Random Pic of the Day

Today was the Holiday Parade in our town. Despite winds howling at 40 mph, my daughter (looking at the camera) and her dance troupe were out there marching and dancing down Main Street. I love to watch her dance.

Woops!

My wife and I went to the mall today. She had wanted to go later in the day but, after I gave her a look that said, "It is the last race of the year and I am not going to miss a race I can rub in Dena's face later!" we agreed to go and get back before the race. On the way back she wanted to stop and grab a cup of tea at 7-11. I didn't mind since I wanted Diet Cherry Pepsi anyway.

We went inside and she said she was going to get a small one. I grabbed my Pepsi and a bag of Cheetos and met her by the coffee. I saw that she had a 20 oz cup. I questioned it since she wanted a small one. She said, "Yeah you are right. I will get the 16 oz instead" Me trying to be the helpful husband, I take the 20 oz cup and go to put it back on the stack. They stack them upside down so I had to turn the cup over to put it on top of the pile. As I am doing this, I see her mouth open and her eyes widen. I can tell she is about to say something. I probably should have froze and found out what she had to say.

It seems that she puts her half-n-half into the cup before the tea bag and hot water. So while I may have helped her, I made one hell of a mess as I dumped the contents of the cup down the entire stack of clean cups and all over the lids. Not to mention what splashed all over the counter and down inside the cup holder. Of course I did what any normal person would do. I looked at her and started laughing. Since we were on the side away from the registers, the worker didn't see anything. I did make an attempt to wipe some of it down but it was a losing battle.

I hurriedly made her a 16 oz tea and we paid and hightailed it out the front door. I can only imagine what the poor guy was thinking when he walked around and saw the mess. Good thing I don't go into that store all that often!

Thought 4 My Thursday

I wish I could impart some wonderful words of wisdom on all of you today. However, I am over the edge these days and totally out of my mind. So: No mind= No thoughts. Check back with me next week. lol

Let's make this kid smile.

I read about a little boy on one of my friend's blogs.
http://brittanyjohnson87.blogspot.com/2009/11/noah-biorkman-wants-christmas.html

His name is Noah and he is 5 years old. Noah is dying of cancer and his wish is to be able to celebrate this Christmas. His family is doing it early for him. All Noah wants is Christmas cards. He is not asking for toys. He is not asking for money. He is asking for cards.

If you are a skeptic like me, you are doubting the validity of this story. From what I can tell, it is genuine. I am going to do it. Not only that, I am going to ask my daughter to make a card too. I look at it this way, if it is fake all I wasted was the price of a card and a stamp. But, if it is true....well imagine the smile this little boy will have when he receives all these cards!

For the address and the rest of the story, go to Brittany's blog by clicking the link above. I am asking you all, please believe and let's make a difference to this little boy....tm

A proud moment in my life

I was away this week attending the Annual ICC Conference in Baltimore, MD. Despite a lot of heartache from the homefront, I was able to still enjoy my 15 minutes of fame. It was nice to be able to be recognized in front of a crowd of close to 2000 colleagues from all over the world. I even got to make an acceptance speech on the stage. LOL I am posting the story below:


The Building Officials Association of Suffolk County, a New York Chapter of the Code Council, was presented the ICC Community Service Award during today's Awards Luncheon. Community Service Awards are presented when circumstances warrant recognizing meritorious service that promotes the public health, safety and welfare in communities by initiating activities or actions that are considered to be above and beyond the normal expectations.

"For 20 years, the Chapter has managed an annual golf outing to raise funds for children's charities," Awards Committee Chairman Tim Ryan explained. "The Building Officials of Suffolk County Chapter has donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to charitable organizations, including St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital, Ronald McDonald House, Schneider Children's Hospital and Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation."

"The purpose of our job every year is to provide a future for our children and the children in our communities," said Chapter Secretary Thomas M. "Twenty years ago our association realized that, despite our best efforts, there are kids that will never get to grow up because they're lying in hospitals with either cancer or diabetes. We'd like to accept this award today, not only on the behalf of our association, but for all of those kids that are brave enough to dream of a future, and for every parent that hopefully we were able to give another day they were able to hug their child."

Random "Drunk off my ass" pic of the day

This picture is of me (on the left) and Jeff W. He is a Code Officer like me but, in Utah. The picture is of us at a party we had tonight. The one major difference between us is...I am drunk off my ass. Yes even as I type tis, I am feeling like the room is spinning. I started with a few glasses of wine. Followed by Captain Morgan rum, and then a bottle of "43" I am feeling rather festive at the moment. LOL

Random Pic of the Day

I took this picture about an hour ago while standing on the field behind home plate in the Baltimore Orioles Stadium. I am at a conference for work and tonight we had a reception event in Camden Yard followed by a tour of Orioles Stadium. Very nice event.

My best friend.

As many of you know, Oct 31st is Halloween. For me it also means something else. This Halloween will mark 6 years since I met someone that would go on to become my best friend. Over the years we have shared many laughs and just as many tears. There is no one else on this planet that knows me like they do. That is because I can be 100% real in front of them without the fear of being judged. And Lord knows I have said a number of things over the years that have made them go, "Oh Mylanta!" This friend knows things about me that I could never even admit to my family. We have shared stories about our kids and offered many tips to each other about parenting. We have shared our dreams and fears about life. I am never afraid to speak my mind and have no trouble telling them when I may not see eye-to-eye with certain things.

I know there have been times when she has wanted to just reach out and smack me for things I have either done or said. But, I know she only does that because she cares. We don't always have the same thinking but, we both listen to the opinions of each other and sometimes we just agree to disagree. No hard feelings either way.

I have become a better person because of things she has either taught me, or through my simply sitting back and watching her as she deals with things in her own life. And I can genuinely say, when I talk to her, we have fun. And although it has only been 6 years, it feels as if we have known each other forever.

I am posting this a day early because I will be traveling for a business trip on Saturday. So let me just say this now, so the whole world can see it:

Thank you Dena for all you have done for me. Thank you for being there when I needed you and even when I didn't. Thank you for always believing in me and for never giving up on me. And thank you for being my best friend. Hugz Kiddo

Toon 4 My Tuesday

Things that make you go "Hmmm..."

You have to tell me why no one questioned
this design when they were building it!

Thought 4 My Thursday

"If a man makes a simple mistake and there are no women around to make

him pay for it for the rest of his damn life, is he still a total screw up?"

What the heck is that?

Part of my job involves reviewing building plans. Depending on how small the project is, we will sometimes allow the homeowner to draw their own plans. The picture here is a recent submission. I had absolutely no idea what it was supposed to be. I could not decide if it was a picture of the sun or perhaps a squished spider? When we finally got ahold of the owner, they told us it is a swimming pool. Uhhh......yeah I just don't see it.

Gettysburg

Last weekend I was away camping with my boys and the rest of the scout troop. We spent a few days in Gettysburg, PA. I had never been there and honestly, I had never really cared if I had gone or not. I sure am glad I had this chance now.

For anyone not familiar with the Civil War, Gettysburg marked one of the most famous of all battles. It started on July 1, 1863. (100 years and 1 week before I was born). I will not go into a history lesson here but, this was huge. Thousands of men engaged in one very bloody battle.

We spent 2 days hiking close to 20 miles along roads and paths and across battlefields. There are markers and memorials everywhere. There are big ones and small ones. Each marking a place where a particular infantry was stationed or where a notable person had lost their life. These memorials are everywhere. Not just in accessible areas but, also in the middle of the woods or up on hillsides.

Standing in many of these spots, I could not help but let my mind take me back 146 years and feel the battle. There is an electric feeling of death in the air. The guns and cannons are long since silenced, but the energy of the dead soldiers is loud and clear. I did not see any ghosts while there. At least none that I know of. I have a couple hundred pictures to study to see if they show anything. I have included a few here.

Kevin and Tyler on "Little Round Top"

One of the thousands of monuments

Me and the boys by the Long Island Infantry Monument

The adult leaders and a few of the dads. I am in the middle.
(I dont recall being in a hole when this was taken). lol

Thought 4 My Thursday

By the time you finish reading this,
you will have wasted 5 seconds of your life....

Hey, Devin! Have you heard?

A few months back my friend Dena's son Devin started a blog where he could talk about NASCAR driver Tony Stewart. (http://tonyalltheway.blogspot.com/) Devin took great pride in flaunting the fact that Tony was doing better than my man Jimmie Johnson this season. Please note I said "was".

Where are you hiding now Mr. Devin? Have you looked at those standings lately? In case you have missed it, here is the standings as of this week:

RANK	+/-	DRIVER	POINTS	BEHIND	STARTS	POLES	WINS	TOP 5	TOP 10	WINNINGS
1	+1	Jimmie Johnson	5728	Leader	30	2	5	12	19	6,074,780
2	-1	Mark Martin	5716	-12	30	7	5	12	18	4,598,680
3	--	Juan Montoya	5670	-58	30	2	0	6	16	4,560,080
4	--	Tony Stewart	5644	-84	30	0	4	15	21	6,184,680
5	+2	Jeff Gordon	5623	-105	30	0	1	14	21	5,628,030
6	-1	Kurt Busch	5607	-121	30	0	1	8	17	3,993,030
7	+1	Greg Biffle	5540	-188	30	0	0	9	14	4,151,310
8	+2	Carl Edwards	5536	-192	30	0	0	7	13	4,814,820
9	-3	Denny Hamlin	5509	-219	30	1	2	11	16	4,239,890
10	-1	Ryan Newman	5505	-223	30	1	0	5	14	4,320,030
11	--	Kasey Kahne	5422	-306	30	0	2	5	12	4,864,470
12	--	Brian Vickers	5377	-351	30	6	1	4	13	4,084,730

I do believe that Tony is now behind Jimmie? Hmmmm...? Who is laughing now my friend?

By the way, if this is how the season finishes, your mom is going to owe me a shirt. Are you going to be the one to take the pic of her wearing it in public for me? hehehehe

What About Me 4 My Wednesday

I am affected by the seasons. This is the time of year I seem to go through a bout with depression. It happens every year. I spend a lot of time looking at my life. Where I have been and where I want to be. Maybe it is things in my past that have happened in autumn. Maybe it is watching the Earth as she slowly prepares for her winter slumber. Or maybe it is a little of both. Either way, I become very introverted. I keep to myself and spend much of the time in a hazy fog. Simply going about my days on autopilot.

The one thing that keeps me from totally going off the deep end, is the fact that I know this mood will pass. It always does. One day I will wake up and the sun will be shining and the world will seem right again. Until then, I will be in my own little world and may seem a bit distant. It is nothing personal. It's just me.

Toon 4 My Tuesday

Random Pic of the Day

This is the latest marketing campaign in 7-11. They have what can only be described as a little brown turd trying to get you to buy coffee. The splatter you see on the floor has me stepping over it everytime I go into the store. It's silly because I know it's fake but, I do it every single time.

Random Pic of the Day

Thought 4 My Thursday