sorry

Been ignoring the blog as I'm doing way more on facebook these days.
Anyway, basically I've been sick for the past week. That's about it. OK, actually, I:
* Put up the inside and the outside holiday lights including the tree.
* Been doing a lot of kid-duty as Tracy is in the middle of HUGE work project.
* Took my old desk out as I'm getting a new one I won in an auction for $5!!!
* Watched "Happy Go Lucky" at the Kress last weekend. The theater is so nice. I love that this is in Greeley. The movie was also pretty good. It was a good reminder that if you let your negative side run things, that's probably how your life is going to lead. I need reminders to keep positive!
* Finished Season 2 of The Wire. Great show. Started Season 3. Glad it's back in the streets.
* Bought a barn, a chicken coop and a woodshed on MyFarm on facebook. If you don't know what I'm talking about, you should check it out. Who knew it could be so addictive.
* Started the Saddamm mini-series on HBO. The first installment is very good. Hope it continues.
* Starting to think about the planning for our Spring Training trip this March!
* Didn't get much done on editing the book (without a desk and with a head cold, there wasn't much use).
* Played Harry Potter Clue with the boys a couple times. I LOVE this game. Really fun to play with the boys.
* Went to the Prairie Holiday thing at Centennial Village with the boys. They got to make a wax candle and get a mini-horseshoe from a blacksmith. They really loved it.
* Watched the boys skate at the Ice Haus for a birthday party. It was a girl's party with many boys there, too. I'm amazed at how quickly these youngsters are starting to look and act like teenagers.

50K and more

Finished NaNoWriMo on Saturday. Half writing, half editing. May be cheating but I figure I have a good start on finishing the editing.

Rest of the time off was good, too. Played some poker and had fun with friends. Ate too much turkey and everything else.

Saw Four Christmases Sunday night with Tracy. What a piece of crap. I think I had one pity laugh during the whole flick. Just sad. When do the good movies come out?

Watched 24-Redemption. Not a bad flick. Not real 24 without the rest of the gang but Jack is cool (even though it took him nearly 30 minutes to kill someone).

On Season two of The Wire. Great show. Got one more disc to go. Season 3 is next. Dan says it rocks.

Watched "Meet Dave" with the boys the other day. Actually pretty good for a family flick. But now Andy is singing "Staying Alive" all the time and is planning to perform it for the school's talent show with two friends. What 9 year old even knows the Bee Gees!?!?!

Short week

Two days of work this week. Isn't that the way it should always be?
Saturday, went with Dono and Dan to Blackhawk. I lost $100 in less than an hour, but came back over the next nine (yes, 9) hours so that I only lost $38 on the day. Not bad for all the bloody marys, jack and cokes and lots of hot chocolate I had.
Sunday, nice lazy day and then we took the boys to see Bolt. Pretty cute movie with actual laughs for adults. Normally I got to a kid's movie for a good nap and I didn't sleep at all. Now there's a ringing endorsement.
NaNo is going well. The editing is taking longer than I thought but I'm just ahead of pace at about 41,000.

Bond-less

I like to consider myself a pop culture person. I like to see the stuff other people are talking about. Am I a Lemming? Fine, I'm a pop culture Lemming, but normally the water's fine and I like hanging out with folks who like the same stuff.
(Yes, I like a lot of stuff that's not "pop" also, so I'm not a total sell-out).
Anyway, I know that not everything that is "pop"ular is my cup of tea (I never got Twin Peaks or X-Files or Wes Anderson movies).
But James Bond is one that I always try to convince myself I like.
I don't know why because I finally came to the realization that I just don't.
It started in the Roger Moore era. I don't remember which one it was but Bond and some chick are talking about some disaster that will befall all of humanity and they, for some dumb-ass reason, needed to know when the low tide was going to be. Bond turns around and hanging on the wall just happens to be a tide schedule. WTF?!?!
And then Tim Dalton and Pierce Brosnan and driving a tank with a statue on it (people were laughing int he theater, but that was just moronic).
Daniel Craig is the latest Bond. His first attempt, while better than most, was just wimpy and boring to me. An unbelieveable love story.
So, I have no idea why I went to see the newest one. I'm sure it has to do with that pop culture thing. But I did.
And, boy, did it SUCK!
The action scenes were filmed so jerkily you can't tell what's going on and the plot, well HOLY CRAP was it a stinker (plot spoiler to follow).
We, the viewing audience, are supposed to believe that a bad guy (part of a really bad group) spent millions of dollars and years of planning to overthrow the government of BOLIVIA. And why? FOR THE FREAKIN' WATER RIGHTS!?!?! Yes, water! Not oil. Not diamonds. Not gold. But FREAKIN' WATER!?!?
I'm done. This is the last Bond for me.

Done?!?

OK, National Novel Writing Month is barely half-way over, but I FINALLY finished the novel I have been working on for the past two years. It was a great ending that tied back into the whole story.
Very happy.
So, I gave myself one day off as a celebration and then I got right back into the novel. Now, I'm editing. Since this book was written over such a long time, I forgot some points about the characters and how they sounded and what was in what room.
Now I'm going through from the beginning, making grammar and style fixes on paper and making notes about the characters, locations and a basic timeline (I have a lot of backstory that I think kinda wraps around itself).
Anyway, my word count for the writing part of NaNo ended at about 25,000. But now I'm just going to tack on the edited word count which was about 4,000 over the weekend. So, now I'm at 29,000 which is slightly above pace.
For those of you who think this is cheating, BITE ME.
I'm too giddy to care.

21K

Hit 21,700 this morning.
Right about at pace. Story is going great. Really loving the excitement of seeing this whole thing coming to a close. I thought it might get boring because I know how it ends now, but I keep tossing in extra little things that make it fun.
Editing this monster is gonna be next. Three years worth of NaNo to get edited down to a manageable form.
But then it'll be million dollar bidding war for the manuscript and the movie rights.
Sounds like a plan, right?

Bye Holliday

It was just over a year ago that Matt Holliday contributed a huge part in the greatest baseball game I have ever seen live (or ever seen period). See my memories here.

Today it was announced the Rox traded Holliday to the A's (my other fav team) for Huston Street and two guys I've never heard of (one is a pitcher with a 6-17 record!?!?!).

It's the end of an era as we say goodbye to Holliday. But it also seems like the end of an era as the Rox seem to be parting with the team that brought the only World Series appearance for us. I haven't given up hope as many other fans have after hearing this news, but I am highly suspect.

On the bright side, when I go to Spring Training in March, I'll get to see Holliday in an A's uni (unless they trade him before then which is a definite possibility).

Biden booed

Apparently VP-elect Joe Biden was booed at the Eagles-Giants game on Sunday.
I thought this was a little strange coming from the home crowd (although they did through snow balls at Santa there once).
Anyway, I saw this comment at the bottom of the story and it made me giggle and have a better understanding of Philly fans ...

Sean: I booed him and i voted for him.
It doesn't have to make sense if it makes us feel better.

7,600

Slightly behind pace but it was election day yesterday so give me a break.
Story is going GREAT, though. I know I'm writing well when I scare myself, make myself laugh out loud or feel real emotion for my characters.
I LOVE this story!

Wow!

I wanted it. I hoped for it.
I have to admit there was a part of me that wasn't sure it would happen.
It did and I got to share the moment with Alex and Andy and we'll never forget it.

Fall and NaNo

How do I know it's Fall in Colorado? Sure ain't the snow!
But I did get to rake the back yard and Alex had fun in the pile ...


This weekend was Andy's first basketball game and he played great. He had four points and probably about seven or eight assists. He's really coming into his own on the court.

Tracy and I went with the Segals to see Vince Gill at the Union Colony Civic Center. Since Christi was more into it than me (there's no way to be less), I let her sit with Tracy up front and Andy and I kicked it in the cheap seats. I'm not a fan, but the music was pretty good, especially as it was an all acoustic set.

Tracy left town Monday (to go to D.C. for a conference ... she's staying at the same hotel as the Dems victory party is in ... how cool is that?!?!). So, I took advantage of my last night with Tracy in the house and I went to see Zack and Miri Make a Porno on Sunday. There are a ton of laugh out loud scenes. I'm a huge Kevin Smith fan, but this was definitely not his best. It really wasn't cohesive. Definitely worth a rental, especially since Smith always rocks the DVDs with great extras.

So, National Novel Writing Month started Saturday, also. I am trying to finish the novel I started two NaNos ago. And on Sunday it all came together. I thought I had written myself into a corner and then the ending came to me. I outlined 17 chapters (they're short!) on how the book will end. I am so jazzed that I can see the end of this one. I thoroughly believe this is my best chance at getting published. After I finish the writing, I plan to do major editing to get it down to a reasonable form and fill some of the holes and then I hope to get it out to agents soon after.

I can't remember a time I have been more excited about writing.

As of this morning, I'm at about 6,000 words (a little behind pace, but my alarm didn't go off today so I missed about 30 minutes of writing time).

Over-connected

OK, so I've had the blog thing for awhile now.
Then I got into MySpace. (not a big fan)
Then it was Facebook. (this is now my fav).
My friend George got me doing Twitter (still can't figure out the point).
Plus I have pages for Aims on MySpace and Facebook that I update.
I am starting to understand why the Unabomber disconnected from everyone and went to live in a shack.

W

Saw it this weekend and thought it was pretty good. The acting was incredible. I couldn't believe that was Thandie Newton and Condi. Brolin was amazing. My fav though was Stacey Keach who played W's preacher/advisor. He was really awesome.

Bad movies

Two stinkers...
1. In the theater, Tracy and I saw Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist. This is getting good reviews generally but it was so dumb. Huge plot holes. NO laughs (gum and puke aren't funny in a rom-com). No chemistry. I have no idea what EW and others are thinking by talking this one up so much. Maybe I'm just old. But personally, a good movie should transcend age (Juno did!).
2. On DVD, "A Good Year" with Russell Crowe. Tracy really wanted to see this. It was terrible (she agreed). It was horribly directed (Ridley Scott should stick to action flicks!) and horribly edited. Wasn't funny or touching. If wine is the central focus of a movie, I'm usually a fan. That's how bad this was. So far, this is my pick for the worst movie of the year.

Stupid people make me laugh

I voted ... now leave me alone

So, I got my mail-in ballot in today. So, how do I tell all the damn political people to quit bugging my ass!?!?!

Other crap ...

Saw "Flash of Genius" over the weekend. Good flick. Not sure if the point is how an obsessive personality made him lose his whole family or how one man could give up everything to fight for what is right. An idiot or a martyr? Still interesting especially since it was about windshield wipers.

Had two soccer games last weekend. Won one. Lost one. Season is going well. The kids are fun and my two other coaches are great.

Saw Uncle Bill, Tannae and Billy over the weekend. Uncle Bill is looking good. He's lost 40 pounds and seems to be getting around great. We're hoping to see him in Tucson when we go for Spring Training in March.

Typical McCain supporter?

Hall(elu)Yeah!

OK, I know I complain about this every year, but this year, there appears to be hope.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced the nominees for this year's class and they FINALLY have a great one.
Metallica.
Although they were eligible last year (when MADONNA got in), the hall realized they should throw a bone to actual rock and put the Bay Area boys on the nominee list.
So, thank you, "music experts" for giving us that one.
Now for the complaints (or in other words, the other nominees):

• Run-D.M.C. (I'm not a fan of rap but I will actually concede this one. This group opened doors and eyes and also crossed genres with rock when few others would admit to sampling ... yes, Vanilla Ice I'm talking to you).
• The Stooges ... Iggy Pop certainly is an icon. Don't know much of The Stooges. Hard to think of them as HOF material.
• Jeff Beck ... he's not in already? This should get cleared up.
• Wanda Jackson ... huh?
• Little Anthony and the Imperials ... huh (part 2)?
• War ... one-hit wonders are not HOF
• Bobby Womack ... seriously, did they just pick names out of the phone book
• Chic ... I have a hard time putting disco in the HOF. They were huge for about a year or two. Not HOF.

I know what you're saying: "That's it? That's all?" Yup, those are the choices. The top five vote-getters get in. If Metallica doesn't make it, I just might blow a gasket.

In case you are wondering, here are some of the artists still not in the Hall (or even been nominated):

• KISS ... this is a travesty to the point of being ridiculous. What do these people want? Great music? Check. Influencial? Name a band today that doesn't owe at least something to them. Longevity? Duh! Hit records? How about dozens plus the No. 1 song in the country and a Grammy for "Beth."
• The Moody Blues ... yup, not in.
• Rush ... just a travesty
• Alice Cooper ... should go in the year after KISS
• Stevie Ray Vaughn ... see how stupid this is?
• Deep Purple
• Yes
• Bad Company (if only Bobby Womack had been the lead singer, huh?)
• Neil Diamond (c'mon, admit it ...)
• Cheap Trick
• Judas Priest
• Iron Maiden
• Journey
• Peter Gabriel (for his videos alone, he should be in)
• Bon Jovi (eligible for the first time this year and they should get in sometime ... although Runaway is still their best song IMHO)

At least if Metallica makes it, the show will be worth watching. Fortunately Jethro Tull isn't on the nominee list so we don't have a Grammy screw-up AGAIN!

Martin and Frank

So, this weekend started on Friday as I got some tix from a friend for Martin Short (of SNL and SCTV fame) at the Union Colony Civic Center. Dono, Dan and I met up for dinner and more than a few drinks beforehand. Good show. Not great, but definitely had some laughs.

Saturday we had our second soccer game of the year. Got creamed but my guys made one of the best goals I've ever seen in little kid ball, so I'll call it a wash.

That night, Tracy and I decided to get all dressed up as we had tickets to see Frank Sinatra Jr. at the UCCC. I'm a huge fan of Sr. but I didn't have my hopes to high for Jr. I was mistaken. Along with a 30-plus-piece orchestra, Jr. went through a ton of his dad's tunes. His voice isn't even close to Sr. but his phrasing and timing were perfect. The big band sound was so sweet. "I've got the World on a String" was definitely a highlight. Missed some of my favs such as "I get a kick out of you" and "Chicago" but it was still fun. Met Andy and Christi for drinks at the new Kress Theater after.

Here's a pic my friend Andy took:

The other big thing from the weekend was that the boys, for some reason, got on a kick to play racquetball. We played Saturday day at the Greeley Rec Center and they had so much fun, they made me take them again on Sunday and they both loved it. This was a pure joy moment for me as racquetball is one of my favorite things to do. The boys seem to have found my excitement in the game and they are surprisingly quick learners. I sure hope this continues.

Check it out

Check out the home of Pretty Like Deer.
This is the brainchild of Allyson Byerly, a designer I work with at Aims. In her spare time, she designs non-Aims stuff for greeting cards, invitations and t-shirts, with a strange obsessive focus on cruiser bikes.
She's extremely talented and very funny. She's even shooting her whiteboard in her office that she frequently updates with stuff that she finds amusing.

A sad day

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/arts/AP-EU-Britain-Pink-Floyd.html?_r=3&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&oref=slogin&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

I've seen Pink Floyd five times in concert and Richard Wright was always amazing. Dude's super talented and a class act. I'll listen to WYWH tonight in his honor.

Burn(ed)

A couple reviews from the weekend:
1776: Stampede Theater Group's version was very fun. My buddy, Andy, was in it and it was great to see him on stage (normally he's a director). Kids even liked it (except for the sex jokes!) Pic is Andy with the boys.

Metallica: New album is sweet. I loved St. Anger but I understand why many people didn't. It was like Kill 'Em All and this newest one is like Master of Puppets which is a little more accessible. The lone bummer: The Guitar Hero play is only for XBox 360 (grrrrr).

Burn After Reading: When EVERY single funny moment is in the previews, you know there's a problem. I thought the previews looked great and I thought we might have another Raising Arizona but instead it was more like The Ladykillers. Pitt and Malkovich were awesome but that's about it.

Rockies: They suck but Sunday's game was fun to watch.

Broncos: Haven't paid much attention but I watched the second half Sunday (after the Rox) and it was a great ending even though we should have lost.

Weird weekend

We celebrated Tracy's birthday on Friday with an awesome trout BBQ at Ruth's ... that's not the weird part.
On Saturday, we had Andy's first soccer game of the season ... I'm still hoarse from coaching but that's not the weird part.
Saturday night, we saw "Bottle Shock" with Andy and Christi Segal (excellent flick with major flashbacks for those of us in Northern California in those days!) ... still not the weird part.
On Sunday, I took little Andy to the Rockies (Alex has no interest) and we had good seats in the club level (nice Wells Fargo 2for1 thing!). I love going to game with just him because we really get to enjoy the game and just have fun together. By coincidence, the Segals were also there but up in the third level seats. A couple innings in, I got a call that Andy Segal was being taken to the hospital. So, I went up to their seats and sent Christi to the hospital while I watched their kids and took them home. Fortunately, everything was OK with Andy and my Andy had a good time hanging out with Nick as the pictures below show. But it was a strange day. The only thing that was normal was that the Rox lost ... ugh.


Andy and Nick liked that we were near the purple row so they wanted a pic.

Rally caps and rally towels couldn't help.


But they didn't care!

Long weekend

Nice to have three days off again.
Started off well Friday as Andy and I played Highland Hills (actually shot well) and then went out to dinner at Texas Roadhouse and then saw "Traitor" (it was OK, but I'll admit I was tired and I'm pretty sure I dozed off in parts ... not a great sign).
Saturday, we took the boys to the grand opening of the new Toys R Us in Fort Collins. They had tons of characters in costume. Alex and Andy only cared about the Star Wars ones...


That night, Tracy and I went to dinner at Biaggi's (great Gluten-free menu) and then saw "Vicky Christina Barcelona" (the new Woody Allen flick). Very good movie. Great characters and dialogue.

Sunday was set aside for cleaning the entire garage and it sucked. But I'm glad it's all done now (I still had Christmas decorations in there to put away).

Monday was the last day at the pool and they had a nice potluck lunch. Kids swam for six hours and were exhausted (so was I).

Also, I finished Veronica Mars. They definitely need a movie to wrap it all up. It was an impressive series. Not sure I'd agree with Kevin Smith that it's one of the best shows ever but it's really good.

Now I'm starting "Rescue Me" from Season 1. Heard so much about this and NetFlix is a great way to catch up on these shows. The 45-minute shows are perfect for timing my stationary bike rides.

Not much

Nothing new in my world. Saw "Longshots" last weekend with the kids. Cute but nothing great (better ending than I expected).

I am teaching a racquetball class from 10-11 on Tuesdays and Thursdays (I need more students so, if you know anyone ...). Just call me Professor Fiel.

Also, I'm coaching Andy's soccer team again this year. Working with Brad Shade and Scott Horton so I'm really happy to have such great help.

I'm also taking racquetball on Tuesday nights and playing softball on Wednesday nights. With all of this exercise, I better start losing more weight (oh, yeah, I'm not focused on weight, just staying in shape ... blah, blah, blah!).

We're here to help ...

Last three-day weekend

Back to a normal-hour week this week.
The weekend was nice because we didn't have much on the agenda at all. Took the boys to the "Clone Wars" movie after school on Friday. They loved it and declared it the greatest movie ever. For me, it provided a wonderful 90 minutes of naptime.
Tracy and I went to "Tropic Thunder" on Saturday with Christi and Andy. Andy and I loved it and the girls thought it was "ehh." I really thought it was one of the funniest movies I've seen in a long time.
It was a boring weekend which makes for a boring blog, but it was really nice.

Express

With Tracy out of town and the boys staying with Grandma last night, I figured I'd take advantage and go see "Pineapple Express" (since I knew Tracy would have no interest).

The flick was pretty funny. Some big laughs. A lot like the Cheech and Chong movies. Two stoners who get in or cause a bunch of trouble. Mixing in the Apatow era is interesting and made for some great lines. Some of the characters are a little strange (Rogen is dating a high school girl!?!?!) but still funny.

The best part of the movie, however, was the soundtrack. Starting with "Electric Avenue" by Eddy Grant and moving into some classic reggae with Bob Marley and then a little-known Peter Tosh song was sweet. The final credits roll with a new song by Huey Lewis and the News called "Pineapple Express." It's amazing because the lyrics are pretty funny but it sounds like it could have been produced in the 80's (even sounds a little like "Hip to be Square."

Honesty

Wet

So, Wednesday we had a huge storm hit Greeley (something like 3-4 inches in an hour or so) and many people had flooded basements (not ours, happily).

On Friday, we took the boys to Elitch's and the first thing they wanted to do was ride the water ride (basically, you go down a big hill into water that sprays about 200 feet in the air and then you stand on the bridge after you get out of your boat so the next wall of water hits you, too).

This is how they looked:

After that, they wanted to spend most of the rest of the day at the water park part of Elitch's and Tracy and I lounged out as they played (not a bad day at all). When the sun went down, we went on a few more rides before another storm rolled in and sent us home even wetter than the water ride.
Saturday Tracy left on a business trip and the boys and I just recovered from an exhausting Friday by swimming a little and then renting the Water Horse movie on OnDemand. I was shocked because it was actually pretty darn good.
Sunday we went to Fort Morgan for a family reunion which was very nice and pretty toasty so the boys enjoyed splashing around in the Fort Morgan pool (which is pretty huge!). The pool closed when somebody spotted a floater (unlike Caddyshack, it wasn't a candybar ... sorry for the mental picture). But storms were rolling in also and we drove home through another gully-washer.
But then when we got home, this was the view out our front door ...

Vote, Chimp

This weekend saw Swing Vote with Tracy and Space Chimps with the boys.
Chimps was terrible. Boring story. One or two funny lines but it was trying too hard to be clever and failed. The animation was crap, too.
Swing Vote was better than I expected. We mainly saw it because Tracy's aunt and uncle were extras in the final big scene (never saw 'em but I believe 'em). If you can get past the moronic set-up of the movie, it was a pretty good story about politics and how much people change to get elected. Some great ads in the movie for the candidates, talking to the one voter, Costner.
At home, I've been watching Season 2 of Veronica Mars. It's a really good series. I hear I'm going to be pissed at the end of Season 3, but it's a really good show. Too bad I didn't get into it until after it was off the air.
Also, Tracy and I have caught up with Mad Men. What an amazing show! Absolutely brilliant storylines and characters and the acting is fantastic. Believe all the hype.
Other than that, we had a fairly mellow poker night on Friday. I didn't play well and the cards sucked for the most part but it was a fun night. Hopefully we'll get a few more folks next time.
For our last big woo-hoo before the kids go back to school, we're hitting Elitch's this Friday. Should be fun.

Grand time

Kinda strange to think about coming back from our second vacation in two weeks.
But we just hit Grand Lake which is basically a tradition for our family every summer.
Had a great time. Tried out a new thing ... rowing. This ain't your normal ol' rowboat. This is like real rowing. My sister-in-law and I did it and got pretty addicted. You use very little of your arms and work mostly with your legs. It was a blast (sorry no pics but I was sure I was gonna get dunked ... never did though).
The weather was incredible. Got sunburned worse than I have in a long time. Who knew?
Happy to be home now ... for awhile.
Here are some pics ...

My mother-in-law, Ruth; my sister-in-law, Greta; and my lovely wife.

The boys loved to play by the water and Alex invented a cool pontoon boat from water bottles that he could let go in the lake and bring back with fishing string.

My wife is a hottie!

Boys, sand, sun and water ... what else do you need?

The whole crew on the bridge between Grand Lake and Shadow Mountain Lake.

Seattle

So, we've been gone a long time. Spent five days in Auburn, WA (suburb of Seattle) with my sis' family and then five days in Ocean Shores, WA, for a family reunion.

Here's a quick rundown ...

Total rounds of golf ... 3

Average golf score ... NASA computer still tabulating

Total hours spent whale watching ... 3

Total whales watched ... 0

Punches my neice gave me ... 1,453

Times my youngest nephew called me "Uncle Matt" ... 2 (still pissed)

Total amount of rainfall on trip ... 0 (shocking, I know)

Amount (in pounds) of sand in our clothing from Ocean Shores ... 32

Amount I won at a poker table in a OS casino ... $53

Amount my sister won ... $160

Amount my dad lost ... $140

Time at table ... about 4 hours (don't figure my hourly wage)

Hours of video shot ... 4

Number of pics ... not many but here they are ... (sorry for the crappy pics but my camera sucks)

Andy, Alia, Aiden, Austin and Alex cost us so much on this trip that we had to have them become spokesmodels for the money.

Andy, Alex and Austin at the EMP (Paul Allen's music thing) posing next to a Gene Simmons costume.

Tracy and the boys at Pikes Market.

Alia in a rare moment when she wasn't punching me.

School daze

In high school in the San Fran Bay Area, I went to concerts a lot. Now, not so much.

But when Poison and the Spin Doctors were signed up to play the Greeley Stampede, I begged Tracy for tix for my b-day and she hooked me up (as well as my buds Dan and Dono). And then, days before the show, Dan worms his way into three backstage passes as well. It was set for a freakin' awesome time (I love the funk rythmn of the Docs and Poison is OK, too).

The pass:


I had images of drunken groupies backstage, but, sadly, it was not to be. "Backstage" at the Stampede means you get to hang out in the dirt and wait for the bands to walk to the stage.

This is what I'm talking about ...

(Hard to believe the girls stayed away from them, huh?)

Dono was still excited ...

But no groupies, so this was the only boob they got ...

But we saw a couple interesting things. Like, the Docs apparently used Van Halen's old sound equipment (see below) ... I picture there's a store where all hair bands buy and sell equipment ... It would be a fun place to visit...

And you know those "HUGE" walls of speakers at a concert? Well, a look behind the curtain reveals there were only six or so speakers (it was still plenty loud, tho!). Kinda sad to know this...

So, the Docs were late in starting because two of the four guys in the band were lost (only us cool backstage people knew this ... woo hoo!). And then, this cab pulled up and Chris Barron, the lead singer of the Docs popped out! The day is saved!

OK, at this point of the story, I should probably also note that I was rather intoxicated. I figured I'm going to a metal show, Dono was driving and WTF, right? Anyway, drunkedness equals bravery and it helped a lot because it gave me the cojones to walk up to some of these folks and get pics. Here's me with Barron on his way to the stage ... and the bass player (after the show)

And below is the drummer. His name is Aaron. From the stage, I thought he looked just like me. Upon closer inspection, he's not a twin but could be a long-lost brother (except he has rythmn which means he's not a blood relation)...

During the Docs show, I stood close to the stage. Like I said it was loud, but I haven't been up front at a show in years. The funniest part was a song that featured the phrase "big, fat, funky bootie" several times. The hearing impaired person had to sign the words and it cracked me up as apparently the sign word for "bootie" is pointing to your ass. Here's a video (I was drunk so I straigtened it out a couple seconds in ... gimme a break)

The Docs did a great show and then we went backstage again (because we are so cool!!!).

I also want to comment on my attire. I was able to fit into my "Don't Blame Me. I voted for Bill and Opus" shirt from the '80s thanks to losing part of my fat ass so that also made the night special.

Anyway, we were waiting around for Poison and Dan spotted Rikki Rocket, the drummer, standing by a bus. He was far away and if I had been sober, I probably just would have watched. But I was drunk and said WTF and went over to him. Super nice dude (even with eye shadow and mascara!). A pic:

For Poison, Dan, Dono and I went back to the seats which were in the 4th row of the arena floor (behind the pit I stood in for the Docs). Poison put on a great show and we were screaming and bouncing around like it was 1987 all over again.

After the show, we went backstage again (because we're that cool). Nothing really going on but I got this pic that sums up backstage at the Stampede pretty well.

All in all, it was a great night. And, yes, Dan, next time I'll take the pics so you can get in them with the famous people. Sorry about that.

Countdown

Weekend:
Picked up Tracy from the airport.
Saw Wall-E (cute and engaging ... loved the fat people ... can SO relate!)
Taught my grammar and punctuation class Saturday (I love the class but can't get many people to come ... shocking, I know!)
Watched the newest "Rambo" flick on NetFlix (bloody violence, good ... dialogue and plot, bad)
Saw "Son of Rambow" an English flick about a kid who makes his own Sly movie (cute but not great) with Christi and Andy.
Took the kiddos to the pool.
Watched a couple episodes of Season 2 of "Dexter" (love this show almost as much as the books!)
Finished reading "Heartsick" by Chelsea Cain on the recommendation of my buddy, Dan. What a great book. I know I'm sexist but I normally don't like female thriller writers, but this one is awesome. Great story.
Started the new Odd Thomas book by Dean Koontz. I love Dean. Not a huge fan of this series, but it starts off pretty good.

So, now the countdown begins. Short week this week because of the Fourth and then we prep to head out for our family reunion in Seattle. I can't wait! I'm so excited to see my neice and nephews (and my sis, her hubby and my mom and dad). Golf. Beach. Not working. I can't wait!

Live Like Harv!

My new hero ...

The Mist

On a recommendation of a friend, I rented it.
I'm sure this was WAY better as a book. King movies often feel that way (except Misery which was equal to it).
Anyway, it's a bizarre story. Has some interesting elements about religion and faith driven by fear ... which certainly was a major theme.
The ending, however, was so sad and shocking, that I just had a hard time with it. As a parent, it was brutal to watch. I think it would have been better with a better actor. The main dude just doesn't look nearly as shocked as a real person would be.
Anyway, I guess it's worth a rental, but plan on having bad dreams.

I miss college

This is from one of my new fav sites:

http://www.photobasement.com/

Brilliant

My friend Eric posted this on his blog and I thought it was just brilliant.
This is a site for cubicle workers to fake work while reading great works.
http://www.readatwork.com/
Not sure if a Mac version is planned.

Wedding weekend

So, we went to a fun wedding on Saturday. Greta Willoughby used to work for me at Aims and she's just a hoot. She got married at a rodeo arena and then had the reception at a bar (that is being closed and will soon be a church!?!?).
Pics below, me and the bride at the reception and then Tracy sitting on a hay bale for the ceremony (the boys are standing behind her under umbrellas because it was freakin' hot!

Other than that, we had a low-key poker game on Friday (everybody but Dono and I finished early. He and I stayed up late drinking, playing cards and arguing politics ... fun).

On Sunday, the whole family (including Ruth and Greta) went to see "Get Smart" (funny flick but not as slapsticky as the TV show). After dinner together, we did a short tour of the tornado zone in Windsor and Greeley. This was my first time out there (the tornado hit a month ago). It's amazing to see some people already rebuilding. But the devastation is incredible.

A moment of $%&#ing silence

George Carlin is dead. Truly sad day.
Say at least one of the seven words today in his honor.

Daddy day

Had a great Father's Day weekend. A little swimming. Saw "The Happening" with Dono (I actually liked it and he hated it but he hates everything right now and somehow he ends up comparing every movie to a flaming bag of dog poo ... ).

On Sunday, Big Andy (as opposed to Little Andy, my son) and some other friends played the Eaton Country Club in our continuing quest to play the local courses we haven't played before. It's a nice course ... not great, but nice. So far this summer we've added Marianna Butte, the Olde Course in Loveland, Highland Meadows in Windsor, Thorn Creek in Thornton and I got to play the Greeley Country Club in a tourney last week. Marianna and the Greeley CC are my favs so far, but I'm such a hacker that I still enjoy Mad Russian more than any of them. Currently my game sucks. My drives are pretty good (hit one 298 at the GCC!) but I can't pitch or chip or putt to save my life.

After golf, I got to go home, open some nice gifts from the fam, call my dad to wish him a good one and watch the Tiger/Rocco show that continued into the work day yesterday which was awesome.

Tracy wanted to take a pic of me and the boys to show to a friend of hers, so I thought I'd share it here.

Exhausted

This is Alex after staying up all night for the Relay For Life on Friday/Saturday.

He was excited to stay up, but he couldn't even keep his eyes open once the sun came up. All night long, he was putting entries into a raffle for a portable bike that one group was selling. He waited for them to do the drawing, but fell asleep on the sidewalk. He didn't win, but the lady who did win wanted Alex to have it.

We tried to wake him up to show him, but he was dead to the world. I picked him up from the sidewalk and he stood up, but he was still pretty out of it and didn't even register the bike. He started to stumble and I caught him and placed him in this chair. About 30 minutes later, he woke up, saw the bike and said, "Whose is that?"

All in all, it was a great Relay. Alex's team won Bronze status (I've never had a ranked team ... must help to be cute!).

This is an amazing community and even after the horrible tornado and the more than $250,000 raised in relief for the victims there, this event still raised $417,000 for cancer research and programs.

The rest of the weekend was a blur ... sleeping (lots), saw "Don't Mess with the Zohan" (terrible!), watched the first disc of Season 3 of Weeds (hilarious!), almost finished Season One of Veronica Mars (pretty darn good but not as "top 5" brilliant as Kevin Smith says), took the boys to "KungFu Panda" (OK, but the voices were under-used), bought some more plants for my garden (my volunteer pumpkins didn't volunteer this year ... got some more, some watermelon, tomato and cucumber), killed three wasp nests in the backyard (I hate those buggers) and watched a HUGE fire just down our street as one of my neighbors was later arrested for setting his own house on fire.

Yesterday I played in an Arizona Scramble golf tournament at the Greeley Country Club. It was the first time I've played that course and it was awesome. I didn't play particularly great but we used my drive about six or so times. The best was on the last hole which also happened to be the long-drive competition hole. I cranked one right down the middle and it measured 298 yards! (ended up being halfway between the women's long drive and about 30 yards shy of the men's). That was probably my best drive ever and I was pretty darn giddy. Then watched Alex's baseball game and then played softball. No wonder I'm tired.

Nice

10-hour days suck, but having three-day weekends is nice over the summer.

Sure, I spend most of my Fridays doing work around the house but then that leaves Saturday and Sunday for a little more fun.

This weekend, the boys and I did a massive cleaning job on their activity room on Friday and Tracy went to the Sex and the City movie with her chick friends (woo-hoo! I don't have to go!).

Saturday, I had to do a work thing in the morning and then Tracy and I went out to see The Visitor (not bad, Tracy liked it more than me but it still wasn't as good as the director's The Station Agent) that night.

Sunday was chill day. A little cleaning. A little laundry. I got to read a bit on the back porch ... until I started noticing all the weeds and so I started pulling. And then Tracy came out to help.

And then we realized we hadn't heard from the children in a while... They are at that age when you think you can leave them unsupervised for long periods ... And then you go to the front yard and see this ...

Yes, Alex and his goofy sidekick, Andy, had built a mud dam to block the gutter and then gotten in a mud fight (Alex took the worst of it). The worst was their mud dam was not in front of our house but rather a house three or four houses down and we had to carry buckets of water down there to wash it out.

Yes, I was pissed about it, but boys will be boys and it's good to see my kids getting in trouble outside for stuff like this than inside vegging all summer.

14

It was 14 years ago today that a lovely woman agreed to be my lovely wife.
In that time ...
* We've had two amazing kids who make our lives even better every day.
* I gained and lost 50 pounds (ouch!)
* Both my best-man and Tracy's maid-of-honor got married and divorced.
* And my best-man got re-married (this last weekend ... congrats, George!)
* The Rockies made it to the World Series (probably another 14 years before they win the damn thing)
* The U.S. has been involved in several bloody wars that didn't do diddily-squat for anyone
* George Lucas finally finished the first three Star Wars movies
* The Broncos won the Super Bowl ... twice!
* We own two mini-vans
* I've had five different jobs (still would rather be writing full time)
* Tracy's had three
* My mother-in-law moved to Greeley from Fort Morgan (woo-hoo!)
* My father-in-law passed away (we miss you, Joe!)
* We've made many friends and lost contact with a few, too.
* I discovered I really like shrimp
* Brussel sprouts ... not so much
* Tracy has probably had less than 10 glasses of wine (I may have had a few more than that)
* Terrorists have done a number of really bad things
* So have US politicians
* We've only had two presidents (that's strange, huh?)
* We've seen hundreds (if not thousands) of movies (include bad TV shows and we're easily there)
* I am now comprised of 90 percent ice cream and popcorn
* I've published one book and several hundred columns (see many of 'em here)
* I've written several novels ... edited a couple and pitched to one agent
* My parents have moved from a gorgeous lake in California to Texas (please forgive them)
* We have killed at least two hermit crabs, countless sea monkeys (although two live!), a couple goldfish, a strange swimming frog and not nearly enough mosquitoes.

And through it all, I have been the most fortunate person on the planet because I have been able to experience it all with my incredible wife. She's my best friend and the hottest chick ever ... it's an awesome combination.
ILYM!!!

Whew!

In case you didn't know, our county has been dealing with the aftermath of a horrible tornado that hit about 10 miles from our house on Thursday. It's been a scary couple days. On Thursday, Tracy and the kids spent much of the afternoon under the stairs (Tracy has a nice area set up ... since Y2K!!!). I was at work but I was at the gym for the lunch hour and we all had to go into the basement aerobics room to wait out the tornado warnings. Tracy's mom, Ruth, was driving home to Greeley from Windsor and went right through it. The baseball-sized hail caused extensive damage to her car and her nerves, but she's OK.
On Friday, Alex and I went to the mall to get me some clothes that fit (finally) and while we were there, another tornado warning came up and the power in the whole mall went 0ut. We were kicked out of JC Penney's until we found out that store is one of the "safe" areas. (duh!). With the power out, the pretzel guy was giving away pretzels, so Alex was OK.
All in all, it's really a miracle only one person was killed. We don't have sirens in Greeley or Windsor. But I guess we really are connected enough these days that nobody was really caught off-guard (although some kids in the day care in Windsor were nearly sucked away).
So, the rest of our weekend ...
* Took Alex and a friend to Indiana Jones. Not bad. Not great.
* Tracy and I were going to see a double-feature of Married Life and Baby Mama on Saturday but the theater was doing construction (not tornado-related) and they failed to tell people until the last minute. So, we had a good dinner and went home to see the Savages on OnDemand. Good flick.
* Spent 3 days cleaning the kitchen (and we're not done). We emptied and cleaned every cabinet. It's amazing what crap you collect over 12 years! Should be done today!
That's about it.

B-day week(end)

On Friday, I turned 39. I had a pretty good week, too.

On Wednesday, I was part of a drinking study for the Tribune as several of us got loaded to see how fast someone can get drunk and its impact on driving. See the article (with a link to video ... what was I thinking?!?!?) here http://www.greeleytrib.com/article/20080518/NEWS/950371384

On Friday, I was off work because we're on 4-day weeks this summer (nice, but 10-hour days suck). Anyway, Andy Segal and I went (with a friend of his, Rob, from Denver) to play 18 at Marianna Butte in Loveland. It was great! I actually hit a shot that skipped across water (twice!) and landed in a great spot. Andy and I had such a great time that we decided to play the Old Course in Loveland when we were done. Yes, 36 holes of golf in one day. It was a good day.

The diet is going OK. I lost another pound last week and I bought a pair of shorts that were 8 inches less than all the others I own. That felt good. I actually bought another pair that is two inches less than that but they are a little too snug right now but it gives me something to shoot for. The hard part with the diet is my birthday. With the drinking before and during as well as the tasty ice cream Tracy bought me and the amazing cake my mother-in-law made me (glutten-free!!!) and the banana bread Tracy made (GF!), I have eaten more than I have in a long time. I know they say you can just bounce back, but it's tough. I feel like poop. But I had some good fish and veggies last night for dinner, so I hope that will begin to cleanse out the body again.

As for movies, Tracy and I went with Christi and Andy to "What Happens in Vegas" (after going to PF Changs which was awesome ... but stuffing also). It's a pretty good movie, actually. Lots of good laughs. The hardest part for me was the gambling. It was totally wrong. They won the slot jackpot ($3 million) with ONE QUARTER. Any moron could see the machine said it needed TWO to win the big one. And, earlier they were playing craps and with a table full of money (including money on the Come line), they were cheering for a seven. (Of course, they hit and they win). Anyone who has played craps knows this is crap. Sure, they could have been playing the no-pass line, but they had their money on pass. Stupid thing to complain about, but still. It wouldn't have been that tough to make it right.

Watching Veronica Mars (Season 1) and The 4400 (the newest season) on DVD. Both very good. Can't wait to see where The 4400 is going.

Movie weekend

Trying to stay out of Tracy's hair, I spent a lot of time in the movie theater this weekend.
On Saturday, I took the boys to Speed Racer. If you loved the cartoon, you'll love this. I remember loving the cartoon for a short time. I didn't like the film for the same reason I stopped liking the cartoon. Still was amazing to see the visuals.
The boys then stayed at Grandma's and I went to Harold and Kumar with Dono. Fortunately, we went to a bar beforehand which put us in the right mood. Still wasn't as funny as the first one.
On Mother's Day, Tracy still had to work so I took the boys (plus Grandma Ruth) to Iron Man. What a great flick. Robert Downey Jr. was awesome.
Also this weekend we had our last soccer game of the year. We lost but the boys played well. The wind came up at the end and that was no fun whatsoever.
Pretty sick of the wind right now.

Good weekend

So, Friday, I gave the boys the option of going to a really cool new model train exhibit and museum that's only open once a month or staying home and watching a couple old Star Trek Next Generation episodes from NetFlix. Pikard won out. Although I'd like to go see the exhibit some time, I'm pretty happy that both of my sons are into Star Trek as much as I was. They use ST refs all the time and talk about phasers and posotronic brains and, yes, I have created two total nerds ... and I love it.

Saturday, we had Andy's second to last soccer game and the kids played amazing. By far their best game. My assistant coach was blown away. It was incredible.

Then, Andy went to a friend's house for a birthday party and Alex and I went to see the play "Annie" at the UCCC with Ruth, Greta, Alex's friend, Ryan, and his mom Kristie. Tracy couldn't go because she's snowed with a major work project. The play was pretty good. I'll admit I am not a big fan of the music in it, but the staging was impressive.

Alex then had a sleepover at Ryan's house and the next morning I picked up Andy and his friend, Cameron, and we met Dono and Sara for the Rockies game against the hated Dodgers. And the Rox actually won one!!! Woo-hoo.

During the game, I also got to meet up with a friend of mine from California, Mike Ingraham. Mike and I grew up about four houses from each other in the Bay Area from 4th grade through high school. Growing up, we had a lot of fun together (he went to my first rock concert (Van Halen, May 11, 1984) with me) and we also fought a lot (about nothing ... which sounds about right). Anyway, I hadn't seen him since high school graduation. He's now re-married to a cool lady named Jen and they recently moved to Colorado Springs. He looks just like his dad (so do I, I think). It was a short visit but it was great to see him.

Finished Sunday off by watching "Dead Alive" on DVD. This was Peter Jackson's first movie and it was so darn funny. Absolutely laugh-out-loud cheesy. WAY over the top fake gore. Really funny lines. Really bad special effects (the rat monkey is now my fav!). Horrible acting. Really fun.

What's up? Not much

Pretty laid-back weekend... lots of time with the boys since Mom is working on her HUGE work project ('til May 22, it's gonna be quiet on the Tracy front)...

Friday took the boys to their school's family fun night. This used to be an event where you paid a lot of money for the kids to play stupid games and win crap prizes. This year, the games were still there, but they were free! Woo-hoo! Much better. They also had a band playing outside and I got to hear the worst version of Hotel California ... EVER!

Saturday was crappy weather but the geniuses who decide to postpone soccer apparently can't look out a window. We got to the field and after a couple minutes, the snow and wind were so bad, I got together with the other coach and we decided to cancel our game and we alerted the refs. The girl ref (who was on the field AND bundled in a big blanket) turned to us and said, "Thank you."

Alex had a play-date for most of Saturday and into Sunday. So, Andy and I went to the city courts and played racquetball. I can't believe this little stinker is only 8. He has a good head for the game and is really impressive. Does a dad's heart good.

Sunday we did some cleaning around the house and then rode our bikes to the Library and the Family FunPlex (the boys couldn't pass it without wanting to play 18-holes of mini-golf!). There is a new (I think?) bike path that runs almost all the way to our house and to the FunPlex. It's a great trail and made the trip a blast. There's a killer hill at the end and the boys walked their bikes up it, but I was able to make it (kinda nice not hauling an extra 50 pounds up it).

As far as the weight goes, I'm maintaining. Seems like I'm down a pound or so. But I'm still exercising and eating good, so that's what matters.

54

Just did my last weigh-in. I was really pushing to lose at least a pound to get me to a total of 30 for the Biggest Winner program at Aims.
And, even though the “good room” scale was unavailable (We weigh in two rooms and most of us have noticed one room is definitely better than the other and I was pissed it wasn't open on the last day!!!), I still lost 5 pounds, an inch in the belly and another in the chest as well as nearly one full point in BMI.
I am on Cloud 9!!! Can’t believe it!
My final numbers … Lost 34 pounds (plus 20 before BW beginning Jan. 1 … puts me at 54!!!)
Lost a total of 24 inches
And BMI dropped 4.4. (why I can’t get this one down as fast is a little frustrating!)
So, now this part of the weight loss is over (although we have awards being presented next week and I'm thinking I'm doing well), the big question is will I keep it off.
A lot of people ask me that.
Honestly, I'm not that concerned about it. I don't know why this time is different. I don't know how I was able to stick with it this far when I never could in the past. All I do know is that I won't be going backwards (well, I might celebrate a little this week!).
The other question I get is: How much are you trying to lose?
This is another easy one. My answer is simply: I don't care.
When I started all this, my goal was to lose the 50 pounds I have gained since I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease. That mission's accomplished.
So, my next goal is just to be healthy.
I'm going to continue my workouts like I have been. I'm going to continue to be good about what I eat. And that's it. It really hasn't been that tough. And I'm not going to kill myself trying to lose weight. If the pounds continue to drop (and I think they will), that's great. If not, then this is the weight I'm supposed to be at to still be healthy and fit.
I can't tell you how much it meant for me to get all of your kind words of support through this whole thing. It really did make a difference.

Wrap

Busy but fun weekend:
* Coached Andy's soccer team Saturday. We didn't play well, but the weather was great.
* Played 18 at Highland Meadows. This is a newer course in Windsor. Really nice although a little expensive. The greens were incredible.
* Saw "Forgetting Sarah Marshall." Good flick. Very funny. Definitely worth a rental if you miss it in the theater.
* Rented "Founding Fathers" from the History Channel. This was Vol. 2. Great stories to accompany the last showing of "John Adams" on HBO on Sunday. The documentary was enlightening. The John Adams miniseries was spectacular.
* Played racquetball with Kevin H. at the city courts. I played pretty good but it was just nice to get a good sweat.
* Took the boys to the FunPlex for a swim. We had a great time coming up with diving games with quarters. Who needs slides and lazy rivers?
* Bought fabric for a beaver pelt for Alex's class. At first, I bought black, but Tracy informed me I was an idiot and I returned it for brown. Tracy sewed black tails on and I guess Alex's class is doing "trading" for a Mountain Man project at school.
* Doing OK on weight. I need to lose a couple pounds to ensure that I hit the 30 pound mark for the competition at Aims which will also put me at 50 pounds since Jan. 1.
*Almost done with my Illustrator class. I'm taking it online through Aims and it's really cool. A little frustrating at times, but I dig it overall.

22

Nope that's not the weight thing. Actually, that's how many innings the Rox played last night.
Got over around 2:30 a.m. I watched it at home and just couldn't believe it. Incredible that the game was only 2-1 after that long. Dono and I were texting through most of the game which was fun to have someone else to complain about how annoying George Frazier is.

Since I brought up the weight thing ... Lost another pound this week as well as four inches (waist, hips and arms) and .2 on the BMI. Next week is the last weigh-in. According to the Biggest Winner thing, I've lost 29 pounds. I had lost 20 the month before it started. So, basically, my goal now is to lose at least 1 more pound this week so I can get to the magical 50. We're walking 18 holes on Saturday on a new course so that should help as long as I don't drink too many beers along the way (HA!).

Spring Break

Took off three days last week to spend time with the kiddos and give Tracy a break.
Had a great time. Just had some fun guy time.
New stuff:
* Lost 4 pounds in last week's weigh-in. Kinda surprised by the amount. Also lost .5 in BMI and another inch in the belly. Need to add another notch to the belt (I love that!).
* The boys now want a guinea pig. They are actually pretty cool. Anyone have any experience with them?
* Saw Nim's Island with the kiddos. Not bad.
* Saw 21 and then The Ruins. 21 was pretty good. Loved the casino stuff. Fun story. The Ruins was mediocre. I had to see it because I read the book. Pretty true to it except for the ending which now makes no sense.
* The Rox finally beat the Dbacks on Sunday. Been a painful stretch so far.
* My fantasy baseball team is currently in second place. I was in first for a week or so. I'm thinking I'll end up in the middle of the pack like always unless I can make a few good pickups.
* Went swimming a couple times with the kids recently at the Rec Center. Fun just hanging with them.
* Andy's soccer team (that I coach) won their first game on Saturday in one of the worst wind storms we've had. And, believe it or not, most of our goals were against the wind.
* Been watching the John Adams mini-series on HBO. Absolutely amazing. Incredible how much of this stuff I never knew before.
* Also trying to get caught up with Battlestar Gallactica Season 3 (as 4 is taping). I have to agree with Entertainment Weekly that this is one of the best shows on TV. It's got the depth of Lost with the intensity of Heroes (when Heroes was good). Great stuff.

Glory Days

So, this was Opening Weekend for the Rockies. I went on Friday and then on Sunday. The Rox lost both times plus Saturday for good measure. I know it's early, but this team looks blah right now and I have no idea why.

Now for the good stuff ... Tracy told me that I should count my blessings right now because I had a couple really good days ... so consider this counting.

1. Didn't have to work Friday.
2. Played nine holes of golf at Thorncreek with Andy, Dono and Randy.
3. Had a doublt Crown on the rocks before the game.
4. Went to Opening Day.
5. Came home and played poker with everyone.
6. Woke up without a hangover and coached our soccer team (we lost, but oh, well)
7. Went to see "Leatherheads" with my beautiful wife (good flick, actually).
8. Dinner at PF Changs (good stuff ... low-cal, too!)
9. Went to Sunday's game with Tracy and my two cool kids as well as my mother-in-law and aunt-in-law and had a good time despite the score.

I know the blessings are WAY more than 9, but that certainly was fun counting.

Ones

Lost one pound, .1 BMI, one inch on the waist and one inch on each leg.

Not as great as last week, but it's something.

I did win the Biggest Winner week last week. So, I got that going for me.

AND, the Rockies won (see one!) their first game last night.

Re-do

Yesterday was Opening Day for baseball.
And then it rained.
And now today is.
And then on Friday we have our Opening Day in Denver.
Woo-hoo!

It's official

Had my official weigh-in this morning. I'm down 9 pounds from two weeks ago (had to skip last week because of Aims Spring Break). Also I'm down another inch in the belly and 1.1 in BMI (still don't know what that is, but apparently that's a pretty big drop).

So, what this means is that my bathroom scale was correct. I am now down 23 pounds since the Biggest Winner thing started and I was down 20 pounds before I started it. So, a little bit of simple math puts my total at 43 pounds (my bathroom scale says 44 but who cares?) since Jan. 1.

I am obviously on Cloud 9 right now. Everyone keeps telling me I should get new pants, but I just can't believe it (although I did buy some jeans the other day that were two sizes smaller than what I was wearing and now they are a little loose!).

Still have a long way to go, but I can't tell you how good this feels now. I really appreciate everyone's words of encouragement. It means a lot.

Stuff

So, now I'm coaching Andy's soccer team. Our first game is Saturday. I'm just hoping the other team doesn't score more than the Nuggets the other night (168).

Alex and Andy and getting ready for a one-time performance in a school play called The North Star. Tracy is doing the costumes (silly girl).

Saw Semi-Pro with Will Ferrell a couple weeks ago. Silly fun. Not his best, but worth a DVD rental.

Saw Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day also. Thought it would be a chick-flick but I really liked it. Felt a lot like an old Carey Grant movie with acting way over the top but still believable. Fun story. Not great, but worth it.

Took the kids to Horton Hears a Who and really loved it. Fun flick. Good adult stuff in it also.

Thanks to NetFlix, I have hooked the boys in "Star Trek: The Next Generation." I had them watch the two-part Borg episodes and they are loving it. It makes me so proud to hear them playing with each other and saying, "I'm loading my photon torpedoes." Small things in life make me happy.

Got a new cell phone. I switched to AT&T. Love the phone but the service stinks in my office. Everywhere else it's great. The phone is great because I can get e-mail and check the web and play games. I think it makes phone calls too.

The weight? Well, I am currently leading all of the Aims Biggest Winner contestants as we enter the seventh week. Since Jan. 1, according to my home scale, I'm down 40 pounds. I'm not sure I buy that, but it sounds good. With Spring Break this week we aren't weighing in at Aims this week, so I don't know what they have me at right now. I am down two pant sizes and added five notches to my belt. Just want to keep it going (long way to go still).

Can't believe this Sunday is Easter. It's strange having it so early this year.

Been busy

Sorry for no updates.

Was in Georgia for a conference.

How about a quiz? What famous movie featured this steeple in the opening scene?

(tilt your head)

Answer below ... (no cheating)...

Forrest Gump ... the feather flew past this steeple and landed at his foot as he was sitting on a bench in a nearby "square."

Crock

I always knew Daylight Savings was a crock.
http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB120406767043794825-UOLcfJA8x9Gw9ozbCz77MiLmtaE_20080327.html

Why can't we just keep one time all year like Arizona (Spring Training and the clock are the only things I like from there).

Fun

So, last weekend I saw a couple flicks -- one in the theater and one on DVD.

"Vantage Point" was a decent action flick. The concept was interesting but it completely abandoned it in the last act. If you are going to do something funky, write it so you can stick with it. In the end, it became totally unbelievable, but if you removed your brain, it was OK.

Got "Mr. Brooks" on DVD based on a recommendation from my friend Dan. I was completely surprised how much I liked it. Excellent acting. Great storyline. I have no idea why they tacked on the last 30 seconds of the movie (if you've seen it, you know).

Took the boys to see the Colorado Eagles hockey game last night. Had a blast. Good game. Almost had a couple fights.

33

Yes, this was Larry Walker's number with the Rockies and it is now how much I've lost since Jan. 1.
Lost about 3-4 inches in the belly and a couple more in the chest. My BMI is down a couple points.
I have lots still to go, but I'm feeling good.
And to top it all off, my team in the "Biggest Winner" thing at Aims took first place this week. We won by two points which is pretty darn close.
Anyway, I'm happy and that means I can have popcorn at the movies Saturday.

Buckle up

This weekend, a friend died. Shane Stewart and his wife Cyndee have been good friends for as long as our kids have been around. Tracy knew Cyndee from Aims and then their two boys went to the same daycare as our two boys. We went to birthday parties together, t-ball games, even had a couple parents-only nights out dancing (Shane was the only one of the guys who actually liked dancing).

Shane was also a firefighter. On Saturday, he was driving to help out on a medical call when the truck he was driving went off the road and flipped over, throwing him out. The cops say he wasn't wearing a seat belt. That's actually pretty hard for me to believe because he was a very conscientious guy. But in the heat of a call, who knows what happens.

I've been in a haze since I heard the news. Shane was only 33. His kids were each just a little younger than my two boys. I can't imagine what they are going through right now. Logan is the youngest (7 or 8) and he is just adorable kid. Blake is the older brother (9) and is the spitting image of Shane (actually both boys are). Alex and Andy always enjoyed playing with them even though we don't see them as often since they live in Pierce and go to a different school. But we see them every year at Relay For Life and at various events around town and when they get together, it's like no time has been lost.

Cyndee has a great support system in her community with family (lots) and friends. But my heart breaks at thinking what they will be missing out on without Shane.

So, just as a reminder, for Shane's sake and the people you love ... buckle up.

Weekend

Mom visited this weekend. Had a great time.
Ate more than I should. Hoping to at least break even for the week by weigh-in day on Wednesday. (I was tied for second place after the first week in our work Biggest Loser thing!)

Other than eating, saw a lot of movies this weekend, too:
Jumper ... saw it with Mom which was cool because it's probably the first movie since "Karate Kid" that we saw together ... just us. The movie was pretty good, too. Good effects. Good story.

Definitely, maybe ... saw with Tracy (ah!). Pretty good chick flick. Had a unique story-telling style and the little girl (from Little Miss Sunshine) was outstanding.

Spiderwyck Chronicles ... saw with the whole fam damily. Actually a very good flick. Surprising actually. I usually got to kid movies as a chance to catch up on my sleep. But I liked this one a lot.

Weight

So, I don't want to obsess on all this stuff, but I figured I should update.
Based on my official hi-tech scale at home, I am down 25 pounds since Jan. 1 and 30 pounds from my all-time ugly weight.
I had my second weigh-in at work for the "Biggest Winner" thing we're doing and I lost 8 pounds from last week and 1.5 body fat (I have no idea what that means, but the medical assistant, Jen, who is doing my measurements seemed all excited about that.
So far, it hasn't been difficult. I have popcorn at the movies. I had queso at poker the other night. I even had creme brule when we went to Bent Fork for Tracy's mom's birthday dinner. But mostly I'm eating right, I completely cut out pop (not coffee because I need caffeine!), and I'm working out daily at racquetball or on the stationary bike at home.
I know it will get tougher, but I certainly feel better and I'm kicking ass in racquetball right now.

Brilliant

Click here. Then click on play on the movie.
Spongebob Squarepants actors dub scenes (perfectly) from Casablanca, Singing in the Rain and The Godfather.
This is why Al Gore created the Internets.

Mob

Strange headline, but it fit two of the things I wanted to chat about ...

First, go here. Type in your name and you'll get your new mob nickname. Mine was "The Quill." I kinda like that. Got the whole writer thing going on. Very cool.

Second, got "Eastern Promises" on NetFlix this weekend. Very cool flick. Great acting. Kinda like a Russian Sopranos and The Departed put together. I could have done without the naked fight scene (followed by the stupidest move in movies ever ... mental note (moderate spoiler), if I'm ever fighting two guys and I stab one and then go fight the other and kill him, DO NOT crawl away by crawling over the body of the first guy.)

In non-mob related news, Tracy and Big Andy and Christy and I went to see "The Bucket List" this weekend. I really liked it. Some good dialogue and great acting. Actually I think Nicholson was better in this than "About Schmidt" that he was nominated for.

Other news ... Alex had basketball this weekend and he got a bucket (nice how that ties to the previous note, huh?). Normally two points wouldn't be a big deal, but it was two of maybe six points his team scored against a team that looked like a pale version of the Harlem Globetrotters.

Andy didn't play this weekend because that morning he was playing with a friend who had slept over in the kitchen with a fake medieval axe (don't ask) and Andy got hit in the eye. I didn't think it was a big deal, but Tracy took him to the Urgent Care and they super glued the wound on his eyelid shut. What do I know?

And on the weightloss front, I'm down about 23 pounds so far since January 1 ... actually about nearly 30 pounds from mid-December. It's going well so far. Had to make two new notches for my belt and I'm fitting into pants I couldn't before.

Mom's coming to visit on Wednesday and the boys are super excited. Should be fun. So, we're trying to clean up the house enough so she won't call Social Services on us. Might take a bit.

Catch up

Crazy work days lately. Seems like everyone's that way right now. Post holiday freak-out? Amazing how it hits everyone.

Saturday, Dono and I took the boys to the Friends of Baseball Breakfast. Tracy Ringolsby and Nolan Ryan were the featured speakers. Ringolsby tried to be a philosopher instead of a baseball insider and bombed. Ryan, however, made up for it with what seemed like an off-the-cuff speech filled with great baseball stories and great lines.

This weekend, my NetFlix brought me two cool flix and the boys and I rented another on OnDemand:
Sleeper Cell Season 2 (disc 1) ... Season 1 was awesome (all terrorist activity should be at Dodger and Yankee Stadiums!) and Season 2 starts off great. Can't wait to see where it goes. Bummer there was no Season 3.

King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters ... Absolutely fantastic documentary on a group of people who are obsessed with 1980s video games. Obviously the movies centers on Donkey Kong (not my fav game of that era but certainly great) and one man's goal to unseat the champ who has held the high score on the game since 1982. Better than any scripted movie.

Ratatouile (spell?) ... Heard a lot about this one and it ceetainly lives up to the hype. Great story. Fun characters. Great kid flick that adults will like, too.

Ready for the week?

Well, the weekend was a whirlwind with basketball games, team photos, playdates for the boys and on Sunday we went to Denver for the Denver Kids Expo to promo the book. Long day. Not many sales, but the boys had a good time getting crap from the other booths.

But I did get to see two movies:

Juno -- Excellent flick. Great dialogue (kinda like a female Kevin Smith wrote it ... quite a compliment to Diablo Cody). Really liked it.

There Will Be Blood -- Amazing acting. Brilliant look of the movie. Some have complained it is slow. I don't agree. I was pulled along the whole way but I don't really know for what purpose. As I have mentioned before I have come to accept the fact I enjoy superficial entertainment. I really don't want to think too deeply about metaphors and symbols and all that crap. I just want a good story. And this one had a good story for most of the movie. I don't really get the point of the movie based on the ending. But Daniel Day-Lewis is spectaculor.

Also, on NetFlix I have recently been watching Season 1 of Sleeper Cell which was a Showtime series that lasted 2 seasons. This was base don a recommendation on NetFlix because I like the show 24. And I have got to say it is a GREAT show. I don't know why it only lasted 2 seasons. Maybe the second one sucks (but based on the reviews in NetFlix, I don't think so). Anyway, rent it. It rocks.

Movie-going experience

So, my friend Andy and I went to see "Cloverfield" on Saturday night.

The movie, itself, was very good, I thought (Andy didn't think so because the moving camera thing made him sick).

But the worst part about it was the audience. I realize it was probably a mistake to see a big movie at an evening showing on opening weekend. I don't often get to do that, so I took advantage.

Anyway, the scene in the Greeley Mall Cinemark was horrible. There were 6 teens behind us who talked (not about the movie) throughout and kicked our seats. Andy and I both talked to them and then got the manager who had ushers (are they still called that?) walk up and down the aisles. When they would walk by, the teens would shut up and then they'd start it up 20 seconds later.

Remember when teens used to at least have respect for adults (at least to their faces). These little bastards just kept mouthing off ("I didn't say nothing, man!"). I wanted to go kick their parents' asses.

Going out to a movie is a treat for me. I love seeing a big movie on a big screen (and this one definitely qualified ... although a smaller screen would have made Andy less sick, probably). But because people feel they have a right to ruin everyone else's enjoyment of a movie, I won't be going to any opening night flicks again.