Horse Manure Park

When I was a kid, I remember my folks always used to watch Hollywood Squares.  I remember Mom used to laugh till tears ran down her leg.  I would laugh because she would laugh so hard, and now as an adult I can understand why.  Here are some real, unscripted, spontaneous answers from the original Hollywood Squares in the 1970s.  It's hard to believe some of this made it onto the air, but here you go... oh, Peter Marshall is your host. Peter Marshall: Paul, what is a good reason for pounding meat? Paul Lynde:   Loneliness. Peter Marshall:   Do female frogs croak? Paul Lynde:   If you hold their little heads under water long enough. Peter Marshall:   If you're going to make a parachute jump, how high should you be? Charley Weaver:   Three days of steady drinking should do it. Peter Marshall:   True or false, a pea can last as long as 5,000 years. George Goble:  Boy, it sure seems that way sometimes. Peter Marshall: ...

Haven't updated here for a while.  Haven't really been on the computer much.  Had a fun weekend.  Dale & Mel and Bob & Kathy came over on Saturday and John & Becky joined us for dinner Saturday evening.  Had a good visit with everyone, good food, too many cold beverages and in the blink of an eye it was Sunday morning and it was all over with.  Why does time go so fast when you're having fun? Now it is back to work for the week.  Beth and I are going to one of our favorite places for her birthday - Duluth.  Just us, no kids.  Our first time with no children since February 2006.  I'm not sure if we even remember how to be "just a couple," but we're willing to give it a try.  We're not going until the very end of April/beginning of May, but we're already talking about what we're going to do and what we're going to see.  One thing for sure on our agenda is a visit to Split Rock Lighthouse.  I've lived in Minnesot...

  For grandma and grandpa (I don't know if they read my blog, but just in case...)

Doug Fieger, lead singer of The Knack, died today at 57.  Another victim of cancer.  "My Sharona" was one of my favorite songs when I was growing up - in fact, it still is.  It's a perfect song... simple and infectious riff, uncomplicated arrangement, and a melody that borrows itself in your brain and never leaves. Rest in peace, Doug.  Thanks for the memories.

I've been meaning to update here for a couple of days, but the moment of have a second of peace a child starts screaming or I am otherwise sidetracked.  I think the wife and I have reached a point where we really, really need a vacation - but that's not going to happen anytime soon.  In fact, it is not even on the radar. The weekend is almost over.  Can't complain too much.  Work has been slow and I got to work with my buddy Korey on Friday and Saturday, so we had a chance to do a lot of catching up.  We hadn't had a visit in months; the only thing that was missing from the conversation was a case of Michelob.  Can't really drink beer in the ICU, so coffee had to suffice. So tonight is my last night of my 56 hour week - and just because I said things have been slow I can guarantee you I am about to encounter a night from hell.  That's just the way it works... And with that, my son is now awake and crying and I have to get back to the rat race.

...it's another.  A guy backed into the Pilot yesterday in the school parking lot.  Yeah, this is the same vehicle we just made our final payment on a couple of months ago.  Kinda figures, huh? The damage didn't look that bad at first, but after a closer inspection, the front bumper is cracked across the width of the vehicle.  Of course, the bumper is made of high quality plastic.  If this had happened in the summer, I'm thinking there would have been no noticeable damage.  But since it is February in Minnesota and the temperatures aren't exactly balmy, the plastic cracked like peanut brittle. I'll give the guy credit; this happened when Beth was in the school dropping off our daughter and he could have just driven away - his vehicle sustained no damage at all.  But he waited for her, explained what happened and gave her his information. His only request was that we get an estimate first before contacting the insurance company.  I don't th...

We had a small family birthday party tonight for Ava - just Mom, Dad and brother Neil... but we had a good time.  Ava's only request was strawberry birthday cake and party hats.  Princess tiaras were perfect. As you can tell by the picture, Neil was not overly impressed with wearing a tiara.   I led by example to prove to him it takes a real man to wear a tiara party hat. But he wasn't buying it. The candles were blown out...   Strawberry cake and ice cream were eaten...   Presents were opened... Ava's "big" present this year was an artist's easel.  Her first drawing was "Dad," and I thought it was awfully picture-worthy.

So begins a new work week.  I'll put in my 56 hours this week, then enjoy next week.  My brothers and sisters-in-law are coming for our annual winter weekend get together in two weeks.  We always have a blast when we are together.  We haven't seen each other in a long time, so we've got plenty of catching up to do. We've had a slow, but steady snowfall since late Saturday/early Sunday.  The forecast was calling for 5 to 8 inches of snow by Monday, but it looks more like we have between 2 and 3 inches.  I'm just "eyeballing" it, but we certainly didn't get half a foot. I watched the Super Bowl yesterday.  I was disappointed in the outcome.  Yes, I was cheering for the Colts.  I felt the Vikings had a better team than the Saints and it makes me vomit bile to think it could have been the Vikings in the Super Bowl defeating the Colts. Now, if my dad was alive, he would say that the Saints winning the Super Bowl made the Vikings look good....

So, Beth's old college roommate Angela is here visiting us and we got into a political discussion today. Inspired by the dialogue, it suddenly occurred to me that Michelle Obama has a twin.  I edited a couple of photos together and I do believe I am correct:

Like any parent, I am amazed by my kids.  Today was one of those "amazing moments."  I was listening to Billy Joel today - which is a pretty good thing to do on just about any day - and the song "Goodnight Saigon"  started playing.  My daughter was running around like a lunatic and suddenly stopped when she heard the helicopter introduction.  I watched her as she stood at the dining room window, staring at the snow outside while quietly listening to the song.  After a few minutes, I was shocked when she looked at me and said, "Daddy, this is a very sad song." She turns four on Tuesday; she's far too young to grasp the depth and meaning of the lyrics (which, like every Billy Joel song, are fantastic).  I can only guess she sensed the sadness in the melody. I was pretty impressed. I'm assuming everyone knows the song I'm talking about.  Billy Joel wrote it in 1982 for his friends who went to Vietnam.  It's considered one of his class...

Today is Groundhog's Day. I tried to explain the Groundhog's Day concept to Ava, but I didn't get much past the groundhog coming out of his home.  It's a pretty stupid idea when you really stop and think about it, but it's the only claim to fame for the folks of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, so I don't blame them for keeping the tradition alive. Anyway, I heard the little bastard saw his shadow.  Sounds like a good reason to shoot him if you ask me. In addition to Groundhog's Day, It is also Weasel Stomping Day in Canada.  Not many people know that. It's also Octopus Stretching Day in Bolivia and Fart Like a Water Buffalo Day in Botswana. Oh, and there's the Annual Kitten Toss in Scotland. Everyone is invited to join the festivities!

All I've gotta say is THANK GOD IT'S MONDAY! You don't hear that too often, do you?