When choosing a best man for a wedding, a future groom generally would believe that the person asked to stand with him on his wedding day would actually show up.  Tuesday night, my cousin’s fiance found out that his best man had to work Saturday, the day of the wedding.  DUHHHHHHH!!! How long in advance was the ceremony scheduled?  I knew last May on which date the ceremony was going to be.  One has to wonder where this “best man’s” priorities lied.

Never fear, there were back ups in place.  Hopefully, one who fit the tux.  One was the groom’s brother Eric who was arriving from Pennsylvania with his boyfriend, Jamie on Tuesday.  Eric was already serving as an usher.

The other was a former schoolmate and friend of the groom.  In the end, the schoolmate was chosen.

So when choosing your best man, maid (matron) of honor, be sure that they will actually be able to schedule your ceremony around their busy life.

Well, it has been awhile since my last post, so I will have to pick up the pace.  I had some insane idea that I would be able to post from my friend’s house when I was in Ohio for the last few days.  Of course the opportunity to ask really never presented itself.  If I was making more money I could have had a laptop with me, but as a poor substitute (no pun intended…) I am still trying to afford a new desktop to replace my old 1.1GHz one that stopped working last year.  Yes, I use another’s computer to do my blogging and other stuff.

Well, Ohio was entertaining, at least when we could decide on something to do.  On Thursday I was able to get some use out of my new phone with the camera feature.  I have yet to see if any of the pictures actually look any good full scale.  Once I transfer them to the computer I will show a couple of them.  Anyway, we were at the Toledo Zoo even though it was an overcast, somewhat rainy day (especially in the late afternoon- we got soaked!).  We were one of maybe a dozen families there enjoying the day.  Many attractions were closed but for some reason it still cost me the same $10 it would cost to enter on a bustling summer day.  Not all were closed, so we still saw a large number of animals.  Again, pictures will follow.  At night we watched some Office episodes and split up to go to bed.

The following day was the day of indecision.  We went to Defiance (yes, as in The Prizewinner from…) for the day and besides eating and playing some Highway 66 mini-bowling we did some shopping of all things.  The bowling was definitely different than the full-scale version, but I was just as bad at it. If nothing else, the shopping was good social time.  Speaking of social time, once we got back their friends started arriving shortly after (they were invited- they weren’t those sort of friends…) and we played a couple of games while the kids watched TV.  Finally, after bearing our souls in one of the social games I left for home (about an hour and a half after I wanted to, yes the game was fun) and didn’t get home until after 1AM.

At least the traffic was good, even through the city, until I encountered a bottleneck where the expressway was bottled to just one lane.  I have no idea what was going on- there were many trucks lined up on the other side of the highway but the side I was on was recently finished road work and so looked excellent.  Were they doing a late night inspection to see if the job was done right?  Anyway, that only lasted for a couple of miles so after that there were no problems.  I quickly got some things unpacked then I got ready for bed, so again, no post.

Today I was busy for much of the day so I am only now finally getting to the blog.  Well, time to end this post so hopefully you will get in some happy reading!

No… not for my own wedding. My cousin and her boyfriend were married today and my brother and I were the vocalists. Last night, he went to a karaoke bar and went home with no voice….GREAT!!! Thankfully, he was better today and at least made it through his song and the two songs we sang as duets. For some unknown reason, I seem to get nervous singing at functions like weddings and I do not know why. I stand in the choir loft high above the congregation whose backs are to me. So it is not as if I could be seen. Maybe that is it. I need to be seen. However, I am sure it sounded fine (no one ran from the building covering their ears).

Moments of the ceremony were hilarious. My 3 year old nephew served as ring bearer and the groom’s young niece was the flower girl. When the time came for the pair to process down the aisle, they were nowhere to be seen and the organist was getting near the end of the piece. All of a sudden like a shot, two little people come running down the aisle arm in arm. Honestly, the other attendants could have learned a thing or two about how to walk down the aisle.

During the ceremony, the little ones were all over the place. Noah kept dropping the pillow he carried up… luckily the rings were not on it. Then, they were constantly wandering around smelling flowers having a fun time. I think the priest was just as amused.

More hilarity continued at the reception during the cake cutting ceremony. Rich smeared a whole slice all over Charnel’s face (WTG…. welcome to the family). All Charnel managed was a little dab of frosting on Rich’s nose, forehead, and chin. Probably because she could not see him to get him any better.

So, anyway, another relation sent on her way to married life. I am starting to feel the pressure here.

UPDATE: To read more about the pre-wedding adventures follow the link here 

WHEW!  I didn’t mean to take a weeklong blog hiatus, but due to the kids being on spring break, that’s what happened!  We were SO busy, I haven’t really been in front of my computer…  I hope this isn’t what summer break is going to be like!  It was fun and all, but SO busy!  During the week, we did have LOTS of fun, and we got to spend lots of family time together, which gave me time to put together the following translation list of Toddler Talk.  Our youngest (until July, anyway!) is currently at one of the cutest ages there is: 17 months.  She walks around (finally!) babbling about all kinds of stuff, and she answers almost every question with a definitive “no”.  Sometimes she means it, sometimes she doesn’t.  Here is a guide to help you communicate better with Disney or any 17 month old: 

oove = move, you’re in MY way!

down = means up or down, just depends on where she is at the moment. 

yum-yum-yum-yum = can sound like mom, mom, mom, mom – is usually used very loudly to “ask” for a food she wants.

no = self-explanatory.  At this age, it’s used constantly.

DOP = STOP.  Because she has 2 older sisters, this was one of her first words.

oovie = movie.  Usually used to request a dvd in the car.

mama = actually means Grandma.  She calls Mommy “Mom”.

gink = drink.  I’m thirsty!

baa = bottle.  I know, she should not be using these anymore…  But it’s so hard to take them away when she loves them so much!

cookie? = give me a cookie or I will cry.

candy = see above.  She learned this word around the Easter holiday.

 cake you = thank you.  She says this almost every time you give her something – it’s SO cute!  I hope it doesn’t lead to her being spoiled…

ack = snack

ankey = blankie

mere = come here.  She uses this to call the dogs, or she holds out her arms and says it when she wants to be picked up.  A favorite sentence is “Mom mere.”

She says lots of things, and her vocabulary grows every day!  These are just some of the cutest things right now…  I love this age; the calm before the storm of the terrible two’s!

It’s maple syrup time in our area. While we don’t have the size and number of stands (sugar shacks) as Vermont, we have a few. Our local groups (family run businesses) have an annual pancake and sausage breakfast (with real maple syrup, of course). Today was that day.

My family (daughters, grandparents, son-in-law, boyfriend, other friends) all went today. We road the wagon out to the sugar camp and watched them boil down the sap. We road a horse drawn wagon. We ate syrup, pancakes, and sausage.

You should be told that my daughters are all older. The youngest is 16 and the oldest 26. We’ve been doing this almost every year for about 9 years. This day just keeps getting bigger and bigger. My wife and I started going when we wanted something close, easy and different for the girls to do. I now have enough knowledge of the maple sap gathering and boiling that I could make syrup if I had the trees and inclination. I haven’t learned anything new for the past few years, but I will go again next year, and the year after that and so on. It is a wonderful day for family and now friends. Of course the syrup, candy, pancakes and sausage aren’t bad either.

So maple syrup producers, I will see you next year when the sap runs.

It is so funny how a simple fun evening with a group of friends can inspire thoughts to re-emerge in your head. I have gotten almost totally out of touch with Star Trek. Tonight, I was reminded that Academy Award winning actress Whoopi Goldberg was indeed a member of the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation beginning in the series’ second season. Although she did not receive a screen credit, she also appeared in the movies Generations, First Contact, and Nemesis. Whoopi played the enigmatic hostess of the Enterprise’s lounge Ten Forward. Perhaps more than any other person to have a role on the phenomenon, her history goes back to the original series.

In 1967 following the premiere season of Star Trek, Nichelle Nichols opted not to return to the show. Her character of communications officer Lt. Uhura was not being developed to its full potential. Upon learning of her departure, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. approached Nichelle and told her that she must not leave the show. The role of Uhura was not only one of the rare good female characters on television but also one of the first important roles for a woman of color. During the shows three year run, Nichelle had the distinction of sharing the first interacial kiss on television. This was shared with William Shatner in the episode “Plato’s Stepchildren.”

Twenty years later, Whoopi approached Trek creator Gene Roddenberry about being on the new television series. She cited the incident between Ms. Nichols and Dr. King as the inspiration behind her fascination with the franchise.

The character of Guinan has always been clouded in mystery. Like any good bartender, she is a good listener. She is extremely long-lived and very little is known about her alien race, the El Aurian. However, Guinan does share some history with Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) that has never been fully explained. Not even during the two-part episode in which members of the Enterprise crew travel back in time to the 19th century where they meet Mark Twain.

I feel like reminiscing about the past. I’m in my 49th year and will hit the big 50 next year. If I live to 100, I guess I will officially be middle age. So now is a good time to reflect on the past.

In April of 1983 I met my future bride. We didn’t know it then, but we figured it out soon enough. After a whorl wind romance, we were married the following January. Together through the years we raised 4 daughters, had fun and most of all stayed very much in love. As I said earlier, she died in 2003, but I don’t want to dwell on that. I want to remember the good times.

From the very first New Years Eve together, we shared a bottle of wine on every special occasion. Our first date, I bought her some sweet-heart roses. On days of nothing special, and for a surprise, I would get her one or more of these roses. Those are my days of wine and roses. Days that were special and days that were not. Good days, bad days, and even indifferent days. These days made my life worth living. These days gave me the strength to continue even after the very worst days. These days made me the man I am today, and the one I will be tomorrow. These days continue, they are my life.

During these days our family was most important. Other things, material things, took a back seat to all things family. But we had good times together. Our favorite thing to do was go to zoos. We planned whole vacations revolving around zoo visits. We would pack lunch and make day trips to many of the zoos in our area. These things made our life and our family.

When movies made their way to Video tape and then DVD’s our family enjoyed watching and collecting various movies. This made for many wonderful days together.

Can life be any better than the good times we have with family and friends? I hope to continue my days of wine and roses at a later time.

Ok, I think I should stop reading the news… I found this on people doing extreme recycling.

I’m all for getting by with less and taking my bottles and cans to the recycling center. I’ve seen how big Mt. Trashmore is getting just down the road from where I live. But taking old food out of dumpsters?!! Man, you have to draw the line somewhere don’t you? This just hit me wrong. I know people throw out a bunch of stuff that is still good, but once it is in the dumpster, ya just got to leave it there. Don’t you?

Maybe not… Hmm… There is a small gathering of friends this weekend. Maybe I can check the trash behind the local markets and restaurants to see what is available… Anybody else want to go extremely green?

SPOILERS AHEAD:

IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THE 3-27 EPISODE OF ARE YOU SMARTER THAN A 5TH GRADER (AND CARE TO) SKIP THIS POST)

Last thursday night on the coming attraction for tonight’s “Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader”, it was announced that someone gets to the million dollar question and answers it. I was totally flabergasted that they would actually announce that someone would finally win the top prize more than a year after the show first aired. Then I remembered watching “Live with Regis and Kelly” (or was it Kathie Lee at the time…. who cares). On one particular morning, Regis announced that on that very night someone would win a million on “Who Wants to be a Millionaire.” At the time, it seemed exciting and of course I watched. I even remember the question (Which president made an appearance on the television series “Laugh In?”). Over the past few years, it seems like a cheap way to increase ratings.

It seemed like deja-vu while watching 5th Grader until the contestant who graduated from UCLA and has an MBA from USC got to the second question:

“What is the subject of the following sentence? Sierra baked a cake for Olivia.” He even got the three choices:

A: pronoun; B: proper noun; C: common noun

Unfortunately, this smart (?) guy thought the subject of the sentence was “cake” so he chose answer C. Sorry to say, the fifth grade student who could have saved him also chose the wrong answer. So the bright guy who knew he would be the first million dollar winner on the show flunked out on the second question and went home with nothing.

AH, but wait….. since the man was sooooo sure that he would not only get to the top question but answer it correctly, Jeff showed the question and it was answered correctly.

I guess the advertisement did not say that the million dollars was actually won only that the question was asked and answered. CHEAP RATINGS PLOY. If it were five days from now, some would have shouted “APRIL FOOLS!!!“

While scanning the news sites today I found this.

I’ve taken that stuff through the years. The heaviest usage was during my most depressing time of life!! The allergy season of 2004 was extremely bad for me. I took Singular for the entire Spring thru Fall (Last Frost to First Frost). I’m very glad (my girls are probably glad too) that I never had that side affect. Suicidal is something I’ve never been. Hell, I’ve been so depressed I couldn’t find my own socks in the morning, and they were right in the sock drawer where they’ve always been. I’ve put things in ‘safe places’ never to find them again. I went through at least 1 year on pure instinct. I’m surprised the people I met then still talk to me… Then again, the depression medication I was on had the same warning about suicide. Scary to take a med to help depression, that could cause thoughts of suicide.

Guess I have to talk with my Dr. before the allergy season starts up again…