Halloween… my SECOND favorite holiday.  I guess you could say that it began last Monday when I ran into my very good friend at Wal*Mart where we decided to get coordinating costumes.  I’ll share a photo or two later.

Friday evening was the quite festive game night… ALWAYS A TON OF FUN!  My niece and nephew have had a pretty tough couple of days so I invited them to come along with me.  Alex was his normal crazy self in his “professor who just graduated” costume.  Poor Shelby, I think, finally came out of her shell as the games began.  Later, I took them back home and returned in time to enjoy the very haunting Exorcism of Emily Rose.  A very good mix of The Exorcist and  courtroom drama.

Saturday night (or SUnday morning) I was awakened about 4am by my cell phone.  Oh, great!  What joker is playing around when I am trying to get my beauty sleep.  Somehow after I found out who the culprit was, I did manage to get a few more hours of shuteye.  All good!  I did get a good chuckle out of it 😀

After getting off my shift on the big day, itself, Dad, my second oldest brother and assorted nieces and nephews ventured to a relatives yard of terrors.  Year after year, they transform their house and yard into a fun, family-friendly fright fest complete with touring train.  After having your fill of frights, you are invited into the house to sign the guest book and  each family is invited to take a plate of treats and goodie bags for the kiddies.  All this for the exorbitant amount of $0.  Certainly is amazing that they can operate this year in and year out for the entire month and not charge a cent.  Most of the items that are on display are generously donated.  In fact, just the other day, a tombstone was given that had some defect which caused the original buyers to turn away.  Visitors even bring along bags of flour and sugar for baking help.  But leave your checkbook at home.  They may take donations in form of decorations but never monetary.

Even more amazing is the number of people who have signed the book in just the last month.  Over 2000!  From word of mouth and flyers passed around the area.  We were shocked to learn the distance travelled by some of the visitors: Louisiana,  “New” England (from “across the pond”),  France, Germany.  WOW!  So… when next October creeps its spooky head around… be sure to visit the Geren’s.  I have not visited the site after daylight hours for more than a few years but I do remember that after the sun sets is when the real frightful fun begins.  Unfortunately, some of the little ones are a little young for that.  Even some of the older ones were a bit fearful of the maze in the daylight.  OH, Puh-lease!

Hope you all had a Ghoulishly fun holiday weekend!

Well… this being the first weekend following the wrap of a show, I found myself slightly down.  I had to work Friday night (only to come home and watch the Bombers get sent home by the Rangers… but it IS their first time EVER in the World Series… but really how long is that).  Saturday, I had the entire day to myself… so I watched the Buckeyes dominate the Purdue Boilermakers and some season one Bionic Woman (the original and best).  It’s about time both bionic series got out of legal brouhaha and finally are being released on DVD (Six Mill is set to be released next month).  Finally, I went to church Saturday night.

Sunday, saw work, room cleaning (funny how messy a room can get after three months), and fun with friends.  Mare sent me a text early in the afternoon asking if I wanted to go with other friends to see Paranormal Activity 2.  I did not hear very glowing reviews of the original so I went expecting little but with great friends, it was worth it.  I do not remember ever laughing so much at a “horror” film but some of the things involved were just so hokey that at times, I wanted to crack up especially the loud comments made by other moviegoers.  I will say that one of the biggest complaints that I have heard about the previous film was the slow pace and the fact that anything scary did not happen until the last 20 minutes of the film.  I will say there was a great amount of creepiness.  Not the best suspenseful movie ever but if you go in with limited expectations surrounded by friends going out for a good time…

Some of the coming attractions:

• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I (I’m sure a certain nephew of mine will be hitting me up for that one)  REALLY looking forward to this one.  Interested to see where they divide the film.
• Yogi Bear… I think the main draw is Justin Timberlake as Boo Boo.  But Dan Aykroyd is playing the “smarter than average bear.”
• The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (The third movie in the Chronicles of Narnia series).  I wasn’t even aware that this was coming.  An eventual viewing will be in order.
• No preview of Tron:Legacy I’m sorry to say.

So… all in all an enjoyable weekend!

No…I am not celebrating the British holiday a few months early.  Today, the family gathered at the home of my oldest brother to celebrate the birthday of two of our youngsters.  I guess once you go beyond 18 years, my family does not age.  We also got to meet big brother’s new friend who was introduced in typical fashion:  “This is (____). This is everyone.”  So our uncle got up and did a more traditional introduction.

Apparently, the two groups of parents failed to get the cake situation correct.  Both groups swore the other was to order it and pick it up.  As it happened, grandma ran into Big Brother and his friend at Wal Mart yesterday.   In the end, Grandma and Grandpa went to Dairy Queen in hopes of finding an ice cream cake.  No one better complain about the design.

As the party progressed, some of us ventured over to the Wii.  Bowling, boxing, and Guitar Hero seemed to rule the day.  The boxing is definitely one of the most entertaining games to watch others play as evidenced but the following video.  You may have to click the link… not sure if it will be embedded directly on the post.

And it’s always a good day when the Cowboys get beat!  I’m sure there is another tangenteer who is absolutely ecstatic!

After a shortened night’s sleep (I’m sure some of my friends got less sleep than I so can’t complain) following a SUPER Friday night,  I had to work the dreaded 12-8 shift on a Saturday… it’s money.  Following the grind, the family (including our visiting cousin from Arkansas… one last get together before she boards the Greyhound tomorrow evening) met at my brothers for a bonfire that turned into an indoor affair (80+ degrees seems a bit warm for weinee roasting, marshmallow toasting, s’more creating).  So, hot dogs were put in the broiler and s’mores were made over the gas stove.  And we were treated to some of Season 3 of Lois and Clark courtesy of Jeff’s PS3 streaming of Netflix.

Season 3 finds the intrepid reporters of a great metropolitan newspaper at the beginning of their budding romance.  However, as was pointed out, long before the sound of wedding bells were rung.  DC Comics made it known that the union would not be made on screen before it was in the pages of the comic books.  A virtual reality adventure, a Lane/Kent family Christmas celebration, and voodoo hocus pocus (not one of my favorite episodes) filled the two+ hours.

While watching the adventures on the big screen, my other brother arrived after some car trouble.  It seems that he had a his starter replaced for naught.  Instead, it was determined that Chad had gotten some bad gas (pun intended).  “There was a quarter tank left” according to the fuel gauge.  Plenty of fuel to travel 10 miles. Sounds oddly familiar to me, somehow.

So… never a dull moment.  I’ll have to revisit my DVD collection of the four seasons of one of my favorite incarnations of the Man of Steel.

It has been years since I have been to Kings Island (I was in junior high the last time I went).  It has changed so much in the many seasons that I remembered only a handful of the attractions and the overall feel has changed A LOT which is a GREAT THING!  I loved every minute of it!  Maybe because the four of us were V.I.P.s for the day which allowed us to not wait in lines, unlimited drinks throughout the park, a lunch buffet, a photo taken while on a coaster, and $25 in Beagle Bucks.

I’m not certain that a large number of people know about the V.I.P tour because it seems as if most of the employees were even stymied.  Thank goodness for Chase, our 9 hour tour guide who was a blast to have lead us around.  One of our group soon became ill and had to sit out a bit from the big thrill rides so Chase so kindly stepped in and rode with me for a while.  Who says work can’t be fun?

With the exception of one, all of the rides were amazing!  So amazing that it was a toss up between the 31 year old wooden BEAST (which we rode at least 4 times IN THE FRONT and once in the middle… YUCK!) and the newer metal, smooth flying Diamondback that were my favorites.  Also high up there were the Firehawk and Invertigo.  I must say that I was pleased that I only caused one ride to stop.  Unfortunately, it was Firehawk and C, L, Chase, and I were in our car, flat on our backs, staring up at the sky, inches from the station at the end of the ride.  The Drop Tower, while confining and almost caused C and I to feel the need to bail out, was great, too.

The last time I was at the park, the Kiddie Land was devoted to the characters of Hanna-Barbera:  The Smurfs, the Flintstones, Scooby-Doo, and the like.  Scoobs is still there in the form of an interactive 3D ride in which you shoot monsters and compete with your ride partner.  Justj beat  me by 30 points.  Most of the fun for the little ones (like its sister park, Cedar Point) is now devoted to Peanuts characters.

What’s a good amusement park on a hot, humid day without a good, soaking water ride?  Hand down the best one Kings Island has to offer is White Water Canyon.  Funny, but I do not remember the cannons that onlookers can fire at the rafts along the way.  One of the female operators along the way got me on purpose and yelled that she liked my Superman tshirt.  THANKS!  Another curious thing…. Chase informed us that we were one of the few V.I.P. groups to even want to ride water attractions.  We rode White Water Canyon 4 times.  Two times in a row each time.

Another old favorite was the Racer.  It used to have one blue train and one red train that raced each other along the track.  One train used to go backward but eventually went forward.  Must not be as popular as it once was because only one train was running.  While on the Racer, I forgot to take my Superman hat off my head… Bye, Bye Man of Steel.

Another highlight was the behind the scenes tour of the Beast given by Don… who holds the record for most rides on the Racer and also named the Diamondback coaster.

After releasing our exCELLENT guide… THANK YOU CHASE! we wanted to stay until the park closed to ride the Beast at dark but Mother Nature had other ideas.  Shortly after Chase left us at 7, it began to rain so it was off to use our Snoopy Bucks.  I replaced my Superman cap with a Kings Island one and bought a Snoopy tshirt “I Can Do That.”

We also took in a great show “Way Too Much TV” which showcased the themes from favorite tv shows of the 50s-90s.  Even the lyrics to the themes of Bewitched and I Love Lucy were sung.  I got to play theme song trivia before the show began and got a Way Too Much TV button as a prize!

On the way home, I was given the opportunity to eat at a White Castle for the first time ever.  It was really not as bad as I have heard some people say (I don’t know where those family members would know from because there are none in our immediate area).  And I didn’t notice any of the lingering effects of the Sliders as I made my way home at 12.30AM.

Thank you Chase!  Had A GREAT DAY!  And thanks to C & L for another great time!  I am way too spoiled with all this no line theme park fun!

Monday morning, three of my fellow tangenteers and I piled into my Sunfire and headed South for two days of fun!  Nice to be driven in my own car for a change.  I didn’t even mind sitting in the back, strangely enough. Plus, it saved C&L from driving their gas munching min van.  We were all set, car packed, ready to pull out, when suddenly and without warning someone shouted out “WHERE’S the KEYS!”  I had given them to C who soon realized that he had locked them in the trunk.  Not to worry, I crawled in the back, pulled the cord that released the back rest and found the keys.

Traveling down I75, we stopped at a McDonalds which had what was called their “Fun Place”  (zone, or whatever).  It had an assortment of interactive, touch screen games all but one of which seemed to be working.

We arrived at the Cincinnati Zoo, which is larger than her sister zoo in Toledo and it really showed.  Even I was worn out after our tour led by taylhis.  I love going to zoos especially with someone who appreciates every type of animal imaginable and researches them giving us insight into them.  I have to say that my favorite animal were the manatees CC Baby and Turner, they were fascinating to watch.

To beat the heat, we went to a 4D theatre experience through the Dark Continent.  Not only 3D but with the added thrill of sensory stimulation.  Seats moving, animals “breathing” down your neck, being “sprayed” and being poked by a rhino’s horn.  Now, I ask you, who would not have wanted to got to the Dora and Diego movie, instead?

Also part of the experience was the petting zoo.  Upon entering one of the pens, the attendant warned each of us not to pick up the “grapes” left by the animals.  Not part of the actual petting zoo was the lorikeet exhibit.  One of us decided to get close enough to pick one of the colorful birds up and was given a surprise.

After the exhausting, yet very fun tour, we found our accommodations for the evening.  Wouldn’t ya know, it was right next to an establishment called Rhino’s that I would not have minded checking out (JUST KIDDING!)  It’s a good thing that justj and I were not in the building closest to the club with the thumping music emanating from it.  We had our own noises to contend with.

After getting some sleep, we needed to be at our day two point of excitement fairly early the next morning.  But we were treated like Kings and a Queen.

No… not THAT James, I think he has been getting enough press of late.  My cousin, Dan, is on the campus of the Ohio State University at the James Center where is recovering from surgery which he underwent on Friday for an acoustic neuroma (a tumor on a nerve on the inner ear, which is usually benign, and was).  He had been having troubles  with dizziness, vertigo, and some of the other symptoms of the phenomenon.  Glad to relate that other than the recovery, all is well.  Just got done talking to him on the phone and he did sound like (as he described it) he was “run over by a Mack truck.”  I’m sure that Carla will be most appreciative when he can return to normal and help out with the little ones.

The fact that the James was where Emily spent most of her time battling leukemia nearly 2 years ago was not lost on us as Dan made mention of.  But now that he is recovering, hopefully resting, and getting well… he will be reading once again.  Commenting via email since he does not like to comment directly while at work but maybe, while recovering….

Get well soon, Dan Jo… Maxwell Smart.  Remember the days?

Thank you everyone for the many birthday greetings: facebooked, emailed, phoned (from one of my best friends), or delivered in person.  They all were greatly appreciated and helped make my day.  I am happy to announce that I have been offered and accepted the role of Barrymore in The Hound of the Baskervilles.  A much more limited role than my last but important, nonetheless.

Following my audition, I returned to E-town for mass which was being given in memory of Aunt Carol.  Quite a memorable experience.  No one beyond the back 3-4 rows of the church could hear the opening hymn because something was afoul with the sound equipment.  The organist leaned over the loft railing and asked me to run upfront to see what I could do with it.  Being the technological genius I am, I went into the closet and flipped the switch and voila!  Father Steve wears a pack on his vestment and usually turns it off when he is not speaking.  However, he for some reason, kept forgetting to turn it off and lets just say that he does not possess the most glorious voice ever.  Just being honest.  To lie about a priest surely is not a good thing.

After mass, I traveled to H’ville for an impromptu birthday celebration.  I provided a bag of Sun Chips.  The reason for this… the bag they come in is made of some type of material that creates a very loud, obnoxious sound when the bag is rustled but the Harvest Cheddar variety is tasty.  Thank you Mare for the yummy, German Chocolate Brownie cake… a little too much water necessitated the need for an additional package of brownie mix and the result was delectable.

Travis brought an assortment of games.  I was really tempted to pick my obvious choice and was encouraged to do so since it was “my day.”  However, I picked Trivial Pursuit.  Started off well and went downhill.  Later, Amber brought Star Wars Trivial Pursuit and we divided into teams.  I tried to be intelligent and attempted to pick the person I thought would help me most, but that idea was nixed.  I did all right the first round until I received a question I had not excuse for missing.  “Who lives out beyond the Dune Sea?”  UGH!  I was victorious in round two.

After some stargazing and a return to Mare’s house, it was time to hit the road at 4.30AM!  Megan pooped out shortly before.

July 11, is always memorable as I have a liitle buddy who turned TWO!  After I got home @ 4.50Am, I sent a cool ecard as well as a response to my own birthday ecard.  Hope you had a super birthday, BEEBS!

Also yesterday, Yankees fans lost a great one.  Bob Sheppard was the voice of the Bombers from 1951-2007 when his health prompted him to retire.  The voice of the great ones… from Dimaggio, Mantle, and Berra, to Mr. October, and to Captain Jeter.  Ups and downs throughout but Mr. Sheppard had one of the distinct voices in the box.  So beloved that Derek has the voice resonate each time he steps up to the plate.  An honor which humbled the announcer.

And I still have today off until I go back to work!  A fact that stymied a co-worker of mine who thought I was going out of town.  How she came to that conclusion is beyond me.  Coming from one who likes to change schedules without informing the other person involved I didn’t really pay much attention to the comment.  I will be going out of town next Monday and Tuesday.

Ok… this post is quite long enough thanks again everyone!

Quite an enjoyable Independence Day Weekend for us.. made even longer by most everyone having Monday off, as well!  Sunday, I work from 8-noon… four hours at time-and-a-half, pretty quick and the extra will come in handy.  After work, I came home to see the All-Star picks for the game on July 13:  Captain Jeter and Robinson Cano will be starting for the Bombers.  After the selections, we watched a thrilling 6-7 Yanks win over the Blue Jays with Marcus Thames (just of the DL) driving the winning run in during the bottom of the 10th.  Ace catcher Jorge Posada is day-by-day as he received a finger sprain as the result of a foul tip.

Later on the 4th, we commented that we were all hungry for some hot dogs cooked over a fire but no where to build the fire.  So, my oldest brother ran to WalMart to pick up a firepit.  That night, we enjoyed hot dogs, toasted marshmallows nearly falling off the stick, and s’mores.  Then the kids enjoyed throwing some poppers (ok, I did too) and sparklers that must have been duds because most of them would not light.  And we were entertained by the approach of a bullfrog that some thought was a bird.  Have we never heard the sound of a bullfrog?  There was another sound that can only be described as a laughing monkey or some crazed woman laughing hysterically.

To conclude the evening, I returned home and watched a few episodes of The Greatest American Hero on Syfy’s (yes, the SciFi channel changed its identity about a year ago.  I believe, Derek pointed that out) day long marathon. An interesting tidbit about the name of the high school teacher turned questionable superhero.  Click the link above to discover the link between Ralph and a would-be presidential assassin.

Monday afternoon to beat the heat, two of my siblings and their families and I went to the area pool. Jeff  has a pool at home but decided against opening it this year.  The public pool was very fun especially watching Chad jump off the diving board and getting stuck coming down the water slide.  He did, eventually manage to boost himself along.

Monday night, I watched RV starring Robin Williams, Jeff Daniels, and Kristin Chenoweth.  I thought Vacation in recreation vehicles.  Suburban dysfunctional family takes a summer vacation to “become closer.”  May have been cliched but it still had lots of laughs.

I hope all my fellow tangenteers had a fun holiday weekend!

As requested… here are a few more photos from the Relay:

Ma2’s luminaria

Aunt Carol’s luminaria.  I would have liked the full effect lit only by the glow stick in the bags, but this will do.

False alarm with Jerry at the non-functional clippers.

Amber and her new friend, Zoe.

Jen and the first clip.

I recognize the arm, but who took the picture?

Does Travis look slightly too happy about his turn?

Beth’s turn

The next Sweeney Todd?

Well that’s all I’s got.  Hope you enjoyed!  But wait… here’s one more!

I forgot a photographer was around snapping pictures and caught up with us.  He must have liked the Super hat.