the Impound Lot. What an ass that dude was, I couldn't believe he said that. The whole time this moderate tension was in gear, my Dad's just lookin' at me, and I was waiting for him to say, "Look, Asshole, I want your name, your Manager's name, and get his butt on the phone right now!!!" :) But he didn't, he calmly, waited there, still pissed that he had to pay more than $145 . . . . . his mature age showing now, he passively waited and paid his bill.
If he was 10 years younger, that idiot Tow Truck Driver behind the counter probably would have been out of a job. :) But alas, he's "Mr. Cool" and you'll be the fool if you fuck with him. Don't worry, Dad, I gotch yer' back! ;)
It sucks when you get a stupid "Parking Ticket" for parallel parking your own vehicle in front of your OWN HOME. This world has gone upside down I think. But, the City gets its revenue, and the Cops get paid, and the Tow Truck Driver make stupid and maybe sometimes "costly" remarks to their customers. We just walked out of there and remembered one thing: What goes around, comes around. Amen to that.
Have a great Memorial Day Weekend, it's Saturday, 8:35am. Time to start this day, Biotch!!! ;)
Regards,
Brian
Memorial Day Weekend, it's nice to have a three day weekend once in a while. I was super tired last night. Didn't really talk to any one, just text'd my buddy Rome about next week. Hopefully taking the kids to The Jungle next Tuesday or Wednesday. They'll love it!
My Dad finally got his Samsung base and remote for his new LCD TV (it's a 40", mine's still bigger)!!! ;) All kidding aside, it's a nice TV, good, sharp colors, contrast is nice and when he tweaks the color settings to where he likes it, it will look awesome in his bedroom.
Had to go down to the Police Impound garage (aka: Sunnyvale Tow) and get his 1995 Ford Escort out of lock up. What sucked is S'vale PD said it would only cost him $145, but it's that, plus a $70 gate fee, and a $45 storage fee after 4 hours (which is horseshit) . . . . . you would think they'd charge you the forty-five AFTER it was there overnight. NOPE, not the case. A-holes! The tow truck driver that met us there at approx 7:40pm last night was a real dick as well.
I stated, "Why does Sunnyvale PD only mark and then tow one vehicle on this residential street?" There are cars parked UP and DOWN this street ALL the time. They don't move, they're there ALL THE TIME, because people parallel park in front of their houses every day and every night. It's been that way since I was 10 (I'm 34 now). "Why do they pick one Mexican's car and tow his vehicle out of the hundreds of cars on the street?"
The "Tow Truck Driver" from behind the counter says, "Well, you know.....you seen one Mexican you've seen em' all." This PISSED ME OFF. I responded without hesitation, "Yeah, so that's like you've seen one White Guy you've seen them all, huh?" His face turned red, and he didn't say another damn word for about 3 or 4 minutes, he just typed in what he needed to do on the computer terminal and charged my Dad the stupid $265 to get his Ford Escort out of the Impound Lot. What an ass that dude was, I couldn't believe he said that. The whole time this moderate tension was in gear, my Dad's just lookin' at me, and I was waiting for him to say, "Look, Asshole, I want your name, your Manager's name, and get his butt on the phone right now!!!" :) But he didn't, he calmly, waited there, still pissed that he had to pay more than $145 . . . . . his mature age showing now, he passively waited and paid his bill.
If he was 10 years younger, that idiot Tow Truck Driver behind the counter probably would have been out of a job. :) But alas, he's "Mr. Cool" and you'll be the fool if you fuck with him. Don't worry, Dad, I gotch yer' back! ;)
It sucks when you get a stupid "Parking Ticket" for parallel parking your own vehicle in front of your OWN HOME. This world has gone upside down I think. But, the City gets its revenue, and the Cops get paid, and the Tow Truck Driver make stupid and maybe sometimes "costly" remarks to their customers. We just walked out of there and remembered one thing: What goes around, comes around. Amen to that.
Have a great Memorial Day Weekend, it's Saturday, 8:35am. Time to start this day, Biotch!!! ;)
Regards,
Brian
Thursday, May 08, 2008
Thursday, 5-8-08, 5:35am
OK, I finally broke down and did it. I got a great deal online from www.butterflycamera.com on a Canon SD1000 IS digital camera. It originally was $289, but since it's going to be "End of Life'd" pretty soon, they're selling them for clearance prices!!! I got mine for $159 + 5.99 shippng UPS Ground. You can't beat that with a stick! So now, this will be Tressa's camera and I'll use our still amazing camera, the Canon SD700 IS (in case you didn't know, the "IS" stands for image stabilization for those folks with shaky hands). It takes awesome pictures, some amazing fine details. If you've got a white head you don't want any one to see, show me the other side of your face, because this camera catches every detail. :)
I'm going to take Tressa and the kids to see Ironman tonight, should be sweet!!! The reviews are in, and they're all saying this version of Ironman is pretty killer. That's good, cause a lot of times comic hero movies are drawn out, too much introduction to the super hero guy, and not enough action, etc, etc. A friend of mine saw the film and stated, this movie is ALL ACTION!!! Cool, can't wait to check it out.
OK, have to get working on my Aperture move list project for the 52 servers we're moving on Friday. OH JOY!!!!!!!! :(
More to come . . .
Brian
OK, I finally broke down and did it. I got a great deal online from www.butterflycamera.com on a Canon SD1000 IS digital camera. It originally was $289, but since it's going to be "End of Life'd" pretty soon, they're selling them for clearance prices!!! I got mine for $159 + 5.99 shippng UPS Ground. You can't beat that with a stick! So now, this will be Tressa's camera and I'll use our still amazing camera, the Canon SD700 IS (in case you didn't know, the "IS" stands for image stabilization for those folks with shaky hands). It takes awesome pictures, some amazing fine details. If you've got a white head you don't want any one to see, show me the other side of your face, because this camera catches every detail. :)
I'm going to take Tressa and the kids to see Ironman tonight, should be sweet!!! The reviews are in, and they're all saying this version of Ironman is pretty killer. That's good, cause a lot of times comic hero movies are drawn out, too much introduction to the super hero guy, and not enough action, etc, etc. A friend of mine saw the film and stated, this movie is ALL ACTION!!! Cool, can't wait to check it out.
OK, have to get working on my Aperture move list project for the 52 servers we're moving on Friday. OH JOY!!!!!!!! :(
More to come . . .
Brian
Wednesday, May 07, 2008
Wednesday, 5-7-08, 2:45am
HOLY S**T ! ! ! I will never buy another Sony TV for as long as I live. :) Which is sort of unfortunate for Sony, because I've always loved their TV's. I saw a 57" Samsung yesterday at Circuit City that was simply put: Amazing.
The TV was not one of the "latest and greatest" sets, but it was about 7 or 8 months old. The nice feature that set it apart was the 120 Hz feature (which supposedly smooths out any jagged lines or blocky frames that come in on your HDTV converter or DirecTV box. The colors were crisp and sharp as can be, and it was nice, because I was comparing it to it's little brother, a "standard" Samsung LCD TV right next to it (that unit was also not the latest and greatest, but it was cool to see just what the 120 Hz feature does for you). That's my next TV if I ever upgrade.
Yeah, right. Who am I kidding, I need to pay off my loan that my Dad gave me, then I can buy a TV, so that'll be some time in 2057. ;)
I was also checking out the Canon SD 1000 IS, the "I.S." is for image stabilization for those of you with shaky hands, it auto-corrects this and takes a great still image pic.
Breanna took her awesome "School Pictures" yesterday, damn she's a cutie. Six years old going on 13 ! ! ! Logan's pics are next week, 3.75 years old and he's built like a six year old ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! :)
We're going to be putting them both in Public School soon. Not soon enough if you ask me, but soon. SCS is a great school, but it's just too expensive. :(
OK, I'm tired, I just updated a couple CCT cases (logged in to work from home) and now I'm going back to sleep. I hate being on-call ! ! ! But hey, it's nice to get a few dollars on the check from a week's worth of being on stand-by.
More to come . . .
-BV
HOLY S**T ! ! ! I will never buy another Sony TV for as long as I live. :) Which is sort of unfortunate for Sony, because I've always loved their TV's. I saw a 57" Samsung yesterday at Circuit City that was simply put: Amazing.
The TV was not one of the "latest and greatest" sets, but it was about 7 or 8 months old. The nice feature that set it apart was the 120 Hz feature (which supposedly smooths out any jagged lines or blocky frames that come in on your HDTV converter or DirecTV box. The colors were crisp and sharp as can be, and it was nice, because I was comparing it to it's little brother, a "standard" Samsung LCD TV right next to it (that unit was also not the latest and greatest, but it was cool to see just what the 120 Hz feature does for you). That's my next TV if I ever upgrade.
Yeah, right. Who am I kidding, I need to pay off my loan that my Dad gave me, then I can buy a TV, so that'll be some time in 2057. ;)
I was also checking out the Canon SD 1000 IS, the "I.S." is for image stabilization for those of you with shaky hands, it auto-corrects this and takes a great still image pic.
Breanna took her awesome "School Pictures" yesterday, damn she's a cutie. Six years old going on 13 ! ! ! Logan's pics are next week, 3.75 years old and he's built like a six year old ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! :)
We're going to be putting them both in Public School soon. Not soon enough if you ask me, but soon. SCS is a great school, but it's just too expensive. :(
OK, I'm tired, I just updated a couple CCT cases (logged in to work from home) and now I'm going back to sleep. I hate being on-call ! ! ! But hey, it's nice to get a few dollars on the check from a week's worth of being on stand-by.
More to come . . .
-BV
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
3/31/08
Monday morning, 1:30am
I awoke to the sound of Tressa crying heavily. I was alarmed and sprung out of bed when she came into the master bedroom. "What's wrong," I hurriedly asked?
"It's Theo, he's dead . . . !" Theo was our 11 year old cat. He was a good kitty. Playful, full of life, and he had the most handsome face (his face looked like a tiger). He looked proud and courageous....but he was a "softy" and a "love." He wouldn't hurt a fly, but you couldn't tell that by looking at him. :)
Tress was really upset, and I was upset too; I looked at him there on the kitchen floor. We think he had a heart attack because he was in his normal sleeping position, legs folded over, resting. Poor little guy. He's with God in Heaven now, so he's in a better place, but we'll miss him greatly.
I dug a hole at the back of our shed here at home and we wrapped him in a blanket and burried him there. Tressa put a kitty statue (a nice pose of a cat laying down) there while Breanna and her laid out some flowers. Godspeed, Theo. You're the man!
Love,
Brian
Monday morning, 1:30am
I awoke to the sound of Tressa crying heavily. I was alarmed and sprung out of bed when she came into the master bedroom. "What's wrong," I hurriedly asked?
"It's Theo, he's dead . . . !" Theo was our 11 year old cat. He was a good kitty. Playful, full of life, and he had the most handsome face (his face looked like a tiger). He looked proud and courageous....but he was a "softy" and a "love." He wouldn't hurt a fly, but you couldn't tell that by looking at him. :)
Tress was really upset, and I was upset too; I looked at him there on the kitchen floor. We think he had a heart attack because he was in his normal sleeping position, legs folded over, resting. Poor little guy. He's with God in Heaven now, so he's in a better place, but we'll miss him greatly.
I dug a hole at the back of our shed here at home and we wrapped him in a blanket and burried him there. Tressa put a kitty statue (a nice pose of a cat laying down) there while Breanna and her laid out some flowers. Godspeed, Theo. You're the man!
Love,
Brian
Monday, January 07, 2008
January 7, 2008, 12:23am.
Wow, I am totally blown away by this evening's email from Kylie Woodard, my former Helpdesk co-worker at Synopsys. At 10:22pm she sent an email to a few of us "close friends" within Synopsys, I picked up my Blackberry JUST BY CHANCE at 10:37pm; what I read was probably in the shock factor range of 9 or 9.5 (Jeana occupies the factor of 10 level).
Alisa Banuelos, whom both Kylie and all the Helpdesk Team worked with closely for Aart DeGeus (the CEO of Synopsys) passed away yesterday evening at 9:35pm. I was shocked to read every bit of Kylie's brief email. No cause, no explanation, just that she was sad to say that, "Alisa had passed and was surrouned by family and friends . . ."
I'm still a bit upset, crying, because it brought back strong memories of Jeana's death. I went to see the movie "I Am Legend," with Will Smith. Dad picked me up at around 6:10pm and we saw it at Mercado. That movie also had some dramatic scenes of this soldier (Will Smith) protecting his wife and son, but losing them BOTH in a helicopter crash. He had thought they were both safe on board a Coast Guard chopper, but about 30 seconds after take off another chopper struck into the Coast Guard helicopter (the other choppy was taken down by some zombie-mutant types who tried to commandeer the aircraft).
It was a GREAT movie, but saddening when I thought about Jeana. So powerful, that's when you know a movie is good. When it makes a 34 year old cry like a baby, it's a damn good flick. :)
I'm going to bed now, tired and have to perform the Aperture Recalculation when I get up at 7:00am. OH JOY!!!!! ;)
Good night all. God, take care of Alisa's 10 year old son, and help her family get through this tradgedy quickly. I applied to be a Big Brother for her son this evening. I hope in some small way, whether it's once a month, or once a week, that I can help this little guy through this tough time, and be there to do fun stuff that my Dad did with me.
God Bless ALL of the Banuelos in their time of need. Amen.
Sincerely,
Brian
Wow, I am totally blown away by this evening's email from Kylie Woodard, my former Helpdesk co-worker at Synopsys. At 10:22pm she sent an email to a few of us "close friends" within Synopsys, I picked up my Blackberry JUST BY CHANCE at 10:37pm; what I read was probably in the shock factor range of 9 or 9.5 (Jeana occupies the factor of 10 level).
Alisa Banuelos, whom both Kylie and all the Helpdesk Team worked with closely for Aart DeGeus (the CEO of Synopsys) passed away yesterday evening at 9:35pm. I was shocked to read every bit of Kylie's brief email. No cause, no explanation, just that she was sad to say that, "Alisa had passed and was surrouned by family and friends . . ."
I'm still a bit upset, crying, because it brought back strong memories of Jeana's death. I went to see the movie "I Am Legend," with Will Smith. Dad picked me up at around 6:10pm and we saw it at Mercado. That movie also had some dramatic scenes of this soldier (Will Smith) protecting his wife and son, but losing them BOTH in a helicopter crash. He had thought they were both safe on board a Coast Guard chopper, but about 30 seconds after take off another chopper struck into the Coast Guard helicopter (the other choppy was taken down by some zombie-mutant types who tried to commandeer the aircraft).
It was a GREAT movie, but saddening when I thought about Jeana. So powerful, that's when you know a movie is good. When it makes a 34 year old cry like a baby, it's a damn good flick. :)
I'm going to bed now, tired and have to perform the Aperture Recalculation when I get up at 7:00am. OH JOY!!!!! ;)
Good night all. God, take care of Alisa's 10 year old son, and help her family get through this tradgedy quickly. I applied to be a Big Brother for her son this evening. I hope in some small way, whether it's once a month, or once a week, that I can help this little guy through this tough time, and be there to do fun stuff that my Dad did with me.
God Bless ALL of the Banuelos in their time of need. Amen.
Sincerely,
Brian
Sunday, January 06, 2008
January 6, 2008, 8:52am
Happy New Year ! ! ! Wow, I still can't believe we're six days into 2008......it seemed like 2007 went by waaaaay too fast. :)
Christmas 2007 was awesome, and although heavily broke from J. Barnes not paying the wife's wages on-time, we had a great X-Mas filled with laughter, family, and good times. New Years Eve was un-eventful, we simply kicked back, had a nice dinner at Grandma's (Tia's house) and let the kids stay up WAAAAAAAY too late watching movies. Logan's new favorite is Polar Express with Tom Hanks. We shouted, "Happy New Year!!!!!" at midnight with the rest of the Pacific Time Zone folks, and stayed up till about 1:30am enjoying the sounds, music, and TV specials they had on covering new years.
Tressa DVR'd the Evanesence: Live Set on VH1 for me. She loves Evanesence too, so it was a nice bonus show for me. She also snagged Cathouse: The Musical, so can't wait to watch that one. ;) Who doesn't love a shaved kitty any way? LOL!!!!!!!
I bought Rome Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare at Best Buy for X-Mas, he's gonna love it. The demo of the game is incredibly realistic and I want a copy some day too! :)
I also install "Insurgency" which is an Army/Marine MOD for HL2, it's pretty cool, but so real it's hard getting used to team tactics and being blown to bits by one rifle bullet. :(
We finally got the 2 tires Tressa needed for her Toyota Sienna XLE as well. They're BFGoodrich Touring Precept tires, and they ride nicely (great price $73.00 each at America's Tire store).
I might have to snag me a Blu-Ray DVD player from Frys or Circuit City soon. They're about $239 now, so that's a great price for a device that can crank out 4 or 5 times the resolution of a normal DVD!!!
Well, that's it for now....Tressa found my Canon SD700IS camera bag, so we now have the battery charger back and can actually USE the camera! ;)
Welcome to 2008, "Pos si ! ! ! !" Quien Sabe!!!? :-)
Brian
Happy New Year ! ! ! Wow, I still can't believe we're six days into 2008......it seemed like 2007 went by waaaaay too fast. :)
Christmas 2007 was awesome, and although heavily broke from J. Barnes not paying the wife's wages on-time, we had a great X-Mas filled with laughter, family, and good times. New Years Eve was un-eventful, we simply kicked back, had a nice dinner at Grandma's (Tia's house) and let the kids stay up WAAAAAAAY too late watching movies. Logan's new favorite is Polar Express with Tom Hanks. We shouted, "Happy New Year!!!!!" at midnight with the rest of the Pacific Time Zone folks, and stayed up till about 1:30am enjoying the sounds, music, and TV specials they had on covering new years.
Tressa DVR'd the Evanesence: Live Set on VH1 for me. She loves Evanesence too, so it was a nice bonus show for me. She also snagged Cathouse: The Musical, so can't wait to watch that one. ;) Who doesn't love a shaved kitty any way? LOL!!!!!!!
I bought Rome Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare at Best Buy for X-Mas, he's gonna love it. The demo of the game is incredibly realistic and I want a copy some day too! :)
I also install "Insurgency" which is an Army/Marine MOD for HL2, it's pretty cool, but so real it's hard getting used to team tactics and being blown to bits by one rifle bullet. :(
We finally got the 2 tires Tressa needed for her Toyota Sienna XLE as well. They're BFGoodrich Touring Precept tires, and they ride nicely (great price $73.00 each at America's Tire store).
I might have to snag me a Blu-Ray DVD player from Frys or Circuit City soon. They're about $239 now, so that's a great price for a device that can crank out 4 or 5 times the resolution of a normal DVD!!!
Well, that's it for now....Tressa found my Canon SD700IS camera bag, so we now have the battery charger back and can actually USE the camera! ;)
Welcome to 2008, "Pos si ! ! ! !" Quien Sabe!!!? :-)
Brian
Friday, September 14, 2007
Friday, September 14, 2007, 3:45pm
Well, another week and a half of memories: ones of Jeana, Grandpa Greig, my Mom and her incessant smoking, etc, etc. OK, now on to the fun stuff, cause that shit can be depressing if you let it get to you. LMAO!!! ;)
A few days ago, I bought a SONY KDL-40XBR4 LCD flat panel TV from Fry's Electronics. The damn thing cost me $2339 + 279.00 for the three-year warranty and out the door total was $2,896 ! ! ! ! What the HELL WAS I THINKING?
Sure, it's a SONY, but it cost waaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyy too much and I'm going to return it tonight or on Saturday afternoon. The other MAIN reason I'm returning the Sony is because it's Standard Definition picture is overtly pixelated. Granted any LCD / Plasma will be pixelized in SD, but this set's image was just way under my Videophile standards. I'm getting the 40" Samsung LN-T4061F. This'll be a great little LCD, and as per many customer reviews its Standard Def output is "good" or "great" so that's encouraging. The Sony was the same size, but looked larger because of the glass bezel frame around the whole matte black speaker enclosure.
It looked great in our bedroom, and as per Breanna (affirming she liked the Sony) stated, "Daddy, don't take this one back, I like it. It's really nice and the new TMNT is great on it." For those of you who do not know, TMNT is: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. My son, Logan, loves that movie, and Breanna likes it as well.
It's got incredible CG images the res is just incredible on a PS3 in Blu-Ray format.....I borrowed my friend's PS3 for a couple days to test out the image quality on the Sony (Only word to describe it: awesome). The Samsung though will save me $1,000 and with that, hell, we could pay our car payments sooner, go out to one hell of a dinner or night in SF on the Tenderloin looking at beautiful naked women and queers. ;) Or heck, I'll just pay home owners insurance early, there's a good idea. :)
OK, Tressa, I just want you to know you are the other half of my soul now. My best friend, always, and forever. I will love you till the end of time, Babydoll. Two words, Babe: Thank you. Hugs y muchos besos!!!!! ;)
Mom & Dad: Without you, I'd be broke, and both of my cars would have been re-poe'd by now. Heheheh, that or Chase, B of A, or Commonwealth would have charged me 15 more $35 dollar over your limit fees. :) You guys are my CLASSIC ROCK N' ROLLERS, keep on Chooglin'.
Daniel and Melissa, don't fuck up this Dell computer I'm working on for you. LMAO!!!! ;) I don't know if I told Tress, but I'm working on it some, coming along good. I'll let you know by Sunday how it's going.
Logan & Breanna: Damn, you two are spoiled. But I love the hell out of both of you. You are my world. Breanna, keep smiling, be patient, and remember just because Logan has one of two identical items, doesn't mean you need to have ONE of them (so no throwing fits for the thing)!!! :) My handsome Logan remember: I WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU. ;)
More to come, God Bless, " . . . and with a whimper man, I'm fuckin' out of here!" -Dennis Hopper --> "Apocolypse Now"
Love,
Brian
Well, another week and a half of memories: ones of Jeana, Grandpa Greig, my Mom and her incessant smoking, etc, etc. OK, now on to the fun stuff, cause that shit can be depressing if you let it get to you. LMAO!!! ;)
A few days ago, I bought a SONY KDL-40XBR4 LCD flat panel TV from Fry's Electronics. The damn thing cost me $2339 + 279.00 for the three-year warranty and out the door total was $2,896 ! ! ! ! What the HELL WAS I THINKING?
Sure, it's a SONY, but it cost waaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyy too much and I'm going to return it tonight or on Saturday afternoon. The other MAIN reason I'm returning the Sony is because it's Standard Definition picture is overtly pixelated. Granted any LCD / Plasma will be pixelized in SD, but this set's image was just way under my Videophile standards. I'm getting the 40" Samsung LN-T4061F. This'll be a great little LCD, and as per many customer reviews its Standard Def output is "good" or "great" so that's encouraging. The Sony was the same size, but looked larger because of the glass bezel frame around the whole matte black speaker enclosure.
It looked great in our bedroom, and as per Breanna (affirming she liked the Sony) stated, "Daddy, don't take this one back, I like it. It's really nice and the new TMNT is great on it." For those of you who do not know, TMNT is: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. My son, Logan, loves that movie, and Breanna likes it as well.
It's got incredible CG images the res is just incredible on a PS3 in Blu-Ray format.....I borrowed my friend's PS3 for a couple days to test out the image quality on the Sony (Only word to describe it: awesome). The Samsung though will save me $1,000 and with that, hell, we could pay our car payments sooner, go out to one hell of a dinner or night in SF on the Tenderloin looking at beautiful naked women and queers. ;) Or heck, I'll just pay home owners insurance early, there's a good idea. :)
OK, Tressa, I just want you to know you are the other half of my soul now. My best friend, always, and forever. I will love you till the end of time, Babydoll. Two words, Babe: Thank you. Hugs y muchos besos!!!!! ;)
Mom & Dad: Without you, I'd be broke, and both of my cars would have been re-poe'd by now. Heheheh, that or Chase, B of A, or Commonwealth would have charged me 15 more $35 dollar over your limit fees. :) You guys are my CLASSIC ROCK N' ROLLERS, keep on Chooglin'.
Daniel and Melissa, don't fuck up this Dell computer I'm working on for you. LMAO!!!! ;) I don't know if I told Tress, but I'm working on it some, coming along good. I'll let you know by Sunday how it's going.
Logan & Breanna: Damn, you two are spoiled. But I love the hell out of both of you. You are my world. Breanna, keep smiling, be patient, and remember just because Logan has one of two identical items, doesn't mean you need to have ONE of them (so no throwing fits for the thing)!!! :) My handsome Logan remember: I WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU. ;)
More to come, God Bless, " . . . and with a whimper man, I'm fuckin' out of here!" -Dennis Hopper --> "Apocolypse Now"
Love,
Brian
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
Wednesday, 8-8-07, 4:05pm
Refinancing . . . ahhh, what a Godsend to some, what a financial burden to others. In my case, a Godsend. I'll pay off my last three credit cards and happily grab the scissors and cut that EVIL PLASTIC mini-magnetic piece of crap in two!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Then, with my cash-out, I'll go down to Best Buy, and purchase that 40" Samsung LNT-4061F LCD TV I've wanted for the Master Bedroom for the last 3 years. :) Heheheh, LIFE IS BLISS. I'm looking forward to paying off 80% or 90% of my Student Loan from SJSU as well. Then it's ALL ABOUT SAVINGS ACCOUNT ACTION!!!!! I'll be able to save $300 to $400 every two weeks, and I'm going to put my On-Call Pay in the Savings as well.
Life should be good, once again. It's hard when you've "gone over your head" and are living paycheck to paycheck. That's how it's been for the last two or three years.....and I've hated every minute of it; NO MORE REPRESSION FROM THE DARK SIDE!!! Be gone Credit Card companies, at last I've use The Force of the GREEN to banish your evil-ness! ;) LOL!!!!!!
OK, Sony KDL-40XBR2, Samsung LNT-4061F, or TH-42PZ700U? Off to Fry's for a DEMO!!!! :-)
Take care all, Logan's going to love me cause he plays my X-Box and PS2 in the bedroom, he'll love the color any of the above TVs give off for his games! His most common request from me is, "Can I play games?!!!!" Sure you can Logan, and Daddy will whip your ass at em' too, until you're older and can out reflex me. ;)
More to come, take it easy.
-Brian
Refinancing . . . ahhh, what a Godsend to some, what a financial burden to others. In my case, a Godsend. I'll pay off my last three credit cards and happily grab the scissors and cut that EVIL PLASTIC mini-magnetic piece of crap in two!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Then, with my cash-out, I'll go down to Best Buy, and purchase that 40" Samsung LNT-4061F LCD TV I've wanted for the Master Bedroom for the last 3 years. :) Heheheh, LIFE IS BLISS. I'm looking forward to paying off 80% or 90% of my Student Loan from SJSU as well. Then it's ALL ABOUT SAVINGS ACCOUNT ACTION!!!!! I'll be able to save $300 to $400 every two weeks, and I'm going to put my On-Call Pay in the Savings as well.
Life should be good, once again. It's hard when you've "gone over your head" and are living paycheck to paycheck. That's how it's been for the last two or three years.....and I've hated every minute of it; NO MORE REPRESSION FROM THE DARK SIDE!!! Be gone Credit Card companies, at last I've use The Force of the GREEN to banish your evil-ness! ;) LOL!!!!!!
OK, Sony KDL-40XBR2, Samsung LNT-4061F, or TH-42PZ700U? Off to Fry's for a DEMO!!!! :-)
Take care all, Logan's going to love me cause he plays my X-Box and PS2 in the bedroom, he'll love the color any of the above TVs give off for his games! His most common request from me is, "Can I play games?!!!!" Sure you can Logan, and Daddy will whip your ass at em' too, until you're older and can out reflex me. ;)
More to come, take it easy.
-Brian
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
Wednesday, August 1, 2007, 3:12pm
Well folks, I finally went out and did it. I called every EB Games, Gamestop and Target store that I know of (approx 14 stores) and I found a store that had 7 Nintendo Wii's in stock at 12:00pm. I instantly drove down there on my lunch (which was late at 1:00pm I took it) and by the time I got there and ALL THE WAY TO THE BACK OF THE STORE IN THE ELECTRONICS Department, I found ONE. Only ONE WAS LEFT ! ! ! ! ! I was amazed. In an hour and a half, 6 Wii's flew out the door by buyers eager to purchase one like myself. Incredible....can you imagine Nintendo's sales revenue, and at Christmas, I bet you won't be able to find any of them!
I drove home and dropped it off, and after work, went directly home to hook it up to my 57" Widescreen TV. It was awesome, I bought one game for it: Heatseeker (It's a fighter jet combat game). I have a huge love of Fighter Jets and all they can do, so that was the right game for me.
The control is awesome with the Nintendo remote and Nunchuk hooked up to it. The remote is your pilot's stick with the trigger firing missiles and bombs of various types. The Nunchuk is cool because it's used for Throttle control and flares/chaff defenses.
I probably should not have bought the dang Wii console, cause our Space Rent at PDR is coming up, but screw em' ! ! ! ! ;) So what if I go negative $250!!!??? What's $250 any way....LOL! NOT!!!!!!! I'm hoping/praying I can deposit some money in the account before Friday to cover my impulsive purchase. Damn, it's fun though, SUPER FUN!!!!!!! I started out in a small fighter jet that looks much like the little plane Roger Moore flew through the beginning scene of Octopussy. That was a good movie, by the way. :)
I passed a couple other missions and have an F-16 and an F-15 on-hand, currently I'm using the F-15 since it's more of a multi-strike attack fighter.
Logan's B-Day went well at Pump It Up on Fair Oaks Ave. He played, and played, and ran, and ran and ran some more. They loved all the jump houses. Breanna was smiling from ear to ear when she saw her old friend Natalia show up!!!!! It was too cool ! ! !
OK, more later, I have to finish work and go home to play me some Nintendo Wii ! ! ! ! ! ! ;)
-Brian
Well folks, I finally went out and did it. I called every EB Games, Gamestop and Target store that I know of (approx 14 stores) and I found a store that had 7 Nintendo Wii's in stock at 12:00pm. I instantly drove down there on my lunch (which was late at 1:00pm I took it) and by the time I got there and ALL THE WAY TO THE BACK OF THE STORE IN THE ELECTRONICS Department, I found ONE. Only ONE WAS LEFT ! ! ! ! ! I was amazed. In an hour and a half, 6 Wii's flew out the door by buyers eager to purchase one like myself. Incredible....can you imagine Nintendo's sales revenue, and at Christmas, I bet you won't be able to find any of them!
I drove home and dropped it off, and after work, went directly home to hook it up to my 57" Widescreen TV. It was awesome, I bought one game for it: Heatseeker (It's a fighter jet combat game). I have a huge love of Fighter Jets and all they can do, so that was the right game for me.
The control is awesome with the Nintendo remote and Nunchuk hooked up to it. The remote is your pilot's stick with the trigger firing missiles and bombs of various types. The Nunchuk is cool because it's used for Throttle control and flares/chaff defenses.
I probably should not have bought the dang Wii console, cause our Space Rent at PDR is coming up, but screw em' ! ! ! ! ;) So what if I go negative $250!!!??? What's $250 any way....LOL! NOT!!!!!!! I'm hoping/praying I can deposit some money in the account before Friday to cover my impulsive purchase. Damn, it's fun though, SUPER FUN!!!!!!! I started out in a small fighter jet that looks much like the little plane Roger Moore flew through the beginning scene of Octopussy. That was a good movie, by the way. :)
I passed a couple other missions and have an F-16 and an F-15 on-hand, currently I'm using the F-15 since it's more of a multi-strike attack fighter.
Logan's B-Day went well at Pump It Up on Fair Oaks Ave. He played, and played, and ran, and ran and ran some more. They loved all the jump houses. Breanna was smiling from ear to ear when she saw her old friend Natalia show up!!!!! It was too cool ! ! !
OK, more later, I have to finish work and go home to play me some Nintendo Wii ! ! ! ! ! ! ;)
-Brian
Monday, July 30, 2007
Monday, July 30, 2007, 11:02pm
I hate memories some times. They can be old friends that make you smile when thinking about something, yet they can be haunting and gripping to no end. All things get better in time. Well, what is time? Who knows how long I will remember the passing of my first wife, seven hours, seven days, or seven years --- or more.
I simply remember to laugh and smile each day. :) I like to joke around and have fun. Being in the IT field, we get to joke around and play our rock music loud in our cubes and generally have fun as long as we get the job done and help our customers (users that have problems with the email or they've got a blue screening laptop (Good old Dell Computers and IBMs). Hehehhe, well that's what a warranty's for, right? RIGHT. Because just like cars, computers are electronic and mechanical in nature. Like everything mechanical or electronic: IT WILL EVENTUALLY FAIL. If you don't have a warranty on it, be prepared to spend lots of money or you may just want to buy a new one. :)
I can't BELIEVE that Logan turned 3 on 7-26-07. Man he's getting big fast. Talking a lot now, and my Angel, Miss Breanna, well she's a chatter box times 50! :)
Tressa's sick, sore throat, respiratory infection, not good at all. But hey, she took some good drugs and will be sleeping soundly soon. She needs her rest so I hope it works well. Arithromyicin is supposed to be pretty good for these infections, so we'll see in 3 to 4 days if she's better. At least I hope we will, I'm missing the home cooked meals and wonderful items she puts together on our dinner table. She's an excellent cook and should be awarded the Purple Heart for the things she's done to her hands with a knife (accidentally of course). Got a knuckle of hers real good with our J.A. Henkels knife (the big one) and had to go to ER to get it fixed. YUCK, what a bummer for her, but she's alright now. She's my culinary master chef ! ! ! And did I mention.....She ROCKS!!!!!!!!!! I love you baby, if you're reading any of this Blog. :)
Alright, that's it, more to come later.
Bye for now! . . . . . .
I hate memories some times. They can be old friends that make you smile when thinking about something, yet they can be haunting and gripping to no end. All things get better in time. Well, what is time? Who knows how long I will remember the passing of my first wife, seven hours, seven days, or seven years --- or more.
I simply remember to laugh and smile each day. :) I like to joke around and have fun. Being in the IT field, we get to joke around and play our rock music loud in our cubes and generally have fun as long as we get the job done and help our customers (users that have problems with the email or they've got a blue screening laptop (Good old Dell Computers and IBMs). Hehehhe, well that's what a warranty's for, right? RIGHT. Because just like cars, computers are electronic and mechanical in nature. Like everything mechanical or electronic: IT WILL EVENTUALLY FAIL. If you don't have a warranty on it, be prepared to spend lots of money or you may just want to buy a new one. :)
I can't BELIEVE that Logan turned 3 on 7-26-07. Man he's getting big fast. Talking a lot now, and my Angel, Miss Breanna, well she's a chatter box times 50! :)
Tressa's sick, sore throat, respiratory infection, not good at all. But hey, she took some good drugs and will be sleeping soundly soon. She needs her rest so I hope it works well. Arithromyicin is supposed to be pretty good for these infections, so we'll see in 3 to 4 days if she's better. At least I hope we will, I'm missing the home cooked meals and wonderful items she puts together on our dinner table. She's an excellent cook and should be awarded the Purple Heart for the things she's done to her hands with a knife (accidentally of course). Got a knuckle of hers real good with our J.A. Henkels knife (the big one) and had to go to ER to get it fixed. YUCK, what a bummer for her, but she's alright now. She's my culinary master chef ! ! ! And did I mention.....She ROCKS!!!!!!!!!! I love you baby, if you're reading any of this Blog. :)
Alright, that's it, more to come later.
Bye for now! . . . . . .
Saturday, July 07, 2007
Saturday, 7-7-07, 8:41pm
It's been awhile since I've written anything on my Blog. Hello readers, nice to type to you again. :)
I spent the day lazily enjoying myself. Early this morning I woke up at 7:45am, went online to Fandango.com and checked out the showtimes. I saw Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer at 10:25am. I couldn't believe the show started that early. Shows used to start at 11:15 or 12:00pm, but they're getting earlier these days. At least the price was right, took my Dad and it was $6.00 per ticket. It's usually $10.25 for an afternoon or evening show, which in my humble opinion is highway robbery. Tickets should NEVER go higher than $7.25, that's my honest opinion. I mean really, the theaters make so much money when us movie-goers get to the concession stands, it's ridiculous to charge $10.25 for a damn ticket. It's gotten so expensive, I rarely go to the movies any more (I used to go once or twice a week, now it's once or twice every couple of months). It's just cheaper to rent movies and watch them at home. If you take two kids, your wife and yourself, you're looking at $30 to $40 right at the counter if everyone wants popcorn, a small drink, and candy. OUTRAGEOUS. I'll by a Snickers, a Hershey bar, and a Reeses Cup and three Diet Cokes and a regular Coke for $6 or $7 so it comes down to being economic and a smart movie goer. Matinees are the way to go, otherwise AMC and Century Theaters: YOU CAN KISS MY ASS AND KEEP YOUR $10.25.
After the show, I fixed the Pioneer Laserdisc player in the front room, it's all hooked up once again (it's a combo Laserdisc/DVD player). Great little unit. Don't get me wrong, for Progressive Scan I use my 4 month old Sony DVD, but for Laserdiscs and kid DVDs, the Pioneer's fine. Breanna helped me hook up the Video 2 cable to the back of the TV. She's the only one small enough to get back there. Otherwise I'd have to pull the TV out (it's a 57" projection TV, so pulling it all out to access the video ports is no easy task).
Then after the kid's nap, we went to Washington Park. Logan loved the swings. They had a good time on all the Jungle Gyms, but for some reason, Logan kept obsessing on the swings. He'd yell at me when I stopped pushing him, "Daddy, push me please!!!" :)
Breanna liked the Jungle Gyms more, she enjoyed the pole on one of them saying, "Daddy, watch me," and would slide down the pole like a Fire Woman! It was cool . . . saw a black squirrel too, he was cool, off by the picnic tables looking for nuts and food. He scurried up close tree when we got near, but he was cool to watch.
I'm enjoying renting movies at Blockbuster off El Camino and Mary Ave now, they don't have any more late fees, so that's Netflix-like. They wouldn't take a trade in of Starchaser (it's a kid movie, but too violent for the kids so I wanted to get a different movie). The store manager, said nope, can't do that, if I did, I'd have to do it for every customer that had a complaint about a movie. In the end, I got Aladdin and the 40 Thieves and the manager gave me an E-Coupon that was good for one rental, so it was free (he was a pretty reasonable guy, and I was grateful).
I've been looking around for a 32" or 37" LCD TV. The Vizio looks good, and the Samsung is the best one around, but they're anywhere from $800 to $1,499 so I'm holding off for now. Would love one for the Master Bedroom, but bills and other stuff take priority. :( ONE DAY!!!!!!
More to come later....
Have a good night,
Brian
It's been awhile since I've written anything on my Blog. Hello readers, nice to type to you again. :)
I spent the day lazily enjoying myself. Early this morning I woke up at 7:45am, went online to Fandango.com and checked out the showtimes. I saw Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer at 10:25am. I couldn't believe the show started that early. Shows used to start at 11:15 or 12:00pm, but they're getting earlier these days. At least the price was right, took my Dad and it was $6.00 per ticket. It's usually $10.25 for an afternoon or evening show, which in my humble opinion is highway robbery. Tickets should NEVER go higher than $7.25, that's my honest opinion. I mean really, the theaters make so much money when us movie-goers get to the concession stands, it's ridiculous to charge $10.25 for a damn ticket. It's gotten so expensive, I rarely go to the movies any more (I used to go once or twice a week, now it's once or twice every couple of months). It's just cheaper to rent movies and watch them at home. If you take two kids, your wife and yourself, you're looking at $30 to $40 right at the counter if everyone wants popcorn, a small drink, and candy. OUTRAGEOUS. I'll by a Snickers, a Hershey bar, and a Reeses Cup and three Diet Cokes and a regular Coke for $6 or $7 so it comes down to being economic and a smart movie goer. Matinees are the way to go, otherwise AMC and Century Theaters: YOU CAN KISS MY ASS AND KEEP YOUR $10.25.
After the show, I fixed the Pioneer Laserdisc player in the front room, it's all hooked up once again (it's a combo Laserdisc/DVD player). Great little unit. Don't get me wrong, for Progressive Scan I use my 4 month old Sony DVD, but for Laserdiscs and kid DVDs, the Pioneer's fine. Breanna helped me hook up the Video 2 cable to the back of the TV. She's the only one small enough to get back there. Otherwise I'd have to pull the TV out (it's a 57" projection TV, so pulling it all out to access the video ports is no easy task).
Then after the kid's nap, we went to Washington Park. Logan loved the swings. They had a good time on all the Jungle Gyms, but for some reason, Logan kept obsessing on the swings. He'd yell at me when I stopped pushing him, "Daddy, push me please!!!" :)
Breanna liked the Jungle Gyms more, she enjoyed the pole on one of them saying, "Daddy, watch me," and would slide down the pole like a Fire Woman! It was cool . . . saw a black squirrel too, he was cool, off by the picnic tables looking for nuts and food. He scurried up close tree when we got near, but he was cool to watch.
I'm enjoying renting movies at Blockbuster off El Camino and Mary Ave now, they don't have any more late fees, so that's Netflix-like. They wouldn't take a trade in of Starchaser (it's a kid movie, but too violent for the kids so I wanted to get a different movie). The store manager, said nope, can't do that, if I did, I'd have to do it for every customer that had a complaint about a movie. In the end, I got Aladdin and the 40 Thieves and the manager gave me an E-Coupon that was good for one rental, so it was free (he was a pretty reasonable guy, and I was grateful).
I've been looking around for a 32" or 37" LCD TV. The Vizio looks good, and the Samsung is the best one around, but they're anywhere from $800 to $1,499 so I'm holding off for now. Would love one for the Master Bedroom, but bills and other stuff take priority. :( ONE DAY!!!!!!
More to come later....
Have a good night,
Brian
Monday, February 26, 2007
Monday, 2-26-07, 10:45am
"You're like sheep without a shephard, you don't know how to be alone . . . you keep askin', "How do I get outta here . . . where do I fit in? Though the world is torn and shaken, even if your heart is breakin', it's waiting for you to awaken, and someday you will . . . Learn To Be Still . . ."
-The Eagles
That one line in the chorus: Learn To Be Still. We all need to do that from time to time. My kids are like chaotic lightning bolts sometimes. Constantly moving, constantly needing my wife's or my attention. I remembered back to when I was 5 years old, Mom, mom, mom, mom, mom, look at this, mom, mom, mom, mom, mom, MOM!!!!!!!!!!!! Hehehe, she probably gave in and said, "Yeah that looks really cool, Bri," and then went back to her conversation with her girlfriend or my Grandma, but talk about nagging! What punks kids can be . . . but at the same time, the best part about kids, is that sense of belonging.
Being part of the greater good. Feeling that you are their parents, their leaders, and raising them well. It gives me such a great sense of pride, and when Breanna or Logan look at you just right and say, "Daddy, I love you," the melt factor goes to 180% or more! :)
Logan is talking up a storm now, and very communicative, he's 2 years and 7 months old now, so just a bit beyond 2.5. Man is he talking, and he's immitating sounds and behaviors like mad. He'll sit in front of my computer at home, put his TINY LITTLE hands on the keyboard and move them.....he turns to Tressa and says, "I'm working." What a crack up!!!!!!!!!
The other thing I love is he will be coughing or I hear a loud thump hit the ground when he's running like a Cheetah on speed, and I get concerned: "Logan, are you OK?" The reply always comes, "I'm OK, I'm OK." Sometimes singular, but I love it when it's twice. My favorite phrase he uses is when he wants to be close to you watching a movie: "Will you lay down with me, please?" or "Will you sit down with me. Me and you, watch Charlie and the Chocolate Factory!"
Breanna's into Bratz dolls these days, no more princesses. She told me yesterday, I don't like Princesses any more, I only like BRATZ dolls. I told her you can like more than one thing, babe. :) She looked at me puzzled for a second and said, "Ah, OK, I love bratz dolls but I just like princesses a little bit." Cracked me up!!! She has a new BRATZ wall comforter we hung up right over her bed with some cool curvy ornate curtain ends (looks curvy/celtic-ie? : ) but either way it's awesome, and she loves it.
Logan in turn has a Cayman Porsche poster over his bed, a few fighter jet pics, and Spider-Man, Captain America, The Hulk, and the best one WOLVERINE over his bed as well. He loves em' ! ! !
That's all for now . . .
Love,
Brian
"You're like sheep without a shephard, you don't know how to be alone . . . you keep askin', "How do I get outta here . . . where do I fit in? Though the world is torn and shaken, even if your heart is breakin', it's waiting for you to awaken, and someday you will . . . Learn To Be Still . . ."
-The Eagles
That one line in the chorus: Learn To Be Still. We all need to do that from time to time. My kids are like chaotic lightning bolts sometimes. Constantly moving, constantly needing my wife's or my attention. I remembered back to when I was 5 years old, Mom, mom, mom, mom, mom, look at this, mom, mom, mom, mom, mom, MOM!!!!!!!!!!!! Hehehe, she probably gave in and said, "Yeah that looks really cool, Bri," and then went back to her conversation with her girlfriend or my Grandma, but talk about nagging! What punks kids can be . . . but at the same time, the best part about kids, is that sense of belonging.
Being part of the greater good. Feeling that you are their parents, their leaders, and raising them well. It gives me such a great sense of pride, and when Breanna or Logan look at you just right and say, "Daddy, I love you," the melt factor goes to 180% or more! :)
Logan is talking up a storm now, and very communicative, he's 2 years and 7 months old now, so just a bit beyond 2.5. Man is he talking, and he's immitating sounds and behaviors like mad. He'll sit in front of my computer at home, put his TINY LITTLE hands on the keyboard and move them.....he turns to Tressa and says, "I'm working." What a crack up!!!!!!!!!
The other thing I love is he will be coughing or I hear a loud thump hit the ground when he's running like a Cheetah on speed, and I get concerned: "Logan, are you OK?" The reply always comes, "I'm OK, I'm OK." Sometimes singular, but I love it when it's twice. My favorite phrase he uses is when he wants to be close to you watching a movie: "Will you lay down with me, please?" or "Will you sit down with me. Me and you, watch Charlie and the Chocolate Factory!"
Breanna's into Bratz dolls these days, no more princesses. She told me yesterday, I don't like Princesses any more, I only like BRATZ dolls. I told her you can like more than one thing, babe. :) She looked at me puzzled for a second and said, "Ah, OK, I love bratz dolls but I just like princesses a little bit." Cracked me up!!! She has a new BRATZ wall comforter we hung up right over her bed with some cool curvy ornate curtain ends (looks curvy/celtic-ie? : ) but either way it's awesome, and she loves it.
Logan in turn has a Cayman Porsche poster over his bed, a few fighter jet pics, and Spider-Man, Captain America, The Hulk, and the best one WOLVERINE over his bed as well. He loves em' ! ! !
That's all for now . . .
Love,
Brian
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Wednesday, 1-24-07, 4:02pm
My GOD...my little girl is FIVE years old today!!! It seems like yesterday she was born at Lucille Packard's Childrens Hospital at Stanford. Breanna, your Nana & Papa came down and visited you on 1-18-07....then your B-Day party at Chuck E Cheese in Cupertino was on Saturday, 1-20-07. YOU HAD A BLAST THERE!!!!!!!!!!!!! You were running every which way but loose and screamed with every present you opened that day! ;)
Everyone was elated to see you and hear your amazing 5-year-old vocabulary! Logan was closely in tow running around and screaming at all the games and things to do at Chuck E Cheese! It's a great place, and you both love going there (I think this is your 5th or 6th time you've been there).
You wear Nana out too! And PAPA!!!!! LOL!!!! It's funny to come back from Costco or the store after an hour or two, and the look on Nana's face is, "Please give me a break, I can't take no more!!!" LMAO!!!!! Poor Nana, she's not as young as she used to be, but she thinks she is! :)
Your favorite gift, you'll open tonight, it's a Leapfrog Leapster TV game-set. It hooks up to the TV and there's tons of different games for it at Fry's Electronics. The two we got you are: SpongBob Saves the Day and K for Kindergarten. You got a cool Dora the Explorer one from Uncle Rome while at Chuck E Cheese! We'll hook it up tonight and you can give it a whirl.
I've got to download all the pictures I took at Chuck E Cheese and print some good ones out for my office (and make a CD for Nana & Papa to mail down to O.C.). I love you mucho sweetheart. I was the first one to wish you Happy Birthday this morning when I woke you up for school at 7:15am. I'll probably be the last one to wish you Happy Birthday tonight when I kiss you on the forehead and say, "Go to sleep, My Princess, you have school tomorrow . . ."
Love,
Daddy
My GOD...my little girl is FIVE years old today!!! It seems like yesterday she was born at Lucille Packard's Childrens Hospital at Stanford. Breanna, your Nana & Papa came down and visited you on 1-18-07....then your B-Day party at Chuck E Cheese in Cupertino was on Saturday, 1-20-07. YOU HAD A BLAST THERE!!!!!!!!!!!!! You were running every which way but loose and screamed with every present you opened that day! ;)
Everyone was elated to see you and hear your amazing 5-year-old vocabulary! Logan was closely in tow running around and screaming at all the games and things to do at Chuck E Cheese! It's a great place, and you both love going there (I think this is your 5th or 6th time you've been there).
You wear Nana out too! And PAPA!!!!! LOL!!!! It's funny to come back from Costco or the store after an hour or two, and the look on Nana's face is, "Please give me a break, I can't take no more!!!" LMAO!!!!! Poor Nana, she's not as young as she used to be, but she thinks she is! :)
Your favorite gift, you'll open tonight, it's a Leapfrog Leapster TV game-set. It hooks up to the TV and there's tons of different games for it at Fry's Electronics. The two we got you are: SpongBob Saves the Day and K for Kindergarten. You got a cool Dora the Explorer one from Uncle Rome while at Chuck E Cheese! We'll hook it up tonight and you can give it a whirl.
I've got to download all the pictures I took at Chuck E Cheese and print some good ones out for my office (and make a CD for Nana & Papa to mail down to O.C.). I love you mucho sweetheart. I was the first one to wish you Happy Birthday this morning when I woke you up for school at 7:15am. I'll probably be the last one to wish you Happy Birthday tonight when I kiss you on the forehead and say, "Go to sleep, My Princess, you have school tomorrow . . ."
Love,
Daddy
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